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Peter van Doorn
A DigitalOcean App Platform alternative for Django
DigitalOcean's App Platform is friendly and priced from $5 a month. For a Django app that matters, the details are in the database: the cheap dev database is not backed up and goes away with the app.
The short answer. Pick DigitalOcean for the lowest entry price or if you already run Droplets there. Pick Django Cloud when you want Django-specific deploys, production-grade Postgres with backups and an app that runs in your own AWS account.
Why choose Django Cloud over DigitalOcean
- Run it in your own AWS account, or let us run it. On Self-hosted your app runs in your own AWS account: you pay AWS its list price directly and us $10 a month, with no markup on compute. On Fully managed we run a dedicated AWS account for you: $29 a month with a server and a database, and a bigger server or database adds the difference.
- Your own isolated environment, without cold starts. Your app is not squeezed onto servers shared with other customers' apps. It runs in an AWS environment of its own and stays on, so the first visitor after a quiet hour does not wait for a machine to wake up.
- Focused on Django, and nothing else. Static files, migrations before every release, encrypted secrets, rollbacks that warn about database changes and Postgres that connects itself. A generic platform asks you to work these out; we only do Django.
DigitalOcean and Django Cloud at a glance
| DigitalOcean | Django Cloud | |
|---|---|---|
| Where your app runs | DigitalOcean's platform | Your own AWS account, or a dedicated AWS account we run for you |
| Entry price | $5 a month: 1 vCPU, 512 MiB, 50 GiB transfer (shared) | $29 a month Fully managed with a server and a database, or $10 plus the AWS Nano price of $7 on Self-hosted |
| Cheapest database | $7 dev database: not backed up by default, destroyed with the app, usable by its own app only | $15 managed Postgres (1 GB), with backups |
| Django knowledge | Generic build and run commands you configure | Static files, migrations, rollbacks and secrets handled for Django |
| Isolation | Apps share DigitalOcean's infrastructure | Your own AWS account, or a dedicated one we manage |
| Leaving | Move to another platform | Your servers and data sit in an AWS account you own |
What it costs to run a typical Django app
| DigitalOcean | Django Cloud Self-hosted | |
|---|---|---|
| 1 GB server with a database | $17 (1 GiB server $10 + dev database $7). For production, DigitalOcean's managed database clusters are priced separately | $39 Fully managed, or $40 Self-hosted (Small $15 + 1 GB database $15 + $10) |
DigitalOcean is cheaper on paper because the $7 dev database is meant for development. Put the app in production with a backed-up database and the prices come much closer; check DigitalOcean's pricing for its managed database clusters.
Start for free with AWS Activate credits
On the Self-hosted plan your app runs in your own AWS account, so AWS credits can pay for it. New AWS accounts can get up to $200 in credits, which is the amount most side projects can count on. Startups can also apply for up to $1,000 through AWS Activate, but AWS decides who qualifies and can change the terms.
Apply for AWS Activate creditsOpen an AWS account
When DigitalOcean is the better choice
- The lowest starting price, and a generous free tier for static sites
- Droplets and a wide range of other DigitalOcean products in one place
- A simple console you may already know
Questions
Is DigitalOcean App Platform good for Django?
It runs Django fine, but you configure the build, static files and migrations yourself. Django Cloud handles those for you and only supports Django.
Are backups included?
DigitalOcean's $7 dev database is not backed up by default. Django Cloud databases are managed Postgres databases with backups; see the backups documentation for the details.
Can AWS credits pay for my Django hosting?
On the Self-hosted plan your app runs in your own AWS account, so AWS credits can cover the AWS bill. New AWS accounts can get up to $200 in credits, and startups can apply for up to $1,000 through AWS Activate. AWS decides who qualifies and can change the terms. You still pay Django Cloud $10 a month, unless we sponsor you: students, open source maintainers, non-profit and scientific projects and AWS Activate startups can apply.
Get your Django project live, the easy way
One command or a git push. We host it for you on AWS, or you keep it in your own AWS account, where AWS credits can cover the AWS bill.
Prices and features were checked in October 2026 against the vendors' own pages (DigitalOcean App Platform pricing), and may have changed since. DigitalOcean is a trademark of its owner; Django Cloud is not affiliated with it. Spotted something out of date? Tell us and we will fix it.