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DigitalOcean App Platform alternative

Aria Cloud vs DigitalOcean App Platform. One server, one price.

App Platform runs your code in containers with a fixed monthly price each, and managed databases are separate products. Aria Cloud runs the app, workers and databases together on one private server.

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Can Kosmaz

Head to head

Aria Cloud and App Platform, side by side

App Platform prices each container and database on its own. Aria Cloud runs the app, workers and databases on one server that it sets up and runs, at one price.

Aria Cloud App Platform
What you getOne private VPS per plan, set up and run by AriaContainers for your code, and managed databases as separate products
How you payOne flat monthly price per server, £9 to £60 ex VATA fixed monthly price per container, plus each database, billed per second (containers) or hour (databases)
Container sizesIncluded in the server priceShared: $5 (512 MiB), $10 (1 GiB, one container only), $12 (1 GiB), $25 (2 GiB), $50 (4 GiB). Dedicated from $29 (512 MiB)
PostgresOn the same server, included at no extra costManaged PostgreSQL: $15.15 (1 GiB), $30.45 (2 GiB), $60.90 (4 GiB)
Redis-compatible cacheRedis on the same server, includedManaged Valkey: $15 (1 GiB), $30 (2 GiB)
BandwidthNo bandwidth meter on the planEach plan includes transfer (50 to 250 GiB on shared); $0.02 per GiB beyond
AutoscalingMove to a bigger plan when you need it, with one restartOn dedicated containers
Free optionEvery plan is a private server that runs all the timeUp to three static-site apps
SeatsNo per-seat feeNo per-seat price stated on the pages read
AI coding agentsAria AI built in, then MCP for your own coding agent, under approval rules enforced on Aria’s serversCLI and API
Where it runsA location you choose, yours aloneDigitalOcean’s regions

The reference stack

What does the same stack cost?

The reference stack is one web service (about 1 GB of memory), one background worker (about 0.5 GB), a Postgres database (about 2 GB) and Redis (about 0.25 GB), for a team of three developers with modest traffic. DigitalOcean's sizes do not match exactly, so each line uses the nearest listed size at or above the need.

Aria Cloud

£9 a month

Starter, ex VAT. Everything on one server, with room for an estimated 3.3 GB of memory.

App Platform

$60.45 a month

Containers $10 + $5, managed Postgres $30.45, Valkey $15.

Aria Cloud (£, ex VAT)DigitalOcean App Platform ($, ex tax)
Web service, about 1 GBOn the same serverShared 1 GiB container: $10 (one container only)
Worker, about 0.5 GBOn the same serverShared 512 MiB container: $5
Postgres, about 2 GBOn the same serverManaged PostgreSQL, 2 GiB: $30.45
Redis, about 0.25 GBOn the same serverManaged Valkey, smallest is 1 GiB: $15
TotalStarter (4 GB), £9 a month ex VAT (estimated 3.3 GB of memory)$10 + $5 + $30.45 + $15 = $60.45 a month

Different currencies, nothing converted. The page does not give separate pricing for workers, so the worker line assumes a worker is billed like a container of the same size. Transfer beyond the included allowance and extra database storage are not counted.

How App Platform charges

App Platform charges per component. Each container has a plan with a fixed monthly price and an included transfer allowance. The shared plans run from $5 for 512 MiB to $50 for 4 GiB, and the two cheapest are limited to one container with no autoscaling. Dedicated containers start at $29 for 512 MiB and go up to $392, and they support autoscaling. Containers are billed by the second with a one-minute minimum, and the monthly figure is prorated.

Databases are separate. Managed PostgreSQL starts at $15.15 for 1 GiB and costs $60.90 for 4 GiB. A Valkey cache, which is Redis-compatible, starts at $15 for 1 GiB. Databases are billed hourly with a one-hour minimum. There is also a small development database inside App Platform at $7 a month for 512 MiB.

The free tier is static sites only: up to three apps with 1 GiB of outbound data each. Transfer allowances are pooled across the team, and overage is $0.02 per GiB.

How Aria Cloud charges

Aria Cloud charges for a server. A plan is one private VPS, from Starter (2 vCPU, 4 GB RAM, 40 GB disk) at £9 a month to Scale Plus (16 vCPU, 32 GB RAM, 400 GB disk) at £60 a month, ex VAT, in pounds. The web service, worker, Postgres and Redis share it. Nothing is charged per seat, per app, per database or per request.

