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Head-to-head · Deployment Automation Software

Octopus Deploy vs Heroku

  • Updated Oct 2026
  • Both researched from official sources
  • 5 checks side by side
Higher score Octopus Deploy #5 in Deployment Automation Software 8.8/10 Free plan · 30-day trial Free planFree trial✓ 4 of 4 features Visit Octopus Deploy
Heroku #8 in Deployment Automation Software 8.5/10 Paid ✓ 2 of 4 features Visit Heroku

Octopus Deploy leads on 2 checks, Heroku on 0, and 3 are even. Who comes out ahead on the 5 yes/no, price and count checks where we have data for both products. The editor score weighs everything else too.

Our verdict

  • Highest scoreOctopus Deploy · 8.8/10
  • Free planonly Octopus Deploy
  • Free trialonly Octopus Deploy
  • Most featuresOctopus Deploy · 4 of 4

Octopus Deploy scores higher on our rubric for deployment automation software: 8.8 against 8.5 out of 10; our editors rank them #5 and #8.

Octopus Deploy offers free plan; Heroku doesn't. Octopus Deploy offers self-hosted option; Heroku doesn't.

Octopus Deploy is the better fit for teams needing modeled release workflows. Heroku is the better fit for teams wanting a mature managed PaaS.

  • Octopus Deploy fits best

    Teams needing modeled release workflows

  • Heroku fits best

    Teams wanting a mature managed PaaS

Advertiser disclosure: iTechGuides is reader-supported. Vendors can pay for top positions in our rankings and for a place on other products' pages, and we may earn a commission when you click some links. Bought places stand at the number bought; this page and our disclosure say so. Paying vendors may get a fuller, more detailed review from our editors, and that review can change their score. How we rank.

Side by side

Feature Octopus Deploy 8.8/10 Visit ↗ Heroku 8.5/10 Visit ↗
At a glance
Editor score 8.8 8.5
Ranking #5 in Deployment Automation Software #8 in Deployment Automation Software
Best for Teams needing modeled release workflows Teams wanting a mature managed PaaS
Pricing model Free plan + paid Paid
Starting price $2,080/yr $5/unit/mo
Free plan ✓ (best) —
Free trial 30 days —
Deployment Cloud, Self-hosted, Browser extension Cloud
Platforms Web, Windows, Linux Web
Support Email, Community, Docs · 24/7 Email, Tickets, Community, Docs
Compliance GDPR, SSO/SAML SOC 2, ISO 27001, HIPAA, PCI DSS
Integrations 12 integrations 200+ integrations
Built for Small business, Mid-market, Enterprise Solo, Small business, Mid-market, Enterprise
Features Octopus Deploy 4/4 · Heroku 2/4
Deployment rollback ✓ ✓
Approval gates ✓ (best) Not checked yet
Self-hosted option ✓ (best) —
Deployment audit log ✓ ✓
Specs
Deployment targets Kubernetes, Windows, Linux, Azure, AWS, GCP, cloud regions, containers, virtual machines, serverless functions, SSH, offline package drops managed dynos, Common Runtime, Private Spaces, Shield Private Spaces, Fir
Rollout strategies Not checked yet Rolling
Concurrent deployments 5 deployments Not checked yet
Our review
Pros
  • Models releases, environments, promotions, approvals, and rollback workflows
  • Deploys to Kubernetes, cloud services, servers, serverless, and SSH endpoints
  • Offers cloud-hosted and self-managed editions with audit history and runbooks
  • Git, GitHub, Docker, and CI-based deployment workflows
  • Pipelines, Review Apps, release history, and rollback
  • Managed data services, add-ons, APIs, and extensive logging
Cons
  • The Free plan is limited to 10 projects, 10 machines, and 10 users
  • Annual billing is the only billing option
  • Cloud Professional starts at $4,330 USD per year
  • No free plan is available
  • Eco dynos sleep after 30 minutes of inactivity
  • The platform is not self-hosted and uses rolling deployments
Our verdict

Octopus Deploy is a continuous delivery and deployment automation platform for development and operations teams. It models deployment processes, releases, environments, variables, and targets through a web portal and REST API. Teams can…

Read the review →

Heroku is a managed platform as a service for developers and teams building, deploying, running, and scaling cloud applications. Managed dynos provide the application runtime, while Git, GitHub, Docker, and CI workflows support deployment.…

Read the review →
  1. Octopus DeployDeployment Automation Software 8.8Free plan · 30-day trial
  2. HerokuDeployment Automation Software 8.5Paid

Strengths and trade-offs

  • Octopus Deploy — where it wins

    • Models releases, environments, promotions, approvals, and rollback workflows
    • Deploys to Kubernetes, cloud services, servers, serverless, and SSH endpoints
    • Offers cloud-hosted and self-managed editions with audit history and runbooks

    Where it doesn't

    • The Free plan is limited to 10 projects, 10 machines, and 10 users
    • Annual billing is the only billing option
    • Cloud Professional starts at $4,330 USD per year

  • Heroku — where it wins

    • Git, GitHub, Docker, and CI-based deployment workflows
    • Pipelines, Review Apps, release history, and rollback
    • Managed data services, add-ons, APIs, and extensive logging

    Where it doesn't

    • No free plan is available
    • Eco dynos sleep after 30 minutes of inactivity
    • The platform is not self-hosted and uses rolling deployments

More comparisons

All deployment automation software comparisons → · Full ranking →

Reviewed by iTechGuides Editors · Editorial team · Updated Oct 2026

Last updated · How we research and update