CapRover

✓ Verified FOSSApache-2.0

Top open-source alternative to Heroku

CapRover turns any $5 Linux VPS into your own automated PaaS with a 1-click app marketplace (WordPress, Postgres, Plausible, MinIO), automatic Let's Encrypt SSL certificates, and Nginx load balancing.

Tech StackTypeScript, Node.js, React, Docker Swarm, Nginx

Self-Host DifficultyEasy

License ModelApache-2.0

GitHub Repositorycaprover/caprover

Recommended VPS & Hardware Sizing

Estimated Hosting: $4 - $6/mo (e.g. Hetzner CX22 or DigitalOcean)

Min RAM:1 GB

Rec RAM:2 GB

Compute:1 vCPU

Disk Space:10 GB SSD

CapRover vs Heroku Comparison Matrix

Evaluation Criteria	CapRover (Open Source)	Heroku (Proprietary)
Subscription Model	100% Free Self-Hosted (Unlimited Users)	Heroku Per-Seat / Usage Billing
Data Sovereignty	100% On-Premise / Your Own VPS	Stored on Heroku Proprietary Cloud
Source Code Audit	Open-Source (Apache-2.0)	Closed-Source Proprietary Blackbox

INTERACTIVE TCO MODELEstimated Rate: $129/user/mo

Financial Impact: Migrating from Heroku to Self-Hosted CapRover

Detailed Stack Calculator →

Active Team Members / Seats: 25 Users

5 Users (Early Startup)50 Users (Scaleup)200 Users (Enterprise Org)

Heroku (Cloud SaaS)Per-Seat Tax

$38,700per year ($3,225/mo)

3-Year Spend:$116,100

* Excludes enterprise SSO add-ons & usage overages

CapRover (Self-Hosted)Zero Per-Seat Fee

$120per year ($10/mo Linux VPS)

3-Year Compute:$360

* Commodity Hetzner / DigitalOcean compute instance

Cumulative 3-Year ROI+$115,740Net savings across 36 months (100% reduction)

Annual Free Cash:+$38,580/yr

Need C-Level Buy-In? Generate an instant ROI proposal memo to present to your CTO or CFO.

HEAD-TO-HEAD BATTLES // SIDE-BY-SIDE AUDIT

Compare CapRover Head-to-Head

Custom Comparison Engine →

★ PRIMARY REPLACEMENTFOSS vs SaaS

CapRovervs

Heroku

Comprehensive benchmark comparing CapRover against proprietary Heroku licensing and features.

View Full Battle Report→

Core Capabilities & Features

✓200+ 1-Click App Marketplace Templates

✓Automatic Let's Encrypt Wildcard SSL

✓CLI & Git Webhook Deployment

✓Zero Lock-In Standard Docker Containers

Self-Host CapRover with Docker Compose

Tweak configuration ports, secrets, and volumes live. Download or copy your ready-to-run container file:

1-Click Docker Compose Generator

Generate production-ready container definitions with customizable ports and volumes.

Select Open-Source Project:

CapRoverApache-2.0

Automated scalable PaaS and app/database deployment manager

Difficulty: Easy15,185 ⭐

Configure Parameters

Host Port (PORT)

Public Base URL (APP_URL)

Application Secret Key (SECRET_KEY)

docker-compose.caprover.yml

version: "3.8"
services:
  caprover:
    image: caprover/caprover:latest
    container_name: caprover
    restart: unless-stopped
    ports:
      - "${PORT:-3000}:3000"
    environment:
      APP_URL: "${APP_URL:-http://localhost:3000}"
      SECRET_KEY: "${SECRET_KEY:-ossmatrix_prod_secret_2026}"
    volumes:
      - caprover_data:/data

volumes:
  caprover_data:

Frequently Asked Questions: Self-Hosting CapRover

How do I self-host CapRover using Docker Compose?

You can deploy CapRover (caprover/caprover) on any Linux server by copying the docker-compose.yml template on this page, configuring your desired host port and persistent volume directory, and running 'docker compose up -d'.

How does CapRover compare to Heroku?

CapRover is an open-source, self-hosted alternative to Heroku built with TypeScript, Node.js, React, Docker Swarm, Nginx. Unlike Heroku ($7 - $250+ / dyno / month), CapRover has zero per-user licensing fees and keeps 100% of your data on your own infrastructure.

What are the minimum VPS RAM and CPU requirements for CapRover?

For production self-hosting (Easy difficulty tier), we recommend at least 2 GB RAM (minimum 1 GB), 1 vCPU, and 10 GB SSD storage, which typically costs $4 - $6/mo (e.g. Hetzner CX22 or DigitalOcean).

Is CapRover free for commercial business use under the Apache-2.0 license?

Yes. Distributed under the Apache-2.0 license, CapRover can be self-hosted internally by businesses and engineering teams of any size without per-seat royalties.

README INTEGRATION // REPO EMBED

Embed Official CapRover Badge in GitHub README

Served locally from OSSMatrix with Cloudflare global edge caching. Real-time verified alternative status, zero third-party dependencies, sub-5ms load time.

Live Preview:

Markdown Embed (GitHub / GitLab)

[![OSSMatrix Alternative](https://ossmatrix.com/api/badge/caprover)](https://ossmatrix.com/project/caprover)

HTML Embed (Docs / Landing Pages)

<a href="https://ossmatrix.com/project/caprover" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"><img src="https://ossmatrix.com/api/badge/caprover" alt="CapRover on OSSMatrix" /></a>

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