DigitalOcean was founded in 2011 with a vision to make cloud computing simple and accessible for developers. Today it serves over 600,000 customers and hosts millions of applications. What distinguishes DigitalOcean from AWS and Google Cloud is its relentless focus on simplicity — from clean APIs and intuitive dashboards to transparent, predictable pricing without hidden egress fees. Their core product, Droplets (cloud VMs), can be spun up in under 60 seconds with pre-configured images for popular stacks. Beyond Droplets, the platform offers managed Kubernetes, App Platform (PaaS for deploying apps from Git), managed databases (PostgreSQL, MySQL, Redis, MongoDB), Spaces (S3-compatible object storage), and a marketplace of 1-click applications. DigitalOcean's $200 free credit for new users (valid for 60 days) is one of the most generous cloud trials available. The company has 15 global data center regions and maintains excellent documentation that developers consistently praise as among the best in the industry. With the 2022 acquisition of Cloudways, DigitalOcean also offers managed hosting for users who prefer a more hands-off approach. DigitalOcean is the sweet spot for startups, indie developers, and SMBs who need reliable cloud infrastructure without enterprise complexity.
Add a benchmark URL in admin and run the provider benchmark cron to display measured speed, security, and availability signals here.
Clean UI, excellent API, comprehensive CLI tools, and the best developer documentation in the cloud industry.
Flat monthly rates with bandwidth included — no surprise egress charges or complex calculator needed.
New users get $200 in free credits valid for 60 days — generous enough to thoroughly evaluate the platform.
Production-ready managed Kubernetes with free control plane, making container orchestration accessible to smaller teams.
PaaS that deploys directly from GitHub/GitLab with auto-scaling, databases, and static site hosting — no server management needed.
Pure cloud infrastructure — no cPanel, email hosting, or beginner-friendly website builders (though Cloudways fills this gap).
Free tier support is limited to community and documentation. Priority support requires a paid support plan.
Fewer instance types and less granular customization compared to AWS or Google Cloud for enterprise workloads.
SSL must be configured manually or via App Platform — Droplets require Let's Encrypt setup.