Serversinc vs Laravel Forge
Looking for a Laravel Forge alternative? Serversinc gives you a modern, app-centric platform to manage your own servers and Dockerized apps with ease.
What is Laravel Forge?
Laravel Forge is a server provisioning tool designed for PHP developers. It automates VPS setup, security hardening, and Laravel deployments on providers like DigitalOcean or Linode. While it's great for Laravel apps and server configuration, it lacks full app lifecycle management, container support, and modern CI/CD tooling out of the box.
Best for:
- Developers deploying primarily Laravel or PHP apps.
- Teams that want to automate server provisioning and config.
- Users comfortable managing SSH, deployments, and scaling manually.
- Developers who want infrastructure control without using Docker.
What is Serversinc?
Serversinc is a SaaS platform for deploying and managing Dockerized applications on your own VPS. It provides a modern dashboard, Git-based deploys, logging, auto HTTPS via Traefik, and full server control — all without the need to manage provisioning scripts or handle raw infrastructure setup.
Best for:
- Freelancers and indie developers running apps in Docker, not just PHP.
- Agencies managing multiple client projects across VPS instances.
- Teams looking for modern CI/CD flows, deploy hooks, and container lifecycle management.
- Developers who prefer an application-first interface over raw provisioning tools.
Feature Comparison
| Feature | Serversinc | Laravel Forge |
|---|---|---|
| Hosting | Self-owned VPS via Serversinc dashboard | Self-owned VPS via manual setup or provisioning |
| Provisioning | Provisioned via the dashboard | Provisioned via Forge scripts (LAMP/LEMP stacks) |
| App Support | Any Dockerized app | Primarily Laravel/PHP apps |
| CI/CD | Deploy hooks, GitHub Actions, CLI | Git deploys, manual scripts |
| Logs & Monitoring | Dashboard logging & alerts | Basic logs via dashboard |
| Reverse Proxy & HTTPS | Traefik with automatic HTTPS | Nginx + LetsEncrypt |
| Pricing | £9/mo SaaS fee + VPS (~£3.60) | $12/mo per server or $19/mo unlimited |
| Container Support | Yes, Docker-native | No, manual Docker setups unsupported |
| Migration Flexibility | No lock-in, app-centric Docker workflow | Tied to Forge’s LEMP/LAMP provisioning model |
When to Use Each Platform
Use Serversinc if…
- You want to deploy any kind of app in Docker, not just Laravel or PHP.
- You want a central dashboard to manage apps across servers.
- You don’t want to manage VPS provisioning scripts or server-level config.
- You need modern features like auto HTTPS, CI/CD, and logging built-in.
Use Laravel Forge if…
- You build primarily in Laravel and want quick Laravel-optimized server setup.
- You prefer full access to the VPS and like to customize nginx, supervisor, etc.
- You’re comfortable managing deployments and updates manually.
- You don’t need app-level orchestration or container support.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Serversinc an alternative to Laravel Forge?
Yes, while Forge focuses on server setup for Laravel, Serversinc focuses on app deployment and management across any Docker-compatible stack.
Can I deploy Laravel apps on Serversinc?
Absolutely, as long as your Laravel app runs in a Docker container, it works with Serversinc.
Does Serversinc provision servers like Forge does?
No, you bring your own VPS. Serversinc installs a lightweight agent to manage deployments and reverse proxy setup.
What languages and frameworks does Serversinc support?
Any, as long as your app runs in Docker, it can be deployed via Serversinc.
Try Serversinc — A flexible alternative to Laravel Forge
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