On October 1, 2025, Laravel announced a major Forge update with a built-in Laravel VPS option. That release made Forge feel more “platform-like” while keeping SSH and root access intact. This post compares Laravel Cloud and the new Forge + Laravel VPS across control, operations, provisioning, scaling, observability, automation, and cost, and calls out exactly how the line between them has blurred.
What each platform offers
Laravel Cloud
A fully managed PaaS for Laravel apps: deploy from a repo, let Cloud handle runtime, routing, autoscaling, TLS and load balancing, and managed resources such as MySQL, Serverless Postgres, Redis-compatible KV, and S3-compatible object storage. Zero-downtime deployments are built in.
Laravel Forge + Laravel VPS
Forge remains a server management and app deployment platform. The new Laravel VPS lets you provision an Ubuntu server from the Forge UI in seconds, with consolidated billing and full SSH/root access. The release also adds default zero-downtime deploys for new sites, an Observe tab with real-time metrics and health checks, a modernised API, and UX upgrades.
What actually changed on October 1, 2025
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On-platform provisioning – Laravel VPS provisions in under 10 seconds directly inside Forge, removing the need to jump out to a separate cloud dashboard, and it bills through Forge. Infrastructure is powered via a partnership with DigitalOcean.
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Zero-downtime by default for new sites – New Forge sites ship with release-based deployments enabled. Important caveat: you cannot enable this retroactively on existing sites without recreating them.
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Observability built in – The Observe tab surfaces logs, health checks, heartbeats, and for Laravel VPS servers, live CPU, memory and bandwidth charts. Business plan servers also support traditional threshold alerts.
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Modern API and UX – Forge introduced a new documented API, a command palette, RBAC, organisations as billable entities, and an integrated collaborative terminal for Laravel VPS.
These changes narrow the convenience gap that used to clearly favor a managed platform. Forge is still “your servers,” but the day-to-day feels smoother than the “old” Forge.
Side-by-side comparison
| Dimension | Laravel Cloud | Forge + Laravel VPS |
|---|---|---|
| Abstraction level | Managed PaaS focused on Laravel apps, no server management | Server management and deployments with SSH/root access |
| Provisioning | App-level setup in the dashboard | VPS provisioned in seconds from Forge UI, billing through Forge |
| Deployments | Zero-downtime rollouts by default | Zero-downtime enabled by default for new sites |
| Scaling | Autoscaling is built in | Manual scaling remains the norm, though adding capacity is faster with Laravel VPS |
| Observability | Built-in logs, metrics, and platform health | Observe tab: logs, health checks, heartbeats, plus real-time CPU/memory/bandwidth on Laravel VPS |
| Security surface | Automatic TLS, load balancing, bot and DDoS protection | Automated SSL, default firewall rules and Nginx templates, plus full OS-level hardening under your control |
| Managed resources | MySQL, Serverless Postgres, Redis-compatible KV, S3-compatible object storage | Self-managed databases, caches and backups via Forge and the OS, or link external services |
| API and automation | No publicly documented management API in the Cloud docs as of today | Documented REST API, CLI and SDK for programmatic management |
| Portability | Higher platform lock-in by design | Lower lock-in since you control the server stack |
Sources: official Cloud docs and product pages for autoscaling, managed resources and zero-downtime; Forge blog and docs for Laravel VPS, default zero-downtime on new sites, Observe features, and API.
Where the official Cloud vs Forge page is dated
As at 5th October 2025, the Cloud comparison page still says Forge requires a separate server provider account and lists zero-downtime “with Envoyer.” Since Laravel VPS is now integrated and new Forge sites deploy without downtime by default, it’s likely this page will be updated soon.
API and automation
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Forge – Public REST API with bearer tokens, plus CLI and SDK. Suitable for scripted operations and agent-driven workflows like server provisioning, site management and deployments.
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Cloud – The official Cloud docs present deployment, scaling and resource management via the UI. There is no publicly documented Cloud management API in those docs at the time of writing. This is based on the current documentation set, not a statement that an API will never exist.
Cost model at a glance
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Cloud – Usage-based pricing with a free entry point, plus pricing pages for specific managed resources like KV and object storage. Best when autoscaling and managed services offset ops time.
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Forge + Laravel VPS – Forge subscription plus VPS cost, with Laravel VPS billed through Forge rather than through a separate provider account. Useful when predictable server control matters and you want consolidated billing.
Practical guidance
Choose Laravel Cloud when the priority is shipping fast without managing servers: autoscaling, zero-downtime releases, and managed data stores out of the box. Teams optimising for minimal ops and consistent PaaS ergonomics generally fit here.
Choose Forge + Laravel VPS when infrastructure control, SSH access, and portability are important, or when automation via API and CLI is part of the operating model. The October release reduces friction while preserving full control.
Bottom line: yes, the line is blurred
Laravel Cloud still delivers a fully managed experience with autoscaling and managed resources. The new Forge + Laravel VPS now brings instant on-platform provisioning, default zero-downtime on new sites, built-in observability, and a modern API to the “you own the server” camp. The offerings look closer in day-to-day ops than they did before, but the core contract remains different: Cloud manages the platform for you, while Forge keeps you in control of the servers.
References
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Laravel blog: “Everything You Need to Know About the New Forge & Laravel VPS” – Oct 1, 2025. Laravel
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Forge docs: Laravel VPS overview. Laravel Forge
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Cloud docs: Welcome to Laravel Cloud, Deployments, Databases, KV, Object Storage. Laravel Cloud
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Forge API docs and CLI. Laravel Forge
Editor’s note: vendor comparison pages sometimes lag behind releases. Always verify the latest docs before deciding.