Final verdict
Looking over DigitalOcean vs. one.com, both hosting providers offer a range of features catering to different user needs.
-
DigitalOcean (Overall grade: 8.3)
excels with its scalable solutions, high performance, and flexibility, making it a top choice for agencies, high-traffic, and multimedia websites. Its robust uptime, global monitoring, and advanced security measures ensure reliable hosting. Moreover, the use of SSD storage and CDNs enhances website speed and performance. However, DigitalOcean may not be as beginner-friendly due to the lack of some features commonly desired by entry-level users, like free domain registration and a website builder.
one.com (Overall grade: 7.9)
stands out for its user-friendly interface, affordable pricing, and inclusive offerings like a website builder and email hosting bundled with all plans. It is ideal for small to medium-sized businesses and individuals who need straightforward and accessible hosting solutions. It also provides strong technical support and a variety of features beneficial for ecommerce and general website management. Yet, it falls short in uptime consistency and lacks some advanced monitoring tools, which places it slightly behind DigitalOcean in overall performance.
 Overall grade:8.3 |
 Overall grade:7.9 |
|
|---|---|---|
| Uptime and Availability | 9.2 | 8.8 |
| Hosting Performance | 8.8 | 6.7 |
| Hosting Security | 9.1 | 8.8 |
| Price | 8.7 | 8.5 |
| Hosting Features | 6.9 | 8.4 |
| Ease Of Setup | 8.2 | 8.4 |
| User Management | 8.0 | 5.9 |
| Customer Support | 7.8 | 8.0 |
| User feedback | 4.6/5 | 4.1/5 |
Hosting types offered
Both platforms provide a variety of hosting types, each designed to meet the different needs of users.
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|
|---|---|---|
| Shared hosting | ||
| Cloud hosting | ||
| WordPress hosting | ||
| Ecommerce hosting | ||
| VPS hosting | ||
| Dedicated hosting |
Although both offer a variety of hosting plans tailored to different needs, in
certain cases, one platform may prove to be more suitable.
Detailed comparison
Uptime and availability
Evaluates the average uptime statistics, uptime guarantee and overall availability of the hosting
provider
Score Components:
- Uptime percentage (30%): evaluates the uptime statistics in given period of time
- Uptime guarantee (20%): Assesses if the platform offers an uptime guarantee and
whether the actual uptime matches the promised guarantee. - General performance (25%): Evaluates how fast is the average response time and overall
it’s stability. - Responsiveness (10%): Adaptability to different devices and screen sizes.
- Availability (25%): Reflects the total downtime and number of outages.
9.2
8.8
Comparative Analysis of Uptime and Availability of Hosting Providers
🏆 Winner DigitalOcean: High-quality uptime with global monitoring tools.
DigitalOcean offers a superior uptime and availability rating with a guaranteed 99.99% uptime SLA. Real-time alerts, global monitoring, and latency graphs ensure that users are always informed and can respond quickly to any issues. The ability to monitor endpoints across four global regions at one-minute intervals provides a comprehensive view of platform performance. These features make DigitalOcean an excellent choice for those seeking reliable and fast hosting solutions.
One.com also promises impressive uptime, guaranteeing 99.99% for general hosting and 99.9% for VPS hosting. Daily backups, 24/7 malware scanning, and free SSL certificates contribute to site security and data protection. While their chat and email support are available around the clock, the absence of phone support may affect some users. Despite these strong offerings, the lack of advanced monitoring tools and slightly lower rating puts One.com behind DigitalOcean.
Hosting performance
Score Components:
- Hosting speed (30%): This includes SSD quality, Load times, PageSpeed score ranges,
additional information on website speed, built-in plugins for performance enhancement, available caching
methods, and CPU/RAM options - CDN (20%): Considers whether CDN is available or not, whether it’s free or paid, and
the quality of the CDN service - Available data centers (30%): Evaluates the number of data centers and their locations
globally. - Scalibility (20%): Looks at whether elastic scaling is available, the process required
to scale (manual upgrade vs. automatic scaling), the presence of dedicated servers, and the costs
associated with scaling.
8.8
6.7
🏆 Winner DigitalOcean: Offers superior hosting performance and flexibility.
When comparing the general performance, DigitalOcean stands out with its Droplets offering flexibility and scalability for various applications. It uses SSD storage, enhancing load times, and employs an integrated CDN to boost content delivery speed. With 14 globally distributed data centers, DigitalOcean ensures fast content accessibility. On the other hand, one.com also delivers ultra-fast load times through its high-performance servers and includes caching features and daily backups. Both providers guarantee a 99.99% uptime, but only DigitalOcean mentions its built-in caching mechanisms and CDNs that improve response times.
