Dokku vs Kinsta
A detailed comparison to help you choose between Dokku and Kinsta.
Quick Verdict
4.2/5
Dokku
0 reviews
4.1/5
Kinsta
0 reviews
Dokku is rated higher (4.2 vs 4.1). 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. Premium managed WordPress hosting running on Google Cloud Platform C2 instances with Nginx, PHP 8.x, and a global CDN. Automatic daily backups, staging, and 24/7 expert WordPress support.
Dokku Self-hosted mini Heroku on your own VPS | Kinsta Managed WordPress on Google Cloud C2 | |
|---|---|---|
| Overview | ||
| Rating | 4.2 (0 reviews)✓ | 4.1 (0 reviews) |
| Pricing model | free | paid |
| Starting price | Free✓ | From $35/mo |
| Best for | Developers comfortable with Linux who want Heroku-style deployments at VPS pricing on infrastructure they own and control | Revenue-generating WordPress sites, WooCommerce stores and agencies that want the server work handled and can pay a premium for management, isolation and expert support |
| Specifications (entry plan) | ||
| CPU cores | — | — |
| RAM | — | — |
| Storage | — | 10 GB |
| Bandwidth | — | 0 TB/mo |
| SLA uptime | — | 99.9% |
| Data-center count | — | 30 |
| Features | ||
| IPv6 | ✓ | |
| DDoS protection | ||
| Automated backups | ||
| Snapshots | ✓ | |
| Managed option | ||
| Bare metal | ||
| GPU available | ||
| S3-compatible | ||
| Hourly billing | ✓ | |
| Free tier | ✓ | |
| Data-center locations | ||
| Regions | — | United StatesUnited KingdomGermanyBelgiumNetherlandsFinland+5 |
| Tags | ||
| Tags | free tieropen sourceself hostable | managed optionddos protectionbackups includedeu datacenterus datacenterapac datacenter |
| Visit Dokku → | Visit Kinsta → | |
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
Kinsta
Pros
- + No renewal jump — published prices hold after year one
- + Free unlimited migrations and malware cleanup done by Kinsta staff
- + Daily backups, staging, Cloudflare CDN, WAF and DDoS protection on every plan
- + Published overage rates and honest visit counting rules
- + 24/7 WordPress-engineer chat support in 8 languages
Cons
- - Expensive per site at the entry tier for the resources listed
- - No email hosting and no phone support
- - No published vCPU or RAM allocations per plan
- - Google Cloud to Oracle Cloud migration can change IPs and regions
- - Paid add-ons (Redis, extra disk) push the real bill above the sticker price
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