Dokploy is a strong, fast-growing open-source self-hosted PaaS with a genuinely good Docker Compose workflow. The comparison comes down to the same core question as Coolify: do you want a management platform running permanently on your server, or nothing at all beyond the apps you deploy.
| DeployOS | Dokploy | |
|---|---|---|
| Runs on your server | Nothing, permanently — SSH only, on demand | Dokploy itself, as an always-on service (control plane + Traefik) |
| Pricing | One-time purchase, unlimited VPS on paid tiers | Free & open-source self-hosted; managed cloud from $4.50/mo per server |
| Interface | Native macOS/Windows desktop app | Self-hosted web dashboard |
| Build methods | Dockerfile, Railpack (no Dockerfile needed), or raw Compose | Dockerfile, Nixpacks, Heroku Buildpacks, Compose |
| Databases included | Postgres, MySQL, MongoDB, Redis, MSSQL — managed + backed up | Postgres, MySQL, MariaDB, MongoDB, Redis |
| Adopt existing servers | Scans & imports running Compose projects/DBs | Manual redeploy generally required |
| One-click app templates | 250+ | Community template marketplace, growing |
Yes — Dokploy deploys apps as plain Docker Compose projects, and DeployOS's discovery flow scans a server for exactly that (including ones Dokploy manages) and can adopt them as managed apps without redeploying, so you can trial DeployOS against your existing Dokploy setup before committing.
No, DeployOS is closed-source and commercially licensed. If open source is a hard requirement for you, Dokploy is the better fit on that basis alone.
Dokploy's self-hosted mode is free. DeployOS is a one-time purchase ($0/$49/$79). If budget is the only variable and you're comfortable maintaining Dokploy's control-plane service yourself, Dokploy wins on pure cost — the DeployOS case is about not running that extra service and getting a native app, not about being the cheaper option.
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