Softwr

Cloud & Infrastructure · head to head

DigitalOcean vs Zerto

DigitalOcean logo

DigitalOcean

Cloud & Infrastructure

The developer cloud

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Zerto logo

Zerto

File Storage & Backup

Continuous data protection with near-zero RPO

From
$5/month
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Only DigitalOcean has a free tier, so it costs nothing to try first.
  • Each has a real cost: DigitalOcean data transfer overage charged at $0.01 per GiB beyond included allowances; Zerto zerto with Azure is listed on UK G-Cloud as a reseller-managed disaster recovery service, not Zerto's own licence pricing, with OS management from £75 per host per month for the public sector
  • They diverge on capability: DigitalOcean covers Droplets (VPS), Zerto covers Continuous data protection.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which DigitalOcean and Zerto actually diverge.

Attributes where DigitalOcean and Zerto differ
AttributeDigitalOceanZerto
Starting priceFree$5/month
Pricing modelusage-basedsubscription
Free tierYesNo
PlatformsLinux, Cloud (AWS, GCP, Azure backend)Windows, Linux, Web
CategoryCloud & InfrastructureFile Storage & Backup
Founded20112009

Identical on both: 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 DigitalOcean

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

Only in Zerto

  • Continuous data protection
  • Journal-based recovery
  • Automated failover
  • Non-disruptive testing
  • Multi-cloud mobility
  • Long-term retention
  • VMware
  • Hyper-V

Both cover

  • Web support

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 Zerto
  • Teams deploying containerised workloads with Kubernetes starting at $12/month cluster costnot Zerto
  • Data scientists and ML engineers requiring NVIDIA GPU access at $1.91/GPU/hour (committed)not Zerto

Zerto

  • Data protectionnot DigitalOcean
  • Disaster recoverynot DigitalOcean
  • Business continuitynot DigitalOcean
  • Ransomware protectionnot DigitalOcean
  • Compliancenot 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

Zerto

  • Zerto with Azure is listed on UK G-Cloud as a reseller-managed disaster recovery service, not Zerto's own licence pricing, with OS management from £75 per host per month for the public sector

Pricing, plan by plan

DigitalOcean

Free

No published plan breakdown. See the DigitalOcean review.

Zerto

$5/month
  • Zerto Enterprise Cloud$5/month
    • Continuous protection
    • Journal-based recovery
    • Multi-cloud mobility

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 Zerto if

  • You need continuous data protection.
  • You work on Windows, Linux, Web.
  • You also want journal-based recovery.
Zerto review

Questions people ask

Is DigitalOcean or Zerto better?
Neither clearly leads. DigitalOcean starts at Free and Zerto at $5/month, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, DigitalOcean or Zerto?
DigitalOcean has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at Free for DigitalOcean and $5/month for Zerto.
Does DigitalOcean or Zerto run on more platforms?
DigitalOcean runs on Linux, Cloud (AWS, GCP, Azure backend). Zerto runs on Windows, Linux, Web.
Can I use DigitalOcean for free?
Yes. DigitalOcean has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. Zerto starts at $5/month.
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 Zerto is typically brought in for.
What can DigitalOcean do that Zerto cannot?
DigitalOcean covers Droplets (VPS), Managed Kubernetes, App Platform, Managed Databases. Zerto covers Continuous data protection, Journal-based recovery, Automated failover, Non-disruptive testing. Both handle Web support.
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