DigitalOcean vs Kinsta
This is not a like-for-like contest. DigitalOcean sells raw compute and hands you the operating system; Kinsta sells a managed service and charges for the work you no longer do. Compare them only if you genuinely have not decided whether to run the server yourself.
DigitalOcean
$6.00/mo entry
Developers who want a real server with predictable billing and no surprise egress invoice.
Kinsta
$35.00/mo entry
Revenue-generating WordPress sites where an hour of downtime costs more than the hosting bill.
Specification differences
Entry-tier plans compared line by line. Rows marked with a dash are preferences rather than measurable wins, so we do not pick a side on them.
| Attribute | DigitalOcean | Kinsta | Better |
|---|---|---|---|
| Entry plan price / month | $6.00 | $35.00 | DigitalOcean |
| Entry plan vCPU | 1 | 2 | Kinsta |
| Entry plan storage | 25 GB | 10 GB | DigitalOcean |
| Listed regions | 15 | 37 | Kinsta |
| Management model | Unmanaged (you run the OS) | Managed | |
| Support | Ticket support on all plans; paid support tiers for faster response. | 24/7 chat support from WordPress engineers, included on all plans. | |
| Billing | Hourly metering, capped at the listed monthly price. | Fixed monthly or annual plan; overage charges apply above visit limits. | |
| Free tier | No permanent free tier. Trial credit is offered to new accounts from time to time. | No free tier. Migrations are included instead. |
Every plan from both providers
Sorted by monthly price so you can see where the two ladders overlap.
DigitalOcean
Basic 1GB
$6.00
per month
- Specification
- 1 vCPU / 1 GB RAM
- Storage
- 25 GB SSD
- Included transfer
- 1 TB
- Cost per vCPU
- $6
- Cost per GB RAM
- $6
- Annual
- $72
AffiliatePricing pageDigitalOcean
Basic 2GB
$12.00
per month
- Specification
- 1 vCPU / 2 GB RAM
- Storage
- 50 GB SSD
- Included transfer
- 2 TB
- Cost per vCPU
- $12
- Cost per GB RAM
- $6
- Annual
- $144
AffiliatePricing pageDigitalOcean
Basic 2GB / 2 vCPU
$18.00
per month
- Specification
- 2 vCPU / 2 GB RAM
- Storage
- 60 GB SSD
- Included transfer
- 3 TB
- Cost per vCPU
- $9
- Cost per GB RAM
- $9
- Annual
- $216
AffiliatePricing pageDigitalOcean
Basic 4GB
$24.00
per month
- Specification
- 2 vCPU / 4 GB RAM
- Storage
- 80 GB SSD
- Included transfer
- 4 TB
- Cost per vCPU
- $12
- Cost per GB RAM
- $6
- Annual
- $288
AffiliatePricing pageKinsta
Starter
$35.00
per month
- Specification
- 25k visits/mo
- Storage
- 10 GB SSD
- Included transfer
- Metered
- Cost per vCPU
- $18
- Annual
- $420
AffiliatePricing pageDigitalOcean
Basic 8GB
$48.00
per month
- Specification
- 4 vCPU / 8 GB RAM
- Storage
- 160 GB SSD
- Included transfer
- 5 TB
- Cost per vCPU
- $12
- Cost per GB RAM
- $6
- Annual
- $576
AffiliatePricing pageKinsta
Pro
$70.00
per month
- Specification
- 50k visits/mo
- Storage
- 20 GB SSD
- Included transfer
- Metered
- Cost per vCPU
- $35
- Annual
- $840
AffiliatePricing pageKinsta
Business 1
$115.00
per month
- Specification
- 100k visits/mo
- Storage
- 30 GB SSD
- Included transfer
- Metered
- Cost per vCPU
- $29
- Annual
- $1380
AffiliatePricing pageKinsta
Business 2
$225.00
per month
- Specification
- 250k visits/mo
- Storage
- 40 GB SSD
- Included transfer
- Metered
- Cost per vCPU
- $56
- Annual
- $2700
AffiliatePricing page
| Provider & plan | Monthly | vCPU | RAM | Storage | Transfer | / vCPU | / GB RAM | Link |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
DigitalOcean Basic 1GBAffiliate | $6.00 | 1 | 1 GB | 25 GB | 1 TB | $6 | $6 | Open |
DigitalOcean Basic 2GBAffiliate | $12.00 | 1 | 2 GB | 50 GB | 2 TB | $12 | $6 | Open |
DigitalOcean Basic 2GB / 2 vCPUAffiliate | $18.00 | 2 | 2 GB | 60 GB | 3 TB | $9 | $9 | Open |
DigitalOcean Basic 4GBAffiliate | $24.00 | 2 | 4 GB | 80 GB | 4 TB | $12 | $6 | Open |
Kinsta StarterAffiliate | $35.00 | 2 | 25k visits | 10 GB | Metered | $18 | — | Open |
DigitalOcean Basic 8GBAffiliate | $48.00 | 4 | 8 GB | 160 GB | 5 TB | $12 | $6 | Open |
Kinsta ProAffiliate | $70.00 | 2 | 50k visits | 20 GB | Metered | $35 | — | Open |
Kinsta Business 1Affiliate | $115.00 | 4 | 100k visits | 30 GB | Metered | $29 | — | Open |
Kinsta Business 2Affiliate | $225.00 | 4 | 250k visits | 40 GB | Metered | $56 | — | Open |
All figures are the providers' own published list prices in USD, on-demand monthly, recorded on 2026-08-30. Nothing here is live or negotiated pricing. Hetzner publishes in euros, so its dollar figure moves with the exchange rate. Check the provider's pricing page before you commit.
Related comparisons
Some links on this page are affiliate links, marked Affiliate, and we may earn a commission if you sign up through them. Hetzner and Akamai Cloud pay us nothing and are included anyway, because a comparison that hides the cheapest option is worthless. Commission never affects the ordering: every table on this site is sorted by the figures you choose.