Comparison

HostStack vs Heroku

The git-push workflow Heroku invented — on modern Docker runtimes, with EU data residency, at a quarter of the invoice.

By Michael Michelsen, Founder of HostStack · Updated May 2026

Why developers choose HostStack

A Micro service (€5/mo) + Micro Postgres (€4/mo) + Starter Redis (€5/mo) lands at €14/mo; Heroku's comparable bundle (Eco dynos + Mini Postgres + Mini Redis) is around $20/mo and grows fast

Modern Docker runtime — bring any base image, runtime version, or system dependency. No buildpack incompatibility surprises during framework upgrades

Real EU data residency in Nuremberg or Helsinki with a DPA at signup. Heroku Common Runtime EU is limited to Ireland and ships through Salesforce / AWS

No 30-second request timeout. Long-running connections, websockets, and AI workloads work without dyno restart workarounds

TypeScript SDK and Terraform provider — first-party, not community-maintained

Managed MySQL, MariaDB, and MongoDB out of the box (Heroku ships PostgreSQL only; everything else is third-party add-on)

Feature comparison

Feature	HostStack	Heroku
Web services
Background workers
Cron jobs		Add-on (Heroku Scheduler)
Static sites
Managed PostgreSQL
Managed MySQL / MariaDB		Add-on (JawsDB / ClearDB)
Managed MongoDB		Add-on (mLab discontinued, third-party only)
Managed Redis
Object storage	Connect your own S3 bucket
Custom domains + SSL
GitHub auto-deploy
Docker runtime		container-only on Common Runtime
CLI tool
TypeScript SDK
EU data residency	DE, FI	Ireland (AWS)
Long-running requests (no 30s ceiling)
DPA included		Enterprise only

Pricing comparison

Tier	HostStack	Heroku
Free tier	1 Nano + 1 Starter Postgres — €0/mo, no card	No free tier (eliminated Nov 2022)
Cheapest always-on	€1/mo Pico (128 MB)	Eco $5/mo (still sleeps); Basic $7/mo (always-on)
512 MB always-on service	€5/mo Micro	$7/mo Basic
2 GB service	€20/mo Standard	$50/mo Standard-2X (1 GB only)
Cheapest managed Postgres	€4/mo Micro (256 MB / 1 GB)	$5/mo Essential-0 (shared RAM / 1 GB)
Production Postgres (4 GB / 40 GB)	€50/mo Pro	$200+/mo (Standard-1)
Bandwidth	200 GB/team free, €0.01/GB after	Not separately metered (included in dyno cost)
Team seats	Unlimited collaborators included on every team	$10/mo per seat on top of dyno costs
Egress	Free	Free

When NOT to choose HostStack

Heroku is the better fit in some cases. Here's when we'd tell you so.

You depend on a specific Heroku add-on with no Docker equivalent. Most are replaceable, but if you rely on add-ons like New Relic Heroku-tier, Memcachier, or Heroku Scheduler's exact UI you'll need to swap to the standalone vendor.

You're happy paying Heroku for the SOC 2 Type 2 / HIPAA / PCI Shield runtime. Our compliance roadmap is solid but we don't carry every certification yet.

You're running on Heroku Private Spaces with VPC peering to AWS. Our private networking is service-to-service inside HostStack; we don't peer to external VPCs.

You want zero-config Buildpack autodetection for an obscure runtime. We support Docker + framework presets; rare buildpacks need a Dockerfile.

Migrate from Heroku

Open a HostStack account

Containerize your Heroku app

If you don't already have a Dockerfile, our framework presets cover Node.js, Python, Ruby, Go, Java, PHP, .NET, and Elixir. Most heroku.yml services convert in one commit.

Carry over services and env vars

Export Heroku config vars (heroku config -s --app=APP) and push them with hoststack env bulk svc_… KEY1=VAL1 KEY2=VAL2 …. Procfile commands map directly to start commands.

Move the database

Provision a managed PostgreSQL on HostStack and stream a pg_dump from Heroku Postgres directly into it. Comparing Postgres options across providers? See our managed PostgreSQL Europe 2026 buyer's guide.

Flip DNS and decommission

Update your CNAME, wait for TLS to provision (usually seconds), rotate any Heroku-issued credentials, then delete the Heroku app. We have a clean cutover checklist in the docs.

Frequently asked questions

What is the cheapest Heroku alternative for always-on apps?

HostStack's Pico service is €1/month and stays on 24/7. Heroku's cheapest paid dyno, Eco at $5/month, sleeps after 30 minutes of inactivity, and the Basic dyno that stays awake is $7/month. So HostStack is both cheaper and always-on, with no cold-start sleep on any paid tier.

Does HostStack have the 30-second request timeout that Heroku does?

No. Heroku enforces a hard 30-second HTTP request timeout on its router. HostStack runs your service behind Traefik without that fixed cap, so long-running requests, streaming responses, and slow uploads are not cut off at 30 seconds.

How much is managed Postgres compared to Heroku Postgres?

HostStack managed PostgreSQL starts at €4/month (Micro) versus Heroku's Essential-0 at $5/month, and HostStack includes daily snapshots plus off-site S3 backups, with an optional 3-node Patroni HA cluster on higher tiers. Heroku's mini/essential Postgres tiers are single-node.

Is HostStack a good Heroku alternative for European teams?

Yes — it is built for it. Heroku runs on AWS in the US/EU but Salesforce is US-incorporated (CLOUD Act exposure). HostStack is operated by the Danish company MICCI with data resident in Germany or Finland, a DPA at signup, and a familiar git-push deploy workflow plus Docker runtime, so the migration keeps the Heroku developer experience while fixing the EU-residency gap.

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