Software · head to head
OVHcloud vs DigitalOcean
The short version
- Only DigitalOcean has a free tier, so it costs nothing to try first.
- Each has a real cost: OVHcloud public Cloud pricing table lists a scheduled price change with a column labeled Price on April 1, 2026, showing current rates are promotional and set to change on that date; DigitalOcean data transfer overage charged at $0.01 per GiB beyond included allowances
- They diverge on capability: OVHcloud covers Public Cloud, DigitalOcean covers Droplets (VPS).
Where they differ
Only the attributes on which OVHcloud and DigitalOcean actually diverge.
| Attribute | OVHcloud | DigitalOcean |
|---|---|---|
| Starting price | €3.5/month | Free |
| Pricing model | subscription | usage-based |
| Free tier | No | Yes |
| Platforms | Linux, Windows, Api, Cli | Linux, Cloud (AWS, GCP, Azure backend) |
| Founded | 1999 | 2011 |
Identical on both: 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 OVHcloud
- Public Cloud
- Private Cloud
- Bare Metal Servers
- Object Storage
- Block Storage
- Databases
- Ansible
- ISO 27001
Only in DigitalOcean
- Droplets (VPS)
- App Platform
- Managed Databases
- Spaces (Object Storage)
- Floating IPs
- Firewalls
- Git
- GitHub
Both cover
- Managed Kubernetes
- Load Balancers
- Terraform
- Docker
- Kubernetes
- SOC2
- Cloud deployment
What people use each for
The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.
OVHcloud
- Businesses running public cloud compute and storage workloads on European infrastructurenot DigitalOcean
DigitalOcean
- Developers seeking affordable VPS starting at $4/month for small applicationsnot OVHcloud
- Teams deploying containerised workloads with Kubernetes starting at $12/month cluster costnot OVHcloud
- Data scientists and ML engineers requiring NVIDIA GPU access at $1.91/GPU/hour (committed)not OVHcloud
Where each one falls short
Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.
OVHcloud
- Public Cloud pricing table lists a scheduled price change with a column labeled Price on April 1, 2026, showing current rates are promotional and set to change on that date
- Free network traffic and free Object Storage API calls exclude the Asia-Pacific region
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
OVHcloud
€3.5/month- Public Cloud Starter$3.5/month
- 1 vCPU
- 1 GB RAM
- 10 GB storage
- Bare Metal$49/month
- Dedicated hardware
- High performance
- Full control
DigitalOcean
FreeNo published plan breakdown. See the DigitalOcean review.
Which should you pick?
Choose OVHcloud if
- You need public cloud.
- You work on Linux, Windows, Api, Cli.
- You also want private cloud.
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 app platform.
Questions people ask
- Is OVHcloud or DigitalOcean better?
- Neither clearly leads. OVHcloud starts at €3.5/month and DigitalOcean at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
- Which is cheaper, OVHcloud or DigitalOcean?
- DigitalOcean has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at €3.5/month for OVHcloud and Free for DigitalOcean.
- Does OVHcloud or DigitalOcean run on more platforms?
- OVHcloud runs on Linux, Windows, Api, Cli. DigitalOcean runs on Linux, Cloud (AWS, GCP, Azure backend).
- Can I use DigitalOcean for free?
- Yes. DigitalOcean has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. OVHcloud starts at €3.5/month.
- What is OVHcloud best used for?
- OVHcloud is most often used for businesses running public cloud compute and storage workloads on european infrastructure. Of those, businesses running public cloud compute and storage workloads on european infrastructure is not what DigitalOcean is typically brought in for.
- What can OVHcloud do that DigitalOcean cannot?
- OVHcloud covers Public Cloud, Private Cloud, Bare Metal Servers, Object Storage. DigitalOcean covers Droplets (VPS), App Platform, Managed Databases, Spaces (Object Storage). Both handle Managed Kubernetes, Load Balancers, Terraform, Docker.