CapRover vs Hatchbox (2026): which should you pick?

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 Hatchbox if

• Fits if you run Rails and want servers in your own DigitalOcean or Hetzner account
• Works for people with several apps who want a flat fee per server

Look elsewhere if

• Skip it if you want a free plan, since there is none
• Tight if you dislike giving a card first: the 7-day trial needs a payment method
• Watch out: the cloud server is billed separately at the provider's list price on top of $15
• Not for you if you want hands-off hosting, as you still run your own servers
• Watch out: the pricing page has a Yearly toggle but lists no yearly plan

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.

Hatchbox

• The server is paid separately to the cloud provider at its list price, on top of $15 a month per server Hatchbox manages.
• There is no free plan, and the trial needs a payment method.
• The vendor says it is not a hands-off replacement for Heroku: you still run your own servers.
• The pricing page has a Yearly toggle but lists no yearly plan.

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.

Hatchbox

Your own servers

Servers are created in your DigitalOcean, Hetzner, AWS, Linode or Vultr account, or you can bring an Ubuntu server, and you keep full SSH access.

Rails-aware deploys

Rails is detected from the Gemfile; the Ruby version comes from the repo and Puma runs behind Caddy, with zero-downtime deployments.

Workers and cron

Sidekiq or Solid Queue workers, other processes, cron jobs, environment variables and streaming logs are managed in the dashboard.

Databases

PostgreSQL, MySQL, Redis and SQLite can run on the server, or managed databases can be connected with environment variables.

Automatic SSL

Caddy handles SSL redirects, and On-Demand TLS issues certificates for custom domains.

MCP server (beta)

A beta MCP server lets Claude Code, Codex, Cursor or another MCP client ask what is deployed and investigate failing jobs.

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.

Hatchbox

• Standard$15

  per server / month

  Unlimited apps and team members, zero-downtime deployments, hosted Hatchbox domains, custom domains with SSL and human support.