Heroku Open Source Software Credit Program

• Up to $500/month in Heroku platform credits for 12 months ($6K total potential) if your project qualifies as open source.
• Credits apply only to Heroku services (Dynos, Postgres, Key-Value Store); overage charges apply at standard rates after credits exhaust.
• Annual reapplication keeps the funding flowing—no one-time limit, but you must maintain active open source status.

Heroku is a cloud platform-as-a-service provider specializing in app deployment, databases, and managed infrastructure. The Open Source Software Credit Program grants qualifying open source projects monthly platform credits over a 12-month period, enabling maintainers to run production workloads without upfront infrastructure costs. Credits are renewable annually upon reapplication.

Heroku Open Source Software Credit Program at a glance

Heroku is a cloud platform-as-a-service provider specializing in app deployment, databases, and managed infrastructure. The Open Source Software Credit Program grants qualifying open source projects monthly platform credits over a 12-month period, enabling maintainers to run production workloads without upfront infrastructure costs. Credits are renewable annually upon reapplication.

• $500Max monthly credit (upper range)
• 12Credit validity (months)
• $6,000Potential total credit (at $500/month)
• AnnualReapplication window

The Heroku Open Source Software Credit Program offer explained

Heroku awards monthly platform credits (typically $25–$500 USD per month) to open source projects for 12 consecutive months. Credits cover core Heroku services including Dynos (compute), Postgres (database), and Key-Value Store. Any usage exceeding the monthly credit allocation is billed at standard Heroku rates to your registered payment method; credits do not roll over month-to-month.

Eligibility & key terms

How Heroku Open Source Software Credit Program compares

Here's how Heroku Open Source Software Credit Program stacks up against other cloud infrastructure credits in the same category:

How to apply for Heroku Open Source Software Credit Program

1. Verify open source status

   Ensure your project is publicly licensed under an OSI-approved license (MIT, Apache 2.0, GPL, etc.) and actively maintained with public contribution history.

2. Create or log into Heroku account

   Set up a Heroku account if you don't have one, and verify your email and billing contact information.

3. Submit application

   Visit Heroku's Open Source Program page and complete the application form with your project repository URL, license details, and use-case description.

4. Await approval and activate

   Heroku reviews applications (timeline varies); once approved, credits are automatically applied to your account monthly for 12 months.

Free infrastructure for open source maintainers—but watch your overage spend once monthly credits run dry.SaaSTweaks editorial

Who should apply — and who shouldn't

More Cloud Provider Credits

If Heroku Open Source Software Credit Program isn't the right fit, compare it against Namecheap Education Program, Neo4j AuraDB Free Plan, Neo4j Startup Program, Neon $100 Credits — or browse the full Cloud Provider Credits category.