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DigitalOcean vs Dokku: Pricing Comparison 2026

Side-by-side pricing comparison of DigitalOcean and Dokku. See all plans, features, and costs at a glance.

Bottom line: Both DigitalOcean and Dokku offer free plans. DigitalOcean has 18 pricing tiers while Dokku has 1.

Last updated: March 16, 2026

Data compiled by Arthur Jacquemin
Updated March 16, 2026
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DigitalOcean vs Dokku: Quick Pricing Facts

FeatureDigitalOceanDokku
Starting Price$0.15/moCustom pricing
Number of Plans181
Free TierYesYes
Pricing Modelusage-basedopen-source
Annual DiscountN/AN/A

DigitalOcean and Dokku are both priced at $0.15/mo, making them equally accessible Hosting & Infra tools. Together they offer 19 pricing plans with 57 features compared, so the best choice comes down to which features match your needs.

Both tools offer free plans, making them accessible for teams on a budget. DigitalOcean uses usage-based pricing while Dokku uses open-source pricing, which may affect your total cost at scale.

Review the detailed tier-by-tier comparison above to see exactly which features are included at each price point and find the best fit for your Hosting & Infra needs.

Pricing Plans
DigitalOcean
DigitalOcean
Try it free
Dokku
Tier 1
Gradient™ AI Platform
$0/month
Includes
  • Create custom AI Agents
  • Integrate leading LLMs into your workflows
  • No infrastructure management
Start with Gradient™ AI Platform
Free
$0/monthCheapest
Includes
  • Open-source PaaS
  • Docker-based
  • Self-hosted
  • Heroku buildpacks
Start with Free
Tier 2
Gradient™ AI GPU Droplets
$2/monthCheapest
Includes
  • Run training and inference on AI/ML models
  • Process large data sets and complex neural networks
  • Serve additional use cases like high-performance computing (HPC)
Start with Gradient™ AI GPU Droplets
—
Tier 3
Additional GPU Options
Custom pricing
Includes
  • Simple provisioning interface
  • Build, train, and deploy large models
  • Scale AI/ML workloads on demand
Start with Additional GPU Options
—
Tier 4
App Platform
$0/monthCheapest
Includes
  • Build, deploy and scale apps quickly
  • Fully managed solution, zero infrastructure management
  • Highly scalable
Start with App Platform
—
Tier 5
Droplets
$4/monthCheapest
Includes
  • Per-sec billing with 60 sec minimum or $0.01, whichever is higher
  • Deploy in seconds
  • Scale up on demand
  • Run any workload - from mission critical apps to low traffic sites
Start with Droplets
—
Tier 6
Kubernetes
$12/monthCheapest
Includes
  • Simple, managed Kubernetes built for scale
  • Free control plane, free bandwidth allowance, and more
  • Automate and optimize to peak performance
Start with Kubernetes
—
Tier 7
Functions
$0/monthCheapest
Includes
  • Focus on building great apps
  • Pay for what you use
  • Scale automatically
Start with Functions
—
Tier 8
Cloudways Managed Hosting
$11/monthCheapest
Includes
  • Optimized for Wordpress & PHP based apps
  • SSD stack with PHP 8 & Redis
  • Unlimited apps, Git & staging
Start with Cloudways Managed Hosting
—
Tier 9
Backups
$20/monthCheapest
Includes
  • Choose flexible frequencies  from Weekly, Daily, or Every 12/6/4 hours.
  • Set custom retention periods from 3 days up to 6 months.
  • Fast and fully-automated.
Start with Backups
—
Tier 10
Databases
$15/monthCheapest
Includes
  • Managed MongoDB, Kafka, PostgreSQL, MySQL, Valkey, and OpenSearch
  • Worry-free setup, maintenance, and easy migration
  • Free daily backups, automated failover, and more!
Start with Databases
—
Tier 11
Spaces
$5/monthCheapest
Includes
  • S3-compatible object storage
  • Highly scalable
  • Built in CDN
Start with Spaces
—
Tier 12
Network File Storage
$0/monthCheapest
Includes
  • Minimum: 50 GiB
  • Increments: 10 GiB
  • Flat pricing across all supported regions
Start with Network File Storage
—
Tier 13
Volumes
$10/monthCheapest
Includes
  • Block storage
  • Highly available
  • Easily scale block storage, resize when needed, and move them between droplets
Start with Volumes
—
Tier 14
Container Registry
$0/monthCheapest
Includes
  • Easily store and manage private container images
  • Transfer container images over high-speed HTTPs connections to servers across four continents
Start with Container Registry
—
Tier 15
Load Balancers
$12/monthCheapest
Includes
  • Improve availability, performance, and scalability
  • Let's Encrypt and HTTP/3 support
  • Compatible with Droplets and DigitalOcean Kubernetes
Start with Load Balancers
—
Tier 16
Support Plans
$0/monthCheapest
Includes
  • Find answers to common questions, development guidelines written by experts and get free email support
  • Ideal for those testing ideas and hosting small applications
Start with Support Plans
—
Tier 17
Virtual Private Cloud
$0/monthCheapest
Includes
  • Ingress data transfer to VPCs is free. Egress data transfer from VPCs to the internet counts against bandwidth quotas.
  • Intra-datacenter VPC peering is free. Inter-datacenter VPC peering is $0.01/GiB.
  • VPC NAT Gateway: $40.00 per node, includes 100 GiB bandwidth (overage $0.01/GiB), supports up to 500,000 connections.
Start with Virtual Private Cloud
—
Tier 18
Uptime
$0/monthCheapest
Includes
  • Uptime and latency checks
  • Alerts by email and Slack
  • One Uptime Check/month included with every account
Start with Uptime
—

