DigitalOcean Droplets

DigitalOcean's simple Linux virtual servers with flat monthly pricing.

PaidVPS and cloud server providers

Updated Nov 8, 2026 · AppBreakup editorial · Web, Linux

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Is DigitalOcean Droplets free?

No, it's a paid product

Starting price:: $4 a month (512 MiB, 1 vCPU)

Checked on DigitalOcean Droplets's site Nov 8, 2026

Full DigitalOcean Droplets pricing and plans

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OVHcloud
VPS starting price: From $4.54/month (VPS-1)
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Verified facts: 6 of 6
Alternatives ranked: 7
Approved reviews: 0
Visits sent from here: 0

About DigitalOcean Droplets

Droplets are DigitalOcean's virtual machines, aimed at developers and small teams who want a cloud server without the complexity of the big hyperscalers. You pick a Linux distribution or a one-click app image, a size and a data centre, and get a server with SSH access in about a minute. Plans run from a small shared-CPU machine for a few dollars a month up to dedicated-CPU, memory-optimised and storage-optimised types, each with a set amount of outbound transfer included and hourly billing capped at a monthly price. Inbound traffic is free. Add-ons include automatic backups, snapshots, block storage volumes, load balancers, managed databases and Kubernetes from the same control panel and API. Data centres span North America, Europe and Asia, including Bangalore. DigitalOcean is known for clear documentation and a tidy dashboard; compared with providers such as Hetzner or OVHcloud it can cost more for the same hardware, and it offers fewer regions than AWS.

Best for: Developers who want a simple, well-documented VPS with predictable monthly pricing..

DigitalOcean Droplets pricing (checked Nov 8, 2026)

Each line is quoted from DigitalOcean Droplets's own site, with the page it came from.

Plan or term	What it says	Checked	Source
Starting price	$4 a month (512 MiB, 1 vCPU)	Nov 8, 2026	digitalocean.com
Snapshots	$0.06 per GB/month	Nov 8, 2026	digitalocean.com
Billing	Per second, 60-second or $0.01 minimum	Nov 8, 2026	digitalocean.com

Full DigitalOcean Droplets pricing and cheaper alternatives

What works

Clear flat pricing with included transfer
Easy control panel and API
Managed databases, Kubernetes and storage alongside
Excellent tutorials and docs

Why people leave

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

DigitalOcean Droplets vs Vultr, Linode and OVHcloud

From each app's listing and the prices verified on its own site. A dash means we haven't verified it yet.

Attribute	DigitalOcean Droplets	Vultr	Linode	OVHcloud
Pricing	Paid	Paid	Paid	Paid
Verified price	$4 a month (512 MiB, 1 vCPU)	—	—	From $4.54/month (VPS-1)
Free plan	No	No	No	No
Open source	No	No	No	No
Self-hostable	No	No	No	No
Platforms	Web, Linux	Web	Web	Web

Full DigitalOcean Droplets vs Vultr comparison Full DigitalOcean Droplets vs Linode comparison Full DigitalOcean Droplets vs OVHcloud comparison

Top DigitalOcean Droplets alternatives

See all 7

1
Vultr
Similar simple VPS pricing with more data centre locations worldwide.
66.5
2
Linode
Long-running developer VPS host, now Akamai, with comparable plans and transfer.
64.8
3
OVHcloud
Cheaper hardware for the money and unmetered traffic on many VPS plans.
61.8
4
Amazon Lightsail
Fixed-price VPS bundles on AWS, handy if you may later need other AWS services.
59.4
5
Amazon EC2
Far more instance types, regions and pricing options (Savings Plans, Spot), at the cost of a more complex bill.
55.9

Why people left DigitalOcean Droplets

In reviewers' own words, from reviews of the apps they moved to. These are their opinions, not ours.

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DigitalOcean Droplets: common questions

What is DigitalOcean Droplets?

DigitalOcean Droplets: DigitalOcean's simple Linux virtual servers with flat monthly pricing. Best for developers who want a simple, well-documented VPS with predictable monthly pricing. Available for Web and Linux.

Is DigitalOcean Droplets free?

No, DigitalOcean Droplets is a paid product. Starting price: $4 a month (512 MiB, 1 vCPU) (checked on DigitalOcean Droplets's own site).

How much does DigitalOcean Droplets cost?

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.

Is DigitalOcean Droplets open source?

No, DigitalOcean Droplets is not open source.

What platforms does DigitalOcean Droplets run on?

DigitalOcean Droplets is available for Web and Linux.

What are the best alternatives to DigitalOcean Droplets?

The highest-ranked DigitalOcean Droplets alternatives right now are Vultr, Linode and OVHcloud. See the full ranked list for pricing, platforms and verified facts.

DigitalOcean Droplets vs Vultr: what's the difference?

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

See all 7 DigitalOcean Droplets alternatives

DigitalOcean Droplets facts

6 of 6 verified

Starting price: $4 a month (512 MiB, 1 vCPU); Checked Nov 8, 2026digitalocean.com(opens source in a new tab); “512 MiB 1 vCPU 500 GiB 10 GiB $0.00595 $ 4.00 1 GiB 1 vCPU 1,000 GiB 25 GiB $0.00893 $ 6.00 2 GiB 1 vCPU 2,000 GiB 50 GiB $0.”
Included transfer: From 500 GiB/month; Checked Nov 8, 2026digitalocean.com(opens source in a new tab); “The specific amount depends on the Droplet plan you choose, starting from 500 GiB/month.”
Backups: 20% (weekly) or 30% (daily) of Droplet cost; Checked Nov 8, 2026digitalocean.com(opens source in a new tab); “set at 20 % (Weekly) or 30 % (Daily) of Droplet cost.”
Inbound bandwidth: Free; Checked Nov 8, 2026digitalocean.com(opens source in a new tab); “Inbound bandwidth is always free.”
Snapshots: $0.06 per GB/month; Checked Nov 8, 2026digitalocean.com(opens source in a new tab); “Droplet Snapshots $0.06/GB per month Droplets specific questions What is a DigitalOcean Droplet?”
Billing: Per second, 60-second or $0.01 minimum; Checked Nov 8, 2026digitalocean.com(opens source in a new tab); “Effective January 1, 2026 , we're moving to per-second billing (with a minimum charge of 60 seconds or $0.01, whichever is higher) for Droplets.”