Render won Startup Battlefield at TechCrunch Disrupt SF 2019. So it's a venture backed PaaS on a mission to replace Heroku. It offers a global CDN, free SSL certificates and private networks. The interface is user-friendly, including metrics graphs for network, CPU and bandwidth. The logs are easy to navigate too.

Why not Render?

Look at the list of natively supported languages: Node, Python, Ruby, Go, Rust, Elixir. PHP is not on it. PHP apps on Render run as a Docker image you build yourself. Pick a base image, install the extensions, configure PHP-FPM, Nginx and OPcache. Every PHP security release means a new image. Persistent disks are only available on paid instances.

If you want to deploy and host some PHP based websites, a platform like Render is likely overkill.

Why fortrabbit

fortrabbit is also a PaaS-like service, but zoomed in to the specific requirements of fast and secure PHP hosting. The PHP version is a setting in the dashboard, Composer runs in the build, and we keep the runtime patched. MySQL is a component of the app, and storage comes with it. Don't compromise on dev features. Give fortrabbit a spin, the free trial needs no credit card.

Render and fortrabbit

Feature	Render	fortrabbit
PHP runtime	Your Docker image	Managed
Deployment	git + Dockerfile	git push, Composer
MySQL	Not offered	Component
Postgres	Managed	Not offered
File storage	Paid disk	Persistent storage
Free start	Spins down, no disk	7-day trial, no card

Move from Render

The services of a Render project become the components of one fortrabbit app. The generic steps for domains, code, uploads and DNS are in the migration guide.

Render	fortrabbit
Web service from a PHP Docker image	PHP component, no Dockerfile
Pre-deploy command	Post-deploy commands, run once the new files are live
Background worker	Worker job
Cron job service	Cron job
Environment variables and groups	Environment variables
MySQL as a private service with a disk	MySQL component, `mysqldump` imported through an SSH tunnel
Persistent disk	Persistent storage

fortrabbit runs MySQL only. An app on Render Postgres switches its database to MySQL first.

Different by design #

Pay in arrears

Daily prorated, post-paid billing. No upfront payment, no yearly commitment.

Modular pricing

Pay per component and scale each one from xs to 2xl on its own.

No dark patterns

No vendor lock-in, no upselling, no misleading messages.

Humans in support

Eye-level developer chat over the support bubble. No sales calls.

Developer-first

Git-push deploy, SSH access, bring your own code. No 1-click bloat.

Managed platform

A hardened, service-oriented PHP stack. Deploy code, skip the server admin.

Frequently asked #

Is a Dockerfile needed on fortrabbit?

No - Push the PHP repo and Composer runs in the build. Render has no native PHP runtime, so the Dockerfile is yours to write and maintain there.

What about Postgres?

Plan a port

Plan a port - fortrabbit ships MySQL. An app on Render Postgres needs a schema port before it moves, and for some apps that is reason enough to stay.

Is support a person?

Yes

Yes - Chat with the engineers who run the platform during CET business hours. No phone, not 24/7; the platform itself is monitored around the clock.

What customers say #

Having fortrabbit is like having a dedicated DevOps engineer on the team, taking care of the infrastructure so we can focus on writing code. We've used many PaaS providers, but none come close to fortrabbit's mix of features, reliability, predictable and fair pricing, and fast, genuinely helpful support. Their service has been rock solid, giving us the confidence that our apps are in good hands.

Len van Essen

CTO at Fitwinkel

2026 — Direct feedback

Unmatched performances and ease-of-configure. I really like what fortrabbit is doing for the modern PHP hosting ecosystem, and I'd suggest anyone to have a try with them.

Federico Magnani

CTO at glueglue

2026 — Direct feedback

Built by

Built with

Built what

Built how

# About Render

# Why not Render?

# Why fortrabbit

# Render and fortrabbit

# Move from Render