# Is Salesforce Heroku worth it as a mobile backend as a service platform for a team that needs managed infrastructure, or does Back4app cover the same ground at lower complexity?

<p class="elv-tracking-normal elv-text-default elv-font-figtree elv-text-base elv-leading-base elv-font-normal" elv="true">This comes up a lot because, on paper, the two platforms look like they're solving the same problem: managed backend infrastructure so development teams don't run servers. Actually, they're quite different products aimed at different situations, and "lower complexity" isn't really an accurate way to frame Back4app vs. Heroku.</p><p class="elv-tracking-normal elv-text-default elv-font-figtree elv-text-base elv-leading-base elv-font-normal" elv="true">Heroku is a general-purpose PaaS with managed infrastructure and a 150+ add-on ecosystem. Back4app is an opinionated, Parse-based backend with batteries included for mobile app use cases. They overlap on managed hosting, but almost nothing else.</p><p class="elv-tracking-normal elv-text-default elv-font-figtree elv-text-base elv-leading-base elv-font-normal" elv="true">What actually separates them for a team evaluating both:</p><ul>
<li>Whether your team needs flexibility in runtime and language, or wants a pre-configured backend stack</li>
<li>How Salesforce ecosystem integration factors into the decision</li>
<li>What the real long-term cost trajectory looks like for each</li>
</ul><p class="elv-tracking-normal elv-text-default elv-font-figtree elv-text-base elv-leading-base elv-font-normal" elv="true">Across <a class="a a--md" elv="true" href="https://www.g2.com/categories/mobile-backend-as-a-service-mbaas">mobile backend as a service</a> platforms:</p><ul>
<li>
<a class="a a--md" elv="true" href="https://www.g2.com/products/salesforce-heroku/reviews"><strong>Salesforce Heroku</strong></a><strong>:</strong> A reviewer managing over 10 backend services described it as the simplest infrastructure option for developers without DevOps experience, and compared it favorably to AWS for configuration overhead. For teams building on Salesforce, the event bus integration that lets Heroku apps produce Salesforce platform events is genuinely hard to replicate elsewhere. The pricing model gets expensive fast: reviewers describe upgrade tiers costing roughly 5x the previous level. Recent support quality concerns are real and should be factored in for production apps.</li>
<li>
<a class="a a--md" elv="true" href="https://www.g2.com/products/back4app/reviews"><strong>Back4app</strong></a><strong>:</strong> A bootstrapped startup described it as solving the nightmare of server management without the cost overhead. Parse-specific features like Cloud Code, Live Queries, and built-in push notifications are things you'd have to configure separately on Heroku. The free tier is genuinely usable for development. The admin dashboard is not designed for non-technical stakeholders, which matters if your clients need to view or manage data.</li>
<li>
<a class="a a--md" elv="true" href="https://www.g2.com/products/xano/reviews"><strong>Xano</strong></a><strong>:</strong> Worth including because several Heroku reviewers should probably review it. A CTO described eliminating their entire DevOps function by moving to Xano. Visual API builder with Postgres underneath; works with any frontend. $29 to start. For teams not tied to the Salesforce ecosystem, this comparison matters.</li>
</ul><p class="elv-tracking-normal elv-text-default elv-font-figtree elv-text-base elv-leading-base elv-font-normal" elv="true">For teams currently on Heroku considering a move: is the Salesforce integration the thing actually keeping you there, or is it the familiarity with the tooling?</p>

##### Post Metadata
- Posted at: 17 days ago
- Author title: Writer
- Net upvotes: 1


## Comments
### Comment 1

&lt;p&gt;On Heroku versus Back4app, reviewers frame it as breadth versus simplicity. Heroku users praise the managed deploy flow but flag steep upgrade pricing and rigid billing. Back4app users highlight a generous free tier and responsive support for a narrower scope. Match it to how much platform you need.&lt;/p&gt;

##### Comment Metadata
- Posted at: 13 days ago
- Author title: Marketer





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