Heroku vs IBM Cloud Private comparison

Heroku and IBM are both solutions in the PaaS Clouds category. Heroku is ranked #14 with an average rating of 8.0, while IBM is ranked #20 with an average rating of 6.3. Heroku holds a 3.2% mindshare in PSP, compared to IBM’s 0.8% mindshare. Additionally, 87% of Heroku users are willing to recommend the solution, compared to 60% of IBM users who would recommend it.

Heroku

Read 29 Heroku reviews

2,155 Views
604 Comparison Views

87% willing to recommend

IBM Cloud Private

Read 5 IBM Cloud Private reviews

534 Views
91 Comparison Views

60% willing to recommend

Heroku

IBM Cloud Private

Comparison Buyer's Guide

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Executive SummaryUpdated on Dec 15, 2024

Heroku and IBM Cloud Private are key players in the cloud computing market, each appealing to different user needs. Heroku has an edge in pricing and support satisfaction, while IBM Cloud Private stands out with its comprehensive features.

Features: Heroku is known for its simple yet effective continuous integration, extensive add-ons for enhanced functionality, and the seamless Heroku Flow for development. IBM Cloud Private provides strong Kubernetes orchestration, superior security features, and scalable solutions suitable for enterprise-grade deployments.

Ease of Deployment and Customer Service: Heroku offers a straightforward deployment process with minimal configuration and an intuitive platform, backed by responsive customer support. IBM Cloud Private's deployment is more intricate, supported by detailed documentation and extensive support options, catering to large-scale operations.

Pricing and ROI: Heroku is cost-effective for small to medium projects, with a model that ensures easy scaling and minimal upfront costs, offering quick ROI. IBM Cloud Private, albeit with higher initial costs, is beneficial for large enterprises, providing value through its extensive feature set suitable for long-term use.

To learn more, read our detailed Heroku vs. IBM Cloud Private Report (Updated: June 2025).

Buyer's Guide

Heroku vs. IBM Cloud Private

June 2025

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Review summaries and opinions

We asked business professionals to review the solutions they use. Here are some excerpts of what they said:

Categories and Ranking

Heroku

Ranking in PaaS Clouds

14th

Average Rating

8.4

Reviews Sentiment

6.9

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

No ranking in other categories

IBM Cloud Private

Ranking in PaaS Clouds

20th

Average Rating

6.8

Reviews Sentiment

6.2

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

No ranking in other categories

Mindshare comparison

As of June 2025, in the PaaS Clouds category, the mindshare of Heroku is 3.2%, up from 2.0% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of IBM Cloud Private is 0.8%, up from 0.6% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.

PaaS Clouds

Featured Reviews

Cristian-Molina

Senior Developer at Go Coeupas

Has a quick development cycle and continuous integration

The initial setup is straightforward. Heroku integrates well. You only have to push the code, and it automatically deploys the new version. Whether you have permission depends on the application. Currently, I have one application that I deploy myself. I rate the initial setup a nine out of ten, where one is difficult and ten is easy.

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CristianIriazabal

Architect of solutions at Gire S.A.

A solution that ranks in the top five and integrates well with API Connect

One issue with the solution is latency because there is lag time when we connect from Argentina to IBM's data centers in Washington and Dallas. It would be a benefit to have a data center in Latin America. The solution does not offer many routes over the cloud that are available with other solutions such as AWS which is a leader in the industry.

Read full review

Quotes from Members

We asked business professionals to review the solutions they use. Here are some excerpts of what they said:

Pros

"The most valuable feature of Heroku is the continuous integration and applications it provides."

"It is easy to deploy applications, and we don't need to bother about software updates on the server. We don't need to bother about machines, servers, and hardware. We only need to care about the system and functionality that we need or want to develop. They take care of everything else. It provides high availability. It is a pretty good solution that provides everything that we need. It has everything that we need to run our applications. We have many different applications, and we generate three million bills for a company in Brazil. We see more than a billion requests per day in another application. Everything works just fine, and it is very good."

"Valuable for us was the fast deployment. This means the time to market is improved without pain for developers."

"Thanks to Heroku, we don't need to do as much direct management in AWS."

"It's easy to push a change and to deploy new things."

"We use Heroku to run generic data. We also use it for our customer development environment. It helps us to build and test websites."

"The product is stable."

"The platform is very Node.js-friendly, which is something that is important to us."

More Heroku pros

"Our core banking process was monolithic. To address this, we transitioned to a microservices-based architecture. Leveraging Microsoft technologies, including Terminals version 23, we’ve revamped our banking operations. Not all services are microservices; some remain monolithic for simplicity. Containerization is pivotal, with OpenShift (based on Kubernetes and Docker) managing our microservices."

