AMPPS VS Opalstack

Compare AMPPS VS Opalstack and see what are their differences

Rating: 0 reviews
Pricing: Freemium $49 / Annually

Alternatives Is it good?

Rating: 0 reviews

Alternatives Is it good?

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Which is more popular?

Based on our record, AMPPS seems to be more popular. It has been mentioned 3 times since March 2021.

social mentions: 3 vs 0
Web And Application Servers popularity: 100% vs 0%

Base details

Website, pricing, platforms and company facts side by side.

	AMPPS	Opalstack
Website	ampps.com	opalstack.com
Pricing	Freemium $49 / Annually Official pricing	Official pricing
Platforms	Mac OSX Windows	—
Company	2021	—
Listed in	Web And Application Servers Development Tools Web Servers Development +1	Hosting Web Hosting Managed Hosting Cloud Hosting +1

About AMPPS and Opalstack

In their own words, as submitted to SaaSHub.

AMPPS

Opalstack

AMPPS is a bloat-free local development stack with PHP, MySQL, Apache and Softaculous.AMPPS supports all the latest versions of PHP, Apache and MySQL. Installing and updating these packages is just one click. Softaculous auto installer is also included with AMPPS which enables you to install 380+...

Features and specs

What each product offers, as listed by its team.

AMPPS 12 features

Opalstack 5 features

Lightweight - Install apps as per your needs
Latest PHP versions - One click install and update
Domain Management - Add unlimited addon/parked/alias domains
Database management
Enable/Disable PHP extensions
Manage Apache Configuration
Start, Stop, Restart Apache and MySQL services
WordPress Manager - Manage plugins, themes, auto login, WordPress core updates, plugins and themes updates, debug mode
Backups - Local, Dropbox, Google Drive, OneDrive, AWS S3, FTP, FTPS and SFTP
Clone and Staging
Remote Import
400+ apps

Developer-Friendly Hosting
Opalstack is designed with developers in mind, offering SSH access, Git integration, and support for multiple programming languages and frameworks including Python, Node.js, Ruby, and PHP, giving developers granular control over their hosting environment.
Affordable Pricing
Opalstack offers competitive pricing for shared and managed hosting plans, making it an accessible option for small businesses, freelancers, and individual developers who need robust features without enterprise-level costs.
Modern Control Panel
Opalstack provides a clean, modern, and intuitive web-based dashboard for managing sites, applications, databases, and email accounts, which is a significant improvement over older-style hosting control panels like cPanel.
Strong Support for Multiple Applications
The platform supports a wide variety of application types including WordPress, Django, Flask, Express, static sites, and more, allowing users to host diverse projects on a single account with easy deployment.
Reliable Infrastructure and Support
Opalstack is built by former WebFaction team members, bringing experienced hosting expertise. They offer responsive customer support and a reputation for stable, well-managed server infrastructure with good uptime.

Possible disadvantages

Smaller Community and Ecosystem
Compared to major hosting providers like DigitalOcean, AWS, or even shared hosts like SiteGround, Opalstack has a smaller user base, which means fewer community tutorials, third-party guides, and forum discussions available for troubleshooting.
Limited Scalability Options
Opalstack is primarily a shared hosting provider, which means it may not be the best choice for high-traffic applications or projects that require rapid, on-demand scaling of resources like CPU, RAM, or storage.
Not Ideal for Beginners
While developer-friendly, Opalstack's approach can be intimidating for non-technical users. Setting up applications often requires familiarity with the command line and server configuration, which may not suit those looking for simple one-click solutions.
Limited Data Center Locations
Opalstack offers a relatively small number of data center locations compared to major cloud providers, which may result in higher latency for users targeting audiences in regions not well-served by the available server locations.
Fewer Managed Services and Add-ons
Unlike larger hosting platforms, Opalstack lacks a wide range of managed add-on services such as built-in CDN integration, managed backups with granular restore options, or one-click SSL management that more mainstream providers offer out of the box.

Analysis

An editorial look at what each product does well and who it suits.

AMPPS

Opalstack

Overall verdict

AMPPS is generally a good choice for developers who need a comprehensive local server solution. It is praised for its ease of use and convenience, though some users might find its resource usage to be higher compared to other lightweight solutions.

Why this product is good

AMPPS is considered beneficial because it provides an extensive local development stack for developers. It includes all necessary components like Apache, MySQL, MongoDB, PHP, Perl, and Python in a single package, which makes setting up a development environment straightforward and efficient. Additionally, it supports a wide variety of applications and offers an easy-to-use interface for managing databases and development projects.

Recommended for

Web developers who require a full-featured local development stack.
Students and educators involved in web development training.
Freelancers and small teams who need a simple, all-in-one development environment.
Those who prefer managing development environments through a graphical user interface.

Overall verdict

Opalstack is a solid choice for developers and tech-savvy users seeking an affordable, flexible control panel hosting solution with good performance and transparent pricing, though it may require more technical know-how than mainstream cPanel hosts.

