Migrate from Heroku to Elestio
Move from shared dynos to dedicated VMs. Keep your stack, cut your costs by up to 80%, and get full infrastructure control with automated backups, updates, and monitoring included.
Why migrate
Why teams are leaving Heroku
Sustaining Mode, Rising Costs
Heroku entered sustaining mode in 2026. No new features, rising prices, and the free tier is gone since 2022. A Standard dyno with 512MB costs $25/mo.
Shared Dynos, No SSH
Applications run on shared containers with no root access. No SSH, limited customization, and performance varies with noisy neighbors.
Add-On Pricing Adds Up
Postgres, Redis, monitoring, logging, SSL on custom domains... each is a separate paid add-on. A typical production setup costs $250+/mo.
Before vs After Migration
What changes when you move from Heroku to Elestio.
Step-by-Step Migration Guide
Most migrations can be completed in under an hour.
Sign Up for Elestio
Create your Elestio account and get full access to the 400+ service catalog and all cloud providers.
Deploy the Same Tool from the Catalog
Find your tool in the Elestio catalog (PostgreSQL, Redis, WordPress, n8n, or any of 400+ options). Choose your cloud provider and region, select a plan, and click deploy. Ready in under 5 minutes.
Export & Import Your Data
Elestio provides built-in migration tools in the dashboard for most databases. Follow our migration guides for step-by-step instructions. Our support team can assist you directly.
Configure Domains & SSL
Add your custom domains in the Elestio dashboard. SSL certificates are provisioned automatically. Connect your CI/CD pipeline if deploying from a Git repository.
Switch DNS & Go Live
Update your DNS records to point to Elestio. SSL is auto-provisioned. Once DNS propagates (typically under 5 minutes), your migration is complete. Decommission your Heroku resources.
Migration Paths by Tool Type
Whatever you run on Heroku, Elestio has a managed equivalent.
Databases
Elestio provides built-in migration tools in the dashboard for PostgreSQL, MySQL, MongoDB, Redis, and more. Our expert support team can also assist you.
CMS & Applications
Deploy the same CMS or application from Elestio's catalog (WordPress, Ghost, Strapi, Directus, and 400+ more). Follow our migration guides to transfer your content.
Custom Applications
Deploy custom applications on Elestio using the CI/CD pipeline. Connect your Git repository and Elestio builds and deploys automatically.
Cost Savings After Migration
Real-world scenarios comparing Heroku costs to Elestio costs.
Heroku pricing as of March 2026. Elestio pricing based on Hetzner EU.
Reviews
Trusted by 10,000+ Developers Worldwide
Real reviews from real users on Trustpilot.
"I'm in the IT industry for over 25 years and Elestio stands out in many ways. The managed services are top-notch, support is incredibly fast, and the platform just works. Couldn't be better!"
Other Migration Guides
FAQ
Frequently Asked Questions
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Why are teams leaving Heroku?
Heroku entered sustaining mode in February 2026, meaning Salesforce has stopped investing in major new features for the platform. Combined with the removal of the free tier in 2022, rising costs for dynos and add-ons, limited regions (US and EU only), and no SSH access, many teams are migrating to alternatives that offer better value and more control.
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How long does it take to migrate from Heroku to Elestio?
Most migrations can be completed in under an hour. Simple services (databases, CMS) take 15-30 minutes. Custom applications with Docker support take 30-60 minutes. The longest part is usually the data export/import step, which depends on your data volume.
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Will I have downtime during migration?
You can minimize downtime to near-zero by running both Heroku and Elestio in parallel during migration. Deploy your service on Elestio, import your data, verify everything works, then update your DNS to point to Elestio. The DNS switch typically propagates in under 5 minutes.
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Can I migrate my Heroku Postgres database to Elestio?
Yes. Elestio provides built-in migration tools in the dashboard for PostgreSQL and other databases. Deploy a managed PostgreSQL instance on Elestio and follow our migration guides. Elestio's PostgreSQL instances come with automated backups, monitoring, and updates included at no extra cost.
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Does Elestio support the same tools I use on Heroku?
Elestio supports 400+ open-source tools including PostgreSQL, Redis, MongoDB, WordPress, and many more. For custom applications, you can deploy any Docker-based app using Elestio's CI/CD pipelines, similar to how you deploy on Heroku but with dedicated VMs and full SSH access.
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How much can I save by migrating from Heroku to Elestio?
Most teams save 60-80% on infrastructure costs by migrating from Heroku to Elestio. A typical Heroku setup costing $100-250/month (Standard dyno + Postgres + Redis + add-ons) can be replaced by an Elestio deployment at $11-42/month with more resources and better management. See the full cost comparison in our Elestio vs Heroku page.
Ready to Migrate?
Move from Heroku to dedicated VMs with automated backups, updates, and monitoring. Cut your costs by up to 80% and get full infrastructure control.
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