Compare · Docker Desktop, Herd, Valet, Lando and WordPress Studio

ReDock compared with Docker Desktop, Herd, Valet, Lando and WordPress Studio

Five ways to run sites on your own computer, and none of them is wrong. Docker Desktop and Lando give you containers and a config file a whole team can commit, which is production parity ReDock does not offer. Herd and Valet are PHP and Laravel tools first, fast and native, with Composer, the Laravel installer and Forge deploys built in; Herd ships an MCP server and runs on Windows too. WordPress Studio is WordPress only, free and open source, with an AI agent in beta, an MCP server, previews hosted by WordPress.com, and a sync to WordPress.com and Pressable. What ReDock does that none of the five describe on their pages: one app that runs WordPress, headless pairs, Astro, Next.js, Node, Bun, n8n and Remotion side by side, trusts every site's certificate from the first launch without a per-site secure step, shares over a tunnel with no account, puts a domain you own on a shared site, and ships a built-in agent with receipts and an undo, all for free on macOS and Windows. Linux is theirs, not ours.

Download for free See ReDock pricing
Checked on 11 September 2026 at:
Our column describes what a person can do at app.redock.xyz today. Their column comes only from the addresses above, read on 11 September 2026. A row we could not verify on their own site says so rather than guessing, and a page they have published since will be newer than this one.
  ReDock Docker Desktop, Herd, Valet, Lando and WordPress Studio
Platforms macOS 12 or later on Apple silicon, and 64-bit Windows 10 or later. Neither build is signed yet, so the first open takes one extra click on each. The Studio, for docs, video and images, runs on macOS only; sites, the agent, sharing and the MCP server are the same on both. Docker Desktop: Mac on Apple silicon and Intel, Windows on AMD64 and ARM64, and Linux; the docs ask for 64-bit Windows 10 version 22H2 or later, and the current macOS or the two before it. Herd: macOS 12 or higher, and Windows 10 or higher; "no plans for a Linux version". Valet: "a development environment for macOS minimalists", installed with Homebrew. Lando: macOS 12 or higher, Windows 10 21H2 or higher with WSL2, and Linux with kernel 4.x or higher. WordPress Studio: "macOS, Windows, and Linux".
WordPress sites One click makes a WordPress site with PHP, MySQL, core, config and a trusted certificate at https://name.test, in about a minute, with wp-admin one click away through a single-use login. ReDock Blocks is installed so the agent edits in real blocks, and ReDock for Elementor where Elementor is active. Docker Desktop: not stated on their site. Herd: a guide that has you download WordPress, unzip it into the parked folder and "follow the installation process", with the database made separately; "the database username is root and has no password". Valet: not stated; it serves the folders you park. Lando: a WordPress recipe with "Configurable php version from 5.3 all the way to 8.5", Apache or Nginx, MariaDB, MySQL or Postgres, and wp cli. WordPress Studio: WordPress only, "unlimited local WordPress websites", each started with you signed in to wp-admin.
Other stacks Headless WordPress with an Astro or Next.js front end, Astro, Next.js, Node, Bun, PHP, n8n and Remotion, each a site type with its own https://name.test address. Docker Desktop: anything that runs in a container, defined in a Compose file. Herd: "a native Laravel and PHP development environment", with Node.js through nvm. Valet: PHP sites behind Nginx, with drivers per framework. Lando: "most major languages, frameworks and services" through recipes. WordPress Studio: WordPress.
PHP and Node per site Chosen per site from a dropdown in Setup. Versions install side by side into ReDock's own folder, nothing goes into the system, and two sites on different versions is ordinary. Docker Desktop: per container, whichever image you choose; not described as a feature on the pages read. Herd: "PHP 7.4 - 8.5" and it "lets you pin sites to specific PHP versions", with Node.js versions through nvm. Valet: "valet isolate" sets a PHP version per site; Node is not stated. Lando: a PHP version per app in its recipe; Node not stated. WordPress Studio: "Select a custom PHP version" per site, and a choice of native or sandboxed PHP runtime; Node not stated.
Databases MySQL, created with every WordPress site, plus PostgreSQL and Redis as supervised services, all inside ReDock's own folder and removed with it. Docker Desktop: not stated on their site. Herd: MySQL, MariaDB, PostgreSQL, Redis and more as Herd Pro services; the free tier is pointed at DBngin. Valet: "check out DBngin, which provides a free, all-in-one database management tool that includes MySQL, PostgreSQL, and Redis". Lando: MariaDB, MySQL or Postgres, per recipe. WordPress Studio: not stated on the pages read.
