Choose your path

Coolify can be used in two ways: self-hosted, where you run and maintain the Coolify instance yourself, or Coolify Cloud, where the Coolify team runs and maintains the Coolify instance for you.

The short version

Self-hosted and Cloud use the same Coolify features. The choice is only who operates the Coolify instance: you manage it yourself, or Coolify manages it for you.

Area	Self-hosted	Coolify Cloud
Coolify instance	You install, update, backup, monitor, and restore the Coolify instance.	The Coolify team runs, updates, backs up, monitors, and restores the Coolify instance.
Your servers	You provide the servers and secure the operating system, SSH access, firewall, and network.	You still provide the servers and secure the operating system, SSH access, firewall, and network.
Your workloads	Your apps, databases, volumes, secrets, and runtime security remain your responsibility.	Your apps, databases, volumes, secrets, and runtime security remain your responsibility.
Coolify updates	You decide when to update Coolify and how to handle maintenance windows.	Coolify team applies control-plane updates for you.
Cost model	No Coolify license fee. You pay for your own infrastructure and operations time.	Paid managed service for the Coolify instance. You still pay for your own servers.
Feature set	All Coolify features.	Same as self-hosted. No Cloud-only feature paywall.

Self-hosted Coolify

Choose this if control, auditability, and self-managed operations matter more than the fastest setup.

You manage installation and upgrades
You own instance backup and restore planning
You control maintenance and operational standards
Keep all platform data under your control
No recurring platform subscription costs

Choose Self-hosted

Coolify Cloud

Choose this if you want the quickest route to production and less control-plane maintenance.

Coolify team manages the control plane
Coolify team handles platform updates
You still keep ownership of your servers and workloads
Built-in high availability for the control plane
No platform maintenance required

Choose Cloud

Why this choice matters

Both paths give you the same core product experience, but they differ in who is responsible for operating and maintaining the Coolify instance.

Coolify Cloud includes a monthly subscription for the managed instance, while self-hosted lets you run it yourself without recurring platform fees.

Still unsure?

Start with Self-hosted if you are comfortable operating the control plane.

Self-hosted gives you the clearest ownership model from day one. Choose Cloud when you want the Coolify team to handle the instance maintenance for you.