Laravel Cloud vs. Laravel Vapor
Laravel Cloud delivers autoscaling, full-stack scale to zero, and zero-downtime deploys without the AWS setup or maintenance Vapor requires.
Laravel Cloud
Laravel Cloud is a fully managed hosting platform built by the Laravel team. It relieves developers of the burden of managing infrastructure, allowing them to ship faster and accelerate time to market.
- Deploy from Git in under a minute: just bring your repo and we'll handle the rest, from compute, databases, cache, workers, and WebSockets, to backups and SSL.
- Creating a Laravel Cloud account prevents the need for creating a separate server account. You don't have to touch IAM permissions, understand Lambda constraints, or worry about configuring supporting AWS services.
- Automatic scaling and managed replicas keep performance steady during traffic spikes, while idle apps scale to zero so you're never paying for unused compute.
Laravel Vapor
Laravel Vapor is an autoscaling, serverless deployment platform for Laravel, powered by AWS Lambda. You bring your own AWS credentials, and Vapor provides a user-friendly UI and tooling for deploying your application. It abstracts the complexity of managing Laravel applications on AWS Lambda as well as interfacing those applications with supporting services.
- Autoscaling web and queue infrastructure fine-tuned for Laravel. Vapor allows queued jobs at very high concurrency via SQS and Lambda.
- If you have an app with extremely unpredictable or “spiky” traffic, the ability to scale up (and down) almost instantly with serverless is a plus.
- If you already have an AWS infrastructure, need specialized services, or want to mix what you build with other AWS services, Vapor may provide more flexibility. Managing these services, however, comes with hidden costs, slowing down shipping.
Teams like these don't manage infrastructure.
“Laravel Cloud provides the programmable, seamless infrastructure that mirrors our own ambition, allowing us to slash our spend by 50% and shift our focus from managing servers to building the future of insurance.”
Craig Morris
Technical Program Manager at Superscript
Why Laravel Cloud is better than Laravel Vapor
All-inclusive managed platform, with databases, cache, SSL, and backups handled for you. No juggling AWS services and billing.
No AWS account or setup required, so you can deploy instantly without touching IAM, CloudFormation, or Lambda configs.
Users migrating from Vapor to Cloud have seen up to 50% cost savings.
Compare Laravel Cloud vs. Laravel Vapor
Laravel Cloud lets you ship applications faster with zero configuration. Infrastructure, scaling, and databases are managed automatically, reducing setup time and project costs compared to Vapor's AWS-based configuration.
Built by the Laravel team, Cloud delivers an end-to-end managed experience for PHP developers building Laravel and Symfony apps. There’s nothing to install or configure: servers, scaling, databases, and security are all handled automatically. Developers can go from commit to live app in minutes.
Vapor offers serverless hosting for Laravel, but it runs entirely on your own AWS account. You’re responsible for configuring environments, connecting services like RDS and S3, and managing IAM credentials. It’s powerful but requires more setup and maintenance compared to Cloud’s zero-ops workflow.
Built by the Laravel team, Cloud delivers an end-to-end managed experience for PHP developers building Laravel and Symfony apps. There’s nothing to install or configure: servers, scaling, databases, and security are all handled automatically. Developers can go from commit to live app in minutes.
Not required, Cloud does everything
Required, you'll need to manually set up an AWS account
Not required, Cloud does everything
Laravel and Symfony applications
Any PHP application (Laravel, WordPress, etc.), other languages depending on OS
Laravel and Symfony applications
Managed servers with autoscaling and scale-to-zero compute
Serverless (AWS Lambda) and supporting managed services (RDS/Aurora, S3, CloudFront, etc.)
Managed servers with autoscaling and scale-to-zero compute
Built-in horizontal autoscaling, worker clusters, and compute that scales to zero when idle
Built-in via Lambda and related managed services; scales automatically by design
Built-in horizontal autoscaling, worker clusters, and compute that scales to zero when idle
Minimal; infrastructure management largely handled
Medium; you must still consider AWS service design, costs, resource
Minimal; infrastructure management largely handled
Multiple regions supported via Laravel Cloud infrastructure
AWS regions supported; requires AWS Lambda region consideration
Multiple regions supported via Laravel Cloud infrastructure
Cloud automatically scales up and down based on real traffic, keeping response times fast under load while minimizing idle costs. Its managed infrastructure handles concurrency seamlessly. No need to tune AWS Lambda limits or manage server pools. Apps scale smoothly, and developers never need to adjust capacity settings.
Vapor uses AWS Lambda for serverless scaling, which can handle massive concurrency. However, scaling behavior and cold starts depend on AWS configuration. You’ll need to manage linked services like queues, databases, and networking. It’s great for complex AWS-centric projects, but it adds ongoing tuning and maintenance, which are hidden costs.
