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DigitalOcean Droplets alternatives: 7 apps ranked by verified data

Facts checked Nov 8, 2026AppBreakup editorialHow we rankAll VPS and cloud server providers

Top picks

Common reasons people leave DigitalOcean Droplets: pricier per core and RAM than budget European hosts, and fewer regions than the large clouds. We ranked 7 alternatives by how directly each one replaces DigitalOcean Droplets, then by reviews, real visits and how recently each app's facts were checked against its own website. Vultr currently ranks first.

Quick comparison

#AppPricingVerified priceOpen sourcePlatformsVerified factsScore
1Vultr logoVultrPaid—NoWeb5 of 566.5
2Linode logoLinodePaid—NoWeb4 of 464.8
3OVHcloud logoOVHcloudPaidFrom $4.54/month (VPS-1)NoWeb9 of 961.8
4Amazon Lightsail logoAmazon LightsailPaid$5 USD/monthNoWeb, Linux, Windows8 of 859.4
5Amazon EC2 logoAmazon EC2PaidUp to $200 for new customers, over 6 monthsNoWeb6 of 655.9
6Fly.io logoFly.ioPaid$2.19 a month (shared-cpu-1x, 256MB)NoWeb8 of 850.0
7Civo logoCivoPaidFrom $5/month computeNoWeb5 of 542.3
  1. Vultr logo

    1. VultrTop pick

    Best for: Developers wanting hourly cloud servers or GPUs close to users in many regions

    PaidWeb

    66.5

    score / 100

    Why switch from DigitalOcean Droplets

    Similar simple VPS pricing with more data centre locations worldwide.

    Pros

    • Wide choice of regions worldwide
    • Bare metal and cloud GPUs alongside regular VMs
    • Custom ISO uploads and one-click marketplace apps
    • API, open-source CLI and Terraform provider

    Cons

    • Servers are unmanaged; you handle updates and security
    • Pricier than budget hosts like Contabo for the same RAM
    Visit Vultr Compare with DigitalOcean DropletsDetails and reviews
    How this score is calculated
    Editorial fit ×0.3100
    Reviews ×0.363
    Clicks (90 days) ×0.150
    Freshness ×0.1585
    Votes ×0.150

    0 counted reviews, 0 up and 0 down votes. Full formula

    Is Vultr a good DigitalOcean Droplets alternative?

    Verified facts

    5 of 5 verified
    Servers launched
    Over 80 million
    Checked Nov 8, 2026docs.vultr.com(opens source in a new tab)
    Developer tools
    API, CLI, Terraform provider and SDKs
    Checked Nov 8, 2026docs.vultr.com(opens source in a new tab)
    CLI licence
    Apache-2.0
    Checked Nov 1, 2026github.com(opens source in a new tab)
    Custom ISO
    Yes
    Checked Nov 8, 2026docs.vultr.com(opens source in a new tab)
    Owner
    The Constant Company, LLC
    Checked Nov 8, 2026docs.vultr.com(opens source in a new tab)
  2. Linode logo

    2. Linode

    Best for: Developers who want simple, predictable cloud servers plus managed Kubernetes and databases

    PaidWeb

    64.8

    score / 100

    Why switch from DigitalOcean Droplets

    Long-running developer VPS host, now Akamai, with comparable plans and transfer.

    Pros

    • Bundled pricing that includes transfer with each plan
    • Managed Kubernetes, databases and object storage
    • Long-standing docs, API and CLI

    Cons

    • Rebranding to Akamai Cloud spreads docs across two sites
    • Costs more than budget hosts like Hetzner or Contabo
    • Fewer managed services than AWS, Azure or Google Cloud
    Visit Linode Compare with DigitalOcean DropletsDetails and reviews
    How this score is calculated
    Editorial fit ×0.387
    Reviews ×0.363
    Clicks (90 days) ×0.150
    Freshness ×0.15100
    Votes ×0.150

    0 counted reviews, 0 up and 0 down votes. Full formula

    Is Linode a good DigitalOcean Droplets alternative?

