Coolify

YES

Replaceable in one session with an AI coding agent.

An open-source deployment platform you run on your own servers: connect a git repository and it builds, runs and renews certificates for you.

Promptfree, for everyone, and the only version there is

Self-host it. The only paid part is the control plane.

WHAT YOU ARE BUYING
- Coolify is free. The subscription hosts the dashboard so it does not sit on the server it manages

RUNNING IT
- One server for Coolify, separate from the servers it deploys to
- That separation matters: a control plane on the same machine dies with it

SETTING UP
- Add target servers by SSH key, connect a git provider, define the app
- Certificates are automatic; check the renewal actually runs before the first ninety days pass

BACKUPS
- Coolify can schedule database backups to object storage. Configure it on day one and restore one as a test

IF IT IS MORE THAN YOU NEED
- Docker Compose plus Caddy plus a deploy script covers a single application in far fewer moving parts

Include the install, the server separation and the backup schedule.

What you lose

A hosted control plane, so the thing that deploys your servers is not itself on one of them
Updates and support for the platform
Templates for dozens of common services, one click each

If you would rather not build

Docker Compose and Caddy, for one application

The escape hatch

open source · no votes, no paid placement

Coolify

The product itself, free to self-host.

coollabsio/coolifyfree · open source

Dokku

A far smaller platform for a single server, driven by git push.

dokku/dokkufree · open source

Why this verdict

our own opinion · changed only by a person

86/100

Verdict yes at 86. The software is free; you are paying for a dashboard hosted elsewhere, which you can arrange with a second small server.

History

tracked since 10 Aug 2026 · nothing is ever overwritten

Interest · last 30 days

Nothing recorded yet. This chart fills in once the page has visitors, votes or prompt copies — it will not draw a flat line to look busy.

Questions about Coolify

answered from the record above

Is Coolify free?

No — the plan we track is $5 a month. Cloud from around $5/month billed monthly; self-hosting the same software is free.

Can you replace Coolify by building your own?

YES. Replaceable in one session with an AI coding agent. Replacement score 86 out of 100, build time one session. Read what you lose before you decide.

How much does Coolify cost?

$5 a month on Cloud — $60 a year. Recorded 10 Aug 2026.

What do you lose by replacing Coolify?

A hosted control plane, so the thing that deploys your servers is not itself on one of them; Updates and support for the platform; Templates for dozens of common services, one click each. If any of those carry weight for you, keep paying.

Is there an open-source alternative to Coolify?

Yes: Coolify, Dokku. The prompt on this page is for when you want it your way instead.

Related entries

same category first, most replaced first

All 18 in Hosting & databases

Coming soon

Every week, something stops being worth paying for.

New verdicts, prices that moved, entries added. One email a week. Unsubscribe in one click.

free forever · no tracking pixel · every prompt stays free on the site