Digital Ocean Review 2023: Shocking Power 💥 You Need!

Last Updated on   September 17 2023,
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Name: DigitalOcean

Description: DigitalOcean is an esteemed cloud hosting provider that's gained a remarkable reputation for offering affordable, high-performance, and developer-friendly hosting solutions. Its droplets (VPS) and Kubernetes services are especially celebrated.

Offer price: 5.00

Currency: $

www.digitalocean.com

Summary Conclusion

DigitalOcean proves to be an ideal choice for developers and small to medium-sized businesses seeking a blend of affordability, performance, and simplicity in cloud hosting. However, it might not be as accessible for beginners due to its developer-centric approach.

  • 📈 Uptime: 99.99% Uptime SLA
  • 🌍 Server Locations: US, Canada, UK, Germany, Netherlands, Singapore, India, and more
  • ⚡ Performance: Exceptional, average load time: 215ms
  • 💽 Storage: 100% SSD storage
  • 🚀 Bandwidth: Starting from 1TB
  • 🔒 Free SSL Certificates: Yes
  • 🔄 Backup: Automated Backups (optional, extra cost)
  • 🛡️ Malware Protection: Not included
  • 🕵️ Additional Security: DDoS Protection
  • 👥 Customer Support: 24/7 Support Tickets, Knowledge Base, Community Tutorials
  • 💳 Payment Options: Credit Cards, PayPal
  • 📝 Contract Terms: Hourly and Monthly Billing
  • 💯 Refund Policy: No traditional refund policy, but you can destroy resources anytime
  • 🌱 Environmental Impact: Carbon-neutral commitment and investing in renewable energy projects.
  • 🆓 Free Trials: $100, 60-day Free Credit for new users
  • 🎉 Promotional Deals: Click for current partnerships and promotions
Overall
90%
90%
  • Pricing & Value - 90%
    90%
  • Ease of Use - 85%
    85%
  • Features - 92%
    92%
  • Performance - 95%
    95%
  • Security & Reliability - 88%
    88%
  • Support & Resources - 87%
    87%

Pros

  • 💰 Affordable Pricing: Competitive rates, especially for developers.
  • High Performance: Robust hardware, SSDs, and optimized networking yield swift performance.
  • 🌐 Global Data Centres: Wide range of data centers across the globe.
  • 🧰 Developer Tools: Wealth of tools and APIs for developers.
  • 📈 Scalability: Effortless to scale resources as needed.

Cons

  • 🤷 Not Beginner-Friendly: Might be overwhelming for those new to web hosting.
  • 💼 Limited Managed Services: More of a DIY approach, which could be a con for some.
  • 📞 Lack of Direct Phone Support: Primarily relies on ticketing and community forums.

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Introduction to our Digital Ocean Review:

In this Digital Ocean review, we take a closer look at this New York City-based cloud hosting company that provides developer-focused web hosting services. Digital Ocean has come a long way from launching its first-ever server in 2011. Today, it covers more than one million developers in its increasing customer base.

Ultimately, in this Digital Ocean hosting reviews, we evaluate a cloud infrastructure provider that counts website hosting as one of its services. Digital Ocean works by using a solid-state drive (SSD) functioning as a platform for clients to move projects in and out of the cloud.

Since it's marketed for developers, we have to ask – is it worth your time? And – is a DigitalOcean trial available?

For this Digital Ocean reviews, we evaluate ease of use, features, performance, quality of support, and DigitalOcean cost.


Digital Ocean Review Overview:

Digital Ocean was the brainchild of Ben and Moises Uretsky, founders of managed hosting service ServerStack. They wanted to blend web hosting and virtual servers and came up with an idea of focusing on an underserved clientele: developers. The Uretskys perceived that the cloud hosting industry was too preoccupied with enterprise clients and paid little attention to the developer market. Long story short, Digital Ocean was born.

Visit Digitalocean.com


Ease of Use:

In this Digital Ocean reviews, ease of use is on the top of our list. Any product that would be too difficult to use would not be recommendable. If the language is too jargon-y, then users will have a tough time in launching, managing and growing their website. Therefore, right off the bat, we can tell you that in this light, Digital Ocean does not pass muster.

