Heroku made Git-push deployment the default, but it is a US company and no longer free. If you want the same workflow from a European provider, with data that stays in the EU, there are good options at every budget: a sovereign PaaS, a free web service, a serverless quota or a cheap VPS.
Use Clever Cloud for the closest Heroku experience from a European company, with Git deploys and managed add-ons.
Use Koyeb for a free web service from a French company, if sleep after an hour idle is fine.
Use Scaleway Serverless Containers if your app runs in Docker and fits a monthly serverless quota.
Use Hetzner with Coolify or Dokku for the cheapest always-on setup, if you can run a server.
Closest to Heroku
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Teams that want Git push, add-ons and autoscaling under European jurisdiction
Clever Cloud is a French PaaS with Git deployments, managed databases as add-ons and per-second billing, hosted on European sovereign infrastructure.
Best free option
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Hobby apps and demos deployed from GitHub or Docker
Koyeb is a French company with one free web service per organization and a Heroku-like GitHub flow.
Best for containerized apps
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Docker apps with low or spiky traffic that must stay in EU regions
Scaleway runs any container image with a recurring monthly free quota and free traffic, in Paris, Amsterdam and Warsaw.
Cheapest always-on
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Developers who can run a Linux server or a self-hosted PaaS
A Hetzner CX23 gives 2 vCPU and 4 GB RAM for €5.99 per month excluding VAT, with 20 TB traffic in the EU.
Best free classic hosting
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Small personal PHP, Python or Node.js apps
alwaysdata has a free-forever plan in France with SSH, databases and scheduled tasks.
A Heroku app is usually more than one dyno. Before you pick a provider, list what you actually use: web processes, worker processes, scheduled jobs, Postgres, Redis, log drains and add-ons. European PaaS platforms cover web processes and databases well. Workers and long-running jobs are where the free options fall short.
| Alternative | Country | Free option | Always on | Workers |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Clever Cloud | France | Signup credit | Yes, while funded | Yes |
| Koyeb | France | One free web service | No, sleeps after 1 hour | Not on free |
| Scaleway Serverless Containers | France | Monthly quota | No, scales to zero | No |
| Hetzner Cloud + Coolify | Germany | None | Yes | Yes |
| alwaysdata | France | Free forever (1 GB) | Not documented | Scheduled tasks |
You need a managed PaaS for a client or employer that asks for European hosting: choose Clever Cloud. It is built for the Heroku workflow and positions itself on sovereignty, with infrastructure partners such as OVHcloud, Scaleway, IONOS and Cloud Temple.
You want a free hobby deployment from a European company: choose Koyeb. Deploy from GitHub or a Docker image and accept that the service sleeps after an hour without traffic.
Your app is already containerized and traffic is low: Scaleway Serverless Containers can run it inside the monthly free quota, as long as it can tolerate cold starts and keeps state in an external database.
You want the lowest monthly bill for an always-on app: rent a Hetzner or OVHcloud VPS and install Coolify or Dokku. You get push-to-deploy, HTTPS and multiple apps on one server for a few euros, in exchange for running the server yourself.
Clever Cloud is a French PaaS that deploys apps from Git on European sovereign infrastructure, with free signup credits and no card needed.
Free tier
One-time free credits at signup with no payment card; the amount is not published on the pricing page
Usage-based · 2 regions
Trial that expires · Some constraints remain unconfirmed
Koyeb is a serverless PaaS for GitHub and Docker apps, with one free 512 MB web instance, global regions and simple autoscaling.
Free tier
One free web service with 512 MB RAM, 0.1 vCPU and 2 GB SSD; free PostgreSQL is limited to 5 active hours and 1 GB storage
Paid from $1.61/mo · 2 free regions
Scales to zero when idle · Credit card required
Scaleway Serverless Containers runs Docker images in Paris, Amsterdam and Warsaw, with a monthly free quota of 400,000 GB-s and 200,000 vCPU-s.
Free tier
400,000 GB-s of memory and 200,000 vCPU-s per account per month, then pay per use
Usage-based · 3 EU regions
Scales to zero when idle · Overage auto-bills
Hetzner Cloud offers low-cost virtual servers from Germany, with 2 vCPU and 4 GB RAM from €5.99/month and 20 TB of traffic included in the EU.
No free tier
alwaysdata is a French PaaS and hosting platform with a free-for-life plan: 1 GB SSD, 256 MB RAM and a quarter CPU for personal projects.
Free tier
1 GB SSD, 256 MB RAM and a quarter CPU share, positioned for personal needs, with no time limit
€5/mo · 1 region
Commercial use restricted · Some constraints remain unconfirmed
Clever Cloud is the closest: a French PaaS with Git push deploys, managed add-ons and autoscaling. Koyeb, also French, is the closest free option.
Koyeb offers one free web service, Scaleway a monthly serverless quota and alwaysdata a small free-forever plan. All three have limits, such as sleeping when idle or small resources.
Yes, if you install a self-hosted PaaS such as Coolify or Dokku. You get Git deploys on your own Hetzner or OVHcloud server for a few euros a month, but you are responsible for updates and backups.