Compare / DigitalOcean App Platform vs Deno Deploy
DigitalOcean App Platform vs Deno Deploy
Pre-calculated from hand-checked data — DigitalOcean checked 2026-08-01, Deno Deploy checked 2026-08-01.
The short version
Deno Deploy wins more of our comparison points, but DigitalOcean App Platform still fits if apps that want git-push deploys inside a provider they can grow with describes you.
Price Deno Deploy
Deno Deploy is cheaper at most of the stages we model.
Ease Tie
Both take similar effort to get a first deploy live.
Control DigitalOcean App Platform
DigitalOcean App Platform gives you more control over the stack — the flip side of the convenience trade.
Free tier Deno Deploy
Deno Deploy has a free tier; DigitalOcean App Platform doesn't.
Features Deno Deploy
Deno Deploy comes out ahead on 6 of the 15 features we track, versus 5.
What developers say about this matchup
We couldn't find a substantive first-person discussion comparing this exact pair. We leave the section empty instead of filling it with vendor marketing or generic SEO comparisons.
At a glance
| DigitalOcean App Platform | Deno Deploy | |
|---|---|---|
| Best for | Apps that want git-push deploys inside a provider they can grow with. | Apps written for the Deno runtime. |
| How deploys work | Connect the Git repo or a container image; App Platform builds, deploys, and scales it. | Connect a GitHub repo or deploy with the deployctl CLI. |
| The tradeoff | Weaker compute per dollar than a Droplet — the convenience premium is real. | A runtime commitment: everything assumes Deno, not Node. |
| Free tier | None | Free: 1M requests, 20 GB egress, 15 CPU hours per month. |
What you'd realistically pay
| Project stage | DigitalOcean App Platform | Deno Deploy | Cheaper |
|---|---|---|---|
| Just starting | ≈$5/mo 1 shared vCPU / 512 MiB | Free Free | Deno Deploy |
| Steady traffic | ≈$12/mo 1 shared vCPU / 1 GiB | ≈$20/mo Pro | DigitalOcean App Platform |
| Growing | ≈$24/mo Two 1 GiB containers | ≈$20/mo Pro + usage | Deno Deploy |
Our ratings
Ease of use
Pricing clarity
Free tier Deno Deploy
Scaling Deno Deploy
Control DigitalOcean App Platform
Feature by feature
DigitalOcean App Platform wins 5, Deno Deploy wins 6, with 4 even.
Deploy workflow
| DigitalOcean App Platform | Deno Deploy | |
|---|---|---|
| Deploy from Git push | Yes Connect GitHub or GitLab; pushes build and deploy automatically. | Yes Connect a GitHub repo; pushes deploy automatically. |
| Preview deploys | No No automatic per-PR preview environments. | Yes Every branch and PR gets a preview deployment URL. |
| Official CLI | Yes doctl manages apps, Droplets, and databases from one CLI. | Yes deployctl deploys from the terminal or CI. |
| Instant rollbacks | Yes Roll back to a previous deployment from the dashboard. | Yes Promote any previous deployment back to production. |
Platform
| DigitalOcean App Platform | Deno Deploy | |
|---|---|---|
| Custom domains + HTTPS | Yes Custom domains with managed TLS certificates. | Yes Custom domains with automatic TLS on all plans. |
| Built-in CDN / edge network | Partial Static assets go through a CDN; dynamic services run in one region. | Yes Apps run on a global edge network with cached static assets. |
| Serverless functions | Partial DO Functions exist within App Platform but are a minor, less-loved product. | Yes The whole platform is isolate-based serverless. |
| Docker containers | Yes Deploy from a Dockerfile or any container registry. | No No containers — code runs in Deno isolates. |
| SSH / shell access | Partial A web console reaches the running container; no true SSH. | No No servers to reach. |
| EU hosting region | Yes Amsterdam and Frankfurt at identical US prices. | Partial Code runs at global edge locations; you cannot pin it to the EU. |
Runtime & operations
| DigitalOcean App Platform | Deno Deploy | |
|---|---|---|
| Automatic scaling | Partial CPU-based autoscaling on dedicated instances only. | Yes Scales per request automatically. |
| Scale to zero | Partial Web services can idle at 10% of price, not zero. | Yes Idle apps cost nothing. |
| Scheduled jobs | Partial Job components run at deploy events; scheduled cron needs a worker workaround. | Yes Deno.cron schedules tasks natively. |
| Managed database | Yes DO Managed Databases (Postgres, MySQL, Redis-compatible) attach directly. | Partial Deno KV is built in; Postgres means an external provider. |
| Logs & metrics built in | Yes Insights graphs, runtime logs, and alert policies built in. | Partial Logs and basic traces in the dashboard; deeper monitoring is external. |
Watch out for
DigitalOcean
- App Platform containers are small for the money — $12/month buys 1 GiB of RAM, while a $24 Droplet has 4 GiB.
- Managed databases bill separately from both products.
- Bandwidth allowances pool at the team level; overage is $0.02/GiB on App Platform and $0.01/GiB on Droplets.
Deno Deploy
- Deno runtime only — Node.js apps need porting.
- Free-tier apps pause when the monthly allowance is exhausted; there is no paid overage on Free.
Read the full reviews: DigitalOcean and Deno Deploy. Or answer four questions to see what fits your project.