Vultr alternative for PHP hosting
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fortrabbit vs Vultr.
fortrabbit is a Vultr alternative for PHP teams who want a managed platform instead of a raw VPS to administrate.
Vultr alternative for PHP at a glance
fortrabbit is a managed PaaS built exclusively for PHP. Vultr is a competitive cloud-infra provider — VPS, bare metal, GPU, object storage, with data centers around the world and aggressive pricing on raw compute. But Vultr gives you a Linux server and root access; everything above the OS is your job: web server, PHP-FPM, MySQL, SSL, patches, monitoring, and the constant pressure of keeping the stack current.
If you want to skip the server-administration layer entirely, fortrabbit gives you a tuned PHP environment on top — git push deploys, integrated MySQL, atomic releases, persistent storage, SSL by default, and direct human support. You trade some flexibility for far less operational overhead. Plans start at €2.50 per month; the trial doesn't require a credit card.
Vultr vs fortrabbit — feature comparison
| Feature | Vultr | fortrabbit |
|---|---|---|
| Abstraction | VPS, root access | Managed PaaS |
| PHP runtime | DIY | Pre-tuned, version-pinned |
| Web server | DIY | Managed |
| Managed MySQL | Paid service | Native |
| Deployment | SSH, own scripts | git push |
| SSL certificates | DIY | Automatic Let's Encrypt |
| Patching / updates | DIY | Managed |
| Backups | Paid add-on, DIY | Built-in |
| Region | Global | EU (Germany) |
| Support | Tiered, paid for fast | Human chat, all plans |
| Pricing model | Per-VPS, hourly | Per-app, monthly |
| Time-to-first-deploy | Hours | Minutes |
Pricing comparison
| Use case | Vultr (DIY) | fortrabbit |
|---|---|---|
| Small site / dev | $6 VPS + your time setting it up | €5 / mo |
| Production app | $24 VPS + managed DB + backups ≈ $50+ / mo | €30 / mo |
| Scaled app | $96+ VPS + add-ons + sysadmin hours | €60–€120 / mo depending on tier |
Vultr's monthly fee is competitive — until you count the engineering hours spent on stack setup, patching, monitoring, backups, and incident response. See fortrabbit pricing for the current matrix.
Migrating from Vultr to fortrabbit
- Provision the app on fortrabbit. Pick a region (EU) and a plan. The free trial is enough to validate the move.
- Add the MySQL component. From your Vultr server,
mysqldumpand import via fortrabbit's SSH tunnel — see MySQL import guide. - Connect your git provider. Install the fortrabbit GitHub App (or connect GitLab / Bitbucket) and link your existing repo to the new fortrabbit app — see deployment intro. Pushes to your branch trigger an automatic deploy; Composer install runs as part of it.
- Move environment variables and secrets. Set them in the fortrabbit dashboard.
- Move uploads and assets. rsync from your Vultr server into your fortrabbit app's persistent storage via SFTP / SSH.
- Cut over DNS. Add the domain in the fortrabbit dashboard, update the DNS record, and watch the certificate issue automatically via Let's Encrypt.
- Decommission the VPS. Once cutover is verified, retire the Vultr server.
Why teams switch
- No server maintenance. No patches, no firewall rules, no NGINX configs to debug at 11pm.
- PHP-first ergonomics. Composer, OPcache, PHP version pinning, integrated MySQL.
- Human support. You talk to engineers, not a ticket queue.
- Predictable bills. Per-app monthly pricing, no per-hour math, no add-on stacking.
For background on Vultr itself, see our hosting guide entry.
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