Zeabur vs Dokku
A detailed comparison to help you choose between Zeabur and Dokku.
Quick Verdict
3.3/5
Zeabur
0 reviews
4.2/5
Dokku
0 reviews
Dokku is rated higher (4.2 vs 3.3). One-click deployments and managed databases on a subscription platform (Free $0, Dev $5, Pro $19, Team $79 per month) plus fixed-price servers from Tencent Cloud, Aliyun, Hetzner, AWS, GCP, Linode, DigitalOcean and Volcengine, or bring-your-own-server; the usage-billed shared cluster closed to new projects in March 2026. 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.
Zeabur Deploy services in seconds — APAC-focused PaaS | Dokku Self-hosted mini Heroku on your own VPS | |
|---|---|---|
| Overview | ||
| Rating | 3.3 (0 reviews) | 4.2 (0 reviews)✓ |
| Pricing model | freemium | free |
| Starting price | Free tier available | Free |
| Best for | Individual developers and small teams in Asia-Pacific who want PaaS-style deployments on Seoul, Tokyo, Singapore or Greater China infrastructure, at fixed low monthly cost | Developers comfortable with Linux who want Heroku-style deployments at VPS pricing on infrastructure they own and control |
| Specifications (entry plan) | ||
| CPU cores | 2 vCPU | — |
| RAM | 2 GB | — |
| Storage | — | — |
| Bandwidth | — | — |
| SLA uptime | — | — |
| Data-center count | 10 | — |
| €/vCPU/mo | €0.00 | — |
| €/GB RAM/mo | €0.00 | — |
| Features | ||
| IPv6 | ✓ | |
| DDoS protection | ✓ | |
| Automated backups | ||
| Snapshots | ✓ | |
| Managed option | ||
| Bare metal | ||
| GPU available | ||
| S3-compatible | ||
| Hourly billing | ✓ | |
| Free tier | ||
| Data-center locations | ||
| Regions | Newark, Dallas, Los Angeles, Seattle, Chicago, Toronto, Frankfurt, Tokyo, Singapore, Sydney (Zeabur clusters), plus marketplace regions via Tencent Cloud/Aliyun including Seoul, Jakarta, Manila, Hong Kong and mainland China | — |
| Tags | ||
| Tags | free tiermanaged optioneu datacenterus datacenterapac datacenter | free tieropen sourceself hostable |
| Visit Zeabur → | Visit Dokku → | |
Zeabur
Pros
- + Best budget-tier APAC coverage we have seen: Seoul, Jakarta, Manila, Tokyo, Singapore, Hong Kong and mainland China via Tencent Cloud and Aliyun
- + PaaS ergonomics (auto build detection, templates, domains, SSL, monitoring, backups) over fixed-price servers or your own hosts
- + Genuine free tier and cheap entry: Tencent 2C/2GB from $2-3/month plus a $0-5 plan fee
- + Open-source tooling and documentation on GitHub, with an AI agent that provisions infrastructure from natural language
Cons
- - Platform model changed in 2026 — shared usage-billed cluster closed to new projects with weeks of notice
- - No published uptime SLA below the Enterprise tier; reliability rests on the underlying provider
- - Small, young vendor: thin operational documentation and Discord-first support
- - Refund policy is unfriendly: roughly 30% Stripe fee on card refunds and no refunds on servers created or renewed after July 2025
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
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