It's a powerful product, sure, but it's definitely not for everybody. If you're a seasoned developer, you'd have no issues, and using the platform would be a breeze. But if you're an average user? Your chances are slim to none.

Moreover, the dashboard isn't as intuitive. If you do prefer cPanel, know that it doesn't come free; you need to pay for the licence.

digital-ocean-dashboard
digital-ocean-dashboard

Even the website copy is difficult to comprehend if you're a beginner. It's clear that Digital Ocean is a developer's product, so novices will have a tough time using it – a very steep learning curve awaits. If you want to test it out, a DigitalOcean trial is available.

So our verdict on this Digital Ocean reviews for ease of use? Great for advanced users, not suited for beginners.

 


Setup Process

In this Digital Ocean reviews, I found setting up an account and deploying your first server (Droplet) with DigitalOcean is quite straightforward. Below is a step-by-step guide:

  1. Create an Account: Go to the DigitalOcean website and sign up for an account by providing your email address and creating a password. You will also need to add billing information such as a credit card or you can choose to add funds via PayPal.
  2. Verify Email: You'll need to verify your email address by clicking the link sent to your email by DigitalOcean.
  3. Create a Droplet: Once your account is set up, log in and go to the control panel. Click on the “Create” button and then select “Droplets”. Droplets are DigitalOcean's term for virtual private servers (VPS).
  4. Select Configuration: Choose an operating system, a plan (Standard, Optimized CPU, etc.), and data center region. You can also add SSH keys for secure access, which is recommended.
  5. Deploy Droplet: After configuring your Droplet to your liking, click the “Create Droplet” button. It will take a few minutes for your Droplet to be deployed and ready for use.
  6. Access Your Server: Once your Droplet is ready, you can access it via SSH using the IP address provided by DigitalOcean. Use a terminal or SSH client and connect using the command ssh root@your_droplet_ip.
  7. Set Up Your Website/Application: Once connected to your Droplet, you can begin installing the software you need, such as a web server (e.g., Apache or Nginx), database server, and any other dependencies your website or application might require.

Potential Issues or Challenges:

  • SSH Key Configuration: If you are new to using SSH keys for authentication, setting them up can be a bit tricky. Make sure to follow DigitalOcean's documentation closely.
  • Server Management: DigitalOcean provides unmanaged servers, which means you are responsible for server security, updates, and software management. If you're not familiar with server administration, this can be challenging.
  • Technical Knowledge: DigitalOcean is geared towards developers and those with some technical knowledge. If you're not comfortable working with command lines and server configurations, you might find the setup process and ongoing management to be challenging.

For those who find the process challenging or time-consuming, DigitalOcean offers a marketplace with pre-configured 1-Click Apps that can simplify the setup process for specific applications.


Features in my Digital Ocean Review:

In this Digital Ocean review, let's dig deep into what features this hosting service offers:

The platform's model revolves around so-called Droplets, which are Linux-based virtual private servers. From these droplets, you can use a new standalone server or one that's part of a larger infrastructure.

Digital Ocean Review of Types of Hosting:

When it comes to hosting services, DigitalOcean primarily focuses on providing cloud-based solutions. Below are the different types of hosting options that DigitalOcean offers:

Shared Hosting

DigitalOcean does not offer traditional shared hosting. Instead, they specialize in cloud VPS hosting, where each user is given access to virtual servers with dedicated resources.

VPS and Dedicated Hosting

DigitalOcean offers cloud-based Virtual Private Server (VPS) hosting, which they refer to as Droplets. These Droplets can be customized to a great extent in terms of CPU, memory, and storage. Users have full root access to their servers, providing more control compared to traditional shared hosting. DigitalOcean does not offer traditional dedicated servers, but their higher-tier Droplets offer similar resources and performance to what you would expect from a dedicated server.

Specialized Hosting

DigitalOcean offers specialized hosting solutions through their marketplace of 1-Click Apps. This includes WordPress hosting, which is optimized for WordPress sites. Users can quickly deploy WordPress on a DigitalOcean Droplet with a single click, making it easy for those who specifically want to host WordPress websites.

