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Laravel Herd

Laravel Herd is a native Laravel and PHP development environment for Windows and macOS.

Place
#14 of 50
Score
6.6
Laravel Herd's website

What Laravel Herd is

Laravel Herd is a native Laravel and PHP development environment for Windows and macOS. Its free Herd Basic plan includes PHP, nginx, DNS, Node.js, Composer, the Laravel installer and Expose. Herd provides PHP versions 7.4 through 8.5, and users can pin individual sites to a version. Expose can create public URLs for local sites, receive webhooks and support testing on mobile devices. Herd Pro adds local management for MySQL, MariaDB, PostgreSQL, Redis, Typesense, Meilisearch, MinIO and Laravel Reverb. It also formats and filters dump() and dd() output in a separate window and includes Xdebug detection. Local sites can link to Laravel Forge servers for one-click deployment and access to SSH, environment variables and the Forge panel. Teams can share PHP versions, services and Forge configurations through a herd.yml file. Herd Pro costs $99 a year; Herd Teams costs $299 a year for 10 Herd Pro licenses.

Good

  • Free Basic plan includes core development tools
  • Supports PHP versions 7.4 through 8.5
  • Sites can be pinned to PHP versions
  • Team settings can be shared in herd.yml

Watch out

  • No Linux version is planned
  • Herd Pro has no trial
  • Pro license activates on two devices
  • macOS requires version 12.0 or higher

Who it suits

Herd suits Laravel and PHP developers working on macOS or Windows who want a local development environment. Pro and Teams features are relevant to users needing local service management, Forge integration or shared project configuration.

Verdict

Herd Basic covers a range of local PHP and Laravel development tools at no cost. Herd Pro and Teams add services and team-oriented options, but Pro costs $99 a year and has no trial.

Plans and prices

From Laravel Herd's own pricing page, checked 7 Oct 2026.

All about pricing
PlanPriceWhat it gives you
Herd BasicFreePHP · nginx · DNS · Node.js · Laravel Forge integration · Community support
Herd Pro$99 a yearDumps · Mail · Log Viewer · Services · XDebug detection · Email support · 2 device activations · License for one year
Herd Teams$299 a year10 licenses · License Management Portal · Priority Email Support · 1 activation per team license · 10 Herd Pro licenses

The facts

Each one read from Laravel Herd's own pages, with the date it was checked.

What it does

Debugging
Herd Pro formats and filters dump() and dd() output in a separate Dump window and includes Xdebug detection.checked 7 Oct 2026
Expose integration
Herd integrates with Expose to create public URLs for local sites, receive webhooks, and test sites on mobile devices.checked 7 Oct 2026
Forge integration
Herd can link local sites with Laravel Forge servers for one-click deployment and access to SSH, environment variables, and the related Forge panel.checked 7 Oct 2026
Included tools
Herd includes PHP, nginx, DNS, Node.js, Composer, the Laravel installer, and Expose.checked 7 Oct 2026
License limits
A Herd Pro license can be active on two devices at once, while each Herd Team license key has one activation.checked 7 Oct 2026
Local services
Herd Pro can manage MySQL, MariaDB, PostgreSQL, Redis, Typesense, Meilisearch, MinIO, and Laravel Reverb.checked 7 Oct 2026
PHP versions
Herd provides PHP versions 7.4 through 8.5 and lets users pin sites to a specific PHP version.checked 7 Oct 2026
Purpose
Herd is a native Laravel and PHP development environment for Windows and macOS.checked 7 Oct 2026
Support
Free users can seek community support, while Herd Pro and Teams users can contact email support, with priority email support for Teams.checked 7 Oct 2026

Where it runs

Platform requirements
The macOS edition requires macOS 12.0 or higher; the maker says there are currently no plans for a Linux version.checked 7 Oct 2026

The company

Team configuration
A herd.yml project file can share PHP versions, services, and Forge configurations across a team.checked 7 Oct 2026

Money

Trial and refunds
The maker says Herd Pro has no trial and purchases are covered by a 14-day refund policy.checked 7 Oct 2026

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