Coolify vs Dokploy (2026): which should you pick?
As of Nov 13, 2026, Coolify grades higher than Dokploy: 2.4 against 2.2 out of 4.0.
Checked Nov 13, 2026 · graded Nov 13, 2026 by ToolGPA
Coolify grades higher on the free plan and features. Dokploy grades higher on value for money. They get the same grade on ease of use and platforms.
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
Dokploy
Open-source platform to deploy apps and databases on your own servers
Which one is for you
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
Pick Dokploy if
- Fits if you want to run apps on your own servers with a dashboard
- Works for solo developers on the Hobby plan
Look elsewhere if
- Tight if you want a team: Hobby allows 1 user, 1 organization and 2 environments
- Watch out: you bring the servers, and extra ones are $4.50 a month each
- Skip it if you need roles, 2FA or chat support, which start on Startup
- Not for you if you need SSO, SCIM or audit logs, which need Enterprise
How we grade them
| 2.4GPACoolifyFair | 2.2GPADokployFair | |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | 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. | BHobby is $4.50 per server a month, inside the cheaper quarter, and you bring the servers. |
| Free plan and trial | BThe self-hosted edition has every feature with no restrictions, once you have a server. Cloud has no trial on record. | CA 7-day trial with no card. After that, nothing free on Cloud, though the software is described as open source. |
| Features | 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. | CBuilds, multi-server deploys, backups, templates, monitoring, API, CLI and MCP. Hobby is limited to 1 user, 2 environments and 1 backup per database. |
| Ease of use | DNeeds servers reached over SSH and self-hosting, with community support. | DYou connect and run your own servers, which takes command-line and server skills. |
| Platforms and integrations | BA web dashboard with an API, an MCP server and several integrations. | BWeb dashboard with an API, CLI, MCP server and several integrations. |
| Best for | self-hosting your own apps and databases | self-hosted deploys with a cloud option |
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: Coolify and Dokploy. How we grade
Price against what you get
Coolify starts at $5 a month and scores 2.3 out of 4 on features, ease of use and platforms. Dokploy starts at $4.50 a month and scores 2.0.
Coolify scores higher, and starts $0.50 a month higher: the question is whether the extra is worth that to you. Of the other web hosts on the chart, 1 scores higher than Coolify for less, and 11 score higher than Dokploy 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
At a glance
| Coolify | Dokploy | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free plan | Free trial |
| Starts at | $5 per month for up to 2 connected servers (Cloud), or free to self-host | $4.50 per server / month on the Cloud Hobby plan |
| Free plan | The self-hosted edition is free forever with every feature and no restrictions; you run it on your own infrastructure. | None |
| Free trial | None listed | 7-day free trial on Dokploy Cloud, no credit card required. |
| Web | ||
| Made by | Coolify | Dokploy |
| Price read from | coolify.io | dokploy.com |
| Checked | Nov 13, 2026 | Nov 13, 2026 |
Worth knowing
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.
Dokploy
- The Cloud plans are priced per connected server, and you bring the servers; extra servers cost $4.50 a month each.
- The Hobby plan allows 1 user, 1 organization, 2 environments, 1 backup per database and 1 scheduled job per application.
- Role-based permissions, 2FA and email and chat support start on the Startup plan; SSO, SCIM and audit logs need Enterprise.
- The yearly toggle shows a 20% discount but only monthly figures are in the page text; a self-hosted Enterprise option is listed, and the docs call the software free and open source
Key features
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.
Dokploy
- Flexible builds
- Applications can be built with Nixpacks, Heroku Buildpacks or a custom Dockerfile, and Docker Compose is supported natively.
- Multi-server deployment
- Applications can be deployed to remote servers, and Docker Swarm clusters are supported for multi-node setups.
- Databases with backups
- MySQL, PostgreSQL, MongoDB, MariaDB and Redis can be managed and backed up from the dashboard.
- Templates
- Open-source templates deploy popular apps such as Supabase, Cal.com and PocketBase in one click.
- Monitoring and notifications
- CPU, memory and network usage are shown in real time, with alerts sent to channels such as Slack, Discord, Telegram and email.
- API, CLI and MCP
- A REST API and a command-line tool are included, and AI tools can connect to Dokploy through MCP.
Plans
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.
Dokploy
Hobby$4.50
per server / month
Unlimited deployments, databases and applications on 1 server, with 1 user, 1 organization and 2 environments. Community support on Discord.
Startup$15
per month, starting at, with extra servers at $4.50 each
Up to 3 servers, 3 organizations, unlimited users and environments, basic roles (Admin, Developer), 2FA, and email and chat support.
EnterpriseCustom
Unlimited servers, fine-grained roles, SSO/SAML, SCIM, audit logs, white labeling and priority support, available hosted or self-installed. Sold through sales.
Ways to pay less
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.
Dokploy
- Annual discount
20% off with yearly billing
The pricing page's billing toggle labels yearly billing as a 20% discount; the yearly figures are not shown in the page text.
Common questions
Which is cheaper, Coolify or Dokploy?
As of Nov 13, 2026, Dokploy is cheaper to start with: $4.50 a month, against $5 a month for Coolify. Coolify starts at $5 per month for up to 2 connected servers (Cloud), or free to self-host, and Dokploy starts at $4.50 per server / month on the Cloud Hobby plan.
Which has a free plan, Coolify or Dokploy?
As of Nov 13, 2026, only Coolify has a free plan. Dokploy 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.