Coolify vs Dokku
Coolify 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.
Coolify vs Dokku: quick answer
Coolify and Dokku both offer Git-push deploy workflows, but they differ where it counts. Coolify 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.
// coolify problems → runsite solutions
Common Coolify frustrations. Sound familiar?
Every Coolify frustration, solved.
Coolify problem
"I spend hours maintaining the server"
Coolify runs on your VPS. You're responsible for OS updates, security patches, backups, and uptime.
Runsite solution
Fully managed infrastructure
99.9% uptime SLA. Auto-updates. Automated backups. Focus on building, not maintaining.
Coolify problem
"Setup took an hour"
Provision a VPS, install Docker, install Coolify, configure DNS, set up SSL, before deploying anything.
Runsite solution
Deploy in 2 minutes
Connect GitHub. Pick a region. Deploy. SSL and DNS handled automatically.
Coolify problem
"My Coolify server went down at 3am"
Self-hosted means self-monitored. Server crashes, disk full, or OOM: it's your problem.
Runsite solution
24/7 monitoring + auto-recovery
We monitor, restart, and scale your apps. You sleep through the night.
// comparison
Runsite vs Coolify
Side-by-side. No marketing fluff, just facts.
| Feature | Runsite | Coolify |
|---|---|---|
| Server Management | ✓ Fully managed | ✗ Self-hosted, you manage |
| Setup Time | ✓ 2 minutes | 30-60 min (VPS + install) |
| Uptime & Maintenance | ✓ 99.9% SLA, auto-updates | You handle updates & backups |
| GDPR Compliance | ✓ EU entity | Depends on your VPS provider |
| Cost (small apps) | €5/mo | VPS $5-10/mo + time |
| Cost (large scale) | Usage-based pricing | ✓ Cheaper at scale |
| Open Source | Closed source | ✓ Fully open source |
// 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 Coolify and Dokku each compare to Runsite
Coolify vs Runsite
With Coolify, the software is rarely what wears you down. The 3am pager is. Self-hosting means you provision a VPS, install and update Coolify, manage disk space, handle SSL renewals when they fail, configure backups, and respond when the server goes down. GDPR compliance depends entirely on which VPS provider and region you choose.
None of that is a knock on the project. Coolify is one of the best open-source self-hosting platforms available: the web UI is polished, it supports Docker Compose and buildpacks, and it is actively maintained. For developers who want full control and enjoy the self-hosting philosophy, it delivers real value on a $5/month VPS.
Runsite runs the same workflow, connect a repo and deploy, but on managed multi-node infrastructure with a 99.9% uptime SLA, automated backups, and EU data residency guaranteed by an EU-registered entity. If you value the self-hosting ethos but have tired of the maintenance tax, the permanent free tier also removes the VPS cost floor entirely for side projects.
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 Coolify and Dokku
EU PaaS for indie developers and small European startups. One region: Frankfurt.
EU-First Infrastructure
While Coolify 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, Coolify or Dokku?
With self-hosted tools like Coolify 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, Coolify or Dokku?
Free tiers on both Coolify 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 Coolify or Dokku GDPR-compliant?
Coolify 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, Coolify or Dokku?
For a single small service, both Coolify 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 Coolify vs Dokku debate. Deploy on Runsite.
Start Free on Runsite →