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Render vs DigitalOcean App Platform: free tier and first paid price (checked 2026-10-19)
Both have a free plan that stays free. Render Paid instance (workspace stays Hobby) or Pro workspace: $7/month instance, or Pro workspace $25/month + compute; DigitalOcean App Platform Paid Tier: $5/month. These first paid prices are not directly comparable from the list prices alone.
| Fact | Render | DigitalOcean App Platform |
|---|---|---|
| Free plan | Stays free | Stays free |
| Card for the free plan | Unknown | Unknown |
| EU region | Unknown | Unknown |
| First paid plan | Paid instance (workspace stays Hobby) or Pro workspace | Paid Tier |
| First paid price | $7/month instance, or Pro workspace $25/month + compute | $5/month |
| Free plan includes | Hobby workspace is $0/month + compute, for personal projects and prototypes, with 5 GB bandwidth included. Free compute: web services $0/month (512 MB RAM, limitations apply), Postgres $0/month (256 MB RAM, 100 connections), Key Value $0/month (25 MB RAM, 50 connections). FAQ: free compute is for exploring, personal projects, and previews, and has usage limits. | Free Tier starting at $0/month: 3 apps with static sites, 1 GiB data transfer allowance per app with static sites, deploy from GitHub and GitLab, automatic HTTPS, custom domain, global CDN, DDoS mitigation, unlimited team members. |
| Free limits |
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| Paid plan note | Smallest paid web service row: less than 1 CPU, 512 MB RAM, $7/month. Pro workspace is $25/month + compute and includes 25 GB bandwidth. | Container price table starts at $5.00. FAQ also mentions a '$5 free credit' without spelling out the terms in the extracted text. |
| EU / data region note | Page says 'Global regions & CDN' but does not name an EU city. | Not stated on this pricing page. |
| Last checked | ||
| Pricing page | render.com/pricing | www.digitalocean.com/pricing/app-platform |
Questions
Does Render or DigitalOcean App Platform have a free plan?
Render has a free plan that stays free; DigitalOcean App Platform has a free plan that stays free. Checked 2026-10-19: Render pricing, DigitalOcean App Platform pricing.
Which is cheaper to start paying for, Render or DigitalOcean App Platform?
Render Paid instance (workspace stays Hobby) or Pro workspace: $7/month instance, or Pro workspace $25/month + compute; DigitalOcean App Platform Paid Tier: $5/month. These first paid prices are not directly comparable from the list prices alone. Checked 2026-10-19: Render pricing, DigitalOcean App Platform pricing.
Do Render and DigitalOcean App Platform need a credit card for the free plan?
Render does not say whether a card is needed; DigitalOcean App Platform does not say whether a card is needed. Checked 2026-10-19: Render pricing, DigitalOcean App Platform pricing.
Do Render and DigitalOcean App Platform offer an EU region?
Render does not state an EU region; DigitalOcean App Platform does not state an EU region. Checked 2026-10-19: Render pricing, DigitalOcean App Platform pricing.
Sources
- Render pricing page (checked 2026-10-19)
- DigitalOcean App Platform pricing page (checked 2026-10-19)
Every cell is copied from the official pricing pages. The verdict is generated from those fields and makes no other claims. "Unknown" means the page did not say. Prices change: check the vendor page before you buy.
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