DigitalOcean vs AWS Lightsail.
Prices checked
AWS Lightsail is cheaper at 3 of the 5 sizes both sell. At 4 GB of RAM, AWS Lightsail General Purpose 2C costs you $23.99 a month against $24 at DigitalOcean, checked .
Size for size
1 GB of RAM
DigitalOcean is $0.99 a month less (14%). compare the two
DigitalOcean · 1C, 1 GB · 25 GB SSD
$6/moAWS Lightsail · 2C, 1 GB · 40 GB SSD
$6.99/mo
2 GB of RAM
AWS Lightsail is $0.01 a month less (0%). compare the two
DigitalOcean · 1C, 2 GB · 50 GB SSD
$12/moAWS Lightsail · 2C, 2 GB · 60 GB SSD
$11.99/mo
4 GB of RAM
AWS Lightsail is $0.01 a month less (0%). compare the two
DigitalOcean · 2C, 4 GB · 80 GB SSD
$24/moAWS Lightsail · 2C, 4 GB · 80 GB SSD
$23.99/mo
8 GB of RAM
DigitalOcean is $1.99 a month less (5%). compare the two
DigitalOcean · 2C, 8 GB · 100 GB NVMe
$42/moAWS Lightsail · 2C, 8 GB · 160 GB SSD
$43.99/mo
16 GB of RAM
AWS Lightsail is $10 a month less (12%). compare the two
DigitalOcean · 4C, 16 GB · 200 GB NVMe
$84/moAWS Lightsail · 2C, 16 GB · 160 GB SSD
$74/mo
Where to start
compare the two best value plansDigitalOcean
1C · 512 MB · Value 72/100
$4/mo
AWS Lightsail
2C · 512 MB · Value 79/100
$5/mo
At a glance
| Measure |  DigitalOcean |  AWS Lightsail |
|---|---|---|
| Plans tracked | 70 | 12 |
| Cheapest plan | $4/mo | $5/mo |
| Typical price per GB of RAM | $8/mo | $6/mo |
| Average value | 25/100 | 45/100 |
| Locations | 10 | 19 |
| Dedicated vCPU plans | 39 | 0 |
| Plans on NVMe | 69% | 0% |
| Unmetered bandwidth | 0% of plans | 0% of plans |
| One-click stacks (of 10 tracked) | 9 | 2 |
Both sell servers in 4 cities: Frankfurt, London, Singapore, Sydney.
Best value from each
DigitalOcean
- 1
1C · 512 MB · Value 72/100
$4/mo - 2
1C · 1 GB · Value 71/100
$6/mo - 3
1C · 1 GB · Value 65/100
$7/mo - 4
1C · 1 GB · Value 65/100
$7/mo - 5
1C · 1 GB · Value 63/100
$8/mo
AWS Lightsail
- 1
2C · 512 MB · Value 79/100
$5/mo - 2
2C · 1 GB · Value 79/100
$6.99/mo - 3
2C · 2 GB · Value 72/100
$11.99/mo - 4
2C · 4 GB · Value 52/100
$23.99/mo - 5
4C · 16 GB · Value 44/100
$84/mo
How we count
On today's data, AWS Lightsail undercuts DigitalOcean on memory, at a typical $6 per GB of RAM a month against $8. The cheapest way in is DigitalOcean at $4 a month (Basic Regular 1C · 0.5 GB · 10 GB). AWS Lightsail counters with broader reach: 19 locations against 10.
Value is hardware per dollar: RAM, vCPU, disk and bandwidth for the price, scored out of 100 the same way for every plan in the index. The typical price per GB of RAM is the middle one of each provider's plans.
Each size is the cheapest plan with at least that much RAM and less than twice as much, so the two sides compare like with like; a provider with no plan in that range has no row there. Only a size where both plans include a disk names a cheaper side. A plan whose provider was last read more than three days ago, or that is sold out, is not a pick.
Prices exclude VAT, fetched 31 Oct 2026 from each provider's own API or public price page. How each one is read is on the data health page.
Frequently asked
- Which is cheaper, DigitalOcean or AWS Lightsail?
- AWS Lightsail is cheaper at 3 of the 5 sizes both sell. At 4 GB of RAM, AWS Lightsail General Purpose 2C · 4 GB costs $23.99/mo against $24/mo for DigitalOcean Basic Regular 2C · 4 GB · 80 GB, excl. VAT, as of 31 Oct 2026. The cheapest plan overall is DigitalOcean's at $4/mo.
- Which has more locations, DigitalOcean or AWS Lightsail?
- AWS Lightsail, with 19 locations against 10.
- Where do these prices come from?
- From each provider's own API or public price page, read and last refreshed 31 Oct 2026. Prices exclude VAT.
Provider pages