Vapor vs RunCloud: Pricing and Ratings Compared (2026)
Entry prices and free plans as read on each vendor's pricing page, and user ratings as published on review sites, for Vapor and RunCloud side by side. This page compares data; it is not a hands-on review.
On the data: On the data below, Vapor leads on higher user rating and a free plan. We do not name an overall winner for this pair.
Short on time? Here's the quick answer
Based on published vendor pricing and features and on public review data, here's who should pick what:
Vapor
Deploy your Laravel PHP application to the cloud with serverless simplicity and incredible scale.
Best for you if:
- • You want a free tier before you commit
RunCloud
Simple yet powerful control panel for cloud servers, no Linux expertise required.
Best for you if:
- • You want server management panel
| At a Glance | Vapor | RunCloud |
|---|---|---|
Starts at | Free plan, paid from $33.25/mo, billed yearly Annual plan | From $8/mo, billed monthly Essentials plan |
Category | Hosting & Deployment Cloud & Infrastructure | Hosting & Deployment Server Management |
Rating | 4.5/5 G2 4.7 · Trustpilot 4.1 164 reviews | 3.5/5 Trustpilot 2.8 · G2 4.0 · Capterra 4.0 53 reviews |
Free plan | Yes | No |
Watch out for | n/a | Inactive/offline servers still count toward your server quota |
Choose Vapor or RunCloud?
Choose Vapor if
- You want a free tier before you commit
- You want serverless Laravel
- You want AWS integration
Choose RunCloud if
- You want server management panel
- You want good for PHP
In-Depth Analysis
Vapor
Deploy your Laravel PHP application to the cloud with serverless simplicity and incredible scale.
Vapor's pricing is fair, especially for teams requiring unlimited projects and users.
Strengths
- Pro: Serverless Laravel
- Pro: AWS integration
- Pro: Auto-scaling
- Pro: Good DX
- Pro: Active development
Weaknesses
- Con: Expensive
- Con: Laravel only
- Con: AWS dependency
- Con: Learning curve
- Con: Debugging harder
Key features
RunCloud
Simple yet powerful control panel for cloud servers, no Linux expertise required.
RunCloud offers solid server management at reasonable prices.
Watch out
Inactive/offline servers still count toward your server quota
Strengths
- Pro: Server management panel
- Pro: Good for PHP
- Pro: Fair pricing
- Pro: Good features
- Pro: Active development
Weaknesses
- Con: Learning curve
- Con: Less known
- Con: Limited support
- Con: Better alternatives exist
- Con: PHP focused
Key features
Plans and prices: Vapor vs RunCloud
| Tool | Plans and prices | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Vapor |
| vapor.laravel.com read Oct 21, 2026 |
| RunCloud |
| runcloud.io/pricing read Sep 29, 2026 |
Prices as read on each vendor's own pricing page on the date shown. Plans are listed per tool and are not matched against the other tool's plans: a plan name or price in one column says nothing about the same row in the other. Details on Vapor pricing and RunCloud pricing.
Key Takeaways
Vapor
- Higher user rating: 4.5/5 vs 3.5/5
- Has a free plan
RunCloud
- Choose if you want simple yet powerful control panel for cloud servers, no Linux expertise required
What the data shows
On the data below, Vapor leads on higher user rating and a free plan. We do not name an overall winner for this pair.
- Vapor has the higher user rating (4.5/5 from 164 reviews for Vapor, 3.5/5 from 53 reviews for RunCloud).
- Entry prices are not ranked, they are charged on different bases: Vapor $33.25/mo, billed yearly; RunCloud $8/mo, billed monthly.
- Only Vapor has a free plan.
Criteria: user rating (only above 20 reviews on both sides, gap of 0.2 or more), entry price (only on the same billing basis), free plan. How we rate
Frequently Asked Questions
How do Vapor and RunCloud compare in 2026?
On the data below, Vapor leads on higher user rating and a free plan. We do not name an overall winner for this pair. Vapor has the higher user rating (4.5/5 from 164 reviews for Vapor, 3.5/5 from 53 reviews for RunCloud). Entry prices are not ranked, they are charged on different bases: Vapor $33.25/mo, billed yearly; RunCloud $8/mo, billed monthly. Only Vapor has a free plan.
What are Vapor and RunCloud used for?
Vapor: Deploy your Laravel PHP application to the cloud with serverless simplicity and incredible scale. RunCloud: Simple yet powerful control panel for cloud servers, no Linux expertise required.
What does Vapor cost vs RunCloud?
Vapor's cheapest paid plan is Annual at $33.25/mo, billed yearly; it also has a free plan. RunCloud's cheapest paid plan is Essentials at $8/mo, billed monthly. Prices read on the vendors' pricing pages, latest check Oct 21, 2026.
What's the main difference between Vapor and RunCloud?
Vapor's main strength: serverless Laravel. RunCloud's main strength: server management panel.