Zenifra vs Heroku

    The Heroku alternative for apps serving Brazil

    Heroku is a mature PaaS, but it has no free plan, bills in US dollars by card, and has no region in South America. Zenifra runs in Brazil, bills in Brazilian reais with PIX or boleto, and you start with free projects.

    The 30-second summary

    Choose Zenifra if

    • Your users are in Brazil and latency matters.
    • You want to start for free and pay in Brazilian reais with PIX, boleto, or card, without IOF.
    • You want apps, PostgreSQL, AI APIs, and Previews in one console, with support in Portuguese.

    Choose Heroku if

    • You depend on Heroku’s add-on ecosystem.
    • You need network isolation and regions in several countries with Private Spaces.
    • Paying in US dollars with an international card fits your budget.

    Zenifra vs Heroku side by side

    The criteria that matter most for teams serving users in Brazil.

    Where your app runs

    Zenifra
    Infrastructure in Brazil
    Heroku
    US and Europe; Private Spaces in other countries, none in South America

    Billing currency

    Zenifra
    Brazilian real (BRL)
    Heroku
    US dollar (USD)

    Payment methods

    Zenifra
    PIX, boleto, and card
    Heroku
    Credit or debit card; no PayPal, ACH, or wire transfer

    IOF and exchange rate

    Zenifra
    None: billing is domestic
    Heroku
    3.5% IOF on Brazilian cards, plus the daily exchange rate

    Pricing model

    Zenifra
    Hourly, monthly, or yearly, in Brazilian reais
    Heroku
    Dynos with monthly prices prorated to the second: Eco US$5, Basic US$7, Standard-1X US$25

    Getting started for free

    Zenifra
    2 free HTTP projects, no card required
    Heroku
    No free plan; Eco (US$5) sleeps after 30 minutes of inactivity

    Managed databases

    Zenifra
    PostgreSQL, MariaDB, Valkey, and ClickHouse
    Heroku
    Heroku Postgres from US$5 per month, plus add-ons

    Deployment options

    Zenifra
    GitHub or a public or private Docker/OCI image, from the console or the CLI
    Heroku
    Git push, GitHub, Docker image, and CLI

    AI by API

    Zenifra
    OpenAI-compatible API with per-project keys and budgets
    Heroku
    Heroku AI, billed in US dollars

    Test environments

    Zenifra
    Previews billed hourly in Brazilian reais
    Heroku
    Review Apps per pull request

    Support

    Zenifra
    In Portuguese
    Heroku
    In English

    What it costs in practice

    On Heroku, dynos and databases have known monthly prices, but in US dollars. On Zenifra, the price is already in Brazilian reais.

    Heroku (Basic + Postgres Essential-0)

    Example: an always-on app with the smallest paid Heroku Postgres database.

    • Basic dyno$7.00
    • Heroku Postgres Essential-0$5.00
    • Monthly total: $12.00
    • With 3.5% IOF on a Brazilian card: $12.42, converted at the daily exchange rate

    The Eco dyno costs US$5, but it sleeps after 30 minutes of inactivity and is for personal accounts only.

    Zenifra

    App + PostgreSQL from R$17.80/month

    Lowest paid application plan plus the lowest paid PostgreSQL plan, in Brazilian reais, without IOF.

    Estimate my cost

    The scenarios are not a 1-to-1 match: resources differ by plan. Use the calculator to compare with your app’s usage.

    Where Heroku comes out ahead

    An honest comparison leads to a better decision. These are Heroku’s strengths.

    Add-on ecosystem

    A large marketplace of add-ons for logging, queues, email, and monitoring.

    Maturity

    More than a decade running production apps, with extensive documentation.

    Private Spaces

    Network isolation and regions in several countries for companies with compliance needs.

    Pipelines and Review Apps

    Staging-to-production promotion integrated with GitHub.

    How to migrate from Heroku to Zenifra

    Apps that run on Heroku from GitHub or a Docker image run on Zenifra with the same code.

    01

    Create your account and project

    Sign up for free and create an HTTP project from the console or the CLI.

    02

    Connect the same code

    Use the same GitHub repository. Check the Procfile start command and that the port comes from the PORT variable.

    03

    Copy your Config Vars

    List the variables with heroku config and add them to the Zenifra project.

    04

    Migrate Heroku Postgres

    Create the database on Zenifra, capture and download a Heroku backup, and restore it into the new one.

    05

    Validate and point your domain

    Test on the Zenifra URL or in a Preview, then point your domain’s DNS when everything checks out.

    Migration commands
    # 1. Capture and download a Heroku Postgres backup
    heroku pg:backups:capture --app <app>
    heroku pg:backups:download --app <app>
    
    # 2. Restore it into Zenifra PostgreSQL
    pg_restore --no-owner --dbname="$ZENIFRA_DATABASE_URL" latest.dump

    Questions about Heroku and Zenifra

    Short answers to the most common questions when comparing both platforms.

    Does Heroku have servers in Brazil?

    No. As of September 29, 2026, Heroku offered regions in the US and Europe and, with Private Spaces, in other countries, none in South America.

    Does Heroku still have a free plan?

    No. The cheapest plan is Eco, at US$5 per month, which sleeps after 30 minutes of inactivity. On Zenifra you start with 2 free HTTP projects, with no card required.

    Can I pay Heroku with PIX or boleto?

    No. Heroku charges your credit or debit card automatically, in US dollars. On Zenifra you pay in Brazilian reais with PIX, boleto, or card.

    Do I need to change my code to leave Heroku?

    Usually not. Zenifra deploys the same GitHub repository or Docker image. Check the Procfile start command and the port your app listens on.

    How do I move my Heroku Postgres database?

    Capture a backup with heroku pg:backups:capture, download it with heroku pg:backups:download, and restore it with pg_restore into Zenifra PostgreSQL.

    Information checked on 9/29/2026 on the official pages: Heroku pricing, Heroku regions, Heroku billing, Heroku payment methods.

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