All four tools give you a web server, PHP and (in most versions) a database on your own Mac, so you can build and test sites before they go live. They differ in which server and database they use, how many PHP versions you get, how they treat security out of the box, whether a coding agent can drive them, and how you pay.
Short version: if you want something free, MAMP and Laravel Herd are both current and well maintained, and Herd is the obvious pick for Laravel work. If you need many PHP versions, per-site settings, snapshots or deployment, MAMP PRO and Herd Pro do more than OXAMP. OXAMP fits if you want a classic Apache, MariaDB and PHP stack built for Apple silicon, locked to your own machine by default, with a deliberately limited MCP server for your coding agent, for a single $29 payment. It has no Intel build.
At a glance
| OXAMP | MAMP / MAMP PRO 7 | Laravel Herd | XAMPP | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Price | $29 one-time; one licence covers one Mac | MAMP free; MAMP PRO $99 excl. VAT, one year of updates, then annual renewal for updates | Free; Pro $99 for a one-year licence, two devices | Free, open source |
| Platforms | Mac, Apple silicon only (no Intel build) | Mac (Apple chip and Intel builds, macOS 11+) and Windows | Mac (macOS 12+) and Windows | Windows, Linux and Mac |
| Web server | Apache 2.4.65 | Apache or Nginx | nginx | Apache |
| Database | MariaDB 11.4.9, phpMyAdmin 5.2.3 | MySQL 5.7 and 8 | MySQL, MariaDB, PostgreSQL in Pro only | MariaDB 10.4.28, phpMyAdmin 5.2.1 (Mac build) |
| PHP versions | 8.4 and 8.3 bundled; one is active for the whole stack, switched from the panel | PRO: PHP 7.x to 8.x, set per site | PHP 7.4 to 8.5, pinned per site | Mac build tops out at PHP 8.2.4 |
| WordPress / Laravel setup | Both, with database and config, from one command (oxamp template install) or an agent call; there is no button for it in the app | PRO: both | Laravel installer included; WordPress is a manual download | Not listed on its download page as of October 2026 |
| MCP server for AI agents | Sets itself up in Claude Code, Codex, Cursor, Windsurf, VS Code and Zed; the agent can start and stop the stack, read logs, create a database and install WordPress or Laravel, but can’t run SQL or delete anything | PRO: for Claude Desktop | Yes, e.g. Claude Code and Cursor | Not listed as of October 2026 |
| Default security | Apache on 127.0.0.1 and ::1, MariaDB on 127.0.0.1 only; generated root password stored 0600 | Database root password is root by default; MAMP PRO has a setting for whether other computers can reach MySQL | We couldn’t confirm Herd’s defaults | Root has no password; MySQL reachable over the network |
Where they really differ
What’s in the stack
OXAMP is the classic AMP trio: Apache, MariaDB and PHP, plus phpMyAdmin, compiled from source for arm64 and shipped as relocatable, signed binaries. It doesn’t need Homebrew or Docker. MAMP gives you a choice of Apache or Nginx and MySQL 5.7 or 8. Herd is built around nginx, and in the free version there is no database at all: its documentation suggests SQLite, DBngin or upgrading to Pro. Pro adds MySQL, MariaDB, PostgreSQL, Redis and more.
If your production servers run Apache, OXAMP, MAMP and XAMPP match that more closely than Herd.
PHP versions
This is an area where the others do more. OXAMP installs PHP 8.4 and 8.3 side by side and you switch between them from the panel, but one version is active for the whole stack at a time; you can’t give each site its own. The Laravel template also needs PHP 8.4, because the 8.3 build lacks extensions Laravel requires. Herd covers PHP 7.4 to 8.5 and lets you isolate a site on its own version, and MAMP PRO lets you assign each site its own PHP version from 7.x to 8.x. OXAMP doesn’t include PHP 7, so if you maintain older sites that need it, look at the others.
XAMPP’s Mac build is the oldest here: 8.2.4, with PHP 8.2.4, posted in April 2023. The Windows and Linux builds have since moved to 8.2.12, and the project said Mac would follow.
