There are good tools for local development. Here is what sets them apart, point by point, and what Joppa does differently. The first one: Joppa plugs into your Docker, Podman, OrbStack or Colima instead of forcing its own.
As of October 2026, based on the vendors' own websites.
| Criterion | Joppa | Lerd | Laravel Herd | Laragon | ServBay | DDEV | Lando | Laravel Sail |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Systems | macOS, Linux (Windows in progress) | Linux, macOS (Windows via WSL2, beta) | macOS, Windows | Windows | macOS, Windows | macOS, Linux, Windows | macOS, Linux, Windows (WSL2) | macOS, Linux, Windows (WSL2) |
| Interface | Native desktop app, terminal app, CLI | Browser dashboard (PWA), terminal app, CLI | Native desktop app, CLI | Desktop app | Desktop app | CLI | CLI | CLI |
| Services run in | Docker Desktop, OrbStack, Colima or Podman: the one you have, and you can switch | Rootless Podman only | Native binaries, no containers | No Docker | No Docker | Docker (OrbStack, Colima, Docker Desktop…) or Podman | Docker | Docker |
| Automatic .test domains and trusted HTTPS | ✓ | ✓ | .test, HTTPS turned on per site | .test, one-click SSL | Local domains and built-in CA | *.ddev.site over HTTPS | *.lndo.site, CA to trust by hand | – |
| Languages | Node, bun, PHP | PHP, Node, Python, Ruby, Go, Rust | PHP, Node | PHP, Node | PHP, Node, Python, Go, Java, .NET, Ruby, Rust | PHP, Node | · | PHP (Laravel), Node in the container |
| Finds dev servers in package.json, composer.json and docker-compose | ✓ | Frameworks detected from the repository | · | · | · | · | · | · |
| Imports a Docker Compose project, data included | ✓ | · | · | · | · | · | · | · |
| Migrates from another tool, data included | From Lerd, Herd, DDEV and Sail | · | · | · | · | · | · | · |
| One environment per git worktree (domains, ports, database) | ✓ | ✓ | Since Herd 2.0 | · | · | · | · | · |
| Share a local site (local network, public tunnel) | Local network and QR code; Cloudflare, localhost.run, Pinggy, ngrok (Pro) | ✓ | Expose | ngrok | Pro | ddev share | · | sail share (Expose) |
| MCP server for AI assistants | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | · | ✓ | · | · | · |
| Databases in the free version | PostgreSQL, MySQL, MariaDB, Mailpit | ✓ | With Pro (MySQL, PostgreSQL, Redis…) | Non-commercial use | Yes, 5 sites at most | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Open source | – | MIT | – | · | · | Apache 2.0 | ✓ | ✓ |
| Price | Free · Pro $49 or €49/yr · Team $29 or €29/member/yr | Free | Free · Pro €99/yr (2 devices) · Teams €299/yr (10 licences) | Free for non-commercial use · commercial $49/yr per device | Free (5 sites) · Pro $59/yr · Team $399/yr | Free | Free | Free |
✓ yes · – no · · not stated by the vendor or not applicable. Prices are as shown by each vendor, in its currency.
Lerd, Laravel Herd, Laragon, ServBay, DDEV, Lando and Laravel Sail belong to their respective owners and are not affiliated with Joppa. Is a cell wrong or out of date? Write to us at [email protected].
What Joppa does differently.
Every tool makes its own choices. Here are ours.
- 01 — runtime
It plugs into your runtime.
Docker Desktop, OrbStack, Colima or Podman: Joppa runs your services in the runtime you already have, with no virtual machine or engine of its own, and you switch whenever you like. Lerd only takes Podman; Herd and ServBay replace containers with their own binaries. Your databases stay standard containers. Domains and HTTPS need none at all.
- 02 — detection
It reads your project.
package.json, composer.json, docker-compose: Joppa finds the dev servers, their ports and the services the project needs, then suggests a domain for each.
- 03 — app
A real desktop app.
A native window, the ⌘K palette and a shortcut for every action, not one more browser tab. With the joppa command, the terminal app and the MCP server alongside.
- 04 — free
A generous free version.
Unlimited projects, PostgreSQL, MySQL, MariaDB and Mailpit, Docker Compose import and the full MCP server, without paying. Pro adds analytics and the advanced services.
Try it on your projects.
Joppa is free to start: add a folder, it does the rest.