Software Alternatives, Accelerators & Startups

Heroku VS OnWorks

Compare Heroku VS OnWorks and see what are their differences

Heroku logo Heroku

Agile deployment platform for Ruby, Node.js, Clojure, Java, Python, and Scala. Setup takes only minutes and deploys are instant through git. Leave tedious server maintenance to Heroku and focus on your code.

OnWorks logo OnWorks

OnWorks is a free hosting provider that allows to run your workstations only using your web browser.
  • Heroku Landing page
    Landing page //
    2023-10-05
  • OnWorks Landing page
    Landing page //
    2023-03-24

Heroku features and specs

  • Ease of Use
    Heroku offers an extremely user-friendly interface and a high level of abstraction, making it easy for developers to deploy, manage, and scale applications without worrying about the underlying infrastructure.
  • Quick Deployment
    One of Heroku’s strongest points is the ability to deploy applications quickly using Git. Developers can push their code to Heroku with a simple command, streamlining the entire process.
  • Scalability
    Heroku provides effortless scaling options by allowing developers to add more dynos (containers) with a single command to handle increased traffic and workload.
  • Add-Ons Ecosystem
    Heroku offers a rich ecosystem of add-ons, such as databases, caching, monitoring, and more, which can be easily integrated into applications to extend their functionality.
  • Automatic Updates
    Heroku automatically handles operating system and server updates, allowing developers to focus solely on their application code rather than maintenance tasks.
  • Free Tier
    Heroku offers a free tier with sufficient resources to host small projects and learn the platform without incurring costs, making it accessible for beginners and small-scale applications.

Possible disadvantages of Heroku

  • Cost
    While Heroku offers a free tier, the costs can quickly add up for larger applications and professional use. Paid plans and additional dynos or add-ons can become expensive.
  • Performance
    Heroku’s performance can sometimes be suboptimal compared to other cloud providers, particularly when running high-performance or resource-intensive applications.
  • Limited Control
    Heroku abstracts away a lot of infrastructure management, which can be a downside for developers who need fine-grained control over their environments and configurations.
  • Dyno Sleeping
    Applications running on Heroku’s free tier experience 'dyno sleeping,' where the application goes to sleep after 30 minutes of inactivity, causing a delay when it wakes up after receiving a new request.
  • Vendor Lock-In
    Relying heavily on Heroku’s ecosystem and platform-specific features can lead to vendor lock-in, making it challenging to migrate to another platform if needed.
  • Add-On Costs
    The costs for add-ons can also become significant, as many useful features and integrations require paid add-ons, increasing the overall expense.

OnWorks features and specs

  • Access to Multiple Operating Systems
    OnWorks provides users with the ability to run various operating systems such as Ubuntu, Fedora, and CentOS from within their web browser, enabling flexibility and learning opportunities without the need for multi-booting or virtualization software.
  • Free to Use
    The platform offers a free tier, allowing users to access and utilize operating system instances without any monetary investment, which is beneficial for students, hobbyists, and developers.
  • Web-Based Convenience
    Being a web-based service, OnWorks can be accessed from any device with an internet connection and a browser, allowing for on-the-go access and reducing dependency on hardware.
  • Resource Availability
    OnWorks hosts a variety of software and applications, giving users the ability to test and use different programs without having to install them locally.
  • Easy to Use
    The platform is user-friendly and offers a straightforward interface, making it accessible even for those with limited technical knowledge or experience.

Possible disadvantages of OnWorks

  • Performance Limitations
    As a browser-based virtual machine, the performance can be slower and more limited compared to running a native or locally-virtualized OS, which may not be suitable for heavy or resource-intensive applications.
  • Dependency on Internet
    Since it is a web-based service, a stable and fast internet connection is crucial for a smooth experience. Connectivity issues can disrupt workflow and access.
  • Limited Customization
    Users might find the level of customization and control over the virtual machines to be more limited compared to traditional virtualization platforms like VMware or VirtualBox.
  • Privacy Concerns
    Using a cloud-based service requires trusting OnWorks with data privacy and security, which may be a concern for users handling sensitive or personal data.
  • Usage Restrictions
    Free tiers often come with restrictions on usage time, available resources, or additional features that might be unlocked only through a subscription or paid plan.

Analysis of Heroku

Overall verdict

  • Heroku is a solid choice for developers seeking a straightforward, cloud-based solution for deploying and managing applications. However, it may not be the most cost-effective option for large-scale or data-intensive applications.

Why this product is good

  • Heroku is a popular platform as a service (PaaS) due to its ease of use, fast deployment process, and robust support for multiple programming languages. It allows developers to focus on building applications without worrying about the underlying infrastructure. Heroku offers scaling capabilities, a wide variety of add-ons, and a strong developer community.

Recommended for

    Heroku is recommended for startups, small to medium-sized applications, hobby projects, and developers who value ease of use and quick deployment cycles. It is particularly suited for those who are developing web applications in languages such as Ruby, Node.js, Python, and others supported by the platform.

Analysis of OnWorks

Overall verdict

  • OnWorks is considered a useful tool for specific purposes, such as testing Linux distributions, educational use, and development. However, its performance might not match up to that of a local installation due to browser-based limitations, making it less suitable for resource-intensive tasks.

Why this product is good

  • OnWorks is a free hosting platform that allows users to run various types of Linux distributions directly from a web browser. It provides an accessible way for individuals to try out different Linux operating systems without needing to install them on their local machines. The platform is particularly convenient for users who need temporary access to a Linux environment or wish to learn about Linux without altering their system configurations.