    Verified facts

    4 of 4 verified
    Owner
    Akamai
    Checked Nov 8, 2026linode.com(opens source in a new tab)
    Kubernetes
    Linode Kubernetes Engine (managed)
    Checked Nov 8, 2026linode.com(opens source in a new tab)
    Pricing
    CPU, transfer, storage and RAM bundled
    Checked Nov 8, 2026linode.com(opens source in a new tab)
    Cloud credits
    Up to US$5,000 for qualifying businesses
    Checked Nov 8, 2026linode.com(opens source in a new tab)
  3. OVHcloud logo

    3. OVHcloud

    Best for: European businesses and hobbyists wanting cheap VPS or dedicated servers with built-in DDoS protection

    PaidWeb

    61.8

    score / 100

    Why switch from DigitalOcean Droplets

    Cheaper hardware for the money and unmetered traffic on many VPS plans.

    Pros

    • Anti-DDoS protection included on every product
    • VPS plans include unlimited traffic and daily backup
    • Wide range from web hosting to bare metal and public cloud
    • European company with a data-sovereignty focus

    Cons

    • Large catalogue that is hard to navigate
    • Control panel and support are less polished than developer clouds
    • VPS bandwidth is capped once some regional monthly quotas are reached
    Visit OVHcloud Compare with DigitalOcean DropletsDetails and reviews
    How this score is calculated
    Editorial fit ×0.377
    Reviews ×0.363
    Clicks (90 days) ×0.150
    Freshness ×0.15100
    Votes ×0.150

    0 counted reviews, 0 up and 0 down votes. Full formula

    Is OVHcloud a good DigitalOcean Droplets alternative?

    Verified facts

    9 of 9 verified
    Founded
    1999, France
    Checked Nov 8, 2026ovhcloud.com(opens source in a new tab)
    VPS starting price
    From $4.54/month (VPS-1)
    Checked Nov 8, 2026ovhcloud.com(opens source in a new tab)
    VPS traffic
    Unlimited
    Checked Nov 8, 2026ovhcloud.com(opens source in a new tab)
    DDoS protection
    Included on all products
    Checked Nov 8, 2026ovhcloud.com(opens source in a new tab)
    Kubernetes
    Managed Kubernetes Service
    Checked Nov 8, 2026ovhcloud.com(opens source in a new tab)
    Starting price
    From $4.54 a month (VPS-1)
    Checked Nov 8, 2026ovhcloud.com(opens source in a new tab)
    VPS-2 plan
    From $8.50 a month
    Checked Nov 8, 2026ovhcloud.com(opens source in a new tab)
    VPS-3 plan
    From $12.32 a month
    Checked Nov 8, 2026ovhcloud.com(opens source in a new tab)
    VPS-4 plan
    From $23.37 a month
    Checked Nov 8, 2026ovhcloud.com(opens source in a new tab)
  4. Amazon Lightsail logo

    4. Amazon Lightsail

    Best for: People who want a predictable-price VPS that can grow into the wider AWS ecosystem.

    PaidWeb, Linux, Windows

    59.4

    score / 100

    Why switch from DigitalOcean Droplets

    Fixed-price VPS bundles on AWS, handy if you may later need other AWS services.

    Pros

    • Fixed monthly bundles including transfer
    • Static IP and DNS management included
    • Windows server plans available
    • Easy path to other AWS services

    Cons

    • Lower specs for the price than budget VPS hosts
    • Smaller transfer allowances in some Asian regions
    • AWS account and billing can be complex
    Visit Amazon Lightsail Compare with DigitalOcean DropletsDetails and reviews
    How this score is calculated
    Editorial fit ×0.369
    Reviews ×0.363
    Clicks (90 days) ×0.150
    Freshness ×0.15100
    Votes ×0.150

    0 counted reviews, 0 up and 0 down votes. Full formula

    Is Amazon Lightsail a good DigitalOcean Droplets alternative?

    Verified facts

    8 of 8 verified
    Starting price (with IPv4)
    $5 USD/month
    Checked Nov 8, 2026aws.amazon.com(opens source in a new tab)
    Windows plans
    From $9.50 USD/month
    Checked Nov 8, 2026aws.amazon.com(opens source in a new tab)
    Static IP
    Included in all plans
    Checked Nov 8, 2026aws.amazon.com(opens source in a new tab)
    Free tier
    Yes, under AWS Free Tier
    Checked Nov 8, 2026aws.amazon.com(opens source in a new tab)
    Starting price
    $3.50 a month (IPv6-only Linux bundle)
    Checked Nov 8, 2026aws.amazon.com(opens source in a new tab)
    Linux plan with IPv4
    From $5 a month
    Checked Nov 8, 2026aws.amazon.com(opens source in a new tab)
    Windows plan
    From $9.50 a month (with IPv4)
    Checked Nov 8, 2026aws.amazon.com(opens source in a new tab)
    Free plan
    Yes, under the AWS Free Tier
    Checked Nov 8, 2026aws.amazon.com(opens source in a new tab)
  5. Amazon EC2 logo

    5. Amazon EC2

    Best for: Teams that need many instance types, regions or deep AWS integration rather than a simple VPS.

