Ploi alternative for agencies and mixed stack teams
Ploi is an inexpensive, well-built server panel for PHP and Laravel. Agencies look for a Ploi alternative when client work spreads across Node.js, Next.js, Python or Go, and when they need team roles, an audit log and zero-downtime releases for every app. Deployment manages every stack from one panel on servers in your own cloud account, with zero-downtime releases from Starter and team roles with an audit log from Team.
$ deployment plan
Paste a repository and get a deploy plan
Your servers stay in your own cloud account. No card needed for the demo.
$ deployment plan
Building your deploy plan
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$ deployment plan
Detected stack
Recommended server
Packages
Web server config
Processes
Deploy script
Create your account to see the full script and connect a server
$ deployment plan
Private repository or no stack found
Deployment and Ploi side by side
Both products keep your apps on servers you rent directly from a cloud provider, and both run the control panel as a hosted service. Ploi wins on price per server. Deployment wins on stack coverage and on what the entry plan includes. The Ploi figures below come from its public pricing and features pages; check them for the latest numbers before you decide.
| Deployment | Ploi | |
|---|---|---|
| Monthly price | 49, 199, 499 or 1 499 USD, half price billed yearly | Free, 10, 16 or 36 USD, 10 percent off billed yearly |
| Servers per plan | Starter 3, Team 15, Agency 60, Enterprise 250 | Free 1, Basic 5, Pro 10, Unlimited without a cap |
| Sites | 15 on Starter, 100 on Team, unlimited on Agency and up | 1 on Free, unlimited on paid plans |
| Native stacks | PHP, Node.js, Next.js, Python, Ruby on Rails, Go, Java, .NET, static sites and Docker | PHP and Laravel first, one-click WordPress, Statamic, Craft CMS and OctoberCMS, Node.js support and a Docker server type |
| Zero-downtime releases | Every plan, with a health check before the switch | Pro (16 USD) and Unlimited |
| Rollback | One click to any kept release | Check their current documentation |
| Team management | Roles, per-server access and an audit log from Team. 1 member on Starter, 10 on Team, 30 on Agency | Unlimited plan only (36 USD) |
| Backups | Database and file backups to your own S3-compatible storage on every plan | Automatic database and file backups on Pro and Unlimited |
| Monitoring | Uptime checks on every plan, 5 on Starter and 50 every minute on Team | Server monitoring on Pro, site monitoring on Unlimited |
| API | REST API with scoped tokens and outgoing webhooks on every plan | Basic and up, 60 to 240 requests a minute by plan |
| Best for | Agencies and product teams with several languages and several people deploying | PHP and Laravel developers who want the lowest monthly fee |
Why agencies outgrow Ploi
It usually happens in the same order. First a client wants a decoupled front end, then a second developer needs access, then a release goes wrong on a Friday.
Client work in more than one language
A Laravel API with a Next.js storefront is now an ordinary agency project, and plenty of clients add a Python service for imports or reporting. Ploi handles the Laravel half well. The rest tends to live in hand-written process files that nobody else on the team wants to touch. Deployment detects each repository and gives every app the same build, release, log and rollback view. See Next.js deployment on your own server and Django deployment with workers.
Team roles and a client audit trail
On Ploi, team management sits on the Unlimited plan. On Deployment the Team, Agency and Enterprise plans have owner, admin, developer and viewer roles, per-server access and an audit log of every deploy, environment change and server action. That last part matters when a client asks who pushed to their production box and when. Team includes 10 members and Agency 30, with plan details on PaaS pricing.
Safe releases for every app
Each Deployment release builds in a new folder, passes a health check and only then takes traffic through an atomic symlink or container swap. A failed check leaves the old release serving, and rollback to any kept release is one click. It works the same for PHP-FPM, Node, Gunicorn, Puma, a Go binary or a .NET service. More on zero downtime deployment.
What an agency of eight actually pays
Take a typical US web agency: eight people who deploy, 12 client servers, a mix of Laravel, WordPress, two Next.js front ends and one FastAPI service. Here is the panel bill only. Cloud servers cost the same with either tool, because they stay in your own account.
| Ploi | Deployment | |
|---|---|---|
| Plan you need | Unlimited, because team management is only there | Team (15 servers, 100 sites, 10 members) |
| Monthly billing | 36 USD | 199 USD |
| Yearly billing, per month | 32.40 USD | 99.50 USD |
| Next.js and FastAPI apps | Set up and kept running by your team | Detected and deployed like the PHP apps |
| Audit log of deploys | Check their current documentation | Included |
Ploi is clearly cheaper, by about 67 USD a month on yearly billing in this example. The question is whether that gap pays for the hours your team spends on the two Next.js apps and the Python service by hand. At a blended agency rate, one or two hours a month usually covers it. If every app were PHP, it would not, and we would say stay on Ploi.
