A list of Cloudron-like services/ competitors

[jdaviescoates]

We all love Cloudron because it Just Works and automates/ takes care of so much.

As a bit of market research for Cloudron and as a list of other interesting options for people to try/ investigate for deploying apps that aren't yet on Cloudron, let's compile a list of the similarish "one-click install" type services that are out there.

I'll get us started:

YunoHost
https://yunohost.org/
https://yunohost.org/en/apps
https://github.com/YunoHost/yunohost

HomelabOS
https://homelabos.com/
https://homelabos.com/docs/#available-software
https://gitlab.com/NickBusey/HomelabOS/

Ethibox
https://ethibox.fr/
https://ethibox.fr/apps
https://github.com/ethibox/ethibox

Tipi
https://www.runtipi.io/
https://www.runtipi.io/docs/apps-available
https://github.com/meienberger/runtipi

Co-op Cloud
https://coopcloud.tech/
https://recipes.coopcloud.tech/
https://git.coopcloud.tech/coop-cloud

Elestio
https://elest.io/
https://elest.io/fully-managed-services
https://github.com/elestio

Sandstorm
https://sandstorm.io/
https://apps.sandstorm.io/
https://github.com/sandstorm-io/sandstorm

CapRover
https://caprover.com/
https://wizardly-ptolemy-8fcac8.netlify.app/ (h/t @scooke for giving me that list of CapRover apps)
https://github.com/caprover/caprover

Umbrel
https://umbrel.com/
https://apps.umbrel.com/
https://github.com/getumbrel/umbrel

Cosmos
https://cosmos-cloud.io
https://cosmos-cloud.io/cosmos-ui/market-listing (but apparently can do any Docker app too)
https://github.com/azukaar/cosmos-server

CasaOS
https://casaos.io/
(I can't easily find the list of apps on CasaOS but it shows them on the website)
https://github.com/IceWhaleTech/CasaOS

PikaPods (not self hosting, but easy App Deployment to their Cloud Infrastructure)
https://www.pikapods.com/
https://www.pikapods.com/apps
https://github.com/pikapods (docs only)

Unraid
https://unraid.net/
https://unraid.net/community/apps
https://github.com/unraid (it's proprietary though, so you wont find the code there)

Dokku
https://dokku.com
https://github.com/dokku/dokku/
No list of apps, but "you can push Heroku-compatible applications to it via Git"

FreedomBox
https://freedombox.org/
https://salsa.debian.org/freedombox-team/freedombox/
Can't find a simple list but check the demo and manual

Easypanel
https://easypanel.io/
https://easypanel.io/templates
https://github.com/easypanel-io

Coolify - An open-source & self-hostable Heroku / Netlify alternative.
https://coolify.io/
https://coolify.io/docs/installation
https://github.com/coollabsio/coolify/blob/main/scripts/install.sh
https://github.com/coollabsio/coolify/

There is also this handy tool by @rosano that lists all the apps available on Cloudron, YunoHost and CapRover https://easyindie.app/ (be cool if it listed all the apps on all these systems!)

What else is out there?

[Neiluj]

Umbrel
https://umbrel.com/
https://apps.umbrel.com/
https://github.com/getumbrel/umbrel

[jdaviescoates]

@Neiluj thanks, I actually saw that but on a very quick look it seemed you have to buy their hardware? Either way, I'll add it to the list above as it's definitely in the same self hosting space

[timconsidine]

Cosmos : https://Cosmos-Cloud.io

CAsaOS : https://casaos.io/

[marcusquinn]

Worth adding pricing, missing features, and potential gotcha hazards into the list for each?

[jdaviescoates]

@marcusquinn said in A list of Cloudron-like services/ competitors:

Worth adding pricing, missing features, and potential gotcha hazards into the list for each?

IMHO, that would be worth it, yes, but don't have the time/ desire to do that at present. Licensing too.

If anyone fancies compiling such data somewhere I'd happily add to the OP

[Kubernetes]

I would like to add https://www.pikapods.com/
Even if it is not self hosting, it's some kind of easy App Deployment to their Cloud Infrastructure

[jdaviescoates]

@timconsidine said in A list of Cloudron-like services/ competitors:

Cosmos : https://Cosmos-Cloud.io

CAsaOS : https://casaos.io/

Thanks, added.

@Kubernetes said in A list of Cloudron-like services/ competitors:

I would like to add https://www.pikapods.com/

Thanks, added.