    PaidWeb

    55.9

    score / 100

    Why switch from DigitalOcean Droplets

    Far more instance types, regions and pricing options (Savings Plans, Spot), at the cost of a more complex bill.

    Pros

    • Huge choice of instance types, including GPUs and Arm
    • Per-second billing on common operating systems
    • Spot and Savings Plans can cut costs sharply
    • Sits next to the rest of AWS (S3, RDS, IAM)

    Cons

    • Data transfer, storage and IPs are billed separately, making costs hard to predict
    • Steeper learning curve than flat-priced VPS hosts
    • Spot capacity can be taken back at short notice
    Visit Amazon EC2 Compare with DigitalOcean DropletsDetails and reviews
    How this score is calculated
    Editorial fit ×0.357
    Reviews ×0.363
    Clicks (90 days) ×0.150
    Freshness ×0.15100
    Votes ×0.150

    0 counted reviews, 0 up and 0 down votes. Full formula

    Is Amazon EC2 a good DigitalOcean Droplets alternative?

    Verified facts

    6 of 6 verified
    Billing
    Per second
    Checked Nov 8, 2026aws.amazon.com(opens source in a new tab)
    Savings Plans
    Up to 72% off On-Demand
    Checked Nov 8, 2026aws.amazon.com(opens source in a new tab)
    Spot discount
    Up to 90% off On-Demand
    Checked Nov 8, 2026aws.amazon.com(opens source in a new tab)
    Free tier
    Yes
    Checked Nov 8, 2026aws.amazon.com(opens source in a new tab)
    Free tier credits
    Up to $200 for new customers, over 6 months
    Checked Nov 8, 2026aws.amazon.com(opens source in a new tab)
    Inter-AZ data transfer
    $0.01/GB in each direction
    Checked Nov 8, 2026aws.amazon.com(opens source in a new tab)
  6. Fly.io logo

    6. Fly.io

    Best for: Developers who want apps running in many regions with per-second, VM-level control

    PaidWeb

    50.0

    score / 100

    Why switch from DigitalOcean Droplets

    Deploy an app as small VMs in many regions without managing a server, instead of maintaining a Droplet.

    Pros

    • Run apps close to users in many regions
    • Machines boot fast and can stop when idle
    • Per-second billing with no platform fee

    Cons

    • More infrastructure concepts than simple PaaS options
    • CLI-first workflow with a thinner dashboard
    • No permanent free tier, only a trial
    Visit Fly.io Details and reviews
    How this score is calculated
    Editorial fit ×0.338
    Reviews ×0.363
    Clicks (90 days) ×0.150
    Freshness ×0.15100
    Votes ×0.150

    0 counted reviews, 0 up and 0 down votes. Full formula

    Is Fly.io a good DigitalOcean Droplets alternative?

    Verified facts

    8 of 8 verified
    Smallest machine
    $2.19 per 30 days
    Checked Nov 8, 2026fly.io(opens source in a new tab)
    Platform fee
    None
    Checked Nov 8, 2026fly.io(opens source in a new tab)
    Regions
    18+
    Checked Oct 29, 2026fly.io(opens source in a new tab)
    Billing
    Per second
    Checked Nov 8, 2026fly.io(opens source in a new tab)
    Starting price
    $2.19 a month (shared-cpu-1x, 256MB)
    Checked Nov 8, 2026fly.io(opens source in a new tab)
    Managed Postgres
    From $38 a month (Basic)
    Checked Nov 8, 2026fly.io(opens source in a new tab)
    Standard support plan
    $29 a month
    Checked Nov 8, 2026fly.io(opens source in a new tab)
    Premium support plan
    $199 a month
    Checked Nov 8, 2026fly.io(opens source in a new tab)
  7. Civo logo

    7. Civo

    Best for: Developers and startups wanting a simple Kubernetes-first cloud with predictable bills

    PaidWeb

    42.3

    score / 100

    Why switch from DigitalOcean Droplets

    Kubernetes-first cloud with free data transfer and in-country sovereign regions.

