Comparisons · Updated 10 November 2026 · 8 min read

Coolify vs Dokploy in 2026: which self-hosted deploy panel fits you

Q: Is Dokploy fully open source?

Mostly. The repository is under Apache 2.0, but files in a /proprietary directory carry a proprietary licence, and features such as SSO, SCIM and audit logs belong to the Enterprise plan.

Licences, build methods, databases, multi-server setups, team features and hosted-dashboard prices of the two open-source panels, side by side.

View as Markdown

Pick Coolify if you want the widest catalogue of one-click services, more build methods and team sign-in included at no cost when you self-host. Pick Dokploy if you plan to spread apps over a Docker Swarm cluster or want volume backups and a cheap hosted dashboard for a single server. Both leave the server, its updates and its security with you; if that's the part you want to hand off, look at a managed platform such as Sliplane or Eurobase instead.

Coolify and Dokploy at a glance

Platform	Licence	Builds from	One-click databases	Scaling out	Hosted price
Coolify	Apache 2.0	Nixpacks, Railpack in beta, static files, Dockerfile, Docker Compose, registry image	PostgreSQL, MySQL, MariaDB, MongoDB, Redis, KeyDB, Dragonfly, ClickHouse	Same app on several servers behind your own load balancer; Swarm marked deprecated	Dashboard: $5 a month for 2 servers, $3 a month per extra server
Dokploy	Apache 2.0, except a proprietary directory	Nixpacks, Heroku buildpacks, Dockerfile, Docker Compose and Swarm stacks	MySQL, PostgreSQL, MongoDB, MariaDB, libsql, Redis	Docker Swarm clusters, remote servers, separate build server	Dashboard: $4.50 a month per server, or from $15 a month for up to 3 servers
Sliplane	Managed service	Framework detection, a Dockerfile or a ready image	Managed PostgreSQL, sold separately	Bigger plans or more servers, priced per server	Servers from €9 excl. VAT
Eurobase	Managed service	Source from a Git host, via buildpacks or on V8 isolates	None managed	More instances within your plan's limits	Free tier; paid plans from €10 a month + VAT

Every price above comes from the provider's own page, checked on 9 and 10 November 2026.

What to check before you pick one

Licence. Coolify's repository is under Apache 2.0. Dokploy's code is Apache 2.0 too, apart from anything in a /proprietary directory, which falls under a separate proprietary licence.
Scaling. Dokploy treats Docker Swarm as a feature, with nodes you add to a cluster. Coolify's docs now list Docker Swarm as deprecated and instead let you run one app on several servers, with the traffic split done by a load balancer you set up yourself. That route doesn't cover Docker Compose apps.
Team and sign-in. Coolify's free self-hosted edition lets your team sign in with GitHub, GitLab, Google, Azure, Authentik and others. Dokploy offers Google, GitHub and GitLab login on its paid Startup plan and keeps SSO, SAML, SCIM, audit logs and white labelling for Enterprise.
Server size. Coolify's stated minimum is a machine with 2 CPU cores, 2 GB of memory and 10 GB of disk. Dokploy wants 2 GB of memory or more and 30 GB of disk, because Docker builds eat space.
Previews. Both build pull requests into separate preview apps. Dokploy's preview feature is built for its GitHub integration, ships switched off and comes with a warning against using it on public repositories. Coolify handles both pull and merge requests and tears down an automatic preview when its request closes or merges.

1. Coolify

Coolify is open-source software published by coolLabs Solutions Kft. You install it on any Linux machine it can reach over SSH, whether that's a rented VPS or a Raspberry Pi in a cupboard. It pulls code from GitHub, GitLab, Bitbucket, Gitea and other Git hosts, offers five build methods plus ready registry images, and sets up a Let's Encrypt certificate for each domain. Its catalogue holds more than 360 one-click services, and database backups go to any S3-compatible storage. It also ships an MCP server, so a coding agent can work with your Coolify through the same API tokens and team permissions you already use.

Best for: solo developers and small teams who want lots of ready-made services and team sign-in without paying for a plan.
Price: self-hosting is free with every feature. Coolify Cloud costs $5 a month with 2 servers connected, then $3 a month per extra server, and annual billing takes 20% off. You still rent the machines yourself; Hetzner's smallest cloud server is listed at €5.49 a month excl. VAT in Helsinki, or €6.49 in its German locations, but neither entry plan was orderable on 10 November 2026.
What it lacks: native cluster scheduling. With Swarm deprecated, scaling out means copies of an app on separate servers and a load balancer you configure. Uptime, patches and backups of the box are yours.

