Panelica vs Coolify
Different categories, same audience question. Coolify is a self-hosted Vercel/Heroku/Netlify alternative for deploying apps. Panelica is a multi-tenant hosting platform with mail, DNS, reseller and 5-layer isolation. Same hardware, different jobs.
What you actually pay each month
Both are free at their base. Coolify Cloud and Panelica paid tiers add managed services.
Where Panelica wins, where Coolify wins
Feature presence on each platform without third-party add-ons. Partial means the feature exists but is limited or requires a paid extension.
| Feature | Panelica | Coolify |
|---|---|---|
| Built-in mail server | ✓ Postfix + Dovecot + DKIM + spam | , |
| Built-in DNS server | ✓ BIND with full zone manager | , |
| Reseller / multi-tenant | ✓ Built-in with quotas + plans | Single operator / team only |
| Hosting account model | ✓ Per-customer plans with quotas | Per-app deploys, no accounts |
| Built-in AI co-pilot | OpsAI · 15 experts | , |
| Native iOS & Android apps | ✓ in App Store / Google Play | , |
| 5-layer kernel isolation | ✓ cgroups + ns + chroot + FPM + perms | Docker container isolation |
| Git push-to-deploy | ✓ Git module with OAuth + rollback | ✓ Native |
| 280+ one-click services | 99 Docker templates | ✓ 280+ Coolify services |
| Database management UI | ✓ phpMyAdmin + pgAdmin + Redis CLI | ✓ Multiple DB types |
| Free SSL (Let's Encrypt) | ✓ Auto + DNS-01 | ✓ Traefik + LE |
| Multi-language UI | 31 languages | English primary |
| Customer-facing hosting | ✓ Domains, mail, FTP, customer portal | App developers only |
When each one is the right choice
Coolify is a deployment PaaS — push code, it runs. Panelica is a hosting platform — sell hosting to customers with mail, DNS, FTP, reseller. They overlap less than they seem to.
Choose Panelica when…
- You sell or operate hosting for customers (mail, websites, DNS), not just deploy your own apps.
- You need a built-in mail server (Postfix + Dovecot + DKIM) and DNS server (BIND).
- You need reseller / multi-tenant mode with per-customer plans and quotas.
- You need a customer-facing portal, FTP, file manager, classic shared-hosting features.
- You want native mobile apps and AI assistance for hosting operations.
Choose Coolify when…
- You deploy your own apps (Next.js, Laravel, Django, Node) and want a Vercel/Heroku-like experience self-hosted.
- You do not need mail, DNS, FTP or customer accounts — just apps and databases.
- You like Docker Swarm + Traefik and want push-to-deploy with preview environments.
- You want the 280+ one-click Coolify services library specifically.
Move app deployments to Panelica
Panelica supports Git push-to-deploy with OAuth and rollback through its Git module, and 99 Docker one-click templates. If you're running customer hosting, you can keep Coolify for internal app deploys and add Panelica for the customer side — or migrate apps over.
Free forever. Really.
Keep three domains forever, free, with no credit card, no expiry, no degraded functionality. Move up to Professional ($4.99/mo) only when you outgrow it.
Real prices, verifiable on our pricing page. No hidden upgrades, no add-on fees, no account-based tiering.
See Panelica pricingAbout switching from Coolify
Is Coolify free?
Yes for self-hosted. Coolify Cloud (the managed version) starts at $5/month per server. You pay for the VPS separately. Panelica is also free at the Starter tier and offers paid tiers $4.99–$24.99 for customer-hosting features.
Are Coolify and Panelica really competitors?
They overlap but solve different problems. Coolify is a deployment PaaS — you push code, it runs. Panelica is a hosting platform — you sell hosting to customers with mail, DNS, reseller, FTP. Many operators run both: Coolify for internal app deploys, Panelica for customer hosting.
Does Coolify include mail and DNS?
No. Coolify does not ship a mail server or DNS server — it expects external providers (Postmark, Cloudflare, etc.). Panelica includes Postfix + Dovecot + DKIM mail and BIND DNS as first-class modules.
Can I run customer hosting on Coolify?
Coolify is built for a single operator/team deploying their own apps. There is no built-in customer/reseller model, no per-customer plans with quotas, no customer portal. If you sell hosting, this is a hard ceiling.
What does Coolify do better than Panelica?
Modern deployment workflows. Push-to-deploy with preview environments, 280+ curated one-click services, beautiful per-app log streaming, Docker Swarm scaling. For an internal app team, Coolify's UX is genuinely excellent.