Swipe to compare plans →

DigitalOcean

Developer-friendly cloud infrastructure with simple pricing

View all DigitalOcean plans

Dokku

Free open-source PaaS alternative powered by Docker

View all Dokku plans
Our Pick

DigitalOcean

DigitalOcean offers a free plan, offers 18 tiers vs 1.

Based on pricing data only. Review the full comparison below for your specific needs.

Best value: DigitalOcean

Try DigitalOcean free

Which Should You Choose?

Choose DigitalOcean if:

  • •You prefer DigitalOcean's free tier features—Build, deploy and scale apps quickly, Fully managed solution, zero infrastructure management
  • •You need 18 pricing tiers for flexible team sizing—more options mean less overpaying for features you don't need
  • •You want more features built-in—DigitalOcean offers 49 additional features across its plans
  • •Your team needs custom enterprise pricing—DigitalOcean offers negotiated terms for large deployments

Choose Dokku if:

  • •You prefer Dokku's free tier features—Open-source PaaS, Docker-based
  • •You prioritize Dokku's user experience and interface over price (both tools are similarly priced)
  • •You want Dokku's approach to incremental feature unlocking across its 1 pricing tier

Both DigitalOcean and Dokku offer free plans [1], eliminating cost barriers for evaluation. This means you can test both tools thoroughly with your actual workflows before any financial commitment. The free tiers differ in scope: DigitalOcean includes 3 features, while Dokku includes 4 features. Evaluate which free tier matches your evaluation needs before deciding to upgrade. Your best approach is to activate both free trials and evaluate which tool's workflow, integrations, and user experience align better with your team's needs before committing to paid plans.

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Frequently Asked Questions: DigitalOcean vs Dokku

How many pricing plans does DigitalOcean have vs Dokku?
DigitalOcean offers 18 pricing plans, while Dokku offers 1 plan. More plans typically means more flexibility to match your exact needs and budget.
Does DigitalOcean or Dokku offer a free plan?
Yes, both DigitalOcean and Dokku offer free plans. Compare the feature limits of each free tier to see which better fits your use case before upgrading.
Does DigitalOcean or Dokku offer custom enterprise pricing?
DigitalOcean offers a custom-priced enterprise tier for larger teams. Dokku lists all its pricing publicly.
What pricing models do DigitalOcean and Dokku use?
DigitalOcean uses a usage-based pricing model, while Dokku uses open-source pricing. The right model depends on your team size and usage patterns.
How do DigitalOcean and Dokku compare for Hosting & Infra?
Both DigitalOcean and Dokku are Hosting & Infra tools. DigitalOcean offers 18 plans starting at $0.15/mo, while Dokku offers 1 plan starting at Custom pricing. Review the feature breakdowns above to see which better fits your Hosting & Infra needs.

Sources

  1. DigitalOcean Official Pricing— Vendor pricing page
  2. Dokku Official Pricing— Vendor pricing page

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