# Ownkube vs Heroku

> Ownkube vs Heroku: per-minute wallet billing versus dyno pricing, managed databases, git-push deploys, and running the same app in your own AWS account.

Heroku set the template for git-push deploys, and Ownkube keeps that ergonomics. Connect a repo, get a live URL, attach a managed database. The differences are in how you pay, how much control you keep, and where the app can run.

## At a glance

| Capability | Ownkube | Heroku |
|---|---|---|
| **Billing model** | Prepaid wallet. CPU and memory metered per minute on actual usage; unused credit rolls over and never expires | Dyno-based pricing by size and uptime |
| **Cost to start** | Browse free, no card. Deploying needs a plan from \$5 / month (no free tier on Compute) | Heroku removed its free tier in 2022; a paid plan is required |
| **Deploy from** | GitHub or GitLab repo, or a container image | Git push with buildpacks, or a container image |
| **Managed Postgres / cache** | Managed Postgres 17 / 18 and a Valkey cache, one click each | Managed Postgres and a Redis-compatible add-on |
| **Autoscaling** | Horizontal autoscaling on CPU and memory | Autoscaling on eligible dyno types |
| **Observability** | Live logs plus CPU and memory metrics on every deployment | Logs and metrics, with an add-on ecosystem for more |
| **Own-cloud portability** | Move the same app to your own AWS account with no rewrite; logs, metrics, and health checks come with it | Runs on Heroku's platform |
| **Lock-in** | Standard Kubernetes. Disconnect anytime and your apps keep running | Apps run on Heroku's managed platform |

## Where Ownkube is different

Heroku bills a dyno by its size and how long it runs. Ownkube meters the CPU and memory a workload actually uses, per minute, so an idle app costs almost nothing. Your plan loads a prepaid wallet (Personal \$5, Team \$20), usage draws it down, and **unused credit rolls over and never expires**. Top up any time from a \$5 minimum; at a zero balance apps pause with data retained.

The larger difference is the exit. The same app moves into your own (or a customer's) AWS account with no rewrite, and its logs, metrics, and health checks come with it. You pay AWS directly at wholesale rates, least-privilege IAM, on vanilla Kubernetes you can disconnect from anytime.

The wedge no PaaS peer offers: the same app you build here runs unchanged in your own cloud when you outgrow managed compute, with its observability intact. It is an option, not a requirement, and most personal software never needs it.

## Where Heroku may fit you better

Heroku's add-on marketplace and buildpack ecosystem are deep and battle-tested, with a long track record and a large catalog of third-party services you can attach in a click. If your workflow depends on a specific add-on or a mature buildpack, Heroku's maturity is real and worth weighing.

- [Deploy your first app](/docs/guides/deploy-first-app)
- [Run in your own cloud](/docs/guides/connect-aws)

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