Clever Cloud vs. Heroku
Clever Cloud gives you the same simplicity developers already love, plus transparent pricing, built-in observability, and European-level compliance. Everything you need to run your applications, without compromise.
Compare Clever Cloud and Heroku.
| Category | Clever Cloud | Heroku |
|---|---|---|
| Main Offering | Developer-oriented PaaS & DBaaS with integrated marketplace. | US-based PaaS (Salesforce) known for ease of use, with a large add-on ecosystem. |
| Ease of Use | Simple deployment, integrated auto-scaling and monitoring, no infrastructure management. | Deploy via git push, auto-scaling dynos, integrated monitoring, no infrastructure management. |
| Supported Languages & Runtimes | .NET, Docker, Elixir, FrankenPHP, Go, Haskell, Java, Node.js, PHP, Python, Ruby, Rust, Scala, Static; simplified deployment workflows, VMs, containers. | Node.js, Ruby, Python, Java, PHP, Scala, Go, Clojure, .NET, Docker. |
| Scalability & Performance | Automatic horizontal and vertical scaling based on actual usage; app instance and replica auto-scaling, automatic replication and redeployment. | Automatic horizontal and vertical scaling based on actual usage; app instance and replica auto-scaling, automatic replication and redeployment. |
| Deployment Model | Git, GitHub, GitLab, Bitbucket integrations; built-in CI/CD pipelines; immutable deployments; CLI, API, Kubernetes, Infrastructure as Code. | Deployments via Git; pipelines and review apps available; relies on add-ons for CI/CD. |
| Marketplace & Services | Marketplace including managed databases, object storage, observability, CI/CD, IAM, security, and integrated backups. | Rich add-on marketplace for databases, monitoring, storage, logging, CI/CD, messaging, and productivity tools. |
| Monitoring & Observability | Dashboards, logs, metrics, and alerts included; no third-party service required. | Basic monitoring included, e.g., application logs and metrics. |
| Compliance, Security & Sovereignty | Built-in security: isolated apps, automatic backups, data encryption; GDPR, ISO 27001, ISO 9001, HDS compliant; SecNumCloud in progress. | PCI, HIPAA, SOC, ISO certifications. |
| Infrastructure / Global Coverage | Owns and manages its infrastructure; datacenters primarily in Europe, also in Canada, Dubai, Singapore, Sydney, Abidjan, Kazakhstan. | Hosted on AWS, US-based. |
| Data Location | Hosting in France and worldwide; outside US and Chinese jurisdiction. | Mostly US regions; EU option available but under US legal framework, subject to extraterritorial laws. |
| Support & SLA | Support via console, documentation, and tickets; standard SLA 99.9%; Premium SLA 99.99% with 24/7 on-call. | Community support, tickets, and docs included; no strong public SLA, Enterprise plans only offer guaranteed SLA and 24/7 support. |
| Pricing Model | Transparent, usage-based: clear per-resource billing, optimized for cost predictability. | Pay-as-you-go per container (dyno), additional costs for extra add-ons. |
Key Advantages of Clever Cloud
European Data Sovereignty
100% European hosting with GDPR-compliant services, no risk from extraterritorial laws like the US Cloud Act. ISO 27001 & 9001, HDS certified. SecNumCloud in progress.
Security & Reliability
Security is built-in from day one. High availability and compliance included by default.
Multicloud by Design
Deploy your applications wherever you want: on Clever Cloud, with a partner, or on your own infrastructure, with datacenters in Europe, Canada, Dubai, Singapore, Sydney, Abidjan, and Kazakhstan.
