DigitalOcean Droplets vs Krystal
Pricing data as of 2026-10-05 · refreshed weekly
DigitalOcean Droplets (vps) and Krystal (shared) overlap on 3 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 |
Krystalshared
| Amethyst | $9.38/mo |
| Ruby | $14.74/mo |
| Emerald | $25.46/mo |
| Sapphire | $49.58/mo |
Cheapest fitting plan per stack (startup traffic)
| Stack | DigitalOcean Droplets | Krystal | Cheaper |
|---|---|---|---|
| Laravel | $6 (Basic 1GB) | $14.74 (Ruby) | DigitalOcean Droplets |
| WordPress | $6 (Basic 1GB) | $14.74 (Ruby) | DigitalOcean Droplets |
| Static site | $4 (Basic 512MB) | $14.74 (Ruby) | DigitalOcean Droplets |
Laravel by traffic level
| Traffic | DigitalOcean Droplets | Krystal |
|---|---|---|
| Hobby / side project (~5,000/mo) | $6 (Basic 1GB) | $9.38 (Amethyst) |
| Startup / small business (~50,000/mo) | $6 (Basic 1GB) | $14.74 (Ruby) |
| E-commerce (~200,000/mo) | $6 (Basic 1GB) | $25.46 (Emerald) |
| High traffic (~1,000,000/mo) | $12 (Basic 2GB) | $49.58 (Sapphire) |
"+" = even the largest plan may not cover that traffic. Full breakdowns: Laravel on DigitalOcean Droplets · Laravel on Krystal
FAQ
Is DigitalOcean Droplets or Krystal cheaper?
DigitalOcean Droplets is cheaper for all 3 stacks both can run, at startup traffic (~50,000 visits/month). Price alone ignores ops work: DigitalOcean Droplets is a VPS, Krystal is a shared host.
What does a Laravel app cost on DigitalOcean Droplets vs Krystal?
Cheapest fitting plan by traffic level — hobby / side project: DigitalOcean Droplets $6/month (Basic 1GB) vs Krystal $9.38/month (Amethyst); startup / small business: DigitalOcean Droplets $6/month (Basic 1GB) vs Krystal $14.74/month (Ruby); e-commerce: DigitalOcean Droplets $6/month (Basic 1GB) vs Krystal $25.46/month (Emerald); high traffic: DigitalOcean Droplets $12/month (Basic 2GB) vs Krystal $49.58/month (Sapphire).
What is included with DigitalOcean Droplets and Krystal?
DigitalOcean Droplets is a VPS with nothing bundled — CDN, TLS automation, previews and deploys are yours to set up. Krystal bundles SSL; not included: CDN, Image opt, Edge, Previews, Auto-deploy.
How current are these prices?
They are official list prices as of 2026-10-05, 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.