Laravel Cloud vs Vapor — Which One Should You Choose in 2026?

Introduction

When it comes to deploying Laravel applications, developers now have multiple modern options. Two of the most powerful are Laravel Cloud and Laravel Vapor — both created or maintained under the Laravel ecosystem.

While they sound similar, Laravel Cloud and Laravel Vapor serve slightly different purposes. This post will help you understand what they are, how they work, and which one you should choose for your next Laravel project.

What is Laravel Cloud?

Laravel Cloud is the newest official platform for deploying, managing, and scaling Laravel applications. Announced and launched by the Laravel team in 2024, Laravel Cloud aims to provide an all-in-one experience for developers who want to host their Laravel projects with minimal configuration. It offers a user-friendly dashboard, automated deployments, built-in CI/CD, and tight integration with the Laravel ecosystem.

Key Features:

• Managed Hosting: Laravel Cloud handles server provisioning, security, and maintenance.
• Automatic Deployments: Push to Git and let Laravel Cloud handle the rest.
• Database & Cache Services: Easily provision MySQL, Redis, and other services.
• Scalability: Scale your application with just a few clicks.
• Team Collaboration: Invite team members and manage permissions.
• Deep Laravel Integration: Built by the same team, ensuring best compatibility and support.

Laravel Cloud is ideal for developers who want an easy-to-use, all-in-one hosting solution for Laravel apps — without worrying about AWS, SSH, or Docker.

What is Laravel Vapor?

Laravel Vapor lets you deploy Laravel apps without managing servers, using the power and flexibility of Amazon Web Services behind the scenes. Launched in 2019, Vapor enables developers to deploy Laravel applications without worrying about infrastructure. It leverages AWS Lambda to run your application serverlessly, meaning you only pay for the compute time your code actually uses.

Key Features:

• Serverless Architecture: No servers to manage; your app runs on AWS Lambda.
• Automatic Scaling: Instantly scales to handle any amount of traffic.
• Managed Databases & Queues: Easily connect to RDS, SQS, Redis, and more.
• Zero Downtime Deployments: Deploy new versions of your app without downtime.
• Environment Management: Create and manage multiple environments (staging, production).
• Integrated Queues, Caching, and Storage: Seamlessly works with AWS services.

Laravel Vapor is perfect for large-scale apps that need high scalability and performance, without worrying about server maintenance.

Laravel Cloud vs Laravel Vapor: Feature Comparison

Choosing Between Laravel Cloud and Laravel Vapor

Choose Laravel Cloud if:

• You want a simple, Laravel-friendly deployment solution.

• You don’t want to deal with AWS or server configurations.

• You run a small or medium-sized application.

• Your team prefers using an all-in-one dashboard for deployments, scaling, and management.

• You prefer predictable monthly billing.

Choose Laravel Vapor if:

• You want ultimate scalability and flexibility.

• Your app experiences large spikes in traffic.

• You’re comfortable with AWS (or have a DevOps team).

• You want a fully serverless, event-driven setup.

Setup Overview

Setting Up Laravel Cloud

1. Sign up at cloud.laravel.com

2. Connect your GitHub repository

3. Configure your environment variables

4. Choose your database and region

5. Deploy your app with one click

Setting Up Laravel Vapor

1. Sign up at vapor.laravel.com

2. Install the Vapor CLI via Composer:

composer global require laravel/vapor-cli

     3. Authenticate your account:

vapor login

    4.  Link your project:

vapor init

    5. Deploy your app:

vapor deploy production

Your Laravel app will now be live on AWS Lambda!

Pros and Cons Both of them

Laravel Cloud

Pros:

• Super easy setup

• Managed infrastructure

• No AWS knowledge needed

• Great UI and monitoring tools

Cons:

• Less customizable

• Not as scalable as Vapor

Laravel Vapor

Pros:

• Fully serverless and scalable

• Uses AWS power

• Great for enterprise-level apps

• Auto scaling and minimal downtime

Cons:

• AWS costs can get complex

• Slightly higher learning curve

FAQs: Laravel Cloud vs Laravel Vapor

Q1: Can I use both Laravel Cloud and Vapor on the same app?
A: No, you typically choose one platform per environment. Each manages deployments differently and is designed to be used independently.

Q2: Which platform is more beginner-friendly?
A: Laravel Cloud is generally easier for beginners, as it abstracts away much of the infrastructure complexity. Vapor is powerful but assumes some AWS familiarity.

Q3: Is there a big price difference?
A: Laravel Cloud has straightforward pricing based on resources. Vapor requires a subscription and AWS usage fees, which can be unpredictable for high-traffic or resource-heavy apps.

Q4: Can I migrate from Vapor to Cloud (or vice versa) later?
A: Migration is possible but may require code or configuration changes, especially around storage, caching, and queue systems.

Q5: Does Laravel Cloud support serverless?
A: Laravel Cloud uses managed servers, not a serverless architecture. If you specifically need serverless, go with Vapor.

Q6: What about custom domains, SSL, and environment variables?
A: Both platforms support custom domains, free SSL certificates, and easy management of environment variables.

Q7: How to install Laravel?

A: Before deploying your Laravel application, you must properly install and configure the Laravel Nginx setup. For step-by-step instructions, check out our detailed guide: Laravel Nginx Setup Guide.