# Cleavr review (2026): is it worth $5.5 a month, billed yearly? > Server and deployment manager for PHP and Node.js apps on your own VPS Checked Nov 13, 2026 ยท graded Nov 13, 2026 by ToolGPA. Cleavr connects to a VPS you rent from a provider such as DigitalOcean, Hetzner, Vultr, Linode, UpCloud or AWS, or to a custom server, and sets it up for PHP and Node.js apps. It handles provisioning, deployments from Git, SSL, databases, backups and monitoring. The servers themselves are not included in its price. - **Category:** Web Hosting - **Made by:** Vistafari LLC - **Website:** https://cleavr.io - **Runs on:** Web - **Who should skip it:** Skip it if you want hosting included, because every server is billed separately by your provider. - **Facts last checked:** Nov 13, 2026 ## Pricing As of Nov 13, 2026, Cleavr is a paid product with a free trial, starting at $5.5 per month, billed yearly ($66 a year). - **Pricing model:** Free trial - **Free plan:** None. - **Free trial:** 5-day free trial with Pro access and API access; no credit card required until you subscribe. | Plan | Price | What you get | | --- | --- | --- | | 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. | Read from https://cleavr.io/pricing/ on Nov 13, 2026. Prices change, so confirm with Cleavr before buying. ## Ways to pay less - **Yearly billing savings** (Annual discount): The pricing page states yearly billing saves $30 a year on Lite, $36 on Pro and $72 on Business. Source: https://cleavr.io/pricing/ - **50% off yearly plans for students** (Education): Students, non-profits and individuals from low-income regions can ask for 50% off yearly plans by emailing proof of status. Source: https://cleavr.io/pricing/ - **Free for open-source projects** (Startups): Open-source projects can ask to be sponsored with Cleavr at no cost in return for a README credit and link. Source: https://cleavr.io/pricing/ ## Key features - **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. ## Good for - Freelancers and agencies running several PHP or Node.js sites on their own VPS - Developers who want a Forge-style panel for Nuxt, Next or AdonisJS apps - Small teams that need predictable server costs ## Worth knowing - 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. ## ToolGPA grades **GPA: 2.2 out of 4**, graded Nov 13, 2026. Cleavr sets up and deploys PHP and Node.js apps on a VPS you rent elsewhere. The server bill is separate, Lite covers one server only, and backups, monitoring and the API all sit on dearer plans. - **Value for money: C.** Lite 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. - **Free plan and trial: C.** A 5-day trial with Pro and API access and no card until you subscribe. No free plan, and five days is short. - **Features: C.** Provisioning, 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. - **Ease of use: C.** No 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. - **Platforms and integrations: B.** Web only, but it connects to Hetzner, DigitalOcean, Vultr, Linode, AWS, GitHub, GitLab, Bitbucket and Slack, and has an API on Business. These are ToolGPA's own grades. Graded from this listing, whose facts were read from Cleavr's own pages on 13 November 2026. Not based on using the product, and shorter than our full reviews. ## Where it stands among web hosts - Cleavr's GPA of 2.2 is higher than 74 of the 122 other web hosts we grade, and level with 24. - It stands best on platforms and integrations (B, above 57 of 122) and worst on features (C, above 0). - Its paid plans start at $5.50 a month, against a middle price of $9.69 for the category: 42 of the 107 others that charge start lower. - On features, ease of use and platforms it scores 2.3 out of 4. 2 tools score higher and cost less. The category's chart of price against score: https://toolgpa.com/charts/web-hosting ## Keep it, or make your own? **Keep it.** To replace Cleavr you would be making connections to other products, each kept working as those products change. That is not a weekend's work, with an AI app builder or without one. It costs $66 a year. - You could not: Connections to other products, each kept working as those products change. - You could not: Databases with views, filters and links between them. A judgement by ToolGPA from this listing, by rules that are the same for every tool. Nothing was built to test it. ## Works with GitHub, GitLab, Bitbucket, DigitalOcean, Hetzner, Vultr, AWS, Slack **Tags:** Public API, Databases, Workflow automation ## Alternatives - [Laravel Forge](https://toolgpa.com/tools/laravel-forge): Server management and deploys for Laravel, PHP and Node apps. [Compare](https://toolgpa.com/compare/cleavr-vs-laravel-forge) - [RunCloud](https://toolgpa.com/tools/runcloud): Web server control panel for PHP sites on your own cloud servers. [Compare](https://toolgpa.com/compare/cleavr-vs-runcloud) - [Ploi](https://toolgpa.com/tools/ploi): Server and site management panel for PHP and Laravel apps. [Compare](https://toolgpa.com/compare/cleavr-vs-ploi) - [ServerPilot](https://toolgpa.com/tools/serverpilot): Control panel for PHP and WordPress servers at any cloud provider. [Compare](https://toolgpa.com/compare/cleavr-vs-serverpilot) - [Hatchbox](https://toolgpa.com/tools/hatchbox): Deploy Rails and Ruby apps to servers you own, billed per server. [Compare](https://toolgpa.com/compare/cleavr-vs-hatchbox) ## Sources The prices, plans, platforms and features above were read from these pages on Nov 13, 2026: - https://cleavr.io/pricing/ - https://cleavr.io Page: https://toolgpa.com/tools/cleavr Listed by ToolGPA (toolgpa.com).