Choose Flock if…
- You have more than three PHP projects.
- You want dump() output, the Laravel log and caught mail in one app.
- You want Xdebug to turn on by itself when you set a breakpoint.
- You prefer one focused app over a toolbox of many.
Comparison
Flock vs FlyEnv
FlyEnv is a big toolbox: many languages, many web servers, AI helpers and image tools. Flock is a sharper tool for PHP and Laravel. It has fewer switches and no site limit, and the debugging tools Laravel developers reach for every day.
Side by side
Row by row, no fine print.
Flock
FlyEnv
- Price
- Yes: Free, open source, no account
- $ Paid: Free for 3 sites, Pro $10 once
- Platforms
- Yes: macOS, Windows and Linux, native apps
- Yes: macOS, Windows and Linux
- Runs natively
- Yes: Native processes, no VM or containers
- Yes: Native processes
- PHP versions
- Yes: 8.1 to 8.5 side by side
- Yes: Several, side by side
- PHP per project
- Yes: Pinned in .flockrc or isolated per site
- Yes: Per project
- .test domains
- Yes: Built-in DNS, subdomains included
- Yes: Automatic
- Trusted HTTPS
- Yes: Root limited to .test, no warnings
- Yes: Automatic
- Databases
- Yes: PostgreSQL, MySQL, MariaDB, MongoDB
- Yes: MySQL, MariaDB, PostgreSQL, MongoDB
- Cache, search, storage
- Yes: Valkey, Meilisearch, Typesense, RustFS
- Yes: Redis, Memcached, Meilisearch, MinIO and more
- Database UI
- No: Use your own client
- Yes: phpMyAdmin, pgAdmin and DbGate
- Mail catcher
- Yes: An inbox per app, HTML preview
- Yes: Mailpit
- Dumps and logs
- Yes: Per-request timeline and Laravel log
- No: Not listed
- Xdebug
- Yes: Turns on when you set a breakpoint
- Yes: One-click extension, preconfigured
- Node.js
- Yes: Per project from .nvmrc
- Yes: Per project
- Other languages
- No: PHP and Node.js only
- Yes: Python, Go, Java and more
- FrankenPHP and Octane
- Yes: Per site, with Octane worker mode
- Yes: One of several servers
- Public preview link
- Yes: Cloudflare tunnel, one command
- Partly: One Cloudflare tunnel free, more in Pro
- AI agentic development
- Yes: Built-in MCP server
- Yes: MCP, full assistant in Pro
Built in
Partly or by hand
$
Paid tier
Not available
Compared in October 2026 from each tool's own website. Something out of date? Tell us on GitHub.
Which one fits
Pick the tool, not the hype.
Choose FlyEnv if…
- You need Apache or Tomcat next to PHP.
- You want Elasticsearch or Qdrant installed for you.
- You also want AI image and screenshot tools in the same app.
FAQ
Flock and FlyEnv, answered.
-
Its free version allows three local sites and one Cloudflare tunnel. Pro is a one-time $10. Flock is free with no limits.
-
Yes. Any Flock site can run on FrankenPHP, in classic mode or with Laravel Octane's workers.
-
Yes. Like FlyEnv, Flock runs on macOS, Windows and Linux (Ubuntu 24.04+ and Fedora).
More comparisons
Join the flock.
Install Flock, park your code folder and open https://your-app.test.