Looking for a Coolify alternative? An honest Pushify vs Coolify comparison

If you're searching for a Coolify alternative, you probably already like the idea behind Coolify. You deploy apps on servers you control, and you use a dashboard instead of hand-written deploy scripts. Pushify is built on the same idea, so this post doesn't argue that one tool is right and the other is wrong. It covers where the two overlap, where they actually differ, and which one fits which kind of setup.

About the sources: everything we say about Coolify comes from its public README on GitHub, as it read in November 2026. Coolify moves quickly, so check coolify.io and its documentation for current details. We also make Pushify, so keep that in mind as you read. We've tried to describe Coolify only in terms of what it says about itself.

What the two have in common

Much of the ground is shared, and it's worth saying so before getting to the differences.

• Open source. Coolify calls itself "open source & free forever". Pushify's API server, dashboard, and CLI are open source under the MIT license.
• Your servers, over SSH. Coolify says you only need an SSH connection, and that a VPS, a bare-metal server, or even a Raspberry Pi will work. Pushify also connects to servers over plain SSH.
• Deploy on push. Coolify deploys on every Git push, creates pull-request previews, and can roll back to retained application images. In Pushify, a push to your production branch fires a webhook and queues a deployment. Rollback replays the deploy with the previous image, and preview deployments come with the paid plans.
• HTTPS and health checks. Both handle HTTPS certificates for you, and both list health checks as part of how they run apps.
• One-click apps. Coolify lists more than 360 one-click services. Pushify has a marketplace of one-click apps.
• A self-hosted control plane, if you want one. Both can run the whole platform on your own hardware.

If what you want is "Heroku-style deploys on my own VPS", either tool can do that. The differences show up in how you get started and how much infrastructure you want to run yourself.

Where Coolify is strong

Coolify has been around for a while, and its feature list shows it. Going by its README, here's what stands out:

• Wide source and build support. It builds from GitHub, GitLab, Bitbucket, or Gitea, using Nixpacks, Railpack, a Dockerfile, Docker Compose, or a prebuilt Docker image.
• A large service catalog. You get managed databases and more than 360 one-click services, with persistent storage and generated credentials.
• Operations tooling built in. It manages multiple servers, shows deployment and runtime logs, opens container terminals, and reports resource status. It also covers database and storage backups, scheduled tasks, environment variables, secrets, and notifications.
• Several ways to drive it. You can use the dashboard, an API, a CLI, or MCP, and there are team-based access controls.
• No paywall on features. The README says the project funds itself through donations and sponsors so that no feature sits behind a paywall.
• A clean exit. According to the README, your configurations stay on your servers, and if you stop using Coolify, your running resources keep working and remain manageable.
• An active community. There's a Discord server, GitHub Discussions, and a contribution guide.

If several items on that list are hard requirements for you, Coolify is a serious option, and you should evaluate it on its own merits.

How Pushify approaches the same job

Pushify keeps its main workflow narrow on purpose: connect a repo, pick a server, deploy.

When you connect a server, Pushify logs in over SSH as root, using a password or a private key, and doesn't install an agent. It checks for Docker, Nginx, and Certbot. If Docker is missing, Pushify installs it with the official convenience script. Nginx and Certbot are installed with apt-get, or yum on distributions without apt. If Docker is already installed, Pushify leaves it alone.

Here's how a deploy works:

1. A git push to the production branch fires a webhook and queues a deployment.
2. The app is built into a Docker image on the target server, using framework detection or your own Dockerfile.
3. The new container starts alongside the old one and has to pass a health check before it gets traffic.
4. Traffic moves over with a graceful Nginx reload.

From git push to live covers that pipeline in detail. The agentless approach doesn't set Pushify apart from Coolify, since Coolify's README also asks only for SSH. It's still useful to know exactly what ends up on your machine.

Where the two actually differ

Managed servers, not just a managed control plane

Coolify offers Coolify Cloud alongside self-hosting. The README describes it as a Coolify instance that the Coolify team maintains. It's a paid service with high availability, less maintenance, email notifications, and additional support. In the README's words, it's for people who "do not want to maintain the Coolify server". For pricing, the README points to coolify.io, so we won't quote numbers here.

