WPCloudDeploy VS Runcloud

What Is RunCloud

RunCloud is a SaaS service where you can deploy and manage your own Linux servers for a variety of tech stacks, including WordPress. It allows for the provisioning of servers at any server provider using a custom script they provide.

WPCloudDeploy VS RunCloud: Similarities

Both WPCloudDeploy and RunCloud allow you to deploy and manage WordPress servers. All the key WordPress management tools are available in both offerings including:

Server Provisioning
Site Provisioning
Site cloning
Free SSL Certificates via LetsEncrypt
Changing Domains
Staging Sites
Site Backups
and much more…

WPCloudDeploy VS RunCloud: Key Differences

There are four key differences between WPCloudDeploy and RunCloud:

WPCloudDeploy is a self-hosted product: While RunCloud is hosted and managed in the “cloud’ on your behalf, you run WPCloudDeploy on your own servers. This means that no staff member at WPCloudDeploy will ever have access to your servers and sites unless you affirmatively grant them that access via a support request.
WPCloudDeploy is built on WordPress: This makes it instantly familiar to any experienced WordPress user. And you install it the same way you install any other WordPress product extension – as a plugin.
SaaS Builder Features: RunCloud does not have many features that are specifically geared towards helping SaaS builders develop, configure, deploy and manage a SaaS on WordPress. WPCloudDeploy has many features that were developed specifically in response to the needs of SaaS builders – for example, tight WooCommerce integration, Site Update Packages, multiple deployment options (standard sites and multi-tenant sites) etc.
Open-source: WPCloudDeploy is 100% open-source and available on Github – you can see exactly what you’re installing and audit the code at any time. If security and transparency is your jam then WPCloudDeploy is probably the tool you want to use.

Customization Options

Since RunCloud is an SaaS service, you are locked into a fixed set of personalization options. We do not know if they entertain requests for customization.

Because WPCloudDeploy is an open source product built on WordPress, the sky’s the limit when it comes to customizations and you have a lot of flexibility in how those are accomplished. You can:

Customize the existing code by forking it into a new codebase
Extend it using the WordPress extension model (plugins)
Combine it with other WordPress plugins

As an experienced WordPress developer or manager, you can do many of the customizations yourself. Or you can ask any other WP developer to do the work for you. Or you can ask us of course.

Language & Locale Options

As with your customization options, RunCloud is limited in the languages that can be used.

WPCloudDeploy can adopt any language you like simply by providing the translation terms using any of the many standard WP translation tools.

Deployment Options

As with any SaaS service, your dashboard is running wherever RunCloud determines is best.

WPCloudDeploy can be run on any appropriately configured server anywhere and can be installed in multiple locations if necessary. With this flexibility you can:

Setup a dashboard for a specific set of customers.
Setup multiple management dashboards for each legal jurisdiction in which you operate.
Even build your own “RunCloud” lite service for WordPress if you like.

Server Providers

RunCloud does not have direct support for any cloud providers. Instead, you provision your server directly at a cloud provider and then run a script to connect it to the RunCloud infrastructure.

WPCloudDeploy has built-in support for 12 providers (10 public cloud providers & 2 private cloud providers) as well as ability to “bring your own server”.

WPCloudDeploy also has an extension toolkit where you can build your own provider. Or you can ask to have one built for you at a cost of around 3K (for providers that generally follow the openstack api style format.)

Command Line Options

RunCloud does not have a command line option. But you can ssh into your server and perform some management tasks including using WP-CLI.

WPCloudDeploy uses Bash scripts that you can execute in either of two ways:

As a menu driven program – run the script, pick from a set of menu options and get an interactive q&a session that guides you through command completion
Can be run unattended by setting environment variables

WPCloudDeploy VS RunCloud: Other Relevant Differences

Sites deployed on RunCloud uses LEMP stack with a few customized plugins. However, because their servers are designed to run multiple types of services (not just WordPress) the stack is not fully optimized for WordPress.

WPCloudDeploy supports both a LEMP stack (Linux, NGINX, MySql/MariaDB, PHP) and a LOMP stack (Linux, OpenLiteSpeed, MySql/MariaDB, PHP).

As an SaaS service it is far easier to get started with RunCloud. WPCloudDeploy has an installation step that can sometimes be tricky (hence our free install service when you purchase a license.)

Consistent with SaaS services, the RunCloud UI is custom-made highly functional, with many micro-interactions. WPCloudDeploy’s UI is recognizably WordPress on the backend with a highly customized UI for your end customers on the front-end.

Pricing

Both WPCloudDeploy and RunCloud offer three tired pricing levels. WPCloudDeploy also offers a free option.

WPCloudDeploy charges a single annual fee or lifetime fee while RunCloud offers a monthly option as well.

Converting From RunCloud to WPCloudDeploy

You can transfer your sites using any WordPress backup tool. We recommend UPDRAFT PLUS though many folks seem to prefer using DUPLICATOR PRO (something we’re far less familiar with).

Other

The above summary is only focused on the product differences and similarities. There are, of course, differences between the companies themselves – including large differences in operations, pricing, support policies, affiliate programs and more.

Bottom Line

If you’re looking for an SaaS style product to manage your WordPress business you should look at GridPane or SpinpupWP – unless you have other product stacks you need to support. Obviously, for a self-hosted, privacy-focused, feature-packed product, choose WPCloudDeploy.

Last Updated

October 11th, 2022: Minor updates to note WPCD OpenLiteSpeed support, new providers + grammer clean up.
June 3rd, 2022

Is anything in this article incorrect? If so, please feel free to contact us so we can apply corrections. As you might expect, corrections will be applied at our sole discretion subject to our ability to verify the new data.