DO Droplets vs Linodes: Pricing Comparison (2026)
Updated Apr 6, 2026DOLinode
Overall Winner
DO
DO Wins
7
Linode Wins
4
Ties
0
Pricing Analysis
DigitalOcean wins 7 of 11 price comparisons, averaging 16.8% lower prices in categories where it leads.
Prices range from $0.007500/hr to $0.5200/hr across comparable tiers.
- ●DigitalOcean leads in Basic (Shared CPU) (4/5 tiers, avg 10% difference)
- ●DigitalOcean leads in General Purpose (2/3 tiers, avg 34% difference)
- ●Linode leads in CPU-Optimized (2/3 tiers, avg 10% difference)
Choose DigitalOcean
Best for Basic (Shared CPU) workloads
Choose DigitalOcean
Best for General Purpose workloads
Choose Linode
Best for CPU-Optimized workloads
Side-by-Side Pricing
Comparing DO Droplets and Linodes across 11 equivalent tiers. On-demand hourly rates are shown in USD for the default region.
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Family:
| Category | DO Droplets | Linode Linodes | Diff | Cheapest |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Basic (Shared CPU) - 1 vCPU, 1 GB RAM | $0.0089/hr s-1vcpu-1gb ($6.52/mo) | $0.0075/hr g6-nanode-1 ($5.47/mo) | +16.0% | Linode |
Basic (Shared CPU) - 1 vCPU, 2 GB RAM | $0.0179/hr s-1vcpu-2gb ($13.04/mo) | $0.0180/hr g6-standard-1 ($13.14/mo) | +0.8% | DO |
Basic (Shared CPU) - 2 vCPU, 4 GB RAM | $0.0357/hr s-2vcpu-4gb ($26.07/mo) | $0.0360/hr g6-standard-2 ($26.28/mo) | +0.8% | DO |
Basic (Shared CPU) - 4 vCPU, 8 GB RAM | $0.0714/hr s-4vcpu-8gb ($52.14/mo) | $0.0720/hr g6-standard-4 ($52.56/mo) | +0.8% | DO |
Basic (Shared CPU) - 8 vCPU, 16 GB RAM | $0.1429/hr s-8vcpu-16gb ($104.29/mo) | $0.2160/hr g6-dedicated-8 ($157.68/mo) | +33.9% | DO |
General Purpose - 2 vCPU, 8 GB RAM | $0.0938/hr g-2vcpu-8gb ($68.44/mo) | $0.1100/hr g8-dedicated-8-2 ($80.30/mo) | +14.8% | DO |
General Purpose - 4 vCPU, 16 GB RAM | $0.1875/hr g-4vcpu-16gb ($136.88/mo) | $0.5200/hr g2-gpu-rtx4000a1-s ($379.60/mo) | +63.9% | DO |
General Purpose - 8 vCPU, 32 GB RAM | $0.3750/hr g-8vcpu-32gb ($273.75/mo) | $0.2880/hr g6-standard-8 ($210.24/mo) | +23.2% | Linode |
CPU-Optimized - 2 vCPU, 4 GB RAM | $0.0625/hr c-2vcpu-4gb ($45.63/mo) | $0.0540/hr g6-dedicated-2 ($39.42/mo) | +13.6% | Linode |
CPU-Optimized - 4 vCPU, 8 GB RAM | $0.1250/hr c-4vcpu-8gb ($91.25/mo) | $0.1080/hr g6-dedicated-4 ($78.84/mo) | +13.6% | Linode |
CPU-Optimized - 8 vCPU, 16 GB RAM | $0.2500/hr c-8vcpu-16gb ($182.50/mo) | $0.2595/hr g7-premium-8 ($189.44/mo) | +3.7% | DO |
When to Choose DO Droplets
- ✓Basic (Shared CPU) - 1 vCPU, 2 GB RAM - saves $0.07/mo (0.8% cheaper)
- ✓Basic (Shared CPU) - 2 vCPU, 4 GB RAM - saves $0.22/mo (0.8% cheaper)
- ✓Basic (Shared CPU) - 4 vCPU, 8 GB RAM - saves $0.44/mo (0.8% cheaper)
- ✓Basic (Shared CPU) - 8 vCPU, 16 GB RAM - saves $53.36/mo (33.9% cheaper)
- ✓General Purpose - 2 vCPU, 8 GB RAM - saves $11.90/mo (14.8% cheaper)
- ✓General Purpose - 4 vCPU, 16 GB RAM - saves $242.73/mo (63.9% cheaper)
- ✓CPU-Optimized - 8 vCPU, 16 GB RAM - saves $6.93/mo (3.7% cheaper)
When to Choose Linode Linodes
- ✓Basic (Shared CPU) - 1 vCPU, 1 GB RAM - saves $1.02/mo (16% cheaper)
- ✓General Purpose - 8 vCPU, 32 GB RAM - saves $63.51/mo (23.2% cheaper)
- ✓CPU-Optimized - 2 vCPU, 4 GB RAM - saves $6.21/mo (13.6% cheaper)
- ✓CPU-Optimized - 4 vCPU, 8 GB RAM - saves $12.41/mo (13.6% cheaper)
Monthly Cost Examples
Basic (Shared CPU) - 1 vCPU, 1 GB RAM
DO s-1vcpu-1gb$6.52/mo
Linode g6-nanode-1$5.47/mo
General Purpose - 2 vCPU, 8 GB RAM
DO g-2vcpu-8gb$68.44/mo
Linode g8-dedicated-8-2$80.30/mo
CPU-Optimized - 8 vCPU, 16 GB RAM
DO c-8vcpu-16gb$182.50/mo
Linode g7-premium-8$189.44/mo
Individual Pricing Details
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