Heroku Alternatives for Salesforce-Connected Apps
Choosing a Heroku alternative for a Salesforce-connected app means two decisions: where the app runs and what replaces Heroku Connect. Here is how to make both.
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- Stacksync · App tips writer
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- 5 min read
What is the right Heroku alternative for a Salesforce-connected app?
There are two answers, because there are two decisions. One is where the application and its Postgres database run once they leave Heroku. The other is what keeps Salesforce and Postgres in sync once Heroku Connect is no longer available.
Build.io addresses the first: it moves the app and platform off Heroku. Stacksync addresses the second: it replaces Heroku Connect with real-time two-way sync between Salesforce and Postgres. Treating them as one decision is how migrations stall.
Why are the platform and the sync two separate decisions?
Most Heroku alternative lists compare hosting: build packs, containers, dynos, autoscaling and managed Postgres. Those comparisons are useful, but they skip the part that tends to block Salesforce-connected teams. Heroku Connect only runs against Heroku Postgres, so no hosting platform brings it along.
The two decisions also have different owners and different risks. Platform choices are about deploys, runtime and cost of operations. Sync choices are about data correctness, Salesforce API usage and what happens when the same record changes on both sides.
How do the options compare?
Teams usually consider four paths for the Salesforce sync once they have picked a new platform.
| Option | What it involves | Main trade-off |
|---|---|---|
| Stay on Heroku for the sync only | Keep a Heroku Postgres database just for Heroku Connect and copy data onward | You keep paying for and operating Heroku while trying to leave it |
| Build a custom sync | Write change capture, retries and conflict logic against the Salesforce API | Ongoing engineering ownership of a critical integration |
| Batch ETL tool | Scheduled one-way loads from Salesforce into Postgres | No writes back to Salesforce and data is only as fresh as the last run |
| Stacksync | Real-time two-way sync between Salesforce and Postgres, plus other CRMs and ERPs | A new vendor to evaluate, with no sync code to maintain |
For apps that only read Salesforce data on a schedule, batch tools can be enough. For apps that write back to Salesforce, two-way sync is the requirement that narrows the field. See our Heroku Connect alternative page for the detailed comparison.
What should you ask about the platform side?
The platform decision covers everything Heroku did besides Connect. Questions to bring to any provider, including Build.io:
- How are apps, dynos and process types moved?
- How is the Postgres database moved, and what downtime does that require?
- What happens to add-ons and pipelines?
- How do deploys and environments work after the move?
- Who supports the migration itself?
What should you ask about the sync side?
- Does it write to Salesforce as well as read from it?
- Can it keep the table and column names the app already uses?
- How does it handle a record edited in both systems?
- How does it handle Salesforce API limits?
- What happens when a field is added in Salesforce?
- Can it run in parallel with Heroku Connect during testing?
The last question matters most for risk. A sync that can run beside Heroku Connect lets you validate data before cutover instead of after. The Salesforce connector page covers the supported objects and setup.
How should a team make both decisions?
- 01List what Heroku does for youSeparate platform items (apps, dynos, Postgres, add-ons, pipelines) from data items (Heroku Connect mappings and any other syncs).
- 02Document Heroku Connect mappingsRecord objects, fields, directions and the tables the app reads. This defines the sync requirements.
- 03Shortlist platform optionsEvaluate where the app and database will run. Build.io is built for moving apps off Heroku.
- 04Shortlist sync optionsTest whether each option supports two-way sync and your schema. Stacksync can be tested against a copy of the database.
- 05Agree on one cutover planSet a date where the app moves and the new sync is already live and validated.
- 06Decommission HerokuRemove Heroku Connect and the remaining Heroku resources after the new setup is stable.
What mistakes do teams make when choosing a Heroku alternative?
- Choosing the platform first and the sync last. The sync is usually the harder constraint, so scope it early.
- Assuming a database copy is enough. A restored copy of Heroku Connect tables stops updating the moment it is made.
- Ignoring write-back. If the app updates Salesforce, read-only tools will not replace Heroku Connect.
- Skipping a parallel test. Validating the new sync beside the old one is the cheapest way to catch mapping gaps.
How do Build.io and Stacksync work together?
Build.io and Stacksync have co-sold Heroku exits since July 2026. The split mirrors the two decisions above: Build.io moves the application and platform, Stacksync replaces Heroku Connect. Neither product tries to do the other's job.
For engineering leaders, that means one plan with two clear owners. The platform team works with Build.io on hosting and the database move. The data or integration owner works with Stacksync on mappings, sync direction and validation. The two meet at the cutover.
If Salesforce sync is what is keeping your app on Heroku, book a demo and we will review your mappings with you.
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