Omeganodes vs Heroku

What one small app costs on each

Take a Node.js API with a PostgreSQL database that has to answer at any hour. Heroku's $5 Eco dyno sleeps after 30 minutes without traffic, so an API like this needs at least a Basic dyno at $7 a month with 0.5 GB of RAM. Heroku Postgres Essential-0 adds $5, so the app costs $12 a month before any add-on.

On Omeganodes the same app fits the Starter plan: €5 a month, or €3 in Africa, Latin America and most of Asia, for 512 MB of RAM and 5 GB of disk. The database runs next to the app and its data counts toward those 5 GB, so there is no second bill. Prices include VAT where it applies.

With 1 GB of RAM the gap widens. Heroku's Standard-2X dyno is $50 a month on its own; Omeganodes Pro is €12 (€8 regional) for 1 GB of RAM, 15 GB of disk and up to three projects. Paying a year in advance costs ten months on Omeganodes.

Do apps sleep?

Heroku Eco dynos sleep after 30 minutes without traffic, and the first visitor after a quiet spell waits while the dyno starts again. Omeganodes does not put idle apps to sleep on any plan, Free included. Free apps run on shared servers on a best-effort basis and show a small “Hosted free on omeganodes.com” banner, which goes away on any paid plan.

Moving an app from Heroku

Most apps move without code changes: both platforms build from your repository and pass settings as environment variables.

• Create a free account and a new project, paste your GitHub or GitLab repository and pick the branch. Private repositories work through OAuth or a token.
• Copy your config vars from Heroku (Settings → Reveal Config Vars, or heroku config --shell) and paste them as KEY=value lines under Env Vars → Paste .env, then click Save & Redeploy.
• If a Procfile started your app on Heroku, put the same web command in Settings → Build configuration → Start command. Your app listens on the port in the PORT variable, as on Heroku.
• Create a PostgreSQL database under Databases. Its connection string is injected as DATABASE_URL, the variable Heroku Postgres uses too. Export your data with heroku pg:backups:capture and heroku pg:backups:url, then restore the dump into the new database; open a support ticket if you want help with the import.
• When the new address works, add your domain under Domains with the CNAME, A and TXT records shown there. HTTPS is issued automatically once the TXT record matches; then switch the Heroku app off.

What sustaining engineering means

On 6 February 2026 Heroku announced a sustaining engineering model focused on stability, security, reliability and support rather than new features. Apps, pipelines, teams and add-ons keep working, customers who pay by card keep their prices, and Enterprise contracts are no longer offered to new customers. Nothing forces you to move today; the question is whether the platform will keep growing with your product.

When Heroku is the better choice

Stay on Heroku if you rely on its add-on marketplace, need more than 2 GB of RAM for one app (dynos go up to 126 GB), need servers in the Americas or Asia-Pacific through Private Spaces, or need a provider with a SOC 2 or ISO 27001 report today: Omeganodes does not have one yet. Omeganodes runs in one location, Falkenstein in Germany, and is sized for small and mid-size apps, from 256 MB to 2 GB of RAM per plan and more with a RAM add-on.

Questions people ask

Is there a free alternative to Heroku?

Yes. The Omeganodes Free plan runs one project with 256 MB of RAM, 1 GB of disk and HTTPS on an address like my-app.sites.omeganodes.com, with no card and no end date. Heroku has offered no free plans since 28 November 2022; its cheapest dyno, Eco, is $5 a month and sleeps after 30 minutes without traffic.

Do I need to change my code to leave Heroku?

Usually not. Omeganodes builds from the same repository, detects the language or uses your Dockerfile, and injects the database as DATABASE_URL. Keep reading the port from PORT, set the start command if your Procfile defined one, and copy your config vars.

Can I pay without a credit card?

Yes. Pay by MTN Mobile Money, Airtel Money or bank transfer and our team confirms it, usually within one working day; card (via Stripe) and PayPal activate at once. Heroku asks for a verified account, in practice a credit or debit card, before you can create apps.

Where do Omeganodes apps run?

On dedicated servers in Falkenstein, Germany, operated by Hetzner, under EU data-protection law. There is no African, American or Asian region yet; a project pinned to a region with no server is refused rather than moved.