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Reviewed 2026-10-14

Best DigitalOcean Alternatives in 2026

There are 2 replacements in our index for DigitalOcean. We describe what each one is good at and what it gives up. Every entry links to the vendor's own pricing page, because published prices change and we would rather you check than trust.

What readers commonly dislike about DigitalOcean

  • Fewer managed services than the largest clouds
  • Fewer regions than the hyperscalers
  • Support plans are an additional cost
Check DigitalOcean's current pricing ↗

Options in our index

1

Linode (Akamai Cloud)

Cloud & Web Hosting

Visit Linode (Akamai Cloud)

Linode's cloud was folded into Akamai and its pricing now lives on Akamai's cloud pages, while the product stays a straightforward alternative to the large clouds: compute billed by the hour with managed databases, Kubernetes and storage alongside it.

Pricing: Hourly and monthly rates per instance size, billed from a prepaid balanceconfirm on Linode (Akamai Cloud)'s site ↗

Strengths

  • Simple hourly billing per instance
  • Data centres in several regions
  • Managed Kubernetes, databases and storage available
  • Existing Linode documentation is still published

Trade-offs

  • Branding and console have moved under Akamai, so older guides no longer match the screens
  • Fewer managed services than the largest clouds
  • Support plans cost extra
Read our full Linode (Akamai Cloud) notes →
2

Hetzner

Cloud & Web Hosting

Visit Hetzner

Hetzner runs cloud instances, dedicated servers and storage from data centres in Europe and the United States, with rates published per instance size. Two things to weigh: its catalogue of managed services is much smaller than the large clouds', and support is ticket-based rather than a managed service.

Pricing: Hourly cloud rates and monthly dedicated server plans, billed from a prepaid balanceconfirm on Hetzner's site ↗

Strengths

  • Rates are published per instance size rather than quoted
  • Dedicated servers available alongside cloud instances
  • Locations in Europe and the United States
  • Hourly billing for cloud plans, with a prepaid balance

Trade-offs

  • Much smaller catalogue of managed services than the big clouds
  • Support is ticket-based and lean
  • Prices are set in euros, which adds exchange-rate movement outside the eurozone
Read our full Hetzner notes →

Frequently asked questions about DigitalOcean alternatives

Answers are drawn from the index above. We do not publish ratings, and every figure we do mention links back to the vendor's own page.

What alternatives to DigitalOcean does Promotcha track?

We list 2 alternatives for DigitalOcean: Linode (Akamai Cloud) and Hetzner. Each entry states what the tool is good at and what it gives up.

Where can I check what these DigitalOcean alternatives cost?

Every entry above links to the vendor's own pricing page, and prices change often, so confirm before you commit: the Linode (Akamai Cloud) pricing page and the Hetzner pricing page.

How is DigitalOcean priced?

Our entry describes DigitalOcean's pricing like this: Hourly and monthly rates per server size, billed as you use them. Confirm the current figure on the DigitalOcean pricing page.

What do readers commonly dislike about DigitalOcean?

Our notes on DigitalOcean list these drawbacks: Fewer managed services than the largest clouds; Fewer regions than the hyperscalers; Support plans are an additional cost.

Is there a free plan for DigitalOcean?

Our entry records DigitalOcean as a paid product and does not list a free tier. Hourly and monthly rates per server size, billed as you use them. Check the DigitalOcean pricing page for the current plans, including any trial.

How do I choose between these DigitalOcean alternatives?

We do not rank tools by commission, and we do not publish ratings we have not surveyed. Read the strengths and trade-offs on this page, then confirm pricing and plan limits on the vendor's own site. Our how we work page explains the approach.