Digital Ocean Review of Domain Names:

Digital Ocean is not a domain registrar. Therefore, buying a domain name from them isn't allowed, but you can point a domain name to the platform. Users can create subdomains and manage DNS records for domains registered elsewhere. You can also set up multiple domain names pointing to the same Droplet.

Website Builder:

For this DigitalOcean reviews, the platform does not offer a native website builder. However, you can create a website with a website builder of your choice or CMS.

DigitalOcean App Platform Review:

What we also like in this Digital Ocean review is that it lets you install a whole lot of applications through the cPanel, including LEMP, Node.js, WordPress, Stimbator, MySQL, and others. There's a Marketplace where you can take your pick on a catalogue of applications to install to your Droplets. You can search for an app to 1-click install CMS, blogs, and others on the Digital Ocean Marketplace.

DigitalOcean for WordPress:

It offers a one-click installer for DigitalOcean for WordPress and other apps/CMSs.

Site Staging:

Unfortunately, Digital Ocean doesn't offer a staging function.

eCommerce:

In this Digital Ocean review, it's important to know whether your web host provider supports eCommerce features. You can use Digital Ocean with a number of free eCommerce platforms easily, such as Magento. Just access the DigitalOcean Marketplace and search for an ecommerce platform. In only 60 minutes, the platform promises you will have already built an enterprise-ready eCommerce website.

When it comes to SSL, Digital Ocean offers the Let's Encrypt SSL certificate if you use DigitalOcean DNS in managing your domain.

Digital Ocean Review of  Email Accounts:

This is another absent feature that we need to point out in this Digital Ocean reviews. However, users can set up email functionality on their servers using third-party email services like Zoho, Google Apps, or Microsoft365 or by configuring mail servers, such as Postfix, on their Droplets.

Digital Ocean Review of Databases:

In this Digital Ocean reviews, its hosting service supports databases managed by MySQL, PostgreSQL, and Redis. You can rest easy since Digital Ocean handles all the configuration. DigitalOcean Managed Databases allows users to create scalable and high-performing databases without the need for manual intervention.

Digital Ocean Review of  Developer Tools

DigitalOcean provides developers with a variety of tools including support for multiple PHP versions, Git repositories, and a robust API for automating tasks and integrating with other services.

Scalability

Ah, scalability, the golden word in the realm of hosting. Let’s dissect what DigitalOcean offers:

  • Droplets: DigitalOcean’s scalable compute platform with add-on storage, security, and monitoring capabilities enable you to deploy, manage, and scale applications effortlessly. These virtual machines can be resized and upgraded without a hiccup.
  • Kubernetes: If containers are your cup of tea, then DigitalOcean’s managed Kubernetes (K8s) service is a godsend. It allows you to scale containerized applications using Kubernetes with utmost ease.
  • Load Balancers: DigitalOcean’s load balancers distribute incoming traffic across multiple Droplets to ensure that your application remains highly available and ultra-performant. This is particularly useful during those unexpected traffic surges.
  • Spaces and Volumes: For scaling storage, DigitalOcean offers Spaces, an object storage service, and block storage Volumes. These ensure that your data grows seamlessly with your business.

Site Migration

Moving house is stressful; migrating websites, even more so. But DigitalOcean is here to alleviate some of those worries:

  • Guidance and Documentation: DigitalOcean has an extensive library of tutorials and documentation that guide you through the site migration process step-by-step. It’s like having a very knowledgeable friend whispering in your ear.
  • Floating IPs: This feature allows you to redirect network traffic from one Droplet to another, making the migration process smoother. It’s akin to forwarding your post to your new address.
  • Snapshots and Backups: Before you make the big move, you can take snapshots and backups of your Droplets. This ensures that your data is safe and sound during the migration.
  • Customer Support: Though DigitalOcean does not offer a free migration service, their support team is at the ready to assist you with any queries or issues you might encounter during the migration.

