CapRover vs Dokku
CapRover vs Dokku compared for European indie developers and small startups. Pricing, EU jurisdiction, GDPR posture, and why Runsite (an EU-registered PaaS in Frankfurt) is worth a look.
CapRover vs Dokku: quick answer
CapRover and Dokku both offer Git-push deploy workflows, but they differ where it counts. CapRover and Dokku are both self-hosted, so you choose the jurisdiction — and carry the ops work that comes with it. For European teams that need GDPR-compliant hosting in Frankfurt with predictable EUR billing and a permanent free tier, Runsite is the EU-native alternative to both.
// caprover problems → runsite solutions
Common CapRover frustrations. Sound familiar?
Every CapRover frustration, solved.
CapRover problem
"My CapRover main node crashed"
CapRover's main node holds all SSL certs and config. If it goes down, every app behind it goes offline.
Runsite solution
No single point of failure
Managed multi-node infrastructure with auto-failover. Your apps stay online even when individual nodes fail.
CapRover problem
"One-click apps are outdated"
Many CapRover marketplace apps haven't been updated in months. You inherit unmaintained Docker images.
Runsite solution
Deploy from your own Git repo
Push your code, we build and deploy it. No dependency on community-maintained templates.
CapRover problem
"I need a VPS just to run CapRover"
Before deploying anything, you need a VPS, Docker, CapRover CLI, DNS setup, and SSL configuration.
Runsite solution
No VPS, no setup
Connect your GitHub repo, pick a region, deploy. Two minutes, zero infrastructure setup.
// comparison
Runsite vs CapRover
Side-by-side. No marketing fluff, just facts.
| Feature | Runsite | CapRover |
|---|---|---|
| Server Management | ✓ Fully managed | ✗ You manage the VPS |
| Setup Time | ✓ 2 minutes | 30-60 min (VPS + Docker + CapRover) |
| High Availability | ✓ Multi-node, auto-failover | ✗ Main node = single point of failure |
| GDPR Compliance | ✓ EU entity, full compliance | Depends on your VPS provider |
| Managed PostgreSQL | ✓ From €5/mo, auto-backups | One-click app, you manage backups |
| Web Dashboard | ✓ | ✓ Full web UI |
| One-Click Apps | Templates available | ✓ Large marketplace |
| Cost (small apps) | €5/mo | VPS $5-10/mo + your time |
// the other side
What about Dokku?
Dokku gives you Heroku-like deploys on your own server, until the server goes down at 3am. Runsite gives you the same git-push workflow with managed infrastructure.
// dokku problems → runsite solutions
Common Dokku frustrations. Sound familiar?
Every Dokku frustration, solved.
Dokku problem
"My Dokku server rebooted and everything went down"
Dokku is single-node. One VPS failure takes all your apps, databases, and SSL certificates offline.
Runsite solution
Managed multi-node infrastructure
Your apps run on redundant infrastructure with auto-failover. No single machine can take everything down.
Dokku problem
"I spend weekends patching the OS"
Self-hosting means you're responsible for security patches, kernel updates, and disk space monitoring.
Runsite solution
Fully managed: we handle the ops
Push code, get a URL. OS updates, security patches, and monitoring are our problem, not yours.
Dokku problem
"Database backups? I forgot to set those up"
Dokku databases are plugins running on the same host. Backups require manual cron setup.
Runsite solution
Auto-backups on managed PostgreSQL
Automated daily backups with point-in-time recovery. Your data is safe without any setup on your part.
// comparison
Runsite vs Dokku
Side-by-side. No marketing fluff, just facts.
| Feature | Runsite | Dokku |
|---|---|---|
| Infrastructure | ✓ Fully managed, multi-node | Single VPS, you manage |
| High Availability | ✓ Multi-node, auto-failover | ✗ Single node = single point of failure |
| Managed PostgreSQL | ✓ From €5/mo, auto-backups | ✗ Runs on same host, manual backups |
| SSL Certificates | ✓ Automatic | Via plugin (dokku-letsencrypt) |
| Spending Limits | ✓ Hard cap + Telegram alerts | ✗ VPS bill can spike |
| Deploy from Git | ✓ | ✓ (Buildpacks) |
| Docker Support | ✓ | ✓ |
| Total Cost (small app) | €5/mo | $5-10/mo VPS + your time |
// in-depth comparison
How CapRover and Dokku each compare to Runsite
CapRover vs Runsite
Credit where it is due: CapRover makes self-hosting genuinely pleasant. It puts a slick web dashboard in front of Docker containers on your own VPS, ships one-click app templates and built-in Let's Encrypt on a Docker Swarm backend, and the community app marketplace is extensive. Setup is considerably smoother than wrangling raw Docker by hand, one of the more user-friendly tools in this space.
