Rig vs Laravel Herd
Herd is a polished PHP/Laravel runtime on your computer. Rig is the control plane for every process around that site — and your Node, queues, and AI tools.
Who this is for
Laravel / PHP shops on Mac who already like Herd — or are choosing a stack now.
The short answer
Use Herd (or Valet) for PHP itself. Use Rig when you need one window for vite + queue + API + MCP — Herd doesn't replace that. Many studios run both.
Side by side
| Feature | Rig | Laravel Herd | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| Primary job | Local process control plane | PHP / Laravel runtime + sites | |
| Procfile / multi-service apps | Yes | Partial | Herd focuses on PHP; sidecars are on you |
| Unified live logs across services | Yes | No | |
| MCP for Cursor / Claude | Yes | No | |
| Opt-in share (LAN QR / Live Link) | Yes | Partial | Herd has site URLs; Rig adds share/expire UX |
| Multi-machine catalog + Continuity | Yes | No | |
| PHP version management | No | Yes | Herd owns this — keep using it |
| Valet-style *.test sites | Partial | Yes | Rig detects and opens them; Herd serves them |
Choose Rig if
- You run more than PHP — Vite, workers, a Node API
- You want one merged log stream instead of four tabs
- Your editor agent should see the live runtime
- You work across two computers, or share previews with clients
Stay with Herd if
- Your work is one Laravel site and nothing else
- You need per-site PHP version switching
- Herd Pro's DB and mail tooling already covers you
Honestly: if that's you, Rig adds a window you don't need yet.
Running both
Herd keeps
- HTTP for *.test sites
- PHP versions and extensions
- Its own DB and mail helpers
Rig takes
- Artisan sidecars — queue, horizon, schedule
- Vite and any Node process
- The merged log stream, ports and MCP
Rig detects a Valet site and its Open Site button hits the Herd URL — it doesn't try to serve the site itself.