App platforms

DigitalOcean App Platform vs Railway

Choose DigitalOcean App Platform when you want a free static tier or a capped container bill. Choose Railway when the app and its database should live in one project and you accept usage billing.

DigitalOcean App Platform

Git deploys with a free static tier and paid containers

Free static tier, containers from $5/mo

Strengths

  • Static sites can stay on the free tier
  • A shared container has a flat monthly price

Limits

  • The $5 container is one shared instance with 512 MiB
  • A development database costs extra and is destroyed with the app

Vendor pricing Alternatives

Railway

Deploy a small service from a repo with little setup

Usage-based

Strengths

  • Fast path from a repo to a running service
  • Databases and apps live in one project

Limits

  • Usage billing can jump when a service stays busy
  • Less control than a VPS

Vendor pricing Alternatives