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

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