Porter vs Cleavr
A detailed comparison to help you choose between Porter and Cleavr.
Quick Verdict
4.0/5
Porter
0 reviews
3.8/5
Cleavr
0 reviews
Porter is rated higher (4.0 vs 3.8). Provision a Kubernetes cluster in your own AWS, Azure, or Google Cloud account and get Heroku-like deployments with PR preview environments, autoscaling, and GitHub-based CI/CD. 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.
Porter Kubernetes deployments for teams without DevOps | Cleavr Deploy Laravel and Node.js apps via UI | |
|---|---|---|
| Overview | ||
| Rating | 4.0 (0 reviews)✓ | 3.8 (0 reviews) |
| Pricing model | usage-based | paid |
| Starting price | From $1.9/mo✓ | From $5.5/mo |
| Best for | Growing engineering teams, including AI startups, who need Kubernetes scalability and GPU workloads in their own cloud account without dedicated DevOps staff | 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 tiermanaged optionteam featureskubernetes supportapi access | managed option |
| Visit Porter → | Visit Cleavr → | |
Porter
Pros
- + Heroku-style deploys on Kubernetes in your own cloud account — data and billing stay with AWS/Azure/GCP
- + Transparent metering ($6/GB RAM, $13/vCPU monthly, per-minute prorating) with a published pricing calculator
- + Clean exit: the cluster remains and is yours to operate if you stop paying
- + Removes real operational toil — CI/CD, preview environments, autoscaling, CVE patches, cluster upgrades
- + GPU instances and one-click SOC 2/HIPAA fit AI and compliance-sensitive startups
Cons
- - Requires a cloud account and ~30 minutes of provisioning; more setup than Render or Railway
- - Two invoices (Porter plus cloud provider); idle environments still meter
- - Deep incidents are Kubernetes-shaped to debug
- - Pivot-prone startup history and premium support gated behind the Enterprise track
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.