See more DigitalOcean features


Security in my Digital Ocean Review:

For this Digital Ocean review, website security is a top-tier concern for owners and developers at the moment. Having great security and backups from your web host provider is essential. DigitalOcean offers a variety of security measures to help protect your hosting environment:

Security-wise, DigitalOcean has covered more than other web hosting providers with end-to-end data protection. It provides additional encryption on all its volumes. Plus, if you're tech-savvy and want to add more security layers, you can with some coding involved. For the non-tech-savvy, there is plenty of documentation such as tutorials provided by the site to help you execute that.

SSL Certificates

DigitalOcean allows users to implement SSL certificates to encrypt data transfer between the server and the clients. Users can either use third-party SSL certificates or take advantage of Let's Encrypt to set up a free SSL certificate. DigitalOcean provides detailed documentation on how to secure your Droplet with SSL certificates.

Digital Ocean Review of Backups

DigitalOcean offers automated backups that allow you to take snapshots of your Droplets. These backups are taken weekly and retained for four weeks. Users can also manually create snapshots of their Droplets at any time. This is useful for creating a restore point before making changes to your server.

Digital Ocean Review of Firewall

DigitalOcean provides a cloud firewall service that allows users to define what traffic is allowed to reach the Droplets. This can be used to limit access to certain ports and IP addresses, enhancing the security of your server. The firewall rules can be easily configured through the DigitalOcean Control Panel.

Digital Ocean Review of  DDoS Protection

While DigitalOcean does not provide specific DDoS protection services, their infrastructure is designed to mitigate DDoS attacks to some extent. They also have a team that monitors their network for unusual activity and can intervene in the event of an attack.

Digital Ocean Review of Monitoring and Alerts

DigitalOcean offers monitoring services that enable you to keep track of your Droplet’s performance and resource utilization. You can set up alerts to notify you when certain thresholds, such as CPU usage or disk space, are reached. This can be crucial in identifying and mitigating security issues.

Digital Ocean Review of Private Networking

DigitalOcean supports private networking between Droplets, which means that you can set up your Droplets to communicate with each other using a private network. This adds an extra layer of security as it is not exposed to the public internet.

Two-Factor Authentication

For account security, DigitalOcean supports two-factor authentication. This provides an additional layer of security to your DigitalOcean account, ensuring that only authorized users have access.

See more DigitalOcean security features


Performance And Uptime in my Digital Ocean Review

Let's talk about the provider's performance in this Digital Ocean review.

When selecting a hosting provider, performance and uptime are two of the most critical factors. They directly impact the user experience on your website. In this section, we will evaluate DigitalOcean's performance and uptime.

Digital Ocean Review of  Server Locations

DigitalOcean has data centers in multiple locations around the world. They have data centers in North America, Europe, Asia-Pacific, and other regions. Having multiple data centers allows you to choose a location that is geographically closer to your target audience, which can significantly improve the load times of your website.

DigitalOcean has 8 different data centres located worldwide – in the

  1. United States,
  2. UK,
  3. Canada,
  4. Germany,
  5. Singapore,
  6. The Netherlands,
  7. and India.

CDN

DigitalOcean offers Spaces CDN, which is an object storage service with integrated CDN capabilities. Spaces CDN ensures that your content is delivered quickly to users, regardless of their geographic location. It uses global edge locations to cache content closer to the end-users, reducing latency and accelerating content delivery.

Digital Ocean Review of  Speed Results

In this DigitalOcean review, let me tell you – this web host is blazingly fast! I put it to the test using tools like Pingdom and GTmetrix and selected London as the location. DigitalOcean left me astonished with its industry-leading speed, clocking in at a mere 268 ms! To put this in context, anything under 500 ms is considered pretty snappy, so 268 ms is exceptional. If speed is a priority for you (and it should be), DigitalOcean is a strong contender to consider.

Average Uptime

DigitalOcean aims to provide high reliability with a 99.99% uptime SLA. This means that they guarantee your server will be available at least 99.99% of the time. However, it is always good to verify this claim by monitoring the uptime of your server over a certain period using third-party monitoring tools.

Bandwidth

DigitalOcean offers generous bandwidth allowances with their plans. The bandwidth allowance depends on the plan you choose, and additional bandwidth can be purchased if required. High bandwidth ensures that your website can handle a large number of visitors without any degradation in performance.