Pushify's managed option sits one level lower. Besides running the control plane for you at pushify.dev, Pushify can provision a managed Hetzner server for your apps, so you don't open a cloud provider account yourself. Each managed server has a fixed hourly rate, paid from prepaid credits, and the dashboard shows the monthly estimate before you create it. Managed servers come with the paid plans, which start at $15/month.

You can still bring your own server whenever you like. BYOS vs managed explains how to choose between the two. That choice is the main thing Pushify adds. If you'd rather not deal with a cloud provider at all, Pushify can provide the machine. If you want a specific provider or region, you bring your own.

How many machines you need to start

Coolify's README says the recommended self-hosted setup uses one server for Coolify and one or more servers for your deployed resources. That's a sensible separation, but it means a second machine to start with, unless you use Coolify Cloud.

With the hosted version of Pushify, we run the control plane. The free tier lets you connect one of your own servers, so a single VPS you already pay for is enough to deploy real apps. A minimal setup really can be one machine.

If you self-host the Pushify control plane, you're in the same position as a self-hosted Coolify user: you run the platform as well as the apps.

Breadth vs a narrow main path

This is where we'll be plain. Coolify's feature list is longer than anything we'll claim for Pushify in this post. Pushify's focus is the repo-to-server-to-deploy path, with marketplace apps and preview deployments as supporting features.

Before you move from either tool to the other, list the things you depend on, such as your Git provider, build method, specific one-click services, and backup setup. Then check that each one is covered. Don't assume they are.

Self-hosting either control plane

Both projects let you run the whole platform yourself, and both make installation short.

Coolify installs with one command:

curl -fsSL https://cdn.coollabs.io/coolify/install.sh | bash

The README suggests reading the installation script before you run it. That's good advice for any curl | bash installer.

Pushify's control plane installs with a single script built on Docker Compose. The stack contains a Next.js dashboard (frontend), a Node API (api), postgres, redis, a worker, and a one-shot migrate service.

Once either one is running, you're its operator. A control plane that can reach every server you've connected is worth protecting. For Pushify, Admin panel security explains how to keep the dashboard off the public internet. What it actually takes to self-host a PaaS covers the ongoing work: upgrades, backups, and keeping the host patched. Most of that advice applies to a Coolify control plane too.

Which one fits

Some rules of thumb, without pretending one tool wins everywhere.

Coolify is likely the better fit if:

• You want everything self-hosted and free, with no paid tier involved.
• You depend on a Git provider or build method it lists, such as GitLab, Bitbucket, Gitea, Nixpacks, Railpack, or Docker Compose.
• You want a large one-click service catalog and built-in backups, notifications, and container terminals in one place.
• You want to automate through an API, a CLI, or MCP.
• You're fine running a separate server for the control plane, or paying for Coolify Cloud.

Pushify is likely the better fit if:

• You want a hosted control plane and a free way to deploy onto the one VPS you already have.
• You'd rather have servers provisioned for you than open and manage a cloud provider account, at a fixed hourly rate you can see up front.
• You want the option to bring your own server for some projects when provider or region matters.
• You want an MIT-licensed platform you can move onto your own hardware later. If Pushify the company disappeared, a self-hosted Pushify would keep running.
• You like a narrow workflow: connect the repo, pick the server, deploy.

Try both before you decide

Both are open source and cheap to try. Connect a spare VPS to Pushify on the free tier. Install Coolify on another machine, or on the same one after a rebuild. Then deploy the same app on each. An afternoon spent deploying one real app will tell you more than any comparison post, this one included.

If you settle on Pushify, Migrating applications to Pushify covers the move. If you're still weighing options beyond these two, Choosing a self-hosted PaaS gives a broader framework. And if something in Pushify falls short of what you'd expect after using Coolify, open an issue. We're a small team, so that kind of feedback reaches the roadmap quickly.