ServerPilot vs CapRover
A detailed comparison to help you choose between ServerPilot and CapRover.
Quick Verdict
3.8/5
ServerPilot
0 reviews
4.0/5
CapRover
0 reviews
CapRover is rated higher (4.0 vs 3.8). ServerPilot is a cloud control panel for managing PHP applications on DigitalOcean, Linode, and other VPS providers. Automated security updates, multiple PHP versions, and app deployment. CapRover is a free, open source PaaS that runs on your own server. Deploy apps via CLI, dashboard, or GitHub Actions. One-click app templates for WordPress, Ghost, Mattermost, Nextcloud, and 100+ more.
ServerPilot Control panel for PHP and WordPress apps on any VPS (no free tier since pricing rework) | CapRover Self-hosted app deployment — free open source PaaS | |
|---|---|---|
| Overview | ||
| Rating | 3.8 (0 reviews) | 4.0 (0 reviews)✓ |
| Pricing model | paid | free |
| Starting price | From $5/mo | Free✓ |
| Best for | Developers and small agencies running PHP/WordPress sites on their own VPS who want managed security and SSL without giving up provider choice or data ownership | Developers and small teams wanting a free, self-hosted Heroku-style PaaS with one-click apps on their own VPS |
| Features | ||
| IPv6 | ||
| DDoS protection | ||
| Automated backups | ||
| Snapshots | ||
| Managed option | ||
| Bare metal | ||
| GPU available | ||
| S3-compatible | ||
| Hourly billing | ✓ | |
| Free tier | ✓ | |
| Tags | ||
| Tags | free tiermanaged option | free tieropen sourceself hostable |
| Visit ServerPilot → | Visit CapRover → | |
ServerPilot
Pros
- + Published, decoupled usage pricing: $5/server + $0.50/app entry, billed hourly
- + Security baseline on every tier: firewall default, no exposed management ports, app isolation, automated updates
- + Works on any major cloud provider — you keep root access and data ownership
- + One-click WordPress, AutoSSL via Let's Encrypt, multiple PHP versions per server
- + Migration tooling to move sites and databases between your servers
Cons
- - No free tier (the $0 freemium model is gone); card required at $5/server
- - PHP/WordPress only — no Node, Python, Docker, or Kubernetes workloads
- - Per-app fees compound on servers with many sites
- - No published control-plane uptime SLA; deep metrics gated behind higher tiers
- - Economy-tier support is deprioritized ticket-based help
CapRover
Pros
- + Free forever, Apache 2.0, no feature gating or license keys
- + One-click app catalog (WordPress, MySQL, MongoDB, and more) deploys in minutes
- + Automatic Let's Encrypt HTTPS with one-click redirects
- + Deploys from dashboard, CLI, webhook, or Git; runs on any VPS you choose
- + Docker-native: any language or service that runs in a container
Cons
- - Largely solo-maintained — feature development has slowed and the bus factor is low
- - You own server ops: patching, backups, monitoring, and build sizing
- - Rougher edges and docs than commercial PaaS; support is community-only with no SLA
- - No autoscaling, managed backups, or Kubernetes-grade orchestration
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