[timconsidine]

Not entirely sure it fits in the list, but it kinda does so ... Dokku https://dokku.com

I didn't it find it so useful and have just re-purposed the VPS to try out cosmos-cloud

[timconsidine]

Caprover : I quite like it, but find so many of the packaged app deployments are running on old versions, and the deployment often breaks when you enter details of a more recent version.
Support is, hmmm, not a great example of community support.
Just IME and IMHO.
Still have a Caprover instance running while I try to find other ways to host the apps I do run there (low usage).

[fbartels]

I recently played a bit with tipi. It is nice in the sense that it has minimal dependencies. Basically one docker for the dashboard and a database. All apps are simply launched from docker-compose and the web ingress is traefik which gets it's configuration from labels. The author is currently busy updating some things, so some things may not match the documentation. It is nice that you can have your own appstore, but unless you manually add credentials for it, it has to be public.

But that was just my impression after playing for a few hours.

[avatar1024]

Would FreedomBox fall into this? For home server but feels kinda similar.

https://freedombox.org/

Thanks @jdaviescoates for compiling that list, and everyone for contributing

It's weird, I feel very happy with Cloudron, loves the community and the devs, and well sure some apps are still missing but packaging is happening (and well I cannot complain since I do not code), but the one thing that makes me want look elsewhere (beyond my unstoppable curiosity) is not technical or functionality, but is the damn license which is hard to justify in the world I'm in (and with the fact that I am a free software advocate / activist). I understand the devs reasons for it, and as long as the code is public I can live with it (and kinda justify it), but I really wish it could be done differently.

[necrevistonnezr]

I trade FOSS against real support, sustainable development, and allowing devs an equally sustainable income from their hard work any time of the day.

I‘ve seen too many abandoned projects and license changes (see Hashicorp) to make FOSS a priority.

[scooke]

I'm running EasyPanel right now, mostly for Rotki. Their approach is two-stepped, in that you have to make a Project; within this Project you can install your own app, or you can choose from the Templates that are already prepared. Templates are essentially "apps". You can also pay to increase the number of projects, for better monitoring, and for DB backups.
https://easypanel.io/
https://easypanel.io/templates
https://github.com/easypanel-io

[scooke]

Cloudpanel looks more like strictly a Dashboard, but it allows for app installation and self-hosting:
https://www.cloudpanel.io/
https://www.cloudpanel.io/docs/v2/introduction/

[scooke]

Finally, one of the first ones I tried after Cloudron, FLAP. It has a limited number of apps available, which is part of its appeal. Self-hosting, self-installing, and a fairly active Matrix channel for help.
https://gitlab.com/flap-box/flap
https://www.flap.cloud/ - this is their commercial offering, but it shows which apps are on offer.

Finally, there is Enough, which looks to be similar to FLAP, but way more complicated!
https://enough.community/
https://forum.enough.community/

[avatar1024]

@necrevistonnezr said in A list of Cloudron-like services/ competitors:

I trade FOSS against real support, sustainable development, and allowing devs an equally sustainable income from their hard work any time of the day.

As a matter of fact I also kinda of also do since for now I stick with Cloudron. Beyond the licence I do really like this community and the devs, and I was an early adopter (mind at first it was completely FOSS) so I won't give it up easily (though if the code source was not public I would have left long ago).

But there are also successful FOSS projects that achieve the goals you're mentioning, so I just wish there would be a business model for Cloudron to achieve it too as a FOSS project, because the truth is, if one of the FOSS alternative starts to come close, I'll just have to switch and I'll be sad about it as I do believe the Cloudron devs (and other contributors) have done a tremendously good job and I would like to keep supporting it.

So I'm watching this space, half excited and half worried. I want Cloudron to remain the best at servicing my needs, but if a FOSS alternative comes up then I can switch and stop having to justify to myself and my surrounding why Cloudron is literally the only non-free software I actively promote.

[andjules 0]

Any comments on which platforms make installing multiple apps on a single server easiest? Many apps are occasional-use-at-most, no real need to rent servers for each

[jdaviescoates]

@andjules-0 said in A list of Cloudron-like services/ competitors:

Any comments on which platforms make installing multiple apps on a single server easiest?

I've not tried most of them, but in my limited experience: Cloudron!

[jdaviescoates]

@timconsidine said in A list of Cloudron-like services/ competitors:

Not entirely sure it fits in the list, but it kinda does so ... Dokku https://dokku.com

I didn't it find it so useful and have just re-purposed the VPS to try out cosmos-cloud

Close enough, added.