Overview
SpinApp is an AI-enabled local dev environment that provisions a Laravel-ready Docker stack and lets AI assistants run development commands inside the correct containers via a bundled MCP server.
Feature comparison
| Capability | SpinApp | Laravel Herd | Laravel Sail | DDEV | Laragon |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Category fit: AI-enabled local dev environment | Included | Does not support | Does not support | Does not support | Does not support |
| MCP / AI assistant container awareness | Included | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A |
| Provision Laravel Docker stack (app + DB + related services) | Included | Partial | Included | Included | Partial |
| “Zero Compose” / minimal Docker configuration requirement | Included | Does not support | Does not support | Partial | Does not support |
| Works by creating per-project environment automatically | Included | Included | Partial | Included | Partial |
| Database provisioning (e.g., PostgreSQL/MySQL/MariaDB/SQLite options) | Included | Partial | Partial | Included | Partial |
| Queue workflow support (e.g., Horizon-like dashboard controls) | Included | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A |
| Container logs / tool-call auditing | Included | N/A | N/A | Partial | N/A |
| SQL profiling / query logging | Included | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A |
| Run dev commands inside the environment (artisan/composer/npm, etc.) | Included | Included | Included | Included | Included |
| Built-in queue dashboard (if using Laravel queues) | Included | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A |
| Sharing local app to teammates/clients via tunnel | Included | Partial | Partial | Included | Included |
| OS support: Windows | No (not supported at the moment) | Partial | Partial | Yes/Partial (Docker-based; depends on host setup) | Included (Windows app) |
| OS support: macOS | Yes (requires macOS 12+) | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| OS support: Linux | N/A (macOS requirement stated) | Partial | Yes (via Docker) | Yes | Partial |
| Pricing model (free vs paid) | N/A (not stated in provided facts) | Free + Pro (team licensing) | Included with Laravel project tooling (no separate pricing stated on docs) | Free/open source + add-ons/paid support (not detailed here) | Free + paid/pro options (pricing page) |
| Compliance / auditability posture | Included (claims audit log of every tool call) | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A |
When to use each
SpinApp: Choose SpinApp when you want an AI-assistant-friendly Laravel workflow: a single tool that provisions the right Docker containers for a repo and provides MCP-backed container context so AI agents can run commands, inspect logs, and operate environment controls (including queue visibility).
Laravel Herd: Choose Laravel Herd when you prefer a Laravel-focused local “control panel” experience (typically faster local iteration) and want an official Laravel development environment with a free tier and optional Pro features for teams.
Laravel Sail: Choose Laravel Sail when you want the official Laravel Docker-based baseline and are comfortable using/owning the docker-compose.yml approach inside a project; Sail is designed to work with Docker Compose and run common Laravel dev commands through Sail.
DDEV: Choose DDEV when you want a general-purpose local environment tool that can spin up web stacks quickly and share them, especially if you develop beyond just one framework. It’s a strong option when you value standardized environment launching and tunneling/sharing workflows.
Laragon: Choose Laragon when you want a Windows-first (native) local development manager with a lightweight UX for running common local services and quick environment switching; it’s well-suited for developers who prefer non-Docker setups.
Related AI Resources
- MCP (Model Context Protocol) integration concepts for local dev workflows (context + tool execution)
- AI-assisted debugging workflows using container logs and command execution
- Guardrails for “AI tool calls” and audit logging in development environments
Source-backed facts
SpinApp (from provided inventory / crawled sources):
- SpinApp is “Laravel local dev, AI-enabled,” provisioning Docker services (DB, queue, cache, frontend) and offering “MCP built in” so MCP assistants can run development commands inside the right containers.
- Each project ships with a bundled MCP server, with a “Setup AI” flow to write project rules and provide correct container context.
- SpinApp includes an action set such as exec (run artisan/composer/npm in app/queue containers), sql (run queries against provisioned DB), logs (container output + Laravel log files), and start/stop/status (full environment control), and claims an audit log of every tool call.
- Includes a “Queue dashboard” intended to replace Horizon, with job visibility and worker controls; supports Redis, database, and RabbitMQ drivers.
- Claims “Full stack, zero Compose,” wiring up required containers without hand-written
docker-compose.yml. - Claims “Migrations-ready databases” (PostgreSQL incl. pgvector, MySQL, MariaDB, SQLite), with credentials written to
.envautomatically and migrations provisioned to run against the DB container. - Manages
/etc/hostsso the app lives atmy-app.local. - Supports “Share via Cloudflare tunnel.”
- Advertises “SPX & SQL profiling” (SQL query logging for Laravel).
- Installation CTA includes “Download for macOS v0.1.11,” with requirements “Requires macOS 12+,” and “Docker Desktop or Colima,” supporting Apple Silicon & Intel.
- Confirmed limitations provided by customer: “Windows not supported at the moment. Don't want dockers” (interpreted as Windows not supported).
Laravel Herd (from web search):
- Herd Pro exists for teams and licensing/priority support is referenced on Herd’s documentation.
- Herd homepage states: “All features that you need to get up and running with Laravel are free” via a free Mac app; upgrading to Herd Pro unlocks better developer experience / team features.
- Herd docs mention a “Herd CLI” and server/service style workflow; Herd ships as a local control panel.
Laravel Sail (from web search):
- Laravel Sail docs describe a Docker-based local development environment; its
docker-compose.ymldefines containers and you execute commands using Sail.
DDEV (from web search):
- DDEV is an open source tool for launching local web development environments in minutes.
- DDEV docs describe “ddev share” using tunneling providers like ngrok and also mention Cloudflare tunnel support via a provider system.
Laragon (from web search):
- Laragon has an official pricing page describing free/non-commercial use and pricing/licensing behavior.
Source URLs
- SpinApp sources (provided inventory):
https://spinapp.site/
- Laravel Herd sources (web):
https://herd.laravel.com/https://herd.laravel.com/docs/windows/troubleshooting/supporthttps://herd.laravel.com/docs/macos/advanced-usage/herd-cli
- Laravel Sail sources (web):
https://laravel.com/docs/10.x/sailhttps://laravel.com/docs/12.x/sailhttps://github.com/laravel/sail
- DDEV sources (web):
https://docs.ddev.com/en/stable/https://docs.ddev.com/en/stable/users/topics/sharing/https://ddev.com/blog/share-providers/
- Laragon sources (web):
https://laragon.org/pricing