DigitalOcean vs Netlify

Both are in our Deployment & hosting tier list: DigitalOcean is B-tier and Netlify is A-tier.

No editor verdict yet. This page shows the data side by side; the tiers come from our Deployment & hosting tier list.

DigitalOcean vs Netlify, side by side
FieldDigitalOceanNetlify
TierBA
Why this tierIt is cheap and predictable when you want your own server. You manage more yourself, which keeps it at B-tier for builders.It is simple and reliable for static sites. It sits at A-tier behind Vercel and Cloudflare Pages.
Best for
  • Your own server at a predictable price
  • Managed databases and App Platform
  • Simple, reliable static sites
  • Jamstack sites with serverless functions
Skip if
  • You want zero-config deploys and previews (see Vercel)
  • You don't want to manage servers
  • You want the most Next.js-native host (see Vercel)
  • You need long-running backends
Free tierYes: App Platform Free Tier: 3 apps with static sites, 1 GiB data transfer per app (static sites only) (source: www.digitalocean.com/pricing/app-platform, checked )Yes: Free plan: $0 forever, 300 credits a month (source: www.netlify.com/pricing, checked )
Last checked
Tier historyB since 14 Oct 2026: Initial ranking at launchA since 14 Oct 2026: Initial ranking at launch

Tools last checked . Tiers are editorial opinion: how we rank · More Deployment & hosting comparisons · All comparisons

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