Heroku Pricing Calculator

An expert tool to accurately estimate your monthly Heroku application costs. Adjust dyno types, data services, and add-ons to see a real-time cost breakdown and make informed infrastructure decisions.

Estimated Monthly Cost

$0.00

Dyno Cost

$0.00

Data Services Cost

$0.00

Other Costs

$0.00

What is the Heroku Pricing Model?

The heroku pricing calculator is a financial tool designed to estimate the monthly cost of running an application on Heroku’s Platform as a Service (PaaS). Heroku’s pricing is primarily based on a pay-as-you-go model for the resources your application consumes. The main cost drivers are Dynos (compute resources), Data Services (like Postgres and Redis), and any third-party Add-ons you integrate. This calculator helps developers and businesses forecast their expenses by simulating different resource configurations. Unlike raw infrastructure providers like AWS, Heroku’s cost includes managed services, automated patching, and a streamlined deployment process, which adds significant value beyond just compute power.

This model is beneficial for projects of all sizes. Small projects can start with low-cost plans, while large-scale applications can scale up their resources as needed, though costs can grow significantly with scale. Understanding how these components interact is key to managing your budget effectively.

Heroku Pricing Formula and Explanation

The core formula for calculating your monthly Heroku cost is a summation of its primary components. This heroku pricing calculator uses the following logic:

Total Monthly Cost = (Dyno Price × Number of Dynos) + Postgres Plan Price + Redis Plan Price + Other Add-on Costs

Each variable in this formula corresponds to a specific service or resource you provision for your application. While Heroku bills are prorated to the second, this calculator provides an estimate based on full monthly usage for stable planning.

Formula Variables

Variable	Meaning	Unit	Typical Range
Dyno Price	The cost of a single dyno for one month.	USD ($)	$5 – $500
Number of Dynos	The quantity of dynos running your app process.	Integer	1 – 50+
Postgres Plan Price	The monthly cost of your selected Heroku Postgres database plan.	USD ($)	$0 – $200+
Redis Plan Price	The monthly cost of your selected Heroku Data for Redis plan.	USD ($)	$0 – $200+
Other Add-on Costs	The sum of all other monthly subscriptions from the Heroku Elements marketplace.	USD ($)	$0 – $1000+

Practical Examples

Example 1: Small Personal Project

A developer is launching a personal blog. They need a small, reliable setup but are cost-conscious.

• Inputs:
  • Dyno Type: 1 x Basic Dyno ($7)
  • Postgres Plan: 1 x Mini ($5)
  • Redis Plan: None ($0)
  • Other Add-ons: $0
• Result:
  • Total Estimated Cost: $12.00 / month

Example 2: Small Business Application

A startup is launching a new SaaS product. They anticipate moderate traffic and need a robust setup with caching capabilities. For more information on scaling, see this article on scaling Heroku dynos.

• Inputs:
  • Dyno Type: 2 x Standard-1X Dynos ($25 each = $50)
  • Postgres Plan: 1 x Standard-0 ($50)
  • Redis Plan: 1 x Premium-0 ($15)
  • Other Add-ons: $20 (for logging and monitoring)
• Result:
  • Total Estimated Cost: $135.00 / month

How to Use This Heroku Pricing Calculator

Follow these steps to estimate your application’s monthly cost:

1. Select Dyno Type: Choose the dyno that fits your app’s performance needs. ‘Basic’ is great for small projects, while ‘Standard’ and ‘Performance’ are for production business applications.
2. Set Number of Dynos: Enter the number of dynos you plan to run. For web applications, having at least two dynos can provide redundancy.
3. Choose a Postgres Plan: Select a database plan based on your data storage and connection needs. You can learn more from the official Heroku Postgres guide.
4. Choose a Redis Plan: If your application requires caching or a key-value store, select an appropriate Redis plan.
5. Enter Other Costs: Sum up the monthly cost of any other add-ons (e.g., Papertrail, New Relic) and enter the total in the final field.
6. Review Results: The calculator will instantly update the total estimated cost and show a breakdown of where your money is going.

Key Factors That Affect Heroku Pricing

• Dyno Size and Type: The primary cost driver. Performance dynos offer more power but at a significantly higher price.
• Number of Dynos: Horizontal scaling increases costs linearly. An app with 10 dynos costs 10 times more in compute than an app with 1 dyno.
• Database Tier: Data services are a major expense. Higher-tier Postgres and Redis plans add up quickly, especially those with high availability.
• Add-On Usage: The cost of third-party services from the Heroku Elements marketplace can be substantial. It’s crucial to audit these regularly.
• CI/CD Usage: While Heroku CI is now often included, heavy usage in complex team structures can indirectly lead to more resource consumption.
• Data Transfer: While Heroku includes a generous amount of bandwidth, applications with extreme egress/ingress might incur extra costs, though this is rare.

For a detailed comparison, you might find our analysis on AWS vs Heroku insightful, as it discusses different pricing philosophies.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

1. Are there any free options on Heroku?

Heroku’s original free tier was retired. They now offer an “Eco” dyno plan which provides a pool of hours for a low monthly cost, and these dynos sleep when inactive. There are also some free tiers for add-ons, like the entry-level Redis Cloud plan.

2. How does the ‘Eco’ dyno plan work?

The Eco plan gives you a monthly pool of 1,000 “dyno hours” for a flat fee. All your Eco dynos share these hours. A dyno only consumes hours when it’s active (i.e., receiving traffic). If it’s idle for 30 minutes, it goes to sleep and stops consuming hours.

3. What happens if I use more dynos than I selected?

This heroku pricing calculator is for estimation. Your actual bill is based on real-time usage. If you scale your dynos up to 3, you will be billed for 3 dynos for the duration they were active, prorated to the second.

4. Does this calculator include taxes?

No, this calculator estimates the direct resource costs from Heroku. It does not include any applicable local or national taxes.

5. How does Heroku compare to Render.com or Fly.io?

Each PaaS has a different pricing model. Heroku is often seen as more beginner-friendly but potentially more expensive at scale. You can review a PaaS cost comparison for a deeper dive.

6. What are “intermediate values” in the result?

They show you how your total cost is broken down into major categories: Dyno Costs (compute), Data Services Costs (Postgres + Redis), and Other Costs (add-ons). This helps identify the most expensive parts of your setup.

7. Can I reduce my Heroku bill?

Absolutely. Regularly review your dyno sizes (“right-sizing”), check for unused add-ons, and scale down dynos during off-peak hours if possible. This calculator can help you model the savings from such changes.

8. Is Heroku CI/CD free?

Heroku has made Heroku CI free for paying customers, removing the previous $10/month fee. This makes integrating continuous integration more accessible.