DigitalOcean Droplets vs UltaHost (shared)
Pricing data as of 2026-10-05 · refreshed weekly
DigitalOcean Droplets (vps) and UltaHost (shared) (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 |
UltaHost (shared)shared
| Starter | $3.44/mo |
| Basic | $5.18/mo |
| Business | $10.35/mo |
| Pro | $13.23/mo |
Cheapest fitting plan per stack (startup traffic)
| Stack | DigitalOcean Droplets | UltaHost (shared) | Cheaper |
|---|---|---|---|
| Laravel | $6 (Basic 1GB) | $13.23+ (Pro) | DigitalOcean Droplets |
| WordPress | $6 (Basic 1GB) | $13.23+ (Pro) | DigitalOcean Droplets |
| Static site | $4 (Basic 512MB) | $13.23+ (Pro) | DigitalOcean Droplets |
Laravel by traffic level
| Traffic | DigitalOcean Droplets | UltaHost (shared) |
|---|---|---|
| Hobby / side project (~5,000/mo) | $6 (Basic 1GB) | $3.44 (Starter) |
| Startup / small business (~50,000/mo) | $6 (Basic 1GB) | $13.23+ (Pro) |
| E-commerce (~200,000/mo) | $6 (Basic 1GB) | $13.23+ (Pro) |
| High traffic (~1,000,000/mo) | $12 (Basic 2GB) | $13.23+ (Pro) |
"+" = even the largest plan may not cover that traffic. Full breakdowns: Laravel on DigitalOcean Droplets · Laravel on UltaHost (shared)
FAQ
Is DigitalOcean Droplets or UltaHost (shared) 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, UltaHost (shared) is a shared host.
What does a Laravel app cost on DigitalOcean Droplets vs UltaHost (shared)?
Cheapest fitting plan by traffic level — hobby / side project: DigitalOcean Droplets $6/month (Basic 1GB) vs UltaHost (shared) $3.44/month (Starter); startup / small business: DigitalOcean Droplets $6/month (Basic 1GB) vs UltaHost (shared) $13.23/month (Pro), and even the largest plan may not be enough; e-commerce: DigitalOcean Droplets $6/month (Basic 1GB) vs UltaHost (shared) $13.23/month (Pro), and even the largest plan may not be enough; high traffic: DigitalOcean Droplets $12/month (Basic 2GB) vs UltaHost (shared) $13.23/month (Pro), and even the largest plan may not be enough.
What is included with DigitalOcean Droplets and UltaHost (shared)?
DigitalOcean Droplets is a VPS with nothing bundled — CDN, TLS automation, previews and deploys are yours to set up. UltaHost (shared) 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.