Compare software

Laravel Herd vs XAMPP: catalog facts
Laravel Herd	XAMPP
Freemium Free for the core environment; Herd Pro is a paid upgrade with extra features.	Free Free to download and use. Components are under their own open-source licences.
Windows, macOS	Windows, macOS, Linux
Native binaries with no Docker or VM required Switch PHP versions quickly	One installer produces a working Apache, MariaDB and PHP environment Control panel starts and stops each service without editing config files
Database services, mail and log tools are part of the paid Pro tier Focused on PHP and Laravel rather than other stacks	Configured for convenience, not security; it is not meant to face the internet Bundled component versions lag upstream releases
Downloadable app	Downloadable app
Closed source	Open source
License not stated	License: GPL-2.0
No account needed	Not stated if an account is needed
Works offline	Not stated if it works offline
Official website Full listing and sources Checked September 24, 2026	Official website Full listing and sources Checked September 22, 2026

Catalog facts only. Anything “not stated” is unconfirmed. Check full listings for details.