CapRover, Cloudron, and YunoHost all reduce the friction of running your own server, but they start from different premises. CapRover is oriented around…
Best for: Developers who want to deploy their own custom application code via git push, CLI, or Docker images, with a lighter one-click marketplace on the side.
Freemium · From Free (up to 2 apps); Pro from €15/month
Best for: Individuals and small businesses who want a polished, commercially backed platform with automatic backups, updates, and email delivery handled for them.
Best for: Privacy-focused individuals and communities who want a completely free, volunteer-maintained Debian-based server OS with single sign-on across a broad app catalog.
At a Glance
CapRover
Cloudron
YunoHost
Primary category
Hosting
Hosting
Hosting
Rating
Not documented
Not documented
Not documented
Pricing model
Free (self-hosted, source-available)
Freemium
free
Starting price
Free
Free (up to 2 apps); Pro from €15/month
Free
Free plan
Yes
Yes
Yes
Free trial
Not documented
Not documented
Not documented
Platforms
Web
Web
Not documented
Team collaboration
Not documented
Not documented
Not documented
AI features
Not documented
Not documented
Not documented
Public API
Yes
Not documented
Not documented
Standout Differences
CapRover is built for deploying your own code, not just installing apps
Unlike Cloudron and YunoHost, which center on installing pre-packaged applications, CapRover's core workflow is deploying your own application via CLI, web dashboard, git webhook, Dockerfile, or a prebuilt image, with a smaller app marketplace layered on top.
CapRover
Cloudron and YunoHost both center on app catalogs with built-in SSO
Both platforms let users install pre-configured applications and automatically authenticate across them through a shared identity layer - Cloudron via OpenID Connect and LDAP, YunoHost via its own LDAP-backed user portal.
Cloudron, YunoHost
YunoHost is the only fully volunteer-run, non-commercial option
YunoHost has no company behind it and is maintained entirely by volunteer contributors as copylefted libre software, in contrast to Cloudron, which is built and sold by a commercial company founded in 2015.
YunoHost
Cloudron's free plan is capped, while CapRover and YunoHost stay free at any scale
CapRover and YunoHost carry no license fee regardless of how many apps you run. Cloudron's Free plan is limited to two apps before its paid Pro, Max, or Service Provider tiers are required.
CapRover, Cloudron, YunoHost
Feature-by-Feature
Deployment Model
Feature
CapRover
Cloudron
YunoHost
Git-push / custom code deployment
Available
Limited
Unavailable
App Ecosystem
Feature
CapRover
Cloudron
YunoHost
Pre-packaged one-click app catalog
Limited
Available
Available
Operations and Identity
Feature
CapRover
Cloudron
YunoHost
Automatic SSL / TLS provisioning
Available
Available
Available
Centralized SSO / LDAP identity
Unavailable
Available
Available
Built-in email server
Unavailable
Available
Available
Automated backup and restore
Not documented
Available
Available
Cost and Access
Feature
CapRover
Cloudron
YunoHost
Fully free at any scale
Available
Limited
Available
Pricing Compared
Starting price reflects the lowest paid tier, not the full cost for every team size or usage level.
