Look elsewhere if
- You need more memory or vCPUs for the same monthly budget.
- You run plain Linux servers and do not use DigitalOcean's managed services.
- You want a data center in a city or country DigitalOcean does not serve.
Provider alternatives
DigitalOcean alternatives: equal or better specs for less.
DigitalOcean sells Droplets alongside managed databases, Kubernetes and App Platform, with hourly billing capped at a monthly price. If you only need a Linux server, its plain Droplets cost more for the memory you get than several other providers' plans.
Short answer
5 of the 5 DigitalOcean plans we compared have a cheaper match from another provider, saving a median 50% on those plans. OVHcloud has the lowest-priced match most often.
Plan by plan
The lowest-priced match for each DigitalOcean plan
| DigitalOcean plan | Price | Lowest-priced match elsewhere | Price | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Basic Droplet · 1 vCPU / 1 GB (Intel)1 vCPU · 1 GB · 25 GB disk | $6.00 | Kamatera Basic 1 vCPU · 1 GB · 20 GB disk |
$4.00 | −$2.00 |
| Basic Droplet · 1 vCPU / 2 GB (Intel)1 vCPU · 2 GB · 50 GB disk | $12.00 | OVHcloud VPS-1 (US) 2 vCPU · 4 GB · 40 GB disk |
$4.54 | −$7.46 |
| Basic Regular Droplet · 2 vCPU / 4 GiB2 vCPU · 4 GB · 80 GB disk | $24.00 | OVHcloud VPS-2 (US) 4 vCPU · 8 GB · 75 GB disk |
$8.50 | −$15.50 |
| Basic Regular Droplet · 4 vCPU / 8 GiB4 vCPU · 8 GB · 160 GB disk | $48.00 | InMotion Hosting VPS 4 vCPU 4 vCPU · 8 GB · 160 GB disk |
$26.99 | −$21.01 |
| CPU-Optimized Regular Droplet · 2 vCPU / 4 GiB2 vCPU · 4 GB · 25 GB disk · dedicated CPU | $42.00 | Hivelocity vds.sm.intel 2 vCPU · 4 GB · 80 GB disk · dedicated CPU |
$21.00 | −$21.00 |
A match is an available plan from another provider priced in USD: the same kind of CPU (shared or dedicated, x86 or Arm), at least as many vCPUs and as much memory but no more than double, and at least 80% of the disk. We compared 20 providers that price in USD. CPU generation and clock speed are not compared, and vCPU counts are an allocation, not a performance score. Standard list prices before tax, backups and traffic overage; promotional and uncapped hourly prices are left out.
Who undercuts DigitalOcean
The alternatives, ranked
| Provider | Lowest-priced match | Cheaper than DigitalOcean | Plans from | Links |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| OVHcloud | 2 of 5 | 2 of 5 | $4.54 | |
| Hivelocity | 1 of 5 | 4 of 5 | $10.00 | |
| Kamatera | 1 of 5 | 1 of 5 | $4.00 | |
| InMotion Hosting | 1 of 5 | 1 of 5 | $26.99 | |
| Vultr | 0 of 5 | 5 of 5 | $3.50 | DigitalOcean vs Vultr |
| Hostwinds | 0 of 5 | 4 of 5 | $4.99 | |
| RamNode | 0 of 5 | 4 of 5 | $5.00 | |
| Namecheap | 0 of 5 | 4 of 5 | $5.88 |
"Lowest-priced match" counts the DigitalOcean plans where this provider has the cheapest comparable plan, whether or not it beats DigitalOcean's price; "cheaper than DigitalOcean" counts plans where it has any comparable plan that costs less.
Buying advice
Switch, or stay with DigitalOcean?
Stay with DigitalOcean if
- You rely on DigitalOcean's managed databases, Kubernetes or App Platform alongside your servers.
- Your team already automates Droplets through its API, Terraform provider or CLI, and switching would cost more time than it saves.
- You want hourly billing with a monthly cap and many regions from one provider.
Moving a single Droplet is usually a matter of creating the new server, copying files and databases, and switching DNS. If you also use DigitalOcean's managed database or Spaces storage, price those parts separately: the plans in the table are servers only.
Questions
DigitalOcean alternatives FAQ
What is the cheapest alternative to DigitalOcean?
OVHcloud has the lowest-priced match for 2 of the 5 DigitalOcean plans we compared, with at least the same vCPUs and memory (up to double) and comparable disk. Prices are standard monthly list prices in USD.
How much can I save by moving away from DigitalOcean?
5 of 5 DigitalOcean plans have a cheaper match elsewhere. On those plans the median saving is 50% and the largest 65%, before tax, backups and traffic charges.
What is a cheaper alternative to DigitalOcean Basic Droplet · 1 vCPU / 1 GB (Intel)?
For DigitalOcean Basic Droplet · 1 vCPU / 1 GB (Intel) ($6.00 a month), the lowest-priced plan with at least the same vCPUs and memory (up to double) and comparable disk is Kamatera Basic at $4.00 a month.
Keep comparing
More ways to choose
Prices and availability change. Confirm current terms with the provider before you buy. See our affiliate disclosure and how we compare.