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bex vs Heroku

bex is a self-hosted Render-compatible PaaS. Heroku was the original PaaS category-definer, so this page focuses on where running your own control plane differs from Heroku's managed platform — including the places where Heroku still wins.

bex and Heroku, capability by capability

bex and Heroku, capability by capability
CapabilitybexHerokuSource
Runs on servers you ownYes No 1
Whole-stack deploys from one manifest filePartial

bex.yml mirrors Render's manifest shape; Heroku's app.json covers add-ons and env but is not a full stack blueprint.

Yes 2
REST API for platform resourcesYes Yes 3
Private images from any container registryYes Partial

Heroku Registry stores images per app; arbitrary private registry pulls are not supported.

4
Managed Postgres with high availability and followersYes Yes 5
Managed Redis / ValkeyYes Yes 6
SSH into a running instanceYes Yes 7
Native runtime builds without a DockerfileYes Yes 8
Environment variables and secretsYes Yes 9
Projects and pipeline groupingYes Yes 10
Outbound event webhooksPartial

Signed webhook deliveries with create, list and history — a smaller event set than Heroku's today.

Yes 11
Scheduled jobs and cronYes Yes 12

Where Heroku is the better fit

Where Heroku is the better fit
CapabilitybexHerokuSource
Add-ons marketplace with hundreds of integrationsNo Yes 13
Review apps per pull requestNo Yes 14
Private spaces and isolated networkingNo Yes 15
Fifteen years of buildpacks and ecosystem toolingNo Yes 16

Notes

  • Heroku's Procfile, config vars and add-ons map directly to bex service types, secrets and managed datastores — see the migration guide for the concept map.
  • Procfile web and worker types become bex web, worker and cron services; buildpacks work on both platforms.
  • You can draft a render.yaml from a Procfile, app.json or heroku.yml before signing up: the bex.co Heroku converter follows the migration guide's mapping, lists what does not map, and checks the draft with the render.yaml checker.

Sources

  1. 1.devcenter.heroku.com/articles/regions checked August 19, 2026
  2. 2.devcenter.heroku.com/articles/app-json checked August 19, 2026
  3. 3.devcenter.heroku.com/articles/platform-api-reference checked August 19, 2026
  4. 4.devcenter.heroku.com/articles/container-registry-and-runtime checked August 19, 2026
  5. 5.devcenter.heroku.com/articles/heroku-postgresql checked August 19, 2026
  6. 6.devcenter.heroku.com/articles/heroku-redis checked August 19, 2026
  7. 7.devcenter.heroku.com/articles/exec checked August 19, 2026
  8. 8.devcenter.heroku.com/articles/buildpacks checked August 19, 2026
  9. 9.devcenter.heroku.com/articles/config-vars checked August 19, 2026
  10. 10.devcenter.heroku.com/articles/pipelines checked August 19, 2026
  11. 11.devcenter.heroku.com/articles/app-webhooks checked August 19, 2026
  12. 12.devcenter.heroku.com/articles/scheduler checked August 19, 2026
  13. 13.elements.heroku.com/addons checked August 19, 2026
  14. 14.devcenter.heroku.com/articles/github-integration-review-apps checked August 19, 2026
  15. 15.devcenter.heroku.com/articles/private-spaces checked August 19, 2026
  16. 16.devcenter.heroku.com/articles/heroku-architecture checked August 19, 2026
  17. 17.bex.co/docs/platform/migrate-from-heroku checked August 19, 2026
  18. 18.bex.co/docs/platform/service-types checked August 19, 2026
  19. 19.bex.co/tools/heroku-to-render-yaml checked September 26, 2026
  20. 20.www.heroku.com/pricing checked August 19, 2026