Website Speed
In terms of website speed, DigitalOcean benefits from SSD storage and multiple caching options, making it highly responsive. Additionally, its 14 data centers spread worldwide contribute to faster access times globally. One.com equally provides fast load times and utilizes SSD storage but doesn’t detail as many performance-enhancing features like caching mechanisms. Both offer daily backups and robust security measures, though the extra mile DigitalOcean goes in fine-tuning performance makes a difference in overall speed.
Scalability
DigitalOcean provides elastic scaling through its Droplets, allowing users to easily upgrade as needed without manually changing plans. It includes load balancing and horizontal scaling to handle traffic spikes, making it cost-effective and efficient. DigitalOcean offers transparent pricing starting at $4 per month. In contrast, one.com requires plan upgrades for scaling, offering different tiers like Explorer, Enthusiast, and Guru with fixed features. The exact cost to scale isn’t specified for one.com, and it’s unclear if incremental scaling is as straightforward as on DigitalOcean.
Hosting security
and regulatory requirements
Score Components:
- Technical security measures (40%): This includes encryption, firewalls, DDoS
protection, secure configurations, server monitoring, access control and availability of security addons
(e.g Sitelock security). - Operational security measures (30%): Encompasses data privacy, backups and data
redundancy. - Compliance and certifications (20%): Adherence to legal and regulatory requirements
(e.g., GDPR, HIPAA) and possession of certifications (e.g., ISO 27001, SOC 2). - Business and reliability (10%): Factors in the provider’s reputation, uptime
guarantees, and customer support.
9.1
8.8
🏆 Winner DigitalOcean: A robust hosting provider with extensive technical, operational, and compliance security measures.
Both DigitalOcean and one.com, have notable differences in their approaches to technical and operational
security, as well as in their compliance with regulations.
Technical security measures:
Both DigitalOcean and one.com offer comprehensive SSL certificates and support for PHP versions, ensuring secure and compatible application performance. DigitalOcean stands out with its strong DDoS protection, web application firewall, and cloud firewalls offering advanced protection against unauthorized access and cyber threats. One.com provides daily automatic backups, domain lock, and malware/DDoS protection, reflecting its commitment to safeguarding client data. However, DigitalOcean’s SSL, firewall, and advanced DDoS protection give it a slight edge in technical security.
Operational security measures:
In terms of operational security, DigitalOcean offers a wide range of automatic backups, two-factor authentication, and SSH access, ensuring a failsafe environment for users. one.com also provides 2FA, SFTP, regular scans, and SMS alerts for suspicious activity—a notable feature for email security. Both providers have strong SSH security measures, but DigitalOcean’s robust backup and comprehensive firewall protection distinguish its operational security capabilities.
Compliance and certifications:
Regarding compliance and certifications, DigitalOcean covers an extensive range of standards, including GDPR, PCI-DSS, SOC 2 Type II, SOC 3 Type II, ISO/IEC 27001:2013, CSA STAR Level 1, and APEC CBPR PRP. one.com is compliant with GDPR regulations and uses cookies in a privacy-considerate manner but lacks detailed compliance information on other certifications. DigitalOcean’s extensive compliance credentials position it strongly in regulated environments.
|
|
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|
|---|---|---|
SSL certificate |
Yes |
Yes |
Additional security features |
DDoS protection, firewalls, SSH access |
Malware protection, domain lock, SMS alerts |
PHP versions |
Yes |
Yes |
GDPR compliance |
Yes |
Yes |
HIPAA compliance |
Not specified |
Not specified |
PCI compliance |
Yes |
Not specified |
Hosting features
Score Components:
- Domains (20%): Assesses the availability of a free domain, domain purchase options, and
pricing - Email (15%): Considers if the provider offers full email hosting, or is reselling
third-party service, and if the email is only transactional or not - Website builder (15%): Checks if website builder is available, and it’s user
friendliness and overall the level of customization allowed. - Staging environment (20%): Determines if a staging environment is available, allowing
for testing changes before going live. - FTP & SFTP accounts (10%): Evaluates if and how easily users can access FTP and
SFTP accounts - Git and SSH access (20%): Assess whether Git is integrated into the hosting service and
if SSH access is provided
6.9
8.4
🏆 Winner
one.com: A hosting provider offering a range of affordable and comprehensive hosting solutions.
