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Hosting & Infra

Cloudinary vs Dokku: Pricing Comparison 2026

Side-by-side pricing comparison of Cloudinary and Dokku. See all plans, features, and costs at a glance.

Bottom line: Both Cloudinary and Dokku offer free plans. Cloudinary has 4 pricing tiers while Dokku has 1.

Last updated: March 16, 2026

Data compiled by Arthur Jacquemin
Updated March 16, 2026

Cloudinary vs Dokku: Quick Pricing Facts

FeatureCloudinaryDokku
Starting Price$99/moCustom pricing
Number of Plans41
Free TierYesYes
Pricing Modelfreemiumopen-source
Annual DiscountN/AN/A

Cloudinary and Dokku are both priced at $99/mo, making them equally accessible Hosting & Infra tools. Together they offer 5 pricing plans with 52 features compared, so the best choice comes down to which features match your needs.

Both tools offer free plans, making them accessible for teams on a budget. Cloudinary uses freemium pricing while Dokku uses open-source pricing, which may affect your total cost at scale.

Review the detailed tier-by-tier comparison above to see exactly which features are included at each price point and find the best fit for your Hosting & Infra needs.

Pricing Plans
Cloudinary
Cloudinary
Try it free
Tier 1
FreePopular
$0/monthCheapest
Includes
  • Upload widget, API, and search
  • Remote fetch, auto-backup, and revision tracking
  • Image and video transformations
  • Video transcoding and adaptive streaming
  • High performance delivery through a CDN
  • Support — forums, tickets, and email
  • Access to free add-ons
  • Upload widget, API, and search
  • Remote fetch, auto-backup, and revision tracking
  • Image and video transformations
  • Video transcoding and adaptive streaming
  • High performance delivery through a CDN
  • Support — forums, tickets, and email
  • Access to free add-ons
  • Access to MCP servers
Start with Free
Free
$0/monthCheapest
Includes
  • Open-source PaaS
  • Docker-based
  • Self-hosted
  • Heroku buildpacks
Start with Free
Tier 2
PlusPopular
$99/monthCheapest
Includes
  • Backup to your own S3 bucket
  • Auto-tagging based search
  • Access to free and paid add-ons
  • Expedited support
  • Allowlist/Blocklist asset access
  • Video Bandwidth Boost 2:1
  • Role-based multi-user administration
  • Backup to your own S3 bucket
  • Auto-tagging based search
  • Access to free and paid add-ons
  • Expedited support
  • Allowlist/Blocklist asset access
  • Video Bandwidth Boost 2:1
  • Role-based multi-user administration
Start with Plus
Tier 3
AdvancedPopular
$249/monthCheapest
Includes
  • Custom domain (CNAME) support
  • Optional HTTPS SSL Certificate
  • Authentication Options
  • Custom domain (CNAME) support
  • Optional HTTPS SSL Certificate
  • Authentication Options
Start with Advanced
Tier 4
EnterprisePopular
Custom pricing
Includes
  • Backup to your own S3 bucket
  • Auto-tagging based search
  • Access to free and paid add-ons
  • Expedited support
  • Allowlist/Blocklist asset access
  • Video Bandwidth Boost 2:1
  • Role-based multi-user administration
  • Security and compliance review
  • Multi-CDN and enterprise grade infrastructure
  • Enterprise SLAs and support
  • Designated customer success manager
  • Custom contracts and invoicing
  • User management (SSO, provisioning API)
Start with Enterprise

Swipe to compare plans →

Cloudinary

Cloud-based image and video management platform

View all Cloudinary plans

Dokku

Free open-source PaaS alternative powered by Docker

View all Dokku plans
Our Pick

Cloudinary

Cloudinary offers a free plan, offers 4 tiers vs 1.

Based on pricing data only. Review the full comparison below for your specific needs.

Best value: Cloudinary

Try Cloudinary free

Which Should You Choose?

Choose Cloudinary if:

  • You prefer Cloudinary's free tier features—Upload widget, API, and search, Remote fetch, auto-backup, and revision tracking
  • You need 4 pricing tiers for flexible team sizing—more options mean less overpaying for features you don't need
  • You want more features built-in—Cloudinary offers 44 additional features across its plans
  • Your team needs custom enterprise pricing—Cloudinary offers negotiated terms for large deployments

Choose Dokku if:

  • You prefer Dokku's free tier features—Open-source PaaS, Docker-based
  • You prioritize Dokku's user experience and interface over price (both tools are similarly priced)
  • Dokku's single-tier open-source structure gives clearer cost visibility for budget planning

Both Cloudinary and Dokku offer free plans [1], eliminating cost barriers for evaluation. This means you can test both tools thoroughly with your actual workflows before any financial commitment. The free tiers differ in scope: Cloudinary includes 15 features, while Dokku includes 4 features. Evaluate which free tier matches your evaluation needs before deciding to upgrade. Your best approach is to activate both free trials and evaluate which tool's workflow, integrations, and user experience align better with your team's needs before committing to paid plans.

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Frequently Asked Questions: Cloudinary vs Dokku

How many pricing plans does Cloudinary have vs Dokku?
Cloudinary offers 4 pricing plans, while Dokku offers 1 plan. More plans typically means more flexibility to match your exact needs and budget.
Does Cloudinary or Dokku offer a free plan?
Yes, both Cloudinary and Dokku offer free plans. Compare the feature limits of each free tier to see which better fits your use case before upgrading.
What is the most popular Cloudinary plan?
The Free plan is Cloudinary's most popular tier, priced at Free. Key features include Upload widget, API, and search, Remote fetch, auto-backup, and revision tracking, Image and video transformations.
Does Cloudinary or Dokku offer custom enterprise pricing?
Cloudinary offers a custom-priced enterprise tier for larger teams. Dokku lists all its pricing publicly.
What pricing models do Cloudinary and Dokku use?
Cloudinary uses a freemium pricing model, while Dokku uses open-source pricing. The right model depends on your team size and usage patterns.
How do Cloudinary and Dokku compare for Hosting & Infra?
Both Cloudinary and Dokku are Hosting & Infra tools. Cloudinary offers 4 plans starting at $99/mo, while Dokku offers 1 plan starting at Custom pricing. Review the feature breakdowns above to see which better fits your Hosting & Infra needs.

Sources

  1. Cloudinary Official PricingVendor pricing page
  2. Dokku Official PricingVendor pricing page

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