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Summary
DigitalOcean is a cloud computing platform that provides virtual servers, or “droplets,” for hosting and managing web applications, databases, and other software. It offers a simple and user-friendly interface, as well as a range of tools and features for managing and scaling resources, making it a popular choice for developers and businesses. DigitalOcean is known for its high-performance infrastructure, flexible pricing, and easy-to-use platform.
Overall
-
Ease of Use - 70%
70%
-
Features - 93%
93%
-
Performance - 98%
98%
-
Support & Resources - 90%
90%
-
Pricing - 85%
85%
Pros
- Powerful speeds and uptime
- Free trial available
- Pay only for what you use pricing
- Extensive apps integrations via Marketplace
Cons
- Not user-friendly
- Few built-in features
- No refunds
- No site staging and domain
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.
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.
Ease of Use:
In this DigitalOcean 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.
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 DigitalOcean reviews for ease of use? Great for advanced users, not suited for beginners.
Features:
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 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.
Email Rating:
This is another absent feature that we need to point out in this DigitalOcean reviews. If you need to operate your own mail server, you can consider Zoho, Google Apps, or Microsoft365.
Digital Ocean Review of Databases:
In this DigitalOcean reviews, its hosting service supports databases managed by MySQL, PostgreSQL, and Redis. You can rest easy since Digital Ocean handles all the configuration.
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.
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.
Digital Ocean Review of eCommerce and SSL certificate:
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.
You can give the platform a test drive through a DigitalOcean trial.
Digital Ocean Review of Security and Backups:
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. You don't have to worry since DigitalOcean performs daily backups. It also lets you restore data from the previous 7 days.
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.
See more DigitalOcean features
Performance:
Let's talk about the provider's performance in this Digital Ocean review.
Server Locations:
DigitalOcean has 8 different data centres located worldwide – in the
- United States,
- UK,
- Canada,
- Germany,
- Singapore,
- The Netherlands,
- and India.
Digital Ocean Review of Speed Results:
In this DigitalOcean reviews, this web host is crazy fast, and offers one of the best speeds in the industry, at 268 ms!
Digital Ocean Review of Average Uptime, Bandwidth, and Webspace limits/Storage:
Digital Ocean has an impressive 99.99% uptime, a fact we've tested ourselves and verified by users online.
Storage depends on the plan you select. It provides S3-compatible storage with CDN to make scaling a breeze for you.
Support and Resources:
In this DigitalOcean reviews, we were impressed by the support and resources provided by the platform. 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. Their support facilities also include a FAQs section and tutorials. You can also enter your query on the search function of their Help section.
What's a bit of a letdown, however, is that only a ticket system is available if you have complaints or additional questions.
See more DigitalOcean support features
DigitalOcean Pricing:
In this Digital Ocean review, let's delve into its pricing plans and DigitalOcean cost.
Plans:
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.
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.
DigitalOcean Free trial, refund policy, and money-back guarantee:
For this Digital Ocean review, we're happy to report that there is a DigitalOcean trial available. 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.
>>Click for the latest DigitalOcean cost and pricing details<<
Conclusion and Recommendations to our Digital Ocean Review:
Now, to wrap up this DigitalOcean reviews;
What is it best for?
It is best for entrepreneurial developers and advanced users who can handle technical jargon and complexity.
What is it not best for?
Not best for novice users or first-time website owners.
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 |
---|---|---|---|
1. Bluehost | 50GB storage, unmetered bandwidth, free domain 1st year, free SSL certificate | $2.95/month Check Pricing | Best for beginners and WordPress websites |
2. SiteGround | 10GB Web Space, ~10,000 Visits Monthly, Unmetered Traffic, Free WP Installation, Free WP Migrator, Free SSL, Free Email, Daily Backup, Free CDN, Managed WordPress, Unlimited Databases, 100% renewable energy match | $3.99/month Check Pricing | Best for WordPress websites and features excellent customer support |
3. DreamHost | Fast SSD storage, free domain, automatic WordPress updates, free SSL certificate | $2.49/month Check Pricing | Best for non-profits as it offers a free plan for them |
4. A2 Hosting | Unlimited SSD Space & Transfer, Free & Easy Site Migration, Free Automatic Backups, Anytime Money Back Guarantee | $2.99/month Check Pricing | Best for speed with their turbo servers |
5. HostGator | Unmetered bandwidth & disk space, free domain, free SSL certificate | $2.75/month Check Pricing | Best for small businesses and startups |
6. WPX Hosting | High-speed, custom CDN, unlimited site migrations, unlimited SSLs, 24/7 fast-response support | $20.83/month Check Pricing | Best for those seeking high-speed hosting and excellent customer support |
7. Kinsta | Google Cloud Platform, 24 global locations, next-generation infrastructure, free migrations, 24/7 support | $30/month Check Pricing | Best for those wanting Google Cloud hosting and multiple global locations |
8. Nexcess | Auto-scaling, automatic plugin updates, automatic backups, 24/7 support | $19/month Check Pricing | Best for eCommerce with its auto-scaling feature |
9. LiquidWeb | Fully managed, dedicated IP, DDoS protection, 24/7 support | $19/month Check Pricing | Best for fully-managed hosting and those needing a dedicated IP |
10. Scala Hosting | Free domain, SSD powered, free website migration, 24/7 support | $3.95/month Check Pricing | Best for those looking for a free domain and SSD powered hosting |
- DigitalOcean vs Linode: Linode is relatively more straightforward to use than DigitalOcean and provides more built-in features.
- DigitalOcean vs Vultr: Vultr 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.
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.
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;