Compare / DigitalOcean App Platform vs Fly.io Machines
DigitalOcean App Platform vs Fly.io Machines
Pre-calculated from hand-checked data — DigitalOcean checked 2026-08-01, Fly.io checked 2026-08-01.
The short version
Fly.io Machines 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 Fly.io Machines
Fly.io Machines is cheaper at every stage we model — about $12/mo even for a growing project.
Ease DigitalOcean App Platform
DigitalOcean App Platform is easier to get running: connect the Git repo or a container image; App Platform builds, deploys, and scales it.
Control Fly.io Machines
Fly.io Machines gives you more control over the stack — the flip side of the convenience trade.
Features Tie
Feature coverage is even: each wins 4 of the 15 rows we track.
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 | Fly.io Machines | |
|---|---|---|
| Best for | Apps that want git-push deploys inside a provider they can grow with. | Dockerized apps that want low cost, fine control, or multi-region placement. |
| How deploys work | Connect the Git repo or a container image; App Platform builds, deploys, and scales it. | fly launch builds the image and deploys it; configuration lives in fly.toml and the flyctl CLI. |
| The tradeoff | Weaker compute per dollar than a Droplet — the convenience premium is real. | You operate more of the stack yourself — especially the database. |
| Free tier | None | None |
What you'd realistically pay
| Project stage | DigitalOcean App Platform | Fly.io Machines | Cheaper |
|---|---|---|---|
| Just starting | ≈$5/mo 1 shared vCPU / 512 MiB | ≈$3/mo shared-cpu-1x, 256 MB | Fly.io Machines |
| Steady traffic | ≈$12/mo 1 shared vCPU / 1 GiB | ≈$6/mo shared-cpu-1x, 1 GB | Fly.io Machines |
| Growing | ≈$24/mo Two 1 GiB containers | ≈$12/mo Two 1 GB Machines | Fly.io Machines |
Our ratings
Ease of use DigitalOcean App Platform
Pricing clarity DigitalOcean App Platform
Free tier DigitalOcean App Platform
Scaling Fly.io Machines
Control Fly.io Machines
Feature by feature
DigitalOcean App Platform wins 4, Fly.io Machines wins 4, with 7 even.
Deploy workflow
| DigitalOcean App Platform | Fly.io Machines | |
|---|---|---|
| Deploy from Git push | Yes Connect GitHub or GitLab; pushes build and deploy automatically. | Partial No native git integration; the documented path is flyctl in GitHub Actions. |
| Preview deploys | No No automatic per-PR preview environments. | Partial PR apps work via the official GitHub Action, not out of the box. |
| Official CLI | Yes doctl manages apps, Droplets, and databases from one CLI. | Yes flyctl does everything: launch, deploy, scale, ssh, logs. |
| Instant rollbacks | Yes Roll back to a previous deployment from the dashboard. | Partial Redeploy any previous image; no one-click dashboard rollback. |
Platform
| DigitalOcean App Platform | Fly.io Machines | |
|---|---|---|
| Custom domains + HTTPS | Yes Custom domains with managed TLS certificates. | Yes Custom domains with free managed certificates. |
| Built-in CDN / edge network | Partial Static assets go through a CDN; dynamic services run in one region. | Partial Anycast routing sends users to the nearest region, but there is no static-asset CDN. |
| Serverless functions | Partial DO Functions exist within App Platform but are a minor, less-loved product. | No Machines are micro-VMs, not functions. |
| Docker containers | Yes Deploy from a Dockerfile or any container registry. | Yes A Docker image is the deployment unit. |
| SSH / shell access | Partial A web console reaches the running container; no true SSH. | Yes fly ssh console opens a shell in any running Machine. |
| EU hosting region | Yes Amsterdam and Frankfurt at identical US prices. | Yes Amsterdam, Paris, Frankfurt, London, and more. |
Runtime & operations
| DigitalOcean App Platform | Fly.io Machines | |
|---|---|---|
| Automatic scaling | Partial CPU-based autoscaling on dedicated instances only. | Yes Machines autostart and autostop with traffic; scale counts per region. |
| Scale to zero | Partial Web services can idle at 10% of price, not zero. | Yes Stopped Machines cost only their storage. |
| Scheduled jobs | Partial Job components run at deploy events; scheduled cron needs a worker workaround. | Partial Scheduled Machines run on fixed intervals; full cron needs a workaround. |
| Managed database | Yes DO Managed Databases (Postgres, MySQL, Redis-compatible) attach directly. | Partial Fly Postgres is automated-but-unmanaged; managed options come from partners like Supabase and Upstash. |
| Logs & metrics built in | Yes Insights graphs, runtime logs, and alert policies built in. | Yes Built-in metrics (Grafana), live logs, and log shipping. |
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.
Fly.io
- New pay-as-you-go organizations get no free allowance.
- Fly Postgres is explicitly unmanaged: automated but not a managed database service — backups and failover are your responsibility.
- Per-second compute plus $0.02/GB egress makes bills variable; prices differ by region.
Read the full reviews: DigitalOcean and Fly.io. Or answer four questions to see what fits your project.