[Blog](https://deploywithox.com/blog) [Product](https://deploywithox.com/blog#c-product)

# A Coolify Alternative Without Docker, on Your Own VPS

Want Coolify's dashboard without Docker? How ox runs apps as plain systemd services on your VPS, a fair comparison, and when Coolify is the better pick.

Saurav Sharma Oct 15, 2026 7 min read

On this page

- [What does Coolify do?](https://deploywithox.com/blog/coolify-alternative-without-docker#heading-what-coolify-does)
- [Why would you want to skip Docker?](https://deploywithox.com/blog/coolify-alternative-without-docker#heading-why-no-docker)
- [How does ox deploy without Docker?](https://deploywithox.com/blog/coolify-alternative-without-docker#heading-how-ox-works)
- [How do Coolify and ox compare?](https://deploywithox.com/blog/coolify-alternative-without-docker#heading-compare)
- [When is Coolify the better pick?](https://deploywithox.com/blog/coolify-alternative-without-docker#heading-when-coolify)
- [What ox does not do](https://deploywithox.com/blog/coolify-alternative-without-docker#heading-what-ox-lacks)
- [Frequently asked questions](https://deploywithox.com/blog/coolify-alternative-without-docker#faq)
- [Next step](https://deploywithox.com/blog/coolify-alternative-without-docker#heading-next)

If you like what Coolify does but do not want Docker on your server, ox is one alternative: it deploys your GitHub repo as a plain systemd service behind Caddy, with no containers and no panel running on the server. Coolify stays the better pick when you deploy Docker images or Compose files, or want an open-source panel you run entirely yourself.

This post compares the two as of October 2026. Facts about Coolify come from its official docs and pricing page, linked inline. Facts about ox come from ox's own docs.

**In this post:**

- [What does Coolify do?](https://deploywithox.com/blog/coolify-alternative-without-docker#heading-what-coolify-does)
- [Why would you want to skip Docker?](https://deploywithox.com/blog/coolify-alternative-without-docker#heading-why-no-docker)
- [How does ox deploy without Docker?](https://deploywithox.com/blog/coolify-alternative-without-docker#heading-how-ox-works)
- [How do Coolify and ox compare?](https://deploywithox.com/blog/coolify-alternative-without-docker#heading-compare)
- [When is Coolify the better pick?](https://deploywithox.com/blog/coolify-alternative-without-docker#heading-when-coolify)
- [Frequently asked questions](https://deploywithox.com/blog/coolify-alternative-without-docker#faq)

## What does Coolify do?

Coolify describes itself as an ["open source, self-hostable platform for deploying and managing applications, databases, and services on servers you control"](https://coolify.io/docs/get-started/introduction). It is a control plane: it connects to each server over SSH, prepares the server to run Docker, and runs your apps there as Docker containers. A proxy on each server routes your domains to the right container and handles HTTPS.

As of October 2026, its docs list five ways to build an app: [Nixpacks, Railpack (in beta), Static, Dockerfile and Docker Compose](https://coolify.io/docs/applications/build-packs/overview). It can also pull a prebuilt image from a registry, run databases with backups, and launch one-click services from maintained Compose templates. It supports [preview deployments for pull requests](https://coolify.io/docs/applications/ci-cd/github/preview-deploy). Its code is under the [Apache 2.0 license](https://github.com/coollabsio/coolify).

You can run Coolify yourself for free, or pay for Coolify Cloud. As of October 2026, [Coolify's pricing page](https://coolify.io/pricing) lists Cloud at $5 a month for two connected servers, plus $3 a month for each extra server, with teams on an extra subscription. Either way your apps run on your own servers. To self-host it, [the install guide](https://coolify.io/docs/get-started/installation) asks for at least 2 CPU cores, 2 GB of memory and 10 GB of disk for the install script.

## Why would you want to skip Docker?

Docker is the right tool for many teams. Some people still prefer a server without it, for these reasons:

- **Less on the server.** A panel, a container runtime and a proxy container all use memory before your app starts. On a $5 server, that is a real share of the machine.
- **One less layer to debug.** When an app runs as a systemd service, its logs are in `journalctl`, its files are on disk, and its process shows in `ps`. There is no image, volume or container network between you and the problem.
- **Fewer things to update.** Base images, the Docker engine and the panel all need updates on top of the operating system.
- **Your app never had a Dockerfile.** Many Django, Rails, Laravel and Node apps run fine from their lockfile. Writing and maintaining a Dockerfile only to deploy them is extra work.

