DigitalOcean vs Sevalla (2026): which should you pick?
As of Nov 13, 2026, Sevalla grades higher than DigitalOcean: 2.6 against 2.2 out of 4.0.
Checked Nov 12, 2026 and Nov 13, 2026 · graded Nov 12, 2026 and Nov 13, 2026 by ToolGPA
DigitalOcean grades higher on features. Sevalla grades higher on the free plan, ease of use and platforms. They get the same grade on value for money.
Price, platforms and features side by side. The table says where each price was read and when.
DigitalOcean
Cloud servers, app hosting and managed databases for developers
Sevalla
Usage-priced hosting for apps, databases and static sites
Which one is for you
Pick DigitalOcean if
- Fits if you want plain virtual machines with a monthly cap on the price
- Works for teams that want databases and Kubernetes under one bill
Look elsewhere if
- Skip it if you don't want to patch and secure a server yourself
- Tight if you stay free: 3 static apps and 1GiB of transfer each
- Watch out: a container, worker or job makes a free app paid
- Watch out: most listed prices are starting points, and larger Droplets, databases and GPUs cost more
Pick Sevalla if
- Fits if you want static sites free and one place for apps and databases
- Works for small projects that can live on a $5 pod
Look elsewhere if
- Watch out: every service is billed on its own, so a stack can add up quickly
- Tight if you want to try it without a card, as one must be on file before anything runs
- Skip it if you need a custom domain on the cheapest pod, as the Hobby pod does not support it
- Pricey if traffic grows, with application bandwidth at $0.10 a GB
How we grade them
| 2.2GPADigitalOceanFair | 2.6GPASevallaGood | |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | BDroplets from $4 a month, inside the cheaper quarter ($5.28). Managed databases start at $15, Kubernetes at $12 and bandwidth past the allowance is $0.01 per GiB. | BA $5 pod or database sits in the cheaper quarter, and static sites are free. Application bandwidth is $0.10 a GB and builds $0.02 a minute on top. |
| Free plan and trial | C3 static-site apps free on App Platform, 1GiB of transfer each. Add a container, worker or job and the app is paid. | BStatic hosting is free for up to 100 sites, 100 GB of bandwidth and 600 build minutes. Applications and databases are paid, with $20 of credit that expires. |
| Features | BDroplets, App Platform, managed Kubernetes and databases, storage, backups and GPUs from one provider. The listing names no hole in the core job. | CApps, databases, object storage and static sites in 25 locations. The $5 Hobby pod has no custom domains, which is a gap. |
| Ease of use | DNo store rating on record. Droplets are unmanaged servers: setup, updates and security are yours. | CYou size pods, wire databases and pick locations, so there is setup, and the listing shows no store rating. |
| Platforms and integrations | CWeb only, and the listing shows no integrations. | BWeb dashboard with an MCP server for agents and a few integrations. |
| Best for | plain cloud servers for developers | apps, databases and static sites on one bill |
The GPA is the average of the five grades: an A is 4 points, an F is none. The full reasons are on each tool's page: DigitalOcean and Sevalla. How we grade
Price against what you get
DigitalOcean starts at $4 a month and scores 2.0 out of 4 on features, ease of use and platforms. Sevalla starts at $5 a month and scores 2.3.
Sevalla scores higher, and starts $1 a month higher: the question is whether the extra is worth that to you. Of the other web hosts on the chart, 10 score higher than DigitalOcean for less, and 1 scores higher than Sevalla for less.
Features, ease of use and platforms, averaged
What paid plans start at, a month (each step along is roughly double) →
- The best score at each price
- Has a free plan
- No free plan
Where they differ
- Sevalla also covers workflow automation.
At a glance
| DigitalOcean | Sevalla | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free plan | Free plan |
| Starts at | $4 per month (Droplet), billed per second | $5 per month (smallest application or database pod) |
| Free plan | App Platform: 3 apps made only of static sites, with 1GiB of data transfer per app. | Static site hosting is free: 100 GB of bandwidth, 600 build minutes, 1 GB per site and up to 100 sites per account, subject to fair use limits. |
| Free trial | None listed | None listed |
| Web | ||
| Made by | DigitalOcean | Kinsta, Inc. |
| Price read from | digitalocean.com | sevalla.com |
| Checked | Nov 12, 2026 | Nov 13, 2026 |
Worth knowing
DigitalOcean
- Free App Platform apps can only use static site components; any container, worker or job makes the app paid.
- Bandwidth beyond a Droplet's included transfer is billed at $0.01 per GiB.
- A Droplet is an unmanaged server: updates and security setup are the buyer's job.
