Back to Home
Server Compass vs Heroku
Compare modern desktop VPS management with Heroku's classic PaaS. Choose cost-effective self-hosted infrastructure or premium managed cloud platform.
Own Your Infrastructure
No Vendor Lock-in
VPS Pricing
$19
vs $5-25+ per dyno
Desktop
Offline-capable
Own
Your infrastructure
Feature Comparison
| Feature | Server Compass | Heroku |
|---|---|---|
| Platform | Desktop + Your VPS | Cloud PaaS |
| Infrastructure ownership | ||
| Free tier | Trial period | Removed (2022) |
| SSH access | Full terminal | heroku run bash (limited) |
| File browser | ||
| Cron jobs | Visual UI | Heroku Scheduler addon |
| Docker support | Container registry | |
| PM2 deployments | ||
| Dyno/compute pricing | VPS ($5-20/mo total) | $5-25+ per dyno |
| Database | Self-hosted (free) | $5+ per database |
| Redis | Self-hosted (free) | $15+ per instance |
| Sleep/wake delays | Eco dynos sleep | |
| Pricing model | One-time + VPS | Per-dyno + add-ons |
| Build time limits | Unlimited | Yes |
Pricing Comparison
Server Compass
$19
one-time
- Desktop app (lifetime)
- Unlimited apps & services
- Host multiple apps on one VPS
- Self-hosted databases (free)
- No per-dyno fees
- Pay only VPS ($5-20/mo)
- All features included
Total: $19 + one VPS ($5-20/mo) for all your apps.
Heroku
From $5/dyno
per month
- Eco: $5/month per dyno (sleeps)
- Basic: $7/month per dyno
- Standard: $25-50/month per dyno
- Postgres: $5+ per database
- Redis: $15+ per instance
- Each app = separate charges
Multi-app costs add up: 3 apps + Postgres + Redis = $30+/mo minimum.
When to Choose Each Platform
Choose Server Compass if...
- You want to drastically reduce hosting costs
- You need multiple apps (Heroku charges per dyno)
- You want SSH and full server access
- You need visual cron job management
- You want to avoid per-resource pricing
- You prefer one-time licensing
- You need Docker Compose deployments
- You want complete infrastructure control
Choose Heroku if...
- You want zero infrastructure management
- You need Heroku-specific add-ons marketplace
- You prefer fully managed Postgres with backups
- You want Heroku's review apps
- You need Salesforce integrations
- You prefer Heroku's git push deployment
- You want managed Redis and other add-ons
Ready to Own Your Infrastructure?
Download Server Compass and start deploying on your own VPS with the same polished experience you expect from premium platforms.