Unmanaged hosting is not a mess if you know how to handle it. Shared hosting is not a scalable option at the same time.
You can always choose a public cloud provider like DigitalOcean and host your website to handle all that traffic for a cheaper cost. DigitalOcean alternatives are the best options to host a website you can scale.
However, the cost is one of the most critical factors that would impact your decision in choosing a cloud hosting provider.
In a hurry, check the DigitalOcean’s alternatives we’ve listed in this post.
| S No. | Alternative’s name | Price/mo * |
| 1 | Contabo | $8.49 |
| 2 | Linode | $72 |
| 3 | Google Cloud | $97.84 |
| 4 | UpCloud | €52 |
| 5 | Kamatera | $40 |
| 6 | Vultr | $40 |
| 7 | AWS | $80 |
| 8 | OVH cloud | $55.40 |
| 9 | IONOS | $10 |
* Monthly price is for a server with a 4v CPU and at least 8GB RAM.
- 💰 Cheapest – Contabo.
- 🏆 Value – IONOS.
- ❤️ My favorite – UpCloud.
Cheapest DigitalOcean Alternatives in 2023
Some of the top reputed blogs suggest Bluehost or Kinsta as a DigitalOcean alternative, which is alarming. Based on my 7 years of experience as a cloud computing engineer and a system administrator, I know the differences between these providers. So, I have listed only the sites like DigitalOcean. All the alternatives I list are a public cloud provider and not a reseller or third-party vendor.
Contabo
Contabo is the cheapest cloud VPS hosting provider on this list. There is a considerable price difference, and that’s why you will love it for the resources it offers for such a low cost.
They have servers in Germany, The United Kingdom, The United States, Singapore, Japan, and Australia. You get the lowest price on the servers in the German region. When you choose a different location for your server, the price increases, but not much.
Advantages of choosing Contabo
- Pocket-friendly pricing.
- NVMe SSD servers.
- AMD EPYC 7282 servers.
- Cheap Object Storage.
- Deploy with Custom Images
Cons of Contabo
- The setup fee is extra.
- The App library is tiny.
- You are responsible for the server’s security.
- No instant server provisioning.
- No Intel-based server.
Linode (Akamai)
Linode (Akamai) is a public cloud platform built with developers in mind, started in 2003. Being one of the most experienced providers in the industry, Linode provides world-class performance-ready cloud instances to help you host high-speed apps and websites. You can deploy a primary VPS instance, called nanode, for just 5$ a month, which has enough resources to host your website with an average volume of users.
Of all the DigitalOcean alternatives listed on this page, Linode is the most eligible and competitive alternative to DigitalOcean compute servers.
Linode is a public cloud hosting platform and a competent DigitalOcean alternative you can trust. You require a basic understanding of SSH commands and a fundamental familiarity with the terminal app to manage the servers. However, there is a vast directory of one-click images that you can use to deploy your machine.
Advantages of choosing Linode
- Pocket-friendly pricing.
- 32v CPU server for $960/mo.
- Vertical scaling feature.
- Free trial with $20 credits. 🚀
- Server Monitoring inside the dashboard.
- Deploy block storage, node balancer, and database servers also.
- Deploy 100+ apps from Marketplace (cPanel, WordPress, Plesk, and a lot more).
- Create stackscripts and deploy the server with it.
Cons of Linode
- You need technical knowledge to manage servers.
- You can not scale down the server resources.
Vultr
Vultr is no stranger to someone who already knows about cloud hosting platforms such as AWS and DigitalOcean. The user interface of the cloud platform is highly user-friendly and easy to understand. I consider Vultr the second-best digital ocean alternative for its performance, pricing, user interface, and ease of use.
Speed, performance, and maximum uptime are all the features you seek from a cloud hosting provider. I am happy to write that I have hosted over 10 websites on a single Vultr cloud instance for over 2 years. However, the server I am using is managed by Cloudways. But I can not ignore that I have 7 to 8 WordPress apps on the server, and all have been working seamlessly. In a 5$ cloud server that does not have more than 1GB of RAM and 25GB of SSD, hosting this number of websites with good traffic is a sign of robust cloud infrastructure.
If you talk about the closest DigitalOcean Alternatives, only Vultr and Linode are the best for you.
After a while, I learned how to host a website on a VPS server. Furthermore, many SSH tutorials helped me understand how to manage and optimize a cloud server to further host WordPress sites.
Of course, you may be unable to handle the errors you have encountered on your server. This is when you need someone from the customer support team of your cloud hosting provider. Vultr support is available via the ticket system.
With a special promotion, you will get $100 free credits when you top up your account with a valid credit card on Vultr. Use this unique link to sign up for Vultr and avail yourself of the free credits.
Advantages of choosing Vultr
- 100% SSD drives.
- Easy to use platform.
- Monitor resources/usage on the server.
- IPv6-enabled server costs up to 50% less.
- Buy block storage, bare metal servers, Kubernetes engine, object storage, and load balancers.
Disadvantages of Vultr
- Though you’re charged hourly for a cloud instance, you will still be billed if a cloud server is stopped in your dashboard.
- You need to destroy the cloud instance to stop charges on your card.
UpCloud
Upcloud is robust and slightly better than DigitalOcean when discussing features, customization options, billing, and support. The company claims to be the most potent cloud instances provider, with almost no significant change in the pricing plans. Only the cloud instance in Finland will cost you 50% more than a cloud instance in any other available location. Out of 8 server locations from 6 countries, you can choose any to deploy your cloud machine.
I never would want you to compare all the DigitalOcean alternatives based on the cost of the most minor cloud instance. Let’s see what you get for $80 a month. For $80, you get a cloud server with 320GB of SSD storage, 16GB RAM, and 6-core CPUs. And this is precisely what you get from any competitor of DigitalOcean for this cost.
Here’s how to get $25 credits on UpCloud
- Use the coupon code “3M623W” or use this link to sign up.
- Add a valid credit card.
- Go to Account/billing / One-time payment.
- Top up your account with $10.
- You will instantly get an additional $25 in your account (this equals 5 months of free cloud hosting).
UpCloud Pros (advantages)
- Deploy block storage, backup disks, and much more.
- Bowser-based SSH console system.
- Live chat customer support.
- Automatic/Manual Billing system
- Detailed Firewall rules
- 3-day free trial
The Cons
- No OS reinstall is available.
- Tiny preinstalled scripts library.
Kamatera
Kamatera is the cheapest DigitalOcean alternative, where you can deploy a basic cloud VPS for just $4 monthly. The key highlight of the platform is that you don’t need to fill in your card details to avail yourself of a free trial for a month.
The Kamatera platform is straightforward, user-friendly, and easy to understand, where you can deploy, manage, and scale your cloud instances efficiently. On a quick pricing calculator, you can host a server with 6GB RAM, 350GB SSD storage, and 6 core CPUs for just 71 USD per month. This is relatively cheaper than any other DigitalOcean competitor.
AWS S3
If you don’t like any of the abovementioned alternatives and want to try your luck only for the best performance, you should choose AWS. You may burn your money if you don’t know how to effectively use the free tier in the Amazon web services.
However, there is no reasonable comparison possible between AWS and DigitalOcean.
I have less to say about the cost because I never understood how they bill.
