DigitalOcean App Platform vs AWS App Runner

DPDigitalOcean App Platform8.8Visit AWS App Runner8.5Visit

Higher score DP DigitalOcean App Platform #5 in Docker Hosting 8.8/10 Free plan Free plan✓ 0 of 4 features Visit DigitalOcean

vs

AWS App Runner #8 in Docker Hosting 8.5/10 Paid ✓ 0 of 4 features Visit AWS App Runner

• DigitalOcean App Platform fits best

  Small teams hosting apps without managing servers

• AWS App Runner fits best

  Existing AWS teams running App Runner services

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Side by side

Feature	DPDigitalOcean App Platform 8.8/10 Visit ↗	AWS App Runner 8.5/10 Visit ↗
At a glance
Editor score	8.8	8.5
Ranking	#5 in Docker Hosting	#8 in Docker Hosting
Best for	Small teams hosting apps without managing servers	Existing AWS teams running App Runner services
Pricing model	Free plan + paid	Paid
Starting price	$5/unit/mo	$0.007/GB usage-based
Free plan	✓ (best)	—
Free trial	—	—
Deployment	Cloud	Cloud
Platforms	Web	Web
Integrations	7 integrations	2 integrations
Built for	Small business, Mid-market, Enterprise	Small business, Mid-market, Enterprise
Features DigitalOcean App Platform 0/4 · AWS App Runner 0/4
Autoscaling	Not checked yet	Not checked yet
Persistent storage	Not checked yet	Not checked yet
Custom domains	Not checked yet	Not checked yet
Managed databases	Not checked yet	Not checked yet
Specs
Deployment methods	Not checked yet	Not checked yet
Available regions	Not checked yet	Not checked yet
Our review
Pros	Deploy from Git providers or container registries using Dockerfiles or buildpacks Free tier includes up to 3 static-site apps, HTTPS, custom domains, and CDN Rollback, metrics, log forwarding, and worker or scheduled-job components	Deploys from source code or container images Automatically scales active instances and load balances applications Supports encrypted traffic and private VPC connectivity
Cons	Free tier is limited to static-site components The $5 and $10 fixed plans have no autoscaling Shared plans have defined memory and transfer limits	Stopped accepting new customers on April 30, 2026 AWS does not plan to add new features Usage-based, region-dependent charges can be harder to forecast
Our verdict	DigitalOcean App Platform is a managed cloud platform for deploying web apps, APIs, workers, scheduled jobs, functions, and static sites. It suits developers and teams that want application hosting without maintaining servers, including… Read the review →	AWS App Runner is a managed service for building, deploying, and running web applications and APIs from source code or container images. It handles deployments, load balancing, encrypted application traffic, and scaling, with options to… Read the review →

Strengths and trade-offs

• DigitalOcean App Platform — where it wins

  • Deploy from Git providers or container registries using Dockerfiles or buildpacks
  • Free tier includes up to 3 static-site apps, HTTPS, custom domains, and CDN
  • Rollback, metrics, log forwarding, and worker or scheduled-job components

  Where it doesn't

  • Free tier is limited to static-site components
  • The $5 and $10 fixed plans have no autoscaling
  • Shared plans have defined memory and transfer limits

• AWS App Runner — where it wins

  • Deploys from source code or container images
  • Automatically scales active instances and load balances applications
  • Supports encrypted traffic and private VPC connectivity

  Where it doesn't

  • Stopped accepting new customers on April 30, 2026
  • AWS does not plan to add new features
  • Usage-based, region-dependent charges can be harder to forecast

• DPDigitalOcean App Platform8.8/10 · Free plan

  A managed deployment platform with Docker support and a free static-site tier.

  Visit DigitalOceanFull verdict →
• AWS App Runner8.5/10 · Paid

  A managed AWS runtime for source or container deployments, now closed to new customers.

  Visit AWS App RunnerFull verdict →