"We have control of the ESXi."

"Excellent technical support."

"The product's framework is good, it integrates well with API Connect, and the private cloud allows for use in any location."

"The most valuable attribute is the platform's ability to consistently deliver high reliability."

Cons

"Heroku had an authentication problem a few months ago, but they solved it."

"Heroku doesn't support Docker images on the CI infrastructure."

"Their support is good, but they can improve their response time."

"The pricing could be improved because scaling the database becomes costly."

"We would like to be notified when something goes wrong in the process. When something is not working, we should get an alert."

"The tool's configuration is complex."

"Heroku should increase its slug size limits."

"I improved the application performance by monitoring and adjusting the cleaner configuration to help set better lightweight limits on containers that run the app instances."

More Heroku cons

"One issue with the solution is latency because there is lag time when we connect."

"The support and pricing need to improve."

"lacking in multi-cloud management."

"Auto-scaling and managing pod scaling in the microservices architecture, a core feature of IBM Cloud Private, can pose challenges, especially when dealing with larger volumes of traffic."

"I've noticed that the satellite services layer requires some improvement compared to platforms like Azure or Microsoft. While it's in development, I believe the satellite layer has room for enhancement. Additionally, the DevOps layer could benefit from closer integrations, especially for using external applications like Jenkins."

Pricing and Cost Advice

"Its price is very good."

"I rate the tool's pricing a three out of ten."

"There is a standard fee for a processing unit, they call them "dynos," and then you pay for add-ons."

"The price of Heroku could be less expensive."

"The tool is free."

"I rate the tool's pricing an eight out of ten."

"In general, the cost is on the higher side."

"The solution is expensive."

"We pay annual licensing fees."

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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews

Financial Services Firm

14%

Computer Software Company

12%

Educational Organization

Comms Service Provider

Recruiting/Hr Firm

17%

Real Estate/Law Firm

11%

Computer Software Company

11%

University

Company Size

By reviewers

Large Enterprise

Midsize Enterprise

Small Business

No data available

Questions from the Community

What do you like most about Heroku?

I like the tool's scalability, CLI, and dashboards.

See all answers

What needs improvement with Heroku?

I don't like that the web server crashes every day, every 24 hours. The pricing could be improved because scaling the database becomes costly. The Docker features are not great. You cannot use any ...

See all answers

What is your primary use case for Heroku?

We use the solution for web applications and web APIs.

See all answers

What do you like most about IBM Cloud Private?

Our core banking process was monolithic. To address this, we transitioned to a microservices-based architecture. Leveraging Microsoft technologies, including Terminals version 23, we’ve revamped ou...

See all answers

What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for IBM Cloud Private?

I rate the tool's pricing an eight out of ten.

See all answers

What needs improvement with IBM Cloud Private?

I've noticed that the satellite services layer requires some improvement compared to platforms like Azure or Microsoft. While it's in development, I believe the satellite layer has room for enhance...

See all answers

Comparisons

Microsoft Azure vs Heroku

Compared 25% of the time

Pivotal Cloud Foundry vs Heroku

Compared 13% of the time

AWS Fargate vs Heroku

Compared 10% of the time

Google App Engine vs Heroku

Compared 7% of the time

Red Hat OpenShift vs Heroku

Compared 6% of the time

More Heroku Competitors

Red Hat OpenShift vs IBM Cloud Private

Compared 74% of the time

Microsoft Azure vs IBM Cloud Private

Compared 16% of the time

Amazon AWS vs IBM Cloud Private

Compared 11% of the time

More IBM Cloud Private Competitors

Product Reports

Buyer's Guide

Heroku

June 2025

Download Heroku product report

Buyer's Guide

PaaS Clouds

June 2025

Download IBM Cloud Private product report

Also Known As

No data available

ICP

Overview

Established in 2007, Heroku is a cloud application platform providing a streamlined, efficient place for web app developers to create and deploy their applications. Heroku is designed to maximize developer productivity. With the entire web application development process available on the Herokucloud, creating and rolling out web apps has been made more efficient, convenient, and cost-effective than ever before.

Heroku

IBM Cloud Private is a private cloud platform for developing and running workloads locally. It is an integrated environment that enables you to design, develop, deploy and manage on-premises, containerized cloud applications behind your firewall. It includes the container orchestrator Kubernetes, a private image repository, a management console and monitoring frameworks.

IBM

Sample Customers

Facebook, UrbanDictionary, Code for America, Mailchimp, Rapportive, GitHub, TED, and Lyft.

Ilmarinen Mutual Pension Insurance Company

Buyer's Guide

Heroku vs. IBM Cloud Private

June 2025

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