Cloud · head to head
Dokku vs Render
Dokku
Cloud
Single-server platform that accepts a git push and runs Heroku buildpacks on Docker
- From
- Free
- Rated
- -
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.; Render the free Hobby workspace is limited to 25 services and 5 GB of bandwidth
- They diverge on capability: Dokku covers Git push deploy, Render covers Web services.
- Prices and features above were last checked on 31 August 2026.
Where they differ
Only the attributes on which Dokku and Render actually diverge.
Identical on both: starting price (Free), free tier (Yes), 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 Render
- Web services
- Static sites
- Background workers
- Postgres database
- Redis database
- Scheduled jobs
- Environment variables
- Custom domains
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 Render
- Moving off a managed platform when the monthly bill has grown faster than the traffic hasnot Render
- A consultancy that wants buildpack deployments without teaching every client team Kubernetesnot Render
- Keeping a legacy Procfile application alive on hardware you control after a managed platform deprecates its stacknot Render
Render
- Deploying web services, static sites and cron jobs from a Git repository without managing serversnot Dokku
- Running managed Postgres and Redis alongside application servicesnot Dokku
- Preview environments per pull request for small teamsnot 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.
Render
- The free Hobby workspace is limited to 25 services and 5 GB of bandwidth
- Every paid plan charges the workspace fee plus compute on top, so $25 per month for Pro is a floor rather than a total
- SAML SSO and SCIM require the Scale plan at $499 per month
- HIPAA-compliant workspaces, inbound IP rules and advanced RBAC roles are Scale plan features
- Organization-level audit logs require Scale; Pro provides only workspace audit logs
- Contractual uptime SLAs, support response SLAs and a technical account manager are Enterprise only, and Enterprise is custom priced with no published rate
- Included bandwidth is 25 GB on Pro and 1 TB on Scale, with usage beyond that billed separately
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
Render
Free- FreeFree
- 1 web service
- 1 static site
- Shared CPU
- Starter$7/month
- Unlimited services
- Dedicated CPU
- 2GB RAM
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.
Choose Render if
- You need web services.
- You want to start without paying.
- You work on Web, Api.
- You also want static sites.
Questions people ask
- Is Dokku or Render better?
- Neither clearly leads. Dokku starts at Free and Render at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
- Which is cheaper, Dokku or Render?
- Dokku starts at Free and Render at Free.
- Does Dokku or Render run on more platforms?
- Dokku runs on Linux, Docker, CLI, Self-hosted. Render runs on Web, Api.
- 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 Render is typically brought in for.
- What can Dokku do that Render cannot?
- Dokku covers Git push deploy, Heroku buildpacks, Datastore plugins, Automatic certificates. Render covers Web services, Static sites, Background workers, Postgres database.
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.
Render: What is Render's pricing?
Render's pricing details are not disclosed on the public pricing page. The site references workspace plans, compute services, and features but does not display specific costs. Users must visit the pricing page directly or contact Render for detailed information.
SourceDokku: 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.
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.
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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