Unit Resource Comparison
| Resource / Unit | Unit | Clever Cloud (€) | Heroku (€) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Compute – 1 vCPU | per hour | 0.00825¹ | 0.0293⁷ |
| Memory – 1 GB RAM | per hour | 0.0219² | 0.0587⁷ |
| PostgreSQL DB – 1 GB Storage | per GB/month | 5.25³ | 4.2835⁸ |
| Storage | per GB/month | 0.02⁴ | 0.3255⁹ |
| Outbound Traffic | per GB | 0.09⁵ | Usually included in dyno price |
| Log Storage & Retention | per GB/month | 7-day retention⁶ | Included / via add-on¹⁰ |
| Monitoring & Alerts | per app/month | 0 (included) | Included¹¹ |
| CI/CD Pipeline | per app/month | 0 (included) | Included¹² |
| Basic Support | per month | Free support for all users via email; response usually within a few hours to 2 business days. | Access to Dev Center docs, Trailblazer community, Trailhead, Salesforce Help, and online case submission. No SLA; responses best-effort. |
¹Based on the “nano” unit offering 1 vCPU and 512 MB of RAM for €6 per month.
²Based on the “XS” unit offering 1 vCPU and 1 GB of RAM for €16 per month.
³Based on the “XXS Small Space” unit offering 1 GB of storage.
⁴Based on pricing for Cellar Object Storage.
⁵Based on pricing for Cellar Object Storage.
⁶Based on documentation.
⁷Based on Heroku Standard-2X dyno ($50 /month, 2 vCPU + 1 GB RAM, 730 h).
⁸Based on the “Essential-0” plan, which includes 1 GB of PostgreSQL storage.
⁹Based on pricing for Stackhero Object Storage.
¹⁰Basic logging included; storage and retention via add-ons (e.g. Papertrail: free to ~$16/month).
¹¹Heroku offers certain built-in features at no additional cost.
¹²Use of the Pipelines feature is free, but you are charged for the dynos and add-ons used by your apps in the pipeline.
Monthly Estimates
| App Profile | Clever Cloud (€) | Heroku (€) | Savings (%) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Light | 35.7¹ | 57.27⁴ | 37.67% |
| Standard | 136.02² | 166.31⁵ | 18.21% |
| High Performance | 289.1³ | 367.31⁶ | 21.29% |
¹A basic setup with 1 vCPU, 1 GiB RAM, and a PostgreSQL database (1 GiB/5 GB), including 10 GB storage, 50 GB outbound traffic, and free CI/CD, monitoring and support.
²A standard environment with 4 vCPU, 4 GiB RAM, and a PostgreSQL database (2 GiB/10 GB), offering 50 GB storage, 200 GB outbound traffic, and included CI/CD, monitoring and support.
³An advanced configuration with 6 vCPU, 8 GiB RAM, and a PostgreSQL database (4 GiB/20 GB), featuring 200 GB storage, 500 GB outbound traffic, and free CI/CD, monitoring and support.
⁴This profile includes 2 vCPU, 1 GB memory, and a 1 GB PostgreSQL database, along with 10 GB storage, 50 GB outbound traffic, and 1 GB of logs. CI/CD, monitoring, and alerts are included, with basic support.
⁵This configuration offers 2 vCPU, 4 GB memory, and a 10 GB PostgreSQL database, with 50 GB storage, 200 GB outbound traffic, and 3 GB of logs. CI/CD, monitoring, and alerts are included, as well as Standard Success support.
⁶Based on 4 vCPU, 8 GB memory, and a 32 GB PostgreSQL database, paired with 200 GB storage, 500 GB outbound traffic, and 16.5 GB of logs. CI/CD, monitoring, and alerts are included, with Premier Success support.
Why Clever Cloud is the Best Alternative to Heroku Today
Choosing Clever Cloud means:
- A modern PaaS experience keeping Heroku’s simplicity while offering more native services.
- Sovereign hosting compliant with European regulations.
- Predictable costs with clear pricing and public estimator.
- Enhanced security suitable for critical environments.
Get Started with Clever Cloud
Deploy your applications in minutes, enjoy autoscaling, stay fully GDPR-compliant — all with transparent, usage-based pricing.