Laravel Forge alternative for PHP hosting
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fortrabbit vs Laravel Forge.
fortrabbit is a Laravel Forge alternative — one integrated managed platform, not a server-management tool layered on top of a VPS.
Why pick fortrabbit over Laravel Forge + VPS for Laravel?
fortrabbit is a managed PaaS built exclusively for PHP. Laravel Forge is a server-management tool — software you pay for that provisions and configures servers on a VPS provider (DigitalOcean, Linode, Vultr, AWS) that you also pay for. You end up with two bills, a VPS you're ultimately responsible for, and the operational weight of an OS you maintain.
If you want one integrated managed platform instead of "VPS + management software," fortrabbit gives you a tuned PHP environment with git push deploys, integrated MySQL, atomic releases, persistent storage, SSL by default, and human support — all in a single subscription. We've been hosting Laravel apps since before Forge existed. Plans start at €2.50 per month; the trial doesn't require a credit card.
Start a free trial — no credit card# FAQ
What is the difference between fortrabbit and Laravel Forge?
Laravel Forge is a server-management tool: software you pay for that provisions a VPS at DigitalOcean, Linode, Vultr, or AWS and configures it for Laravel. You end up with two invoices and one server you ultimately own. fortrabbit is one integrated managed platform — the PHP runtime, MySQL, deploys, SSL, and persistent storage all come from us, on one bill. No VPS underneath.
#Is fortrabbit cheaper than Laravel Forge plus a VPS?
For small to mid-sized Laravel apps it usually is. Forge has a monthly subscription and the VPS has its own monthly cost; together they typically land around $20-25 a month before you have done any actual work. fortrabbit's per-app plan with a MySQL component starts at €5 a month, and the price covers the managed stack rather than the right to configure your own.
#How do I move my Laravel app from Forge to fortrabbit?
The codebase moves with no rewrites — push your repo to the new fortrabbit app and Composer install runs as part of the deploy. Migrate environment variables out of Forge into the fortrabbit dashboard, dump and import your MySQL database via the SSH tunnel, and rsync uploads from the VPS into the app's persistent storage. Cron jobs configured in Forge map to fortrabbit's cron jobs feature.
#Does fortrabbit handle Laravel queue workers and the scheduler?
Yes. Long-running PHP workers, Horizon, and the Laravel scheduler all run on fortrabbit as separate processes alongside the web app, configured via the dashboard. The dashboard handles process supervision and restarts; you do not maintain a Supervisor config or a systemd unit the way you would on a Forge-provisioned VPS.
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