Recommended for

    OnWorks is recommended for students, developers, and hobbyists who are looking to explore multiple Linux distributions. It's also valuable for users seeking a quick and hassle-free way to run Linux environments for learning, testing, or development purposes without committing to a full installation.

Heroku videos

What is Heroku | Ask a Dev Episode 14

More videos:

OnWorks videos

OnWorks integration with Google Drive

More videos:

  • Review - Windows online theme Linux by onworks net
  • Review - Ubuntu19 online by onworks net

Category Popularity

0-100% (relative to Heroku and OnWorks)
Cloud Computing
96 96%
4% 4
Web Hosting
0 0%
100% 100
Cloud Hosting
94 94%
6% 6
Hosting
0 0%
100% 100

User comments

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Reviews

These are some of the external sources and on-site user reviews we've used to compare Heroku and OnWorks

Heroku Reviews

  1. mark-mercer
    Useful Cloud Platform

    Great service to build, run and manage applications entirely in the cloud!

    🏁 Competitors: Amazon AWS, Dokku on Digital Ocean, Firebase
    👍 Pros:    Easy user interface|Good customer service|Multi-language cloud application platform
    👎 Cons:    Limitation with some addons|Low network performance
  2. jamestelford
    · Full Stack Developer at OutDev ·
    🏁 Competitors: Docker, Amazon AWS
    👍 Pros:    Powerful development environments|Great value for the money|Great customer support|Paas

10 Top Firebase Alternatives to Ignite Your Development in 2024
Heroku’s focus on simplicity and developer experience makes it a perfect fit for those who want to focus on building their apps, not babysitting servers. Startups and small businesses, in particular, can benefit from Heroku’s ability to accelerate development and deployment, allowing them to get their ideas to market faster.
Source: genezio.com
2023 Firebase Alternatives: Top 10 Open-Source & Free
Heroku Postgres – Majority of businesses like Heroku because of its SQL database support. Yes, PostgreSQL as a service is an appealing product of this PaaS vendor with quick deployment approaches.
5 Free Heroku Alternatives with Free Plan for Developers
Koyeb is a decent alternative to Heroku that you can consider for hosting or deploying your web apps and APIs. It has all the features of Heroku that you will need for your projects. So far, I have not encountered an importer tool for migrating Heroku deployments but I am sure doing that manually will not be that hard. Just like Heroku it offers you an intuitive web UI as...
Choosing the best Next.js hosting platform
However, there are a few disadvantages to Heroku. First of all, despite its build pack, Heroku will run your project as a Node.js application. As a result, you will lose some of Next.js’ most interesting features, such as Incremental Static Regeneration. Analytics are replaced by metrics and measured throughput, response time, and memory usage (only on paid plans).
Top 10 Netlify Alternatives
Heroku is another alternative to Netlify that doesn’t only host static websites but has the ability to host dynamic websites. This PaaS platform was launched in 2007 and conferred highly scalable features to deploy, host and launch applications.

OnWorks Reviews

We have no reviews of OnWorks yet.
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Social recommendations and mentions

Based on our record, Heroku should be more popular than OnWorks. It has been mentiond 73 times since March 2021. We are tracking product recommendations and mentions on various public social media platforms and blogs. They can help you identify which product is more popular and what people think of it.

Heroku mentions (73)

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OnWorks mentions (11)

  • Is there a way to run a VM through browser or something else?
    Hello, my pc is unable to run a vm locally due to lack of storage space, and I was wondering if there was a way to run a VM through alternative means? I've heard of onworks.net but it is a bit laggy and cant run the things im looking for (plus it looks a bit sketchy). I was wondering if there was a way to host a virtual machine through cloud or if there was some serivce I could use to run it remotely? If not, is... Source: over 2 years ago
  • It seems distrotest.net is offline (domain for sale).
    Also there is also https://onworks.net. Source: almost 3 years ago
  • I was searching for Minecraft mods and found a client called Hydrogen Client, apparently a free ghost client(it's on Github) I've scanned it using Kaspersky and it was clean. I don't want to get malware on my computer, any second thoughts from anyone.
    Use Virus total, as it scans it with every antivirus known to man, and scan it with Theia, while it might not work for 1.8, its worth a shot. Keep in mind if you wish to test the client to see if its worth downloading than you should use a Linux VM. If your too lazy to download a VM software than you can use onworks.net, as its free. Source: almost 3 years ago
  • A lot of unblocked games like FNF, Smash Karts and more!
    Try using onworks.net (or other services) to bypass blocking. Source: over 3 years ago
  • So i'm posting this from an online virtual machine on a school pc
    There's a website called onworks.net and you can open an ubuntu vm on it and completely bypass the schools search restrictions and they wont even know. You can even watch youtube or, as I'm currently doing, browse reddit. Have fun lol. Source: over 3 years ago
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What are some alternatives?

When comparing Heroku and OnWorks, you can also consider the following products

DigitalOcean - Simplifying cloud hosting. Deploy an SSD cloud server in 55 seconds.

Namecheap - The Best Domain Name Registrar when it comes to Customer Service. Learn why over 800,000 customers trust us with a total of over 3,000,000 domains.

Linode - We make it simple to develop, deploy, and scale cloud infrastructure at the best price-to-performance ratio in the market.

Gandi.net - GANDI is a domain name registrar and cloud hosting company. Free website, SSL certificate, blog, and e-mail included. VPS dedicated virtual servers, cloud hosting.

Amazon AWS - Amazon Web Services offers reliable, scalable, and inexpensive cloud computing services. Free to join, pay only for what you use.

HostGator - HostGator is a leading provider of web hosting, VPS hosting and dedicated servers. Discover why over 9,000,000 websites trust us for their hosting needs.