Heroku vs Pivotal Cloud Foundry vs Red Hat OpenShift comparison

Heroku and Broadcom are both solutions in the PaaS Clouds category. Heroku is ranked #12 with an average rating of 9.0, while Broadcom is ranked #15. Heroku holds a 3.2% mindshare in PSP, compared to Broadcom’s 5.1% mindshare. Additionally, 87% of Heroku users are willing to recommend the solution, compared to 93% of Broadcom users who would recommend it.

Heroku

Read 29 Heroku reviews

2,787 Views
2,508 Comparison Views

87% willing to recommend

Pivotal Cloud Foundry

Read 15 Pivotal Cloud Foundry reviews

5,084 Views
4,982 Comparison Views

93% willing to recommend

Red Hat OpenShift

Read 74 Red Hat OpenShift reviews

14,243 Views
6,979 Comparison Views

96% willing to recommend

Heroku

Pivotal Cloud Foundry

Red Hat OpenShift

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Executive Summary

We performed a comparison between Heroku, Pivotal Cloud Foundry, and Red Hat OpenShift based on real PeerSpot user reviews.

Find out what your peers are saying about Microsoft, Amazon Web Services (AWS), Red Hat and others in PaaS Clouds.

To learn more, read our detailed PaaS Clouds Report (Updated: April 2026).

Buyer's Guide

PaaS Clouds

April 2026

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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:

Mindshare comparison

As of May 2026, in the PaaS Clouds category, the mindshare of Heroku is 3.2%, up from 3.0% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Pivotal Cloud Foundry is 5.1%, down from 10.2% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Red Hat OpenShift is 7.4%, down from 12.2% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.

PaaS Clouds Mindshare Distribution
Product	Mindshare (%)
Red Hat OpenShift	7.4%
Heroku	3.2%
Pivotal Cloud Foundry	5.1%
Other	84.3%

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.

Read full review

reviewer2263239

Head of Engineering at a financial services firm with 10,001+ employees

PCF allows for fine-grained configuration, especially regarding scaling but routing limitations

Something that can be done better is canary deployment. So, right now, we're using blue-green deployment. The support for canary deployment would be nice. A few things, such as what OpenShift does better are cluster management. Like, you can manage the entire thing together. Currently, it's possible to manage all the clusters, especially when it comes to cluster management using straightforward configuration. As of now, we have to handle each application instance individually, which means servicing them one by one. It would be better if we could perform these actions as a group or in a more streamlined manner. One more downside is actually the cost of this environment. So, major downside of Pivotal, it's the cost. So, the runtime running costs are very high. Extremely high.

Read full review

Ayman Abuqutriyah

Operation Director at Zaintech

Platform has transformed our cloud into a secure, unified home for diverse modern applications

One of the best features of Red Hat OpenShift is that it has the catalog, the application catalog, and the operator hub, which allows us to deploy things easily and straightforward without going into a lot of hassles. This is one of the main things, in addition to having integration with ACM and ACS, where we can have the ability to manage multiple clusters and to secure them, deploy them, manage them, run GitOps and day-two operations, as well as upgrades and other functionality which is made easy using these tools. Red Hat OpenShift also provides virtualization capabilities, and I am currently working with Zain to make a project where we will convert F5 appliances to virtual machines and to manage them through Red Hat virtualization, OVE. Red Hat OpenShift is a unique platform because it provides the features for both worlds, containerization, and VMs at the same time, requiring you to learn one skillset in order to manage all of this at the same time. In the beginning, our cloud depended only on virtual machines, so I introduced this to our management to start to work with microservices and with containerization. This was adapted in our cloud, providing us the capability to sell more of these features and to reduce the hardware requirement by about thirty percent, following the trends of using containerization for all modern applications. In addition, it reduced the time to develop and to deploy a new application; all we need is using Jenkins for CI/CD. Once we commit any code, it gets triggered, and it will implement the new container in a very flexible and easy way, within seconds. This decreased the time to market and increased agility, allowing us to capture new opportunities very fast.

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

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

"The product is stable."

"What I found most valuable about this solution is that it's easy to use and integrate with GitHub actions."

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

"One of the best things about Heroku is that it is very easy and straightforward to deploy an application."

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

"One of the best things about Heroku is that it is very easy and straightforward to deploy an application."

"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."

More Heroku pros

"The most valuable features are the monitoring and the deployment is easier."

"The most valuable feature of the solution is its ability to scale. The services that connect to the database are also very good."

