Side by side
| Question | App Platform | Droplet |
|---|---|---|
| WordPress starting point | No WordPress sample app; PHP and Laravel samples exist | WordPress 1-Click Droplet in the Marketplace with Ubuntu 24.04, Caddy, PHP, MySQL and fail2ban |
| Local disk | Ephemeral: reset on every redeploy, separate per instance, limited to 4 GiB | Persistent; can be increased but never decreased |
| Outbound SMTP | Cannot open SMTP ports on containers | Ports 25, 465 and 587 blocked on all Droplets |
| Cron | System cron does not start automatically; it must be started from the app's run commands | Standard server cron under your control |
| Entry price | $5 per month for 1 shared vCPU and 512 MiB; $29 for 1 dedicated vCPU and 512 MiB | $6 per month for 1 vCPU, 1 GiB and 25 GiB SSD |
| Database | Dev database $7 per month for 512 MB, or a managed database | Run MySQL on the Droplet, or add a managed database |
The storage problem on App Platform
DigitalOcean's App Platform storage guide says instances are ephemeral, every redeployment resets the filesystem, data in the local filesystem is permanently lost after deployments and container replacements, each instance has a separate filesystem, and the local filesystem is limited to 4 GiB. It adds that App Platform does not currently support volumes and recommends Spaces Object Storage or Managed Databases for persistence.
WordPress assumes a writable, persistent wp-content directory: media uploads, plugin and theme installs from the admin, and some caching plugins write there. On App Platform, uploads must be offloaded to object storage and plugins and themes managed in the code repository and deployed, not installed through the dashboard. That is workable for a developer-run site with a deployment pipeline, but it is a poor fit for an owner who installs plugins from the admin.
Cost examples from published prices
A minimal App Platform setup is a $5 container plus a $7 development database, $12 per month, before object storage for uploads. DigitalOcean describes the development database as 512 MB. For production, the lowest managed MySQL listed is $15.15 per month for 1 GiB RAM and 1 vCPU, bringing the total to about $20 per month for a single small container plus database, again before object storage.
A $12 per month Droplet with 2 GiB RAM, 1 vCPU, 50 GiB SSD and 2,000 GiB transfer can run WordPress and MySQL together on one server. You take on the server administration instead. Both products bill per second: App Platform with a one-minute minimum, bundled Droplets with a 60-second minimum and a monthly cap. Additional App Platform outbound transfer is billed at $0.02 per GiB.
| Setup | Published monthly price | Not included |
|---|---|---|
| App Platform shared container + dev database | $5 + $7 = $12 | Object storage for uploads; production database |
| App Platform shared container + managed MySQL | $5 + $15.15 = $20.15 | Object storage for uploads |
| Droplet 2 GiB with MySQL on the same server | $12 | Backups, monitoring and your administration time |
| Droplet 4 GiB with MySQL on the same server | $24 | Backups, monitoring and your administration time |
Running WordPress on a Droplet: what you own
DigitalOcean's Droplet policies describe Droplets as completely unmanaged and state that DigitalOcean does not have direct access to user Droplets. In practice that leaves updates, backups, security and performance tuning with you. The 1-Click image gives a working stack, but the Marketplace listing does not describe ongoing maintenance.
Two published constraints matter for course sites. SMTP ports 25, 465 and 587 are blocked on all Droplets, so send enrollment and receipt emails through an email provider's HTTPS API. And resizing a Droplet's disk is permanent; choose a CPU-and-RAM-only resize if you may want to scale back down after a launch.
Who should pick which, and who should pick neither
- Droplet: you or a contractor are comfortable administering Linux, you want the lowest monthly cost, and you can schedule updates and test backups.
- App Platform: a developer team already deploys WordPress from Git with offloaded media and wants container-style deployments (autoscaling requires a dedicated-CPU container), and accepts that plugins are installed through code.
- Neither: you want to install plugins from the dashboard, need staging and backups handled for you, or have no one to maintain a server. A managed WordPress host costs more per month but includes those services.
- Neither, for now: you have a launch in the next few weeks and no tested backup and restore procedure on the new platform.
Questions before you decide
Does DigitalOcean App Platform have an official WordPress template?
Its sample apps list includes PHP and Laravel but not WordPress. The WordPress 1-Click option in the Marketplace creates a Droplet.
Where do WordPress uploads go on App Platform?
Not the local disk, which DigitalOcean says is reset on every redeploy. It recommends Spaces Object Storage or Managed Databases for persistent data.
Sources & verification
Product details and prices can change. Check the linked provider before buying.
- DigitalOcean: How to store data in App Platform Accessed 29 Oct 2026
- DigitalOcean: App Platform limits Accessed 29 Oct 2026
- DigitalOcean: App Platform pricing Accessed 29 Oct 2026
- DigitalOcean: Deploy sample apps Accessed 29 Oct 2026
- DigitalOcean Marketplace: WordPress 1-Click Accessed 29 Oct 2026
- DigitalOcean: Droplet pricing Accessed 29 Oct 2026
- DigitalOcean: Managed database pricing Accessed 29 Oct 2026
- DigitalOcean: Droplet limits Accessed 29 Oct 2026
- DigitalOcean: Droplet policies Accessed 29 Oct 2026
- DigitalOcean: How to resize Droplets Accessed 29 Oct 2026
Sources link directly to providers. Product buttons may use separately labeled affiliate links. Read our disclosure.