CapRover
Self-Hosted — Free N/A
Cloudron
Free — €0/month N/A
Pro — €15/month monthly (annual billing available)
Max — €25/month monthly (annual billing available)
Service Provider — €150/month monthly
YunoHost
Open Source — $0 n/a
Pros & Cons
CapRover
Pros
Completely free to run — the only cost is your own server
Automates SSL, reverse proxying, and container orchestration that would otherwise require manual setup
Works on virtually any Docker-capable machine, including low-cost VPS providers and Raspberry Pi
Large, active community with a track record dating back to 2017
Cons
Requires the user to provision, secure, and maintain their own server — there is no managed hosting option from the project itself
No official enterprise support contract or SLA in the way a managed PaaS vendor would offer
Licensing changed in 2023 to a modified Apache License that restricts redistribution of certain paid features
Less polished UI/UX than fully managed commercial PaaS competitors
Cloudron
Pros
Automates the hardest parts of self-hosting: backups, updates, TLS, DNS, and email deliverability
Large, curated app catalog covering popular open-source tools
Free plan available for testing with up to two apps
Runs on infrastructure fully controlled by the user, with no vendor access to the server
Cons
Requires renting and managing your own VPS or server, which is a separate ongoing cost from the Cloudron subscription
Paid tiers are billed per server, which can add up for organizations running multiple deployments
Advanced features like directory server and multi-site backups require the higher Max tier
Not a fully managed SaaS product, so some server/infrastructure knowledge is still useful
YunoHost
Pros
Completely free and open source with no subscription cost beyond the hardware or hosting a user provides
One-click app catalog substantially lowers the barrier to self-hosting common services compared to manual Linux setup
Built-in SSO and LDAP integration means users do not need separate logins for every self-hosted app
Automated domain, TLS and email configuration removes some of the most error-prone parts of running a server
Community-driven and ethically focused, appealing to privacy-conscious users who want to avoid third-party SaaS platforms
Cons
As a volunteer-maintained project, there is no paid support option or guaranteed response time for issues
Still requires basic comfort with server administration concepts even though YunoHost simplifies the process
Application quality and maintenance depend on individual community packagers, so not every app in the catalog is equally polished
Running your own server means taking on responsibility for uptime, security patching and backups yourself
Use Cases
Choose CapRover: Developers who want to deploy their own custom application code via git push, CLI, or Docker images, with a lighter one-click marketplace on the side.
Choose Cloudron: Individuals and small businesses who want a polished, commercially backed platform with automatic backups, updates, and email delivery handled for them.
Choose YunoHost: Privacy-focused individuals and communities who want a completely free, volunteer-maintained Debian-based server OS with single sign-on across a broad app catalog.
CapRover
Low-Cost Self-Hosted App Deployment — Indie developers and small startups deploy multiple apps on a single VPS instead of paying per-app managed hosting fees.
Homelab & Personal Server Hosting — Hobbyists run self-hosted software, such as WordPress, databases, and personal tools, on hardware they own.
Cloudron
Self-hosting multiple open-source apps — Run WordPress, Nextcloud, GitLab, and other apps on one server with automated maintenance.
Agency or reseller hosting — Manage Cloudron deployments for multiple clients across several servers under the Service Provider plan.
Private company collaboration tools — Self-host chat, file sharing, and project tools with centralized SSO for a team.
YunoHost
Personal cloud and file sync — Individuals self-host Nextcloud through YunoHost to sync and store files privately instead of using third-party cloud storage.
Small community or organization services — Small groups run shared blogs, wikis and email on a single YunoHost server with unified login for members.
Home-lab and self-hosting learning — Hobbyists use YunoHost on a Raspberry Pi or old computer to learn self-hosting without manually configuring every service.
Frequently Asked Questions
Which of the three is best if I want to deploy my own custom-built application, not just install pre-made software?
CapRover, since it's built around deploying your own code via git push, a Dockerfile, or a prebuilt image, alongside a smaller app marketplace. Cloudron and YunoHost are primarily designed around installing curated, pre-packaged applications rather than arbitrary custom code.
Do CapRover, Cloudron, and YunoHost all have automatic SSL?
Yes, all three automatically provision and renew Let's Encrypt SSL certificates for hosted apps and domains.
Which tool includes single sign-on across installed apps?
Cloudron and YunoHost both include built-in single sign-on - Cloudron via OpenID Connect and LDAP, YunoHost via its own LDAP-backed user portal. CapRover does not document a built-in SSO layer across deployed apps.
Is any of these three entirely free with no paid tier?
CapRover and YunoHost are both fully free with no paid tier; the only cost is the server you run them on. Cloudron's Free plan is capped at two apps, with paid Pro, Max, and Service Provider plans required for unlimited apps or multiple servers.
Which project is run by a company versus a volunteer community?
Cloudron is developed and sold by a commercial company founded in 2015 and headquartered in Berlin. CapRover was created by an individual developer and is now community-maintained under a modified Apache license. YunoHost has no company behind it at all and is maintained entirely by volunteer contributors as copylefted libre software.
Which has the largest app catalog for one-click installs?
Cloudron's curated catalog, roughly 100-200+ apps, is the most extensive of the three. YunoHost also ships a broad, community-packaged catalog covering blogs, file sync, email, and office suites. CapRover's marketplace is comparatively smaller, focused on common software like WordPress and popular databases.