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Software · head to head

Vultr vs DigitalOcean

Vultr logo

Vultr

Software

High performance cloud compute

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
DigitalOcean logo

DigitalOcean

Software

The developer cloud

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Each has a real cost: Vultr vultr Cloud Compute pricing as captured 31 December 2022 started at $5/month (1 vCPU, 1GB RAM, 25GB storage, 1TB transfer), scaling to $10/month and $20/month with more vCPU/RAM/storage; bandwidth overage billed at $0.01 to $0.05 per GB depending on plan; DigitalOcean data transfer overage charged at $0.01 per GiB beyond included allowances
  • They diverge on capability: Vultr covers Cloud servers, DigitalOcean covers Droplets (VPS).

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Vultr and DigitalOcean actually diverge.

Attributes where Vultr and DigitalOcean differ
AttributeVultrDigitalOcean
PlatformsWeb, Api, CliLinux, Cloud (AWS, GCP, Azure backend)
Founded20142011

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 Vultr

  • Cloud servers
  • Bare metal servers
  • Block storage
  • Object storage
  • Load balancers
  • Private networks
  • Ansible
  • API

Only in DigitalOcean

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

Both cover

  • Kubernetes
  • Firewalls
  • Terraform
  • Cloud deployment
  • Web support

What people use each for

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

Vultr

  • High performance computingnot DigitalOcean
  • Game serversnot DigitalOcean
  • Streamingnot DigitalOcean
  • Database hostingnot DigitalOcean
  • Application serversnot DigitalOcean

DigitalOcean

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

Where each one falls short

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

Vultr

  • Vultr Cloud Compute pricing as captured 31 December 2022 started at $5/month (1 vCPU, 1GB RAM, 25GB storage, 1TB transfer), scaling to $10/month and $20/month with more vCPU/RAM/storage; bandwidth overage billed at $0.01 to $0.05 per GB depending on 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

Vultr

Free
  • Cloud Compute$2.5/month
    • 512MB RAM
    • 10GB SSD
    • 500GB bandwidth
  • Bare Metal$32/month
    • Dedicated hardware
    • High performance
    • Full root access

DigitalOcean

Free

No published plan breakdown. See the DigitalOcean review.

Which should you pick?

Choose Vultr if

  • You need cloud servers.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Web, Api, Cli.
  • You also want bare metal servers.
Vultr review

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

Questions people ask

Is Vultr or DigitalOcean better?
Neither clearly leads. Vultr 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, Vultr or DigitalOcean?
Vultr starts at Free and DigitalOcean at Free.
Does Vultr or DigitalOcean run on more platforms?
Vultr runs on Web, Api, Cli. DigitalOcean runs on Linux, Cloud (AWS, GCP, Azure backend).
Can I use Vultr for free?
Both have a free tier, so you can try either at no cost before committing.
What is Vultr best used for?
Vultr is most often used for high performance computing, game servers, streaming, database hosting. Of those, high performance computing and game servers are not what DigitalOcean is typically brought in for.
What can Vultr do that DigitalOcean cannot?
Vultr covers Cloud servers, Bare metal servers, Block storage, Object storage. DigitalOcean covers Droplets (VPS), Managed Kubernetes, App Platform, Managed Databases. Both handle Kubernetes, Firewalls, Terraform, Cloud deployment.
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