EnvKit vs Laravel Herd
Laravel Herd is polished and fast, and its free tier is a great PHP runtime. The catch is that databases, Reverb, local mail, dumps, the log viewer and Xdebug live behind Herd Pro at $99 a year per seat. EnvKit includes all of that for free, adds MongoDB, cron and AI control, and runs on Windows and macOS.
| Feature | EnvKit | Laravel Herd |
|---|---|---|
| Platform | Windows, macOS | macOS, Windows |
| Price / license | Free | Free + $99/yr Pro |
| Web server | nginx + Apache | nginx |
| Multiple PHP versions | Yes | Yes |
| Per-site PHP isolation | Yes | Yes |
| Auto .test domains | Yes | Yes |
| Trusted local HTTPS | Yes | Yes |
| MySQL / MariaDB | Yes | Paid tier |
| PostgreSQL | Yes | Paid tier |
| Redis | Yes | Paid tier |
| MongoDB | Yes | No |
| DB web admin UIs (Postgres/Mongo) | Yes | No |
| Mail catcher (Mailpit) | Yes | Paid tier |
| Node.js | Yes | Yes |
| Next / React / Angular / Node / Vite / Express sites | Yes | Partial |
| Laravel Reverb (WebSockets) | Yes | Paid tier |
| Debug window: live dump() / dd() stream | Yes | Paid tier |
| SQL + N+1 / slow-query, mail, jobs & HTTP capture | Yes | Paid tier |
| Symfony debug support (dump / queries / mail) | Yes | No |
| In-app Tinker REPL | Yes | Paid tier |
| Cron jobs / scheduled tasks | Yes | No |
| nvm + per-project .nvmrc | Yes | No |
| Python | Yes | No |
| Composer / Laravel scaffolding | Yes | Yes |
| Built-in Git panel (stage / commit / branches) | Yes | No |
| Light / dark UI | Yes | Yes |
| Multi-language UI (+ RTL) | Yes | No |
| Import from Laragon | Yes | No |
| Import from Laravel Herd | Yes | — |
| AI control via MCP | Yes | No |
| Diagnose & self-heal services | Yes | No |
| Auto-update | Yes | Yes |
Laravel Herd details checked on against Herd pricing and Pro features and Herd dumps window docs. Prices and plans change; the linked pages are the authority.
What you gain over Laravel Herd
Everything in Herd Pro, free
MySQL and MariaDB, PostgreSQL, Redis, Reverb, Mailpit, the live dump() stream with N+1 and slow-query flags, the log viewer and Xdebug are all included. There is no upgrade screen.
MongoDB and database admin UIs
MongoDB ships as a service, and phpMyAdmin, pgAdmin and mongo-express are served at .test hosts so you never install a separate client.
Node and non-Laravel projects
Next.js, Vite, Angular, Express and WordPress sites run beside Laravel with their own trusted .test hosts. Herd focuses on PHP.
Cron, self-healing and AI control
A cron manager, one-click diagnostics that repair broken services, and an MCP server so Claude Code, Cursor and other assistants can operate your stack.
nginx or Apache, your choice
Switch web servers from settings. Herd is nginx only.
Where Laravel Herd still fits better
iHerd is built by the Laravel ecosystem
Herd ties into Forge, Laravel installer defaults and the wider Laravel tooling with a larger team behind it. If you live entirely inside that ecosystem, that integration is real value.
iHerd is further along
EnvKit is in public beta and is signed but not yet notarized on macOS, so the first launch asks you to allow it in System Settings, or you install from the terminal. Herd has shipped stable for years.
iNo Linux on either
Neither tool supports Linux today. EnvKit ships for Windows and Apple Silicon Macs.
Moving from Laravel Herd
EnvKit reads your Herd parked paths and links every site, pinning each isolated PHP version you already have installed and listing the ones to add. Point your .env at the bundled databases and Mailpit and you are done. Herd databases are not copied.
irm https://envkit.net/install.ps1 | iexFree, no account, no card. Windows 10/11 and macOS (Apple Silicon).
Questions people ask
- Does EnvKit have a paid plan?
- No. Every feature, including databases, Reverb, Mailpit, dumps and Xdebug, is included in the free download.
- Can I run Herd and EnvKit at the same time?
- Not on the same ports. Stop Herd services before starting EnvKit, or change the EnvKit ports in Settings.
- Does EnvKit support Apple Silicon and Intel Macs?
- EnvKit runs on macOS on Apple Silicon (M1 or newer). Intel Macs are not supported.