DigitalOcean is one of the largest cloud hosting platforms in the world, providing cloud infrastructure to multinationals and small businesses alike.

However, the consensus is, DigitalOcean requires a lot of coding knowledge, so novices might find themselves lost. DigitalOcean also doesn’t include certain standard features like a free domain name and free site migrations.

You want to make sure you get a good cloud host for keeping your website running, and fortunately, you have numerous choices before you. Here are ten excellent alternatives and competitors to DigitalOcean.

Top 10 Best Alternatives & Competitors

  1. Linode – Most Developer-Friendly Alternative
  2. Vultr – Most Reliable Alternative
  3. Kamatera – Most Flexible Alternative
  4. Amazon EC2 – Most Popular Alternative
  5. Azure – Most Covered Alternative
  6. OVH – Most Europe-Focused Alternative
  7. Hostwinds – Most All-Inclusive Alternative
  8. A2 Hosting – Most Speedy Alternative
  9. Cloudways – Most Convenient Alternative
  10. SiteGround – Most Small Business-Oriented Alternative

1. Linode – Most Developer-Friendly Alternative

PRICING: starts at $5 per month

Linode, a portmanteau of Linux and node, is an excellent cloud host for developers acquainted with server management. Linode is highly scalable and boasts 99.99% uptime. Plus, Linode’s dashboard is handy and user-friendly.

Let the buyer beware: Linode is specifically designed “by developers, for developers,” so if you are unfamiliar with server management or Linux, you may struggle. Linode has also been the victim of several DDoS attacks, though granted, their security has since improved.

KEY FEATURES:

  • “NodeBalancers”
  • App marketplace
  • DNS manager

REASONS TO BUY:

  • Very developer-friendly
  • Highly customizable
  • Scalability

REASONS TO AVOID:

  • Only for highly savvy Linux users
  • Has been victim of several DDoS attacks
  • Uptime may not be as reliable as claimed

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2. Vultr – Most Reliable Alternative

PRICING: starts at $2.50 per month

With its widely praised UI and data center prevalence across the world, Vultr is undoubtedly a top contender to DigitalOcean. As far as web hosts go, Vultr is also affordable and scalable to suit your specific needs. Vultr guarantees 100% uptime and you receive credit when there is ever any downtime.

As friendly as the UI is, if you are new to cloud hosting, you might struggle with Vultr. On top of this, some users have complained that customer support is slow to respond to emails and tickets.

KEY FEATURES:

  • 25 worldwide datacenters
  • Snapshots of server instances

REASONS TO BUY:

  • Great user interface
  • Very flexible prices
  • Hourly billing
  • Scalability

REASONS TO AVOID:

  • Not many one-click applications
  • Limited customer support
  • Slightly complicated for beginners

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3. Kamatera – Most Flexible Alternative

PRICING: starts at $4 per month

If you’re looking for a cloud hosting provider with flexible plans, Kamatera is the service for you. You can configure RAM, CPU, and bandwidth to your liking, and at any point decrease or increase these specifications. Furthermore, while offering seven operating systems such as Windows and Ubuntu, Kamatera allows you to install custom ones if yours is missing from the list.

Though Kamatera’s unmanaged servers are highly economical, you’ll find managed ones are on the expensive side. If you are new to website management, you might also find Kamatera’s interface too complex.

KEY FEATURES:

  • Mobile app solutions
  • Firewalls
  • Block storage
  • Private cloud network
  • eCommerce service

REASONS TO BUY:

  • Customizability
  • User-friendly
  • Flexibility
  • Customer support
  • 30-day free trial
  • Pay-as-you-go

REASONS TO AVOID:

  • Managed servers are costly
  • Not beginner-friendly

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4. Amazon EC2 – Most Popular Alternative

PRICING: complex, starting at about $101 per month

Amazon EC2 is one of the most extensive cloud infrastructure platforms out there, powering Netflix, Airbnb, and Expedia, to name a few clients. Users especially praise EC2 for its scalability options, the problem is just switching instances and finding the right one of EC2’s many options.

Pricing for EC2 can vary wildly based on your locations and specific needs, so there probably will be cheaper options out there. Further, as Amazon is such an influential player, there’s always a chance of the cloud provider failing and your site facing downtime.

KEY FEATURES:

  • High I/O instances
  • Pay-as-you-go

REASONS TO BUY:

  • Fast SLA uptime
  • Scalability

REASONS TO AVOID:

  • Unpredictable downtime
  • Prices may vary tremendously

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5. Azure – Most Covered Alternative

PRICING: complex, starting at about $121 per month

Microsoft Azure is easy to get up and running and handily integrated with other Microsoft products. Azure also has over 100 data centers worldwide and looking to expand, so you can expect good cloud performance

On the other hand, the interface is confusing and the dashboard feels wildly cramped, though those deeply familiar with Microsoft will likely have an easier time navigating the software.

KEY FEATURES:

  • Integrated with Microsoft apps
  • On-demand provisioning
  • Analytics, especially for administration
  • Automatic scaling

REASONS TO BUY:

  • Pay-as-you-go
  • Easy setup
  • Offers a variety of features
  • Seventeen data centers

REASONS TO AVOID:

  • Crammed dashboard
  • Confusing interface

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6. OVH – Most Europe-Focused Alternative

PRICING: starts at $7.50 per month

OVH is the largest hosting provider of Europe and maintains over 30 datacenters around the world. OVH comes equipped with most of the features other cloud hosts have. Its affordability is one of its greatest strengths, offering several different plans.