- Many of the listed prices are starting points; larger Droplet, database and GPU sizes cost more.
Sevalla
- Every service is billed on its own: the cost is the sum of pods, databases, storage and bandwidth, so a stack can add up quickly.
- Bandwidth for applications is listed at $0.10 per GB, and build pods cost $0.02 per minute.
- New companies get $20 of credit that expires, and a card must be on file before any resource can be used.
- The smallest Hobby pod does not support custom domains.
Key features
DigitalOcean
- Droplets
- Virtual machines in Basic and Premium CPU options, billed per second since January 1, 2026, with a monthly cap on each size.
- App Platform
- A managed way to deploy static sites, web services, workers and jobs, with free static sites for up to three apps.
- Managed Kubernetes and Functions
- Kubernetes starts at $12 a month, and Functions include 90,000 GiB-seconds a month free with no per-invocation charge.
- Storage
- Spaces object storage starts at $5 a month, block storage volumes at $10, and shared file storage is $0.15 per GiB-month.
- Backups and snapshots
- Droplet backups cost 20% of the Droplet price for weekly and 30% for daily, and snapshots are usage-based from $0.01 per GiB a month.
- GPU Droplets and AI models
- GPU Droplets start at $0.76 per GPU-hour on demand, and the platform also lists hosted AI models priced per million tokens.
Sevalla
- Application hosting
- Deploy from a public or private Git repository or a Dockerfile or container image, with auto-deploys on git push and vertical and horizontal scaling.
- Managed databases
- Database hosting lists five managed database types, with private network connections and automatic daily backups.
- Object storage
- S3-compatible storage at $0.02 per GB per month, powered by Cloudflare R2, with no ingress or egress fees under a fair use policy.
- Static site hosting
- Sites are served from 260+ edge locations and deploy on git push, with a free allowance of 100 GB of bandwidth.
- 25 data center locations
- Application and database pods can be placed in any of 25 data center locations.
- MCP server for agents
- AI agents can deploy applications and databases and read logs and metrics through Sevalla's MCP connection, with scoped permissions.
Plans
DigitalOcean
App Platform static sites$0
per month for up to 3 static-site apps
Free for apps using only static sites, with 1GiB of transfer each. Extra static-only apps are $3 a month.
App Platform containers$5
per month for the entry container plan
Paid apps with web services, workers or jobs run on container plans from $5 a month; other plans include $10, $20 and $25.
Droplets$4
per month, billed per second
Virtual machines, billed per second with a 60-second or $0.01 minimum. Each includes outbound transfer, starting at 500GiB a month.
Managed Databases$15
per month and up
Fully managed databases for PostgreSQL, MySQL and caching, maintained by DigitalOcean.
Sevalla
Static site hosting$0
per month
Edge delivery from 260+ locations, deploys on git push, 100 GB of bandwidth and 600 build minutes.
Application, Hobby H1$5
per month, per pod
0.3 CPU and 0.3 GB RAM. No custom domain support on this size.
Application, Standard S1$10
per month, per pod
0.5 CPU and 1 GB RAM. Larger pods run to 8 CPU and 16 GB RAM at $320 a month.
Application, Standard S2$40
per month, per pod
1 CPU and 2 GB RAM. Memory-optimized and CPU-optimized pod families are priced separately.
Database 1$5
per month, per database
0.25 CPU, 0.25 GB RAM and 1 GB of storage; the largest listed sizes go up to 16 CPU and 64 GB RAM.
Common questions
Which is cheaper, DigitalOcean or Sevalla?
As of Nov 13, 2026, DigitalOcean is cheaper to start with: $4 a month, against $5 a month for Sevalla. DigitalOcean starts at $4 per month (Droplet), billed per second, and Sevalla starts at $5 per month (smallest application or database pod).
Which has a free plan, DigitalOcean or Sevalla?
As of Nov 13, 2026, both DigitalOcean and Sevalla have a free plan.
More comparisons
How this page was made
- The verdict at the top follows a fixed rule. When both tools are in the same category and either is in our top three for it, the verdict follows that ranking: the higher-placed tool is our pick. The top three weigh who each tool suits as well as its grades, so a pick can go against the GPA. Otherwise the page does not pick one and says which grades higher: the higher GPA first; on a tie, the one with a free plan, then the one that starts cheaper in dollars a month, counted the same way for both; if they are still level, what the choice depends on.
- The grades are our own, from each tool’s review or report card. The GPA is their average.
- Prices, plans and platforms come from each tool’s listing. The table above says where each price was read and when.
- The differences and the answers to the questions are worked out from those listings.