UpCloud vs DigitalOcean 2026: Which VPS Provider is Better?

UpCloud vs DigitalOcean (2026)

UpCloud and DigitalOcean both target developers who want a predictable VPS experience: a modern control panel, fast provisioning, and clear pricing. The best choice depends on what you optimize for:

• Lowest entry price + clearer refund window: UpCloud
• Ecosystem + docs + “standard choice” for many tutorials: DigitalOcean
• Latency-sensitive apps: pick the closest location first, then validate with a quick test (see our latency tier system)

Quick summary

Pricing (how to compare fairly)

“Cheapest plan” is only a starting point. For most real workloads you should compare:

1. Comparable monthly USD price (so annual promos don’t distort value)
2. CPU tier (shared vs dedicated / premium)
3. Storage type (SSD vs NVMe) and whether your app is I/O bound
4. Bandwidth/traffic limits (or unmetered terms)

Use our VPS Finder to filter by budget and minimum specs, and then sanity-check shortlists on the plan pages.

Locations and latency

For latency-sensitive apps (APIs, gaming, realtime, some SaaS), location can matter more than CPU.

• Start by filtering to the region closest to your users: see Best VPS by region.
• If your users cluster in one country/city, use Locations and open Finder with location filters applied.
• On plan pages, check latency tiers (and “measured” vs “estimated”) in the latency section.

Performance and benchmarks

Synthetic benchmarks are not a substitute for your real workload, but they’re useful to avoid obvious low-performance options.

• Use the Benchmarks leaderboard to explore plans with benchmark data only.
• For a repeatable workflow, follow How to benchmark a VPS.

Refunds, credits, and “try before you commit”

Refund/credit policies matter when you’re testing providers:

• UpCloud: has a defined money-back window (first payment scope; read the policy before relying on it).
• DigitalOcean: tends to be case-by-case, but often offers promotional credits for new accounts.

Practical approach: start with the smallest plan that fits, deploy the same stack, run the same tests, and only then scale.

When to choose which

Choose UpCloud if…

• You want strong value per dollar and a broad EU footprint.
• You care about measured latency tiers and want to pick the closest location first.
• You prefer a more explicit refund window during evaluation.

Choose DigitalOcean if…

• You want the most common “default” provider in tutorials and community guides.
• You value simple workflows and a well-known ecosystem.
• You expect to lean on credits/promos more than refunds.

How to decide in 10 minutes

1. Open VPS Finder and set your budget + minimum specs.
2. Shortlist 3–5 plans from each provider.
3. Compare two finalists directly using Compare A vs B.
4. Deploy your stack, then validate with a repeatable benchmark + basic monitoring.

Bottom line: UpCloud is often the stronger “value + location-first” pick; DigitalOcean is often the stronger “ecosystem + familiarity” pick. For anything latency-sensitive, choose the closest region first and verify with a real test.

Data note: providers change pricing and policies. Always check plan pages for lastChecked and confirm on the provider site before purchase.