Last checked October 15, 2026
Best Free Alternatives to Heroku (2026)
Heroku is a build, a process, a database, and logs. A replacement is a PaaS you run, not a cheaper copy of every add-on.
What Heroku costs
Paid plans exist. A current dollar figure is not copied into this listing.
Ranked by Drop-in score
How we rank#1 is the highest-scoring alternative that is not sponsored. A featured listing, when one is sold, is labeled and sits after #1.
- 92#1Open sourceReview notes
Coolify
A self-hosted PaaS for apps and databases.
Last checked October 15, 2026 · Apache-2.0
WebSelf-host - 84#2Open sourceReview notes
CapRover
A PaaS with a web UI and Let's Encrypt.
Last checked October 15, 2026 · Apache-2.0
WebSelf-host - 82#3Open sourceReview notes
Kubero
A PaaS panel on Kubernetes.
Last checked October 15, 2026 · GPL-3.0
WebSelf-host - 74#4Open sourceReview notes
Dokku
A small PaaS on one Linux host.
Last checked October 15, 2026 · MIT
LinuxSelf-host - 53#5Open sourceReview notes
YunoHost
A server distribution with an app catalog.
Last checked October 15, 2026 · AGPL-3.0
WebSelf-host
Feature by feature
Full is the whole job. Partial is a real version with a gap. Missing means it does not do this. Not checked counts as zero in the score.
| Feature | Coolify#1 · 92 | CapRover#2 · 84 | Kubero#3 · 82 | Dokku#4 · 74 | YunoHost#5 · 53 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Deploy from Git or a containerWeight 10 | Full | Full | Full | Full | Partial |
| A build stepWeight 8 | Full | Full | Full | Full | Partial |
| Attach a databaseWeight 8 | Full | Full | Partial | Partial | Full |
| Logs for the appWeight 6 | Full | Partial | Full | Full | Partial |
| Run more than one processWeight 6 | Partial | Partial | Partial | Missing | Missing |
Real cost
Coolify
- Free tier
- The community edition can be self-hosted without a per-user fee. Hosted prices are not copied here. Unverified.
- Hosted plan
- No hosted price recorded.
- Self-hosting
- Moderate. One server you control. You bring the VM.
CapRover
- Free tier
- The community edition can be self-hosted without a per-user fee. Hosted prices are not copied here. Unverified.
- Hosted plan
- No hosted price recorded.
- Self-hosting
- Moderate. Plan on Docker or a small VM. A hosted plan, when one exists, is separate from the free self-host.
Kubero
- Free tier
- The community edition can be self-hosted without a per-user fee. Hosted prices are not copied here. Unverified.
- Hosted plan
- No hosted price recorded.
- Self-hosting
- Hard. Needs a Kubernetes cluster.
Dokku
- Free tier
- The community edition can be self-hosted without a per-user fee. Hosted prices are not copied here. Unverified.
- Hosted plan
- No hosted price recorded.
- Self-hosting
- Moderate. Plan on Docker or a small VM. A hosted plan, when one exists, is separate from the free self-host.
YunoHost
- Free tier
- The community edition can be self-hosted without a per-user fee. Hosted prices are not copied here. Unverified.
- Hosted plan
- No hosted price recorded.
- Self-hosting
- Moderate. Plan on Docker or a small VM. A hosted plan, when one exists, is separate from the free self-host.
Top pair
Migrate from Heroku to Coolify
List the apps, the buildpacks or Dockerfiles, and the databases.
Read the migration guide