Heroku charges $25/month for a single app. Vercel's pro plan is $20/month. Or you can run your own platform on a VPS and deploy unlimited apps.
What is Self-Hosted PaaS?
Platform as a Service (PaaS) handles deployments, SSL, domains, and process management. Self-hosted PaaS gives you the same convenience on your own server.
| Feature | Heroku | Vercel | Self-Hosted PaaS |
|---|---|---|---|
| Price (5 apps) | $125/month | $20/month (+overages) | $10-30/month (VPS) |
| Deploy from Git | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Auto SSL | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Custom domains | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Databases | Add-on ($$$) | External | Included |
| Docker support | Yes | No | Yes |
| Full server access | No | No | Yes |
Coolify
Open-source, self-hosted Heroku alternative.
Installation
curl -fsSL https://cdn.coollabs.io/coolify/install.sh | bash
That's it. Coolify installs Docker, sets up a web dashboard, and is ready in minutes.
Features
| Feature | Included |
|---|---|
| Git-based deployments | Yes (GitHub, GitLab, Bitbucket) |
| Docker support | Yes |
| Database management | MySQL, PostgreSQL, MongoDB, Redis |
| SSL certificates | Automatic (Let's Encrypt) |
| Custom domains | Yes |
| Environment variables | Yes |
| Deployment previews | Yes |
| Monitoring | Basic |
| Backups | Database backups |
Deploying an App
- Connect GitHub repository
- Select branch (main)
- Coolify detects framework (Node.js, Python, etc.)
- Set environment variables
- Click Deploy
Coolify builds a Docker container, configures Nginx, generates SSL, and your app is live.
Supported Frameworks
| Framework | Auto-Detected |
|---|---|
| Node.js / Next.js | Yes |
| Python / Django / Flask | Yes |
| PHP / Laravel | Yes |
| Ruby / Rails | Yes |
| Go | Yes |
| Rust | Yes |
| Static sites | Yes |
| Docker Compose | Yes |
Dokploy
Lightweight alternative to Coolify with a clean interface.
Installation
curl -sSL https://dokploy.com/install.sh | sh
Features
| Feature | Included |
|---|---|
| Git deployments | Yes |
| Docker & Docker Compose | Yes |
| Database management | Yes |
| Auto SSL | Yes |
| Custom domains | Yes |
| Monitoring dashboard | Yes |
| Multi-server support | Yes |
| Traefik reverse proxy | Built-in |
Dokploy vs Coolify
| Aspect | Coolify | Dokploy |
|---|---|---|
| Maturity | More mature | Newer |
| UI | More complex | Cleaner |
| Resource usage | Higher | Lower |
| Community | Larger | Growing |
| Multi-server | Limited | Built-in |
| Updates | Frequent | Frequent |
Cost Comparison
| Setup | Monthly Cost | Apps |
|---|---|---|
| Heroku | $25/app | Pay per app |
| Vercel Pro | $20 + overages | Unlimited (with limits) |
| Railway | $5 + usage | Pay per resource |
| VPS + Coolify/Dokploy | $10-30 | Unlimited |
Break-Even Analysis
| Apps | Heroku Cost | VPS + PaaS Cost |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | $25/month | $10/month |
| 3 | $75/month | $15/month |
| 5 | $125/month | $20/month |
| 10 | $250/month | $30/month |
By app #2, self-hosting pays for itself.
Resource Requirements
| VPS Size | RAM | Apps Supported |
|---|---|---|
| Small | 2GB | 2-3 light apps |
| Medium | 4GB | 5-8 apps |
| Large | 8GB | 10-15 apps |
| Extra Large | 16GB+ | 20+ apps |
Reserve 512MB-1GB for the PaaS platform itself.
A Space-Node VPS with NVMe SSD gives Coolify or Dokploy the fast storage they need for Docker image building and serving. Plus, full root access means no limitations on what you can deploy.
