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Head-to-head · Cloud Hosting Management Software

Cloudron vs Laravel Forge

  • Updated Oct 2026
  • Both researched from official sources
  • 7 checks side by side
Higher score Cloudron #6 in Cloud Hosting Management Software 8.7/10 Free plan Free plan✓ 6 of 6 features Visit Cloudron

Cloudron leads on 1 check, Laravel Forge on 0, and 6 are even. Who comes out ahead on the 7 yes/no, price and count checks where we have data for both products. The editor score weighs everything else too.

Our verdict

  • Highest scoreCloudron · 8.7/10
  • Free planonly Cloudron
  • Most featuresCloudron · 6 of 6

Cloudron scores higher on our rubric for cloud hosting management software: 8.7 against 8.5 out of 10; our editors rank them #6 and #8.

Cloudron offers free plan; Laravel Forge doesn't.

Cloudron is the better fit for one-click self-hosted application hosting. Laravel Forge is the better fit for developers deploying Laravel and PHP applications.

  • Cloudron fits best

    One-click self-hosted application hosting

  • Laravel Forge fits best

    Developers deploying Laravel and PHP applications

Advertiser disclosure: iTechGuides is reader-supported. Vendors can pay for top positions in our rankings and for a place on other products' pages, and we may earn a commission when you click some links. Bought places stand at the number bought; this page and our disclosure say so. Paying vendors may get a fuller, more detailed review from our editors, and that review can change their score. How we rank.

Side by side

Feature Cloudron 8.7/10 Visit ↗ Laravel Forge 8.5/10 Visit ↗
At a glance
Editor score 8.7 8.5
Ranking #6 in Cloud Hosting Management Software #8 in Cloud Hosting Management Software
Best for One-click self-hosted application hosting Developers deploying Laravel and PHP applications
Pricing model Free plan + paid Paid
Starting price €15/mo $120/yr
Free plan ✓ (best) —
Free trial — —
Deployment Self-hosted Cloud
Platforms Web, Linux Web
Support Email, Community, Docs Email, Community
Integrations 9 integrations 8 integrations
Built for Solo, Small business, Mid-market Solo, Small business, Mid-market, Enterprise
Features Cloudron 6/6 · Laravel Forge 0/6
Server provisioning ✓ (best) Not checked yet
Deployment automation ✓ (best) Not checked yet
Monitoring and alerts ✓ (best) Not checked yet
Automated backups ✓ (best) Not checked yet
Docker support ✓ (best) Not checked yet
Team access ✓ (best) Not checked yet
Specs
Cloud providers AWS, DigitalOcean, Hostinger, Linode, Time4VPS, Vultr Not checked yet
Our review
Pros
  • One-click app installation with automated updates and certificates
  • Backups, restore, migration, DNS, and firewall management in one dashboard
  • Supports multiple cloud providers, Docker, teams, and access controls
  • Zero-downtime deployments with retained releases for rollback
  • Push-to-deploy support for GitHub, GitLab, and Bitbucket
  • Provisioning, SSL, monitoring, queues, jobs, and databases in one platform
Cons
  • Requires an existing server
  • Free plan is limited to two apps
  • Advanced features require paid Pro or Max plans
  • No free plan for evaluating the service
  • Hobby includes only 1 external server
  • Narrower focus than broader cloud management platforms
Our verdict

Cloudron is a self-hosted platform for installing, managing, updating, backing up, and securing web applications on infrastructure you control. It is suited to individuals, developers, small organizations, and teams that want a web…

Read the review →

Laravel Forge is a web-based server management and application deployment platform built by the Laravel team. It is designed for developers deploying Laravel and PHP applications, while also supporting vanilla PHP, WordPress, Statamic,…

Read the review →
  1. CloudronCloud Hosting Management Software 8.7Free plan
  2. Laravel ForgeCloud Hosting Management Software 8.5Paid

Strengths and trade-offs

  • Cloudron — where it wins

    • One-click app installation with automated updates and certificates
    • Backups, restore, migration, DNS, and firewall management in one dashboard
    • Supports multiple cloud providers, Docker, teams, and access controls

    Where it doesn't

    • Requires an existing server
    • Free plan is limited to two apps
    • Advanced features require paid Pro or Max plans
  • Laravel Forge — where it wins

    • Zero-downtime deployments with retained releases for rollback
    • Push-to-deploy support for GitHub, GitLab, and Bitbucket
    • Provisioning, SSL, monitoring, queues, jobs, and databases in one platform

    Where it doesn't

    • No free plan for evaluating the service
    • Hobby includes only 1 external server
    • Narrower focus than broader cloud management platforms

More comparisons

Reviewed by iTechGuides Editors · Editorial team · Updated Oct 2026

Last updated · How we research and update