Leave Heroku: Move Your App to Your Own VPS
I move your Heroku (or similar PaaS) app to Docker on a VPS you own: web, worker, Postgres, Redis, scheduler and deploys, with a backup, a rollback plan and a short approved window. From $780 ($600 founding), typically 2–4 weeks. A new service. Email your Heroku app list and add-ons to start.
See a sample report, proposal and weekly update- Price
- from $780
- Founding
- from $600
- Timeline
- ~2–3 weeks
- Format
- Fixed scope, fixed price
- Hours
- US Eastern Time, async
Who this is for.
A good fit if
- Small teams on Heroku, Render or similar with a few dynos and add-ons
- Founders who want to own their server and bill
- Teams uneasy since Heroku moved to “sustaining engineering” in February 2026
Common triggers
- Heroku’s February 2026 announcement: no new features, maintenance only
- Monthly bill growing with add-ons
- Need for background jobs or storage the PaaS makes awkward
Not a fit if
- You need auto-scaling, many regions or dozens of services
- Nobody on your side can own a server afterward and you don’t want a Care Plan
- You depend on add-ons with no self-hosted or external replacement
What I do, and what you get.
What I do
- Map every dyno, add-on, config var and scheduler job to its new home
- Dockerize the app from your Procfile (web, worker, release step)
- Set up the VPS: hardened, proxy with TLS, Postgres, Redis or Valkey, backups
- Replace or reconnect add-ons (managed email, logging and storage stay external if you prefer)
- Set up deploys from GitHub and a staging copy (Standard)
- Move the database in an approved window with rollback to Heroku
What you get
- Your app running on your VPS with Docker Compose
- Add-on mapping table (what replaced what)
- CI/CD pipeline (Standard)
- Runbook: deploy, rollback, backups, restore, logs
- Handover notes
Your part
- Heroku and VPS account access, and DNS
- Sign-off on the plan, rollback and window
- Testing key flows after the switch
- Keeping the Heroku app until you confirm (a few days of both bills)
Included
- Web, worker, scheduler, Postgres, Redis
- Add-on mapping and replacement plan
- Backups, runbook, rollback plan
- CI/CD and staging (Standard)
Not included
- Auto-scaling, multi-region
- Paid replacement services
- Code rewrites beyond config
- Savings guarantees
Fixed prices, agreed before work starts.
Web + worker + Postgres onto one VPS
Adds staging and production, add-ons replaced, CI/CD
App and database servers split; two monthly milestones from $1,075 ($825 founding) each
Build your scope
- Timeline
- ~2–3 weeks
- Payment
- Paid in full before work starts
- Earliest start
- Oct 5
Founding price: 3 of 7 spots left, until Mar 31, 2027 — one-off work, in return for a testimonial. How it works
Prices are in USD, paid by bank transfer against an invoice. Work under $1,000 is paid upfront; larger work is 50% to start and 50% before handover, or monthly milestones. How working together works
Variations
- Single VPS (Starter/Standard)
- Everything on one server.
- Split (Plus)
- App and database on separate servers.
- Render / Fly / Railway
- The same approach.
- Keep managed Postgres
- The app moves and the database stays managed, for a simpler cutover.
- Git-push deploys
- Optional Kamal-style or a lightweight self-hosted panel if you want a Heroku-like flow; I explain the trade-offs in the plan.
How it runs.
- 01
Send your app list
Email your app list, dyno types, add-ons and database size, and I reply within one US business day.
- 02
Mapping and plan
You get the mapping and a plan with rollback and window, with a prepaid invoice (50/50 for $1,000+).
- 03
Build and test copy
I build the VPS and deploy a copy with a recent database snapshot for you to test.
- 04
Cutover in the window
In the window I put Heroku in maintenance mode, make the final database copy and switch DNS.
- 05
Confirm and hand over
Heroku stays in place for rollback until you confirm, then you get the runbook.
A new service, done openly.
I have not delivered this exact service for a client before, so there is no case study to point to yet. The approach above is built from parts I have shipped in production — see the case studies — and the fixed price and written scope protect you while it is new.
Questions buyers ask.
Is Heroku shutting down?
No sunset date has been announced. It’s in maintenance mode, so plan on your timeline, not in a panic.
Will I save money?
It depends on your add-ons, traffic and how you value your time. I show both monthly costs from your numbers; I don’t promise a percentage.
How long is downtime?
It’s set by the final database copy; for small databases, usually minutes. You approve the window.
Who looks after the server?
You, with the runbook, or me on a Care Plan (business hours, no 24/7).
Have you moved apps off Heroku before?
This is a new service, with no past Heroku exit to point to. It’s built from work I’ve shipped: Dockerizing apps and production server setup, with a rehearsal before every cutover.
Ask about Heroku/PaaS Exit.
Tell me what you have and where it hurts. I reply within one US business day with either a fixed quote or the entry step that makes a fixed quote possible.
Helpful to include
- Apps and dyno types
- Add-ons list (heroku addons)
- Postgres size and plan
- Scheduler jobs
- Traffic level
- Target provider
- Deadline
More in Cloud & Server Migration
Hosting Migration
I move your app, database, files and workers to a new server or provider with a written plan, a fresh backup, a rollback path and a short maintenance window you approve. From $390 ($300 founding) for one site or app, usually 1–3 weeks. Email the current and target hosting to start.
AWS to VPS Migration
For small apps paying more for AWS than they need, I move EC2, RDS, ElastiCache and S3-backed workloads to a simpler VPS you own, with backups, a rollback plan and an approved window, after a Cloud Cost Review. From $1,560 ($1,200 founding), about 4–6 weeks. Email your AWS services and bill.
Database Migration
I move your data between database engines with a backup, a rehearsal, row-count checks, a rollback plan and a window you approve. Redis to Valkey from $260 ($200 founding). MySQL ↔ Postgres from $1,040 ($800 founding) after a short assessment, for apps with up to 30 tables that mostly use an ORM. Email your database and stack.