AWS Lightsail vs DigitalOcean VPS
DigitalOcean has the lower starting price: $6.00 a month for 1 GB RAM, against $7.00 for 1 GB at AWS Lightsail.
Prices checked on October 27, 2026. Monthly prices in USD on the billing term shown with each plan, including discounts through our links. We earn a fee if you buy through a provider link, which never changes the ranking. How we rank
The short answer
- DigitalOcean has the lower starting price: $6.00 a month for 1 GB RAM, against $7.00 for 1 GB at AWS Lightsail.
- AWS Lightsail gives more memory for your money: a median of $6.00 per GB of RAM, about 1.3 times cheaper than DigitalOcean at $7.88.
- AWS Lightsail scales further, up to 512 GB RAM and 72 vCPU, while DigitalOcean tops out at 256 GB and 48 vCPU.
- For location, only DigitalOcean has servers in United Kingdom, Germany, Netherlands, Singapore, Australia, India.
Side by side
| Compared on | AWS Lightsail | DigitalOcean |
|---|---|---|
| Starting price | $7.00/mo | $6.00/mo (better) |
| Median price per GB RAM | $6.00 (better) | $7.88 |
| Lowest price per GB RAM | $4.50 (better) | $5.25 |
| Median price per vCPU | $23.45 (better) | $31.50 |
| VPS plans | 24 | 30 |
| Largest plan RAM | 512 GB (better) | 256 GB |
| Largest plan vCPU | 72 (better) | 48 |
| NVMe storage | No | No |
| Unlimited bandwidth plans | No | No |
| Server countries | United States, Canada | United States, United Kingdom, Germany, Netherlands, Canada, Singapore, Australia, India |
| Discount through VPS Scouter | – | – |
| Founded | 2016 | 2011 |
| Headquarters | Seattle, USA | New York, USA |
Price at every RAM size
The cheapest plan from each provider with at least this much memory, per month.
| RAM | AWS Lightsail | DigitalOcean |
|---|---|---|
| 1 GB+ | $7.00 · Lightsail 1 GB (1 GB, 2 vCPU) | $6.00 · Basic 1 GB (1 GB, 1 vCPU) (better) |
| 2 GB+ | $12.00 · Lightsail 2 GB (2 GB, 2 vCPU) | $12.00 · Basic 2 GB (2 GB, 1 vCPU) |
| 4 GB+ | $24.00 · Lightsail 4 GB (4 GB, 2 vCPU) | $24.00 · Basic 4 GB (4 GB, 2 vCPU) |
| 8 GB+ | $44.00 · Lightsail 8 GB (8 GB, 2 vCPU) (better) | $48.00 · Basic 8 GB (8 GB, 4 vCPU) |
| 16 GB+ | $74.00 · Lightsail 16 GB (16 GB, 2 vCPU) (better) | $84.00 · Memory-Optimized 16 GB (16 GB, 2 vCPU) |
| 32 GB+ | $144.00 · Lightsail 32 GB (32 GB, 4 vCPU) (better) | $168.00 · Memory-Optimized 32 GB (32 GB, 4 vCPU) |
Best value plans from AWS Lightsail and DigitalOcean
| # | Provider and plan | vCPU | RAM | Storage | Bandwidth | Price | Visit provider |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | AWS LightsailLightsail 1 GB | 2 | 1 GB | 40 GB SSD | 2 TB | $7.00/mobilled monthly | Visit AWS Lightsail |
| 2 | AWS LightsailLightsail 2 GB | 2 | 2 GB | 60 GB SSD | 3 TB | $12.00/mobilled monthly | Visit AWS Lightsail |
| 3 | DigitalOceanBasic 1 GB | 1 | 1 GB | 25 GB SSD | 1 TB | $6.00/mobilled monthly | Visit DigitalOcean |
| 4 | DigitalOceanBasic 2 GB | 1 | 2 GB | 50 GB SSD | 2 TB | $12.00/mobilled monthly | Visit DigitalOcean |
| 5 | AWS LightsailLightsail 32 GB | 8 | 32 GB | 640 GB SSD | 7 TB | $164.00/mobilled monthly | Visit AWS Lightsail |
| 6 | AWS LightsailLightsail 16 GB | 4 | 16 GB | 320 GB SSD | 6 TB | $84.00/mobilled monthly | Visit AWS Lightsail |
| 7 | AWS LightsailLightsail 4 GB | 2 | 4 GB | 80 GB SSD | 4 TB | $24.00/mobilled monthly | Visit AWS Lightsail |
| 8 | DigitalOceanBasic 4 GB | 2 | 4 GB | 80 GB SSD | 4 TB | $24.00/mobilled monthly | Visit DigitalOcean |
| 9 | DigitalOceanBasic 8 GB | 4 | 8 GB | 160 GB SSD | 5 TB | $48.00/mobilled monthly | Visit DigitalOcean |
| 10 | DigitalOceanBasic 16 GB | 8 | 16 GB | 320 GB SSD | 6 TB | $96.00/mobilled monthly | Visit DigitalOcean |
| 11 | AWS LightsailLightsail 8 GB | 2 | 8 GB | 160 GB SSD | 5 TB | $44.00/mobilled monthly | Visit AWS Lightsail |
| 12 | DigitalOceanBasic 2 GB | 2 | 2 GB | 60 GB SSD | 3 TB | $18.00/mobilled monthly | Visit DigitalOcean |
Frequently Asked Questions
Is AWS Lightsail cheaper than DigitalOcean?
DigitalOcean has the lower entry price at $6.00 a month. Per GB of RAM, AWS Lightsail is cheaper, with a median of $6.00 across its plans. Which one is cheaper for you depends on the plan size you need, so check the table by RAM size.
Which is better, AWS Lightsail or DigitalOcean?
It depends on what you need. AWS Lightsail gives more memory for your money: a median of $6.00 per GB of RAM, about 1.3 times cheaper than DigitalOcean at $7.88. AWS Lightsail scales further, up to 512 GB RAM and 72 vCPU, while DigitalOcean tops out at 256 GB and 48 vCPU. Neither price tells you about speed or support, so read the provider pages and reviews too.
How do you compare the prices?
We use each provider's monthly price in USD on the billing term it advertises, which we show next to every price, including any discount you get through our links. Prices come from the providers' own pricing pages and are checked every Sunday.