DigitalOcean vs RackNerd VPS
RackNerd has the lower starting price: $1.83 a month for 1 GB RAM, against $6.00 for 1 GB at DigitalOcean.
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
- RackNerd has the lower starting price: $1.83 a month for 1 GB RAM, against $6.00 for 1 GB at DigitalOcean.
- RackNerd gives more memory for your money: a median of $1.25 per GB of RAM, about 6.3 times cheaper than DigitalOcean at $7.88.
- DigitalOcean scales further, up to 256 GB RAM and 48 vCPU, while RackNerd tops out at 8 GB and 7 vCPU.
- For location, only DigitalOcean has servers in United Kingdom, Germany, Canada, Singapore, Australia, India, and only RackNerd has servers in France.
Side by side
| Compared on | DigitalOcean | RackNerd |
|---|---|---|
| Starting price | $6.00/mo | $1.83/mo (better) |
| Median price per GB RAM | $7.88 | $1.25 (better) |
| Lowest price per GB RAM | $5.25 | $1.25 (better) |
| Median price per vCPU | $31.50 | $1.50 (better) |
| VPS plans | 30 | 5 |
| Largest plan RAM | 256 GB (better) | 8 GB |
| Largest plan vCPU | 48 (better) | 7 |
| NVMe storage | No | No |
| Unlimited bandwidth plans | No | No |
| Server countries | United States, United Kingdom, Germany, Netherlands, Canada, Singapore, Australia, India | United States, Netherlands, France |
| Discount through VPS Scouter | – | – |
| Founded | 2011 | 2019 |
| Headquarters | New York, USA | Orange County, California, USA |
Price at every RAM size
The cheapest plan from each provider with at least this much memory, per month.
| RAM | DigitalOcean | RackNerd |
|---|---|---|
| 1 GB+ | $6.00 · Basic 1 GB (1 GB, 1 vCPU) | $1.83 · 1 GB KVM VPS (1 GB, 1 vCPU) (better) |
| 2 GB+ | $12.00 · Basic 2 GB (2 GB, 1 vCPU) | $3.00 · 2 GB KVM VPS (2 GB, 2 vCPU) (better) |
| 4 GB+ | $24.00 · Basic 4 GB (4 GB, 2 vCPU) | $5.00 · 4 GB KVM VPS (4 GB, 3 vCPU) (better) |
| 8 GB+ | $48.00 · Basic 8 GB (8 GB, 4 vCPU) | $10.00 · 8 GB KVM VPS (8 GB, 7 vCPU) (better) |
| 16 GB+ | $84.00 · Memory-Optimized 16 GB (16 GB, 2 vCPU) | No plan this size |
| 32 GB+ | $168.00 · Memory-Optimized 32 GB (32 GB, 4 vCPU) | No plan this size |
Best value plans from DigitalOcean and RackNerd
| # | Provider and plan | vCPU | RAM | Storage | Bandwidth | Price | Visit provider |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | RackNerd6 GB KVM VPS | 6 | 6 GB | 100 GB SSD | 12 TB | $7.50/mo1-year term | Visit RackNerd |
| 2 | RackNerd8 GB KVM VPS | 7 | 8 GB | 150 GB SSD | 20 TB | $10.00/mo1-year term | Visit RackNerd |
| 3 | RackNerd4 GB KVM VPS | 3 | 4 GB | 60 GB SSD | 7 TB | $5.00/mo1-year term | Visit RackNerd |
| 4 | RackNerd2 GB KVM VPS | 2 | 2 GB | 35 GB SSD | 5 TB | $3.00/mo1-year term | Visit RackNerd |
| 5 | RackNerd1 GB KVM VPS | 1 | 1 GB | 20 GB SSD | 3 TB | $1.83/mo1-year term | Visit RackNerd |
| 6 | DigitalOceanBasic 1 GB | 1 | 1 GB | 25 GB SSD | 1 TB | $6.00/mobilled monthly | Visit DigitalOcean |
| 7 | DigitalOceanBasic 2 GB | 1 | 2 GB | 50 GB SSD | 2 TB | $12.00/mobilled monthly | Visit DigitalOcean |
| 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 | DigitalOceanBasic 2 GB | 2 | 2 GB | 60 GB SSD | 3 TB | $18.00/mobilled monthly | Visit DigitalOcean |
| 12 | DigitalOceanStorage-Optimized 16 GB | 2 | 16 GB | 300 GB SSD | 4 TB | $131.00/mobilled monthly | Visit DigitalOcean |
Frequently Asked Questions
Is DigitalOcean cheaper than RackNerd?
RackNerd has the lower entry price at $1.83 a month. Per GB of RAM, RackNerd is cheaper, with a median of $1.25 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, DigitalOcean or RackNerd?
It depends on what you need. RackNerd gives more memory for your money: a median of $1.25 per GB of RAM, about 6.3 times cheaper than DigitalOcean at $7.88. DigitalOcean scales further, up to 256 GB RAM and 48 vCPU, while RackNerd tops out at 8 GB and 7 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.