Platform comparison
Railway vs Heroku
Side-by-side comparison of Railway and Heroku — pricing, features, deployment workflow, and developer experience. Plus how CreateOS combines the best of both into a unified workspace with AI-assisted deployment, managed databases, GPU compute, and a 150+ template marketplace.
Railway
Decentralized Railway alternative with AI deployment assistant
Best for: AI Concierge + Better Infrastructure
Heroku
Modern Heroku alternative without the legacy pricing
Best for: Simple PaaS + Modern Creator Economy
CreateOS Recommended
Unified execution environment that combines deployment, managed databases, AI-assisted building, and a template marketplace.
Best for: Builders who want all three in one workspace.
Feature comparison
| Feature | Railway | Heroku | CreateOS |
|---|---|---|---|
| Free tier | Limited / time-bound | Limited / time-bound | Permanent free tier — 1 project, 30 build minutes |
| Pricing model | Starting at $5/month, standard pricing | Eco at $5/month, Basic at $7/dyno, Standard at $25/dyno | Free → $49/mo Plus → $149/mo Pro. No surprise overages. |
| AI-assisted deployment | false | Limited | Built-in NodeOpsGPT + MCP integration with Cursor/Claude Code |
| Managed databases | Add-on or BYO | Add-on or BYO | PostgreSQL, MySQL, Kafka, Valkey — one-click |
| Template marketplace | Limited / starters only | Limited / starters only | 150+ templates, 70% creator revenue share |
| GPU compute | Not native | Not native | On-demand NVIDIA GPUs, per-second billing |
| Vendor lock-in | Proprietary platform | Proprietary platform | Open architecture — Docker images portable anywhere |
Choose Railway if…
You specifically need ai concierge + better infrastructure and your project fits Railway's primary use case. CreateOS AI concierge helps configure and optimize deployments. Get decentralized compute for better uptime and the integrated $NODE token economic layer.
Read the full Railway alternative guide →Choose Heroku if…
You specifically need simple paas + modern creator economy and your project fits Heroku's primary use case. Miss the old Heroku? CreateOS brings back simple PaaS deployment with modern features: template marketplace, flat pricing, and no dyno headaches.
Read the full Heroku alternative guide →Choose CreateOS if…
You want one workspace covering deployment, managed databases, AI-assisted building, GPU compute, and a 70%-revenue-share template marketplace — without juggling 15+ tools.
See how CreateOS works →Railway vs Heroku: Frequently Asked Questions
What is the difference between Railway and Heroku?▾
Railway: Decentralized Railway alternative with AI deployment assistant. Heroku: Modern Heroku alternative without the legacy pricing. Both are deployment platforms with overlapping features, but they target slightly different workflows. Railway is best for ai concierge + better infrastructure, while Heroku is best for simple paas + modern creator economy.
Is Railway or Heroku cheaper?▾
Railway pricing: Starting at $5/month, standard pricing. Heroku pricing: Eco at $5/month, Basic at $7/dyno, Standard at $25/dyno. Total cost depends on your traffic, build minutes, and which add-ons you need. CreateOS offers transparent flat-tier pricing — Free, $49/mo, or $149/mo — with no usage overages, and a permanent free tier for hobby projects.
Should I use Railway, Heroku, or something else?▾
If you only need ai concierge + better infrastructure, Railway is a solid choice. If you need simple paas + modern creator economy, Heroku fits well. If you want both — plus AI-assisted deployment, managed databases, GPU compute, a template marketplace with 70% revenue share, and transparent flat-tier pricing — CreateOS combines the strengths of both into a unified workspace.
Can I migrate from Railway or Heroku to CreateOS?▾
Yes. CreateOS auto-detects your framework (Next.js, React, Vue, Python, Go, Rust, Node.js, Bun, Docker), preserves your environment variables, and provisions managed databases automatically. Most projects migrate in under 15 minutes with zero downtime — connect your GitHub repo, click deploy, update DNS.
Do Railway, Heroku, or CreateOS support custom domains and SSL?▾
All three support custom domains with automatic SSL via Let's Encrypt. CreateOS includes 1 custom domain on Free, 5 on Plus, and 20 on Pro — DNS configuration is guided step-by-step in the dashboard.