Looking for alternatives to Dokploy? Here’s a straightforward comparison of four popular self-hosted PaaS platforms.

Coolify - Best Overall Choice

The most feature-rich open-source option with a polished UI. Leads with 44,000+ GitHub stars and the most active development.

Coolify excels with native Docker Compose support, multi-server clustering via Docker Swarm, and advanced features like Cloudflare Tunnels for secure exposure without opening ports. It integrates with Infisical for proper secrets management - a major security advantage over competitors. Supports GitHub, GitLab, Bitbucket, and Gitea with preview deployments for pull requests.

Best for teams wanting a powerful, open-source solution with no vendor lock-in. Completely free to self-host with Apache 2.0 license.

EasyPanel - Easiest to Use

Modern control panel with the cleanest UI and freemium pricing model. Features 120+ one-click templates and an intuitive interface perfect for beginners.

Native Docker Compose support and automated backups to S3-compatible storage. Free tier allows 3 projects, paid plans start at $10.90/month unlocking RBAC, advanced backups, and multi-server support (beta, Business plan only).

The catch? Core product is closed-source, and the single manager node creates a potential single point of failure in multi-server setups.

Dokku - CLI Purist’s Choice

The original “mini-Heroku” that’s been rock-solid for 12 years with 31,000+ GitHub stars. If you love command-line workflows, Dokku is your platform.

Extremely lightweight and stable with git push deployment using Heroku Buildpacks or Dockerfile. Mature plugin ecosystem for databases, SSL, and more.

The trade-offs? No web UI in open-source version (Dokku Pro adds UI for $849 one-time), no native Docker Compose support, and strictly single-server architecture. Everything works through plugins.

Perfect for solo developers and small projects where CLI control and minimal resource usage matter more than modern features.

CapRover - Not Recommended

CapRover offers a web UI and Docker Swarm clustering, but has critical issues making it unsuitable for production environments.

Major security flaw: Stores secrets in plain text visible in the dashboard - acknowledged in open GitHub issue but still unresolved. This alone disqualifies it for any serious application.

Additional problems include no native Docker Compose support and stateful apps with persistent data pinning to single nodes, defeating clustering benefits. Missing modern features like RBAC, built-in terminal, and preview deployments.

Skip this one unless you’re just experimenting.

Quick Comparison

Feature	Coolify	EasyPanel	Dokku	CapRover
UI	✅ Modern	✅ Intuitive	❌ CLI only	✅ Basic
Docker Compose	✅ Native	✅ Native	❌ No	❌ No
Multi-Server	✅ Yes	✅ Paid plan	❌ No	✅ Yes
RBAC	✅ Built-in	✅ Paid plan	❌ No	❌ No
Secrets Security	✅ Infisical	✅ Encrypted	✅ Env vars	❌ Plain text
License	Open source	Closed core	Open source	Open source

Decision Guide

Choose Coolify for the most powerful open-source option with active community, advanced features, and proper security.

Choose EasyPanel if you prioritize ease of use and don’t mind paying for advanced features or closed-source core.

Choose Dokku if you’re a CLI expert running small projects on single server and want rock-solid stability with minimal resources.

Avoid CapRover due to serious security vulnerabilities and architectural limitations that make it unsuitable for production workloads.

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