Free Laravel Forge alternatives: 3 apps ranked by verified data

Facts checked Nov 8, 2026AppBreakup editorialHow we rank

3 of the 4 Laravel Forge alternatives we track can be used for free (free, open source, or with a free plan). Coolify, CapRover and Dokku rank highest, with facts last verified Nov 8, 2026.

Quick comparison

#	App	Pricing	Verified price	Open source	Platforms	Verified facts	Score
1	Coolify	Open source	From $5/month	Yes	Self-hosted, Web	3 of 3	52.6
2	CapRover	Open source	—	Yes	Self-hosted, Linux	3 of 3	51.2
3	Dokku	Open source	—	Yes	Self-hosted, Linux	3 of 3	50.0

1. CoolifyTop pick
Best for: Indie developers who want a Vercel or Heroku workflow on cheap servers they control
Open sourceSelf-hostableSelf-hosted, Web
52.6
score / 100
Why switch from Laravel Forge
Free self-hosted PaaS that deploys apps and databases to your own servers.
Pros
Free and open source with no feature limits
Preview deployments and automatic HTTPS
Hundreds of one-click self-hosted services
Cons
You manage server security, updates and uptime
Small core team
Multi-server setups take more care than a managed PaaS
Visit Coolify Details and reviews
How this score is calculated
Editorial fit ×0.346
Reviews ×0.363
Clicks (90 days) ×0.150
Freshness ×0.15100
Votes ×0.150
0 counted reviews, 0 up and 0 down votes. Full formula
Is Coolify a good Laravel Forge alternative?
Verified facts
3 of 3 verified
License
Apache-2.0
Checked Nov 8, 2026github.com(opens source in a new tab)
Self-hosted price
Free forever
Checked Nov 8, 2026coolify.io(opens source in a new tab)
Cloud price
From $5/month
Checked Nov 8, 2026coolify.io(opens source in a new tab)
2. CapRover
Best for: Developers who want a free self-hosted PaaS with a UI that can grow into a small cluster
Open sourceSelf-hostableSelf-hosted, Linux
51.2
score / 100
Why switch from Laravel Forge
Free, self-hosted PaaS on your own server, deploying apps in Docker containers with one-click databases and SSL.
Pros
Completely free with no paid tiers
Web dashboard plus CLI
Docker Swarm clustering across servers
Cons
Plainer interface than newer self-hosted platforms
Slower pace of development
You maintain the servers and their security
Visit CapRover Details and reviews
How this score is calculated
Editorial fit ×0.341
Reviews ×0.363
Clicks (90 days) ×0.150
Freshness ×0.15100
Votes ×0.150
0 counted reviews, 0 up and 0 down votes. Full formula
Is CapRover a good Laravel Forge alternative?
Verified facts
3 of 3 verified
Price
Free
Checked Nov 8, 2026caprover.com(opens source in a new tab)
Free forever
Yes
Checked Nov 8, 2026caprover.com(opens source in a new tab)
Built on
Docker
Checked Nov 8, 2026caprover.com(opens source in a new tab)
3. Dokku
Best for: Developers who want Heroku-style deploys for several small apps on one VPS
Open sourceSelf-hostableSelf-hosted, Linux
50.0
score / 100
Why switch from Laravel Forge
Open-source, Heroku-style git push deploys on a single VPS you control, with no monthly control-panel fee.
Pros
Heroku-compatible buildpacks and commands
Free, MIT-licensed and lightweight
Plugins for common databases and certificates
Cons
Command-line first, with no free web dashboard
Designed around a single server
No built-in preview environments
Visit Dokku Details and reviews
How this score is calculated
Editorial fit ×0.338
Reviews ×0.363
Clicks (90 days) ×0.150
Freshness ×0.15100
Votes ×0.150
0 counted reviews, 0 up and 0 down votes. Full formula
Is Dokku a good Laravel Forge alternative?
Verified facts
3 of 3 verified
License
MIT
Checked Oct 25, 2026github.com(opens source in a new tab)
Positioning
Open-source alternative to Heroku
Checked Nov 8, 2026dokku.com(opens source in a new tab)
Deploys
Git push with Heroku buildpacks
Checked Nov 8, 2026dokku.com(opens source in a new tab)

Quick comparison

1. CoolifyTop pick

Pros

Cons

Verified facts

2. CapRover

Pros

Cons

Verified facts

3. Dokku

Pros

Cons

Verified facts