TINSERVE
PHP in a can — instantly ready on your Mac
Your PHP projects.
Running locally in minutes on your Mac.
The local PHP development environment for Mac:
Apache, every PHP version from 5.6 to 8.5, MariaDB, trusted HTTPS and a mail catcher — in one Mac app. Put a project folder in, open it in the browser. Tinserve keeps everything up to date.
For macOS 13 Ventura or newer · Intel and Apple Silicon
✓ Notarized by Apple and checked for malicious software.
* PHP 5.6, 7.4 and 8.1 no longer get regular security updates from the PHP project. Tinserve marks them clearly in the app — meant for old projects on your Mac, not for live servers.
Everything a PHP site needs — without configuring it
Tinserve is made for agencies and freelancers working with classic PHP stacks: SilverStripe, WordPress, Laravel, Craft, Symfony — and the old project from 2016 that still runs on PHP 5.6.
Drop a folder, get a site
Every folder in your Websites folder instantly becomes a site: localhost/MY_SHOP or my-shop.localhost — no port numbers, no hosts file, no per-project setup.
Every PHP version, side by side
PHP 5.6, 7.4 and 8.1 through 8.5 run side by side. Choose a PHP version for each site and enable Xdebug only where you need it — the others stay fast.
HTTPS that just works
One click gives every site a trusted certificate — instantly in Safari and Chrome, with just one extra click in Firefox. No warnings, no manual certificate setup.
No test email ever reaches a customer
Every email your sites send is captured in a local inbox — even when the project's .env file still points to a live mail server. Enable real email delivery for individual sites whenever you need it.
Test on your iPhone, share with your team, QR-Code
One switch makes your sites accessible to other devices on the same Wi-Fi network — whether you're at home, in the office or in a café. Perfect for testing on real devices or letting a colleague work directly in the CMS.
Your databases, phpMyAdmin and mail inbox remain private and accessible only on your Mac. The menu bar always shows when sharing is active.
A QR code takes the site straight to an iPhone or iPad — just scan it with the camera.
New site in under a minute
SilverStripe 6 or 5, or WordPress: Tinserve downloads your chosen platform, selects the appropriate PHP version, creates the database and sets up your admin login. Always with the latest available version.
Delete a site in one step
One click, one confirmation: Tinserve backs up the site's database, deletes it and moves the project folder to the Trash. Databases on other servers — such as a live database configured in the .env file — are never touched.
PHP settings, per site or per version
Need larger uploads for a project? Edit its .user.ini right in Tinserve — the same file works with most web hosts. Settings shared across all sites using a particular PHP version are just one click away.
Always up to date
Security updates for PHP, OpenSSL, Apache and MariaDB are delivered through app updates — carefully packaged and tested. Tinserve itself updates automatically, right where it is.
Private by default
Your sites, databases and phpMyAdmin are private by default — accessible only on your Mac until you choose to share your sites.
Uninstall cleanly, leave nothing behind
No Homebrew, no system modifications: everything lives in a single folder. One click removes it all — servers, PHP versions, databases, the Keychain certificate, the login item, settings and caches.
Your project folders stay untouched. Before removing anything, Tinserve backs up every database to "Documents → Tinserve Database Backups" – if that fails, nothing is removed.
One start page for all your projects
localhost brings all your sites, PHP versions, phpMyAdmin and the mail inbox together in one place — and you can customize its look.
Fast, simple & intuitive
Feels right at home on your Mac.
Tinserve looks and works just like the apps you already know – with a sidebar, light and dark mode, and everything right where you expect it.
Why Tinserve
What makes the difference in daily work.
| You want … | Tinserve |
|---|---|
| Old and new projects on one Mac | PHP 5.6 to 8.5 at the same time, one version per site |
| A copy of a live site, safely | All mail caught, even with live SMTP settings in .env; database deletion only for local databases |
| Current, secure versions | Security updates delivered as signed packages, built and tested weekly |
| A clean Mac | No Homebrew, no system folders |
| To try it without regrets | Remove a site, or Tinserve itself, with one button — nothing is left behind |
| The database you deploy to | MariaDB LTS — what most PHP hosting runs |
| To test on real devices | Share your sites with iPhones, iPads and other Macs in your network — one switch, databases stay private |
Buy once. No subscription.
Try everything free for 14 days.
When you purchase a license, it never expires and includes all updates for one year.
Security updates for PHP and the server remain free for as long as Tinserve is actively developed, even if you don't renew your license.
TINSERVE - Free Trial
14 days · All features included
- No account, no credit card
- Full access to all features for 14 days
- Your sites and databases stay right where they are when you purchase a license.
TINSERVE - License
one-time, final price
- Your license never expires
- All app updates included for 12 months
- New PHP versions released during that year included
- PHP and server security updates free for as long as Tinserve is developed
- Use on up to 3 of your Macs
- Special education pricing for pupils, students and teachers — just get in touch!
Questions
Yes. Tinserve brings Apache, PHP and MariaDB in one Mac app — with several PHP versions at once (one per site), trusted HTTPS, a mail catcher and security updates. No Homebrew, no Docker.
No. Everything — servers, PHP versions, databases — lives in one folder of Tinserve. It does not use Homebrew and does not install anything into system folders. For trusted HTTPS, Tinserve asks once to add its certificate to your keychain.
Yes. If port 80 is taken, Tinserve uses 8080 and tells you so.
Tinserve keeps working, with everything it has. Security updates for PHP and the servers keep coming, as long as Tinserve is developed. New app features need a renewal — only if you want them.
Your Tinserve keeps working. After activation it runs offline and does not depend on any server, and the PHP versions, servers and databases you have installed stay on your Mac. If development ends, it will be announced here, and a final version that needs no activation will be published.
Only to download packages and updates, and to create new CMS sites. Your sites run offline.
Anything that runs on Apache and PHP: SilverStripe, WordPress, Laravel, Symfony, Craft, Kirby, Drupal and your own code. The document root (public/, web/) is found automatically.
It is activated once. After that Tinserve works offline, without checking in.
Not as safe as current ones. The PHP project no longer maintains PHP 5.6, 7.4 and 8.1. When it still publishes a fix — as in October 2026 for 7.4 and 8.1 — Tinserve builds it in. For 5.6 there is none; there Tinserve sets the protective settings the PHP project recommends. The app marks old versions clearly. They are meant for old projects on your Mac — on a live server, use a current PHP version.