Forte vs. Heroku
A modern Heroku alternative with no cold starts, built-in auth, and transparent pricing.
Heroku pioneered simple deployments, but its dyno model, sleeping free tier, and mounting add-on costs haven't kept up. Forte gives you everything Heroku promised — plus the features modern apps actually need.
Feature by feature
A straightforward look at how Forte compares to Heroku.
| Heroku | Forte | |
|---|---|---|
| Setup time | Manual Procfiles & buildpacks | 5 minutes, push to GitHub |
| Containers | Dyno model, sleeps on free tier | Always-on containers, no cold starts |
| Auth | Not included | Built-in user authentication |
| Pricing | Per-dyno pricing, expensive at scale | Usage-based, transparent pricing |
| Debugging | Log drains, manual setup | Request-level debugging built in |
| Security | Basic, manual configuration | Secure by default |
| Auto-scaling | Requires add-ons, costly | Automatic, included |
| Support | Paid tiers only | Direct team access |
Setup time
HerokuManual Procfiles & buildpacks
Forte5 minutes, push to GitHub
Containers
HerokuDyno model, sleeps on free tier
ForteAlways-on containers, no cold starts
Auth
HerokuNot included
ForteBuilt-in user authentication
Pricing
HerokuPer-dyno pricing, expensive at scale
ForteUsage-based, transparent pricing
Debugging
HerokuLog drains, manual setup
ForteRequest-level debugging built in
Security
HerokuBasic, manual configuration
ForteSecure by default
Auto-scaling
HerokuRequires add-ons, costly
ForteAutomatic, included
Support
HerokuPaid tiers only
ForteDirect team access
Migrate from Heroku in 15 minutes
No special tooling. No migration scripts. Just point Forte at your existing repository.