Laravel Cloud vs. Laravel Forge
Laravel Cloud replaces hours of server setup and infrastructure maintenance with one-click managed Laravel hosting. Forge helps you configure and run servers, but Cloud eliminates them altogether so you can launch faster and reduce long-term ops costs.
Start in Cloud with $5 in free usage credit.
Laravel Cloud
Laravel Cloud is a fully managed hosting platform for Laravel applications that lets teams focus on shipping instead of configuring. It handles web and worker compute, managed databases, and Redis-compatible stores with automatic scaling and hibernation for idle environments to keep costs low.
- Push from Git in under a minute and let Cloud handle builds, replicas, and routing.
- No need to create a separate server account: it's all built in, from zero-downtime deployments to security (SOC 2 Type 2-compliant).
- Autoscaling and hibernation reduce manual capacity work, keep performance steady during traffic spikes, and lower idle bills.
Laravel Forge
Laravel Forge is a control plane for provisioning and managing servers at popular cloud providers, such as DigitalOcean, Vultr, Hetzner, AWS, and more. You can also provision instantly with Laravel VPS. Forge automates server setup, installs the required system software, configures web servers and queues, and gives you SSH access for added flexibility.
- Install and configure SSL, firewall rules, and deployment hooks while retaining server root access.
- Provision instantly with Laravel VPS, choose a supported server provider, or bring your own server.
- Forge supports vanilla PHP, WordPress, Statamic, static HTML pages, and other stacks, including Node.js, Nuxt, and Next.js.
Over 20K teams deploy faster with Laravel Cloud
Why Laravel Cloud is better than
Laravel Forge
No infra to manage makes for blazing-fast development teams, as Cloud runs and scales everything.
Built-in databases, cache, and backups are ready instantly, no provider setup required.
Pay only for what you use with automatic hibernation that keeps costs low when apps are idle.
“Laravel Cloud gave us the stability, scalability, and peace of mind we desperately needed. I truly believe Laravel saved both my company and my sanity.”
Sam Pizzo
CEO at CMS Max
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Who should choose Laravel Cloud vs. Laravel Forge?
Cloud removes infrastructure work entirely. Forge keeps you in control of provisioning and runs anywhere.
Laravel Cloud
Pick Laravel Cloud when you want minimal setup, automatic scaling, and managed data services so your team can concentrate on product work rather than infrastructure. It is a strong choice for teams who prefer predictable operations and lower ongoing maintenance costs.
Laravel Forge
Pick Laravel Forge if you need full control of your server environment, want root access, or must run custom system software. Forge is suitable when you already manage provider accounts and want a faster path to provision and maintain servers yourself.
Frequently asked questions: Laravel Cloud vs. Forge
Laravel Cloud is a fully managed hosting platform purpose-built for Laravel applications — push from Git and we handle compute, databases, scaling, and security. Laravel Forge is a server provisioning and management tool that lets you configure servers at providers like DigitalOcean, Hetzner, Vultr, and AWS, or use Laravel VPS. With Forge you retain SSH access and control over the server; with Cloud you don't manage servers at all.
Yes. Forge supports vanilla PHP, WordPress, Statamic, static HTML, and other stacks including Node.js, Nuxt, and Next.js. Laravel Cloud is exclusively for Laravel applications.
Laravel Forge starts at $12/mo plus your own server costs at the provider of your choice. Laravel Cloud starts at $0/mo with usage-based pricing — you only pay for the compute, databases, and storage you actually use, and auto-hibernation scales idle apps down to zero.
Pick Laravel Forge if you need full control over your server environment, want root access, or run custom system software. Pick Laravel Cloud if you want minimal setup, automatic scaling, and managed data services so your team can focus on the application rather than infrastructure.
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