#52 in Hosting & ComputeUpdated 2026-08

XAMPP

by XAMPP · Apache, MariaDB, PHP and Perl in one installer

5.8 — BenchRank score out of 100

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Overview

XAMPP is an Apache distribution that bundles MariaDB, PHP and Perl into a single installer for local PHP development. Installers are published for Windows, Linux and OS X, with builds for several PHP versions — 8.2.12, 8.1.25 and 8.0.30 in the latest Windows release. It is maintained by Apache Friends, a non-profit project set up to promote the Apache web server.

Best for: PHP developers who want a local Apache, MariaDB, PHP and Perl stack installed in one step.
Pricing: The site states XAMPP is completely free; no paid plans or prices are shown.
Runs on: macOSWindowsLinux

Strengths and trade-offs

Strengths

Free, and described as an open source package
One installer bundles Apache, MariaDB, PHP and Perl
Installers published for Windows, Linux and OS X
Over 10 years old, with forums and a large user community

Trade-offs

OS X build lags: 8.2.4 against 8.2.12 for Windows and Linux
New releases land on Windows first; Linux and OS X follow later
Support shown is forums and social media only; no paid support listed
Presented as a development environment, not stated as production-ready

How this score is made up

Each dimension is scored out of 100 and combined into the headline score using fixed weights.

MCP support: 0 out of 100
API quality: 0 out of 100
Documentation: 0 out of 100
Agent friendliness: 38 out of 100
Changelog: 0 out of 100
Marketing site structure: 5 out of 100
Operational trust: 0 out of 100

Measured, but not part of the score

Useful to know, but not a mark for or against the product — so these do not affect the ranking.

Openness: 60 out of 100
Maintenance: 65 out of 100

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