ArduMaker vs Dokploy
Orchestrate several servers yourself or get one ready and maintained?
Verdict
10–10 
Tie
They win the same number of criteria (2 each) and tie on 8: your use case decides.
Only criteria that resolve to yes, partial or no are counted. Price has no single winner: it depends on each case.
Comparison table
| Criterion | ArduMaker | Dokploy | Edge |
|---|---|---|---|
| Type of service | VPS with panel and MCP | Open source PaaS on Swarm | Depends |
| Starting price | From €5.00/month, flat | Free or Cloud from $4.50/month | Depends |
| Root and SSH | Yes | Yes | Tie |
| Server included | Yes | No | ArduMaker |
| Deploy from Git | Yes | Yes | Tie |
| Docker and one-click apps (n8n) | Yes | Yes | Tie |
| Databases | Yes | Yes | Tie |
| Automatic SSL | Yes | Yes | Tie |
| Backups | Yes | Yes | Tie |
| Teams and permissions | Yes | Yes | Tie |
| MCP and AI management | Yes | Yes | Tie |
| Panel maintenance | Yes | Depends on plan · Yours, except on Dokploy Cloud | ArduMaker |
| Open source | No | Partial · Apache 2.0 plus source-available parts | Dokploy |
| Start for free | Partial · Free tools, paid VPS | Yes | Dokploy |
Dokploy is an open source PaaS on Docker Swarm for the servers you connect. ArduMaker gives you the VPS and a running panel, with email, WordPress and MCP.
Quick summary
ArduMaker
- Who it is for: Developers and agencies who want to deploy without picking a provider, preparing a server or looking after a panel.
- Biggest strength: One account with the server, deploys, databases, email, DNS and a remote MCP server with human approval.
Dokploy
- Who it is for: Teams that already run servers, sometimes several, and want a free PaaS with Swarm clustering.
- Biggest strength: Self-hosting is free and complete, and Dokploy Cloud costs from $4.50 a month per server with the panel hosted.
The main difference: Dokploy orchestrates servers you bring; ArduMaker is the server and the orchestration in one managed service.
Last reviewed: 2026-10-17
Key differences
Orchestrator for your servers vs a managed server
Dokploy installs on a server (it asks for 2 GB of RAM and 30 GB of disk) and, from there or from Dokploy Cloud, sets up the servers you add over SSH with Docker, Traefik and a monitoring agent. On ArduMaker there is nothing to connect: the VPS comes with the panel and its services.
Local MCP with a key or remote MCP with OAuth
Dokploy's official MCP is a package you run on your machine with your instance URL and an API key, exposing its API endpoints. ArduMaker offers a remote MCP server: the agent signs in with OAuth and the platform asks for human approval on sensitive actions.
Swarm with several nodes vs one VPS per plan
Dokploy can spread services across a multi-node Docker Swarm cluster. ArduMaker manages each VPS separately, with no autoscaling: to grow you change plans or add another VPS.
What lives outside containers
Dokploy focuses on containerized apps, Compose stacks and databases. ArduMaker adds mailboxes on your domain, DNS zones and native WordPress with staging in the same account.
Pricing and costs
Dokploy's self-hosted edition is free; the real cost is the server you install it on plus any you add for apps. Dokploy Cloud charges $4.50 a month per server on Hobby, or $15 a month with 3 servers on Startup plus $4.50 per extra server, with 20% off yearly; Enterprise and Agency are custom. Servers and S3 storage for backups are always separate. ArduMaker charges a fixed plan with the VPS and the panel included.
| Item | ArduMaker | Dokploy |
|---|---|---|
| Entry plan | VPS with panel from €5.00/month | Self-hosted free or Cloud Hobby $4.50/month per server |
| Server | Included | Separate, from any provider reachable over SSH |
| Three servers | Three VPS plans | Cloud Startup $15/month, plus the three servers |
| Backups | Weekly full VPS backup, no destination to configure | Free, but you need your own S3 destination |
| SSO, audit logs and custom roles | Per-project roles included | On Enterprise editions, custom pricing |
Assumptions: Dokploy prices checked on October 17, 2026 at docs.dokploy.com, in US dollars, with no taxes stated. Server and S3 storage costs are not included. ArduMaker: list price of the entry plan.
Real-world scenarios
n8n in queue mode with workers
On ArduMaker: You install n8n with workers, PostgreSQL and Redis in one click from the VPS panel.
On Dokploy: You pick the n8n queue mode template, or the n8n with worker and runner one, and review images and variables before deploying.
Monorepo that deploys a single folder
On ArduMaker: You link a GitHub repo and branch, define phases and processes in the deploy document, and each push deploys with a domain and SSL.
