DigitalOcean vs Vultr (2026): which should you pick?
As of Nov 12, 2026, DigitalOcean grades higher than Vultr: 2.2 against 1.8 out of 4.0.
Checked Nov 12, 2026 · graded Nov 12, 2026 by ToolGPA
DigitalOcean grades higher on the free plan and features. Vultr grades higher on platforms. They get the same grade on value for money and ease of use.
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
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 Vultr if
- Fits if you want inexpensive servers across many locations
- Works for projects that need bare metal or GPUs from the same provider
Look elsewhere if
- Skip it if you don't want to set up and patch a server
- Not for you if you need IPv4 on the $2.50 plan, since it's IPv6 only
- Watch out: backups, block storage, load balancers and extra bandwidth cost more
- Watch out: Vultr's own pricing pages weren't readable, so prices are from its public plans API
How we grade them
| 2.2GPADigitalOceanFair | 1.8GPAVultrWeak | |
|---|---|---|
| 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. | B$2.50 a month for the IPv6-only 512MB plan, $3.50 with IPv4, $5 for 1GB. Inside the cheaper quarter ($5.28). The IPv6-only plan has no IPv4 at all. |
| 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. | FNo free plan and no trial on record; every plan is paid from the first day. |
| Features | BDroplets, App Platform, managed Kubernetes and databases, storage, backups and GPUs from one provider. The listing names no hole in the core job. | CCloud Compute, high-frequency and optimized plans, bare metal, GPUs and Kubernetes docs. The listing shows servers, not databases or an app platform, and extras cost more. |
| Ease of use | DNo store rating on record. Droplets are unmanaged servers: setup, updates and security are yours. | DNo store rating on record. Unmanaged servers: you set up and patch the OS. |
| Platforms and integrations | CWeb only, and the listing shows no integrations. | BWeb only, with a v2 API, a CLI, a Terraform provider and SDKs. |
| Best for | plain cloud servers for developers | inexpensive cloud servers in many locations |
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 Vultr. 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. Vultr starts at $2.50 a month and scores 2.0.
They score the same, and Vultr starts $1.50 a month lower. Of the other web hosts on the chart, 8 score higher than DigitalOcean for less, and 6 score higher than Vultr 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
- DigitalOcean also covers databases.
At a glance
| DigitalOcean | Vultr | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free plan | Paid |
| Starts at | $4 per month (Droplet), billed per second | $2.50 per month (IPv6-only 512MB Cloud Compute) |
| Free plan | App Platform: 3 apps made only of static sites, with 1GiB of data transfer per app. | None |
| Free trial | None listed | None listed |
| Web | ||
| Made by | DigitalOcean | Vultr |
| Price read from | digitalocean.com | api.vultr.com |
| Checked | Nov 12, 2026 | Nov 12, 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.
Vultr
- Vultr's pricing and product pages sit behind a bot check, so these prices are read from its public plans API.
- The cheapest $2.50 plan has an IPv6 address only and no IPv4.
- Servers are unmanaged: the buyer sets up and patches the operating system.
- Backups, block storage, load balancers and bandwidth beyond a plan's allowance cost extra.
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.
Vultr
- Cloud Compute
- Virtual machines in standard and high-frequency classes, with plan sizes starting at 512MB RAM.
- High-performance and optimized compute
- The plans API also lists high-performance and optimized compute types, for example a 1 vCPU, 2GB optimized plan at $28 a month.
- Bare metal and GPUs
- Bare metal servers and GPU instances are sold, with an NVIDIA L40S server listed at $1,122.91 a month.
- Kubernetes and AI workloads
- Vultr's docs cover Kubernetes setup, GPU workloads, AI model docs and a beta documentation agent.
- Public API and CLI
- A v2 API, a CLI, a Terraform provider and SDKs are referenced in the reference documentation.
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.
Vultr
Cloud Compute 512MB$3.50
per month, with IPv4
1 vCPU, 512MB RAM, 10GB storage and 512GB of bandwidth. An IPv6-only version is $2.50 a month.
Cloud Compute 1GB$5
per month ($0.007 per hour)
1 vCPU, 1GB RAM, 25GB storage and 1TB of bandwidth.
Cloud Compute 2GB$10
per month
1 vCPU, 2GB RAM, 55GB storage and 2TB of bandwidth. The 2 vCPU, 2GB size is $15 a month.
High Frequency 1GB$6
per month
1 vCPU, 1GB RAM, 32GB storage and 1TB of bandwidth. The 2GB size is $12 and the 2 vCPU, 2GB size is $18.
Common questions
Which is cheaper, DigitalOcean or Vultr?
As of Nov 12, 2026, Vultr is cheaper to start with: $2.50 a month, against $4 a month for DigitalOcean. DigitalOcean starts at $4 per month (Droplet), billed per second, and Vultr starts at $2.50 per month (IPv6-only 512MB Cloud Compute).
Which has a free plan, DigitalOcean or Vultr?
As of Nov 12, 2026, only DigitalOcean has a free plan. Vultr does not.
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.