Dokploy vs Coolify // Docker Swarm changes the game!

A hands-on comparison of two self-hosted app deployment platforms, Dokploy and Coolify, tested side by side in a home lab. Dokploy is favored for its Docker Swarm-first architecture enabling horizontal scaling, cleaner UI, broader Git provider support (GitHub, GitLab, Bitbucket, Gitea), more build types (including Heroku buildpacks), and built-in cluster monitoring. Coolify edges ahead with native Cloudflare tunnel integration, support for multiple reverse proxies (Traefik or Caddy), more pre-configured database types, and built-in housekeeping features like Docker cleanup schedulers. The author ultimately recommends Dokploy for users who need scalable multi-node deployments, while Coolify suits homelabbers wanting simpler maintenance automation. Neither is recommended for integrating into existing infrastructure.