---
title: "Heroku vs while: the French alternative for your AI agent"
url: https://while.sh/en/comparisons/while-vs-heroku/
author: "Grégoire Mougeolle, co-founder of Nextmap"
updated: 2026-11-02
---

# Heroku vs while: which one to choose when your AI agent deploys?

Heroku made deploying simple, with a git push. while rebuilds it for your AI agent: it deploys over MCP, database included, never sees your keys, and sensitive actions, like deleting a production database, wait for your approval.

## What changes between Heroku and while

| What matters | Heroku | while |
|---|---|---|
| Who it's for | Teams that have deployed with git push for years | People who build their apps with an AI agent, solo or as a team |
| Your AI agent | A remote MCP server, with OAuth (source 4) | Connected over MCP, with OAuth: it deploys, creates the database, reads the logs and fixes things |
| What protects production | Your account's permissions | Sensitive actions, like deleting a production database, wait for a person |
| The database | Heroku Postgres, with no point-in-time recovery on the smallest plans (source 2) | PostgreSQL in while, backed up every day, with point-in-time recovery |
| Who opens your app | Public: Heroku Teams and Enterprise SSO opens the console, not the app | Everyone, a password, or the company account with the Pro plan |
| In France | No, a Europe region at best (source 5) | Yes, with Nextmap, a French company |
| To get started | $7 for the app's server and $5 for the database, per month (source 2) | A trial without an account. Then €0 to get started, and €13.75 per month for an app and its database |

## Heroku, the PaaS that made deploying simple

A git push, and the app is live: Heroku made that ordinary, with nine languages detected by default and review apps for every pull request (sources 1 and 2). Its remote MCP server connects with OAuth (source 4).

## With while, your AI agent does the rest

- **Your agent deploys, over MCP.** It writes while.yaml, creates the database, reads the logs and fixes things, with no command line to learn.
- **Nothing serious happens without you.** Deleting a production database waits for your approval, before it runs, and every action is recorded in a signed activity log.
- **Your keys stay secret.** Your app uses them, your agent never sees them.
- **Your colleagues sign in with the company account.** Google Workspace or Microsoft 365, on the Pro plan, with no sign-in page to code.
- **A mistake is quickly undone.** In the 30 minutes after a deployment, the previous version comes back in a second, and your database goes back to a precise moment.

## Moving from Heroku to while

### Take over your app

> You, to your agent: Move our Heroku app to while.

Your agent writes while.yaml from your code. A Node.js, Python or Go app starts without a Dockerfile, the others with yours.

### Copy your Heroku Postgres database

> You, to your agent: Copy our Heroku database to while.

Your agent exports the database with `pg_dump`, then loads it into while.

### Replace Heroku Scheduler

> You, to your agent: Take over the Heroku Scheduler jobs.

Your agent declares them as scheduled jobs, at the same time.

## Which one to choose

- **Choose Heroku** if your apps run well there, and hosting in France doesn't matter.
- **Choose while** if your AI agent deploys your apps, and you want to stay in control without reviewing every command, with your data in France.

## Next steps

- [Leave Heroku without rewriting your app](/en/guides/migrate-from-heroku/)

## Sources

1. [Heroku, home page](https://www.heroku.com/), 2026-11-02
2. [Heroku, pricing](https://www.heroku.com/pricing/), 2026-11-02
3. [Heroku, "An Update on Heroku" (February 6, 2026)](https://www.heroku.com/blog/an-update-on-heroku/), 2026-11-02
4. [Heroku, the remote MCP server](https://devcenter.heroku.com/articles/heroku-remote-mcp-server), 2026-11-02
5. [Heroku, regions](https://devcenter.heroku.com/articles/regions), 2026-11-02
6. [Heroku, importing and exporting a database](https://devcenter.heroku.com/articles/heroku-postgres-import-export), 2026-11-02
7. [Heroku, what's new in October 2026](https://www.heroku.com/blog/october-2026-update-heroku-innovations-features/), 2026-11-02

## Questions

### Is Heroku still evolving?

Yes: since February 6, 2026, Heroku has focused on stability (source 3), and its October 7, 2026 post announces Postgres 18 by default and finer-grained permissions (source 7).

### How do I get my database out of Heroku?

With pg:backups or pg_dump (source 6): your agent then copies it into while.

### How much for an app and its database?

On Heroku, $7 for the app's server (Basic dyno) and $5 for the database, per month (source 2). On while, €13.75 per month for an app and its database.