If none of these bother you, Docker and Coolify are a good setup.

## How does ox deploy without Docker?

ox has two parts. The dashboard and the logic that decides what to run are a hosted service at deploywithox.com. Your server runs only the ox agent and Caddy. The agent opens the connection to ox, so your server needs no extra open port, and ox holds no SSH key for it. On a server with no apps yet, the agent stays under 40 MB of memory and Caddy under 50 MB. Caddy grows a little with each site it serves: our own servers measured 52 to 58 MB with 1 to 21 sites.

When you deploy, ox reads your repo: the lockfile, the version files, and an `ox.toml` if there is one. It installs the right toolchain with mise, builds a new release on your server, and runs the app as a systemd service under its own Linux user. Caddy sends traffic to it and gets the HTTPS certificate. The new release starts beside the old one, and traffic moves only after its health check passes, so a failed deploy leaves the old release serving ([how that works with systemd and Caddy](https://deploywithox.com/blog/zero-downtime-deploys-systemd-caddy)).

Databases are services on the same server, installed from Ubuntu's packages or as pinned builds, not containers. A Django app with PostgreSQL and Redis looks like this:

TOML

```toml
domains = ["example.com"]

[app]
start = "uv run gunicorn config.wsgi --bind 127.0.0.1:$PORT"

[build]
migrate = "uv run python manage.py migrate --noinput"

[services]
postgres = {}
redis    = {}
```

ox has eight built-in services: PostgreSQL, Redis, MySQL (served by MariaDB), Neo4j, Qdrant, ClickHouse, Meilisearch and RabbitMQ. You can also run your own service with a `run` command. The [ox.toml reference](https://deploywithox.com/docs/config) has every key, and `ox check` shows what ox will run before you deploy.

## How do Coolify and ox compare?

|  | Coolify | ox |
| --- | --- | --- |
| How apps run | Docker containers | systemd services, no Docker |
| Where the panel runs | On your server, or Coolify Cloud | Hosted by ox only |
| How it reaches your server | SSH from the panel | An agent on the server dials out to ox |
| Builds | Nixpacks, Railpack, Static, Dockerfile, Docker Compose, prebuilt images | Detection from your repo files, plus `ox.toml`; no Dockerfile or image |
| Server OS | Many Linux families, including Debian, Ubuntu, Red Hat-based and Alpine | The latest Ubuntu LTS only |
| One-click apps | Yes, from Compose templates | No catalog; you deploy your own repos |
| Previews | Pull request previews | Branch previews and a staging copy, each with its own database |
| Source code | Open source, Apache 2.0 | Closed source |
| Price (October 2026) | Free self-hosted; Cloud from $5 a month | Free for one project; $10 a month or $80 a year for all |

Both keep your apps and data on your own servers, and in both cases you pay your server provider separately.

## When is Coolify the better pick?

- **You deploy containers.** If your app ships as a Docker image or a Compose file, Coolify runs it as is. ox cannot deploy an image.
- **You host open-source apps.** Coolify's one-click services start popular apps from templates. ox deploys repos you connect, one at a time.
- **You want everything under your control.** Self-hosted Coolify needs no outside service at all. ox's dashboard is a service ox runs, and while it is down, deploys and backups wait (your apps keep serving).
- **You want open source.** You can read and change Coolify's code. ox is closed source.
- **You need a team or another OS.** Coolify supports many Linux families and has teams. ox is one person per account for now, on Ubuntu LTS only.

ox fits better when you deploy your own apps from GitHub, want nothing extra running on the server, and would rather have daily backups, alerts and security setup done for you than run a panel.

## What ox does not do

ox runs one project on one server, with no autoscaling and no spreading an app over several machines. It has no Docker support and no app catalog. It is in beta and promises no uptime for its own service. The [page on leaving ox](https://deploywithox.com/docs/operate/leaving) says what pauses while ox is down and how to take your data with you.

## Frequently asked questions

### Can I use Coolify without Docker?

No. Coolify's docs describe its workloads as standard Docker resources on your servers, and it prepares each server to run Docker. If you want a dashboard and push-to-deploy with no containers, you need a tool built around plain services, such as ox, or a by-hand setup with systemd and Caddy.

### Can I move an app from Coolify to ox?

Yes, if the app builds from its own source and not only from a Docker image. Connect the repo to ox on a fresh Ubuntu LTS server, set your variables, and restore your PostgreSQL dump from a file of up to 95 MB, or from your S3 bucket if it is bigger. A Compose-only stack needs changes.

