Coolify vs Dokploy vs Heroku: Self-Hosted PaaS (2026)

I lead programmes at MithTech, a team of Frappe specialists in Bengaluru, and I set up both Coolify and Dokploy for clients who want their dashboards, automation tools, databases and ERP stacks on infrastructure they control. The hard part is not the tool. It is deciding whether your team wants to own a server at all, because that choice, not the dashboard, is what you live with.

What is a self-hosted PaaS, and why compare these three?

A self-hosted PaaS is software on your own server that gives you the "push code, get a live URL" workflow of a hosted cloud: it builds containers, issues TLS certificates and runs databases for you. Coolify and Dokploy are two widely used open-source options; Heroku is the managed platform that made the workflow popular.

The three meet the same need in opposite ways. Coolify and Dokploy give you that workflow on a machine you own and look after. Heroku gives you the same convenience on the vendor's cloud, and you never see the machine. Our guide to self-hosting apps with Coolify walks through a full install.

Skimmable summary: Coolify and Dokploy are self-hosted PaaS tools with no licence fee; Heroku is a managed cloud where the vendor runs everything.

How do Coolify and Dokploy differ under the hood?

Architecture is the clearest line between them. Coolify is a broad Docker-based platform with optional multi-server and Swarm support, a proxy you can run on Traefik or Caddy, and a large catalogue of prebuilt services. Dokploy is built on Docker Swarm with Traefik as its proxy from the start.

That choice shapes the rest. Dokploy is lighter and treats multi-node clustering as a core feature, which suits teams that want high availability without Kubernetes. Coolify is batteries-included, with one-click services for databases, CMS platforms, monitoring stacks and AI inference servers. Both support buildpack and Dockerfile workflows.

Skimmable summary: Coolify is broad, with a large service catalogue; Dokploy is lighter and Swarm-native for simpler clustering.

Which self-hosted PaaS is easier to set up and run?

Both install with one script and give you a web dashboard, so neither is hard to start. Dokploy often feels quicker on the first run because it does less; Coolify has more surface and more built-in options.

Running it over time depends on what you deploy. For one team shipping a handful of apps, Dokploy's smaller footprint leaves more of the server for your workloads. For a business that wants databases, a CMS, automation tools and monitoring from one place, Coolify's catalogue saves time. Both give you Git deploys, automatic Let's Encrypt certificates and scheduled backups.

Skimmable summary: both install quickly; Dokploy is lighter to run, Coolify saves time when you need many services from one dashboard.

Where does managed Heroku still make sense?

Heroku makes sense when you want no infrastructure to own. It runs the servers, patches and scaling, so a team with no operations capacity can ship without touching Linux. The trade-off is a proprietary platform, a higher bill as you grow, and less say over where data lives.

Two facts shape 2026. Heroku dropped its free plans in November 2022, so every plan is paid. And on 6 February 2026 Heroku announced a move to a sustaining engineering model: stability, security and support continue, new feature work largely stops, and new enterprise contracts are no longer accepted. Apps already running there keep working; for a new project, it is a reason to plan an exit route from day one.

Skimmable summary: Heroku fits teams that want no server to own, but it is paid-only and, since February 2026, in sustaining mode with little new feature work.

Which self-hosted PaaS should you choose in 2026?

Match the tool to your priority. Choose Coolify for the widest ready-made catalogue, a large community and one dashboard for apps, databases and services. Choose Dokploy for a light footprint, Swarm clustering and a focused feature set. Choose Heroku when you will not own a server.

For Indian businesses, self-hosting often wins on data residency and predictable cost: you pay your provider, at prices on its own page. For something business-critical like an ERP, the same discipline applies; ERPNext and other Frappe apps run on owned servers this way, though a production ERP needs more than a default deploy (see the FAQ).

Skimmable summary: Coolify for the bigger ecosystem, Dokploy for a light Swarm-native platform, Heroku for no server to own.

How do you move an app off Heroku onto Coolify or Dokploy?

1. Pick the server before the platform. A 2 vCPU / 4 GB VPS handles a small app and its database; undersize it and every later step feels like the tool's fault.
2. Install Coolify or Dokploy on a clean host. Both expect to own the Docker daemon, so do not layer them onto a box already running unrelated containers.
3. Move the database first and independently. Dump from Heroku Postgres, restore, and confirm the app can reach it before you touch deployment.
4. Connect the Git repository and deploy to a staging domain. Dokploy can build with Heroku buildpacks; on Coolify, a buildpack-shaped app may need a Dockerfile or Nixpacks config, which is the real porting work.
5. Recreate config vars as environment variables, then run one full request path end to end, including any background worker.
6. Point DNS last, once the certificate has issued on the new host, and keep the Heroku dyno running until the new one has served a full day.

For the wider list of Heroku replacements, see open-source Heroku alternatives.

Should you run Coolify or Dokploy yourself, or have it run for you?

Run it yourself if someone on your team will keep the host patched, update the platform, and restore a database backup now and then to prove it works; Coolify vs Dokploy decides how you deploy, not who looks after the server underneath. Have it run for you if you left Heroku to own your servers, not to start looking after them.

Under managed hosting we run a plain server or Coolify, whichever fits, on one named server in your cloud account or ours: nightly backups copied off it, one restored on a schedule, upgrades tried on a copy first, and the keys stay yours. It is a monthly fee for running it plus the server, quoted in writing after a call; the self-hosting cost comparator sets that against a Heroku bill.

Frequently asked questions