Laradock vs Laravel Herd

What is Laravel Herd?

Laravel Herd is a native macOS and Windows application, built by the Laravel team, that installs PHP, a web server, and local .test domains directly onto your computer, no Docker, no containers, no virtual machine. You open the app, and your PHP projects are served instantly.

It trades container isolation for raw native speed and a one-click setup. This page compares it to Laradock, which runs everything in Docker containers instead: slightly more setup, but an environment that matches your Linux production server and works on Linux too, which Herd does not support.

Herd and Laradock solve the same problem from opposite ends: Herd installs a native PHP toolchain on your Mac or Windows machine for maximum speed; Laradock keeps your machine untouched and runs everything in production-style containers.

TL;DR: pick Herd if you are a solo Laravel developer on macOS/Windows and raw speed beats everything. Pick Laradock if you want containers that resemble production, work on Linux, need real services for free, or want nothing installed on your machine.

Setting up with Herd

Download and run the Herd app (macOS or Windows; there is no Linux version). It installs PHP, Nginx and dnsmasq natively, then:

cd ~/Herd
laravel new my-app

That's it: http://my-app.test works immediately; any project inside the parked ~/Herd folder is served automatically, and herd link serves a folder living elsewhere. PHP versions switch per site in seconds (PHP 7.4 to 8.5), pinnable per project.

The catch appears at the services layer: MySQL, Redis, queues, and mail capture are part of Herd Pro (paid), or you install and manage them yourself. And because everything is native, your local runtime looks nothing like your Linux production server.

The same thing with Laradock

cd my-app
git clone https://github.com/laradock/laradock.git
cd laradock && cp .env.example .env
docker compose up -d nginx mysql redis workspace
docker compose exec workspace bash   # artisan, composer, node, all inside

No app installed, no native PHP, no menu bar icon: your machine stays clean, and docker compose down leaves zero traces. Every service is free and unlimited: databases, queues, search, mail catchers, monitoring, local LLMs; 100+ of them, one command each.

Change PHP version: PHP_VERSION=8.3 in .env + rebuild. Different projects can run different versions side by side in their own containers.

Side by side

	Laravel Herd	Laradock
Runs as	Native app (PHP/Nginx on your OS)	Docker containers
Platforms	macOS, Windows	Linux, macOS, Windows
Raw speed	Fastest (no container overhead)	Fast (VirtioFS), but containerized
.test domains + HTTPS	Automatic	Manual (or wire the included Traefik/Caddy)
Databases, Redis, mail	Herd Pro (paid) or DIY	Included, free, 100+ services
Production parity	None (native macOS/Windows runtime)	High (same Linux containers as servers)
Machine footprint	PHP, Nginx, dnsmasq installed globally	Nothing installed; containers are disposable
Legacy PHP	7.4+	5.6+
Price	Free core, Pro is paid	Free, MIT

Choose Herd if...

• You are on macOS or Windows, mostly solo, mostly Laravel, and iteration speed is everything.
• Your services needs are light (SQLite, or you happily pay for Pro).
• Production parity is not a concern for your workflow.

Choose Laradock if...

• You develop on (or deploy to) Linux; Herd simply does not run there.
• You want your local stack to behave like your production stack, container for container.
• You need real infrastructure locally (queues, search, brokers, LLMs) without a subscription.
• You want a spotless host machine: clone, run, delete, gone.

Already on Herd? Migrating takes minutes

1. Export your databases from wherever they live today (Herd Pro's MySQL, DBngin, or a local install): mysqldump -h 127.0.0.1 -u root mydb > backup.sql
2. Quit Herd (its native Nginx holds port 80, which Laradock's web server needs).
3. Add Laradock next to your code: git clone https://github.com/laradock/laradock.git && cd laradock && cp .env.example .env
4. Start your stack: docker compose up -d nginx mysql redis workspace
5. Import the database: docker compose exec -T mysql mysql -uroot -proot default < ../backup.sql
6. Update your app's .env: DB_HOST=mysql, REDIS_HOST=redis, credentials from mysql/defaults.env.
7. Your site now answers at http://localhost instead of my-app.test, and artisan/composer run inside docker compose exec workspace bash.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is Laravel Herd free?

Herd's core (PHP version switching, .test domains, basic services) is free. Herd Pro adds MySQL/Redis/PostgreSQL management, Xdebug, mail capture, and more, and is a paid subscription.

Does Laravel Herd run on Linux?

No. Herd is available only for macOS and Windows; there is no Linux build. This is one of the main reasons Linux-based teams choose a Docker-based option like Laradock instead.

Does Herd use Docker?

No, Herd installs PHP, Nginx, and DNS resolution natively on your machine rather than running containers. This makes it very fast but means your local environment does not match a containerized production server.

Can Herd run non-Laravel PHP projects?

Yes, despite the name, Herd can serve any PHP project (WordPress, Symfony, plain PHP), not only Laravel apps; Laravel-specific features like Herd Pro's queue/log tooling are just the primary focus.

How do I switch PHP versions in Herd?

Herd lets you switch the PHP version per site from its menu bar app or with herd php:use 8.3, and can pin a version per project so switching sites doesn't affect others.

See the full landscape, including DDEV, Sail, Lando and XAMPP: Laradock vs Others. Ready to try it? Getting Started takes about five minutes.