Both DigitalOcean and one.com offer rich feature sets that meet diverse hosting needs, but they cater to different user bases. DigitalOcean excels in providing robust cloud services suitable for developers and tech-savvy users looking for high-performance dedicated, shared, or VPS hosting. They offer a 99.99% uptime SLA, global data centers, and advanced security features like DDoS protection and firewalls. Additionally, their managed services such as Kubernetes, databases, and App Platform make them ideal for scalable projects and complex applications. However, DigitalOcean doesn’t include some free services commonly desired by entry-level users or small businesses, such as a website builder or free domain registration.
one.com, on the other hand, is geared more toward small to medium businesses and individual users seeking affordable, user-friendly hosting solutions. Their plans include a free website builder with easy-to-use customization tools, making it simple to create and manage a website without needing technical expertise. They also offer beginner-friendly features like a one-click WordPress installer, daily backups, and free SSL certificates. one.com’s plans are notable for their inclusive services like free domain registration for a certain period, free SEO tools, and a staging environment for WordPress sites. Their pricing model, which offers the first 3 months free, adds to their appeal for budget-conscious users.
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|---|---|---|
Free Domain |
No |
Yes, for the first year |
Free SSL |
Yes |
Yes |
Email Hosting |
No |
Yes |
Website Builder |
No |
Yes |
Staging Environment |
Yes (for higher plans) |
Yes (for higher plans) |
FTP & SFTP Accounts |
Yes |
Yes |
Git and SSH Access |
Yes |
Yes |
Free Backup |
No |
Yes |
Money Back Guarantee |
No |
No |
a location. As a result in rare cases the features mentioned here can differ from the ones you see on their websites.
Both providers support a range of users from beginners to experts with user-friendly website builders and WordPress staging areas. However, in terms of developer tools, both DigitalOcean and one.com offer robust options including SSH access, support for multiple programming languages, and Git for version control, thus appealing to developers looking for advanced capabilities.
Email services:
When it comes to email services, one.com stands out by offering comprehensive email hosting bundled with all their plans, including unlimited mail accounts. This makes it easier for businesses to manage their email communications without additional costs. They don’t specialize in transactional emails or third-party integrations, which might be a consideration for more specific needs. DigitalOcean, alternatively, does not provide email hosting directly but focuses on providing the underlying infrastructure, leaving users to configure their own email solutions or rely on third-party services such as Google Workspace or Outlook for comprehensive email functionalities.
Price
Score Components:
- Plan value (40%): What each pricing tier offers.
- Transparency and clarity (30%): Clearness of pricing structures.
- Flexibility of plans (20%): Range of options to suit different budgets.
- Hidden costs (10%): Additional expenses not included in the plan.
8.7
8.5
🏆 Winner DigitalOcean: A short one-sentence description.
Evaluating the pricing of plans among various hosting providers can be complex due to their differing pricing and renewal strategies. Additionally, certain plans require annual commitments, which adds to the difficulty of making comparisons. The prices listed are based on monthly commitments; plans requiring annual commitments are indicated. Additionally, although some providers offer identical plans for WordPress and shared hosting, we have created separate tables for each to enhance clarity.
Comparing the pricing plans, DigitalOcean offers competitive options starting as low as $4/month, particularly for basic shared CPU droplets and WordPress hosting. One.com, on the other hand, includes discounted introductory prices for the first three months across its plans but requires annual billing afterward. DigitalOcean’s pricing remains transparent and straightforward, whereas One.com provides extensive features like migration assistance, staging environments, and green hosting options. Both providers offer built-in support and freebies like SSL certificates, but DigitalOcean stands out with its vast global data centers and highly scalable infrastructure.
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|---|---|
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Basic Droplet $4/month
1-click WordPress install, free SSL, automatic backups, DDoS protection, managed via Cloudways, $100 in free hosting credits Value for price:9.0
|
Beginner + Managed WP Add-on $15.99/month
1 website, 50GB SSD, daily backup, free migration, performance cache, automatic updates, vulnerability monitor, free SSL, 24/7 priority support Value for price:8.5
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Website Hosting $4-$5/month
1-click apps, 99.99% uptime, 14 global data centers, transparent pricing Value for price:8.5
|
Beginner Hosting Plan $6.99/month
1 website, 50GB SSD, unlimited mail, daily backup, SSL, website builder, online shop, 24/7 support, mobile app Value for price:8.0
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|---|---|
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VPS Hosting $4-$7/month
Shared CPU Droplets: $4-$7/month, Dedicated CPU Droplets: $42/month, Memory-Optimized: $84/month, Storage-Optimized: $131/month: Flexible resources, global data centers, high scalability Value for price:9.2
|
Cloud Server XXL Coming Soon
16 vCPU, 32GB RAM, 800GB storage, daily backup, 250 Mbit/s bandwidth, Linux/Windows, optional Plesk, 24/7 support Value for price:8.7
|
As a result in rare cases the prices displayed here can differ from the ones you see on their websites.
