Softwr

Software · head to head

DigitalOcean vs Puppet

DigitalOcean logo

DigitalOcean

Software

The developer cloud

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Puppet logo

Puppet

Software

Infrastructure automation for enterprises

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Each has a real cost: DigitalOcean data transfer overage charged at $0.01 per GiB beyond included allowances; Puppet the pricing page publishes no rate and no minimum, and asks you to fill in a form to be sent pricing and plan information
  • They diverge on capability: DigitalOcean covers Droplets (VPS), Puppet covers Manifests.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which DigitalOcean and Puppet actually diverge.

Attributes where DigitalOcean and Puppet differ
AttributeDigitalOceanPuppet
Pricing modelusage-basedopen-source
PlatformsLinux, Cloud (AWS, GCP, Azure backend)Linux, Windows, Mac, Api
Founded20112005

Identical on both: starting price (Free), 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 DigitalOcean

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

Only in Puppet

  • Manifests
  • Modules
  • Classes
  • Variables
  • Facts
  • Puppet Master
  • Hiera
  • Facter

Both cover

  • Docker
  • Kubernetes
  • Cloud deployment

What people use each for

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

DigitalOcean

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

Puppet

  • Declarative configuration management of servers at scalenot DigitalOcean
  • Enforcing infrastructure compliance policy continuouslynot DigitalOcean

Where each one falls short

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

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

Puppet

  • The pricing page publishes no rate and no minimum, and asks you to fill in a form to be sent pricing and plan information
  • Pricing is banded by number of managed nodes, with separate tiers for under 25 nodes and 25 or more nodes
  • The product is split into Puppet Enterprise and a higher Puppet Enterprise Advanced edition, so compliance oriented features sit behind the upper tier

Pricing, plan by plan

DigitalOcean

Free

No published plan breakdown. See the DigitalOcean review.

Puppet

Free
  • Open SourceFree
    • Puppet Agent
    • Community support
    • Full DSL
  • Puppet Enterprise$100/month
    • Puppet Server
    • Console
    • RBAC

Which should you pick?

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.
DigitalOcean review

Choose Puppet if

  • You need manifests.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Linux, Windows, Mac, Api.
  • You also want modules.
Puppet review

Questions people ask

Is DigitalOcean or Puppet better?
Neither clearly leads. DigitalOcean starts at Free and Puppet at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, DigitalOcean or Puppet?
DigitalOcean starts at Free and Puppet at Free.
Does DigitalOcean or Puppet run on more platforms?
DigitalOcean runs on Linux, Cloud (AWS, GCP, Azure backend). Puppet runs on Linux, Windows, Mac, Api.
Can I use DigitalOcean for free?
Both have a free tier, so you can try either at no cost before committing.
What is DigitalOcean best used for?
DigitalOcean is most often used for developers seeking affordable vps starting at $4/month for small applications, teams deploying containerised workloads with kubernetes starting at $12/month cluster cost, data scientists and ml engineers requiring nvidia gpu access at $1.91/gpu/hour (committed). Of those, developers seeking affordable vps starting at $4/month for small applications and teams deploying containerised workloads with kubernetes starting at $12/month cluster cost are not what Puppet is typically brought in for.
What can DigitalOcean do that Puppet cannot?
DigitalOcean covers Droplets (VPS), Managed Kubernetes, App Platform, Managed Databases. Puppet covers Manifests, Modules, Classes, Variables. Both handle Docker, Kubernetes, Cloud deployment.
ShareXLinkedInRedditWhatsAppEmail

Related pages

More on DigitalOcean

More on Puppet

Keep looking

Other head to heads