Compare / Heroku vs Netcup VPS / Root Server
Heroku vs Netcup VPS / Root Server
Pre-calculated from hand-checked data — Heroku checked 2026-08-06, Netcup checked 2026-08-06.
The short version
Heroku wins more of our comparison points, but Netcup VPS / Root Server still fits if european projects that want the most NVMe and RAM per euro and can live with German contract formalities describes you.
Price Tie
Heroku costs less while you're starting out, but Netcup VPS / Root Server works out cheaper once traffic grows.
Ease Heroku
Heroku is easier to get running: git push heroku main; buildpacks detect the stack and the platform handles the rest.
Control Netcup VPS / Root Server
Netcup VPS / Root Server gives you more control over the stack — the flip side of the convenience trade.
Features Heroku
Heroku comes out ahead on 7 of the 15 features we track, versus 1.
What developers say about this matchup
We couldn't find a substantive first-person discussion comparing this exact pair. We leave the section empty instead of filling it with vendor marketing or generic SEO comparisons.
At a glance
| Heroku | Netcup VPS / Root Server | |
|---|---|---|
| Best for | Teams that already know Heroku and value its mature workflow over price. | European projects that want the most NVMe and RAM per euro and can live with German contract formalities. |
| How deploys work | git push heroku main; buildpacks detect the stack and the platform handles the rest. | You get root on a bare server: bring your own setup; the Server Control Panel handles images, snapshots, and a remote console. |
| The tradeoff | You pay a platform premium — comparable raw compute costs a third as much elsewhere. | Best-in-class specs per euro, but 12-month terms, strict signup checks, and an unforgiving abuse process. |
| Free tier | None | None |
What you'd realistically pay
Heroku Netcup VPS / Root Server
| Project stage | Heroku | Netcup VPS / Root Server | Cheaper |
|---|---|---|---|
| Just starting | ≈$5/mo Eco — One Eco dyno (512 MB) that sleeps after 30 idle minutes; an always-on Basic dyno is $7, and an Essential-0 Postgres adds $5. | ≈€5.91/mo VPS 500 G12 — Incl. 19% VAT. 2 shared vCores, 4 GB DDR5 RAM, 128 GB NVMe, unmetered traffic. Also available hourly at €0.010/h. | Heroku |
| Steady traffic | ≈$25/mo Standard-1X — Adds horizontal scaling and zero-downtime deploys; database still extra. | ≈€12.79/mo RS 1000 G12 — Incl. 19% VAT. 4 dedicated EPYC cores, 8 GB RAM, 256 GB NVMe — dedicated cores at a shared-core price. | Netcup VPS / Root Server |
| Growing | ≈$50/mo Standard dynos + add-ons — Two Standard-1X dynos; realistic totals depend heavily on add-ons. | ≈€19.25/mo VPS 2000 G12 — Incl. 19% VAT. 8 shared vCores, 16 GB RAM, 512 GB NVMe, unmetered traffic. | Netcup VPS / Root Server |
Heroku pricing notes
- Dynos are prorated to the second up to the monthly maximum.
- Heroku Postgres starts at $5/month (Essential-0, 1 GB storage); the Redis-compatible Key-Value Store starts at $3/month (Mini, 25 MB).
Netcup VPS / Root Server pricing notes
- Every plan has an hourly-billed variant with no minimum term (VPS 500: €0.010/h) — slightly pricier per month but cancellable anytime.
- IPv6-only saves €0.60/month, but you cannot add a public IPv4 later.
- Non-EU locations (US, Singapore) and Vienna carry a small surcharge (about €0.90/month on the entry plan).
Our ratings
Ease of use Heroku
Pricing clarity Heroku
Free tier
Scaling Heroku
Control Netcup VPS / Root Server
Feature by feature
Heroku wins 7, Netcup VPS / Root Server wins 1, with 7 even.
Deploy workflow
| Heroku | Netcup VPS / Root Server | |
|---|---|---|
| Deploy from Git push | Yes git push heroku main is the original deploy story; GitHub integration too. | No No deploy pipeline — bring your own CI or scripts. |
| Preview deploys | Yes Review Apps create a running app per pull request. | No Nothing built in. |
| Official CLI | Yes The heroku CLI covers deploys, logs, scaling, and add-ons. | Partial The Server Control Panel exposes a webservice API; there is no first-class official CLI. |
| Instant rollbacks | Yes heroku releases:rollback reverts to any previous release instantly. | Partial Manual copy-on-write snapshots restore machines; no automatic backups, no deploy-level rollback. |
Platform
| Heroku | Netcup VPS / Root Server | |
|---|---|---|
| Custom domains + HTTPS | Yes Custom domains with automated certificate management on paid dynos. | Yes Point DNS at the server; TLS is yours via certbot or a proxy. |
| Built-in CDN / edge network | No No built-in CDN — pair with Cloudflare or Fastly yourself. | No No CDN product — put Cloudflare in front if needed. |
| Serverless functions | No Dynos are long-running processes; there is no function product. | No Not a VPS feature. |
| Docker containers | Yes Deploy container images through the Heroku container registry. | Yes Install Docker yourself on any image. |
| SSH / shell access | Partial heroku run bash gives a one-off shell in a fresh dyno, not the live one. | Yes Full root SSH. |
| EU hosting region | Yes Common Runtime offers a Europe region at the same prices. | Yes Vienna, Nuremberg, and Amsterdam are the core locations. |
Runtime & operations
| Heroku | Netcup VPS / Root Server | |
|---|---|---|
| Automatic scaling | Partial Built-in autoscaling requires Performance-tier dynos; standard dynos scale manually. | No Manual plan upgrades only. |
| Scale to zero | Partial Eco dynos sleep after 30 idle minutes; Basic and Standard run continuously. | No The contract bills until cancelled, powered off or not. |
| Scheduled jobs | Yes Heroku Scheduler (free add-on) runs tasks on a schedule. | Yes Classic cron on the box. |
| Managed database | Yes Heroku Postgres and Key-Value Store are fully managed add-ons. | No No managed database product — the closest thing is a fully managed vServer. |
| Logs & metrics built in | Partial Log stream and basic metrics included; serious monitoring means add-ons. | Partial Basic graphs in the Server Control Panel; app-level monitoring is yours. |
Watch out for
Heroku
- There is no free tier.
- Compute is expensive for what you get: Standard-1X costs $25/month for 512 MB of RAM.
- Databases and other add-ons bill separately and can dominate the total.
Netcup
- Regular rates have a 12-month minimum term; cancellation must arrive at least 31 days before term end or the contract renews.
- An hourly-billed model with no minimum term exists — pick it deliberately if you want flexibility.
- The abuse team can suspend servers instantly (including Friday night) and works Mon–Fri office hours; out-of-hours phone support costs €40 per 15 minutes.
- Sign-up identity checks are strict and some orders get rejected.
- Prices are displayed including 19% German VAT — your actual VAT depends on your country.
Read the full reviews: Heroku and Netcup. Or answer four questions to see what fits your project.