When Ploi is the better choice
Ploi is a very good panel, and for many developers it is the right one. If you are a solo Laravel developer, if every client site is WordPress or Statamic, or if you run fewer than ten servers and deploy alone, Ploi Pro at 16 USD a month gives you zero-downtime releases, backups and server monitoring for a fraction of what we charge. Its one-click installers for PHP CMSs are polished, and the Free plan is enough to test it on a single site.
Deployment is priced for teams where several people deploy, where clients ask for an audit trail, and where at least some of the code is not PHP. That is a smaller group of buyers, and we would rather you choose the cheaper tool if you are not in it.
How to switch from Ploi without downtime
Move one client at a time. Ploi keeps serving every site until its DNS points somewhere else, so nobody notices the move.
1. Start on a clean server
Create a server from your DigitalOcean, Hetzner, AWS or Vultr account in Deployment, or connect a fresh Ubuntu or Debian box over SSH. A clean machine avoids clashes with the old panel's nginx layout and agent.
2. Add the repositories
Connect GitHub, GitLab or Bitbucket and add each app. Deployment detects the stack and proposes the runtime, build steps and release script, which you can edit before the first deploy.
3. Move environment and data
Paste environment variables into the encrypted environment for each site and review the diff. Export each MySQL, MariaDB or PostgreSQL database, import it, and point backups at your own S3-compatible bucket.
4. Test, switch DNS, retire
Deploy to a temporary domain and test. Point DNS at the new server and Deployment issues the Let's Encrypt certificate as soon as the domain resolves. Cancel the old plan once the last site has moved.
Still comparing panels? We wrote the same honest breakdown for the RunCloud alternative and the Laravel Forge alternative, and the price detail for Forge is in our Laravel Forge pricing breakdown. For the panel itself, start with the server control panel overview.
Ploi alternative questions
What is the best alternative to Ploi?
For a PHP and Laravel shop, Laravel Forge and RunCloud are the closest alternatives to Ploi at a similar price. For an agency or product team that also ships Node.js, Next.js, Python, Ruby, Go, Java or .NET apps, Deployment manages all of them from one panel on servers you own, with zero-downtime releases on every plan and team roles with an audit log from the Team plan.
How much does Ploi cost?
Ploi's pricing page lists a Free plan for 1 server and 1 site, Basic at 10 USD a month for 5 servers, Pro at 16 USD for 10 servers and Unlimited at 36 USD for unlimited servers. Yearly billing takes 10 percent off. Servers are billed separately by your cloud provider.
Does Ploi support zero downtime deployment?
Yes, from the Pro plan at 16 USD a month. Ploi's Free and Basic plans do not include zero-downtime deployment. Pro also adds automatic database and file backups and server monitoring, while team management and site monitoring are only on Unlimited.
Does Ploi support Node.js?
Ploi lists Node.js support and offers a separate Docker server type, but its tooling and one-click apps center on PHP: Laravel, WordPress, Statamic, Craft CMS and OctoberCMS. Python, Go and Rails are not named on its features page, so check Ploi's documentation for any runtime outside PHP and Node before you commit.
Is Ploi better than Laravel Forge?
They are close. Ploi is cheaper for a few servers and has a free plan, while Forge Growth gives unlimited servers for 19 USD a month. Ploi puts team management on its 36 USD Unlimited plan. Both are built for PHP first. Teams with several languages usually compare both against a panel that treats every stack the same.
Can I try Deployment before I pay?
Yes. The demo at the top of this page runs once without an account: paste a public repository URL and you get the detected stack, a server plan and the first lines of the deploy script. Paid plans start at 49 USD a month, or 24 USD a month billed yearly.
One panel for every client stack
Connect a server, add a repository in any language, and give the whole team a safe way to ship it.
$ git push origin main
✓ build release 20261019-142210
✓ health check 200
✓ switch current 0.4 s
$