Enterprise plans
For enterprise hosting needs, DigitalOcean offers highly customizable VPS hosting solutions with dedicated, memory-optimized, and storage-optimized droplets, catering to demands for extensive processing power, ample storage, and superior performance. One.com’s upcoming Cloud Server XXL and Cloud Server XL plans aim to provide strong enterprise-grade resources, featuring multiple vCPUs, significant local storage, and robust daily backup functionality. Both services include round-the-clock support, but DigitalOcean’s more mature offerings and transparent pricing may present a more straightforward choice for enterprises.
Ease of setup
platform.
Score Components:
- Site migration (25%): Assesses whether the provider offers tools for site migration,
either automated or manual, and whether these services are free or require a fee. - Admin panel usability (35%): Evaluates the type of admin panel provided, such as the
standard cPanel or a custom solution, focusing on its accessibility and user-friendliness for both
technical and non-technical users. - Setup features (20%): Examines the availability and ease of use of various setup
features, including FTP accounts, file managers, email account setup, PHPMyAdmin, and easy CDN
configuration. - Help center quality (20%): Measures the quality and accessibility of the provider’s
help center resources, including articles and tutorials.
8.2
8.4
🏆 Winner
One.com: In terms of ease of use, One.com stands out due to its flexible and affordable site migration options, intuitive custom admin panel, advanced setup features, and a highly praised help center.
One.com employs a custom panel called Site Tools, which replaces the traditional cPanel. This interface is designed to be more intuitive and streamlined, enhancing user experience with advanced tools like SG Optimizer and integration of Cloudflare’s CDN to improve website performance and speed. One.com’s help center is known for its clear and detailed content, which is highly valued by its users.
DigitalOcean on the other hand, offers a dual interface that combines a custom dashboard with full cPanel access, catering to both beginners and technically advanced users. The platform includes a comprehensive help center filled with a wide variety of guides and tutorials, aimed at assisting users in managing and optimizing their websites effectively.
Both DigitalOcean and One.com offer migration services for websites, but their approaches and costs differ. DigitalOcean provides multiple migration tools, including snapshots and automated scripts to facilitate the movement of sites between environments. These tools are generally part of the service and require no additional fees. One.com offers a free migration service for all users, and dedicated support is available for those using the Managed WordPress add-on. This support ensures that your site’s migration process is stress-free and handled professionally.
The platforms provide extensive knowledge bases filled with guides, how-to articles, and instructional content. DigitalOcean offers a wide range of resources alongside 24/7 chat and phone support. One.com also boasts a detailed help center with an intuitive search function and around-the-clock support via live chat, phone, and ticketing, ensuring comprehensive user support.
User management
accessibility.
Score Components:
- Role customization (40%): Flexibility in creating and defining user roles and
permissions. - Ease of management (30%): User interface and tools for managing users.
- Access control (20%): Effectiveness of access control measures for different user
levels. - Scalability (10%): Ability to manage a growing number of users efficiently.
8.0
5.9
🏆 Winner DigitalOcean: DigitalOcean excels in providing comprehensive user management capabilities.
When comparing both platforms’ abilities in managing user roles, permissions, and accessibility, DigitalOcean stands out due to its clear delineation of roles and associated permissions. DigitalOcean offers three specific roles: Owner, Biller, and Member, each with distinct access levels to shared resources and billing information. This provides greater flexibility in managing user roles and ensures that team members only have access to what they need. On the other hand, one.com offers the ability to create guest users but lacks detailed information about varying user roles and permissions, limiting its ability to offer precise role-based access control.
In terms of user interfaces and tools for managing users, DigitalOcean provides a straightforward approach. Team owners have user-friendly options to invite members via an “Invite Members” button, making the process seamless and intuitive. The ability to view a membership table, including each member’s current role and invitation status, adds to the ease of user management. Meanwhile, one.com uses a Control Panel accessible from the top right of their website, providing functionality for managing services. However, specifics on the process of creating guest users or other user management tasks within the Control Panel are not detailed, which might result in a less intuitive experience.
Assessing the effectiveness of access control measures, DigitalOcean allows team owners to see each member’s sign-in method, offering an extra layer of security by identifying how members access their accounts. The absence of a limit on the number of team members or roles further aids in managing a growing team efficiently. Conversely, one.com’s details on access control and its capacity to manage a growing user base are scant. This makes it challenging to gauge its effectiveness without referring directly to additional support documentation or assistance from their support team.