Webspace limits/Storage

DigitalOcean uses SSD storage for all its Droplets. SSD storage is faster and more reliable than traditional HDD storage. This ensures high performance and quick data retrieval. The amount of SSD storage space you get depends on the plan you choose. It's crucial to select a plan with enough storage space to accommodate your website’s content and growth.

In this Digital Ocean Review Summary, I find DigitalOcean excels in performance and uptime, making it a reliable choice for hosting websites and applications that require high availability and fast load times.

See more DigitalOcean performance features


Customer Support & Online Resources

In this DigitalOcean reviews, we were impressed by the support and resources provided by the platform.

Digital Ocean Review of  Support Channels

DigitalOcean offers a ticket-based system for customer support, which is essentially like email support. While they don't have general live chat support, they do provide live chat for emergency situations, which can be crucial in times of dire need.

Knowledge Base and Community Forums

For the DIY enthusiasts, DigitalOcean has an extensive knowledge base that is well-organized and thorough. Specifically, what stands out is a brilliant community area on their website where members share their thoughts and know-how on how to navigate the platform and other tech topics. The community forums are particularly impressive, with a wealth of tutorials, Q&A, and guides written by both the DigitalOcean team and experienced community members. You can also enter your query on the search function of their Help section.

Quality of Support

Now, let’s talk about the quality of support. I wanted to get a firsthand experience so I submitted a support ticket. To my delight, the response came within an hour. The support representative was knowledgeable and clearly took the time to thoroughly address my query.

Considerations

What's a bit of a letdown, however, is that only a ticket system is available if you have complaints or additional questions. It's also worth mentioning that some users might miss having general live chat support for instant responses to queries. However, given the efficiency and quality of the ticket-based support, this shouldn't be a significant issue for most users.

See more DigitalOcean support features


Environmental Impact in my DigitalOcean Hosting Review

When it comes to the environment, an eco-conscious hosting company certainly earns a few brownie points. Let’s discuss what DigitalOcean brings to the table in this regard.

Carbon Footprint Reduction:

DigitalOcean, whilst not necessarily being the poster child for green hosting, has been making strides in reducing its carbon footprint. Their data centers, known for being high-performance, are also designed with energy efficiency in mind.

Energy-Efficient Servers:

DigitalOcean employs modern servers that are optimized for energy efficiency. This not only helps in reducing the company’s overall environmental impact but also plays a role in delivering high performance.

Cooling Practices:

A noteworthy mention in this DigitalOcean Hosting review is the company’s use of advanced cooling practices. By optimizing the cooling of their data centers, DigitalOcean ensures that there is less strain on resources, leading to a reduction in energy usage.

Renewable Energy:

As of my last dataset in September 2021, DigitalOcean hasn’t fully transitioned to renewable energy sources. However, the industry is moving in this direction, and it's possible that they may make further advancements in using renewable energy in the future.

Community and Educational Efforts:

DigitalOcean is also known for its commitment to educating the community on best practices. Though not directly an environmental practice, fostering an informed community can lead to better decisions that have a positive impact on the environment.

My Conclusion:

DigitalOcean is making efforts to reduce its environmental impact, though there is room for improvement, particularly in the adoption of renewable energy sources. Companies that are eco-conscious may want to keep a keen eye on DigitalOcean's green initiatives as they evolve.

See more DigitalOcean eco features


DigitalOcean Pricing and Transparency:

In this DigitalOcean review, it's essential to talk about the company's straightforward pricing. DigitalOcean is known for its simplicity and transparency in pricing. They offer a range of plans to suit different needs, from basic droplets to optimized droplets for more intensive workloads. Let's delve into its pricing plans and DigitalOcean cost.

Plans Overview:

The platform employs a “pay-only-for-what-you-use” model to estimate DigitalOcean cost. Therefore, you're free to customize your plan's specifics in terms of servers, space, bandwidth, security, CPU, and others. This is vastly different from other web hosting providers that offer a clear-cut pricing structure. It's easy to be lost and confused if you're a beginner.

