Coolify vs DigitalOcean Kubernetes

Coolify8.8Visit DigitalOcean Kubernetes7.9Visit

Higher score Coolify #3 in Self-Hosted App Hosting 8.8/10 Free plan Free plan✓ 0 of 2 features Visit Coolify

vs

DigitalOcean Kubernetes #5 in Self-Hosted App Hosting 7.9/10 Paid ✓ 0 of 2 features Visit DigitalOcean

• Coolify fits best

  Git-driven deployments across servers you control

• DigitalOcean Kubernetes fits best

  Teams specifically needing managed Kubernetes

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Side by side

Feature	Coolify 8.8/10 Visit ↗	DigitalOcean Kubernetes 7.9/10 Visit ↗
At a glance
Editor score	8.8	7.9
Ranking	#3 in Self-Hosted App Hosting	#5 in Self-Hosted App Hosting
Best for	Git-driven deployments across servers you control	Teams specifically needing managed Kubernetes
Pricing model	Free plan + paid	Paid
Starting price	$5/mo	$12/unit/mo
Free plan	✓ (best)	—
Free trial	—	—
Deployment	Cloud, Self-hosted, Browser extension	Cloud
Platforms	Web, Linux	Web
Support	Email, Community, Docs	Email, Live chat, Tickets, Community, Docs
Integrations	11 integrations	8 integrations
Built for	Solo, Small business, Mid-market	Small business, Mid-market
Features Coolify 0/2 · DigitalOcean Kubernetes 0/2
Managed app updates	Not checked yet	Not checked yet
Automated backups	Not checked yet	Not checked yet
Specs
App catalog size	Not checked yet	Not checked yet
App deployment	Not checked yet	Not checked yet
Backup retention	Not checked yet	Not checked yet
Server regions	Not checked yet	Not checked yet
Our review
Pros	Deploy from Git repositories, Dockerfiles, Compose files, or images Rolling updates, retained-image rollback, and pull-request previews Manage servers over SSH with domains, HTTPS, backups, and monitoring	Managed control plane with node pool autoscaling and scale-to-zero support Rolling updates, role-based access control, and OIDC single sign-on Connects with DigitalOcean load balancers, volumes, and container registry
Cons	You provide and manage the workload servers Self-hosted installs rely on community support Cloud plan includes only limited email support	Requires Kubernetes API and cluster administration rather than turnkey app hosting Worker nodes are billed separately from the managed control plane No free plan; Basic worker nodes start at $12 per node per month
Our verdict	Coolify is an open-source platform for deploying and managing applications, databases, and services on infrastructure you control. It suits developers and teams who want a dashboard and API for operating deployments across their own Linux… Read the review →	DigitalOcean Kubernetes (DOKS) is a managed Kubernetes service for developers, startups, and small-to-medium-sized businesses that need Kubernetes clusters in DigitalOcean's cloud. DigitalOcean manages the control plane and underlying… Read the review →

Strengths and trade-offs

• Coolify — where it wins

  • Deploy from Git repositories, Dockerfiles, Compose files, or images
  • Rolling updates, retained-image rollback, and pull-request previews
  • Manage servers over SSH with domains, HTTPS, backups, and monitoring

  Where it doesn't

  • You provide and manage the workload servers
  • Self-hosted installs rely on community support
  • Cloud plan includes only limited email support

• DigitalOcean Kubernetes — where it wins

  • Managed control plane with node pool autoscaling and scale-to-zero support
  • Rolling updates, role-based access control, and OIDC single sign-on
  • Connects with DigitalOcean load balancers, volumes, and container registry

  Where it doesn't

  • Requires Kubernetes API and cluster administration rather than turnkey app hosting
  • Worker nodes are billed separately from the managed control plane
  • No free plan; Basic worker nodes start at $12 per node per month

• Coolify8.8/10 · Free plan

  A self-hosted deployment control plane with Git, Docker, previews, and rollback.

  Visit CoolifyFull verdict →
• DigitalOcean Kubernetes7.9/10 · Paid

  A managed Kubernetes service for teams that want cluster control on DigitalOcean.

  Visit DigitalOceanFull verdict →