Trusted local HTTPS Every site gets https://name.test with a certificate the browser trusts, issued by a private certificate authority created on your computer. One password prompt, once, at first launch; the padlock is real from then on, and the certificates renew themselves. Docker Desktop: not stated on their site. Herd: "By default, Herd serves sites over HTTP"; a lock icon in the Site Manager or "herd secure" adds a local certificate per site. Valet: "By default, Valet serves sites over HTTP"; "valet secure" serves a site "over encrypted TLS using HTTP/2". Lando: its own certificate authority, trusted in the system store during setup, with https routes on lndo.site addresses, which resolve through a public DNS entry and so need an internet connection. WordPress Studio: its own certificate authority on a custom .local domain you switch on per site, trusted automatically on Windows and Linux and by hand in Keychain on macOS.
A share link Unlimited unlisted quick links, and three named subdomains under redock.xyz, over Cloudflare tunnels. The site keeps running on your computer; stop is one click and the link goes dark. Docker Desktop: not stated on their site. Herd: "herd share" through Expose, for which "you first need to create a free Expose account", or ngrok. Valet: "valet share" through ngrok, Expose or cloudflared, and "both tools require you to authenticate your ngrok or Expose account". Lando: not stated on the pages read. WordPress Studio: preview sites on a wp.build address, hosted by WordPress.com, up to ten at a time, each deleted seven days after its last update, with a WordPress.com account.
A custom domain One at a time, on every plan: a domain you own pointed at a shared site with two DNS records the app walks you through, through your own Cloudflare account. Docker Desktop: not stated on their site. Herd: local .test names, and more of them with "herd link". Valet: .test names with wildcard subdomains, on your computer. Lando: "Using a non lndo.site domain" with DNSMasq or the hosts file, on your computer. WordPress Studio: a local custom domain that "must end in .local". None of the five describes pointing a domain you own at a shared local site.
Deploys One-click deploys of built sites to Cloudflare, with a token scoped to exactly what it needs and the custom domain attached from inside the app. Docker Desktop: not stated on the pages read. Herd: link a site to Laravel Forge and "deploy your local sites to Forge with a single click". Valet: not stated. Lando: "Integrating with hosting providers like Lagoon, Pantheon and Acquia Cloud". WordPress Studio: Studio Sync pushes to WordPress.com sites on paid plans and to Pressable, and there is "a ready-to-deploy archive" for anywhere else.
An AI agent Built in. It lists its steps before it runs, keeps a receipt for every change and offers an undo, behind per-site permissions in plain words. Bring a Claude, OpenAI, Gemini, OpenRouter or Groq key, or run a local model from the catalogue. Docker Desktop: their product list names Gordon, "Your AI Agent across Docker", and Docker Model Runner; neither is described on the Desktop page itself. Herd: not stated. Valet: not stated. Lando: not stated. WordPress Studio: Studio Code, "the AI agent for WordPress", in beta, "currently free in beta, but having a payment method on WordPress.com is required", or with your own Anthropic key.
An MCP server At 127.0.0.1:47200, for Claude Desktop, Claude Code, Cursor or any MCP client, behind the same per-site permissions as the built-in agent. It never listens to the network. Docker Desktop: an "MCP Enterprise Gateway" in their product list; nothing on the Desktop page. Herd: yes, "Laravel Herd ships with a powerful MCP (Model Context Protocol) server", with tools for sites, services, PHP versions and deployments. Valet: not stated. Lando: not stated. WordPress Studio: yes, a "studio mcp" command for Claude Code, Claude Desktop, Codex, Cursor, Windsurf and VS Code.
A database browser Built in. Databases, tables and rows for MySQL, PostgreSQL and Redis, a SQL console and export, with a two-second honest answer when an engine is down. Docker Desktop: not stated on their site. Herd: TablePlus or AdminerEvo, opened from Herd Pro's services. Valet: not stated. Lando: not stated on the pages read. WordPress Studio: phpMyAdmin, opened from the site.
Free or paid Free. The whole desktop app, on every plan, with nothing held back. Docker Desktop: Personal is $0; Pro is $9 a user a month billed yearly or $11 monthly, Team $15 or $16, Business $24; Desktop is free for "Small businesses (fewer than 250 employees AND less than $10 million in annual revenue)", personal use and education. Herd: Basic is free; Pro is $99 a year; Teams is $299 for ten licences. Valet: no price on the page; it is installed with Homebrew and Composer. Lando: "free and open-source", run by a nonprofit that takes donations. WordPress Studio: "a free and open source app".
An account needed No account to install or use the app. A named share link is the one place you sign in, once, so the name stays yours; a quick link needs no account at all. Docker Desktop: not stated on the pages read. Herd: none for Basic, a licence key for Pro, and an Expose account to share. Valet: none, and an ngrok or Expose account to share. Lando: not stated. WordPress Studio: "A WordPress.com account is required only if you want to leverage the preview sites feature", and the docs add Sync and Studio Code to what an account unlocks.