### Can Coolify and ox share one server?

It is not a good idea. Both want to own ports 80 and 443 for their proxy, and ox expects a fresh Ubuntu LTS server when you add it. Use a separate small server for ox while you try it, and keep your Coolify server running until you have moved what you want.

### Is ox cheaper than Coolify?

Self-hosted Coolify is free, so ox costs more if you only count software. ox is free for one project and $10 a month for all of them. The difference is what runs on your server and who keeps the panel updated: with ox, nothing but the agent and Caddy, and ox runs the panel.

## Next step

Pick one app that builds from source, rent a small Ubuntu LTS server, and follow the [quickstart](https://deploywithox.com/docs/quickstart). The [stack guides](https://deploywithox.com/docs/guides) show a working `ox.toml` for [Django](https://deploywithox.com/docs/guides/django), [Next.js](https://deploywithox.com/docs/guides/nextjs), [Rails](https://deploywithox.com/docs/guides/rails) and more.

New to running apps on your own server? [How ox self-hosts your apps](https://deploywithox.com/self-hosting) shows what ox sets up on your server.

On this page

- [What does Coolify do?](https://deploywithox.com/blog/coolify-alternative-without-docker#heading-what-coolify-does)
- [Why would you want to skip Docker?](https://deploywithox.com/blog/coolify-alternative-without-docker#heading-why-no-docker)
- [How does ox deploy without Docker?](https://deploywithox.com/blog/coolify-alternative-without-docker#heading-how-ox-works)
- [How do Coolify and ox compare?](https://deploywithox.com/blog/coolify-alternative-without-docker#heading-compare)
- [When is Coolify the better pick?](https://deploywithox.com/blog/coolify-alternative-without-docker#heading-when-coolify)
- [What ox does not do](https://deploywithox.com/blog/coolify-alternative-without-docker#heading-what-ox-lacks)
- [Frequently asked questions](https://deploywithox.com/blog/coolify-alternative-without-docker#faq)
- [Can I use Coolify without Docker?](https://deploywithox.com/blog/coolify-alternative-without-docker#heading-faq-no-docker)
- [Can I move an app from Coolify to ox?](https://deploywithox.com/blog/coolify-alternative-without-docker#heading-faq-move)
- [Can Coolify and ox share one server?](https://deploywithox.com/blog/coolify-alternative-without-docker#heading-faq-both)
- [Is ox cheaper than Coolify?](https://deploywithox.com/blog/coolify-alternative-without-docker#heading-faq-cheaper)
- [Next step](https://deploywithox.com/blog/coolify-alternative-without-docker#heading-next)

Written by Saurav Sharma

Builds ox. Writes about running apps on servers you own, without Docker and without a platform bill.

[Older post Dokploy vs Coolify vs ox: Which One Fits Your VPS?](https://deploywithox.com/blog/dokploy-vs-coolify-vs-ox) [Newer post How to Self-Host Web Apps on Your Own VPS (2026 Guide)](https://deploywithox.com/blog/self-host-web-apps-on-your-own-vps)

## Keep reading

- Product [Dokploy vs Coolify vs ox: Which One Fits Your VPS?](https://deploywithox.com/blog/dokploy-vs-coolify-vs-ox) Dokploy vs Coolify vs ox in October 2026: how each runs apps on your own server, what the panel needs, what each costs, and which one fits your project. Saurav Sharma Oct 15, 2026 7 min read
- Product [Render and Railway Alternatives on a Server You Own](https://deploywithox.com/blog/render-railway-alternatives-on-your-own-server) Render and Railway alternatives for 2026: run your apps on a VPS you own. How pricing compares, what you give up, and when Render or Railway still wins. Saurav Sharma Oct 15, 2026 7 min read
- Product [Why I Stopped Paying for Vercel on My Side Projects](https://deploywithox.com/blog/stopped-paying-for-vercel-side-projects) Vercel is great, but the bill grows with each project. How I run my side projects on one VPS I own with ox, what it costs, and what I gave up. Saurav Sharma Oct 8, 2026 6 min read

## Deploy to a server you own

ox sets up systemd, Caddy and PostgreSQL on your Ubuntu server and deploys on every push. Free for your first project.

[Sign up with GitHub](https://deploywithox.com/login/github) [Read the docs](https://deploywithox.com/docs)