CapRover vs Coolify (2026): which should you pick?
As of Nov 13, 2026, Coolify grades higher than CapRover: 2.4 against 2.0 out of 4.0.
Checked Nov 13, 2026 · graded Nov 13, 2026 by ToolGPA
Coolify grades higher on features and platforms. They get the same grade on value for money, the free plan and ease of use.
Price, platforms and features side by side. The table says where each price was read and when.
Coolify
Open-source platform to deploy apps and databases to your own servers
Which one is for you
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
Pick Coolify if
- Fits if you have your own servers and want a deploy dashboard
- Works for developers comfortable with SSH and Docker
Look elsewhere if
- Skip it if you do not have a server, as neither edition supplies one
- Not for you if you want someone else to handle updates and backups when self-hosting
- Tight if you want fast support, as it is community plus limited email on Cloud
- Pricey if you add many servers on Cloud, at $3 a month each past two
How we grade them
| 2.0GPACapRoverFair | 2.4GPACoolifyFair | |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | CFree software, but only free if you host it yourself, and you pay for the server. | CFree software, but only free if you host it yourself on a server you pay for. Cloud is $5 a month for 2 servers, then $3 each. |
| Free plan and trial | BThe whole platform is free to install, with no paid tier. You need your own server. | BThe self-hosted edition has every feature with no restrictions, once you have a server. Cloud has no trial on record. |
| Features | CApps in any language, one-click apps, HTTPS, several deploy methods and Docker Swarm clusters. No hosted version, so updates and backups are yours. | BGit deploys, builds, one-click databases and services, SSL, backups, monitoring, an API and an MCP server. The listing shows no gap in the core job. |
| Ease of use | DSelf-hosting with a fresh Ubuntu server, wildcard DNS and open ports 80, 443 and 3000. | DNeeds servers reached over SSH and self-hosting, with community support. |
| Platforms and integrations | CWeb dashboard with one-click apps and no API or apps listed. | BA web dashboard with an API, an MCP server and several integrations. |
| Best for | self-hosting your own app platform | self-hosting your own apps and databases |
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: CapRover and Coolify. How we grade
Price against what you get
CapRover has no paid plan and scores 1.7 out of 4 on features, ease of use and platforms. Coolify starts at $5 a month and scores 2.3.
Coolify scores higher, and starts $5 a month higher: the question is whether the extra is worth that to you. Of the other web hosts on the chart, none scores higher than CapRover for less, and 1 scores higher than Coolify 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
- Coolify is open source, according to its own site.
At a glance
| CapRover | Coolify | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free | Free plan |
| Starts at | Free | $5 per month for up to 2 connected servers (Cloud), or free to self-host |
| Free plan | The whole platform is free to install on your own server; the site's headline says "free forever". | The self-hosted edition is free forever with every feature and no restrictions; you run it on your own infrastructure. |
| Free trial | None listed | None listed |
| Web | ||
| Made by | CapRover | Coolify |
| Price read from | caprover.com | coolify.io |
| Checked | Nov 13, 2026 | Nov 13, 2026 |
Worth knowing
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.
Coolify
- Coolify does not supply servers: both editions need servers you bring, and Cloud charges $3 a month for each server beyond the first two.
- Self-hosting means you handle installation, updates and backups, with community support.
- Cloud support is described as community plus limited email support.
- Some pricing FAQ answers, including trial and discount questions, were not readable on the page, so no trial is recorded.
Key features
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.
Coolify
- Deploy from Git
- Integrations with GitHub, GitLab, Bitbucket and Gitea give push-to-deploy and separate deployments for pull requests.
- Flexible builds
- Applications can be built with Nixpacks, Railpack, a Dockerfile or Docker Compose, served as static sites, or run from a prebuilt Docker image.
- One-click databases and services
- PostgreSQL, MySQL, MariaDB, MongoDB, Redis, KeyDB, Dragonfly and ClickHouse start in seconds, alongside a catalog of 360+ one-click services.
- Any server over SSH
- Resources can be deployed to your own server, a VPS, a Raspberry Pi or providers such as Hetzner and DigitalOcean, across one or many servers.
- SSL, backups and monitoring
- Let's Encrypt certificates renew automatically, databases back up to S3-compatible storage, and servers and deployments are monitored with notifications.
- API and MCP server
- An API automates deployments and resources, and an MCP server lets AI clients list resources, deploy and read logs with the same API tokens.
Plans
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.
Coolify
Self-hosted$0
Install Coolify yourself on your own infrastructure with all features and unlimited servers and teams. Support comes from the community, and you handle updates and backups.
Cloud$5
per month for up to 2 servers, then $3 per extra server
Coolify hosts the dashboard at app.coolify.io; you bring your own servers. Unlimited deployments, email alerts, and limited email support.
Ways to pay less
CapRover
No public discounts listed.
Coolify
- Annual discount
20% off Cloud with annual billing
The pricing page's billing toggle marks annual billing as 20% cheaper than monthly for Coolify Cloud.
Common questions
Which is cheaper, CapRover or Coolify?
As of Nov 13, 2026, CapRover is cheaper to start with: it is free, against $5 a month for Coolify. CapRover is free, and Coolify starts at $5 per month for up to 2 connected servers (Cloud), or free to self-host.
Which has a free plan, CapRover or Coolify?
As of Nov 13, 2026, both CapRover and Coolify 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.