The modern Heroku Postgres alternative for teams who don't need a 64 GB minimum.
Heroku Postgres is proven and mature - and the Standard-0 tier starts at $50/mo with a 64 GB minimum. Swyftstack Starter is $19/mo ($9 for your first two months) with daily backups, one-click restore, included object storage, and a dashboard built for how teams actually work.
When Heroku Postgres is the right tool
- Your team is already deep in the Heroku ecosystem and uses several add-ons.
- You depend on Heroku-specific tooling (pg:psql CLI, fork/follow, dataclips).
- Your current Heroku database is stable and budget isn't the constraint.
- Your infra is policy-locked to Salesforce-owned services.
When Swyftstack is the obvious choice
- Your database is under 64 GB and the Standard-0 minimum feels like a tax.
- You want a one-click restore button, not a manual pg:backups:restore + pg:promote dance.
- You want object storage on the same invoice instead of bolting on Bucketeer or AWS.
- You want a modern dashboard that shows live usage, scoped credentials, and audit logs.
- You're paying for hobby tier and you've hit the row limit.
Heroku Standard-0 vs Swyftstack Starter / Growth
Heroku's lowest production tier compared to Swyftstack's two paid tiers. All numbers from the vendors' public pricing pages.
Heroku Standard-0 | Swyftstack | |
|---|---|---|
| Monthly price | $50 | $19 Starter / $99 Growth ($9 / $49 first 2 months) |
| Minimum database storage | 64 GB minimum tier | No minimum |
| Real PostgreSQL | Yes - PG 14/15/16 | Yes - PG 16, unmodified |
| Daily backups | Yes - manual config | Automatic, encrypted |
| One-click restore | Manual pg:backups:restore | One click |
| Provisioning time | ~2-3 minutes | 47 seconds |
| Object storage included | No - add Bucketeer | 100 GB Starter / 1 TB Growth |
| Egress included | Per-dyno bandwidth | 500 GB Starter / 5 TB Growth |
| Modern dashboard | Classic Heroku UI | Live metering, scoped creds, audit logs |
| Migration helper | pg:copy / pg:backups | Three-click hosted migration |
| Annual discount | No | 21% off |
A modern workflow without the Standard-0 minimum.
Heroku Postgres is reliable, but Standard-0 starts at $50/mo with a 64 GB minimum you may not need, and the dashboard hasn't changed in years. Swyftstack Starter is $19/mo ($9 for your first two months) with daily backups, one-click restore, included object storage, and three-click migration. If you're deep in the Heroku ecosystem - add-ons, pipelines, buildpacks - and it's working, the database is still the easiest, lowest-risk piece to move first.
From Standard-0 to a real bill in a weekend
The migration is connection-string-level. Your Heroku app code doesn't change; you swap DATABASE_URL when ready.
Pick US or EU region. Copy the DATABASE_URL.
Paste your Heroku DATABASE_URL into Swyftstack. We pg_dump over the wire while your Heroku app keeps running.
heroku config:set DATABASE_URL=...swyftstack.com. heroku restart. Done.
Only after you're satisfied. We keep your old database warm so rollback is free.
What you pay for, what you don't
Bring last month's Heroku invoice. We'll do the line-by-line math with you.
Storage, egress, and compute that you actually use. Predictable monthly plan price; overage prices published, not hidden.
Per-seat fees. Per-database fees. "Read replica" fees. Backup storage fees. Bandwidth surprise fees in a different units page.
Migrating off. pg_dump and S3 export work the same as on any standard host. We'll even help you cut over.
Frequently asked
Can I migrate without downtime?
Yes for the database move itself. Your Heroku database stays untouched until you swap DATABASE_URL on your app. The only app interruption is the restart after the env var change - a few seconds.
Does pg_dump from Heroku work?
Yes. We use standard PostgreSQL tooling internally. Whatever Heroku's pg_dump produces, we can restore.
What about Heroku Connect or other add-ons?
Swyftstack focuses on the database and storage layer. Keep Heroku add-ons where you need them, or replace them with best-in-class tools while Swyftstack runs your production data.
I'm on Heroku Hobby ($9). Why move?
Hobby has a 10K row limit and no daily backups. Swyftstack Starter is the same $9 (launch) with no row limit, daily encrypted backups, and 100 GB of object storage you don't get on Heroku at all.
Can I keep my Heroku app and just move the database?
Yes. That's the most common pattern. heroku config:set is the entire app-side change.
Is this real PostgreSQL or a fork?
Real PostgreSQL 16, straight from postgresql.org. We don't fork or modify the engine. pg_dump, psql, and any standard client work normally.
Where is my data stored?
US or EU - you pick at signup. Encrypted in transit and at rest. Backups are encrypted with separate keys.
Can I move off Swyftstack later?
Yes. PostgreSQL is standard Postgres, and bucket objects can be exported. Take a pg_dump or export your files anytime - we'll even help.
What happens if I outgrow the Starter plan?
Click upgrade. Same database, same connection string, more capacity. No downtime, no migration.
Do I need to manage SSL myself?
No. SSL is on by default, certificates are managed and auto-renewed. Standard rejectUnauthorized: true works out of the box.
Cut the Heroku database bill. Keep the workflow you like.
Real PostgreSQL, modern dashboard, standard tooling. Same data. Friendlier invoice.