---
title: "Coolify vs while: the French alternative for your AI agent"
url: https://while.sh/en/comparisons/while-vs-coolify/
author: "Grégoire Mougeolle, co-founder of Nextmap"
updated: 2026-11-02
---

# Coolify vs while: which one to choose when your AI agent deploys?

Coolify turns your servers into a PaaS, open source and free. while spares you from having servers at all: your AI agent deploys over MCP, and backups, updates and security are already handled.

## What changes between Coolify and while

| What matters | Coolify | while |
|---|---|---|
| Who it's for | People who want a PaaS on their own servers (source 1) | People who build their apps with an AI agent, solo or as a team |
| Your AI agent | A built-in MCP server, with limited-permission tokens and a confirmation before a destructive action (source 6) | Connected over MCP, with OAuth: it deploys, creates the database, reads the logs and fixes things |
| What protects production | Your agent's token permissions, and a confirmation in your AI tool (source 6) | Sensitive actions, like deleting a production database, wait for a person |
| The database | On your server, backed up according to your settings, with no point-in-time recovery (source 3) | PostgreSQL in while, backed up every day, with point-in-time recovery |
| Who opens your app | A single password, shared by every visitor | Everyone, a password, or the company account with the Pro plan |
| In France | If you rent your server in France | Yes, with Nextmap, a French company |
| To get started | Free, or $5 per month for Coolify Cloud, plus your servers (source 2) | A trial without an account. Then €0 to get started, and €13.75 per month for an app and its database |

## Coolify, the open-source PaaS you install yourself

Coolify turns any server into a PaaS: git push, a Dockerfile, more than 360 one-click services, and a built-in MCP server for your agent (sources 1 and 4). The software is open source and free, and your apps keep running even if you stop paying for Coolify Cloud (source 2).

## With while, your AI agent does the rest

- **No server to maintain.** No system to update, no disk to watch, no certificate to renew: your agent deploys, and the rest is taken care of.
- **Your databases are backed up for you.** Every day, with point-in-time recovery, and a production backup tested every day.
- **Nothing serious happens without you.** Deleting a production database waits for your approval, before it runs, and every action is recorded in a signed activity log.
- **Your keys stay secret.** Your app uses them, your agent never sees them.
- **Your colleagues sign in with the company account.** Google Workspace or Microsoft 365, on the Pro plan, with no sign-in page to code.

## Moving from Coolify to while

### Take over your app

> You, to your agent: Move our Coolify app to while.

Your agent writes while.yaml from your code or your Dockerfile, and deploys the app.

### Copy your PostgreSQL database

> You, to your agent: Copy our PostgreSQL database to while.

Your agent exports the database with `pg_dump`, then loads it into while.

### Carry over your variables

> You, to your agent: Carry over our environment variables.

Your agent carries your settings over to while. You enter your secret keys yourself: it never sees them.

## Which one to choose

- **Choose Coolify** if you want to keep your own servers, and backups and updates don't scare you.
- **Choose while** if you want your AI agent to deploy with no server to maintain, with your databases backed up and your keys kept safe.

## Next steps

- [Deploy a Docker container](/en/guides/deploy-docker-container/)

## Sources

1. [Coolify, home page](https://coolify.io/), 2026-11-02
2. [Coolify, pricing and FAQ](https://coolify.io/pricing), 2026-11-02
3. [Coolify, databases (backups, restore)](https://coolify.io/docs/databases), 2026-11-02
4. [Coolify, the MCP server](https://coolify.io/docs/mcp/overview), 2026-11-02
5. [Coolify, what the MCP server can do](https://coolify.io/docs/mcp/capabilities/overview), 2026-11-02
6. [Coolify, MCP server security](https://coolify.io/docs/mcp/security), 2026-11-02

## Questions

### Is Coolify free?

Yes, and Coolify Cloud costs $5 per month. You rent the servers separately (source 2).

### Who backs up my databases?

With Coolify, you do: Coolify Cloud only backs up its dashboard (source 2). With while, every database is backed up every day, and a production backup is tested every day.

### Can my agent move from Coolify to while?

Yes, it takes over your code, copies the database and carries over your variables.