Ploi vs Laravel Forge.
An honest referee.
You're choosing between the two best-known native server panels. We're a third option, so read with that in mind — but the comparison below is the one we'd want if we were choosing.
They agree on more than they differ.
Both are mature, well-run panels that provision your own VPS over SSH and manage software natively on the host: PHP from system packages, databases as host services, sites behind nginx. Both do zero-downtime PHP deploys, TLS, queues, cron and backups. You won't pick wrong on capability alone.
Three axes actually separate them.
Laravel focus
Forge is built by the Laravel team and it shows: scheduler, queues, and deploy ergonomics feel first-party. Ploi supports Laravel well but spreads wider — WordPress, generic PHP, more panel surface.
Price
Ploi is generally the more affordable of the two, and its lower tiers are friendly to freelancers and small teams. Forge charges a premium that buys the first-party polish and ecosystem.
Ecosystem
Forge plugs into the wider Laravel universe — Envoyer and friends. Ploi counters with feature velocity and a reputation for fast, human support.
Our shorthand: deep-Laravel shops usually land on Forge; price-sensitive or mixed-workload teams usually land on Ploi.
The question neither asks.
Both panels share one architectural bet: software runs natively on the host. PHP comes from system packages, databases live on the box, and a distro upgrade or a repository hiccup can become your outage. If you're re-evaluating panels anyway, it's worth asking whether the native model itself is what you want to keep.
| Sproobo | Ploi | Forge | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Apps run in Docker | Always | Native | Native |
| Backing services in Docker | Always | Host packages | Host packages |
| Pinned, choosable versions | Apps + DBs | Host-tied | Host-tied |
| Data on inspectable host paths | Yes | On host | On host |
| Agent connectivity | Outbound-only | SSH in | SSH in |
| Inbound ports required | None | SSH port | SSH port |
| Off-box builds | Yes | On server | On server |
| Blue-green + health gate + rollback | Built-in | Zero-downtime | Zero-downtime |
| Telemetry stored by vendor | None | Some | Some |
| AI connectors (claude.ai / ChatGPT) | Built-in | No | No |
| MCP server + coding-agent skill + CLI on one audited API | Yes | API only | CLI + API |
| Lock-out possible | No, by design | Unlikely | Unlikely |
Our bias, stated plainly: we built the first column. Ploi and Forge capabilities are described from public documentation and change over time — spotted something out of date? Tell us and we'll fix it.