Ploi vs RunCloud: Which Server Panel Should You Pick?

If you run PHP apps or WordPress sites and you want to stop editing Nginx configs by hand, both Ploi and RunCloud will save you real time. They do the same core job: connect to your cloud account, provision a production ready server, and manage the sites, databases, and deployments on it. Neither one is a host, so you still pay DigitalOcean, Hetzner, or AWS for the VPS itself. The real differences show up in provider choice, how well each handles WordPress versus Laravel, price, and team features. This guide compares them fairly so you can choose with confidence.

What is Ploi and what is RunCloud?

Ploi is an independent, framework agnostic server panel that provisions and manages servers for Laravel, WordPress, Node, and static sites, with a strong reputation in the Laravel community. RunCloud is a server panel with a long PHP hosting track record and especially strong WordPress tooling, and it also runs Laravel and other PHP apps. Both are mature products that handle production traffic every day. The split in practice: RunCloud leans toward WordPress and general PHP hosting, while Ploi leans toward the Laravel ecosystem and broad value, though each can do the other's job.

Ploi figures were checked against ploi.io in 2026 and Ploi bills in euros, so US dollar amounts are approximate. RunCloud pricing changes and is best confirmed directly on runcloud.io/pricing before you subscribe.

Do Ploi and RunCloud host your server?

No. Both are management panels, not hosts. You connect your own cloud account, such as DigitalOcean, Hetzner, or AWS, and you keep paying that provider for the VPS. The Ploi or RunCloud subscription only covers the software that provisions the machine, sets up the web stack, and manages sites, deploys, and databases. That means you own the server and can move or cancel the panel without losing your infrastructure.

Cloud provider support

Ploi lists a wide set of first party integrations: DigitalOcean, Hetzner, Vultr, Linode, AWS, UpCloud, and Scaleway, plus any custom VPS you connect over SSH. UpCloud and Scaleway in particular are options that many panels skip. RunCloud takes a more provider neutral stance: it connects to a server you already created on almost any provider, so you are not limited to a fixed integration list. In day to day terms, both let you run on the big hosts. Ploi gives you convenient one click provisioning on named providers, while RunCloud is happy to adopt a server from wherever you spun it up.

Which is better for WordPress, Ploi or RunCloud?

For WordPress, RunCloud is the stronger pick. It was built with heavy PHP and WordPress hosting in mind, and it offers deeper WordPress specific tooling: streamlined installs, staging environments, and optimizations tuned for WordPress performance and caching. Ploi can absolutely run WordPress and manages it well, but WordPress is one of several workloads it supports rather than its center of gravity. If you manage many WordPress sites for clients and want WordPress features front and center, RunCloud fits that job more naturally. If WordPress is just one part of a mixed stack, Ploi handles it fine.

Can RunCloud deploy Laravel?

Yes. RunCloud deploys Laravel and other PHP applications, with Git based deployments and atomic deploys that swap releases without downtime. It handles the PHP version, web server config, queues, and cron that a Laravel app needs. That said, Ploi is known for a tighter Laravel ecosystem fit, with workflows and defaults that Laravel developers tend to find familiar. Both can ship a Laravel app to production. RunCloud does the job competently, while Ploi tends to feel a little more at home for teams living inside Laravel every day.

Is Ploi good for WordPress and Laravel both?

Yes. Ploi is framework agnostic, so a single account can manage Laravel apps, WordPress sites, plain PHP, Symfony, Statamic, Node.js services, and static sites side by side. This makes it a good fit for agencies and teams that run a mix of stacks and do not want a separate tool per framework. RunCloud is also flexible across PHP workloads, but its identity is more clearly PHP and WordPress first. If your portfolio spans Laravel plus a few WordPress sites plus the odd Node app, Ploi's breadth is convenient.

Deployment workflow and zero-downtime releases

Both panels deploy from GitHub, GitLab, and Bitbucket, and both offer zero downtime style releases so visitors never hit a broken page mid deploy. Ploi runs git push deploys with zero downtime releases, plus extras like deploy scripts, site cloning, and a file explorer for non standard build steps. RunCloud offers git based deployments and atomic deploys that switch to the new release only once it is ready. The workflows feel close in practice. A server panel handles the ops side of shipping, while an AI coding assistant speeds up writing the code that gets deployed, so the two cover different halves of the same job.

Database and mail management

Both panels create and manage databases on the server, typically MySQL or MariaDB, along with users and permissions, and Ploi includes automatic database and file backups on its higher plans. A nice side effect of having your database managed in one place is that you can layer tools on top of it, for example to let non-technical teammates query the production database in plain English instead of writing SQL by hand. Neither Ploi nor RunCloud is a cPanel style mailbox host; email is not their focus. Both let you configure outbound mail and connect a transactional provider, but if you need to create and manage many end user mailboxes, neither tool is designed for that.

Is RunCloud free?

RunCloud offers a trial rather than a permanent free tier, and its current plans and any free allowances are listed on runcloud.io/pricing, which is the source to trust since pricing changes over time. Ploi is clearer on this point: it has a genuinely free plan that covers one server, one site, and five deploys per month, plus a 5 day Pro trial that needs no credit card. If starting for free with no commitment matters to you, Ploi has the edge here.

Pricing and value

Ploi uses transparent tiered pricing: a free plan to start, then Basic at around $10 per month for up to five servers, Pro at around $16 per month for up to ten servers, and Unlimited at around $36 per month, with a discount on annual billing. RunCloud's pricing is best read straight from runcloud.io/pricing, so we are not quoting a figure here that might be out of date. Remember that both subscriptions sit on top of what you pay your cloud host for the VPS. On value, Ploi is easy to reason about and its free plan lowers the risk of trying it. For RunCloud, confirm the current plan that matches your server count and feature needs before you commit.

Monitoring, teams, and collaboration

Both panels include server and site monitoring so you can watch load, disk, and uptime, and both support working with more than one person. Ploi reserves team management and status pages for its top Unlimited plan, so a solo developer or small team gets monitoring on lower tiers while larger teams step up for collaboration features. RunCloud also supports team access and roles for agencies managing many sites. If several people need to manage servers together, check which specific tier on each product includes the team controls you need, since both gate some of that behind higher plans.

Is Ploi better than RunCloud?

Not universally. Ploi is better if you want the best value, a free way to start, broad framework support, and a tight Laravel ecosystem fit. RunCloud is better if WordPress and PHP hosting are your main workload and you want deeper WordPress tooling and a long hosting track record. Many developers would be happy with either. The honest read is that Ploi wins on value and Laravel fit, RunCloud wins on WordPress depth, and both are dependable panels that run production sites every day.

Which should you choose?

Pick RunCloud if most of your work is WordPress or general PHP hosting and you want WordPress features and tooling front and center. Pick Ploi if you want the strongest value, a free plan to start, wide provider and framework support, and a natural fit for the Laravel ecosystem. If you also want any-cloud provisioning plus zero-downtime deploys with a free start, it is worth a quick look at DeployManage as a third option; see how it lines up on this Ploi alternative page or the broader server management panel overview. Whichever you choose, the payoff is the same: less time on server config, more time shipping.