DigitalOcean vs Railway
Monthly hosting costs for typical app profiles — computed with the same recommendation engine as StackPlan stack reports. Assumes balanced budget and ops preferences unless noted.
Pricing data:DigitalOcean · updated Jul 2026Railway · updated Jun 2026
Web app
| Metric | DigitalOcean | Railway |
|---|---|---|
| Cost at 1k DAU | $36/mo | $28.25/mo |
| Cost at 100 DAU | $21/mo | $6.25/mo |
| Cost at 1K DAU | $36/mo | $28.25/mo |
| Cost at 10K DAU | $40.76/mo | $248/mo |
| Cost at 100K DAU | $181.76/mo | $2460.25/mo |
| Services used |
|
|
| Fit score | 81/100 | 98/100 |
Verdict: It flips at scale: Railway cheaper at 1k DAU, DigitalOcean at 100k.
SaaS product
| Metric | DigitalOcean | Railway |
|---|---|---|
| Cost at 1k DAU | $36.40/mo | Not a fit for this app type |
| Cost at 100 DAU | $21/mo | Not a fit for this app type |
| Cost at 1K DAU | $36.40/mo | Not a fit for this app type |
| Cost at 10K DAU | $46.36/mo | Not a fit for this app type |
| Cost at 100K DAU | $241.36/mo | Not a fit for this app type |
| Services used |
| Not a fit for this app type |
| Fit score | 61/100 | — |
Verdict: DigitalOcean is the only viable option for this app type.
E-commerce store
| Metric | DigitalOcean | Railway |
|---|---|---|
| Cost at 1k DAU | $41/mo | $36.98/mo |
| Cost at 100 DAU | $26/mo | $7.06/mo |
| Cost at 1K DAU | $41/mo | $36.98/mo |
| Cost at 10K DAU | $65.06/mo | $335.84/mo |
| Cost at 100K DAU | $516.84/mo | $3339.10/mo |
| Services used |
|
|
| Fit score | 81/100 | 80/100 |
Verdict: It flips at scale: Railway cheaper at 1k DAU, DigitalOcean at 100k.
API / backend service
| Metric | DigitalOcean | Railway |
|---|---|---|
| Cost at 1k DAU | $36/mo | $28.25/mo |
| Cost at 100 DAU | $21/mo | $6.25/mo |
| Cost at 1K DAU | $36/mo | $28.25/mo |
| Cost at 10K DAU | $40.76/mo | $248/mo |
| Cost at 100K DAU | $181.76/mo | $2460.25/mo |
| Services used |
|
|
| Fit score | 81/100 | 98/100 |
Verdict: It flips at scale: Railway cheaper at 1k DAU, DigitalOcean at 100k.
Mobile app backend
| Metric | DigitalOcean | Railway |
|---|---|---|
| Cost at 1k DAU | $41/mo | $36.98/mo |
| Cost at 100 DAU | $26/mo | $7.06/mo |
| Cost at 1K DAU | $41/mo | $36.98/mo |
| Cost at 10K DAU | $65.06/mo | $335.84/mo |
| Cost at 100K DAU | $516.84/mo | $3339.10/mo |
| Services used |
|
|
| Fit score | 81/100 | 80/100 |
Verdict: It flips at scale: Railway cheaper at 1k DAU, DigitalOcean at 100k.
Realtime / collaborative
| Metric | DigitalOcean | Railway |
|---|---|---|
| Cost at 1k DAU | $36/mo | $28.25/mo |
| Cost at 100 DAU | $21/mo | $6.25/mo |
| Cost at 1K DAU | $36/mo | $28.25/mo |
| Cost at 10K DAU | $40.76/mo | $248/mo |
| Cost at 100K DAU | $181.76/mo | $2460.25/mo |
| Services used |
|
|
| Fit score | 88/100 | 100/100 |
Verdict: It flips at scale: Railway cheaper at 1k DAU, DigitalOcean at 100k.
Jobs & pipelines
| Metric | DigitalOcean | Railway |
|---|---|---|
| Cost at 1k DAU | $36.40/mo | Not a fit for this app type |
| Cost at 100 DAU | $21/mo | Not a fit for this app type |
| Cost at 1K DAU | $36.40/mo | Not a fit for this app type |
| Cost at 10K DAU | $46.36/mo | Not a fit for this app type |
| Cost at 100K DAU | $241.36/mo | Not a fit for this app type |
| Services used |
| Not a fit for this app type |
| Fit score | 71/100 | — |
Verdict: DigitalOcean is the only viable option for this app type.
AI app
| Metric | DigitalOcean | Railway |
|---|---|---|
| Cost at 1k DAU | $41/mo | $36.98/mo |
| Cost at 100 DAU | $26/mo | $7.06/mo |
| Cost at 1K DAU | $41/mo | $36.98/mo |
| Cost at 10K DAU | $65.06/mo | $335.84/mo |
| Cost at 100K DAU | $516.84/mo | $3339.10/mo |
| Services used |
|
|
| Fit score | 81/100 | 70/100 |
Verdict: It flips at scale: Railway cheaper at 1k DAU, DigitalOcean at 100k.
Internal tool
| Metric | DigitalOcean | Railway |
|---|---|---|
| Cost at 1k DAU | $36/mo | $28.25/mo |
| Cost at 100 DAU | $21/mo | $6.25/mo |
| Cost at 1K DAU | $36/mo | $28.25/mo |
| Cost at 10K DAU | $40.76/mo | $248/mo |
| Cost at 100K DAU | $181.76/mo | $2460.25/mo |
| Services used |
|
|
| Fit score | 81/100 | 98/100 |
Verdict: It flips at scale: Railway cheaper at 1k DAU, DigitalOcean at 100k.
These numbers assume a typical profile
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