Coding agents
OXAMP ships an MCP server and can register it with Claude Code, Codex, Cursor, Windsurf, VS Code and Zed for you. Its tools are a short allowlist by design: the agent can start, stop and restart the stack, read logs, list and create databases, check PHP extensions and install WordPress or Laravel into an empty folder. It can’t run SQL, drop a database or change settings. It isn’t the only one, and the others let the agent do more. MAMP PRO has an MCP server for Claude Desktop that can edit files, run SQL queries and run WP-CLI commands, and Herd has an MCP server that can start services, install PHP versions and manage sites. Compare what each one lets the agent do, and which agents you use.
Security defaults
OXAMP listens only on your own machine by default: Apache on 127.0.0.1 and ::1, MariaDB on 127.0.0.1 only. You can choose to serve Apache to your network; the database is never exposed. It generates a database root password, stored with 0600 permissions, and removes the anonymous account and root accounts for other hosts. XAMPP’s Mac FAQ is frank that it is “not meant for production use”: the MySQL root account has no password and the database is reachable over the network until you run its security script. MAMP’s documentation gives root as the default MySQL root password, and MAMP PRO has a setting for whether other computers can reach MySQL. We couldn’t find Herd’s defaults stated on its own site, so we haven’t compared them.
What the paid tiers add
MAMP PRO and Herd Pro are broader tools than OXAMP. MAMP PRO has snapshots, Blueprints, site duplication, deployment to live servers, Mailhog, automatic SSL and a built-in editor. Herd Pro adds mail capture, a dump viewer, a log viewer and Xdebug detection. OXAMP’s extras are narrower: every log the stack writes in one place with follow, an Xdebug switch, a menu-bar item, and an oxamp uninstall command that lists everything, with sizes, before it removes it. Its databases screen lists, creates and drops databases; for browsing tables it opens phpMyAdmin.
Price
Three of these have a free version: MAMP, Herd and XAMPP. OXAMP is paid only.
Among the paid options, OXAMP is $29 once, for one Mac. MAMP PRO 7 is $99 excluding VAT: a lifetime licence with one year of updates, then an annual renewal if you want further updates. Herd Pro is $99 for a one-year licence, usable on two devices across Mac and Windows. OXAMP is also one of the 12 apps in the Oxid Value Pack, which is $99.
Which should you choose?
- Choose MAMP (free) if you want a no-cost Apache or Nginx stack with MySQL, on an Apple silicon or Intel Mac, or on Windows.
- Choose MAMP PRO if you manage many client sites and want per-site PHP versions, snapshots, Blueprints and deployment in one app, or an AI agent that can edit site files and run SQL.
- Choose Laravel Herd if you work mainly in Laravel, want the widest PHP version range, or want Pro services like Redis and PostgreSQL.
- Choose XAMPP if you need the same free stack on Windows, Linux and Mac, and don’t mind an older Mac build and hardening it yourself.
- Choose OXAMP if you have an Apple silicon Mac and want Apache, MariaDB and PHP 8.3/8.4 built for it, safe defaults, WordPress and Laravel set up from one command, and an MCP server that gives your coding agent a short, safe list of tools, for $29 once.
Questions
What is a good alternative to MAMP on Mac?
Laravel Herd and XAMPP both have free versions, and Herd is the obvious pick for Laravel work. OXAMP is a paid option: Apache, MariaDB and PHP built for Apple silicon, locked to your own machine by default, for $29 once. It has no Intel build.
Laravel Herd vs MAMP: which is better?
Herd is built around nginx, covers PHP 7.4 to 8.5 pinned per site, and suits Laravel work, but its free version has no database. MAMP offers Apache or Nginx with MySQL 5.7 or 8, and MAMP PRO adds per-site PHP versions, snapshots, Blueprints and deployment.
Is XAMPP still a good choice for Mac?
XAMPP is free and runs the same stack on Windows, Linux and Mac, but its Mac build tops out at PHP 8.2.4 and was posted in April 2023. Its FAQ says it is not meant for production use: MySQL root has no password and the database is reachable over the network until you run its security script.
Can OXAMP run a different PHP version for each site?
No. OXAMP bundles PHP 8.4 and 8.3, but one version is active for the whole stack at a time, and it doesn't include PHP 7. MAMP PRO and Laravel Herd both let you give each site its own PHP version.
Which local PHP server for Mac is free?
MAMP, Laravel Herd and XAMPP each have a free version. OXAMP is paid only, at $29 once for one Mac. MAMP PRO 7 is $99 excluding VAT with one year of updates, and Herd Pro is $99 for a one-year licence on two devices.