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Coolify, an open-source Vercel alternative.

Last verified: . Written by the Coolify team, so we have a stake in this. Claims about Vercel link to Vercel's own pages. See Corrections if we got one wrong.

Summary: Vercel hosts your project on its platform: Git deploys, preview URLs, HTTPS and a global network, with usage priced on top of the plan. Coolify is the dashboard you run yourself. Apps, databases and other Docker services land on a server you connect over SSH. Self-hosting is free. Coolify Cloud hosts only the dashboard.

Hosting model

Vercel is a managed platform. You connect a repository, and Vercel builds and serves the deployment. Their knowledge base says Vercel does not have an on-premise product. Enterprise customers can use Bring Your Own Cloud, which runs Vercel Functions as AWS Lambda functions in the customer's AWS account, while Vercel still routes requests and serves static assets. That is a different setup from installing a PaaS on a VPS.

Coolify is Apache-2.0 software. Install it on a server that meets the documented minimum (2 cores, 2 GB RAM, 10 GB disk), then attach more servers over SSH. Coolify Cloud is optional: coolLabs runs the dashboard, and the apps still run on your servers. The app is served from wherever those servers are.

Feature and pricing comparison

Feature Coolify Vercel
Hosting model Open-source software (Apache-2.0) you install. Self-host it, or use Coolify Cloud, which hosts the dashboard only. Hosted platform. Vercel says it does not have an on-premise product. Enterprise Bring Your Own Cloud runs Functions as AWS Lambda in your AWS account. Vercel still routes requests, terminates TLS and serves static assets.
Where the app runs On servers you connect over SSH: a VPS, a Raspberry Pi, or a cloud VM. Traffic is served from those servers. On Vercel's network. Vercel's own comparison with Kubernetes describes the platform as aimed at stateless HTTP services, frontends, APIs and scheduled jobs.
Git deploys GitHub, GitLab, Bitbucket and Gitea, including self-hosted instances of those. GitHub, GitLab, Bitbucket and Azure DevOps. The CLI can deploy other Git providers. Docs also cover GitHub Enterprise Server, self-managed GitLab and Bitbucket Data Center.
Preview deployments Preview deployments for GitHub, GitLab, Bitbucket and Gitea. A preview deployment when you push a branch other than production, open a pull request on GitHub, GitLab or Bitbucket, or run the CLI without the production flag.
Databases and services PostgreSQL, MySQL, MariaDB, MongoDB, Redis, KeyDB, Dragonfly and ClickHouse on your server, with scheduled backups to S3-compatible storage. 363 one-click service templates on 2026-10-19. The pricing page lists Blob object storage and marketplace integrations. Database hosting there is through those products and integrations.
HTTPS Automatic Let's Encrypt certificates for custom domains. HTTPS certificates are included on Hobby, Pro and Enterprise. Custom domains are supported.
Pricing checked 2026-10-19 Self-hosted is free and includes the same features as Cloud. Coolify Cloud is $5/month for 2 servers, plus $3/month per extra server. You also pay for the servers. Hobby is $0/month and includes 1 developer seat. Pro lists a developer seat at $20/month, with unlimited viewer seats. Bandwidth, functions and other products have separate usage prices. Enterprise is custom.
What you operate The server. Documented minimum for the machine running Coolify: 2 cores, 2 GB RAM, 10 GB disk. No VPS for the platform. You manage the project, the Git connection and any usage past the included amounts.

When to choose which

  • Choose Vercel when you want the platform to build, preview and serve the app on its network, with HTTPS included, and you would rather not patch a Linux server. Budget for a developer seat on Pro and for usage past the included amounts. This is a strong fit for frontends, APIs and scheduled jobs, which is how Vercel describes the workloads it targets.
  • Choose Coolify when you want the app, the database and other Docker services on a machine you control, with a free self-hosted edition and an Apache-2.0 license. You take on server updates, disk and uptime. Coolify Cloud removes the dashboard from that list, and the server bill remains yours.
Start self-hosting See pricing

FAQ

Is Coolify a Vercel alternative?

Yes, for teams who want to deploy apps on hardware they control. Coolify is an open-source dashboard (Apache-2.0) that builds and runs apps, databases and other Docker services on your servers. Vercel is a hosted platform that builds and serves the project on its network. The operating model is the real difference.

Can I deploy a web app to Coolify the way I deploy to Vercel?

Coolify deploys from GitHub, GitLab, Bitbucket and Gitea, and it builds with Nixpacks, Railpack, a Dockerfile or Docker Compose, or from a prebuilt image. Vercel deploys from GitHub, GitLab, Bitbucket and Azure DevOps, with preview deployments for non-production branches and pull requests. Coolify also creates preview deployments on its four Git providers.

Does Coolify include a global CDN?

Coolify serves traffic from the servers you connect. Vercel includes a global delivery network and HTTPS certificates. Coolify issues Let's Encrypt certificates on your domains. A Cloudflare Tunnel guide is in the Coolify docs if you want to put Cloudflare in front of a server.

How does Coolify pricing compare with Vercel?

On 2026-10-19, Vercel Hobby was $0/month and a Pro developer seat was $20/month, with usage priced separately. Self-hosted Coolify was free. Coolify Cloud was $5/month for 2 servers plus $3/month per extra server, and you still pay the server provider. Check both pricing pages before you buy, because these numbers change.

Sources

Checked 2026-10-19, from public pages:

For a sourced matrix against other self-hosted tools, see Coolify vs Dokploy and the five-tool comparison.

Corrections

Vercel's plans and usage prices change often. If a row here is wrong, tell us at github.com/coollabsio/coolify.io/issues with a link to the current page, and we'll update the "last verified" date.