One of the biggest negatives to OVH is customer support. For standard members, customer support is limited to an FAQ, a knowledgebase, a community forum, and email; only higher paying customers receive more comprehensive support.

KEY FEATURES:

  • Unlimited traffic
  • Multisite management
  • Anti-DDoS protection
  • OVHcloud API

REASONS TO BUY:

  • Over 30 datacenters
  • Affordable

REASONS TO AVOID:

  • Not beginner-friendly
  • Poor customer support

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7. Hostwinds – Most All-Inclusive Alternative

PRICING: starts at $3.29 per month

Hostwinds is an all-inclusive cloud host, controlling all of their servers, structures, and systems. Hostwinds uniquely offers both Windows and Linux hosting and hosts WordPress and Weebly.

Hostwinds claims 99.99999% which is an extraordinary promise that does not hold up. Their uptime is closer to 99.9% which is not horrible but nothing exceptional either. Their refund is also prorated, which means if you cancel two weeks into your monthly plan, you’re only refunded half.

KEY FEATURES:

  • Domain name
  • Protection against DDoS
  • WordPress hosting
  • SSDs included in all plans
  • Free website transfers

REASONS TO BUY:

  • 60-day money-back guarantee
  • Windows and Linux hosting
  • Free SSL
  • 24/7 customer support

REASONS TO AVOID:

  • Uptime not as high as promised
  • Prorated refund

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8. A2 Hosting – Most Speedy Alternative

PRICING: starts at $2.99 per month

A2 Hosting will run your website, and it will run it very fast, provided you choose the Turbo plan. A big part of this is that A2 Hosting uses SSD storage over HDD. A2 Hosting is also very reliable in terms of supporting internet traffic, sites rarely having less than 99.99% uptime.

On the downside, A2 Hosting is Linux powered, not providing any Linux servers. A2 Hosting also does not provide you with a free domain name.

KEY FEATURES:

  • SSDs
  • Multiple daily backups
  • 24/7 customer support
  • Cloudflare CDN

REASONS TO BUY:

  • Various plans to choose from
  • Very fast

REASONS TO AVOID:

  • No Windows server
  • No free domain name

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9. Cloudways – Most Convenient Alternative

PRICING: Starts at $10 per month

Rather than having its own infrastructure, Cloudways lets you choose a host such as AWS or Vult and then sets up and manages your server for you.

In terms of features, Cloudways has a lot to offer, like free SSL certifications and site cloning. The control panel is also very easy to use.

The bad news is, Cloudways won’t give you a free domain name, and email hosting costs extra. You also have to factor in the underlying host’s price too, so might end up paying a bit per month, but this is the price for convenience.

KEY FEATURES:

  • Free SSL certificates
  • Staging sites
  • Site cloning

REASONS TO BUY:

  • Choose your own host
  • Easy to set up
  • Multiple account tiers
  • Median load time of half a second

REASONS TO AVOID:

  • No free domain registration
  • Can be pricey

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10. SiteGround – Most Small Business-Oriented Alternative

PRICING: starts at $3.99 per month

SiteGround is a web host for the little guy, marketing itself to individuals and small businesses. SiteGround employs what’s called shared hosting, where several small websites share the same server. This is cost-efficient, but it puts your site at greater risk of going down. SiteGround also offers free daily backups, free cloudflare, and free SSL certificates.

On the downside, you’re limited to SiteGround’s shared hosting plan, so you’ll have limited storage and bandwidth. SiteGround also only has Linux servers, so if you use Microsoft, you’d want a different host.

KEY FEATURES:

  • Free daily backups
  • Free cloudware
  • Free SSL certificate
  • Malware checks
  • Cost-efficient we

REASONS TO BUY:

  • Highly scalable
  • Great for newcomers and small businesses
  • Various useful free services

REASONS TO AVOID:

  • Only Linux servers

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References and Links

  • https://www.linode.com/
  • https://www.websiteplanet.com/web-hosting/linode/
  • https://blog.back4app.com/what-is-linode/
  • https://www.vultr.com/
  • https://medium.com/@hemantsri/vultr-vs-digitalocean-cca7820c7266
  • https://hostingpill.com/hosting-reviews/vultr/
  • https://www.kamatera.com/
  • https://techjury.net/reviews/kamatera-review/
  • https://intellipaat.com/blog/aws-benefits-and-drawbacks/
  • https://aws.amazon.com/?nc2=h_lg
  • https://azure.microsoft.com/en-us/
  • https://www.pcmag.com/reviews/microsoft-azure
  • https://www.ovhcloud.com/en/web-hosting/
  • https://www.techradar.com/reviews/ovh
  • https://digital.com/best-web-hosting/ovh-com/
  • https://www.hostwinds.com/
  • https://digital.com/best-web-hosting/hostwinds/
  • https://www.fool.com/the-ascent/small-business/web-hosting/hostwinds-review/
  • https://www.a2hosting.com/
  • https://www.pcmag.com/reviews/a2-web-hosting
  • https://cybernews.com/best-web-hosting/a2-hosting-review/
  • https://www.cloudways.com/en/home.php
  • https://www.pcmag.com/reviews/cloudways-web-hosting
  • https://cybernews.com/best-web-hosting/cloudways-review/
  • https://www.designbombs.com/cloudways-review/#pros-cons
  • https://www.siteground.com/
  • https://www.pcmag.com/reviews/siteground-web-hosting
  • https://digital.com/best-web-hosting/siteground/