--- title: MapleDeploy vs Dokku - managed Coolify or a CLI PaaS on your server description: >- Compare MapleDeploy and Dokku. Dokku is a free, open-source PaaS you run on your server from the command line. MapleDeploy runs Coolify and the server for you. keywords: - dokku alternative - dokku vs coolify - managed dokku alternative - dokku hosting canada - heroku-style paas self-hosted faq: items: - question: What is the difference between MapleDeploy and Dokku? answer: >- Dokku is a free, open-source PaaS that you install on your own server and drive from the command line: you deploy with git push, much as on Heroku. You run that server yourself. MapleDeploy gives you a dedicated Toronto VM with your own Coolify instance, managed through a web dashboard, and looks after the server too: OS patches, security hardening, Coolify updates and weekly snapshots. - question: Does Dokku have a web interface? answer: >- Not in the open-source version, which you use over SSH and the command line. Dokku Pro, a paid add-on for an existing Dokku install, adds a web UI and a JSON API. Its site sells it as a one-time lifetime licence covering one production server and two pre-production servers. - question: How does MapleDeploy pricing compare to Dokku? answer: >- Dokku is free. You pay for the server you install it on, and you spend your own time running it. MapleDeploy starts at $45 CAD/month for a dedicated VM with 4 GB RAM, 2 vCPUs and 35 GB of storage, server included. - question: Is MapleDeploy built on Dokku? answer: >- No. MapleDeploy runs Coolify, a different open-source self-hosted PaaS. Both deploy apps from git onto Docker on a server, and both can build from a Dockerfile or with Nixpacks. lastUpdated: '2026-11-15' type: article author: Ross Hill locale: en_CA site_name: MapleDeploy slogan: Powerful hosting on Canadian soil organization_url: 'https://mapledeploy.ca/' logo: 'https://mapledeploy.ca//api/logo/lockup' creator: MapleDeploy publisher: MapleDeploy founding_date: '2026-01-13' email: hello@mapledeploy.ca geo_region: CA-ON geo_placename: Toronto address_country: CA area_served: Canada application_category: DeveloperApplication app_url: 'https://app.mapledeploy.ca' llms_txt: 'https://mapledeploy.ca/llms.txt' offers: >- Starter $45/mo, Pro $95/mo, Ultra $195/mo, Ultra 32 $395/mo, Ultra 64 $695/mo CAD in_language: en-CA canonical_url: 'https://mapledeploy.ca/compare/dokku' --- {% hero-section title="MapleDeploy vs Dokku" %} Dokku gives you a PaaS on the command line. MapleDeploy runs a dashboard and the server for you. {% button href="https://app.mapledeploy.ca/signup" size="large" %} Start your free trial {% /button %} {% /hero-section %} {% intro-section %} Dokku is a free, open-source PaaS that you install on your own server. It calls itself a Docker-powered mini-Heroku: you push your code with git, and Dokku builds it and runs it in containers. MapleDeploy is managed Coolify with the server included: a dedicated Toronto VM with your own Coolify instance and its web dashboard, both looked after for you. This page covers what each one leaves to you, what it costs, and where your apps run. {% /intro-section %} {% comparison-table-section title="Side by side" competitor="Dokku" %} | Feature | Dokku | MapleDeploy | | --- | --- | --- | | What you get | Free software you install on your own server | Dedicated VM with your own Coolify instance | | Server | Bring your own, set up and run by you | Included, patched and hardened for you | | Interface | Command line over SSH; web UI in paid Dokku Pro | Coolify web dashboard | | Deploys | Git push, Docker image, or tar and zip archives | Git push or container image, through Coolify | | Builds | Heroku-style buildpacks, Cloud Native Buildpacks, Dockerfile, Nixpacks, Railpack | Coolify build packs, including Nixpacks, Dockerfile and Docker Compose | | Databases and HTTPS | Official plugins you install, such as Postgres, Redis and Let's Encrypt | One-click databases and services, with automatic HTTPS | | App location | Wherever your server is | Toronto, Canada | | Pricing | Free, plus your server; paid Dokku Pro add-on | From $45 CAD/mo, server