Coolify is an open-source, self-hostable PaaS (Platform as a Service) that serves as a powerful alternative to Vercel, Heroku, and Netlify — except you own everything. We rate it 82/100 — an excellent choice for developers and small teams who want full infrastructure control without vendor lock-in or surprise bills.

What is Coolify?

Coolify was created by Andras Bacsai, a Hungarian developer who left a stable multinational job during the pandemic to build this project full-time. First released in 2021 and launched on Product Hunt on March 30, 2022 — where it was nominated for a Golden Kitty Award in Developer Tools — Coolify has since grown into one of the most popular self-hosting tools on GitHub with over 52,000 stars and hundreds of contributors.

The core idea is simple: bring your own server (any VPS, bare metal, or even a Raspberry Pi), install Coolify via a single command, and get a clean web dashboard that handles deployments, SSL certificates, databases, and 280+ one-click services — all powered by Docker under the hood. It solves the problem of paying for managed PaaS platforms when a low-cost VPS can do the same job.

Coolify — open-source self-hostable PaaS dashboard — Coolify: The open-source, self-hostable alternative to Heroku and Vercel

Key Features of Coolify

280+ One-Click Services: Deploy databases (PostgreSQL, MySQL, MongoDB, Redis), applications (WordPress, Ghost, Plausible, Gitea), and developer tools with a single click.
Git Integration: Connect GitHub, GitLab, Bitbucket, or Gitea repositories for automatic deployments on push.
Automatic SSL: Let's Encrypt certificates are provisioned and renewed automatically for all custom domains.
Multi-Server Management: Connect multiple servers via SSH and manage them all from a single dashboard. Supports Docker Swarm for clustering.
S3-Compatible Backups: Automated database backups to any S3-compatible storage with one-click restore.
No Vendor Lock-In: All configurations are stored on your own servers. If you stop using Coolify, your applications keep running.

Coolify GitHub repository — Coolify on GitHub — 52,000+ stars and one of the most popular self-hosting projects

What Users Say About Coolify

On Product Hunt, Coolify earned a Golden Kitty nomination and reviewers consistently praise the clean UI and deployment simplicity. Users describe it as turning a basic VPS into a small Heroku-style platform without vendor lock-in. Multiple reviewers highlight the one-click service catalog as a major time saver.

On Reddit and Hacker News, the sentiment is overwhelmingly positive for self-hosters. The most common praise is around cost savings — several users report dropping from around $150/month on managed platforms to under $30/month. However, recurring criticism includes the lack of Kubernetes support (Docker and Docker Swarm only), and multiple users note that DevOps experience is recommended for production deployments.

Coolify Pricing

Plan	Price	Key Details
Self-Hosted	$0 — free forever	All features included. You manage your own servers.
Cloud (Base)	$5/month	Up to 2 servers. Managed dashboard, backups, updates.
Cloud (Additional)	$3/month per server	Each server beyond the first two.

Who Should Use Coolify?

Best for: Solo developers, indie hackers, and small teams on VPS providers like Hetzner, DigitalOcean, or Linode who want a deployment dashboard without PaaS premiums.

Not ideal for: Teams needing Kubernetes orchestration or enterprises requiring SOC 2 compliance and dedicated support SLAs.

Pros and Cons

Pros:

Self-hosted version is completely free with no feature gating
Users consistently report 70-80% cost savings vs managed PaaS
280+ one-click services cover most developer needs
Actively maintained full-time by founder Andras Bacsai
Single-command install, setup takes under 10 minutes

Cons:

No Kubernetes support — Docker and Docker Swarm only
Requires DevOps knowledge for production use
Documentation can be sparse for advanced configs
You handle server security and OS updates yourself

Alternatives to Coolify

Dokploy is the closest competitor — also open-source, Docker-based, 24K GitHub stars. Simpler UI but fewer services. CapRover is another option with less active development. Railway and Render offer similar DX but at higher cost with vendor lock-in.

Verdict: Is Coolify Worth It?

At 82/100, Coolify is one of the best self-hosting tools available. If you want to escape PaaS pricing, it delivers an outstanding experience. The 280+ services, clean UI, and active development make it a clear winner. The main drawback is no Kubernetes support. For indie hackers and small teams, Coolify is a no-brainer.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is Coolify free?: Yes, self-hosted is free forever under Apache 2.0. Cloud starts at $5/month.
What platforms does Coolify support?: Any Linux server (Ubuntu/Debian recommended), VPS, bare metal, or Raspberry Pi. Web dashboard accessible from any browser.
How does Coolify compare to Dokploy?: Coolify has a larger community (52K vs 24K stars), more one-click services (280+ vs ~100), and a more mature feature set. Dokploy is lighter and simpler.
Is Coolify open source?: Yes, fully open source under Apache 2.0 at github.com/coollabsio/coolify.
Does Coolify support Kubernetes?: No. Docker and Docker Swarm only. K8s support has been discussed but no timeline confirmed.

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Coolify