Overview
SpinApp is an AI-enabled local development environment for Laravel that provisions a Docker-based stack (app/database/queue/cache/web) and includes a per-project MCP server so AI assistants can execute development actions inside the correct containers.
Feature comparison (table)
| Capability | SpinApp | Laravel Herd | Laravel Sail | DDEV | Laragon |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Category fit: AI/MCP assistant integration | Yes | Partial | No | No | No |
| Docker-based local stack | Yes | No | Yes (compose-based) | Yes | Partial |
| “Zero Compose” / no hand-written docker-compose | Yes | No | No | Partial | No |
| Bundled stack includes DB + queue + cache (Laravel-oriented) | Yes | Partial | Included (via sail compose) | Partial | Yes |
| Runs AI tool commands inside right containers | Yes (exec/sql/logs/start-stop/status + audit log) | No | No | No | No |
| Queue management/dashboard (Horizon-like) | Yes (Queue dashboard) | No | Partial | Partial | No |
| Supported database types (multi-DB) | Yes (PostgreSQL/MySQL/MariaDB/SQLite; pgvector on Postgres) | Partial | Partial (depends on your compose setup) | Yes (configurable via Docker) | Partial |
| Supports Redis queue drivers | Yes | Partial | Partial | Partial | Partial |
| Supports RabbitMQ queue driver | Yes | No | Partial | Partial | Partial |
| Local domain/hosts management | Yes (manages /etc/hosts so app lives at my-app.local) |
Partial (local site management; shares via tunnels) | No | Partial | Partial |
| Share/expose local app via secure tunnel | Yes (Cloudflare tunnel) | Partial (share via ngrok/Expose workflows) | No | Yes (ddev share) |
Partial |
| Built-in SQL profiling / query logging | Yes (SPX & SQL profiling) | No | No | No | No |
| Migrations workflow in provisioned database | Yes (migrations-ready DBs + run in-container) | Partial | Partial | Partial | Partial |
| Pricing model | Included (product download/plan; Windows not supported per customer note) | Paid + free tier/downgrade | N/A (open-source Laravel starter tooling; no separate product price) | Free/open-source | Free/non-commercial with licensing model for commercial use |
| Platform support | macOS 12+; Windows not supported (customer-provided) | macOS + Windows (per docs) | Cross-platform where Docker works | macOS/Windows/WSL2/Linux (Docker provider required) | Windows-first (docs show Windows), may support other platforms partially |
| Compliance / auditability features | Yes (audit log of every tool call) | No | No | No | No |
When to use each
SpinApp: Choose SpinApp when you want a Laravel-first Docker stack plus AI/MCP automation (Cursor/Claude or any MCP client) to run commands, SQL, and logs in the correct containers—with additional tooling for queues, migrations, local domains, and profiling.
Laravel Herd: Choose Laravel Herd when you want a fast, native-feeling workflow for Laravel/PHP sites on local .test domains, strong site management, and convenient sharing via tunnels—without managing docker-compose stacks yourself.
Laravel Sail: Choose Laravel Sail if you prefer the official Laravel Docker Compose baseline for your project and you’re comfortable using/adjusting the generated docker-compose file and sail CLI wrapper.
DDEV: Choose DDEV if you want a Docker-based local dev orchestrator that’s well-suited for many PHP (and other) stacks, with a standardized approach to starting services and sharing projects via tunnels.
Laragon: Choose Laragon if you want a feature-rich local dev manager (not primarily Docker-based) focused on convenience for common PHP development tasks, quick setup, and local service management.
Related AI Resources
- SpinApp: MCP-enabled local dev workflow (see SpinApp product page)
- AI agent integration patterns with local dev tools (MCP-style tool execution concepts)
- Laravel local dev: Docker-based approaches and command wrappers (Sail/DDEV patterns)