Dokku vs Cleavr
A detailed comparison to help you choose between Dokku and Cleavr.
Quick Verdict
4.2/5
Dokku
0 reviews
3.8/5
Cleavr
0 reviews
Dokku is rated higher (4.2 vs 3.8). Dokku is an open source PaaS you deploy on any VPS. Heroku-compatible buildpacks, Git push deployments, Let's Encrypt SSL, and Docker support. Run your own Heroku on a $5 Hetzner server. Cleavr is a server management and deployment tool for deploying Laravel, Node.js, and static sites to your own VPS. Manages Nginx, databases, SSL, and deployments through a UI.
Dokku Self-hosted mini Heroku on your own VPS | Cleavr Deploy Laravel and Node.js apps via UI | |
|---|---|---|
| Overview | ||
| Rating | 4.2 (0 reviews)✓ | 3.8 (0 reviews) |
| Pricing model | free | paid |
| Starting price | Free✓ | From $5.5/mo |
| Best for | Developers comfortable with Linux who want Heroku-style deployments at VPS pricing on infrastructure they own and control | Solo developers and small teams running PHP, Laravel, WordPress, or Node apps who want Forge-style deployment workflows on their own VPS at half the price |
| Features | ||
| IPv6 | ✓ | |
| DDoS protection | ✓ | |
| Automated backups | ||
| Snapshots | ✓ | |
| Managed option | ||
| Bare metal | ||
| GPU available | ||
| S3-compatible | ||
| Hourly billing | ✓ | |
| Free tier | ✓ | |
| Tags | ||
| Tags | free tieropen sourceself hostable | managed option |
| Visit Dokku → | Visit Cleavr → | |
Dokku
Pros
- + Free MIT-licensed software — you only pay for the underlying server
- + Heroku-compatible buildpacks and git push workflow make migration from Heroku straightforward
- + Mature project (since 2013) with 353 releases and a large plugin ecosystem
- + Full control over data, costs and where your apps physically run
- + Optional Dokku Pro is a one-time $849 lifetime license, not a subscription
Cons
- - Self-managed: OS updates, security, backups and monitoring are your responsibility
- - Single-host design — no built-in failover, autoscaling or multi-host scheduling
- - Support is community-only (GitHub issues, Slack) unless you buy Dokku Pro
- - Plugin quality and upgrade compatibility vary across the community ecosystem
Cleavr
Pros
- + Cheap and honest: Lite $5.50/mo for one server with unlimited apps, Pro $15/mo for unlimited servers with backups and monitoring
- + Production deployment features — zero-downtime releases, rollback, canary with health checks, push-to-deploy
- + Works with all the usual VPS providers plus a custom BYO-server connector; servers remain fully yours
- + Complete stack management from the UI: Nginx/PHP, MySQL/PostgreSQL/MariaDB, SSL, Fail2Ban/UFW, cron, PM2
- + Real free trial (5 days, Pro features, no card) and 7-day refunds; 50% discounts for students and non-profits
Cons
- - Bootstrapped two-person company with no published uptime SLA and email-only support
- - API access is locked to trial and Business ($30/mo); team features are Business-only
- - Agent plus panel components reportedly consume ~200-500 MB RAM on each managed server
- - Published prices are yearly-billing rates; the monthly-billing rate is not shown on the pricing page
- - Younger areas (Next.js, newer app types) are thinner than the mature Laravel/PHP core
Stay in the loop
Get weekly updates on the best new hosting and infrastructure providers, deals, and comparisons.
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.