Compare Appliku to how you deploy today.
On a managed platform, wiring up AWS by hand, or self-hosting an open-source PaaS? Here is an honest, side-by-side look at each one. The common thread is simple: we manage the servers, you just push code.
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Trusted by over 7,800 teams to run their apps in production.
In short
Appliku is a managed deployment platform that gives you Heroku-style git-push deploys on a server you own, on any cloud (DigitalOcean, AWS, Hetzner, or any VPS). It is built for Django and Python teams (FastAPI, Rails, and Next.js too). Most people deploy one of four ways: on a managed platform that runs your app on their infrastructure and locks you in; on a big cloud like AWS or DigitalOcean that you wire up and maintain yourself; on a self-hosted, open-source PaaS you have to host and patch; or on a starter sandbox that boxes you in. Appliku is the option that sits underneath all of them: your own server, fully managed, so you never have to manage it yourself.
Appliku, side by side
We grouped the alternatives by how you deploy today: a fully managed platform, a big cloud you assemble yourself, a self-hosted PaaS, or a starter sandbox. Each comparison is honest about when the other tool is the right choice.
Managed platforms
These run your app on their own infrastructure. Keep the same push-to-deploy experience, but move it to a server you own so you control the cost and avoid lock-in.
It froze in maintenance mode, but your bill didn't. Keep git-push deploys on a server you own, and we move your app for you, live.
Compare →The same managed push-to-deploy, on your own cloud account. You control the cost and avoid lock-in.
Compare →A managed platform where your app and database run on a server you own, not on someone else's.
Compare →Push-to-deploy on your own cloud, with root SSH and pricing that doesn't climb with usage.
Compare →Big clouds, without the assembly
Deploy straight to AWS or DigitalOcean in your own account, without wiring up the pipeline, networking, and deploys by hand.
Skip the black box. Deploy Django to EC2 with fast deploys, root SSH, and Django-native defaults.
Compare →Skip the VPC and NAT wiring. An always-on EC2 instance with no cold starts and predictable cost.
Compare →Skip the task-definition JSON. Git-push deploys to EC2, with no CodePipeline wiring.
Compare →Keep DigitalOcean, leave the App Platform. Move to a Droplet you control: full-size CPUs, private networking, no build ceiling.
Compare →Self-hosted and open source
Great tools if you want to run them yourself. With Appliku, we run the platform and keep the server healthy, so it never becomes your job, and there is no control panel of ours living on your server.
The same push-to-deploy on a server you own, but we run the platform and keep it healthy, with no control panel of ours on your server.
Compare →Heroku-style deploys without hosting and patching the PaaS yourself. We manage both the server and the platform.
Compare →The managed platform around your containers: server setup, databases with backups, a dashboard, and fast support.
Compare →Sandboxes and starter hosts
Simple places to start that box you in. Move to a real, unrestricted server, still fully managed.
Which one is right for you?
If you want zero infrastructure and never plan to own a server, a fully hosted platform like Heroku, Render, or Railway is the simplest path, and we say so on each page. If you enjoy running your own tooling, Coolify, Dokku, and Kamal are excellent open-source projects.
Appliku is for the middle ground most Django teams actually want: the cost and control of your own server, without the part where patching, backups, and deploys become your second job. You bring a cloud account, we set up and maintain the server, and you push code like you always have.
Real support, often from the founder
The thing a comparison table can't show: when something breaks, a person who knows the platform answers fast.
"Super fast support. Any issue I've had was resolved quickly."
"Switching from Heroku to AWS + Appliku revolutionized our business, delivering significant savings and newfound flexibility."
"You get the best of both worlds, a PaaS like experience, but it's your cloud servers where you can control costs and increase resources."
Try it before you compare further
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