Heroku vs Netlify: Choosing the Right Platform for Your Web Application Stack

A practical, technical breakdown of Heroku vs Netlify to help you pick the best cloud platform for your web applications. Covers deployment workflows, serverless backend services, infrastructure, performance, pricing, and developer tooling.

Trying to decide whether to deploy your next web app on Heroku or Netlify?

It’s a common decision point for developers aiming to build and launch efficiently—especially when weighing backend flexibility against frontend simplicity.

This comparison examines Heroku vs Netlify through a technical lens to help you understand which cloud platform better suits your project. From deployment workflows and serverless backend services to infrastructure, performance, and pricing models, we’ll break down each aspect so you can make an informed, practical decision. This guide lays out what to expect from both platforms.

What Are Heroku and Netlify?

Heroku and Netlify are two popular cloud platform providers offering hosting and deployment solutions.

Heroku shines as a PaaS provider for full-stack web applications, while Netlify excels for static sites and frontend-focused workflows.

Heroku is a cloud platform as a service (PaaS) supporting many languages like Ruby, Python, Java, Node.js, PHP, Go, and Scala. It allows developers to deploy dynamic web applications with linked databases, add-ons, CI, and server infrastructure through dynos.

Netlify is a modern development platform built around JavaScript, API, and Markup (JAMstack), designed to automate static websites and provide integrated serverless backend services like serverless functions and edge functions.

Intended Use Cases

Heroku is ideal for dynamic web applications and mobile applications that rely on backend services like APIs and relational databases. Developers can scale via dynos and add-ons that provide PostgreSQL, Redis, monitoring, and more. It’s suited to projects built using multiple programming languages and needing infrastructure control.

Netlify, on the other hand, is tailored for static sites or static websites with serverless functions. It integrates effortlessly with git repository workflows for frontend developers and supports automatic deployment from GitHub, GitLab, or Bitbucket. It excels at building web applications that rely primarily on static content and lightweight serverless backend services.

Deployment and Workflow Differences

Let’s examine how each handles deployment, CI/CD, and developer tooling.

Deployment on Heroku

Heroku uses a command-line interface (CLI) and a simple

git push

Heroku's main workflow. With a connected git repository, developers push code, and dynos build and deploy the app. Add-ons can be enabled for databases, caching, and monitoring. Heroku CI is available optionally for deployment pipelines.

Deployment on Netlify

Netlify automatically triggers builds and deployments whenever code is pushed to a git repository. It provides deploy previews per pull request, integrated CI, and asset optimization. Deployment is seamless for static site generators (e.g., Gatsby, Hugo, Next.js) and static web applications.

Hosting, Infrastructure, and Network

Dive into how each platform manages hosting, global presence, and scaling.

Heroku’s Infrastructure

Heroku runs on AWS infrastructure using dynos—containers spread across its dyno grid. Developers rely on AWS servers behind the scenes but don't manage them directly. Heroku offers performance scaling by adjusting dyno sizes or quantity. It supports vertical and horizontal scaling easily through the dashboard or CLI.

Netlify’s Global Network

Netlify distributes your static assets across a global content delivery network (CDN). It deploys and builds atomically across multiple cloud providers, so updates go live globally at once. That global network ensures low-latency delivery for static sites in most regions.

Serverless Backend Services

Here’s how both platforms support backend logic and API functionality.

Heroku Backend Tools

Heroku offers full server hosting, supporting backend services in many programming languages. Developers can run backend APIs or applications in Node.js, Ruby, Python, Java, or PHP. It integrates easily with databases (Heroku Postgres, Redis) and allows add-ons for monitoring and analytics.

Netlify Functions and Edge Functions

Netlify provides serverless functions built in JavaScript, TypeScript, or Go. It includes standard Netlify Functions, background scheduled functions, and edge functions running at the network edge for low latency and fast dynamic content delivery.

Edge functions enable frontend developers to deploy backend code near users without managing servers.

Netlify DB: The database for AI-native development. Powered by @neondatabase, agents can go from generating static UIs to building full-stack, data-driven apps.— Twitter Post

Pricing, Free Tier, and Free Plan Comparison

Heroku Pricing and Free Tier

Heroku previously offered a generous free tier, but discontinued free dynos as of August 2022. Paid plans start from hobby dynos and scale up. Developers often rely on add-ons (databases, monitoring), which may incur additional cost.

Netlify’s Generous Free Plan

Netlify offers a free plan with generous limits: bandwidth up to 100 GB/month, 300 build minutes, unlimited static sites, basic serverless functions, and free SSL. Its free plan is ideal for small web applications and frontend developers on a budget.

Features, Add-Ons, and Ecosystem

Heroku Add-Ons and Services

Heroku provides add-ons for databases, email, logging, monitoring, and security. Developers can pick from hundreds of add-ons, including Postgres, Redis, Kafka, Elasticsearch, datasync, and more. Add-ons are managed via the dashboard or CLI, making it easy to integrate services. It supports many programming languages and advanced features like review apps, pipelines, and enterprise tools.

Netlify Tools and Integrations

Netlify integrates tools like form handling, split testing, analytics, identity services, Connect for content sources, and deployment previews. Plugins and APIs can extend functionality. It also supports edge functions and serverless backend services, making it full-featured for static site workflows.

Security, Performance, and Scalability

Security and Monitoring

Heroku offers enterprise-grade security features, identity controls, and compliance add-ons. Developers can rely on Heroku's logging, SSL, access controls, and audit tools. Netlify offers free SSL out of the box, deploy previews for review, and CDN caching security. Edge functions are sandboxed, and Netlify’s platform handles DDoS protection and CDN firewalls.

Performance and Scaling

Heroku performance depends on dyno size and count. Scaling involves managing dynos and possibly database read replicas. On Netlify, static sites load fast via CDN globally, and edge functions deliver dynamic content quickly. Static sites and serverless functions scale automatically without managing servers.

Developer Experience and Languages Supported

Heroku for Backend Developers

Backend developers building APIs, web applications, or full-stack services benefit from Heroku’s support for multiple programming languages, full database services, add-ons, and CI/CD tools. It supports git workflows, Heroku CLI, and integrates with GitHub for continuous deployment.

Netlify for Frontend Developers

Frontend developers creating static sites or web applications with serverless functions find Netlify’s developer tools streamlined. Git repository–based deployment, integrated CLI, preview URLs, continuous deployment, and edge functions support modern web frameworks like React, Vue, Hugo, Gatsby, and Next.js.

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Heroku vs Netlify Comparison Table

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Final Thoughts on Heroku vs Netlify

After reviewing both platforms, you can see Heroku vs Netlify is not about a win but about fit. Use Heroku when your web applications need server-side logic, databases, or support for many languages. Choose Netlify when your project is centered on static sites, frontend development, and you want seamless deployment with serverless backend services.

What Are the Next Steps?

Here is what to consider next:

• Evaluate your application needs: static site or dynamic backend?

• Try the free plan: Netlify’s generous free plan or Heroku’s hobby tier (if available in your region).

• Experiment with edge functions or dynos: build sample features in both.

• Assess add-ons and services: databases, monitoring, and authentication.

• Check community resources and expert views by following relevant LinkedIn posts or tweets from experts who compare them (e.g., tech engineers discussing JAMstack vs PaaS).

Documenting this comparison revealed how different the platforms truly are: Heroku excels at full-stack, back‑end apps in many languages with database support and add-ons, while Netlify is a tool built for frontend developers deploying static sites with serverless functions. The right choice depends on your project's architecture and your focus.