Fortrabbit
Fortrabbit GmbH is a Berlin-based, bootstrapped Platform-as-a-Service offering managed PHP cloud hosting on AWS, serving freelance developers, web agencies, and startups with git-push deployment, modular per-component pricing, and EU/US data residency.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2012
- HeadquartersBerlin, Germany
- Headcount1–10
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingSoftware
What Fortrabbit does
Fortrabbit GmbH is a Berlin-based, bootstrapped Platform-as-a-Service provider that has hosted PHP applications on AWS since 2012. The company's core product is a managed PHP cloud hosting platform featuring git-push deployment via a native GitHub App, independently scalable component resources (PHP runtime, MySQL, Redis-style key-value store, jobs/workers, traffic, storage, backups), and a stateful persistent storage model that distinguishes it from container-ephemeral competitors. The platform is built on Amazon EKS with ECR, EC2, EBS, RDS, Route 53, CloudFront, and Certificate Manager, with data centers in Ireland and Virginia, and is positioned for GDPR/CCPA compliance. Customers are organized around the "app + environment" object model with multi-tenancy and billing that supports real-world developer-to-client handover. Specialized first-party hosting pages cover Craft CMS, Statamic, Kirby, Laravel, Symfony, October CMS, WordPress, and Tempest PHP, and the company's documentation repository is publicly version-tracked with aggregated llms.txt bundles for retrieval-augmented tooling.
Fortrabbit earns revenue through post-paid, daily-prorated subscriptions billed per component, with prices ranging from €4.50/month for a small website up to roughly $43/month for a large production deployment (PHP 2XL alone is $50). The company operates a strict product-led, self-serve model with a 7-day free trial requiring no credit card, no annual contracts, no affiliate program, and no paid advertising; acquisition is driven by developer documentation, blog content, and word-of-mouth referrals. Customer segments are spread across freelance developers, web agencies, early-stage startups, individual developers and hobbyists, and end-client businesses. The team comprises 5 people based in Berlin plus remote contributors across DE, PL, CZ, US, FR, RU, and PK. A next-generation platform entered private alpha in March 2025 and public beta in November 2025, with full feature parity and stability targeted for 2026.
The company is wholly bootstrapped since inception with no venture financing, employing a "support-driven development" approach where paid customer support interactions feed product roadmap decisions. Strategic infrastructure partners include AWS (compute), GitHub (deployment source control), Stripe (payment processing), and Intercom (customer support chat); all are commercial integrations rather than equity partnerships. Two co-founders have departed since 2017 (Ulrich Kautz in 2017, Oliver Stark in 2023), leaving CEO Frank Lämmer as the remaining founder. Pricing and onboarding are intentionally minimal-friction, and the company explicitly avoids "dark patterns," vendor lock-in, and upselling.
Fortrabbit firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Fortrabbit
- Legal name
- fortrabbit GmbH
- Website
- https://fortrabbit.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2012
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 1–10 employees
- Short description
- Fortrabbit GmbH is a Berlin-based, bootstrapped Platform-as-a-Service offering managed PHP cloud hosting on AWS, serving freelance developers, web agencies, and startups with git-push deployment, modular per-component pricing, and EU/US data residency.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Fortrabbit industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Cloud Hosting Platform (PaaS)
- NAICS
- Computing Infrastructure Providers, Data Processing, Web Hosting, and Related Services (5182), Computing Infrastructure Providers, Data Processing, Web Hosting, and Related Services (518210)
- SIC
- Services-Prepackaged Software (7372)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Managed Container Platforms (Kubernetes & Container PaaS) (HDABAAAB)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Container Platforms & Orchestration (Kubernetes) (HDABADAF), Cloud-Native Enablement (Containers, Kubernetes, Service Mesh) (BPAEAKAE), Cloud-Native Application Development (Containers/Kubernetes/Serverless) (BPAEAFAE)
Keywords
Where Fortrabbit is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Berlin
- HQ country
- Germany
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices1 record
Markets served
Fortrabbit business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Software
- Cost components
- Infrastructure, Personnel, Technology or R&D, Operations, Marketing or Sales
Revenue model
- PHP Cloud Hosting Subscription: Modular component-based pricing with per-environment billing. Components include PHP runtime, MySQL database, storage, traffic, backups, jobs, and key-value store. Each component scales independently from XS to 2XL. Post-paid billing with daily proration - customers pay only for resources used. No yearly contracts or upfront payments. Starting at €4.50/month for small website.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Subscription | Monthly | PHP Runtime (XS to 2XL) |
| Subscription | Monthly | MySQL Database (XS to 3XL) |
| Subscription | Monthly | Storage (XS to 3XL) |
| Subscription | Monthly | Traffic (XS to 2XL) |
| Subscription | Monthly | Backups (XS to 2XL) |
| Subscription | Monthly | Jobs/Workers (OFF to 2XL) |
| Subscription | Monthly | Key-Value Store (OFF to LG) |
| Subscription | Monthly | Small Website (example) |
| Subscription | Monthly | Medium Website (example) |
| Subscription | Monthly | Large Website (example) |
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels3 records
Marketing channels5 records
Fortrabbit product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Fortrabbit operates a fully automated, self-provisioning cloud hosting Platform as a Service (PaaS) purpose-built for PHP. It provides modular, component-based hosting environments with Git-push deployment, managed MySQL, persistent storage, automatic TLS certificates, and SSH/SFTP access, all running on Kubernetes-orchestrated AWS infrastructure with data centers in Ireland and Virginia.