On Dokploy: You connect GitHub and use watch paths so it only deploys when the app's folder changes.
Team with per-person permissions
On ArduMaker: Companies with admins and members, per-project roles and lists of who can see each VPS.
On Dokploy: Owner, Admin and Member with permissions assigned per member; per-project and per-environment access, SSO and audit logs on Enterprise.
An agent that deploys from the editor
On ArduMaker: Cursor or Claude connect to the remote MCP over OAuth, with no keys on the machine, and sensitive changes ask for approval.
On Dokploy: You install @dokploy/mcp with npx, set DOKPLOY_URL and DOKPLOY_API_KEY, and the agent calls the API with that key.
When Dokploy is the better fit
- You already have servers and want a free PaaS with no license fee.
- You need a multi-node Docker Swarm cluster.
- You want the panel off your servers for $4.50 a month each with Dokploy Cloud.
- You use GitLab, Bitbucket or Gitea as well as GitHub.
- Its catalog of hundreds of templates covers the self-hosted tools you need.
When ArduMaker is the better fit
- You'd rather not pick a provider or prepare the server yourself.
- You want full VPS backups without configuring an S3 destination.
- You need email on your domain, DNS and native WordPress next to your apps.
- You want an agent to work over OAuth with human approval, without storing API keys on the machine.
- You don't want to update or back up the panel.
How to migrate from Dokploy to ArduMaker
Dokploy keeps apps, Compose stacks and databases in containers, so migrating means moving code, variables and data. Keep Dokploy running until the new VPS responds correctly.
- List what's running: For each project and environment, note the applications, Compose services, databases, domains, named volumes and scheduled jobs.
- Choose the plan: Create an ArduMaker VPS with the RAM and disk your Dokploy services add up to today.
- Bring the variables: Copy each application's and Compose stack's environment variables and save them in each app's deploy configuration.
- Export the databases: Take a backup from Dokploy's Backups tab or a direct dump, create the database on ArduMaker and restore it. For Redis, export its RDB file if it holds data.
- Redeploy: Link the GitHub repos with their branch; Compose stacks and images install as Docker apps.
- Move the volumes: Use a Dokploy volume backup or a tar of the volume and upload it over SSH to the app's data path.
- Point the domains: Lower the TTL, switch the DNS records to the ArduMaker VPS and publish each domain to issue its certificate.
- Check and keep a way back: Review logs, jobs and webhooks. If something fails, point DNS back to your Dokploy server; shut it down once everything works.
Frequently asked questions
Is Dokploy free?
The self-hosted edition is free and needs no license. Dokploy Cloud, with the panel hosted for you, starts at $4.50 a month per server, and features like SSO, audit logs and custom roles are in the Enterprise editions.
How much does Dokploy Cloud cost?
Hobby is $4.50 a month per server and Startup is $15 a month with 3 servers included and $4.50 per extra server, with 20% off yearly. Servers are not included: you connect them from any provider.
What are Dokploy's requirements?
Its docs ask for at least 2 GB of RAM and 30 GB of disk, with ports 80, 443 and 3000 free. The script initializes Docker Swarm, creates the internal network and starts Dokploy, its PostgreSQL and Traefik.
Does Dokploy have an MCP server?
Yes, the official @dokploy/mcp package exposes its API as tools and runs on your machine with the instance URL and an API key. On ArduMaker the MCP server is remote, with OAuth and human approval.
Can I install Dokploy inside an ArduMaker VPS?
It's not verified. Dokploy needs Docker Swarm and ports 80, 443 and 3000 free, and an ArduMaker VPS is a system container with its own nginx and Docker in userns-remap mode. For your apps, the intended path is the panel's deploys and Docker apps.
Dokploy or Coolify?
Both are self-hosted open source PaaS tools with a cloud version and servers you bring. Dokploy builds on Docker Swarm and its Cloud charges per server from $4.50; Coolify Cloud starts at $5 a month with 2 servers. If you don't want to bring servers, ArduMaker includes the VPS.
Sources
Dokploy data checked on 2026-10-17 on its official pages. Prices change: confirm them before deciding. Logos belong to their owners and are shown only to identify each service.
- Dokploy Docs: Dokploy Cloud y precios
- Dokploy: cambio de licencia (Apache 2.0 y licencia source available)
- Dokploy Docs: instalación y requisitos
- Dokploy Docs: proveedores de Git
- Dokploy Docs: copias de seguridad
- Dokploy Docs: permisos y roles
- Dokploy en GitHub: paquete MCP oficial
- Dokploy Docs: plantilla de n8n con worker y runner