Cloud automatically scales up and down based on real traffic, keeping response times fast under load while minimizing idle costs. Its managed infrastructure handles concurrency seamlessly. No need to tune AWS Lambda limits or manage server pools. Apps scale smoothly, and developers never need to adjust capacity settings.
Deployments in under 1 minute, with fast Git-to-live flow & minimal setup required
Depends on Lambda build/deploy steps and AWS setup
Deployments in under 1 minute, with fast Git-to-live flow & minimal setup required
Yes, cluster autoscaling and scale-to-zero when idle (zero compute costs while idle)
Yes, inherently via serverless architecture
Yes, cluster autoscaling and scale-to-zero when idle (zero compute costs while idle)
Balanced: you get managed infrastructure but limited low-level control
Highly abstracted: you offload almost everything but accept serverless constraints
Balanced: you get managed infrastructure but limited low-level control
Cloud automatically builds, migrates, and deploys with true zero-downtime rollouts. Want more control over your deployments? Dig into deployment hooks and build commands (without AWS credentials or pipelines to maintain). You can push updates with confidence and focus entirely on shipping new features.
Vapor deployments require AWS setup and coordination with your own services. You deploy through Vapor’s CLI or dashboard, but you still manage the underlying AWS resources and credentials. It’s flexible, yet adds a layer of operational responsibility not needed on Cloud.
Cloud automatically builds, migrates, and deploys with true zero-downtime rollouts. Want more control over your deployments? Dig into deployment hooks and build commands (without AWS credentials or pipelines to maintain). You can push updates with confidence and focus entirely on shipping new features.
Yes, zero-config Git deployment via UI
Yes, via CLI and configuration, but you must setup AWS and Vapor integration
Yes, zero-config Git deployment via UI
Supported
Supported
Supported
Cloud comes with built-in monitoring, logs, and real-time performance metrics. SSL, backups, and DDoS protection are automatic, handled through Cloudflare and Laravel’s managed infrastructure. You get security and visibility by default, without managing AWS services or credentials.
Vapor provides environment, database, cache metrics, and integrates with CloudFront, S3, etc. You’re still responsible for configuring IAM roles and overall AWS security. It’s flexible for AWS experts but adds setup time and ongoing maintenance that Cloud handles automatically.
Cloud comes with built-in monitoring, logs, and real-time performance metrics. SSL, backups, and DDoS protection are automatic, handled through Cloudflare and Laravel’s managed infrastructure. You get security and visibility by default, without managing AWS services or credentials.
Yes, built-in via dashboard
Yes, via Vapor UI and AWS services (CloudWatch, etc)
Yes, built-in via dashboard
Automatic TLS, built-in CDN/edge network
Yes, via AWS CloudFront/S3; requires configuration
Automatic TLS, built-in CDN/edge network
Managed backups for databases
Backup support via AWS RDS/Aurora and Vapor UI
Managed backups for databases
Laravel Cloud charges only for active compute. Inactive apps scale to zero automatically, so you pay nothing while they're idle. This makes Cloud particularly cost-efficient for PoCs, startups, and variable workloads. Users migrating from Vapor have seen up to 50% cost savings.
Vapor offers a free tier (Sandbox) and uses your own AWS account for compute, database, and storage charges. While it can scale infinitely, costs can spike during heavy traffic, and managing AWS resources can introduce hidden DevOps overhead.
Laravel Cloud charges only for active compute. Inactive apps scale to zero automatically, so you pay nothing while they're idle. This makes Cloud particularly cost-efficient for PoCs, startups, and variable workloads. Users migrating from Vapor have seen up to 50% cost savings.
Subscription + pay only for what you use. No idle compute costs with scale-to-zero.
Subscription + AWS costs; AWS service usage can vary and may require careful cost monitoring
Subscription + pay only for what you use. No idle compute costs with scale-to-zero.
Yes, Flex compute scales your app, databases, and cache to zero.
Lambda scales down to zero (or near zero) when idle but you still pay for other AWS resources
Yes, Flex compute scales your app, databases, and cache to zero.
Start in Cloud with $5 in free usage credit.
Trial available
Start in Cloud with $5 in free usage credit.
Who should choose Laravel Cloud vs. Laravel Vapor?
Pick Laravel Cloud
Choose Laravel Cloud for a fully managed platform that eliminates infrastructure work. Cloud automatically scales to handle traffic spikes and scales to zero when idle, providing smart scaling and cost efficiency. With minimal configuration, built-in security, and managed services, Cloud is ideal for teams that want to ship faster and avoid the hidden costs of managing their own infra.
Pick Laravel Vapor
Choose Laravel Vapor if you need near-infinite scaling and already work comfortably in AWS. Vapor runs entirely on your own AWS account and uses AWS Lambda for serverless deployments. It's powerful for large-scale or AWS-integrated apps, but requires managing IAM, configuring services, and handling AWS costs directly.
Deploy now with Cloud
Start in Cloud with $5 in free usage credit.
- Launch in under a minute from Git to live with fully managed infrastructure.
