EnvKit vs Docker
Docker gives you production parity and a stack defined in your repo, and for team projects that ship containers it is the right tool. For a desk full of small PHP, WordPress and Node projects it is a lot of machinery: a Linux VM, a compose file per project, and your own answer for hostnames and HTTPS. EnvKit runs the same services natively, with no VM and no config files.
| Feature | EnvKit | Docker |
|---|---|---|
| Platform | Windows, macOS | Win / macOS / Linux |
| Price / license | Free | Free for personal and small business |
| Runs services | Natively | In a Linux VM (WSL 2 on Windows) |
| Per-project setup | Add a folder | Dockerfile / compose file |
| Automatic .test hosts with trusted HTTPS | Yes | No |
| Same image as production | No | Yes |
| Stack defined in the repo | No | Yes |
Docker details checked on against Docker Desktop license and Docker Desktop for Windows requirements. Prices and plans change; the linked pages are the authority.
What you gain over Docker
Nothing to write per project
Add a folder and EnvKit detects Laravel, WordPress, Symfony or Node, assigns a .test host, issues a certificate and serves it. No Dockerfile, no compose file, no port mapping.
No VM to feed
nginx, PHP, MySQL and Redis run as regular processes. Docker Desktop needs hardware virtualization and 8 GB of RAM on Windows before your first container starts.
Trusted HTTPS and hostnames built in
Every site gets https://name.test with a certificate your browser trusts. With Docker you add a reverse proxy and a certificate setup yourself.
Free at any company size
Docker Desktop needs a paid subscription for professional use at companies with 250 or more employees or $10 million or more in revenue. EnvKit is free for everyone.
Where Docker still fits better
iDocker matches production
If you deploy containers, running the same image locally catches problems a native stack will not. That is Docker’s real advantage, and EnvKit does not replace it.
iA compose file travels with the repo
A teammate runs one command and gets the same services. EnvKit configuration is per machine, with export and import instead.
iDocker runs anything
Any service with an image works in Docker. EnvKit runs the services in its catalog.
Moving from Docker
Keep Docker for the projects that deploy as containers. For the rest, add the project folder from the Sites page, point .env at the bundled MySQL, Redis and Mailpit, and stop that project’s containers so the ports are free.
irm https://envkit.net/install.ps1 | iexFree, no account, no card. Windows 10/11 and macOS (Apple Silicon).
Questions people ask
- Can I use EnvKit and Docker on the same machine?
- Yes. Just keep them off the same ports: stop containers that publish 80, 443 or 3306 before starting EnvKit services, or change the EnvKit ports in Settings.
- Does EnvKit need WSL or virtualization?
- No. Every service runs as a native Windows or macOS process.
- Is EnvKit free for companies?
- Yes. There is no paid tier and no company-size limit.