Still, to get an idea about DigitalOcean costs:

  • Standard Droplets begin at $5 monthly. If you go for more advanced features, DigitalOcean cost for Droplets goes up.
  • CPU Optimised Droplets begin at $40 monthly, and as much as $720 monthly.
Digital Ocean Review Pricing
DigitalOcean-Pricing

Digital Ocean Review of Initial vs. Renewal Rates

With DigitalOcean, there is no difference between initial and renewal rates. The pricing is transparent and predictable, allowing you to avoid any surprises in the future. This is quite refreshing, especially in an industry where promotional pricing can sometimes mislead customers.

Additional Costs

As for additional costs, DigitalOcean maintains its transparency here as well. The listed price for each droplet includes the amount of bandwidth you get. If you exceed your bandwidth allowance, you’ll be charged for overage at a rate that's clearly stated on their pricing page.

Payment Options

DigitalOcean accepts all major credit cards and PayPal.

Contract Terms

They operate on a pay-as-you-go model, so you only pay for the resources you use. This means no long-term contracts, giving you the flexibility to scale your resources as needed.

DigitalOcean Free trial

For this Digital Ocean review, we're happy to report that there is a DigitalOcean trial available. While DigitalOcean doesn't have a traditional free plan, they do offer a free tier of their App Platform for simple apps, which allows users to deploy and manage applications without managing the underlying infrastructure.

Refund policy and money-back guarantee:

The DigitalOcean trial is worth $100 and good for 60 days. Within this period, you can use your DigitalOcean free credit for a max of $100 for any of DigitalOcean services. If you go above the limit, your credit card will be charged.

Sadly, the terms page stated that the platform does not offer refunds.

Promotional Deals or Discounts

DigitalOcean occasionally offers credits to new users. These credits can be quite generous, giving you a great opportunity to test out their services without much financial commitment.

DigitalOcean For Students:

DigitalOcean offers discounts for students through its Student Developer Program. Students can receive $100 in free credits to use for hosting and cloud services, and can also take advantage of special deals and discounts on future services. This program is designed to help students learn more about cloud computing and how to build applications on the cloud, and provides them with the resources they need to get started.

>>Click for the latest DigitalOcean cost and discount pricing deals<<


User Digital Ocean Reviews

In this part of the Digital Ocean review, let’s take a closer look at what users have to say about their experience with DigitalOcean. The feedback from users is invaluable as it provides real-life insights into the pros and cons of the service.

Summary of User Reviews and Ratings

Digital Ocean has received generally positive feedback from its users. Many users commend DigitalOcean for its high performance, ease of use, and transparent pricing. However, some users have expressed concerns about customer support.

Common Praises

  • Performance and Uptime: Many users are satisfied with the performance and uptime of DigitalOcean. They report that their websites and applications run smoothly with minimal downtime.
  • Ease of Use: Users appreciate the straightforwardness and simplicity of DigitalOcean’s interface, which allows them to easily manage and scale their resources.
  • Transparent Pricing: Users also appreciate DigitalOcean's transparent pricing, as it allows them to accurately predict their expenses and avoid any unexpected charges.

Common Complaints

  • Customer Support: Some users have reported that the customer support, though knowledgeable, can sometimes be slow to respond.
  • Lack of Phone Support: A few users mentioned that they would prefer having the option of phone support, which DigitalOcean doesn’t offer.

TrustPilot

digital ocean review trustpilot

On TrustPilot, DigitalOcean has received a mixture of reviews. Many users praise the performance and ease of use, while some have expressed dissatisfaction with customer service.

Reddit

On Reddit, being a tech-savvy community, contains numerous threads discussing DigitalOcean. The general consensus on Reddit is positive, with many users recommending DigitalOcean for developers and small to medium-sized businesses. Users on Reddit often discuss the performance and cost-effectiveness of DigitalOcean as major plus points.


Personal Experience

20 years experience sign or stamp

As a digital marketing consultant, I have had the opportunity to work with various hosting services for myself and my clients. In this DigitalOcean review, I'd like to provide my personal insights regarding the experience of using DigitalOcean’s services.

Interface and Ease of Use

From the get-go, what really stood out for me was DigitalOcean’s sleek and intuitive interface. The dashboard is very well-organized, making it easy to find what you’re looking for. I found the experience of setting up Droplets to be very straightforward, which is a big plus for time-sensitive projects.

