DigitalOcean vs Krystal
Both are credible choices — here's where they genuinely differ.
Some links on this page are affiliate links. They never affect our verdict.
Pricing — including renewal
| DigitalOcean | Krystal | |
|---|---|---|
| Intro price | ~$4/mo (basic droplet) | ~£5/mo |
| Intro requires | Pay-as-you-go, no contract | Monthly billing available |
| Renewal | No teaser rates — the price is the price | Renewal close to intro price — no big jump |
| Money-back | Credit-based trial offers | 60 days |
Features compared
| DigitalOcean | Krystal | |
|---|---|---|
| Unlimited websites | ✔ Yes | — No |
| Multiple websites | — No | ✔ Yes |
| Free SSL | — No | ✔ Yes |
| Unmetered bandwidth | — No | ✔ Yes |
| Email included | — No | ✔ Yes |
| Free daily backups | — No | ✔ Yes |
| Free domain (1st yr) | — No | ✔ Yes |
| CDN included | — No | — No |
| Staging environment | — No | ✔ Yes |
| NVMe/SSD storage | ✔ Yes | ✔ Yes |
| UK data centre | ✔ Yes | ✔ Yes |
| No long contract | ✔ Yes | ✔ Yes |
| Support | Ticket-based; paid support plans for faster response | 24/7 UK-based support |
Plan details — what you actually get
DigitalOcean
Websites: Unlimited — it's your server
Storage: 10 GB+ NVMe per droplet, scalable
Bandwidth: Generous transfer allowance, then metered
Email: Not included (run your own / third party)
SSL: Free via Let's Encrypt (you configure)
Backups: Paid add-on (~20% of droplet cost)
CDN: Available (Spaces CDN)
Staging: DIY — spin up another droplet
Krystal
Websites: Multiple (plan-dependent)
Storage: Generous NVMe (plan-dependent)
Bandwidth: Unmetered
Email: Included
SSL: Free, unlimited
Backups: Free daily backups
CDN: Available
Staging: WordPress staging available
The verdict
Both DigitalOcean and Krystal are credible for honest renewal pricing. For those needs you won't go far wrong either way.
Choose DigitalOcean if your priority is developer features, growing / high traffic.
Choose Krystal if you care more about uk company & support, green / renewable energy, best support.