One server runs up to 5 apps, and one aria.yaml holds up to 12 services and 6 databases. Aria checks memory, CPU and disk every minute and emails you before they run short.

Fixed prices, different shapes

Both products are easier to predict than a usage meter, because each part has a stated monthly price. The difference is how many parts you buy. On App Platform the reference stack is four components with four prices, and a smaller cache than 1 GiB is not available. On Aria it is one server.

App Platform lets you resize each component on its own, add replicas to a dedicated container, and place the database separately. Aria shares one machine between everything, so a stack is sized as a whole, a quiet worker leaves room for a busy web service, and you grow it by moving to a bigger plan.

Agents and approvals

DigitalOcean offers a CLI and an API. Aria AI, built into the Mac app and the web dashboard, writes aria.yaml, sets things up, reads logs and fixes things. A coding agent outside Aria connects over MCP. The same rules apply to both, and Aria enforces them on its own servers, not in a prompt. Reading (status, logs) runs straight away. With a read key, every change waits for your approval. With an operate key, routine deploys run straight away, while environment variables, launches, DNS, GitHub pushes and anything destructive always wait for you. Deleting needs your approval, or the typed name in the app.

What changes when you move

Write an aria.yaml that lists the same components and databases as your app spec. Aria AI or your coding agent can do this from the repository. Aria builds from the repository with Railpack or your Dockerfile. Move Postgres with a dump and a restore, add your environment variables once, launch, and point your domain.

What App Platform does best

App Platform has a straightforward price list: every container size has a fixed monthly price and an allowance of transfer, and dedicated containers add autoscaling. Managed databases are separate products you can resize. Billing is per second, team members are not charged per seat on the pages read, and the platform sits next to the rest of DigitalOcean.

Our recommendation

Choose Aria Cloud when

  1. You want the app, workers and databases on one server and one price.
  2. You want someone else to set up, harden and run the server.
  3. You want a Redis-compatible cache without paying for a full 1 GiB node.
  4. You want Aria AI or your own coding agent to deploy under rules enforced on the server.

Moving from App Platform to Aria Cloud

  1. Describe your stack

    Ask Aria AI or your coding agent to write aria.yaml from your app spec.

  2. See the server that fits

    Aria recommends the smallest server that fits the whole stack.

  3. Bring your data

    Move Postgres with a dump and a restore, and add your variables once.

  4. Launch

    Launch, then point your domain.

Questions

What people ask when they compare Aria Cloud with App Platform.

Is Aria Cloud a DigitalOcean App Platform alternative?

Yes, for apps made of several parts. Aria runs the web service, worker, Postgres and Redis on one private VPS at one flat monthly price.

How do I grow on Aria?

You choose a plan, and move to a bigger one when the stack needs it, with one restart. Aria emails you before memory runs short.

Is App Platform cheaper than Aria?

It depends on how many parts you run. One small container is $5 a month. For the reference stack on this page, App Platform comes to about $60 and Aria to £9, in different currencies.

Does Aria charge for bandwidth?

There is no bandwidth meter on an Aria plan.

How do I move a DigitalOcean managed database?

Take a dump with pg_dump and restore it into the Postgres Aria sets up on your server.

How much does Aria cost compared with DigitalOcean App Platform?

Aria charges one flat monthly price per server, from £9 a month ex VAT, in GBP, with no charges per seat, per app, per database or per request. DigitalOcean App Platform’s pricing is on its own pricing page (https://www.digitalocean.com/pricing/app-platform); the figures on this page were read on 31 October 2026 and are in US dollars, while Aria’s are in pounds, so nothing is converted.

Sources and what could not be checked

Read on 31 October 2026

What could not be checked

The pages read do not give a separate price for workers, build minutes, backups on managed databases, or regions, so none is claimed.

Aria Cloud publishes this page. Prices change, so check each source for current figures. Aria’s own figures come from the pricing page and its sizing estimate for the reference stack, which is an estimate and not a measurement. Logos are trademarks of their owners, shown only to name each platform.

How the price works

One server. One price.

An Aria plan is one monthly price for one private VPS. Run several apps, workers and databases on it, up to the server’s memory, and invite your agents too: there are no charges per seat, per app, per database or per request. Sending email with Aria Mail is the one usage add-on.

Your own server. Your AI runs it.

Choose Aria Cloud. Aria AI writes aria.yaml, or your coding agent does it over MCP, and you see which server fits your stack.

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