DigitalOcean App Platform
DigitalOcean App Platform: A managed deployment platform with Docker support and a free static-site tier. Ranked #5 of 63 in Docker Hosting by our editors (8.8/10); pricing: Free plan; best for small teams hosting apps without managing servers.
At a glance
- Editor score8.8 / 10
- PricingFree plan
- Best forSmall teams hosting apps without managing servers
- Free planYes
- Paid from$5/unit/mo
- Founded2012
- Facts checked27 Sep 2026
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
Our verdict on DigitalOcean App Platform
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 small teams starting with static sites or modest services. Deployments can come from GitHub, GitLab, Bitbucket, or container registries, and builds can use language buildpacks or Dockerfiles. Its scope spans more than container hosting: the platform also handles deployment and scaling for several application components.
The free tier is specifically for up to 3 apps using static-site components, with 1 GiB of outbound data per app monthly, GitHub and GitLab deployment, automatic HTTPS, custom domains, and a global CDN. Paid shared plans begin at $5 per month for 1 shared vCPU, 512 MiB memory, and 50 GiB transfer, with no autoscaling. The $10 Shared fixed 1 GiB plan includes 1 shared vCPU, 1 GiB memory, and 100 GiB transfer, also without autoscaling. Other listed tiers are $12 monthly for 1 GiB and 150 GiB transfer, $25 for 2 GiB and 200 GiB, and $50 for 4 GiB and 250 GiB. These options make capacity and transfer tradeoffs explicit; choose a tier based on workload needs rather than treating the free offer as general-purpose compute.
The platform connects with DigitalOcean Managed Databases and Spaces, as well as Docker Hub and DigitalOcean Container Registry. Horizontal scaling and CPU-based autoscaling are available on eligible instances, alongside managed metrics, log forwarding, deployment rollback, and dedicated ingress and egress networking options. That breadth is useful for teams consolidating app components in one managed deployment workflow. It is less suitable when static hosting is not enough but a fixed low-cost plan's resource ceilings are too restrictive, or when autoscaling is required on the $5 or $10 fixed tiers. Small teams seeking managed deployment and straightforward app hosting are a natural fit; teams needing more control over server infrastructure may prefer another approach.
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DigitalOcean App Platform pricing
All 6 DigitalOcean App Platform plans and prices →
DigitalOcean App Platform fact sheet
| Free plan | Yes |
|---|---|
| Paid from | $5/unit/mo |
| Autoscaling | Not verified |
| Deployment methods | Not verified |
| Available regions | Not verified |
| Persistent storage | Not verified |
| Custom domains | Not verified |
| Managed databases | Not verified |
| Deployment | Cloud |
| Platforms | Web |
| Support | Tickets, Docs, Live chat |
| Built for | Small business, Mid-market, Enterprise (editorial estimate) |
| Integrations | 7 integrations: GitHub, GitLab, Bitbucket, Docker Hub, DigitalOcean Container Registry, DigitalOcean Managed Databases … |
| Pricing | Free plan (source) |
| Website | digitalocean.com |
| Facts checked | 27 Sep 2026 |
DigitalOcean App Platform integrations
DigitalOcean App Platform lists 7 integrations on its own site.
- GitHub
- GitLab
- Bitbucket
- Docker Hub
- DigitalOcean Container Registry
- DigitalOcean Managed Databases
- DigitalOcean Spaces
Alternatives to DigitalOcean App Platform
- Google Cloud RunA usage-priced managed container platform for services, jobs, and event-driven workloads.9.4
- Amazon Elastic Container ServiceA fit for AWS teams that want managed orchestration with flexible compute and networking.9.3
- Azure Container AppsA flexible Azure service for container apps that need event-based scaling and scale-to-zero.9.2
See all DigitalOcean App Platform alternatives →
DigitalOcean App Platform vs the competition
- DigitalOcean App Platform vs Google Cloud Run
- DigitalOcean App Platform vs Amazon Elastic Container Service
- DigitalOcean App Platform vs Azure Container Apps
- DigitalOcean App Platform vs IBM Code Engine
- DigitalOcean App Platform vs AWS Elastic Beanstalk
- DigitalOcean App Platform vs Azure Container Instances
Compare DigitalOcean App Platform with any tool side by side →
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Reviewed by iTechGuides Editors · Editorial team · Updated Oct 2026
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