Cleavr vs Ploi (2026): which should you pick?
As of Nov 13, 2026, Cleavr and Ploi share a 2.2 GPA, and only Ploi has a free plan.
Checked Nov 12, 2026 and Nov 13, 2026 · graded Nov 12, 2026 and Nov 13, 2026 by ToolGPA
They get the same grade on all five counts.
Price, platforms and features side by side. The table says where each price was read and when.
Cleavr
Server and deployment manager for PHP and Node.js apps on your own VPS
Ploi
Server and site management panel for PHP and Laravel apps
Which one is for you
Pick Cleavr if
- Fits if you run a handful of PHP or Node.js sites on a VPS and want a dashboard instead of SSH
- Works for freelancers who already pay a VPS provider and only need the deployment layer
Look elsewhere if
- Skip it if you want hosting included, because every server is billed separately by your provider
- Tight if you need more than one server, as Lite is capped at one
- Pricey if you need backups, which start at Pro at $15 a month
- Watch out: team members and API access need Business at $30 a month, and the trial is 5 days
- Not for you if you need to see monthly-billing prices, which the pricing page doesn't list
Pick Ploi if
- Fits if you run Laravel or PHP apps on your own servers
- Works for freelancers who need one free server and site
Look elsewhere if
- Tight if you stay free: 1 server, 1 site and 5 deployments a month
- Watch out: servers are billed separately
- Not for you if you need 24/7 support, as the FAQ says there isn't any
- Watch out: euro prices are converted to dollars at a rate that can move
How we grade them
| 2.2GPACleavrFair | 2.2GPAPloiFair | |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | CLite is $5.50 a month billed yearly, just above the $5.00 cheaper-quarter line for web hosting, and that covers one server. Backups and monitoring start at Pro, $15 a month, and your VPS is billed on top. | CBasic is $10 a month for 5 servers, Pro $16 and Unlimited $36, with server costs paid to your provider. Prices are set in euros and converted. |
| Free plan and trial | CA 5-day trial with Pro and API access and no card until you subscribe. No free plan, and five days is short. | CFree for 1 server, 1 site and 5 deployments a month, plus a 5-day Pro trial with no card. 5 deployments is a cap you'll hit. |
| Features | CProvisioning, Git deploys, SSL, databases and monitoring for PHP and Node apps. Backups and server monitoring need Pro, team members and the API need Business, and Lite stops at one server. | CProvisioning, Laravel-aware sites, queues, cron jobs, load balancing, an API and an MCP server. It does the server-panel job fully, but that's a smaller job than hosting. |
| Ease of use | CNo store rating on record. You connect a provider account or a custom server and set up each app yourself, so there is a learning curve. | CNo store rating on record. You connect a provider and set up servers and sites. |
| Platforms and integrations | BWeb only, but it connects to Hetzner, DigitalOcean, Vultr, Linode, AWS, GitHub, GitLab, Bitbucket and Slack, and has an API on Business. | BWeb only, with a mobile app listed, plus DigitalOcean, Hetzner, Vultr and AWS EC2. |
| Best for | setting up PHP and Node.js apps on your own VPS | managing PHP and Laravel servers |
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: Cleavr and Ploi. How we grade
Price against what you get
Cleavr starts at $5.50 a month and scores 2.3 out of 4 on features, ease of use and platforms. Ploi starts at $10 a month and scores 2.3.
They score the same, and Cleavr starts $4.50 a month lower. Of the other web hosts on the chart, 2 score higher than Cleavr for less, and 3 score higher than Ploi 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
- Cleavr also covers databases and workflow automation.
At a glance
| Cleavr | Ploi | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free trial | Free plan |
| Starts at | $5.5 per month, billed yearly ($66 a year) | $10 per month (Basic, up to 5 servers) |
| Free plan | None | 1 server, 1 site and 5 deployments per month. |
| Free trial | 5-day free trial with Pro access and API access; no credit card required until you subscribe. | 5-day trial of the Pro plan, no credit card required; it then drops to the free plan. |
| Web | ||
| Made by | Vistafari LLC | Ploi |
| Price read from | cleavr.io | ploi.io |
| Checked | Nov 13, 2026 | Nov 12, 2026 |
Worth knowing
Cleavr
- Servers are not included: you pay your VPS provider separately.