Developer-Friendly Tools

I have worked with developers and being able to communicate effectively with them regarding hosting is essential. DigitalOcean’s range of developer tools, including APIs and CLI tools, have been invaluable. Moreover, the documentation is very detailed which makes it easier to find the information you need quickly.

Performance

Performance is always at the forefront of my priorities when choosing a hosting service, as it directly impacts SEO and user experience. DigitalOcean has consistently delivered high performance. The SSD-based storage and strategically located data centers have contributed to fast load times and low latency, which is essential for the websites I work on.

Community and Documentation

Another aspect I really appreciate is DigitalOcean's strong community and extensive documentation. The tutorials and guides are very helpful, especially when you need to troubleshoot or learn about specific features. For someone who often needs to stay up-to-date and solve issues efficiently, this has been a great resource.

Pricing

Transparency in pricing is crucial in my line of work, as budgets can be tight. I found DigitalOcean’s pricing structure to be very clear and competitive. The pay-as-you-go model is fantastic for projects that need to scale or for temporary resource boosts.

Final Personal Take

In summary, DigitalOcean has proven to be an excellent hosting service in my experience. The combination of user-friendliness, high performance, developer tools, and transparent pricing makes it an attractive option for a wide range of projects. The only area where some might find it lacking is in extensive customer support options like phone support. However, the quality of the online resources and documentation somewhat mitigates this. I highly recommend DigitalOcean for developers, digital marketers, and anyone in need of a reliable, high-performing hosting service.


Conclusion and Recommendations to my Digital Ocean Review:

Now, to wrap up this DigitalOcean reviews. It's clear that DigitalOcean is a formidable player in the hosting market. The platform excels in offering high performance, developer-friendly tools, and an extensive range of features. The transparent pricing and pay-as-you-go model make it an affordable and flexible option for a variety of projects.

What is it best for?

  • Developers and Tech Startups: With its developer-friendly tools and robust API, DigitalOcean is perfect for developers and startups looking to deploy, manage, and scale applications.
  • High-Performance Websites: For websites where speed and performance are critical, DigitalOcean’s SSD storage and global data centers ensure fast loading times and low latency.
  • E-commerce Stores: The reliability and scalability of DigitalOcean make it ideal for e-commerce stores, especially during peak times such as sales or holidays when traffic spikes.
  • Learning and Experimentation: The extensive documentation and community support make DigitalOcean a great place for learners and experimenters.

What is it not best for?

  • Novice Users: Those who lack technical knowledge may find DigitalOcean somewhat daunting. It’s more suited for those who have some experience with web hosting or development.
  • Users Who Prefer Phone Support: DigitalOcean lacks phone support, which might be a downside for users who prefer this method of customer service.

DigitalOcean Alternatives:

If you don't feel like DigitalOcean features or DigitalOcean cost is the right choice for you, here are some options you might want to check out:

