Dokku vs Kinsta
A detailed comparison to help you choose between Dokku and Kinsta.
Dokku Self-hosted mini Heroku on your own VPS | Kinsta Managed WordPress on Google Cloud C2 | |
|---|---|---|
| Overview | ||
| Rating | 4.7 (251 reviews) | 5.0 (181 reviews)✓ |
| Pricing model | free | paid |
| Starting price | Free✓ | From €35/mo |
| Best for | Developers who want Heroku-style deployments at VPS pricing on infrastructure they own and control | WordPress sites with significant traffic where page speed, uptime, and expert support justify the premium price |
| Specifications (entry plan) | ||
| CPU cores | — | 0 vCPU |
| RAM | — | 0 GB |
| Storage | — | 10 GB |
| Bandwidth | — | 0 TB/mo |
| SLA uptime | — | 99.9% |
| Data-center count | — | 37 |
| 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 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
Kinsta
Pros
- + Google Cloud C2 hardware — among the fastest WordPress hosts
- + 24/7 expert WordPress support (not generic helpdesk)
- + Staging environment on every plan
Cons
- - Among the most expensive managed WordPress options
- - No email hosting — must use separate service
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