Heroku Alternative — Switch to Deplexo
Heroku removed its free tier in 2022 and entered sustaining engineering mode in February 2026. Deplexo is a modern alternative with a free tier and active development.
Why switch from Heroku
Heroku discontinued its free tier in November 2022, pushing all users to paid plans. The cheapest option — Eco dynos at $5/month — still sleeps after 30 minutes of inactivity. In February 2026, Salesforce moved Heroku to sustaining engineering mode — no new features, only maintenance. The developer experience has stagnated and projects are actively migrating away.
What Deplexo offers
Free tier
128 MB RAM, 1 app, no credit card. Always-on — no sleep timer.
No Procfile
Auto-detects your framework. Optional deplexo.yaml for overrides.
Secure by default
Read-only root, dropped caps, no-new-privileges. Every container is locked down.
Fixed pricing
$0/5/10/custom. No usage surprises. No add-on markup.
How to migrate
- Connect the same GitHub repo to Deplexo.
- Copy environment variables from Heroku Settings to Deplexo's Env Vars tab.
- Deploy. Deplexo auto-detects your framework — no Procfile needed.
- Update custom domain DNS if applicable.
- Cancel your Heroku subscription.
FAQ
- Is Deplexo a drop-in Heroku replacement?
For most apps, yes. Connect the same repo, copy env vars, deploy. Heroku-specific features like managed add-ons and review apps are not available.
- What about Heroku Postgres?
Deplexo doesn't offer managed databases. Use an external provider (Neon, PlanetScale, Supabase) and connect via env vars.
- Does Deplexo support buildpacks?
No. Deplexo uses auto-detection to generate Dockerfiles, or you bring your own Dockerfile.
- Will my Heroku CLI scripts work?
No. Deplexo uses a web dashboard, not a CLI. API access is available at /user/api/v1/docs.