The free, open-source Laravel Forge alternative
Cipi gives you the same one-command Laravel deployment workflow as Laravel Forge — zero-downtime Git deploys, queues, SSL, databases — but it's 100% free, open source (MIT), and runs entirely on your own Ubuntu VPS. No subscription, no SaaS dependency, no per-server fee.
Cipi vs Laravel Forge at a glance
| Feature | Cipi | Laravel Forge |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free, forever | From $12/mo per server |
| License | Open source (MIT) | Proprietary |
| Interface | CLI + REST API | Web GUI (SaaS) |
| Runs entirely on your VPS | Yes | No — requires forge.laravel.com |
| Laravel-native (Deployer, artisan, queues) | Yes | Yes |
| Zero-downtime Git deploys | Yes | Yes |
| AI / MCP server | Dual MCP | No |
| Config encryption at rest (AES-256) | Yes | No |
| Server-to-server sync & failover | Yes | No |
| Data sovereignty (no third-party processor) | Yes | US-based SaaS |
| Visual dashboard, monitoring, teams | No | Yes |
Why developers switch from Forge to Cipi
$0 instead of $12+/mo per server
Forge bills per server, every month. Cipi is free for every server you run, for life — the savings scale with your fleet.
No SaaS dependency
Forge manages your servers from forge.laravel.com. If you cancel or it has downtime, you lose the interface. Cipi lives on your VPS and works independently.
CLI & pipeline automation
Every operation is a composable shell command — scriptable, chainable, and runnable from a webhook or GitHub Action. Forge automation is GUI-first.
Open source & auditable
Cipi is MIT-licensed. Read, audit, fork, and modify every line. Forge is proprietary.
AI-native with dual MCP
Per-app and global MCP servers let any MCP-compatible IDE or agent create, deploy, and manage apps and SSL across the whole server.
Encryption at rest + data sovereignty
All configs, tokens and keys are encrypted with AES-256-CBC on your VPS. No infrastructure metadata leaves your server — GDPR-friendly by design.
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 — ready to deploy your first Laravel app. See the getting started guide.
Where Laravel Forge is still the better choice
Forge wins on its polished GUI, multi-cloud provisioning across multiple accounts, team management, built-in monitoring dashboards, heartbeats and health checks, and years of production hardening at scale. If your team isn't comfortable with SSH or you need a visual interface, Forge is worth its price.
Frequently asked questions
Is there a free alternative to Laravel Forge?
Yes. Cipi is a free, open-source (MIT) and self-hosted alternative to Laravel Forge. It installs and manages a complete production stack on any Ubuntu VPS with no monthly subscription and no per-server fee.
What is the difference between Cipi and Laravel Forge?
Forge is a proprietary SaaS with a GUI that starts at $12/month per server and manages your servers from forge.laravel.com. Cipi is a free, open-source CLI that lives entirely on your VPS, works without any external service, and exposes a REST API and MCP server for automation and AI agents.
Does Cipi support zero-downtime Laravel deployments?
Yes. Cipi provides webhook-driven, zero-downtime Git deployments for both GitHub and GitLab, configured in a single command, with automatic Supervisor queue workers and artisan integration.
When should I still choose Laravel Forge?
Choose Forge if your team prefers a polished visual dashboard, needs multi-cloud provisioning, team management, and built-in monitoring/heartbeats, and is not comfortable working over SSH.
