DigitalOcean Droplets vs Fly.io
Pricing data as of 2026-10-12 · refreshed weekly
DigitalOcean Droplets (vps) and Fly.io (paas) overlap on 15 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 |
Fly.iopaas
| shared-cpu-1x 512MB | $3.69/mo |
| shared-cpu-1x 1GB | $6.7/mo |
| shared-cpu-1x 2GB | $12.7/mo |
Cheapest fitting plan per stack (startup traffic)
| Stack | DigitalOcean Droplets | Fly.io | Cheaper |
|---|---|---|---|
| Next.js | $4 (Basic 512MB) | $5.17 (shared-cpu-1x 512MB) | DigitalOcean Droplets |
| Nuxt | $4 (Basic 512MB) | $5.17 (shared-cpu-1x 512MB) | DigitalOcean Droplets |
| Astro | $4 (Basic 512MB) | $5.17 (shared-cpu-1x 512MB) | DigitalOcean Droplets |
| SvelteKit | $4 (Basic 512MB) | $5.17 (shared-cpu-1x 512MB) | DigitalOcean Droplets |
| Remix / React Router | $4 (Basic 512MB) | $5.17 (shared-cpu-1x 512MB) | DigitalOcean Droplets |
| Node.js API | $4 (Basic 512MB) | $5.17 (shared-cpu-1x 512MB) | DigitalOcean Droplets |
| Django | $6 (Basic 1GB) | $8.18 (shared-cpu-1x 1GB) | DigitalOcean Droplets |
| FastAPI | $4 (Basic 512MB) | $5.17 (shared-cpu-1x 512MB) | DigitalOcean Droplets |
| Laravel | $6 (Basic 1GB) | $8.18 (shared-cpu-1x 1GB) | DigitalOcean Droplets |
| Ruby on Rails | $12 (Basic 2GB) | $14.18 (shared-cpu-1x 2GB) | DigitalOcean Droplets |
| Spring Boot | $12 (Basic 2GB) | $14.18 (shared-cpu-1x 2GB) | DigitalOcean Droplets |
| WordPress | $6 (Basic 1GB) | $8.18 (shared-cpu-1x 1GB) | DigitalOcean Droplets |
| Ghost | $6 (Basic 1GB) | $8.18 (shared-cpu-1x 1GB) | DigitalOcean Droplets |
| Strapi | $6 (Basic 1GB) | $8.18 (shared-cpu-1x 1GB) | DigitalOcean Droplets |
| Static site | $4 (Basic 512MB) | $5.17 (shared-cpu-1x 512MB) | DigitalOcean Droplets |
Next.js by traffic level
| Traffic | DigitalOcean Droplets | Fly.io |
|---|---|---|
| Hobby / side project (~5,000/mo) | $4 (Basic 512MB) | $3.85 (shared-cpu-1x 512MB) |
| Startup / small business (~50,000/mo) | $4 (Basic 512MB) | $5.17 (shared-cpu-1x 512MB) |
| E-commerce (~200,000/mo) | $6 (Basic 1GB) | $19.33 (shared-cpu-1x 512MB) |
| High traffic (~1,000,000/mo) | $12 (Basic 2GB) | $32.99 (shared-cpu-1x 512MB) |
"+" = even the largest plan may not cover that traffic. Full breakdowns: Next.js on DigitalOcean Droplets · Next.js on Fly.io
FAQ
Is DigitalOcean Droplets or Fly.io cheaper?
DigitalOcean Droplets is cheaper for all 15 stacks both can run, at startup traffic (~50,000 visits/month). Price alone ignores ops work: DigitalOcean Droplets is a VPS, Fly.io is a PaaS.
What does a Next.js app cost on DigitalOcean Droplets vs Fly.io?
Cheapest fitting plan by traffic level — hobby / side project: DigitalOcean Droplets $4/month (Basic 512MB) vs Fly.io $3.85/month (shared-cpu-1x 512MB); startup / small business: DigitalOcean Droplets $4/month (Basic 512MB) vs Fly.io $5.17/month (shared-cpu-1x 512MB); e-commerce: DigitalOcean Droplets $6/month (Basic 1GB) vs Fly.io $19.33/month (shared-cpu-1x 512MB); high traffic: DigitalOcean Droplets $12/month (Basic 2GB) vs Fly.io $32.99/month (shared-cpu-1x 512MB).
What is included with DigitalOcean Droplets and Fly.io?
DigitalOcean Droplets is a VPS with nothing bundled — CDN, TLS automation, previews and deploys are yours to set up. Fly.io bundles Edge, SSL; not included: CDN, Image opt, 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.