Netlify
Jamstack projects and teams wanting a full-featured platform with built-in forms, identity, and excellent free tier.
DigitalOcean App Platform
Teams using DigitalOcean infrastructure who want simple deployment with managed databases and predictable billing.
Score Comparison
Pricing & Features
Making Your Decision
When to Choose Netlify
Jamstack projects and teams wanting a full-featured platform with built-in forms, identity, and excellent free tier.
Netlify pioneered the modern deployment workflow and remains excellent. The generous free tier and built-in features like forms make it ideal for many projects. A strong Vercel alternative.
Strengths
- Generous free tier with forms and identity
- Excellent Git-based workflow
- Built-in forms, identity, and split testing
- Great documentation and community
Limitations
- Edge functions less mature than Vercel
- Build times can be slower
- Some premium features locked to higher tiers
When to Choose DigitalOcean App Platform
Teams using DigitalOcean infrastructure who want simple deployment with managed databases and predictable billing.
DigitalOcean App Platform brings PaaS simplicity to DO's infrastructure. Great if you're already in the DigitalOcean ecosystem, but specialists outperform it for frontend apps.
Strengths
- Simple DigitalOcean integration
- Managed databases and storage
- Predictable pricing
- Good for full-stack apps
Limitations
- Fewer edge locations than specialists
- Less optimized for frontend frameworks
- Build times can be slow
