# Dokku review (2026): is the free plan enough? > Open-source, single-server platform as a service you run yourself Checked Nov 13, 2026 ยท graded Nov 13, 2026 by ToolGPA. Dokku is an open-source platform as a service that runs on one server you control. You push code with git, Dokku builds it with Dockerfiles or buildpacks, and runs it in containers, with plugins for databases and other extras. The core is free; a paid add-on called Dokku Pro adds a web interface and an API. - **Category:** Web Hosting - **Made by:** Dokku - **Website:** https://dokku.com - **Runs on:** Linux - **Who should skip it:** Skip it if you want a web dashboard without paying, as the UI and API need Dokku Pro at $849. - **Facts last checked:** Nov 13, 2026 ## Pricing As of Nov 13, 2026, Dokku has a free plan, and paid plans start at $849 one-time for Dokku Pro; core Dokku is free to self-host. - **Pricing model:** Free plan - **Free plan:** The open-source core is free to install on your own server. You pay for the server, and support comes from the community channels. - **Free trial:** None listed. | Plan | Price | What you get | | --- | --- | --- | | Dokku (open source) | $0 | Install it yourself on an Ubuntu or Debian server. Git-push deploys, buildpacks and Dockerfiles, plugins, command-line management. | | Dokku Pro | $849 one-time, lifetime license | Add-on for an existing install: web UI, JSON API, HTTP(S) app push, team management and email support. Covers 1 production and 2 pre-production servers. | Read from https://pro.dokku.com on Nov 13, 2026. Prices change, so confirm with Dokku before buying. ## Ways to pay less - **Lifetime Dokku Pro license** (Lifetime license): Dokku Pro is sold as a one-time lifetime license with free upgrades and no per-seat fees, at a discounted price while it is in development. Source: https://pro.dokku.com ## Key features - **Git-push deployment:** Applications are pushed with git and built on the server, either from a Dockerfile or by detecting the language with buildpacks, then started as containers. - **Several builders:** The docs list Cloud Native Buildpacks, Herokuish buildpacks, Dockerfile, Nixpacks, Railpack and a Lambda builder, plus deploys from Docker images and archives. - **Plugin system:** Dokku is built from plugins. Official datastore plugins add databases, and anyone can write plugins in any language and share them. - **Proxy and SSL options:** Routing can use nginx, Caddy, Haproxy, OpenResty or Traefik, and the docs cover domain configuration and SSL setup. - **Process and cron management:** Apps can run web and background processes, scheduled cron tasks and one-off commands, with zero-downtime deploy checks. - **Dokku Pro web interface:** The paid add-on gives a browser dashboard for apps, datastores, environment variables, scaling and live log tailing, plus a JSON API. ## Good for - Developers who want a Heroku-style git push workflow on one cheap server - Small teams that prefer a command-line workflow over a managed platform - Self-hosters who want to avoid vendor lock-in ## Worth knowing - Dokku does not supply servers or hosting; you provide and maintain an Ubuntu or Debian machine. - It runs on a single server by default; the docs list K3s and Nomad schedulers for larger setups. - The web interface and API need Dokku Pro, a separate $849 one-time license. - The Dokku Pro page says its current price reflects an early-bird discount and may rise. ## ToolGPA grades **GPA: 1.8 out of 4**, graded Nov 13, 2026. Dokku is open source and gives you git-push deploys, buildpacks and Docker on one server you run. The web interface and API are a separate $849 one-time Pro licence, and it only runs on Ubuntu or Debian. - **Value for money: C.** The core is free but only if you host it yourself, so it counts as C. The web interface and API are Dokku Pro at $849 once, the only one-time price in this category. - **Free plan and trial: B.** The open-source core is free with no cap, but you pay for the server and support is the community channels. - **Features: C.** Git-push deploys, several builders, plugins, proxy and SSL options and cron. A web UI and JSON API need Pro, and it runs on a single server by default. - **Ease of use: D.** No store rating on record. It is driven from the command line on a server you install and maintain. - **Platforms and integrations: D.** Runs on Linux only, Ubuntu or Debian. It connects to Docker, GitHub Actions, GitLab CI and Woodpecker. These are ToolGPA's own grades. Graded from this listing, whose facts were read from Dokku'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 - Dokku's GPA of 1.8 is higher than 29 of the 122 other web hosts we grade, and level with 19. - It stands best on free plan and trial (B, above 99 of 122) and worst on ease of use (D, above 0). The category's chart of price against score: https://toolgpa.com/charts/web-hosting ## Keep it, or make your own? **Your call.** Dokku sits between: not beyond making, and not a weekend's work either. What you would give up is listed below. Whether that is worth the price is your call. At $849, paid once, it costs less than the weekend it would take to replace, which is the argument for keeping it. Dokku is open source, so there is a third way: take its code and run it yourself. - You could not: Databases with views, filters and links between them. - You could not: A real app for Linux. Something home-made would be a web page. - You could not: It plugs into other products, Docker, GitHub Actions and GitLab CI among 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 Docker, GitHub Actions, GitLab CI, Woodpecker CI, DigitalOcean, Microsoft Azure, DreamHost **Tags:** Open source, Self-hostable, Databases ## Alternatives - [Coolify](https://toolgpa.com/tools/coolify): Open-source platform to deploy apps and databases to your own servers. [Compare](https://toolgpa.com/compare/coolify-vs-dokku) - [CapRover](https://toolgpa.com/tools/caprover): Free, self-hosted platform for deploying apps with Docker. [Compare](https://toolgpa.com/compare/caprover-vs-dokku) - [Dokploy](https://toolgpa.com/tools/dokploy): Open-source platform to deploy apps and databases on your own servers. [Compare](https://toolgpa.com/compare/dokku-vs-dokploy) - [Heroku](https://toolgpa.com/tools/heroku): Platform for deploying apps in containers called dynos. [Compare](https://toolgpa.com/compare/dokku-vs-heroku) - [Render](https://toolgpa.com/tools/render): Cloud hosting for web services, databases and workers. [Compare](https://toolgpa.com/compare/dokku-vs-render) ## Sources The prices, plans, platforms and features above were read from these pages on Nov 13, 2026: - https://dokku.com - https://dokku.com/docs/getting-started/installation/ - https://pro.dokku.com Page: https://toolgpa.com/tools/dokku Listed by ToolGPA (toolgpa.com).