DigitalOcean vs Vercel
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 2026Vercel · updated Jun 2026
Web app
| Metric | DigitalOcean | Vercel |
|---|---|---|
| Cost at 1k DAU | $36/mo | $43.25/mo |
| Cost at 100 DAU | $21/mo | $1.25/mo |
| Cost at 1K DAU | $36/mo | $43.25/mo |
| Cost at 10K DAU | $40.76/mo | $334.40/mo |
| Cost at 100K DAU | $181.76/mo | $4556.65/mo |
| Services used |
|
|
| Fit score | 81/100 | 65/100 |
Verdict: Costs trade off by traffic level — compare the table above for your expected scale.
SaaS product
| Metric | DigitalOcean | Vercel |
|---|---|---|
| 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 | Vercel |
|---|---|---|
| Cost at 1k DAU | $41/mo | $99.64/mo |
| Cost at 100 DAU | $26/mo | $3.65/mo |
| Cost at 1K DAU | $41/mo | $99.64/mo |
| Cost at 10K DAU | $65.06/mo | $930.46/mo |
| Cost at 100K DAU | $516.84/mo | $10549.18/mo |
| Services used |
|
|
| Fit score | 81/100 | 60/100 |
Verdict: Costs trade off by traffic level — compare the table above for your expected scale.
API / backend service
| Metric | DigitalOcean | Vercel |
|---|---|---|
| Cost at 1k DAU | $36/mo | $43.25/mo |
| Cost at 100 DAU | $21/mo | $1.25/mo |
| Cost at 1K DAU | $36/mo | $43.25/mo |
| Cost at 10K DAU | $40.76/mo | $334.40/mo |
| Cost at 100K DAU | $181.76/mo | $4556.65/mo |
| Services used |
|
|
| Fit score | 81/100 | 55/100 |
Verdict: Costs trade off by traffic level — compare the table above for your expected scale.
Mobile app backend
| Metric | DigitalOcean | Vercel |
|---|---|---|
| Cost at 1k DAU | $41/mo | $99.64/mo |
| Cost at 100 DAU | $26/mo | $3.65/mo |
| Cost at 1K DAU | $41/mo | $99.64/mo |
| Cost at 10K DAU | $65.06/mo | $930.46/mo |
| Cost at 100K DAU | $516.84/mo | $10549.18/mo |
| Services used |
|
|
| Fit score | 81/100 | 50/100 |
Verdict: Costs trade off by traffic level — compare the table above for your expected scale.
Realtime / collaborative
| Metric | DigitalOcean | Vercel |
|---|---|---|
| Cost at 1k DAU | $36/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/mo | Not a fit for this app type |
| Cost at 10K DAU | $40.76/mo | Not a fit for this app type |
| Cost at 100K DAU | $181.76/mo | Not a fit for this app type |
| Services used |
| Not a fit for this app type |
| Fit score | 88/100 | — |
Verdict: DigitalOcean is the only viable option for this app type.
Jobs & pipelines
| Metric | DigitalOcean | Vercel |
|---|---|---|
| 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 | Vercel |
|---|---|---|
| Cost at 1k DAU | $41/mo | $99.64/mo |
| Cost at 100 DAU | $26/mo | $3.65/mo |
| Cost at 1K DAU | $41/mo | $99.64/mo |
| Cost at 10K DAU | $65.06/mo | $930.46/mo |
| Cost at 100K DAU | $516.84/mo | $10549.18/mo |
| Services used |
|
|
| Fit score | 81/100 | 60/100 |
Verdict: Costs trade off by traffic level — compare the table above for your expected scale.
Internal tool
| Metric | DigitalOcean | Vercel |
|---|---|---|
| Cost at 1k DAU | $36/mo | $43.25/mo |
| Cost at 100 DAU | $21/mo | $1.25/mo |
| Cost at 1K DAU | $36/mo | $43.25/mo |
| Cost at 10K DAU | $40.76/mo | $334.40/mo |
| Cost at 100K DAU | $181.76/mo | $4556.65/mo |
| Services used |
|
|
| Fit score | 81/100 | 65/100 |
Verdict: Costs trade off by traffic level — compare the table above for your expected scale.
These numbers assume a typical profile
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