Coolify Review, Pricing & Features

Coolify is a free, open-source, self-hostable alternative to Heroku, Vercel, and Netlify for deploying apps, databases, and 280+ services on your servers.

Category
Hosting
Pricing
Free/Open Source, from Free
Verified
Not yet
Last updated
July 18, 2026
Founded
2021
Headquarters
Székesfehérvár, Hungary
Free PlanWeb AppAPIOpen SourceFreemiumSelf-Hosted

Overview

Coolify is an open-source, self-hostable platform-as-a-service that lets developers deploy applications, databases, and pre-packaged services to their own servers with the simplicity of Heroku, Vercel, or Netlify. It was created by Andras Bacsai as a side project in 2021 and is now developed by coolLabs Solutions Kft., a bootstrapped, VC-free company based in Hungary.

Users connect a Git repository and deploy, with Coolify automatically handling builds (via Nixpacks or a custom Dockerfile), reverse proxy configuration through Traefik, and automatic SSL via Let's Encrypt on servers the user owns.

Key Features

Coolify provisions managed databases (PostgreSQL, MySQL, MariaDB, Redis, MongoDB), supports Git-branch preview deployments, automated backups to S3-compatible storage, and a marketplace of 280+ one-click service templates for popular open-source tools.

The self-hosted edition is released under the Apache 2.0 license with no feature gating, unlimited servers, and unlimited team members, making the full product free regardless of scale.

Pricing

Self-hosted Coolify is free forever; the only cost is the underlying server infrastructure, which typically runs $5-$25/month depending on provider and size.

Coolify Cloud, a managed version of the orchestration layer, starts at $5/month for two connected servers, with additional servers priced around $3/month each and an annual billing discount of roughly 20%.

Key Features

Pros & Cons

Pros

  • Fully free, open-source self-hosted edition under Apache 2.0 with no feature gating
  • Simple, Heroku-like developer experience while retaining full control over servers and data
  • Large marketplace of 280+ one-click service templates reduces manual configuration
  • Bootstrapped and independent, giving predictable long-term project direction without VC pressure

Cons

  • Self-hosting requires managing your own server infrastructure and updates
  • Smaller support organization compared to large commercial cloud platforms
  • Coolify Cloud requires a separate subscription per additional team
  • Advanced enterprise features (formal SLAs, dedicated support contracts) are limited given its bootstrapped, community-driven nature

Pricing

Frequently Asked Questions

Is Coolify free?

Yes. Self-hosted Coolify is free forever under the Apache 2.0 license with no feature limits, user caps, or trial period. You only pay for your own server infrastructure.

What is Coolify Cloud?

Coolify Cloud is a paid, managed version of Coolify's orchestration/control-plane layer starting at $5/month for two connected servers; it manages your own servers from providers like Hetzner or DigitalOcean rather than hosting your apps itself.

What can I deploy with Coolify?

Coolify can deploy static sites, full-stack applications, managed databases (PostgreSQL, MySQL, MariaDB, Redis, MongoDB), and 280+ one-click open-source service templates.

Who created Coolify?

Coolify was created by Andras Bacsai in 2021 and is developed by coolLabs Solutions Kft., a bootstrapped, independent Hungarian company with no venture capital funding.

How is Coolify different from Heroku or Vercel?

Coolify runs on servers you own and is free open-source software, whereas Heroku and Vercel are proprietary managed platforms that host your application on their own infrastructure and charge usage-based fees.

Does Coolify support preview deployments?

Yes, Coolify automatically creates preview deployments tied to Git branches or pull requests.

Comparisons

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