EnvKit vs Laragon
Laragon is the tool most Windows PHP developers start with, and it is a good one. It is also licensed software now: unlicensed use is for non-commercial work only and shows a license popup when Laragon starts. EnvKit is free with no license, adds trusted HTTPS everywhere, PostgreSQL, Redis and MongoDB with admin UIs, Node dev servers on .test hosts, and a stack that diagnoses and repairs itself. Your Laragon projects and databases import in one step.
| Feature | EnvKit | Laragon |
|---|---|---|
| Platform | Windows, macOS | Windows |
| Price / license | Free | Paid; free non-commercial with popup |
| Web server | nginx + Apache | Apache + nginx |
| Multiple PHP versions | Yes | Yes |
| Per-site PHP isolation | Yes | Partial |
| Auto .test domains | Yes | Yes |
| Trusted local HTTPS | Yes | Yes |
| MySQL / MariaDB | Yes | Yes |
| PostgreSQL | Yes | Yes |
| Redis | Yes | Partial |
| MongoDB | Yes | Partial |
| DB web admin UIs (Postgres/Mongo) | Yes | No |
| Mail catcher (Mailpit) | Yes | No |
| Node.js | Yes | Yes |
| Next / React / Angular / Node / Vite / Express sites | Yes | Partial |
| Laravel Reverb (WebSockets) | Yes | No |
| Debug window: live dump() / dd() stream | Yes | No |
| SQL + N+1 / slow-query, mail, jobs & HTTP capture | Yes | No |
| Symfony debug support (dump / queries / mail) | Yes | No |
| In-app Tinker REPL | Yes | No |
| Cron jobs / scheduled tasks | Yes | No |
| nvm + per-project .nvmrc | Yes | No |
| Python | Yes | Yes |
| Composer / Laravel scaffolding | Yes | Yes |
| Built-in Git panel (stage / commit / branches) | Yes | Partial |
| Light / dark UI | Yes | Partial |
| Multi-language UI (+ RTL) | Yes | Partial |
| Import from Laragon | Yes | — |
| Import from Laravel Herd | Yes | No |
| AI control via MCP | Yes | No |
| Diagnose & self-heal services | Yes | No |
| Auto-update | Yes | Partial |
Laragon details checked on against Laragon pricing and Laragon features. Prices and plans change; the linked pages are the authority.
What you gain over Laragon
No license, no popup
EnvKit is free for personal and commercial work alike. There is no license key, no reminder at startup and no device limit. Laragon asks commercial users for $49 a year per device, or $149 for a perpetual license.
Trusted HTTPS on every .test site, offline
EnvKit installs a local certificate authority once and issues a certificate for every site automatically. No browser warnings, no manual openssl, and it works with OAuth callbacks and secure cookies.
Databases beyond MySQL, with their admin UIs
PostgreSQL, Redis and MongoDB ship as first-class services with pgAdmin and mongo-express served at .test hosts, and several MySQL or MariaDB versions can run side by side on their own ports.
Node projects next to PHP
Next.js, Vite, Angular and Express sites get their own .test host with HTTPS and hot reload, proxied to the dev server. nvm and per-project .nvmrc are built in.
Mail, cron, Reverb and a debug stream
Mailpit catches every email, the cron manager runs scheduled tasks beside the stack, Laravel Reverb works without port juggling, and the Debug window streams dump() calls, queries, mail and jobs live.
It fixes itself
Port conflicts, stale PIDs and broken configs are detected and repaired from the app, or by your AI assistant through the MCP server.
Where Laragon still fits better
iLaragon is portable
Laragon runs from a single folder you can move between machines. EnvKit is an installed app with its own data directory. Configuration export and import covers the same need, but it is a different workflow.
iLaragon has years of community answers
EnvKit is in public beta. Most questions are answered in the docs and Discord, but you will not find a decade of forum threads yet.
iApache is the second web server, not the first
EnvKit runs nginx by default and Apache as an installable alternative. If your workflow depends on Apache-only modules, check the docs before switching.
Moving from Laragon
On first run EnvKit detects your Laragon root and projects folder, imports every project as a .test site, turns on the PHP extensions Laragon had enabled, and brings your MySQL databases over. Laragon stays untouched, so you can run both while you decide.
irm https://envkit.net/install.ps1 | iexFree, no account, no card. Windows 10/11 and macOS (Apple Silicon).
Questions people ask
- Can I keep Laragon installed while I try EnvKit?
- Yes. The import copies your projects and databases and never modifies Laragon. Stop Laragon services before starting EnvKit so the two do not fight over port 80 and 3306.
- Does the Laragon import bring my databases?
- Yes. MySQL and MariaDB databases are dumped and restored into the EnvKit engine during the import wizard.
- Is Laragon still free?
- Only for non-commercial use, and unlicensed copies show a license popup when Laragon starts. Licenses start at $10 for non-commercial use and $49 a year for commercial use. EnvKit is free for both, with no account, no card and no paid tier.