Porter vs Dokku
A detailed comparison to help you choose between Porter and Dokku.
Porter Kubernetes deployments for teams without DevOps | Dokku Self-hosted mini Heroku on your own VPS | |
|---|---|---|
| Overview | ||
| Rating | 4.8 (52 reviews)✓ | 4.7 (251 reviews) |
| Pricing model | freemium | free |
| Starting price | Free tier available | Free |
| Best for | Growing engineering teams who need Kubernetes scalability but don't have dedicated DevOps resources | Developers who want Heroku-style deployments at VPS pricing on infrastructure they own and control |
| Tags | ||
| Tags | free tiermanaged optionteam featureskubernetes supportapi access | free tieropen sourceself hostable |
| Visit Porter → | Visit Dokku → | |
Porter
Pros
- + Kubernetes power with Heroku simplicity
- + PR preview environments
- + Your own cloud account — data stays with you
Cons
- - Requires AWS/GCP/DO account
- - More setup than Render or Railway
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
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