Appliku vs CapRover (2026): which should you pick?
As of Nov 13, 2026, Appliku grades higher than CapRover: 2.2 against 2.0 out of 4.0.
Checked Nov 13, 2026 · graded Nov 13, 2026 by ToolGPA
Appliku grades higher on ease of use and platforms. CapRover grades higher on the free plan. They get the same grade on value for money and features.
Price, platforms and features side by side. The table says where each price was read and when.
Appliku
Django deployment dashboard that runs apps on servers you own
Which one is for you
Pick Appliku if
- Fits if you build Django apps and want to host on your own cloud account
- Works for developers who want a CLI or API driving the deploys
Look elsewhere if
- Skip it if you don't use Django, as the product is built for it
- Tight if you stay free: 1 app and 3 successful deploys a week
- Watch out: servers are billed separately by the cloud provider you connect
- Watch out: cron jobs and database backups start at Growth, $18 a month
- Watch out: orders go through Paddle, and refunds are given only for a technical problem Appliku cannot resolve
Pick CapRover if
- Fits if you run your own server and want a simple app dashboard
- Works for developers who know Docker and DNS
Look elsewhere if
- Skip it if you want a hosted service, as the site lists none
- Not for you if you cannot set wildcard DNS or open ports 80, 443 and 3000
- Tight if you want paid support, as none is listed
- Watch out: the docs target a fresh Ubuntu 24.04 install
How we grade them
| 2.2GPAApplikuFair | 2.0GPACapRoverFair | |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | CHobby is $10 a month ($100 a year), level with the $10.99 middle of hosting. That is Appliku's fee only; the server is billed by your cloud provider on top. | CFree software, but only free if you host it yourself, and you pay for the server. |
| Free plan and trial | CFree plan: 1 server, 1 application and 3 successful deployments a week, with community support. You will hit the deploy cap. | BThe whole platform is free to install, with no paid tier. You need your own server. |
| Features | CGit deploys, Celery workers, cron jobs, PostgreSQL, Redis and RabbitMQ, a CLI and an API. It targets Django only, and cron and database backups start at Growth. | CApps in any language, one-click apps, HTTPS, several deploy methods and Docker Swarm clusters. No hosted version, so updates and backups are yours. |
| Ease of use | CNo store rating on record. You connect a Git host and a cloud account or SSH server before the first deploy. | DSelf-hosting with a fresh Ubuntu server, wildcard DNS and open ports 80, 443 and 3000. |
| Platforms and integrations | BWeb dashboard with GitHub, GitLab, DigitalOcean, AWS and Hetzner, plus a CLI and API. No desktop or phone apps. | CWeb dashboard with one-click apps and no API or apps listed. |
| Best for | deploying Django apps to your own servers | self-hosting your own app platform |
The GPA is the average of the five grades: an A is 4 points, an F is none. The full reasons are on each tool's page: Appliku and CapRover. How we grade
Price against what you get
Appliku starts at $8.33 a month when paid by the year and scores 2.3 out of 4 on features, ease of use and platforms. CapRover has no paid plan and scores 1.7.
Appliku scores higher, and starts $8.33 a month higher: the question is whether the extra is worth that to you. Of the other web hosts on the chart, 2 score higher than Appliku for less, and none scores higher than CapRover for less.
Features, ease of use and platforms, averaged
What paid plans start at, a month (each step along is roughly double) →
- The best score at each price
- Has a free plan
- No free plan
Where they differ
- CapRover is self-hostable, according to its own site.
At a glance
| Appliku | CapRover | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free plan | Free |
| Starts at | $10 per month, or $100 a year (Hobby) | Free |
| Free plan | 1 server, 1 application and 3 successful deployments per week, with unlimited databases and community support. | The whole platform is free to install on your own server; the site's headline says "free forever". |
| Free trial | None listed | None listed |
| Web | ||
| Made by | Appliku | CapRover |
| Price read from | appliku.com | caprover.com |
| Checked | Nov 13, 2026 | Nov 13, 2026 |
Worth knowing
Appliku
- Built for Django; other frameworks are not what the product page describes.
- The server itself is billed separately by the cloud provider you connect; the plans here cover Appliku's fee only.
