Coolify vs Dokploy
A side-by-side, data-driven comparison of Coolify and Dokploy — pricing, free tiers and capabilities. Prefer the long read? See our in-depth guide.
Two modern open-source, self-hosted PaaS tools with near-identical goals — Coolify is more mature with a larger community, Dokploy is newer with a clean Traefik-based design, so pick Coolify for battle-testing and Dokploy for a fresh start.
At a glance
- Both offer a free tier (check each for limits).
Specs side by side
Pros & cons
Our editorial assessment — not vendor-stated facts. Last reviewed 2026-07-16.
Coolify
Pros
- Fully open source (Apache 2.0) and self-hostable with no feature caps or vendor lock-in
- Broad language and framework support with a large one-click service and database catalog
- Runs on almost any server you control, including VPS, bare metal, and ARM boards like a Raspberry Pi
- Bundles SSL, backups, reverse proxy, and Git integration, so common DevOps setup is handled for you
Cons
- Self-hosting makes OS patching, security updates, and disk and backup management your responsibility
- No built-in autoscaling; handling traffic spikes means manually adding server capacity
- Self-hosted deployments carry no managed SLA or uptime guarantee, so reliability tracks your own infrastructure
- Built-in monitoring is basic; deeper observability usually needs external tools, and advanced configuration often relies on community and Discord support
Dokploy
Pros
- Open-core and self-hosted: the core is Apache-2.0 licensed and runs on your own infrastructure, avoiding vendor lock-in and limiting cost to the servers you use
- Flexible build options (buildpacks, Dockerfile, Compose) cover most stacks and languages
- Fast setup, typically a single install command from a bare server to a working platform
- Native multi-server and multi-node support built in rather than bolted on
- Broad template catalog makes standing up common services quick
Cons
- Orchestration is Docker Swarm only, with no Kubernetes support, so you inherit Swarm's limited native autoscaling and thinner advanced-networking options
- Self-hosting the free tier puts updates, security, backups, and disaster recovery on you
- Some team features, including SSO/SAML, fine-grained RBAC, audit logs, and whitelabeling, are gated behind the paid enterprise tier rather than the open-source core
- Younger and smaller ecosystem than mature PaaS options, with fewer third-party integrations and occasional UI/state-sync rough edges
- Assumes baseline familiarity with Docker, DNS, and server administration
Bottom line
Pick Coolify for cost-conscious devs who want PaaS UX on their own VPS. Pick Dokploy for teams wanting a modern self-hosted PaaS with a clean UI.
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Frequently asked questions
- What is the difference between Coolify and Dokploy?
- Coolify: A self-hostable, open-source PaaS you run on your own server or VPS to deploy apps, databases and services with a Heroku-like UI — no per-app vendor fees. Dokploy: An open-source, self-hostable platform for deploying applications and databases with Docker and Traefik, positioned as a Vercel/Netlify/Heroku alternative you own.
- Does Coolify have a free tier?
- Yes.
- Does Dokploy have a free tier?
- Yes.
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