"We find its stability and scalability valuable."

"The most valuable features of Pivotal Cloud Foundry are its ease of use and the command line interface has the ability to push instances to the cloud easily."

"It is a scalable product...We are not facing any particular issues since most of the applications in our company are written in Java and .NET."

"Stability is not a concern with this product."

"Pivotal Cloud Foundry is very robust, especially for building Java."

"The most valuable feature of Pivotal Cloud Foundry is the UI, it is easy to use."

More Pivotal Cloud Foundry pros

"Overall, the solution's security throughout the stack and software supply chain is excellent."

"In a couple of months, we can move from physical infrastructure to a container."

"In terms of implementation, OpenShift is very user-friendly, which is an advantage. We are using it along with GitLab for implementing CI/CD pipelines. That's a feature that other products also have, but in OpenShift, we find it good."

"OpenShift is great for flexibility, agility, and speed of delivery."

"OpenShift's superior dashboard is a notable strength, especially when compared to Kubernetes."

"It is an excellent product."

"Self-provisioning support saves a lot of time and unnecessary work from the system administrator who can use this time to run and monitor the infrastructure. For the developer, this means less time waiting for the provisioning and excellent flexibility for development, testing, and production. Also, in such systems it is easy for developers to monitor applications even after deployment."

"I love to automate everything and OpenShift was been born for that. It takes care of the network layer itself and I don't need to dive into it; I can work on a top level. Our project has numerous services designed to run in Docker containers, and we have run almost all pieces in OpenShift."

More Red Hat OpenShift pros

Cons

"Slow restart on servers"

"Heroku should increase its slug size limits."

"There is an issue because Heroku supports Docker container images, but not if you're using the continuous integration infrastructure."

"Heroku is pretty stable. We experience the occasional outages."

"We have to do daily restarts of some processes, which is annoying, and the support for custom CI could be better."

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

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

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

More Heroku cons

"In the next release, I would like to see easy integration with external tools."

"It should offer more security features."

"Pivotal Cloud Foundry could improve the documentation. They are good, but they could improve more. Additionally, it would be beneficial if there were more use case examples."

"The Pivotal Cloud Foundry's initial setup has a learning curve for my team, but it was easy to use."

"The initial setup was not easy, it was a bit complex."

"I would prefer to use Amazon AWS or Google Cloud Platform rather than Pivotal Cloud Foundry."

"Pivotal Cloud Foundry could improve on the technology, it is a bit complex."

"It is not straightforward to setup."

More Pivotal Cloud Foundry cons

"Not a ten because it's not a standard solution and the endpoint protection user has to prepare to use it with documentation or has to get training from other people."

"The area for improvement is mostly in support for legacy applications."

"OpenShift's storage management could be better."

"It would be great if it supported Bitbucket repositories too."

"The solution only offers support for one server."

"This is a fairly expensive solution."

"One area for improvement is the documentation. They need to make it a little bit more user-friendly. Also, if you compare certain features and the installation process with Rancher, Rancher is simpler."

"There have been some issues with security, in particular, that we had to address. At times they make it “clunky.""

More Red Hat OpenShift cons

Pricing and Cost Advice

"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."

"Its price is very good."

"The tool is free."

"The pricing is on the higher side and there are cheaper options available."

"The price of Pivotal Cloud Foundry is based on the customer's requirements. However, the price is comparable to other similar solutions."

"Licensing is on a monthly basis and right now we pay $24/month. There are no other costs over and above that."

"We do pay for the licensing cost because we have opted for a private cloud setup. So, it is a cloud setup, and we have to make payments based on the cloud size. I do not consider it very costly when comparing it to the market."

"The price of Pivotal Cloud Foundry could improve. However, in this category of solutions, they are all expensive."

"You're paying for the number of virtual machines you want to install in the installation."

"My company makes payments towards the licensing costs attached to OpenShift."

"It's expensive. It may be cheaper to invest in building Vanilla Kubernetes, especially if security is not the number one motivation or requirement. Of course, that's difficult, and in some business areas, such as banking, that's not something you can put as a second priority. In other situations, a Vanilla Kubernetes with a sufficiently strong team can be cheaper and almost as effective."

"The product has reasonable pricing."

"This solution is fairly expensive but comes at an average cost compared to other solutions in the market."

"Depending on the extent of the product use, licenses are available for a range of time periods, and are renewable at the end of the period."

"It's important to start small because the solution is scalable. We can build our cluster and look at the bundle option, not the external subscriptions. Talking to the people at Red Hat can save us money."

