balena vs Heroku
Side-by-side comparison of features, pricing, and integrations.
Quick Verdict
balena offers fewer features (31 vs 43) and fewer integrations (6 vs 30). Starting price: balena at $159/mo vs Heroku at $7/mo. balena has 31 unique features while Heroku has 43 unique features, with 0 features in common.
| balena | Heroku | |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Cloud Infrastructure | Cloud Infrastructure |
| Total Features | 31 | 43 |
| AI-Powered Features | 0 | 0 |
| Starting Price | $159/mo | $7/mo |
| Pricing Tiers | 6 | 5 |
| Integrations | 6 | 30 |
| Shared Features | 0 | |
| Shared Integrations | 2 | |
| Data Quality | 80% | 72% |
Feature Comparison by Category
Compute (0 vs 2)
| Feature | balena | Heroku |
|---|---|---|
| Dyno Runtime | ||
| Formation Management |
Configuration (0 vs 3)
| Feature | balena | Heroku |
|---|---|---|
| Domain Management | ||
| Environment Variables | ||
| Procfile Configuration |
Database (0 vs 6)
| Feature | balena | Heroku |
|---|---|---|
| Database Backups | ||
| Database Followers | ||
| Heroku Data Clips | ||
| Heroku Postgres | ||
| Heroku Redis | ||
| Shield Private Databases |
Deployment (3 vs 7)
| Feature | balena | Heroku |
|---|---|---|
| Cloud Build | ||
| Container Deployment | ||
| Git-based Deployment | ||
| Image Preloading | ||
| Maintenance Mode | ||
| Pipeline Management | ||
| Preboot | ||
| Release Management | ||
| Release Phase | ||
| Slug Compilation |
Developer Tools (3 vs 0)
| Feature | balena | Heroku |
|---|---|---|
| Full API & SDK | ||
| Local Development | ||
| Multi-Language Support |
Development (0 vs 2)
| Feature | balena | Heroku |
|---|---|---|
| Exec Command | ||
| Review Apps |
Device Management (6 vs 0)
| Feature | balena | Heroku |
|---|---|---|
| Device Filtering & Pinning | ||
| Device Provisioning | ||
| Fleet Tagging & Organization | ||
| Group Actions | ||
| Remote Configuration | ||
| Remote Fleet Management |
Enterprise Features (1 vs 0)
| Feature | balena | Heroku |
|---|---|---|
| Dedicated Instance |
Integration (0 vs 4)
| Feature | balena | Heroku |
|---|---|---|
| Add-ons Marketplace | ||
| GitHub Integration | ||
| Platform API | ||
| Webhooks |
Integration & Automation (1 vs 0)
| Feature | balena | Heroku |
|---|---|---|
| CI/CD Integration |
Migration & Integration (1 vs 0)
| Feature | balena | Heroku |
|---|---|---|
| Brownfield Migration |
Monitoring (0 vs 2)
| Feature | balena | Heroku |
|---|---|---|
| Log Streaming | ||
| Metrics Dashboard |
Monitoring & Logging (3 vs 0)
| Feature | balena | Heroku |
|---|---|---|
| Deployment Monitoring | ||
| Device Health Monitoring | ||
| Device Logs |
Operating System (1 vs 0)
| Feature | balena | Heroku |
|---|---|---|
| balenaOS |
Runtime (0 vs 3)
| Feature | balena | Heroku |
|---|---|---|
| Buildpacks | ||
| Dyno Metadata | ||
| Ephemeral Filesystem |
Scaling (0 vs 1)
| Feature | balena | Heroku |
|---|---|---|
| Dyno Autoscaling |
Security (0 vs 9)
| Feature | balena | Heroku |
|---|---|---|
| ACM (Automated Certificate Management) | ||
| API Rate Limiting | ||
| Audit Log | ||
| Enterprise Shield | ||
| IP Allowlisting | ||
| Multi-factor Authentication | ||
| OAuth Integration | ||
| Private Spaces | ||
| SSL/TLS Certificates |
Security & Access (1 vs 0)
| Feature | balena | Heroku |
|---|---|---|
| SSH Access |
Security & Compliance (5 vs 0)
| Feature | balena | Heroku |
|---|---|---|
| Regulatory Compliance | ||
| SBOM Tracking | ||
| Secure Device Decommissioning | ||
| Security Hardening | ||
| Vulnerability Management |
Support & Services (1 vs 0)
| Feature | balena | Heroku |
|---|---|---|
| Custom Device Support |
Task Automation (0 vs 1)
| Feature | balena | Heroku |
|---|---|---|
| Heroku Scheduler |
Team Management (0 vs 2)
| Feature | balena | Heroku |
|---|---|---|
| Apps Transfer | ||
| Heroku for Teams |
Tools (0 vs 1)
| Feature | balena | Heroku |
|---|---|---|
| Heroku CLI |
Updates & Maintenance (3 vs 0)
| Feature | balena | Heroku |
|---|---|---|
| Application Deltas | ||
| Linux OS Updates | ||
| OTA Updates |
User & Access Management (2 vs 0)
| Feature | balena | Heroku |
|---|---|---|
| Role-Based Access Control | ||
| Team Member Management |
Unique Features
Only in balena (31)
Cloud Build
Container Deployment
Image Preloading
Full API & SDK
Local Development
Multi-Language Support
Device Filtering & Pinning
Device Provisioning
Fleet Tagging & Organization
Group Actions
Remote Configuration
Remote Fleet Management
Dedicated Instance
CI/CD Integration
Brownfield Migration
Deployment Monitoring
Device Health Monitoring
Device Logs
balenaOS
SSH Access
+ 11 more unique features
Only in Heroku (43)
Dyno Runtime
Formation Management
Domain Management
Environment Variables
Procfile Configuration
Database Backups
Database Followers
Heroku Data Clips
Heroku Postgres
Heroku Redis
Shield Private Databases
Git-based Deployment
Maintenance Mode
Pipeline Management
Preboot
Release Management
Release Phase
Slug Compilation
Exec Command
Review Apps
+ 23 more unique features
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