DigitalOcean user roles table:
| Role | Description | Access highlights |
|---|---|---|
| Owner | Full access to all features | Access to shared resources, billing information, team settings |
| Biller | Manages billing information | Full access to billing information, no access to other resources |
| Member | Access to shared resources | Full access to shared resources, no access to billing or settings |
Customer support
hosting provider.
Score Components:
- Support communication channels (30%): Measures the variety of customer support types
provided (live chat, chatbot, email, phone, etc.) - Availability (20%): Assesses the availability hours for each channel, including 24/7
support options. - Technical support quality (30%): Assesses whether the provider offers comprehensive
technical support, including hardware upgrades (e.g., HDD to SSD), software installations, and web
server configuration changes. - Enterprise support (20%): Checks if there are dedicated or priority support services
for enterprise-level customers.
7.8
8.0
🏆 Winner One.com: One.com stands out for its comprehensive 24/7 support and diverse language offerings, making it a reliable choice for managing websites globally.
|
|
|
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|---|---|---|
Phone support |
No |
Yes |
Live chat support |
Yes (Premium) |
Yes |
Chatbot |
No |
No |
Email/ticket support |
Yes |
Yes |
Enterprise support (dedicated agent, priority support) |
Yes (Premium) |
No |
DigitalOcean’s customer support offers a diverse selection of options, including 24/7 online ticketing and a premium live chat service. Their community, tutorials, and comprehensive documentation make self-service convenient. However, refunds or cancellations can be cumbersome due to the limited support for these issues.
One.com provides a more accessible support environment with 24/7 phone and chat support readily available for all users. Their help center and academy provide extensive self-help resources. The multilingual support adds an inclusive element, catering to a global customer base.
User feedback
DigitalOcean consistently garners praise for its simplicity, user-friendly interface, and transparent pricing, making it ideal for both beginners and experienced developers. Users appreciate the straightforward setup, reliable performance, and excellent customer support, highlighting features like one-click deployment and robust documentation. However, there are some minor criticisms, including a limited variety of server configurations compared to larger providers and occasional slow customer support response times. Despite these drawbacks, DigitalOcean is highly regarded for its cost-effectiveness, ease of use, and overall reliability, particularly for small to medium-sized businesses and startups.
The hosting provider receives mixed reviews, lauded for its affordability, user-friendly interface, and efficient 24/7 customer support. Users appreciate features like easy domain registration, a clean control panel, and hosting plans with useful tools like one-click installations for CMS platforms. However, some users face frequent upselling of additional services, occasional performance issues, and unexpected price hikes. While it’s ideal for beginners and simple websites, it may lack advanced functionalities and flexibility desired by more experienced developers.
FAQ
Which platform is better suited for hosting WordPress websites?
Both DigitalOcean and one.com offer optimized WordPress hosting with easy setup and additional features like auto-updates and vulnerability monitoring. DigitalOcean is suitable for developers due to its highly customizable environment, while one.com provides a more user-friendly experience with its website builder and staging environments. The choice would depend on user expertise and specific needs, making both platforms viable for WordPress hosting.
Are both platforms suitable for beginners?
One.com is more suitable for beginners with its user-friendly interface, website builder, and inclusive features like email hosting and free domain registration. DigitalOcean, on the other hand, may be less beginner-friendly due to the lack of certain features like a website builder and free domain registration, making it more suited for technically proficient users. Therefore, one.com is the better option for entry-level users.
Which hosting service offers better security features?
DigitalOcean offers advanced security features including DDoS protection, web application firewalls, and comprehensive SSL certificates. one.com also provides strong security measures like daily backups, malware/DDoS protection, and free SSL certificates. However, DigitalOcean’s superior firewall protection and advanced DDoS measures give it a slight edge in security.
Which hosting service offers more scalability options for growing websites?
DigitalOcean provides extensive scalability options with its Droplets, allowing for easy upgrades and horizontal scaling without changing plans. It also includes load balancing and elastic scaling to handle traffic spikes efficiently. One.com, however, requires plan upgrades for scaling, which may not be as flexible or straightforward, making DigitalOcean the better option for scalability.
How do the providers handle email hosting and what features are included?
One.com offers comprehensive email hosting bundled with all plans, including unlimited mail accounts, making it convenient for businesses. DigitalOcean does not provide email hosting directly but supports the configuration of third-party email solutions. Therefore, one.com is the preferred choice for built-in email hosting features.
The making of this blog
We followed a clear, step-by-step process to write and research this article.
