Dokku vs Laravel Forge
A detailed comparison to help you choose between Dokku and Laravel Forge.
Quick Verdict
4.7/5
Dokku
251 reviews
4.2/5
Laravel Forge
383 reviews
Dokku is rated higher (4.7 vs 4.2). 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. Laravel Forge provisions and manages PHP servers for Laravel applications. Auto-deploys from GitHub, manages Nginx, databases, SSL, and cron jobs. The standard for Laravel deployments.
Dokku Self-hosted mini Heroku on your own VPS | Laravel Forge Server management for PHP/Laravel deployments | |
|---|---|---|
| Overview | ||
| Rating | 4.7 (251 reviews)✓ | 4.2 (383 reviews) |
| Pricing model | free | paid |
| Starting price | Free✓ | From €12/mo |
| Best for | Developers who want Heroku-style deployments at VPS pricing on infrastructure they own and control | Laravel PHP developers who want automated server provisioning and deployment to any cloud VPS |
| Tags | ||
| Tags | free tieropen sourceself hostable | managed optionapi access |
| Visit Dokku → | Visit Laravel Forge → | |
Dokku
Pros
- + Free and open source — just need a VPS
- + Heroku buildpack compatible
- + Full control over your data and costs
Cons
- - Self-managed — you handle updates and maintenance
- - Requires Linux server knowledge
Laravel Forge
Pros
- + Laravel community standard
- + Deploy to any VPS provider
- + Manages Nginx, MySQL, Redis automatically
Cons
- - PHP/Laravel centric — limited other language support
- - Monthly fee on top of VPS cost
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