Underneath that nice UI, though, you are still running a VPS. The CapRover main node is a single point of failure: if it crashes, all apps, SSL certificates, and routing go down together. Many marketplace templates are community-maintained and can fall behind on updates, and you have to provision and pay for a VPS before deploying anything.
Runsite removes that infrastructure layer completely. Connect GitHub, deploy to managed EU infrastructure with automatic failover and no single-node risk. If you like CapRover's deployment model but want to stop babysitting the VPS and handling Docker Swarm issues, you get container hosting with zero infrastructure management and built-in GDPR compliance.
Dokku vs Runsite
For over a decade, one tool has been the default answer for developers who wanted Heroku ergonomics on their own hardware: Dokku. It was the original open-source Heroku alternative, running on a single VPS with buildpack and Dockerfile support and the familiar git-push deployment workflow, no PaaS bill attached.
Here is the catch. Dokku is single-node. Your apps, databases, SSL certificates, and routing all live on one machine. Reboot that VPS and everything goes offline at once. Backups mean hand-writing cron jobs. Every OS patch and security update is on you.
Runsite keeps the same git-push workflow but moves it onto managed multi-node infrastructure with automatic failover, isolated managed PostgreSQL with daily backups, and automatic SSL, all in EU data centers. Developers who have felt the stress of a single-node failure, or who are done spending weekends on server maintenance, get that deployment simplicity back with managed reliability and a permanent free tier.
// why consider runsite
Beyond CapRover and Dokku
EU PaaS for indie developers and small European startups. One region: Frankfurt.
EU-First Infrastructure
While CapRover and Dokku default to US markets, Runsite is built exclusively for European developers. Frankfurt (eu-central) region, EU entity, EU jurisdiction, with no transatlantic transfers.
Real GDPR Compliance
EU-registered entity. Your data is governed by European law. No US jurisdiction, no CLOUD Act.
Predictable Pricing
No per-invocation charges, no surprise bills. Fixed plans with hard spending caps and Telegram alerts.
Common Questions
FAQ
Which is better for EU hosting, CapRover or Dokku?
With self-hosted tools like CapRover and Dokku, EU hosting is possible because you decide which server it runs on — but you also inherit provisioning, updates, TLS, and uptime. That is real control at the cost of real maintenance. Runsite gives you EU residency (Frankfurt, eu-central) without the server administration: git push, automatic SSL, and a managed platform under an EU entity, so European hosting is the default rather than a self-managed project.
Which has the better free tier, CapRover or Dokku?
Free tiers on both CapRover and Dokku change frequently and tend to share the same catch: compute that sleeps after inactivity, bandwidth or build-minute caps, or trial credits that expire after a fixed window. They are fine for quick experiments but rarely sustainable for an always-on hobby project. If a permanent free tier matters, read the current terms carefully. Limits are often buried in the pricing footnotes. Runsite takes the opposite approach: a free tier with no credit card and no expiry, designed to keep small projects online indefinitely rather than nudging you onto a paid plan.
Is CapRover or Dokku GDPR-compliant?
CapRover and Dokku can be fully GDPR-compliant because you choose the hosting location — a self-hosted setup can live entirely inside the EU. The trade-off is that compliance, patching, and data handling are your responsibility rather than the provider's. Runsite is EU-registered with data kept in Frankfurt, so GDPR posture is handled for you instead of being a configuration and ops exercise.
What is the cheapest way to deploy a side project, CapRover or Dokku?
For a single small service, both CapRover and Dokku can look inexpensive on paper. The headline price rarely matches the real bill. Per-service billing, metered bandwidth, build minutes, and add-ons for databases or key-value stores stack up quickly, and neither platform offers a hard spending cap to stop a surprise invoice. The cheapest predictable option is one with fixed monthly pricing and an enforced ceiling. Runsite bills in EUR from €5/month with hard spending caps and Telegram alerts, plus a permanent free tier, so a side project stays cheap by design, not by careful monitoring.
// explore alternatives
Try the European Alternative
Skip the CapRover vs Dokku debate. Deploy on Runsite.
Start Free on Runsite →