Alternatives to Dokku
The original mini-Heroku on a single server
Dokku ranks #8 of 11 in Self-hosted PaaS, with an Alt Score of 46. It is licensed under MIT, free from Free and available on Linux. 9 of 10 checklist rows are verified against a public source.
Developers and small teams who want Heroku-style git-push deploys without paying for a hosted PaaS or handing infrastructure to a vendor. Fits best for those comfortable managing their own Linux server.
A self-hosted platform-as-a-service that runs on a single server you control. Apps deploy via git push, get built with Heroku buildpacks or Dockerfiles, and run as isolated Docker containers. A plugin system adds databases, SSL/Let's Encrypt, custom domains, and other add-ons as needed.
Install Dokku on your own server with a bootstrap script, then add a git remote and push your app's code to it, similar to deploying to Heroku. Dokku detects the app type, builds a Docker image, and starts it as a container, wiring up routing, environment variables, and any configured plugins.
Why people leave Dokku
Dashed reasons are sourced facts; the rest are opinions. Vendors can dispute.
Sign in to add a reason — new reasons go through moderation before appearing.
Ranked alternatives
Ordered by Alt Score. Click any score to see the breakdown.
SwiftWave is an open-source (Apache-2.0), self-hosted PaaS for deploying applications from Git repos, Docker images, or uploaded source to bare metal, Raspberry Pi, or any VPS.
Easypanel is a self-hosted server control panel built on Docker that lets you deploy apps from a Dockerfile, Git repo, or Heroku buildpacks with a web UI.
Kubero is an open-source PaaS that runs natively on Kubernetes, letting developers deploy from Git without writing Helm charts or YAML by hand.
Cloud Foundry is a long-running open-source PaaS (backed by the Linux Foundation's Cloud Foundry Foundation) that gives enterprises a self-hosted 'cf push' deployment workflow with buildpacks, multi-t.
Tsuru is an open-source, extensible PaaS originally built and open-sourced by Globo.com, offering CLI source-code deploys, buildpack-based builds, and a pluggable router/backend architecture on top of.
Feature comparison
Rows come from the Self-hosted PaaS checklist (14 rows). Human-verified cells only. ? means the value has not been verified.
| Self-hosted PaaS checklist | Dokku | SwiftWave | CapRover | Coolify | Dokploy | Easypanel |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pricing model | ||||||
| Starts at | ||||||
| License | ||||||
| Platforms | ||||||
| One-click app catalog | ||||||
| Git push deploys | ||||||
| Docker Compose support | ||||||
| Automatic SSL | ||||||
| Backups built in | ||||||
| Multi-server support | ||||||
| Web UI quality | ||||||
| Resource usage | ||||||
| Database provisioning | ||||||
| Zero-downtime deploys |
Every fact and feature listed for Dokku is verified against its own pages. Each alternative is sourced on its own page.
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Platforms Linux verified 2026-07-08
CLI/server tool; runs on Linux (Ubuntu/Debian).
Dokku is an extensible, open source Platform as a Service that runs on a single server of your choice.
https://dokku.com/docs/getting-started/installation/ -
Status active verified 2026-07-08
Latest stable version is v0.38.21
https://dokku.com/docs/getting-started/installation/ -
License MIT verified 2026-07-08
Software"), to deal in the Software without restriction"
Permission is hereby granted, free of charge, to any person obtaining a copy of this software and associated documentation files (the
https://raw.githubusercontent.com/dokku/dokku/master/LICENSE -
Pricing model Free verified 2026-07-08
Core Dokku is free OSS; Dokku Pro is a paid GUI add-on.
Dokku Pro is a commercial offering that provides a familiar Web UI for all common tasks performed by developers.
https://raw.githubusercontent.com/dokku/dokku/master/docs/enterprise/pro.md -
Starts at Free verified 2026-07-08
Permission is hereby granted, free of charge, to any person obtaining a copy of this software
https://raw.githubusercontent.com/dokku/dokku/master/LICENSE -
One-click app catalog No verified 2026-07-08
Plugin system via CLI; no one-click catalog.
Installing a plugin is easy as well using the `plugin:install` command.
https://raw.githubusercontent.com/dokku/dokku/master/docs/advanced-usage/plugin-management.md -
Git push deploys Yes verified 2026-07-08
Once you have configured Dokku with at least one user, you can deploy applications using `git push`.
https://raw.githubusercontent.com/dokku/dokku/master/docs/deployment/application-deployment.md -
Automatic SSL Partial verified 2026-07-08
Automatic SSL via the official dokku-letsencrypt plugin (installed separately).
| [Let's Encrypt](https://github.com/dokku/dokku-letsencrypt) | [dokku][] | 0.4.0+ |
https://raw.githubusercontent.com/dokku/dokku/master/docs/community/plugins.md -
Backups built in No verified 2026-07-08
Manual backup guidance only; no built-in automated backup.
The backup plugin was deprecated in 0.4.x, below are backup recommendations for 0.5.x and later.
https://raw.githubusercontent.com/dokku/dokku/master/docs/advanced-usage/backup-recovery.md -
Multi-server support Partial verified 2026-07-08
Via K3s/Nomad schedulers; default is single-server.
For multi-server support, Dokku provides the ability for users to setup a K3s cluster.
https://raw.githubusercontent.com/dokku/dokku/master/docs/deployment/schedulers/k3s.md -
Web UI quality No verified 2026-07-08
Core Dokku is CLI-only; Web UI only via paid Dokku Pro.
Dokku Pro is a commercial offering that provides a familiar Web UI for all common tasks performed by developers.
https://raw.githubusercontent.com/dokku/dokku/master/docs/enterprise/pro.md -
Resource usage Partial verified 2026-07-08
Resource limits via resource-management plugin.
Docker Scheduler: 1GB minimum RAM ... K3s Scheduler: 2GB per node
https://dokku.com/docs/getting-started/installation/ -
Database provisioning Partial verified 2026-07-08
Via official database plugins installed separately.
| [Postgres](https://github.com/dokku/dokku-postgres) | [dokku][] | 0.4.0+ |
https://raw.githubusercontent.com/dokku/dokku/master/docs/community/plugins.md -
Zero-downtime deploys Yes verified 2026-07-08
By default, Dokku will wait `10` seconds after starting each container before assuming it is up and proceeding with the deploy. ... traffic will be switched to point to your new containers.
https://raw.githubusercontent.com/dokku/dokku/master/docs/deployment/zero-downtime-deploys.md
FAQ
Yes. SwiftWave, CapRover and Easypanel have a free tier or are fully free. Free-tier limits in the comparison table are verified and dated.
SwiftWave, CapRover and Coolify — every license claim links its source.