# DigitalOcean App Platform alternative for PHP hosting

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## DigitalOcean App Platform alternative for PHP at a glance

**fortrabbit is a managed PaaS built exclusively for PHP.** DigitalOcean App Platform sits on top of DO's Droplets and Kubernetes infrastructure, offering managed deployments for many languages and frameworks. For PHP specifically, the experience is generic — you assemble app spec files, manage container resources, and handle MySQL as a separate managed-database product with its own pricing tier.

If you want a PaaS where PHP is the default rather than one option of many, fortrabbit gives you git-push deployments, integrated MySQL, atomic releases, and PHP-tuned defaults (opcache, version pinning, Composer) — without app spec YAML or separate database billing. Hosting is in EU data centers, support is direct from the engineers running the platform, and pricing is per-app and predictable. Plans start at €2.50 per month; the trial doesn't require a credit card.

## DO App Platform vs fortrabbit — feature comparison

<table>
<thead>
  <tr>
    <th>
      Feature
    </th>
    
    <th>
      DO App Platform
    </th>
    
    <th>
      fortrabbit
    </th>
  </tr>
</thead>

<tbody>
  <tr>
    <td>
      Focus
    </td>
    
    <td>
      Polyglot, buildpacks
    </td>
    
    <td>
      PHP only
    </td>
  </tr>
  
  <tr>
    <td>
      Deployment
    </td>
    
    <td>
      git + app spec
    </td>
    
    <td>
      git push, atomic
    </td>
  </tr>
  
  <tr>
    <td>
      Managed MySQL
    </td>
    
    <td>
      Separate paid product
    </td>
    
    <td>
      Native
    </td>
  </tr>
  
  <tr>
    <td>
      Managed Redis
    </td>
    
    <td>
      Separate paid product
    </td>
    
    <td>
      Native
    </td>
  </tr>
  
  <tr>
    <td>
      App configuration
    </td>
    
    <td>
      YAML app spec
    </td>
    
    <td>
      Dashboard + git
    </td>
  </tr>
  
  <tr>
    <td>
      SSH access
    </td>
    
    <td>
      Console only
    </td>
    
    <td>
      Full SFTP + SSH
    </td>
  </tr>
  
  <tr>
    <td>
      Region
    </td>
    
    <td>
      Many DO regions
    </td>
    
    <td>
      EU (Germany)
    </td>
  </tr>
  
  <tr>
    <td>
      Pricing model
    </td>
    
    <td>
      Per-component hourly
    </td>
    
    <td>
      Per-app, monthly
    </td>
  </tr>
  
  <tr>
    <td>
      Free tier
    </td>
    
    <td>
      Static sites only
    </td>
    
    <td>
      30-day trial, no card
    </td>
  </tr>
  
  <tr>
    <td>
      Support
    </td>
    
    <td>
      Tiered, paid for fast
    </td>
    
    <td>
      Human chat, all plans
    </td>
  </tr>
  
  <tr>
    <td>
      Company
    </td>
    
    <td>
      NYSE: DOCN
    </td>
    
    <td>
      Independent, bootstrapped
    </td>
  </tr>
</tbody>
</table>

## Pricing comparison

<table>
<thead>
  <tr>
    <th>
      Use case
    </th>
    
    <th>
      DO App Platform
    </th>
    
    <th>
      fortrabbit
    </th>
  </tr>
</thead>

<tbody>
  <tr>
    <td>
      Small site / dev
    </td>
    
    <td>
      Basic $5 + DB $15 ≈ <strong>
        $20 / mo
      </strong>
    </td>
    
    <td>
      <strong>
        €5 / mo
      </strong>
    </td>
  </tr>
  
  <tr>
    <td>
      Production app
    </td>
    
    <td>
      Pro $25 + DB $30 ≈ <strong>
        $55 / mo
      </strong>
    </td>
    
    <td>
      <strong>
        €30 / mo
      </strong>
    </td>
  </tr>
  
  <tr>
    <td>
      Scaled app
    </td>
    
    <td>
      Pro 2x $50 + DB $60 + Redis ≈ <strong>
        $120+ / mo
      </strong>
    </td>
    
    <td>
      <strong>
        €60–€120 / mo
      </strong>
      
       depending on tier
    </td>
  </tr>
</tbody>
</table>

Numbers are illustrative — exact App Platform pricing varies with component size and database tier. See <content-link href="/pricing" text="fortrabbit pricing">



</content-link>

 for the current matrix.

## Migrating from DO App Platform to fortrabbit

1. **Provision the app on fortrabbit.** Pick a region (EU) and a plan. The free trial is enough to validate the move.
2. **Add the MySQL component.** Export from DO's managed MySQL, import via fortrabbit's SSH tunnel — see <content-link href="/guides/general/mysql-import" text="MySQL import guide" prefix="docs">



</content-link>

.
3. **Drop the app spec.** fortrabbit deploys PHP source via git push directly; no app spec YAML to maintain.
4. **Connect your git provider.** Install the fortrabbit GitHub App (or connect GitLab / Bitbucket) and link your existing repo to the new fortrabbit app — see <content-link href="/platform/deployment/intro" text="deployment intro" prefix="docs">



</content-link>

. Pushes to your branch trigger an automatic deploy; Composer install runs as part of it.
5. **Move environment variables.** DO App Platform env vars map 1:1 to fortrabbit env vars — set in the dashboard or via the CLI.
6. **Move static files.** rsync uploads and assets into your fortrabbit app's persistent storage via SFTP / SSH.
7. **Cut over DNS.** Add the domain in the fortrabbit dashboard, update the CNAME, and watch the certificate issue automatically via Let's Encrypt.

## Why teams switch

- **No app spec YAML.** Push PHP source, not configuration files.
- **PHP-first ergonomics.** Composer, OPcache, version pinning, integrated MySQL — all defaults.
- **Predictable bills.** Per-app monthly pricing, no per-component stacking.
- **Owner-run support.** You talk to the engineers who run the platform.

For background on DigitalOcean as a hosting provider, see our <content-link href="/hosting-guide/providers/vps/digitalocean" text="DigitalOcean Droplets entry">



</content-link>

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<content-button property="dashboard" route="/signup" text="Start a free trial — no credit card">
<content-button property="www" route="/pricing" text="See pricing" variant="secondary">



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