Why this product is good

Uses a custom lightweight control panel that's fast and efficient compared to resource-heavy alternatives like cPanel
Offers straightforward, transparent pricing without hidden fees or aggressive upselling
Provides SSD storage and solid server performance for the price point
Supports multiple app types including Python, Node.js, and various frameworks beyond typical PHP hosting
Founded by the original creators of WebFaction, bringing significant hosting industry experience
Good for running multiple websites/apps under one account with granular resource control
Responsive customer support with a knowledgeable team
No long-term contracts required, allowing flexibility

Recommended for

Developers who need support for Python, Node.js, or other non-PHP applications
Users comfortable with a more technical, non-cPanel control panel interface
Small businesses or freelancers hosting multiple websites who want granular control
Former WebFaction users looking for a similar service after its shutdown
Budget-conscious users who want VPS-like flexibility without full server management
Users who prioritize transparent pricing over bundled marketing extras

Videos

Walkthroughs and reviews on video.

AMPPS 3 videos + Add

Opalstack 0 videos + Add

Install Ampps Webserver With Softaculous

Category popularity

How often each product is chosen within a category, 0–100% relative to the other.

Score bands 0–20 21–40 41–50 51–60 61–100

AMPPS

Opalstack

100% 100%

Web And Application Servers

0% 0%

Managed Hosting

100% 100%

Web Servers

0% 0%

Cloud Hosting

100% 100%

Questions & Answers

As answered by people managing AMPPS and Opalstack.

What makes your product unique?

AMPPS's answer

AMPPS is a bloat-free stack so you only install the apps that you want to install.

Why should a person choose your product over its competitors?

AMPPS's answer

You can install from a long list of PHP versions available. You can switch PHP versions with a click. You can also install new PHPs when they are released or upgrade the existing PHPs, Apache, MySQL to the latest version with a click.

How would you describe the primary audience of your product?

AMPPS's answer

If you are a developer who use any of the following technologies then you can use AMPPS : - PHP - Apache - MySQL - MongoDB

User comments

Share your experience with using AMPPS and Opalstack. For example, how are they different and which one is better?

Reviews and articles

External articles and on-site reviews we used to compare the two products.

AMPPS no reviews yet

Opalstack no reviews yet

Best XAMPP Alternatives for Website Development in 2024
instawp.com · Jan 2024

The last alternative to XAMPP on our list is AMPPS available for Windows, MacOS, and Linux. AMPPS provides a complete local setup for WordPress site development. With its versatility across multiple operating systems,...
8 Best MAMP Alternatives (Definitive List)
kinsta.com · Sep 2023

The free version of AMPSS doesn’t limit the number of local websites that you can set up. However, that version doesn’t come with AMPPS’ built-in WordPress manager tool. This feature helps you manage multiple...
13 Best XAMPP Alternatives
thetechtian.com · Jun 2022

Most AMPPS servers offer similar features as shared hosting plans from companies like HostGator or DreamHost without requiring you to pay a monthly fee. If you don’t have your server, many hosts offer great packages...

We have no reviews of Opalstack yet. Be the first one to post

Social recommendations and mentions

Recommendations tracked on public social media and blogs since March 2021.

AMPPS 3 mentions

Opalstack 0 mentions

Best MAMP Alternatives in 2025
AMPPS is available for both Windows and MacOS, offering a straightforward setup for WordPress site development. Its versatility across different platforms makes it a convenient and flexible choice for developers. Furthermore, this tool... - Source: dev.to / almost 2 years ago
Form data from form page isn't submitted to the database, how can I fix this issue?
It should have generated a log file, though. If it didn't then you need to make sure you actually restarted everything. I'd also consider switching to something like Ampps and see if that helps. Source: almost 4 years ago
How to install WordPress
Some web hosting providers offer a Softaculous auto-installer that simplifies WordPress installation to the smallest. - Source: dev.to / about 5 years ago

Tracking Opalstack since Sep 2023.

Alternatives to AMPPS and Opalstack

When comparing AMPPS and Opalstack, you can also consider the following products.

XAMPP
XAMPP is a free and open-source cross-platform web server that is primarily used when locally developing web applications.

Compare XAMPP to AMPPS or Opalstack:

XAMPP vs AMPPS XAMPP vs Opalstack
MAMP
MAMP is the abbreviation for Macintosh, Apache, MySQL, and PHP. It is a reliable application with its four components that allows you to access the local PHP server as well as the database server (SQL).

Compare MAMP to AMPPS or Opalstack:

MAMP vs AMPPS MAMP vs Opalstack
EasyPHP
EasyPHP installs a portable local WAMP server including the server-side scripting language: PHP 5, the web Server: Apache 2, the SQL Server: MySQL 5, a database manager: PhpMyAdmin and others development tools.

Compare EasyPHP to AMPPS or Opalstack:

EasyPHP vs AMPPS EasyPHP vs Opalstack
Winginx
Download Winginx · Docs · FAQ · Support · JA · RU · EN · Donate now. Discover a handy tool for web development! Enjoy; PHP 7. 1 (+ 5. 6); MySQL 5.

Compare Winginx to AMPPS or Opalstack:

Winginx vs AMPPS Winginx vs Opalstack
WPN-XM
WPN-XM - is a free and open-source web server solution stack for professional PHP development on...

Compare WPN-XM to AMPPS or Opalstack:

WPN-XM vs AMPPS WPN-XM vs Opalstack
WnMp
Wnmp (pronounced "W-n-m-p") is an open source development environment consisting of a control panel, Nginx, MariaDB, and PHP for Windows. Wnmp was created with a goal to be as simple as possible, while having a powerful Graphical User Interface.

Compare WnMp to AMPPS or Opalstack:

WnMp vs AMPPS WnMp vs Opalstack