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How They Work
Heroku
Heroku is the original Platform-as-a-Service, now owned by Salesforce. You push code with git push heroku main, configure your app with a Procfile, and Heroku handles the rest on their managed infrastructure.
Need a database? Add Heroku Postgres from the add-on marketplace. Need Redis, monitoring, or logging? Each requires a separate paid add-on, which can quickly increase monthly costs.
Encore
Encore provisions infrastructure in your cloud account based on your application code. You define databases, Pub/Sub, and other resources as TypeScript or Go objects. When you deploy, Encore creates the corresponding AWS or GCP resources.
This is useful when you want infrastructure ownership, need native cloud services (RDS, SQS, S3), or want built-in observability. Resources run in your own AWS or GCP account at cloud-native prices.
Infrastructure Ownership
The main difference is where your infrastructure lives. Heroku manages everything on their platform. Encore provisions resources in an AWS or GCP account you control.
With Encore, you can see your databases in the AWS Console, set up VPC peering, configure IAM policies, and use any AWS/GCP service alongside your Encore resources. Your data stays in accounts you own.
With Heroku, infrastructure is fully managed by Salesforce. This is simpler if you don't need direct cloud access, but limits options if you need specific AWS/GCP features, compliance controls, or want to avoid vendor lock-in.
Learn more about infrastructure ownership →Local Development
Heroku has no built-in local development solution. You typically run heroku local which reads your Procfile, but you need to set up databases and other services manually or connect to remote Heroku resources.
Encore runs encore run and automatically provisions local PostgreSQL, Pub/Sub emulation, and cron scheduling. A local dashboard shows distributed tracing and architecture diagrams.
For teams that value fast local iteration with production-like infrastructure, Encore's integrated approach saves significant setup time.
Learn more about local development →Automatic Infrastructure
Heroku uses an add-on marketplace model. Need a database? Add Heroku Postgres. Need Redis? Add Heroku Redis or a third-party provider. Each add-on comes with its own pricing, and costs can add up quickly.
Encore provisions infrastructure from your code. Declare a database as a TypeScript object, and Encore creates RDS or Cloud SQL when you deploy. Same for Pub/Sub, cron jobs, and object storage, with no marketplace and no extra bills.
import { SQLDatabase } from "encore.dev/storage/sqldb";
const db = new SQLDatabase("users", {
migrations: "./migrations",
});
// Encore provisions RDS/Cloud SQL automaticallyDatabases, Pub/Sub, Cron Jobs, Object Storage, and more. See all primitives →
Built-in Observability
Heroku provides basic logging and metrics, but distributed tracing, APM, and advanced monitoring require paid add-ons like New Relic, Datadog, or Papertrail, each with its own monthly cost.
Encore includes distributed tracing, metrics, and structured logging out of the box. Every request is traced across services automatically. No instrumentation code needed, no extra add-ons to purchase.
This works locally too. Run your app and get full tracing in the local development dashboard.
See observability docs →AI-Assisted Development
With Heroku, infrastructure lives in separate add-on configurations, Procfiles, and environment variables. AI agents like Cursor and Claude Code lack context about how these relate to your application code, leading to drift, hallucinations, and configs that are hard to review.
Encore defines infrastructure as TypeScript objects alongside your application code. AI agents see everything in one context: your APIs, databases, queues, and how they connect. This makes AI-generated code accurate, reviewable, and safe to deploy.
Built-in guardrails, auto-documentation, and observability ensure your systems stay maintainable, even when AI writes most of the code.
Learn about AI-assisted development →Customer stories
See how teams are shipping faster with Encore.
"Encore is our foundation for all new development. Since adopting it, we've seen a 2-3x increase in development speed."
"Encore is an unfair advantage. At Pave we've moved 2x faster than we did at Monzo."
"We've reduced time spent on DevOps by 95%, and we're now on track to save $60K annually."
Feature Comparison
See how Encore and Heroku differ across key capabilities.
Frequently asked questions
Common questions about Encore vs Heroku.
Encore provisions infrastructure in your own AWS or GCP account with built-in observability, automatic IAM, and infrastructure-from-code. Heroku runs applications on their managed platform with add-ons for databases and other services, meaning you don't own your infrastructure and costs can escalate quickly with add-ons.
Encore is purpose-built for backend development with built-in databases, Pub/Sub, cron jobs, and distributed tracing out of the box. Heroku requires purchasing add-ons for databases, monitoring, and other services. For TypeScript or Go backends, Encore provides a better developer experience with lower total cost.
Heroku runs all infrastructure on their own platform (now owned by Salesforce), creating vendor lock-in. Encore deploys to your own AWS or GCP account, giving you full ownership, compliance control, and the ability to use native cloud services like RDS, SQS, and S3.
Encore provides automatic local development with databases, Pub/Sub, and distributed tracing included with a single command. Heroku has no built-in local development solution, so you typically need to set up databases manually or use third-party tools like Docker.
Encore provides infrastructure ownership in your cloud account, built-in observability with distributed tracing, automatic IAM policies, type-safe APIs, and auto-generated documentation, all included. Heroku charges for many of these features as paid add-ons, and you remain locked into their platform.
Encore is typically more cost-effective because infrastructure runs in your own AWS/GCP account at cloud-native prices, and observability is included. Heroku's add-on marketplace can quickly increase costs since databases, monitoring, logging, and other services all come with additional monthly fees.