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Technology · head to head

Amplitude vs DigitalOcean

Amplitude logo

Amplitude

Technology

The digital analytics platform to understand your users

From
Free
Rated
-
DigitalOcean logo

DigitalOcean

Technology

The developer cloud

From
Free
Rated
-

The short version

  • Each has a real cost: Amplitude metered on event volume, so instrumenting more of a product raises the bill even if the audience does not grow; DigitalOcean data transfer overage charged at $0.01 per GiB beyond included allowances
  • They diverge on capability: Amplitude covers Event tracking, DigitalOcean covers Droplets (VPS).

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Amplitude and DigitalOcean actually diverge.

Attributes where Amplitude and DigitalOcean differ
AttributeAmplitudeDigitalOcean
Pricing modelUnknownusage-based
PlatformsWeb, Ios, Android, ApiLinux, Cloud (AWS, GCP, Azure backend)
CategoryTechnologyUnknown
Founded20122011

Identical on both: starting price (Free), free tier (Yes), user rating (Not yet rated).

What each one covers

Drawn from each product's published feature list. An absence here means we hold no record of it - not that the product lacks it.

Only in Amplitude

  • Event tracking
  • User segmentation
  • Funnel analysis
  • Retention analysis
  • Cohort analysis
  • A/B testing
  • Revenue analytics
  • Predictive analytics

Only in DigitalOcean

  • Droplets (VPS)
  • Managed Kubernetes
  • App Platform
  • Managed Databases
  • Spaces (Object Storage)
  • Floating IPs
  • Load Balancers
  • Firewalls

Both cover

  • SOC2
  • Encryption

What people use each for

The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.

Amplitude

  • User behavior analysisnot DigitalOcean
  • Feature adoption trackingnot DigitalOcean
  • Conversion rate optimizationnot DigitalOcean
  • Customer journey mappingnot DigitalOcean
  • Retention improvementnot DigitalOcean

DigitalOcean

  • Developers seeking affordable VPS starting at $4/month for small applicationsnot Amplitude
  • Teams deploying containerised workloads with Kubernetes starting at $12/month cluster costnot Amplitude
  • Data scientists and ML engineers requiring NVIDIA GPU access at $1.91/GPU/hour (committed)not Amplitude

Where each one falls short

Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.

Amplitude

  • Metered on event volume, so instrumenting more of a product raises the bill even if the audience does not grow
  • The free plan covers 2M events a month
  • The Plus plan scales to 70M events, above which pricing is custom
  • Growth and Enterprise pricing is not published

DigitalOcean

  • Data transfer overage charged at $0.01 per GiB beyond included allowances
  • Free tier includes only 3 static sites; additional static sites require paid upgrade
  • Container registry free tier capped at 500 MiB storage; exceeding requires paid tier
  • Functions free tier allows 90,000 GiB-seconds monthly; overages billed on usage basis
  • GPU Droplets require minimum monthly commitment for lower hourly rates; on-demand significantly more expensive

Pricing, plan by plan

Amplitude

Free
  • StarterFree
    • 2 million events per month
  • Plus$49/month
    • $0.049 per MTU
    • Up to 300k MTUs
    • Advanced analytics
  • GrowthFree
    • Causal insights
    • Feature experimentation
    • Real-time streaming
  • EnterpriseFree
    • Cross-product analysis
    • Advanced permissions
    • Dedicated account manager

DigitalOcean

Free

No published plan breakdown. See the DigitalOcean review.

Which should you pick?

Choose Amplitude if

  • You need event tracking.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Web, Ios, Android, Api.
  • You also want user segmentation.

Choose DigitalOcean if

  • You need droplets (vps).
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Linux, Cloud (AWS, GCP, Azure backend).
  • You also want managed kubernetes.

Questions people ask

Is Amplitude or DigitalOcean better?
Neither clearly leads. Amplitude starts at Free and DigitalOcean at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Amplitude or DigitalOcean?
Amplitude starts at Free and DigitalOcean at Free.
Does Amplitude or DigitalOcean run on more platforms?
Amplitude runs on Web, Ios, Android, Api. DigitalOcean runs on Linux, Cloud (AWS, GCP, Azure backend).
Can I use Amplitude for free?
Both have a free tier, so you can try either at no cost before committing.
What is Amplitude best used for?
Amplitude is most often used for user behavior analysis, feature adoption tracking, conversion rate optimization, customer journey mapping. Of those, user behavior analysis and feature adoption tracking are not what DigitalOcean is typically brought in for.
What can Amplitude do that DigitalOcean cannot?
Amplitude covers Event tracking, User segmentation, Funnel analysis, Retention analysis. DigitalOcean covers Droplets (VPS), Managed Kubernetes, App Platform, Managed Databases. Both handle SOC2, Encryption.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Amplitude: Does Amplitude have a free plan?

Yes, Amplitude offers a free Starter plan with 2 million events per month and access to the entire platform including analytics, session replay, and experimentation features.

Source
Amplitude: What is Amplitude's pricing based on?

Amplitude's pricing is based on the number of monthly tracked users (MTUs), data volume, and advanced features selected. The Plus plan starts at $49 per month with a rate of $0.049 per MTU.

Source
Amplitude: What analytics features does every Amplitude plan include?

Every plan includes access to the full platform: analytics, session replay, feature experimentation, web experimentation, guides and surveys, activation, and AI tools like AI Feedback and AI Assistant.

Source

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