- The Free plan allows 1 application and 3 successful deployments a week, and cron jobs and database backups start at Growth.
- Orders are handled by Paddle as merchant of record; refunds are given only for a technical problem Appliku cannot resolve.
CapRover
- CapRover does not supply servers; you rent and maintain your own, and the docs target a fresh Ubuntu 24.04 install.
- Setup needs a domain with wildcard DNS access and public inbound ports 80, 443 and 3000.
- Support comes from documentation and a community Slack group; no paid support is listed.
- The site lists no hosted version, so updates, backups and security fall to you.
Key features
Appliku
- Git-based deployments
- Code is deployed from GitHub, GitLab or a custom Git server, and each push can start a repeatable release.
- Your own servers
- Apps run on servers in a cloud account you connect, such as DigitalOcean, AWS or Hetzner, or on any Ubuntu or Debian machine reachable by SSH.
- Django process types
- Web processes (Gunicorn or Uvicorn), Celery workers and beat, release commands and cron jobs are run from one dashboard.
- Databases and queues
- PostgreSQL, Redis and RabbitMQ can be created beside the app, with credentials managed and scheduled backups on paid plans.
- CLI, API and AI agents
- A CLI and API cover the same tasks as the dashboard, and an Appliku skill is offered so AI coding agents can deploy and read logs.
- Free migration
- Every paid plan includes a done-for-you migration of an existing app onto a server you own.
CapRover
- Apps in any language
- Node.js, Python, PHP, Java, Ruby, .NET or anything that runs in a container can be deployed.
- One-click apps
- Databases, WordPress, monitoring tools and other popular services can be launched from a catalog.
- Automatic HTTPS
- Let's Encrypt certificates are issued and renewed, with a one-click redirect from HTTP to HTTPS.
- Several ways to deploy
- Deploy from the dashboard, the command-line tool, a webhook, or an existing Git workflow.
- App settings in one place
- Ports, persistent directories, environment variables and instance counts are managed from the dashboard.
- Docker Swarm clusters
- Additional nodes can be added to a Docker Swarm cluster, with load balancing handled by CapRover.
Plans
Appliku
Free$0
1 server, 1 application, 3 successful deployments a week, unlimited databases, Celery and other queue workers, community support.
Hobby$10
per month, or $100 a year
1 server, unlimited applications and deployments, cluster deployment, custom domains, unlimited team members and email support.
Growth$18
per month, or $180 a year
Everything in Hobby, plus 3 servers, cron jobs and database backups.
Business$39
per month, or $390 a year
Everything in Growth, plus 6 servers.
Enterprise$159
per month, or $1590 a year
Everything in Business, plus unlimited servers and priority support with a 24-hour first response.
CapRover
Self-hosted$0
Install it yourself on Ubuntu 24.04 with at least 1 GiB of RAM and 5 GiB of free disk. Server costs are yours; the project asks for donations via OpenCollective.
Ways to pay less
Appliku
- Annual discount
Two months free on yearly billing
Yearly prices are ten times the monthly price, for example Hobby at $100 a year against $10 a month.
CapRover
No public discounts listed.
Common questions
Which is cheaper, Appliku or CapRover?
As of Nov 13, 2026, CapRover is cheaper to start with: it is free, against $8.33 a month when paid by the year for Appliku. Appliku starts at $10 per month, or $100 a year (Hobby), and CapRover is free.
Which has a free plan, Appliku or CapRover?
As of Nov 13, 2026, both Appliku and CapRover have a free plan.
More comparisons
How this page was made
- The verdict at the top follows a fixed rule. When both tools are in the same category and either is in our top three for it, the verdict follows that ranking: the higher-placed tool is our pick. The top three weigh who each tool suits as well as its grades, so a pick can go against the GPA. Otherwise the page does not pick one and says which grades higher: the higher GPA first; on a tie, the one with a free plan, then the one that starts cheaper in dollars a month, counted the same way for both; if they are still level, what the choice depends on.
- The grades are our own, from each tool’s review or report card. The GPA is their average.
- Prices, plans and platforms come from each tool’s listing. The table above says where each price was read and when.
- The differences and the answers to the questions are worked out from those listings.