Ploi vs ServerPilot (2026): which should you pick?
As of Nov 13, 2026, Ploi grades higher than ServerPilot: 2.2 against 2.0 out of 4.0.
Checked Nov 12, 2026 and Nov 13, 2026 · graded Nov 12, 2026 and Nov 13, 2026 by ToolGPA
Ploi grades higher on platforms. They get the same grade on value for money, the free plan, features and ease of use.
Price, platforms and features side by side. The table says where each price was read and when.
Ploi
Server and site management panel for PHP and Laravel apps
ServerPilot
Control panel for PHP and WordPress servers at any cloud provider
Which one is for you
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
Pick ServerPilot if
- Fits if you run PHP or WordPress sites on a VPS and want hourly billing with no contract
- Works for people who want the panel price to stay flat when they upsize the server
Look elsewhere if
- Skip it if your apps run Node.js, Python or anything outside PHP and static sites
- Tight if you want monitoring, as the log viewer and resource metrics start at $10 a server
- Watch out: MySQL and app request metrics need First Class at $20 a server
- Watch out: the 14-day trial covers basic functionality only, and servers are billed by your provider
How we grade them
| 2.2GPAPloiFair | 2.0GPAServerPilotFair | |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | 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. | C$5 a server plus $0.50 an app each month, so one server with one app is $5.50, level with the $5.00 cheaper-quarter line. The cloud server is billed separately. |
| Free plan and trial | 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. | CA 14-day trial with no card, covering basic functionality only. After that a card or PayPal is needed. |
| Features | 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. | CServer setup, free SSL, a firewall and one-click WordPress. Apps are PHP or static sites only, and the log viewer and metrics start at Business, with MySQL metrics at First Class. |
| Ease of use | CNo store rating on record. You connect a provider and set up servers and sites. | CNo store rating on record. You connect your own server with root access and add apps to it. |
| Platforms and integrations | BWeb only, with a mobile app listed, plus DigitalOcean, Hetzner, Vultr and AWS EC2. | CWeb only, with a short list of integrations: WordPress, Laravel, Nginx, Apache and Let's Encrypt. It works with servers from any provider. |
| Best for | managing PHP and Laravel servers | a hosted panel for PHP and WordPress 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: Ploi and ServerPilot. How we grade
Price against what you get
Ploi starts at $10 a month and scores 2.3 out of 4 on features, ease of use and platforms. ServerPilot starts at $0.50 a month and scores 2.0.
Ploi scores higher, and starts $9.50 a month higher: the question is whether the extra is worth that to you. Of the other web hosts on the chart, 3 score higher than Ploi for less, and 1 scores higher than ServerPilot 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
- ServerPilot also covers dashboards and page speed.
At a glance
| Ploi | ServerPilot | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free plan | Free trial |
| Starts at | $10 per month (Basic, up to 5 servers) | $5 per server + $0.50 per app per month, billed hourly |
| Free plan | 1 server, 1 site and 5 deployments per month. | None |
| Free trial | 5-day trial of the Pro plan, no credit card required; it then drops to the free plan. | 14-day free trial, no credit card required; it covers basic functionality until a card or PayPal is added. |
| Web | ||
| Made by | Ploi | ServerPilot |
| Price read from | ploi.io | serverpilot.io |
| Checked | Nov 12, 2026 | Nov 13, 2026 |
Worth knowing
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.
ServerPilot
- Servers are not included; the cloud provider bills them separately.
- Apps are PHP applications or static sites, so other runtimes are outside what the pricing page defines as an app.
- Log viewer and resource metrics need Business at $10 a server, and MySQL metrics need First Class.
- The 14-day trial covers basic functionality; paid features start once a card or PayPal is added.
Key features
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.
ServerPilot
- Any server provider
- Servers from any provider can be managed as long as you have root access, and the vendor says you keep ownership of them.
- Apps and WordPress
- Apps are PHP applications such as WordPress and Laravel, or static sites, isolated from one another, with a one-click WordPress installer and multiple PHP versions.
- Server stack
- Nginx fronts Apache, with HTTP/3, a default firewall, automated updates and Let's Encrypt SSL certificates.
- Monitoring
- Business adds a log viewer and server resource metrics; First Class adds app request and MySQL health metrics.
- Migrations
- Sites and databases can be transferred between servers.
- Hourly billing
- Server and app charges accrue by the hour and are billed after each month ends, and a server's plan can be changed at any time.
Plans
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.
ServerPilot
Economy$5
per server / month, plus $0.50 per app, billed hourly
Server management, free SSL, firewall, one-click WordPress and email support, without monitoring or priority support.
Business$10
per server / month, plus $1 per app, billed hourly
Adds a log viewer, server resource metrics and priority support.
First Class$20
per server / month, plus $2 per app, billed hourly
Adds app request metrics and MySQL metrics, with high priority support.
Ways to pay less
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.
ServerPilot
No public discounts listed.
Common questions
Which is cheaper, Ploi or ServerPilot?
As of Nov 13, 2026, ServerPilot is cheaper to start with: $0.50 a month, against $10 a month for Ploi. Ploi starts at $10 per month (Basic, up to 5 servers), and ServerPilot starts at $5 per server + $0.50 per app per month, billed hourly.
Which has a free plan, Ploi or ServerPilot?
As of Nov 13, 2026, only Ploi has a free plan. ServerPilot 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.