- Lite is limited to one server, and backups and server monitoring start at Pro.
- Team members and API access need Business, which is $30 a month billed yearly.
- The pricing page shows yearly-billed figures; the monthly-billing prices are not listed in the page text.
Ploi
- Ploi does not include server fees; you pay your server provider separately.
- The pricing page prices in euros and shows dollar figures converted at an exchange rate that can vary.
- There is no 24/7 support, according to the pricing page FAQ.
- Team management, backups, monitoring and other features are listed by plan in a comparison table; the free plan stops at 1 server and 5 deployments a month.
Key features
Cleavr
- Server provisioning
- Servers are created at Vultr, DigitalOcean, AWS, UpCloud, Linode or Hetzner, or a custom VPS is connected.
- App types
- AdonisJS, NuxtJS, NextJS, Laravel, Strapi, NodeJS, WordPress, PHP and static HTML apps can be installed from the dashboard.
- Zero-downtime deploys
- Deployments run with one click or by push-to-deploy from GitHub, GitLab or Bitbucket, to one server or several behind a load balancer.
- Databases and backups
- MySQL, PostgreSQL and MariaDB servers are managed, and backups can go to AWS S3, Wasabi, Backblaze, DO Spaces, SFTP or local storage.
- Security
- Free Let's Encrypt SSL, Fail2Ban, UFW configuration, SSH key handling and site isolation are listed.
- Monitoring and API
- Server health monitoring and notifications to Slack, Discord, Telegram or email are available; the API needs the Business plan or an active trial.
Ploi
- Server installation
- Servers are provisioned with NGINX, PHP and Redis/Valkey by default, on providers including DigitalOcean, Hetzner, Vultr and AWS EC2.
- Laravel-aware site management
- The panel detects Laravel apps, and also lists WordPress support, deployments, queues, cron jobs and multiple PHP versions.
- Load balancing and status pages
- Traffic can be spread over several servers, and custom status pages keep customers informed.
- Teams and access
- Servers can be shared with co-workers, and the pricing table lists team management, domain aliases and tenants.
- API and MCP server
- An API and an MCP server let AI assistants such as Claude, ChatGPT or Cursor manage servers.
- Mobile app
- The features menu lists an app for managing sites and servers on the go.
Plans
Cleavr
Lite$5.5
per month, billed yearly ($66 a year)
One server, unlimited apps, cron jobs and process monitors.
Pro$15
per month, billed yearly ($180 a year)
Everything in Lite plus unlimited servers, server monitoring and log reports, database and filesystem backups, and quick scripts.
Business$30
per month, billed yearly ($360 a year)
Everything in Pro plus team members and team management, resource management and Cleavr API access.
Ploi
Free$0
Up to 1 server and 1 site, with 5 deployments a month.
Basic$10
per month, billed monthly
Up to 5 servers, unlimited sites and deployments, and 60 API requests a minute.
Pro$16
per month, billed monthly
Up to 10 servers, unlimited sites and deployments, and 120 API requests a minute.
Unlimited$36
per month, billed monthly
Unlimited servers and sites, and 240 API requests a minute.
Ways to pay less
Cleavr
- Annual discount
Yearly billing savings
The pricing page states yearly billing saves $30 a year on Lite, $36 on Pro and $72 on Business.
- Education
50% off yearly plans for students
Students, non-profits and individuals from low-income regions can ask for 50% off yearly plans by emailing proof of status.
- Startups
Free for open-source projects
Open-source projects can ask to be sponsored with Cleavr at no cost in return for a README credit and link.
Ploi
- Annual discount
10% off with yearly billing
The pricing page says yearly pricing saves 10%: Basic is $108 a year, Pro $172.80 and Unlimited $388.80 in dollars as displayed.
- Education
Student discount
The FAQ says Ploi offers student discounts and points to a requirements page.
Common questions
Which is cheaper, Cleavr or Ploi?
As of Nov 13, 2026, Cleavr is cheaper to start with: $5.50 a month, against $10 a month for Ploi. Cleavr starts at $5.5 per month, billed yearly ($66 a year), and Ploi starts at $10 per month (Basic, up to 5 servers).
Which has a free plan, Cleavr or Ploi?
As of Nov 13, 2026, only Ploi has a free plan. Cleavr does not, though it has a free trial.
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.