Which is cheaper, Heroku or Railway?

Pricing varies by tier and usage. Check both tools for current rates.

Does Heroku have a free tier?

No, Heroku does not have a free tier.

Heroku has moderate switching cost. Railway has moderate switching cost. Both have similar switching complexity.

Hosting

Heroku

PaaS for deploying, managing, and scaling apps with managed dynos and add-ons

Switching Cost: moderate

Railway

Deploy apps and databases with zero config, usage-based pricing

Switching Cost: moderate

The free tier advantage goes to Railway, which offers a no-cost entry point that Heroku lacks.

Pricing philosophy differs — Heroku charges flat-rate, but Railway takes a hybrid approach.

Railway stands out for teams needing a free tier — zero upfront costs for prototyping and testing is a genuine advantage.

Railway stands out for teams needing a free tier — zero upfront costs for prototyping and testing is a genuine advantage.

Free Tier

Railway

Has a free tier option

Pricing Model

Different

Tools charge using different pricing philosophies