Product overview
Fortrabbit is a managed PHP cloud hosting Platform as a Service (PaaS) for developers, featuring a unified product portfolio built around its core hosting platform. The offering includes the main PHP Cloud Hosting Platform (with both legacy and new Beta platforms), specialized hosting for major PHP software including Craft CMS, Statamic, Kirby, Laravel, Symfony, October CMS, WordPress, and Tempest. Key features span deployment (GitHub Integration, Build Commands), infrastructure (SSH/SFTP Access, MySQL Database, Backups), security (SSH Key Authentication, Free TLS Certificates), and workflow (Staging Environments, Jobs/Workers, Test Domain). The platform uses component-based modular pricing with environments as the core hosting unit, running on AWS with data centers in EU (Ireland) and US (Virginia).
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- PHP Cloud Hosting Platform Managed PHP cloud hosting Platform as a Service (PaaS) for developers. Provides app-based hosting with isolated environments, Git deployment, SSH/SFTP access, managed MySQL, automatic TLS, and component-based modular pricing. Runs on AWS with data centers in EU (Ireland) and US (Virginia).
- New Platform (Beta) Next-generation platform built on three years of development, featuring a unified stack, persistent storage, app + environments structure, GitHub integration, advanced build pipeline with Node.js, free collaboration features, and included backups with one-click restore.
Quantifiable outcome
- 99.98% uptime SLA
- +3 more outcomes
Companies that use Fortrabbit
Customer profileNamed customers4 records
Segments6 records
Ideal customer profiles4 records
Fortrabbit technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Integration2 records
AI capability4 records
Feature8 records
Fortrabbit partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Four partnerships are on record, tiered core.
- Amazon Web Services (AWS)corePrimary infrastructure provider. fortrabbit runs on AWS using EKS (Elastic Kubernetes Service), EC2, EBS, RDS, Route 53, Certificate Manager, CloudWatch, and CloudFront. Cloud computing resources purchased in bulk and distributed among customers efficiently.
- GitHubcoreGitHub integration for deployment. The fortrabbit GitHub App connects repositories to hosting platform. Automatic deployments on git push. Branch-to-environment mapping. Deployment tracking with commit history.
- StripecorePayment processing for subscriptions. Supports USD and EUR currencies. SEPA direct debit for EU companies.
- IntercomcoreCustomer support chat tool. Note: Intercom collects data on users - disclosed in cookie notice.
Scale indicators7 records
Recent moves10 records
Expansion highlights5 records
Fortrabbit competitors and assessment
Company assessmentMarket position
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Fortrabbit social profiles
Digital presenceFortrabbit compliance and trust
Trust signalCompliance2 records
Fortrabbit financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Fortrabbit leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles5 records
Fortrabbit funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Fortrabbit M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Fortrabbit
What does Fortrabbit do?
Fortrabbit operates a fully automated, self-provisioning cloud hosting Platform as a Service (PaaS) purpose-built for PHP. It provides modular, component-based hosting environments with Git-push deployment, managed MySQL, persistent storage, automatic TLS certificates, and SSH/SFTP access, all running on Kubernetes-orchestrated AWS infrastructure with data centers in Ireland and Virginia.
Is Fortrabbit a public or private company?
Fortrabbit is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was Fortrabbit founded?
Fortrabbit was founded in 2012. It employs 1 to 10 people.
Where is Fortrabbit based?
Fortrabbit is headquartered in Berlin, Germany, in the Europe region.
How does Fortrabbit make money?
One revenue line is on record: PHP Cloud Hosting Subscription.
Does Fortrabbit have an API?
No public API is recorded for Fortrabbit.
What industry is Fortrabbit in?
Fortrabbit's product category is Cloud Hosting Platform (PaaS). Its primary akta.pro industry code is HDABAAAB, Managed Container Platforms (Kubernetes & Container PaaS), with a secondary code of HDABADAF, Container Platforms & Orchestration (Kubernetes). Its NAICS code is 5182 and its SIC code is 7372.