2. Dokploy

Dokploy is an open-source panel run by Dokploy Technologies, Inc., a company with a San Francisco address whose terms are governed by Delaware law. In the default setup, the dashboard, the builds and your apps all share one server. It builds with Nixpacks, Heroku buildpacks or a Dockerfile, deploys Compose files and Swarm stacks, and can hand builds to a separate build server. Templates cover tools such as Supabase, Cal.com and PocketBase, and it can back up volumes as well as databases.

Best for: teams that expect to outgrow one server and want Swarm clustering and volume backups from the start.
Price: self-hosting is free. Dokploy Cloud hosts the dashboard and connects to your servers: Hobby is $4.50 a month per server with 1 user and 2 environments, Startup starts at $15 a month with up to 3 servers and unlimited users, each extra server is $4.50 a month, and there's a 7-day free trial.
What it lacks: single sign-on outside the Enterprise plan, and the Hobby plan limits you to one backup per database and one volume backup per application. As with Coolify, keeping the servers healthy stays on your side.

3. Sliplane

Sliplane is a Berlin company that runs your Docker containers on servers it manages. You keep the "many containers on one box" model of both panels without installing or patching anything, and it sells managed PostgreSQL alongside.

Best for: people comparing the two panels who realise they mostly want to stop running the server.
Price: €9 excl. VAT buys the smallest server, Starter: one vCPU, 1 GB of memory, 20 GB of disk.
What it lacks: a Europe-only footprint. US and Singapore locations sit next to the European ones in the region picker, so check yours when you create a server.

4. Eurobase

Eurobase, a business registered in Warsaw, Poland, sits at the opposite end from both panels: there's no server to rent or patch. You connect a repository from GitHub, GitLab, Codeberg, Forgejo or Gitea; backend code becomes a container through buildpacks, and Next.js, Astro or Nuxt apps run on V8 isolates. Everything is hosted on European infrastructure run by Scaleway, a French provider, and coding agents can ship through its MCP server or CLI.

Best for: an app or API that builds from source, where a fixed workspace bill beats owning a server.
Price: one bill per workspace: Free, Starter at €10 a month or Pro at €20 a month, VAT on top. You won't get a usage bill today; past a limit, extra work is turned down, isolate apps and Functions halt until the month resets, and containers and static sites stay up.
What it lacks: most of what a Compose-heavy Coolify or Dokploy user relies on. It won't read a Dockerfile or a Compose file, has no preview deployments and offers no managed Postgres, MySQL or Redis. Its ISO 27001 and SOC 2 work is under way, with neither certificate held.

How to choose

You run several unrelated tools on one or two servers and like one-click installs: Coolify.
You need to add nodes to a cluster and keep apps balanced across them: Dokploy with Swarm.
Your team wants Google or Azure sign-in without an enterprise contract: Coolify self-hosted.
You want a cheap hosted dashboard for exactly one server: Dokploy Hobby at $4.50 a month.
You don't want to patch Linux at all: Sliplane for Docker images and Postgres, or Eurobase for source builds on a flat price. The wider list is in Dokploy alternatives and managed Coolify alternatives.

Frequently asked questions

Is Coolify or Dokploy easier to set up?

Both install with one command that downloads and runs a shell script on a fresh Linux server, and after that you work in the browser. The real difference is the machine you need: Coolify asks for 2 cores, 2 GB of memory and 10 GB of disk, Dokploy for 2 GB of memory and 30 GB of disk.

Is Dokploy fully open source?

Mostly. The repository is under Apache 2.0, but files in a /proprietary directory carry a proprietary licence, and features such as SSO, SCIM and audit logs belong to the Enterprise plan.

Can I move from Coolify to Dokploy, or back?

Neither ships a tool that imports from the other. Both read Dockerfiles and Compose files, so connect the same repository in the new panel, re-enter variables and domains, restore databases from backups, and move DNS once the new copy responds.

Which is better for Docker Compose?

Both deploy Compose files. Dokploy also deploys them as Swarm stacks across a cluster. Coolify's multi-server option doesn't cover Compose apps, so a Compose stack there stays on one server.

Do Coolify Cloud and Dokploy Cloud host my apps?

No. Both host only the dashboard. Your apps, databases and backups run on servers you connect, so they stay in Europe if those servers do. For hosting where someone else runs the machines, see Docker hosting in Europe.