Heroku vs AWS: which cloud platform should you choose in 2026?

When considering Heroku versus AWS, the primary decision involves trading simplicity for control, especially relevant for teams without DevOps expertise or those concerned about budget spikes. Heroku, a Platform-as-a-Service (PaaS) owned by Salesforce, offers ease with Git push deployments and minimal infrastructure management, though it can become costly at scale, especially for high-traffic applications. AWS, as an Infrastructure-as-a-Service (IaaS) provider, offers extensive control and potential cost savings through optimization but requires significant technical expertise for effective deployment and management. The guide also introduces Northflank as a middle ground, combining Heroku's simplicity with the control of AWS, allowing for Git push deployments in the user's own cloud account with transparent pricing and efficient GPU access for AI workloads. Depending on team size, expertise, and requirements, Heroku is suitable for rapid deployment without DevOps staff, AWS is ideal for detailed infrastructure control by skilled teams, and Northflank provides both simplicity and control without vendor lock-in.