What they have that we do not

  • Linux, from Docker Desktop, Lando and WordPress Studio, and Intel Macs from Docker Desktop, Lando and WordPress Studio. ReDock runs on Apple silicon and 64-bit Windows.
  • Production parity: a container that matches the server, and a Compose file or Landofile a team commits and reproduces. ReDock runs sites natively and offers nothing of the kind.
  • A Laravel focus, in Herd and Valet: Composer, the Laravel installer, dumps, Xdebug, Tinker, mail catching, and one-click deploys to Laravel Forge.
  • A hosting company behind WordPress Studio: previews that stay up when your laptop sleeps, hosted by WordPress.com, and a two-way sync to WordPress.com and Pressable.
  • Lando's recipes for Pantheon, Acquia and Lagoon, so the local site matches the host.
  • WordPress Studio's sandboxed PHP runtime, which keeps a site's PHP inside the site folder.
  • Longer track records, all five.

What we have that they do not

  • One app for WordPress, headless pairs, Astro, Next.js, Node, Bun, n8n and Remotion, on macOS and Windows, with no Docker and no Homebrew.
  • A certificate the browser trusts on every site from the first launch, with no per-site secure step, no Keychain visit and no internet needed for the address to resolve.
  • A built-in agent that lists its steps, keeps a receipt and offers an undo, behind per-site permissions, with a local model that needs no key. Free, with no payment method on file.
  • A quick share link with no account at all, named subdomains under redock.xyz, and a domain you own on a shared site, while the site stays on your computer.
  • One-click Cloudflare deploys of built sites, with the custom domain attached from the app.
  • A database browser for MySQL, PostgreSQL and Redis in the same window as the sites and their logs.
  • An MCP server behind the same per-site permissions as the built-in agent, so there is one fence to trust. Herd and WordPress Studio ship MCP servers too; the fence is the difference.
What Docker Desktop, Herd, Valet, Lando and WordPress Studio costs

Docker Desktop's Personal plan is $0, with Pro at $9 a user a month billed yearly or $11 monthly, Team at $15 or $16 and Business at $24, and their licence page says Desktop is free for "Small businesses (fewer than 250 employees AND less than $10 million in annual revenue)", personal use and education; Herd Basic is free and Herd Pro is $99 a year, with Teams at $299 for ten licences, read at herd.laravel.com; Valet's documentation page names no price; Lando is "free and open-source", run by a nonprofit that takes donations, read at lando.dev; WordPress Studio is "a free and open source app", read at developer.wordpress.com, with Studio Code "free in beta" but needing a payment method on file.

Read on 11 September 2026 at https://www.docker.com/pricing/
Fair questions

I write Laravel. Which of these should I use?

Herd, or Valet if you prefer the terminal. Both were built for Laravel and their pages are full of it: Composer, the Laravel installer, per-site PHP, Forge deploys, dumps and Xdebug. ReDock runs PHP sites and can start one from a folder you already have, but it installs no Laravel and runs no Composer for you.

Can I keep Docker Desktop and use ReDock as well?

Yes, and plenty of people will. ReDock does not use Docker to run sites; the one place Docker appears is the optional Firecrawl add-on, which runs its own stack through Docker Compose only if you switch it on. Keep Docker for the service that needs parity and use ReDock for the sites that just need an address.

Why does ReDock have no secure step, when Herd and Valet do?

Because it does the step once for everything. At first launch ReDock creates a private certificate authority on your computer and asks for your password one time. From then on every site is issued a certificate that authority signed, the browser trusts it, and the certificates renew themselves. Herd and Valet serve HTTP by default and secure a site when you ask; WordPress Studio needs a custom .local domain and, on macOS, a visit to Keychain.

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Judge it on one download.

The desktop app is free on macOS and Windows, with no account. Make a site and see whether the rows this page says we do well are the ones you needed.

Download for free See pricing
Free on macOS and Windows · no account · the same app on every plan