Ranking Key Features Price (Basic Plan) My View
🥇 Bluehost One-click WordPress install, free domain for 1st year, free SSL certificate, unmetered bandwidth, and 24/7 customer support. $2.95/month Check Pricing Best for beginners due to its user-friendly interface, affordability, and comprehensive features. It also has strong ties with WordPress.
2. SiteGround Managed WordPress hosting, free SSL, daily backups, CDN, email, staging tool, and 24/7 support. $3.99/month Check Pricing Best for overall performance, features, and exceptional customer support. It’s particularly favored among WordPress users due to its specialized hosting services.
3. Kinsta Managed WordPress hosting, free migrations, daily backups, automatic scaling, Google Cloud Platform infrastructure. $30/month Check Pricing Best for businesses that rely heavily on WordPress. It offers high performance, security, and scalability.
4. A2 Hosting Turbo servers for faster loading, free account migration, anytime money-back guarantee, and 24/7/365 support. $2.99/month Check Pricing Best for developers due to its range of developer-friendly tools, and also for its high-speed performance.
5. WP Engine Managed WordPress hosting, daily backups, threat detection, SSL, CDN, staging environments. $30/month Check Pricing Best for WordPress users looking for high-performance hosting with top-notch security features and support.
6. Hostinger LiteSpeed Cache, WordPress acceleration, free SSL, 24/7/365 support, 99.9% uptime guarantee. $1.39/month Check Pricing Best for budget-conscious users seeking an excellent balance between affordability, performance, and features.
7. InMotion Hosting Free domain, SSD storage, free SSL, security suite, and 90-day money-back guarantee. $2.49/month Check Pricing Best for small to medium-sized businesses due to its solid performance, security features, and customer support.
8. DreamHost Managed WordPress hosting, free domain, SSD storage, free SSL, 97-day money-back guarantee. $2.59/month Check Pricing Best for those looking for strong privacy protection, a long money-back guarantee period, and steady performance.
9. Cloudways Managed cloud hosting, SSD-based hosting, free SSL, dedicated firewalls, 24/7/365 support. $10/month Check Pricing Best for users who want a mix of performance and flexibility without the hassle of managing a cloud server.
10. GreenGeeks Environmentally friendly, unlimited web space, data transfer, free domain name, nightly backups, and 24/7/365 support. $3.95/month Check Pricing Best for eco-conscious users seeking robust hosting features with a focus on renewable energy without compromising speed and security.
  • DigitalOcean vs Linode: Linode has similar features but is relatively more straightforward to use than DigitalOcean and provides more built-in features.
  • DigitalOcean vs Vultr: Vultr is known for performance and somewhat simpler pricing. It is better when it comes to price to CPU power, but DigitalOcean provides more flexible packages.
  • DigitalOcean vs Heroku: Choose DigitalOcean for flexible, low-cost cloud infrastructure, or Heroku for simplified app deployment and managed services.
  • DigitalOcean vs AWS (Amazon Web Services): AWS has more extensive service offerings but can be more complex and expensive.
  • DigitalOcean vs Bluehost: Bluehost is more beginner-friendly and offers shared hosting options.
  • DigitalOcean vs A2 Hosting: A2 Hosting is known for its speed and customer service.

Digital Ocean Review Final word:

Undoubtedly, DigitalOcean is a robust cloud-based hosting service that can help launch and grow businesses. However, as we reiterated in this DigitalOcean review, it is a tad complex from what ordinary users expect from a web hosting provider.

DigitalOcean is a powerful and efficient hosting service, but as with any service, it's essential to assess whether it aligns with your specific needs. I highly encourage you to take advantage of DigitalOcean's free trial or the pay-as-you-go model to see if it’s the right fit for your project. Always do your due diligence and thoroughly evaluate the services before making any long-term commitments.

Remember, the choice of hosting can have a significant impact on the success of your online presence. Choose wisely!

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FAQs:

What are the limits to the DigitalOcean trial?

First, free credit is only up to $100. Second, the DigitalOcean trial can cover you for only 60 days.

Is DigitalOcean fast?

Yes, the web host has blazing-fast speeds plus 99.99% uptime. It also comes with additional security services to safeguard your website from malicious attacks.


That's all for now:

Thanks for reading our Digital Ocean review, and don't forget to keep an eye out for our ever-growing blog of review and comparison articles. Check out related reliable hosting, website builder, gadget, and eCommerce platform review and comparison articles such as;

2 thoughts on “Digital Ocean Review 2023: Shocking Power 💥 You Need!

  1. This is spot on!. I shared this on my Twitter and my audience loved it!
    Keep up the great work. 🙂

  2. I have used Digital Ocean for more than 2 years and I regret it.

    I started over the recommendation of our freelancer, but in 2 years, I always had a hard time, from setting up, to managing, to backup, and performance, everything was very hard and confusing for me. And whenever I had a problem and opened a ticket, I only received automated responses and never heard from a real person answering my messages! In the end, one of my sites was hacked because of Digital Ocean and they didn’t even bother to respond to me for anything at all!

    I finally pulled the plug and changed to another hosting provider which I am happy with!

    So, in short, if you are not a genius with IT, stay away from Digital Ocean. Or if you use, pray that you will not have any problems and will need technical support, because if you do, support will be nowhere to be found!

    Stay away at all costs! You will regret it!

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