Software · head to head
AWS (Amazon Web Services) vs DigitalOcean
AWS (Amazon Web Services)
Software
The leading cloud computing platform
- From
- Free
- Rated
- -
The short version
- Each has a real cost: AWS (Amazon Web Services) data transfer in is free and data transfer out is charged, which is the standard source of unexpected bills; DigitalOcean data transfer overage charged at $0.01 per GiB beyond included allowances
- They diverge on capability: AWS (Amazon Web Services) covers EC2 - Virtual Servers, DigitalOcean covers Droplets (VPS).
Where they differ
Only the attributes on which AWS (Amazon Web Services) and DigitalOcean actually diverge.
| Attribute | AWS (Amazon Web Services) | DigitalOcean |
|---|---|---|
| Platforms | Web, Api, Cli, Mobile | Linux, Cloud (AWS, GCP, Azure backend) |
| Founded | 2006 | 2011 |
Identical on both: starting price (Free), pricing model (usage-based), free tier (Yes), user rating (Not yet rated), category (Unknown).
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 AWS (Amazon Web Services)
- EC2 - Virtual Servers
- S3 - Object Storage
- RDS - Managed Database
- Lambda - Serverless Computing
- CloudFront - CDN
- VPC - Virtual Network
- IAM - Access Management
- CloudWatch - Monitoring
Only in DigitalOcean
- Droplets (VPS)
- Managed Kubernetes
- App Platform
- Managed Databases
- Spaces (Object Storage)
- Floating IPs
- Load Balancers
- Firewalls
Both cover
- Terraform
- Kubernetes
- Docker
- SOC2
- ISO27001
What people use each for
The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.
AWS (Amazon Web Services)
- Web hostingnot DigitalOcean
- Data storagenot DigitalOcean
- Machine learningnot DigitalOcean
- Big data analyticsnot DigitalOcean
- Application developmentnot DigitalOcean
DigitalOcean
- Developers seeking affordable VPS starting at $4/month for small applicationsnot AWS (Amazon Web Services)
- Teams deploying containerised workloads with Kubernetes starting at $12/month cluster costnot AWS (Amazon Web Services)
- Data scientists and ML engineers requiring NVIDIA GPU access at $1.91/GPU/hour (committed)not AWS (Amazon Web Services)
Where each one falls short
Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.
AWS (Amazon Web Services)
- Data transfer in is free and data transfer out is charged, which is the standard source of unexpected bills
- Discounts require one or three year Savings Plan commitments rather than being automatic
- Every service is priced separately, so a working architecture has no single published cost
- The free tier is a promotional allowance rather than an ongoing free plan
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
AWS (Amazon Web Services)
Free- AWS Free TierFree
- EC2 750 hours/month
- 5GB S3 storage
- 20GB data transfer
- Pay-As-You-GoFree
- No upfront payment
- No long-term commitments
- Pay only for what you use
DigitalOcean
FreeNo published plan breakdown. See the DigitalOcean review.
Which should you pick?
Choose AWS (Amazon Web Services) if
- You need ec2 - virtual servers.
- You want to start without paying.
- You work on Web, Api, Cli, Mobile.
- You also want s3 - object storage.
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 AWS (Amazon Web Services) or DigitalOcean better?
- Neither clearly leads. AWS (Amazon Web Services) 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, AWS (Amazon Web Services) or DigitalOcean?
- AWS (Amazon Web Services) starts at Free and DigitalOcean at Free.
- Does AWS (Amazon Web Services) or DigitalOcean run on more platforms?
- AWS (Amazon Web Services) runs on Web, Api, Cli, Mobile. DigitalOcean runs on Linux, Cloud (AWS, GCP, Azure backend).
- Can I use AWS (Amazon Web Services) for free?
- Both have a free tier, so you can try either at no cost before committing.
- What is AWS (Amazon Web Services) best used for?
- AWS (Amazon Web Services) is most often used for web hosting, data storage, machine learning, big data analytics. Of those, web hosting and data storage are not what DigitalOcean is typically brought in for.
- What can AWS (Amazon Web Services) do that DigitalOcean cannot?
- AWS (Amazon Web Services) covers EC2 - Virtual Servers, S3 - Object Storage, RDS - Managed Database, Lambda - Serverless Computing. DigitalOcean covers Droplets (VPS), Managed Kubernetes, App Platform, Managed Databases. Both handle Terraform, Kubernetes, Docker, SOC2.