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Developer Tools · head to head

Depot vs Laravel

Depot logo

Depot

Developer Tools

Cloud-based builds and CI runs 55x faster with less cost

From
Free
Free plan
Yes
Full reviewWebsite
Laravel logo

Laravel

Web Development

The PHP framework for web artisans

From
Free
Free plan
Yes
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Each has a real cost: Depot developer plan minute limits may be insufficient for active development; Laravel performance overhead from abstractions, middleware pipeline, and multiple layers can slow applications compared to minimal frameworks
  • They diverge on capability: Depot covers Depot CI, Laravel covers Eloquent ORM.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 30 August 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Depot and Laravel actually diverge.

Attributes where Depot and Laravel differ
AttributeDepotLaravel
Pricing modelUnknownfreemium
PlatformsCloud, GitHub, CLIWeb, CLI
CategoryDeveloper ToolsWeb Development
Founded20222011

Identical on both: starting price (Free), free tier (Yes), user rating (Not yet rated).

What each one covers

Drawn from each product's published feature list. An absence here means we hold no record of it - not that the product lacks it.

Only in Depot

  • Depot CI
  • Container builds
  • GitHub Actions runners
  • Distributed caching
  • Build API
  • Depot Registry
  • Cross-platform builds
  • SSH debugging

Only in Laravel

  • Eloquent ORM
  • Artisan CLI
  • Blade templating
  • Middleware
  • Authentication
  • Caching
  • Queue system
  • Event broadcasting

What people use each for

The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.

Depot

  • Accelerating Docker builds for container-based developmentnot Laravel
  • Replacing GitHub Actions runners with faster infrastructurenot Laravel
  • Distributing cache across Monorepo buildsnot Laravel
  • Debugging failed CI builds interactively with SSHnot Laravel

Laravel

  • Web application developmentnot Depot
  • API developmentnot Depot
  • E-commerce platformsnot Depot
  • Content managementnot Depot
  • Enterprise applicationsnot Depot

Where each one falls short

Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.

Depot

  • Developer plan minute limits may be insufficient for active development
  • Startup plan at $200/mo is expensive for smaller teams
  • Business plan requires custom pricing consultation
  • macOS M2 runners not available on Developer plan

Laravel

  • Performance overhead from abstractions, middleware pipeline, and multiple layers can slow applications compared to minimal frameworks
  • Dependency management is complex with many interdependent packages requiring careful version coordination

Pricing, plan by plan

Depot

Free
  • Developer$20/month
    • 1 user
    • 500 Docker build minutes per month
    • 2,000 Depot CI minutes per month
  • Startup$200/month
    • Unlimited users
    • 5,000 Docker build minutes per month
    • 20,000 Depot CI minutes per month
  • Business$undefined/custom
    • Custom pricing
    • Unlimited users
    • Custom monthly compute

Laravel

Free
  • Open SourceFree
    • Full framework
    • Artisan CLI
    • Eloquent ORM
  • Laravel Forge$12/month
    • Server management
    • Deployment automation
    • SSL certificates
  • Laravel Vapor$39/month
    • Serverless deployment
    • Auto-scaling
    • AWS integration

Which should you pick?

Choose Depot if

  • You need depot ci.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Cloud, GitHub, CLI.
  • You also want container builds.
Depot review

Choose Laravel if

  • You need eloquent orm.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Web, CLI.
  • You also want artisan cli.
Laravel review

Questions people ask

Is Depot or Laravel better?
Neither clearly leads. Depot starts at Free and Laravel at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Depot or Laravel?
Depot starts at Free and Laravel at Free.
Does Depot or Laravel run on more platforms?
Depot runs on Cloud, GitHub, CLI. Laravel runs on Web, CLI.
Can I use Depot for free?
Both have a free tier, so you can try either at no cost before committing.
What is Depot best used for?
Depot is most often used for accelerating docker builds for container-based development, replacing github actions runners with faster infrastructure, distributing cache across monorepo builds, debugging failed ci builds interactively with ssh. Of those, accelerating docker builds for container-based development and replacing github actions runners with faster infrastructure are not what Laravel is typically brought in for.
What can Depot do that Laravel cannot?
Depot covers Depot CI, Container builds, GitHub Actions runners, Distributed caching. Laravel covers Eloquent ORM, Artisan CLI, Blade templating, Middleware.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Depot: How much faster are Depot runners compared to GitHub Actions?

Depot runners offer 30% faster CPUs and 10x faster networking than standard GitHub-hosted runners, enabling builds to complete significantly faster.

Source
Laravel: Is Laravel free and open source?

Yes, Laravel is completely free and open source under the MIT License. You can use, modify, and distribute it without restrictions.

Source
Depot: What is included in the Developer plan?

Developer plan ($20/month) includes 500 Docker build minutes, 2,000 Depot CI minutes, 2,000 GitHub Actions minutes, 25 GB storage, unlimited concurrency, and community support.

Source
Laravel: What are the key features Laravel provides?

Laravel includes an ORM (Eloquent), database migrations, authentication, authorization, caching, queues, email, testing, and deployment tools. It supports multiple databases and provides starter kits for full-stack and API development.

Source
Depot: Can I use Depot with my own AWS account?

Yes, Depot Managed allows deployment within customer AWS accounts. This is available to interested customers; contact sales for details.

Source
Laravel: Can I deploy Laravel on any server?

Yes, Laravel can be deployed on any PHP server. You can use shared hosting, VPS, or managed platforms like Laravel Cloud, which starts at $5/month with auto-scaling and git-like branching.

Source
Laravel: Does Laravel have testing and local development tools?

Yes, Laravel includes Dusk for browser testing, PHPUnit for unit tests, and Herd (free for basic use) for local development environments with built-in PHP, Composer, and Nginx support.

Source
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