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Cloud · head to head

Dokku vs OVHcloud

Dokku logo

Dokku

Cloud

Single-server platform that accepts a git push and runs Heroku buildpacks on Docker

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
OVHcloud logo

OVHcloud

Cloud

Advanced cloud services for businesses

From
€3.5/month
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Only Dokku has a free tier, so it costs nothing to try first.
  • Each has a real cost: Dokku one maintainer accounts for nearly all human commit activity and the project records roughly 10,500 US dollars of annual income on Open Collective, which is not enough to fund a maintainer, so continuity rests on one person continuing to volunteer.; OVHcloud public Cloud pricing table lists a scheduled price change with a column labeled Price on April 1, 2026, showing current rates are promotional and set to change on that date
  • They diverge on capability: Dokku covers Git push deploy, OVHcloud covers Public Cloud.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 31 August 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Dokku and OVHcloud actually diverge.

Attributes where Dokku and OVHcloud differ
AttributeDokkuOVHcloud
Starting priceFree€3.5/month
Pricing modelOpen source, no licence feesubscription
Free tierYesNo
PlatformsLinux, Docker, CLI, Self-hostedLinux, Windows, Api, Cli
FoundedUnknown1999

Identical on both: user rating (Not yet rated), category (Cloud).

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 Dokku

  • Git push deploy
  • Heroku buildpacks
  • Datastore plugins
  • Automatic certificates
  • Zero downtime deploys
  • Pluggable schedulers

Only in OVHcloud

  • Public Cloud
  • Private Cloud
  • Bare Metal Servers
  • Managed Kubernetes
  • Object Storage
  • Block Storage
  • Load Balancers
  • Databases

What people use each for

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

Dokku

  • Running a dozen side projects and client applications on one virtual private server with Heroku style deploymentnot OVHcloud
  • Moving off a managed platform when the monthly bill has grown faster than the traffic hasnot OVHcloud
  • A consultancy that wants buildpack deployments without teaching every client team Kubernetesnot OVHcloud
  • Keeping a legacy Procfile application alive on hardware you control after a managed platform deprecates its stacknot OVHcloud

OVHcloud

  • Managed Kubernetes container orchestration for cloud-native applicationsnot Dokku
  • Virtual machine instances with customizable CPU, RAM, and IOPSnot Dokku
  • Object storage with S3-compatible API for scalable data archivalnot Dokku
  • Managed databases including PostgreSQL, MySQL, MongoDB, and ClickHousenot Dokku
  • Private network connectivity with vRack for multi-AZ isolationnot Dokku

Where each one falls short

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

Dokku

  • One maintainer accounts for nearly all human commit activity and the project records roughly 10,500 US dollars of annual income on Open Collective, which is not enough to fund a maintainer, so continuity rests on one person continuing to volunteer.
  • Dokku Pro asks 849 US dollars for a lifetime licence from a project with no disclosed legal entity behind the promise and no published refund terms, while the product is still described as in development at early bird pricing.
  • Dokku is single-server by design, and the k3s scheduler that provides multi-node support is missing log retrieval, process inspection and content-based health checks, with a post-run hook the documentation says does not consistently fire.
  • Supported operating systems are limited to Ubuntu 22.04 or 24.04 and Debian 11 or later, so organisations standardised on Red Hat, Rocky or Alma Linux cannot run it on their approved base image.
  • Backups are separate commands per datastore plugin that you schedule yourself, with no unified snapshot, no point-in-time recovery and no tested restore path, so verifying that a restore works is entirely your responsibility.

OVHcloud

  • Public Cloud pricing table lists a scheduled price change with a column labeled Price on April 1, 2026, showing current rates are promotional and set to change on that date
  • Free network traffic and free Object Storage API calls exclude the Asia-Pacific region

Pricing, plan by plan

Dokku

Free
  • DokkuFree
    • MIT licensed, no usage limits
    • Command line and SSH only
    • All datastore and certificate plugins
  • Dokku Pro$849/one-time
    • Lifetime licence with free upgrades and no subscription
    • Covers 1 production and 2 pre-production servers
    • Web dashboard and JSON REST API

OVHcloud

€3.5/month
  • Public Cloud Starter$3.5/month
    • 1 vCPU
    • 1 GB RAM
    • 10 GB storage
  • Bare Metal$49/month
    • Dedicated hardware
    • High performance
    • Full control

Which should you pick?

Choose Dokku if

  • You need git push deploy.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Linux, Docker, CLI, Self-hosted.
  • You also want heroku buildpacks.
Dokku review

Choose OVHcloud if

  • You need public cloud.
  • You work on Linux, Windows, Api, Cli.
  • You also want private cloud.
OVHcloud review

Questions people ask

Is Dokku or OVHcloud better?
Neither clearly leads. Dokku starts at Free and OVHcloud at €3.5/month, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Dokku or OVHcloud?
Dokku has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at Free for Dokku and €3.5/month for OVHcloud.
Does Dokku or OVHcloud run on more platforms?
Dokku runs on Linux, Docker, CLI, Self-hosted. OVHcloud runs on Linux, Windows, Api, Cli.
Can I use Dokku for free?
Yes. Dokku has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. OVHcloud starts at €3.5/month.
What is Dokku best used for?
Dokku is most often used for running a dozen side projects and client applications on one virtual private server with heroku style deployment, moving off a managed platform when the monthly bill has grown faster than the traffic has, a consultancy that wants buildpack deployments without teaching every client team kubernetes, keeping a legacy procfile application alive on hardware you control after a managed platform deprecates its stack. Of those, running a dozen side projects and client applications on one virtual private server with heroku style deployment and moving off a managed platform when the monthly bill has grown faster than the traffic has are not what OVHcloud is typically brought in for.
What can Dokku do that OVHcloud cannot?
Dokku covers Git push deploy, Heroku buildpacks, Datastore plugins, Automatic certificates. OVHcloud covers Public Cloud, Private Cloud, Bare Metal Servers, Managed Kubernetes.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Dokku: Is Dokku still maintained?

Yes. Version 0.38.27 shipped in August 2026 with roughly six releases in the preceding two months. The caveat is that one maintainer writes nearly all of it.

OVHcloud: How does OVHcloud charge for cloud services?

OVHcloud offers pay-as-you-go pricing for compute, storage, and bandwidth. Specific per-unit costs are accessed through the pricing calculator on the vendor site.

Source
Dokku: What does Dokku Pro give me over the free edition?

A web dashboard, a JSON REST API, git push over HTTPS, browser log tailing, team management and email support from the maintainers. It costs 849 US dollars once for one production and two pre-production servers.

OVHcloud: Are there savings plans for OVHcloud services?

OVHcloud mentions savings plan options on its services pages, but pricing discounts and commitment terms are not detailed on the homepage.

Source
Dokku: Can Dokku run across multiple servers?

Only through the k3s or Nomad schedulers. The k3s path is missing several commands and health check types, and the older Kubernetes scheduler is deprecated and no longer developed.

OVHcloud: What is the cost of OVHcloud zero inter-AZ fees?

OVHcloud advertises zero inter-AZ (availability zone) fees for data transfers within its network. Monthly subscription rates for individual services are not published on the vendor homepage.

Source
Dokku: Will my Heroku application run on it unchanged?

Usually. Dokku runs the same buildpacks and reads a Procfile, so the application layer normally moves across. Add-ons, scaling behaviour and backups are the parts you have to rebuild.

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