"The model of pricing and buying licences is quite rigid. We are in the process of negotiating on demand pricing which will help us take advantage of the cloud as a whole."

"We are currently using the open version, OKD. We plan to get the enterprise version in the future."

More Red Hat OpenShift pricing and cost advice

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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews

Financial Services Firm

10%

University

Computer Software Company

Comms Service Provider

Financial Services Firm

35%

Manufacturing Company

12%

Insurance Company

Comms Service Provider

Financial Services Firm

22%

Manufacturing Company

10%

Government

Computer Software Company

Company Size

By reviewers

Large Enterprise

Midsize Enterprise

Small Business

By reviewers
Company Size	Count
Small Business	23
Midsize Enterprise	2
Large Enterprise	3

By reviewers
Company Size	Count
Small Business	5
Large Enterprise	11

By reviewers
Company Size	Count
Small Business	19
Midsize Enterprise	6
Large Enterprise	56

Questions from the Community

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...

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 advice do you have for others considering Heroku?

The integration capabilities are great because of the quick integration and the management features. We don't need a ...

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Which would you recommend - Pivotal Cloud Foundry or OpenShift?

Pivotal Cloud Foundry is a cloud-native application platform to simplify app delivery. It is efficient and effective....

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How does OpenShift compare with Amazon AWS?

Open Shift makes managing infrastructure easy because of self-healing and automatic scaling. There is also a wonderfu...

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What needs improvement with OpenShift?

Red Hat OpenShift can be improved by addressing any features, performance, or usability issues. In my view, the perfo...

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What is your primary use case for OpenShift?

My main use case for Red Hat OpenShift involves two cases: the first case is about the migration of QRadar and Red Ha...

See all answers

Comparisons

Microsoft Azure vs Heroku

Compared 11% of the time

Render vs Heroku

Compared 11% of the time

Amazon AWS vs Heroku

Compared 11% of the time

Google App Engine vs Heroku

Compared 8% of the time

Salesforce Platform vs Heroku

Compared 4% of the time

More Heroku Competitors

Microsoft Azure vs Pivotal Cloud Foundry

Compared 26% of the time

Amazon AWS vs Pivotal Cloud Foundry

Compared 16% of the time

Google Cloud vs Pivotal Cloud Foundry

Compared 9% of the time

VMware Tanzu Platform vs Pivotal Cloud Foundry

Compared 6% of the time

IBM Public Cloud vs Pivotal Cloud Foundry

Compared 2% of the time

More Pivotal Cloud Foundry Competitors

Amazon AWS vs Red Hat OpenShift

Compared 8% of the time

Microsoft Azure vs Red Hat OpenShift

Compared 6% of the time

Nutanix Kubernetes Platform (NKP) vs Red Hat OpenShift

Compared 5% of the time

VMware Tanzu Platform vs Red Hat OpenShift

Compared 5% of the time

Google Cloud vs Red Hat OpenShift

Compared 3% of the time

More Red Hat OpenShift Competitors

Product Reports

Buyer's Guide

Heroku

May 2026

Download Heroku product report

Buyer's Guide

Pivotal Cloud Foundry

May 2026

Download Pivotal Cloud Foundry product report

Buyer's Guide

Red Hat OpenShift

May 2026

Download Red Hat OpenShift product report

Also Known As

No data available

PCF, Pivotal Application Service (PAS), Pivotal Container Service (PKS), Pivotal Function Service (PFS)

No data available

Overview

Heroku offers fast deployment with ease of use and seamless integration capabilities, making it a preferred platform for developers needing reliable continuous integration and scalability.

Heroku is known for handling server-related tasks, allowing developers to concentrate on building application functionality. Its automatic database maintenance and powerful performance are key for projects using Node.js and Ruby on Rails. Users appreciate its simple application deployment and maintenance, supported by a diverse range of plugins. Beyond efficiency, its CLI and dashboards enable a straightforward user experience, essential for developers focused on production, staging, and development environments.

What are Heroku's key features?

Fast Deployment: Offers rapid application deployment with minimal setup.
Continuous Integration: Supports streamlined integration processes for development cycles.
Scalability: Easily scales applications to meet growing demand.
High Availability: Ensures applications remain online and responsive.
Automatic Database Maintenance: Provides hands-off management of database tasks.

What benefits should users look for in reviews?

