The Laravel-native Cleavr alternative
Cleavr and Cipi both target Laravel teams with zero-downtime Git deploys — similar to Ploi or Laravel Forge. Cleavr is a SaaS panel with a polished GUI from around $8/month per server; Cipi is free, open source, self-hosted, and CLI-first with Deployer, dual MCP, encryption at rest, and server sync.
Cipi vs Cleavr at a glance
| Feature | Cipi | Cleavr |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free, forever | From ~$8/mo per server |
| License | Open source (MIT) | Proprietary SaaS |
| Interface | CLI + REST API + optional GUI | Web GUI (SaaS) |
| Runs entirely on your VPS | Yes | No — SaaS |
| Zero-downtime Git deploys | Yes | Yes |
| Laravel-native (Deployer, artisan, queues) | Yes | Laravel-friendly |
| AI / MCP server | Dual MCP | No |
| Config encryption at rest (AES-256) | Yes | No |
| Server-to-server sync & failover | Yes | No |
| Built-in GUI & monitoring | Optional GUI | Yes |
Why Laravel teams pick Cipi over Cleavr
No monthly fee
Cleavr bills from around $8/month per server. Cipi is free for every server, forever — no plan tiers, no upgrades.
No SaaS dependency
Cleavr controls your servers from its SaaS panel. Cipi lives on your VPS and keeps working even without panel access — and its own web panel is optional and self-hosted.
Open source & auditable
MIT-licensed — read, audit, fork and modify. Cleavr is a closed-source SaaS.
CLI-first & pipeline-ready
Every operation is a composable shell command, scriptable in CI/CD and triggerable by webhooks or GitHub Actions.
AI-native with dual MCP
Per-app and global MCP servers for full AI-driven infrastructure management from any MCP-compatible agent.
Encryption at rest & server sync
AES-256-CBC Vault encryption for all configs, plus built-in encrypted server-to-server sync for failover replication.
Install Cipi in one command
Spin up a fresh Ubuntu VPS, then run:
That installs and configures the full production stack — Nginx, PHP, MariaDB, Redis and Supervisor. See the getting started guide.
Where Cleavr is the better choice
Cleavr is a strong option if you want a polished web GUI, built-in monitoring, and a quick start for non-CLI teams — similar to Ploi or Laravel Forge at a lower price point. If your team prefers clicking over typing and you are comfortable with a monthly SaaS subscription per server, Cleavr is well worth evaluating.
Frequently asked questions
Is Cipi a good Cleavr alternative for Laravel?
Yes. Both support Laravel with zero-downtime Git deploys. Cleavr is a SaaS panel with a polished GUI starting around $8/month per server; Cipi is free, open-source, self-hosted, CLI-first, and adds dual MCP, AES-256 config encryption, and server sync.
What is the difference between Cipi and Cleavr?
Cleavr is a SaaS server-management panel with a web GUI, monitoring, and Laravel-friendly workflows — billed per server. Cipi is a free, open-source CLI that runs entirely on your VPS, is purpose-built for Laravel with Deployer integration, and adds a REST API, dual MCP server, encryption at rest, and server-to-server sync.
Is Cipi free compared to Cleavr?
Yes. Cleavr starts at around $8/month per server. Cipi is free and open source (MIT) with no per-server fee, no deploy limits, and no SaaS dependency — it runs entirely on your own Ubuntu VPS.
When should I still choose Cleavr?
Choose Cleavr if you want a polished web GUI, built-in monitoring, and a quick start for non-CLI teams — similar to Ploi or Laravel Forge — and you are comfortable with a monthly SaaS subscription per server.
