Amazon S3 VS DigitalOcean Spaces
AWS · DigitalOcean · Cloud Storage · Updated Jul 26, 2026
Side-by-Side Breakdown
| Feature | Amazon S3 | DigitalOcean Spaces | Winner |
|---|---|---|---|
| Storage /GB/mo | $0.0230/GB/mo | $0.0200/GB/mo | ✓ DigitalOcean Spaces |
| Egress /GB | $0.0900/GB | $0.0100/GB | ✓ DigitalOcean Spaces |
| Provider | AWS | DigitalOcean | — |
| Category | cloud-storage | cloud-storage | — |
| redundancy | 3× AZ | 3× | |
| durability | 11 nines | 99.9% | |
| s3 compatible | Native | Yes | |
| free tier | 5GB/mo | 250GB bundle | |
| Overall Winner | 🏆 | DigitalOcean Spaces |
Amazon S3 vs DigitalOcean Spaces: Quick Summary
DigitalOcean Spaces is the more affordable choice. Amazon S3 costs $0.0230/GB/mo vs DigitalOcean Spaces at $0.0200/GB/mo (Storage /GB/mo). DigitalOcean Spaces is 15.0% cheaper. Pricing verified as of Jul 26, 2026 — always confirm on the provider's official pricing page before committing.
Amazon S3 vs DigitalOcean Spaces: Full Pricing Analysis
On headline price, DigitalOcean Spaces is the cheaper option: $0.0200/GB/mo versus $0.0230/GB/mo for Amazon S3 (Storage /GB/mo) — about 13% less. At a scale of one million per GBmonth, that difference works out to roughly $20,000.00 with DigitalOcean Spaces against $23,000.00 with Amazon S3. For high-volume workloads that gap compounds quickly, so if your usage is predictable and large, DigitalOcean Spaces is the more economical default.
Price isn’t the whole story, though. Amazon S3 (AWS) sits at the higher price point, which is often justified by broader features, stronger delivery/SLA guarantees, or a more mature developer experience. If you need those capabilities, the premium can pay for itself. Choose DigitalOcean Spaces when cost-per-unit is the priority and your requirements are straightforward; choose Amazon S3 when reliability, tooling, or ecosystem fit matter more than shaving the per-unit rate.
Beyond price, the two differ on redundancy (3× AZ vs 3×), durability (11 nines vs 99.9%), s3 compatible (Native vs Yes) and free tier (5GB/mo vs 250GB bundle). Check those specs against your actual requirements before committing — the cheaper option is only the better deal if it also meets your technical needs.
Pricing shown is Storage /GB/mo as published by each provider and verified Jul 26, 2026. Providers change prices and introduce free tiers and volume discounts frequently — always confirm the current rate on AWS’s and DigitalOcean’s official pricing pages before you commit.