included | {% /comparison-table-section %} {% content-section title="When Dokku is the right choice" %} Dokku is a mature, actively maintained project. Its repository dates from 2013, it is MIT licensed, and it shipped several releases in October 2026. It suits developers who like Heroku's workflow and the command line. You `git push` to your server and Dokku builds your app with Heroku-style buildpacks, Cloud Native Buildpacks, a Dockerfile, Nixpacks or Railpack. Official plugins add databases such as Postgres, MySQL and Redis, and Let's Encrypt certificates. Dokku can also schedule apps with K3s, or with Nomad through a plugin, if you outgrow one server. If you already run servers and want a small, scriptable PaaS on top, Dokku on a VPS is hard to beat on cost. {% /content-section %} {% content-section title="What running Dokku leaves to you" %} Dokku runs on a server you provide. Its installation guide supports Ubuntu 22.04, 24.04 and 26.04 and Debian 11 or later, asks for at least 1 GB of memory, and has you set up SSH keys and, ideally, a domain. The operating system, its updates and Dokku's own upgrades are yours to run. Day to day, you work over SSH. Creating an app, adding a database or turning on HTTPS is a command you run over SSH, and databases and Let's Encrypt are plugins you install first. A web interface is available as Dokku Pro, a paid add-on. Our guide to [self-hosting Coolify vs managed Coolify](/blog/self-hosted-vs-managed-coolify) walks through what running the server involves, and it's much the same whichever PaaS sits on top. {% /content-section %} {% content-section title="What MapleDeploy handles" %} MapleDeploy runs the server and the Coolify instance together. You get a [dedicated VM in Toronto](/canadian-hosting), ready in minutes, and you deploy through the Coolify dashboard. - **Security hardening.** SSH key authentication, fail2ban, outbound SMTP blocking, and automatic security patches, applied before you first log in. - **OS patches.** Operating system updates and kernel patches are applied for you. When a kernel update needs a reboot, it happens in a fixed 07:50 UTC window. - **Coolify itself.** We run a [public fork of Coolify](/open-source-stack) that we rebase regularly against upstream. Changes are limited to Canadian branding and MapleDeploy integrations. - **Snapshots.** Weekly full-server snapshots covering the OS, Coolify, containers, volumes and databases. Snapshots are disaster recovery, not granular restores. For production databases, you should still set up Coolify's S3 database backups on a daily schedule. {% /content-section %} {% content-section title="Comparing the cost" %} Dokku itself is free. Your costs are the server you install it on and the time you spend keeping it patched, upgraded and running. Dokku Pro, the paid web interface, is sold as a one-time lifetime licence covering one production server and two pre-production servers. MapleDeploy starts at [$45 CAD/month](/#pricing) for a dedicated VM with 4 GB RAM, 2 vCPUs and 35 GB of storage. The server, Coolify, patches and snapshots are in that price, with no per-project or usage fees. Starter and Pro include a 30-day free trial. If you enjoy running servers, Dokku plus a VPS will usually cost less. If you'd rather not, the difference buys back the evenings. {% /content-section %} {% content-section title="Where your apps run" %} A Dokku server runs wherever you put it, so where your data is hosted, and under which company's jurisdiction, depends on the provider you choose. Your apps on MapleDeploy are hosted in **Toronto**, under **Canadian jurisdiction**, on infrastructure built for **PIPEDA** compliance, on every plan. {% /content-section %} {% image-content-section title="Try it free for 30 days" src="dashboard-checkout-trial-zoom-summary" width=824 height=952 href="https://app.mapledeploy.ca/signup" %} Start with $0 due today. Your first charge comes after the trial. One flat price, with the server included. {% /image-content-section %} {% cta-section title="Ready to hand off the server too?" %} Coolify on a dedicated Toronto VM, patched and backed up for you. {% /cta-section %}