Ease of Use: Simplifies complex tasks, allowing developers to focus on coding.
Integration Capabilities: Connects seamlessly with tools like GitHub for updates.
Performance: Delivers consistent, reliable application performance.
Development Flexibility: Supports Node.js, Ruby on Rails, and Docker environments.

Organizations use Heroku to deploy production servers and stage development environments. Educational apps and offsite backends benefit from its Docker support. E-commerce, mobile app development, and web apps leverage Heroku's ability to maintain rapid development cycles and manage server deployment efficiently.

Heroku

Pivotal Cloud Foundry is a scalable cloud platform known for its deployment ease, monitoring, and auto-healing capabilities. It supports Java and Spring Cloud frameworks, offering a stable environment for microservices and seamless CI/CD integration.

Pivotal Cloud Foundry facilitates cloud-based application development, focusing on private cloud security and developer-friendly tools. Open-source advantages lead to enhanced performance and innovation, providing robust deployment crucial for enterprise environments. While integration and documentation need improvement, its strength lies in microservice management, application hosting, and compliance with data residency regulations. The platform addresses migration and security challenges within enterprises, particularly in financial services, by supporting cloud transitions.

What key features does Pivotal Cloud Foundry offer?

Scalability: Dynamically adjust resources to meet demand.
Auto-healing: Automatically recover from system failures, ensuring stability.
CI/CD Integration: Streamlined processes for continuous delivery.
Microservice Management: Efficiently handle application components.
Security Features: Protect data in private cloud environments.
Developer Tools: Simplify application development with open-source resources.

What benefits should users expect from Pivotal Cloud Foundry?

Increased Stability: Reliable and consistent platform performance.
Reduced Deployment Time: Quick setup and initiation of services.
Enhanced Security: Robust measures for data protection.
Cost Efficiency: Optimizes operational expenses for cloud transitions.

Pivotal Cloud Foundry is implemented widely in industries for deploying web and financial services applications, enabling microservices architecture within banking and enterprise environments. Its cloud diagnostic tools facilitate transitioning from on-premise to cloud-based systems, ensuring compliance with regulations and streamlined application hosting.

Broadcom

Red Hat OpenShift is a comprehensive platform offering versatile container orchestration capabilities, suitable for businesses seeking robust, scalable, and secure solutions for application modernization efforts and microservices deployment.

Red Hat OpenShift combines a user-friendly interface with powerful CLI tools, ensuring rapid deployment and process automation. It seamlessly integrates with Docker and Kubernetes, providing cloud-native stacks for flexibility and compliance. Enhancing development efficiency, OpenShift includes built-in CI/CD tools and dynamic scaling features. It supports multi-cloud environments, avoiding vendor lock-in. However, documentation gaps, interface complexity, and infrastructure demands present challenges, alongside improving integration with third-party tools and monitoring capabilities. Licensing complexities and resource consumption remain areas for improvement, with user experience varying due to support response times.

What are Red Hat OpenShift's key features?

User-Friendly GUI: Offers an intuitive interface for managing containers and applications.
CLI Tools: Robust command line tools for efficient development workflows.
Scalability: Supports dynamic scaling to meet changing demands.
Integration: Seamless integration with Docker and Kubernetes.
Security: Features like role-based access control enhance security.
CI/CD Tools: Built-in tools like Jenkins streamline the development lifecycle.
Multi-Cloud Support: Enables use across different cloud providers.

What benefits should users consider in reviews?

Deployment Speed: Faster application rollouts and updates.
Automation: Reduces manual tasks, increasing operational efficiency.
Security: High-security standards for protecting applications.
Adaptability: Flexible framework suited for diverse environments.
Resource Management: Efficient allocation of resources for cost savings.

In industries embracing cloud-native architectures, Red Hat OpenShift is adept for hosting containerized applications and transitioning legacy systems. It excels in managing DevOps processes, supporting production and development in sectors such as finance, healthcare, and technology, ensuring robust hybrid on-premise and cloud operations.

Red Hat

Sample Customers

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

Humana, Citibank, Mercedes Benz, Liberty Mutual, The Home Depot, GE, West Corp, Merrill Corporation, CoreLogic, Orange, Dish Network, Comcast, Bloomberg, Internal Revenue Service, Ford Motor Company, Garmin, Volkswagen, Solera, Allstate, US Air Force, Lockheed Martin, Boeing, ScotiaBank

UPS, Cathay Pacific, Hilton

Find out what your peers are saying about Microsoft, Amazon Web Services (AWS), Red Hat and others in PaaS Clouds. Updated: April 2026.

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