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Dokku vs Radix UI

Dokku logo

Dokku

Cloud

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

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Radix UI logo

Radix UI

Web Development

Unstyled, accessible React component primitives

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • 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.; Radix UI you write all the styling, so time to a finished interface is much longer than with a styled library
  • They diverge on capability: Dokku covers Git push deploy, Radix UI covers Unstyled primitives.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 31 August 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Dokku and Radix UI actually diverge.

Attributes where Dokku and Radix UI differ
AttributeDokkuRadix UI
PlatformsLinux, Docker, CLI, Self-hostedWeb
CategoryCloudWeb Development

Identical on both: starting price (Free), pricing model (Open source, no licence fee), 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 Dokku

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

Only in Radix UI

  • Unstyled primitives
  • Accessibility built in
  • Composable API
  • Controlled or uncontrolled

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 Radix UI
  • Moving off a managed platform when the monthly bill has grown faster than the traffic hasnot Radix UI
  • A consultancy that wants buildpack deployments without teaching every client team Kubernetesnot Radix UI
  • Keeping a legacy Procfile application alive on hardware you control after a managed platform deprecates its stacknot Radix UI

Radix UI

  • Design systems that need correct accessibility without inherited visual opinionsnot Dokku
  • Replacing hand-built dropdowns and dialogs that have accessibility bugsnot Dokku
  • Teams with a designer whose output should not be constrained by a library’s themenot 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.

Radix UI

  • You write all the styling, so time to a finished interface is much longer than with a styled library
  • Composable part-based APIs are more verbose than a single component with props
  • Covers primitives rather than complex widgets, so data grids and date pickers come from elsewhere

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

Radix UI

Free
  • Radix UIFree
    • Full functionality
    • Commercial use permitted
    • Community support

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 Radix UI if

  • You need unstyled primitives.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You also want accessibility built in.
Radix UI review

Questions people ask

Is Dokku or Radix UI better?
Neither clearly leads. Dokku starts at Free and Radix UI at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Dokku or Radix UI?
Dokku starts at Free and Radix UI at Free.
Does Dokku or Radix UI run on more platforms?
Dokku runs on Linux, Docker, CLI, Self-hosted. Radix UI runs on Web.
Can I use Dokku for free?
Both have a free tier, so you can try either at no cost before committing.
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 Radix UI is typically brought in for.
What can Dokku do that Radix UI cannot?
Dokku covers Git push deploy, Heroku buildpacks, Datastore plugins, Automatic certificates. Radix UI covers Unstyled primitives, Accessibility built in, Composable API, Controlled or uncontrolled.

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.

Radix UI: Is Radix UI free?

Yes, open source under the MIT licence.

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.

Radix UI: Why use unstyled components?

Because accessibility is the hard part and visual design is the part teams want to own. Radix gives the first and stays out of the second.

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.

Radix UI: What is the relationship with shadcn/ui?

shadcn/ui is built on Radix primitives, adding Tailwind styling and copy-paste distribution on top.

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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