AWS vs Heroku:Which is more popular?
In September 2026, AWS had more branded searches than Heroku among cloud application hosting platforms worldwide. AWS had about 2.2 million branded searches, while Heroku had 80,900. AWS made up 42.8% of all cloud application hosting platform searches we track, and Heroku accounted for 1.5%. When we asked ChatGPT and Google AI Overviews about cloud application hosting platforms, AWS appeared in all five answers and Heroku in one. AWS was mentioned before Heroku in every answer.
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Top cloud application hosting platforms in ChatGPT and Google AI Overviews
In three ChatGPT questions and two Google AI Overviews, AWS appeared in all five answers. Heroku was mentioned in one out of five: not in any of the three ChatGPT answers, but in one of the two Google AI Overviews. AWS was listed before Heroku in every answer.
Most recommended by AI
Brands get a higher ranking if they are mentioned earlier in the answers.
Vercel1st
Railway2nd
Render3rd
AWS4th
Google Cloud Run5th
Heroku6th
Fly.io7th
Northflank8th
Mentioned by AI
Each dot is one answer, filled in when that answer mentions the brand.
- Vercel5 of 5Named in 3 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 2 of 2 Google answers
- AWS5 of 5Named in 3 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 2 of 2 Google answers
- Google Cloud Run5 of 5Named in 3 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 2 of 2 Google answers
- Railway5 of 5Named in 3 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 2 of 2 Google answers
- Render4 of 5Named in 3 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 1 of 2 Google answers
- Fly.io2 of 5Named in 1 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 1 of 2 Google answers
- Heroku1 of 5Named in 0 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 1 of 2 Google answers
- Northflank1 of 5Named in 1 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 0 of 2 Google answers
See every answer about cloud application hosting platforms
5 answers
Asked ChatGPT
“Which cloud application hosting platform should I use?”
Asked ChatGPT
“What are the best cloud application hosting platforms?”
Asked ChatGPT
“What's the best cloud application hosting platform for a web app?”
Searched Google, AI Overview
“cloud app hosting”
Searched Google, AI Overview
“app hosting platform”
Brands are shown in the order each answer named them. The survey took place in the United States on October 20, 2026.
Is AWS or Heroku more popular in search?
This chart shows how often people search Google for AWS and Heroku by name. Each line represents a brand's share of searches for all eight cloud application hosting platforms we track, month by month, from English-language searches worldwide.
Share of searches by month for AWS, Heroku. The figures are in the table below the chart.
View monthly share of searches table
| Month | Vercel | AWS | Heroku | Google Cloud Run | Railway | Fly.io | Northflank | Render |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Oct 2025 | 15.9% | 79.8% | 2.3% | 0.88% | 0.63% | 0.33% | 0.07% | 0.13% |
| Nov 2025 | 32.4% | 59.4% | 3.8% | 2% | 1.3% | 0.67% | 0.14% | 0.26% |
| Dec 2025 | 36.6% | 54.9% | 3.6% | 2.3% | 1.5% | 0.76% | 0.16% | 0.24% |
| Jan 2026 | 41.2% | 50.2% | 3.9% | 2.1% | 1.4% | 0.71% | 0.22% | 0.22% |
| Feb 2026 | 46.1% | 46.1% | 3.6% | 1.9% | 1.3% | 0.55% | 0.2% | 0.17% |
| Mar 2026 | 46.7% | 46.7% | 2.5% | 1.6% | 1.6% | 0.56% | 0.21% | 0.14% |
| Apr 2026 | 56% | 37.4% | 2.5% | 1.7% | 1.6% | 0.53% | 0.2% | 0.17% |
| May 2026 | 51.3% | 41.9% | 2.3% | 1.8% | 1.8% | 0.59% | 0.23% | 0.15% |
| Jun 2026 | 51.3% | 41.9% | 2.3% | 1.8% | 1.5% | 0.71% | 0.23% | 0.28% |
| Jul 2026 | 51.7% | 42.2% | 1.9% | 1.8% | 1.5% | 0.6% | 0.28% | 0.15% |
| Aug 2026 | 56.7% | 37.9% | 1.7% | 1.6% | 1.1% | 0.62% | 0.25% | 0.25% |
| Sep 2026 | 52.4% | 42.8% | 1.5% | 1.5% | 1% | 0.4% | 0.23% | 0.1% |
How has the AWS and Heroku comparison changed over the last 12 months?
3 findings
- AWS was ahead of Heroku in every measured month of the 12 months ending September 2026.
- Across the 12 months ending September 2026, AWS’s share of searches among cloud application hosting platforms worldwide moved from 79.8% to 42.8%, and its estimated monthly branded searches moved from 6.1M to 2.2M.
- Across the 12 months ending September 2026, Heroku’s share of searches among cloud application hosting platforms worldwide moved from 2.3% to 1.5%, and its estimated monthly branded searches moved from 176K to 80.9K.
How did search popularity change for cloud application hosting platforms worldwide in September 2026?
2 changes
In September 2026, AWS gained share of searches among cloud application hosting platforms worldwide, from 37.9% to 42.8%.
Heroku’s share of searches among cloud application hosting platforms worldwide has lost ground for 3 months in a row, from 2.3% to 1.5% in September 2026.
How are branded searches counted?
6 search terms
Brandwave collects information about searches that people make online using AWS’s and Heroku’s names. When viewed over time, estimated search volumes for these branded terms can be used to understand whether interest in the brands is growing, holding steady, or fading.
Other head-to-heads among cloud application hosting platforms
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