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Server Compass vs DigitalOcean App Platform
Compare desktop VPS management with DigitalOcean's App Platform PaaS. Choose between managing your own DigitalOcean Droplets or using their managed platform.
Own Your Infrastructure
No Vendor Lock-in
VPS Pricing
Droplets
Use DigitalOcean VPS
$19
One-time + VPS cost
Desktop
Offline-capable
Feature Comparison
| Feature | Server Compass | DigitalOcean App Platform |
|---|---|---|
| Platform | Desktop + DO Droplets | App Platform PaaS |
| Infrastructure | Your Droplets | Managed containers |
| SSH access | Full terminal | |
| File browser | ||
| Cron jobs | Visual management | Manual config |
| Docker support | Compose + Stacks | Dockerfile |
| PM2 deployments | ||
| Database | Self-hosted on Droplet | Managed DB (paid) |
| Pricing model | One-time + Droplet | Per-app + resources |
| Free tier | Trial period | $5/month minimum |
| Static sites | Free (3 sites) | |
| Bandwidth | Droplet bandwidth | 1TB free → $0.01/GB |
| Build minutes | Unlimited | 400 hours free |
Pricing Comparison
Server Compass
$19
one-time
- Desktop app (lifetime)
- Manage DigitalOcean Droplets
- Unlimited apps on one Droplet
- Self-hosted databases
- Pay only Droplet cost ($6-12/mo)
- All features included
- No per-app fees
Total: $19 + Droplet ($6-12/mo). Host multiple apps on one server.
DigitalOcean App Platform
From $5/mo
per app
- Static: Free (3 sites)
- Basic: $5/month per app
- Professional: $12+/month per app
- Managed DB: $15+/month
- Bandwidth: 1TB free → $0.01/GB
- Per-app resource allocation
Per-app pricing: $5+ each app + $15+ per database. Multi-app costs add up.
When to Choose Each Platform
Choose Server Compass if...
- You already use DigitalOcean Droplets
- You want SSH and root access
- You need visual cron job management
- You prefer one-time costs
- You want to manage multiple apps on one Droplet
- You need file browser access
- You deploy Docker Compose or PM2 apps
- You want complete Droplet control
Choose DigitalOcean App Platform if...
- You want zero server management
- You prefer managed DigitalOcean platform
- You need automatic scaling
- You want managed databases
- You prefer per-app resource allocation
- You need App Platform-specific features
- You want DigitalOcean marketplace integration
Ready to Own Your Infrastructure?
Download Server Compass and start deploying on your own VPS with the same polished experience you expect from premium platforms.