Overview
SpinApp is positioned as an AI-enabled local dev environment for Laravel: it provisions a Docker-based stack and connects AI assistants (via bundled MCP) so they can run development commands against the correct container context.
Feature comparison
| Capability | SpinApp | Laravel Herd | Laravel Sail | DDEV | Laragon |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Primary target | Laravel local dev + AI assistant workflow | Laravel/PHP on macOS (native app) | Laravel local dev using Docker Compose | Local web dev environments (generic) | Windows PHP/local dev stack (general) |
| AI assistant integration (MCP / agent-driven commands) | Yes | Does not support | Does not support | Does not support | Does not support |
| Containerized environment provisioning | Yes | No | Yes (via Docker Compose) | Yes (via Docker providers) | Partial (containerization not the core positioning) |
| “Zero Compose / no docker-compose.yml required” | Yes | No | No (uses Sail’s docker-compose setup) (laravel.com) | Partial (DDEV generates/uses docker-compose files internally) (ddev.readthedocs.io) | No |
| Command execution inside the right service containers | Yes | Partial (native tooling + binaries; not container-context orchestration) | Partial (use Sail commands to run within Sail containers) (laravel.com) | Yes (tools run in Docker containers) (docs.ddev.com) | Partial (runs locally; not centered on container-context) (laragon.org) |
| Database provisioning (Laravel-friendly defaults) | Yes (multiple DB engines) | Partial (native stack; not described as provisioning multiple DB engines via Docker) | Partial (DB defined in Sail compose) | Yes (local dev environments on Docker) (docs.ddev.com) | Partial (local services; not described as DB provisioning matrix in sources found) |
| Queue/worker dashboard (e.g., Horizon replacement) | Yes (Queue dashboard) | Does not support | Does not support | Does not support | Does not support |
| URL routing / local domain convenience (e.g., managed hosts, tunnels) | Yes (manages /etc/hosts; Cloudflare tunnel) | Partial (local sites support implied, but no explicit tunnel/hosts automation sourced here) | No | Partial (sharing/exposure features exist, but focus is local dev) (docs.ddev.com) | Partial (virtual hosts/quick local domains implied by “directory structure”, not sourced as explicit tunnel/hosts mgmt here) (laragon.org) |
| “Works without Windows support” | Yes (explicit limitation: Windows not supported “at the moment”) | No (Windows support claimed in Laravel docs) (laravel.com) | Does not support (Sail is framework-level; Windows support is via Docker) | No (cross-platform includes Windows installers) (ddev.com) | Partial/Yes on Windows (Laragon is Windows-focused) |
| OS/platform focus | macOS 12+; Docker Desktop or Colima (laravel.com) | macOS 12+ (herd.laravel.com) | Cross-platform (Docker-based) (docs.docker.com) | Cross-platform (Windows/macOS/Linux via installers/providers) (ddev.com) | Windows-first (macOS/Linux not primary) |
| Open source status | Unknown (not evidenced in provided inventory) | Not evidenced as open source | Included with Laravel distribution (laravel.com) | Yes (open source) (docs.ddev.com) | No evidence as open source in sources found |
| Pricing model (from sources found) | Download available; specific pricing not evidenced in provided inventory | Free + Pro (pricing shown, but exact pricing not captured in sources opened) (herd.laravel.com) | Free (Docker Compose + tooling; Sail itself is part of Laravel ecosystem) (laravel.com) | Open source; support is via sponsorship/donations (financial support page) (ddev.com) | Paid/freemium pricing page exists; exact tiers not captured here (laragon.org) |
| Compliance/security posture (audit logs, etc.) | Yes (mentions audit log of every tool call) | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A |
| Observability (logs/profiling) | Yes (SQL profiling + toolcall audit; logs in actions) | Partial/Unknown | Partial/Unknown | Partial/Unknown | Partial/Unknown |
When to use each
SpinApp: Choose it when you want Laravel-first local Docker provisioning plus an AI-assistant workflow where agents run commands in the right containers via built-in MCP context/rules (including queue dashboards, SQL logging/profiling, and local sharing features).
Laravel Herd: Choose it when you want a fast native macOS Laravel/PHP development environment with an opinionated workflow centered around running common Laravel/PHP tools without managing Docker Compose yourself. (herd.laravel.com)
Laravel Sail: Choose it when your team is already comfortable with Docker Compose and wants to start from Laravel’s official container setup, running commands through Sail to ensure they hit the right containers. (laravel.com)
DDEV: Choose it when you want a general-purpose local web development orchestrator that is open source and works by running your dev stack inside Docker containers/providers, with automated compose handling. (docs.ddev.com)
Laragon: Choose it when you’re on Windows and want a fast, portable local development server environment (typically without Docker), oriented around convenient PHP/website workflows. (laragon.org)
Related AI Resources
- SpinApp (AI-enabled Laravel local dev) documentation/landing page for MCP-enabled workflows: (docs.ddev.com)
- Docker guidance for Laravel with Docker Compose (ecosystem reference for Sail-style setups): (docs.docker.com)
- DDEV overview (local dev via Docker containers/providers): (docs.ddev.com)