    Pros

    • Kubernetes clusters launch in under 90 seconds
    • Data transfer included free in instance prices
    • In-country sovereign regions for data residency needs
    • $250 of free credit to try the platform for a month

    Cons

    • Far fewer regions and managed services than the hyperscalers
    • No permanent free tier once the trial credit ends
    • Smaller community and third-party ecosystem than DigitalOcean or AWS
    Visit Civo Details and reviews
    How this score is calculated
    Editorial fit ×0.312
    Reviews ×0.363
    Clicks (90 days) ×0.150
    Freshness ×0.15100
    Votes ×0.150

    0 counted reviews, 0 up and 0 down votes. Full formula

    Is Civo a good DigitalOcean Droplets alternative?

    Verified facts

    5 of 5 verified
    Free trial
    $250 credit for 1 month
    Checked Nov 8, 2026civo.com(opens source in a new tab)
    Starting price
    From $5/month compute
    Checked Nov 8, 2026civo.com(opens source in a new tab)
    Data transfer
    Free and unlimited
    Checked Nov 8, 2026civo.com(opens source in a new tab)
    Cluster launch time
    Under 90 seconds
    Checked Nov 8, 2026civo.com(opens source in a new tab)
    Sovereign regions
    UK, India, Morocco, Indonesia
    Checked Nov 8, 2026civo.com(opens source in a new tab)

The best DigitalOcean Droplets alternative for…

The highest-ranked app in this list for each need.

Vultr logo

Best DigitalOcean Droplets alternative for most people

Vultr

Similar simple VPS pricing with more data centre locations worldwide.

Amazon Lightsail logo

Best DigitalOcean Droplets alternative for Windows

Amazon Lightsail

Fixed-price VPS bundles on AWS, handy if you may later need other AWS services.

Amazon Lightsail logo

Best DigitalOcean Droplets alternative for Linux

Amazon Lightsail

Fixed-price VPS bundles on AWS, handy if you may later need other AWS services.

Linode logo

Best DigitalOcean Droplets alternative for working in the browser

Linode

Long-running developer VPS host, now Akamai, with comparable plans and transfer.

DigitalOcean Droplets alternatives: common questions

What is the best alternative to DigitalOcean Droplets?

Vultr ranks first right now. Similar simple VPS pricing with more data centre locations worldwide. Linode and OVHcloud follow it in our ranking.

DigitalOcean Droplets vs Vultr: what's the difference?

Both DigitalOcean Droplets and Vultr are paid products. Only DigitalOcean Droplets runs on Linux.

Is DigitalOcean Droplets free?

DigitalOcean Droplets is a paid product. Starting price: $4 a month (512 MiB, 1 vCPU); Snapshots: $0.06 per GB/month; Billing: Per second, 60-second or $0.01 minimum. Checked on DigitalOcean Droplets's own site, November 2026.

How much do DigitalOcean Droplets alternatives cost?

Verified prices for the top-ranked DigitalOcean Droplets alternatives: OVHcloud, From $4.54/month (VPS-1); Amazon Lightsail, $5 USD/month; Amazon EC2, Up to $200 for new customers, over 6 months; Fly.io, $2.19 a month (shared-cpu-1x, 256MB); Civo, From $5/month compute. Each price was checked on the app's own site; see each card below for the date and source.

Is there a free alternative to DigitalOcean Droplets?

None of the 7 alternatives we track has a free plan; all are paid, though some offer trials.

Is there an open-source alternative to DigitalOcean Droplets?

None of the 7 alternatives in this list is open source.

Which DigitalOcean Droplets alternatives work on Linux?

Amazon Lightsail runs on Linux.

Why do people switch from DigitalOcean Droplets?

The complaints we hear most: pricier per core and RAM than budget European hosts; fewer regions than the large clouds; backups cost extra as a percentage of the Droplet price.

How is this list ranked?

Every app is scored with the same published formula: how directly it replaces DigitalOcean Droplets, reviews (weighted by verification), visits from AppBreakup, how recently its facts were checked against its own website, and reader votes.