DigitalOcean Droplets vs Cloudways (DO)
Pricing data as of 2026-10-12 · refreshed weekly
DigitalOcean Droplets (vps) and Cloudways (DO) (managed-cloud) overlap on 2 stacks. The table below shows the cheapest fitting plan on each for a typical startup workload (~50,000 visits/month) — list prices, no promos.
DigitalOcean Dropletsvps
| Basic 512MB | $4/mo |
| Basic 1GB | $6/mo |
| Basic 2GB | $12/mo |
| Basic 4GB | $24/mo |
Cloudways (DO)managed-cloud
| Micro | $11/mo |
| Small | $24/mo |
| Medium | $46/mo |
Cheapest fitting plan per stack (startup traffic)
Laravel by traffic level
| Traffic | DigitalOcean Droplets | Cloudways (DO) |
|---|---|---|
| Hobby / side project (~5,000/mo) | $6 (Basic 1GB) | $11 (Micro) |
| Startup / small business (~50,000/mo) | $6 (Basic 1GB) | $11 (Micro) |
| E-commerce (~200,000/mo) | $6 (Basic 1GB) | $11 (Micro) |
| High traffic (~1,000,000/mo) | $12 (Basic 2GB) | $24 (Small) |
"+" = even the largest plan may not cover that traffic. Full breakdowns: Laravel on DigitalOcean Droplets · Laravel on Cloudways (DO)
FAQ
Is DigitalOcean Droplets or Cloudways (DO) cheaper?
DigitalOcean Droplets is cheaper for all 2 stacks both can run, at startup traffic (~50,000 visits/month). Price alone ignores ops work: DigitalOcean Droplets is a VPS, Cloudways (DO) is a managed cloud host.
What does a Laravel app cost on DigitalOcean Droplets vs Cloudways (DO)?
Cheapest fitting plan by traffic level — hobby / side project: DigitalOcean Droplets $6/month (Basic 1GB) vs Cloudways (DO) $11/month (Micro); startup / small business: DigitalOcean Droplets $6/month (Basic 1GB) vs Cloudways (DO) $11/month (Micro); e-commerce: DigitalOcean Droplets $6/month (Basic 1GB) vs Cloudways (DO) $11/month (Micro); high traffic: DigitalOcean Droplets $12/month (Basic 2GB) vs Cloudways (DO) $24/month (Small).
What is included with DigitalOcean Droplets and Cloudways (DO)?
DigitalOcean Droplets is a VPS with nothing bundled — CDN, TLS automation, previews and deploys are yours to set up. Cloudways (DO) bundles SSL; not included: CDN, Image opt, Edge, Previews, Auto-deploy.
How current are these prices?
They are official list prices as of 2026-10-12, re-checked against each provider's pricing page on a weekly cycle. Intro promos and coupons are not used in totals; taxes are not included unless a plan note says so.