- Build and ship faster with native Laravel integration across your stack.
- Scale and save costs automatically with built-in scale-to-zero.
See what thousands of developers have to say
“I have never seen a website accomplishing something so complicated, so fast, so simple, so beautifully.”
“Cloud is amazing value if you just need a small server and a PostgreSQL DB. I only use $2 a month running my badge project. We've never had it this good.”
“For my small project I needed all: DB, cache, storage, and WebSockets — and everything worked on the first try with single clicks.”
“Setting up resources on Laravel Cloud is like playing Lego blocks, you can just connect things. We used to install Nginx and MySQL manually on a server and get permission denied.”
“Cloud is absolutely goated. Smoothest infra DX I've ever experienced — everything I needed was right where it was supposed to be.”
“I was stuck on a pretty complex problem, and the Laravel Cloud support team went out of their way to deep dive into it with me. The bug was my own doing, but their tips helped me find it.”
“Charging me $5 for my 0 user PHP apps? Yes, please, thank you very much. ‘Unlimited applications’ is a goated move from Laravel.”
“Loving the new managed queues on Laravel Cloud. Offloading the workload from the app server and allowing it to sleep is genius.”
“The preview environments in Laravel Cloud have been amazing to work with. They work flawlessly, and with the fast hibernation, we barely pay for it even though we have over 15 preview environments.”
“Just deployed an app using Laravel Cloud and OMG, the deployment experience was incredibly fast and painless.”
“Laravel Cloud is the closest thing to magic I've experienced in a hosting provider. It's really the Laravel of Cloud.”
“Just shipped a huge update to my Laravel learning platform, running smoothly on Laravel Cloud. Deploys, SSL, env vars — everything just works. No DevOps headaches.”
“Any AI agent + Laravel. You can deploy this on Laravel Cloud in a few clicks.”
“Showed my friend Laravel and Laravel Cloud, and he was already deploying his first app in less than a month. He was shocked by how easy it is and how tight the ecosystem is.”
“Laravel Boost + Laravel Cloud CLI + Stripe CLI. You can pretty much build a full product without seeing a line of code.”
“I've switched all personal projects from DigitalOcean and love Laravel Cloud!”
“Laravel Cloud just keeps getting better. Having web analytics directly in the dashboard is a really nice addition. Requests, visits, views, top pages, status codes — all in one place. No extra analytics setup needed.”
Frequently asked questions
Laravel Cloud is a fully managed platform built by the Laravel team for PHP applications, including Laravel and Symfony: it automates servers, databases, caching, scaling, WebSockets, and SSL. Laravel Vapor is a serverless platform for Laravel on AWS Lambda: you still need an AWS account and manage some AWS services, though Vapor simplifies the interface.
Yes. Laravel Cloud runs on AWS infrastructure managed by the Laravel team. You get AWS reliability without needing an AWS account or configuring services yourself.
Not strictly "faster" in all cases: Laravel Cloud runs on optimized EC2 infrastructure with autoscaling and managed services. Vapor uses a serverless architecture that may introduce cold-start latency but scales extremely well. The best choice depends on traffic patterns and needs.
Yes. With Laravel Cloud, you do not handle the underlying server provisioning, OS/PHP updates, or infrastructure scaling.
Yes. Vapor uses serverless architecture (AWS Lambda, autoscaling databases, etc), so scaling is inherent.
It depends on your usage patterns, but users migrating from Vapor to Cloud have seen up to 50% in cost reductions. Laravel Cloud's usage-based pricing means apps scale to zero when idle, so you pay nothing during quiet periods. Vapor scales compute to zero via Lambda, but other AWS service costs continue when idle, which can make your total bill harder to predict.
Laravel Cloud offers the most seamless experience for Laravel developers who just want to focus on building. Vapor is better for developers who are comfortable with AWS architecture and need serverless scale. If you are running Symfony, Cloud supports that too—same infrastructure, same managed experience.
Yes. Laravel Cloud offers managed MySQL, Postgres, and Redis-compatible key-value stores that can automatically scale up when traffic increases and to zero when idle. MySQL scale-to-zero support will arrive in July 2026.
Yes. Vapor enables you to create and manage AWS RDS/Aurora databases, ElastiCache Redis clusters, and S3 storage from the UI or CLI.
Laravel Cloud is designed for one-click Git integration and a very minimal setup. Vapor requires you to install the Vapor CLI and configure your vapor.yml file and AWS account.
Laravel Cloud builds on the ideas behind Vapor while offering simpler configuration, more predictable performance, and usage-based pricing without direct AWS management. The migration guide explains the benefits of migrating and outlines what changes when moving from Vapor to Cloud.
Yes. Every new organization gets $5 in free usage credits, and your first month on the Starter plan is free. Credits top up automatically each month, and you only ever pay for usage beyond them. Your apps and databases scale to zero when idle, so you're never charged for compute time while they're not in use. View detailed pricing here.
