
DigitalOcean Managed Databases
DigitalOcean Managed Databases is a paid cloud service for running managed database clusters without manually installing, configuring, maintaining, or securi…
What DigitalOcean Managed Databases is
DigitalOcean Managed Databases is a paid cloud service for running managed database clusters without manually installing, configuring, maintaining, or securing database software. It supports PostgreSQL, MySQL, Kafka, MongoDB, Valkey, and OpenSearch. DigitalOcean handles setup, backups, and updates, while customers can add CPUs, RAM, and nodes and enable storage autoscaling. Clusters receive automatic daily backups restorable to any point in the previous seven days, and automated failover replaces degraded or failing nodes. Integrated metrics and alerts cover cluster events, resources, latency, CPU, memory, and disk usage. Connections use TLS/SSL, backups are encrypted at rest, application firewalls can restrict connection sources, and new clusters use a VPC by default. There is no free plan.
Good
- Supports six database engines
- Automatic daily backups with seven-day restoration
- Automated failover replaces degraded nodes
- TLS/SSL and encrypted backups
- Scaling and storage autoscaling available
Watch out
- No free plan
- High availability requires a standby node
- Kafka and OpenSearch lack standby-node support
- Maximum connections listed as 22
Who it suits
It suits startups, small businesses, builders, and growing businesses that want managed database operations. It is also relevant to teams needing automated backups, failover, monitoring, scaling, and multiple database engines.
Verdict
DigitalOcean Managed Databases combines several database engines with managed operations, backups, failover, monitoring, and scaling. Its paid plans begin at the listed engine-specific monthly prices, with Kafka costing substantially more than the other options.
Plans and prices
From DigitalOcean Managed Databases's own pricing page, checked 22 Sep 2026.
| Plan | Price | What it gives you |
|---|---|---|
| PostgreSQL Standard 1 GiB | $15.15 a month | 1 GiB RAM · 1 vCPU · 10–30 GiB storage · Monthly pricing shown by node configuration |
| MySQL Standard 1 GiB | $15.15 a month | 1 GiB RAM · 1 vCPU · 10–30 GiB storage · Monthly pricing shown by node configuration |
| MongoDB 1 GiB | $15.23 a month | 1 GiB RAM · 1 vCPU · 15–25 GiB storage · Monthly pricing shown by node configuration |
| Managed Valkey | $15 a month | 10 GiB disk · $0.02232/hr · $15.00/mo for 1 GiB, 1 vCPU |
| Managed PostgreSQL Standard | $15.15 a month | 10–30 GiB storage · $0.02254/hr · $15.15/mo for 1 GiB, 1 vCPU; storage priced separately at $0.215/GiB/mo |
| Managed MySQL Standard | $15.15 a month | 10–30 GiB storage · $0.02254/hr · $15.15/mo for 1 GiB, 1 vCPU; storage priced separately at $0.215/GiB/mo |
| Managed MongoDB | $15.23 a month | 15–25 GiB storage · $0.02266/hr · $15.23/mo for 1 GiB, 1 vCPU; storage priced separately at $0.215/GiB/mo |
| Managed OpenSearch | $19.60 a month | 40–200 GiB storage · $0.02917/hr · $19.60/mo for 2 GiB, 1 vCPU; storage priced separately at $0.215/GiB/mo |
| Managed Kafka | $148.80 a month | 120–240 GiB storage per broker · $0.22143/hr per broker · $148.80/mo per 6 GiB, 6 vCPU broker; clusters start with three brokers |
The facts
Each one read from DigitalOcean Managed Databases's own pages, with the date it was checked.
What it does
- Audience
- DigitalOcean says its cloud solutions are tailored to startups and small businesses, as well as builders and rapidly growing businesses.checked 9 Oct 2026
- Backups
- The product page says databases receive automatic daily backups and can be restored to any point within the previous seven days.checked 9 Oct 2026
- Engines
- The available engines are PostgreSQL, MySQL, Kafka, MongoDB, Valkey, and OpenSearch.checked 9 Oct 2026
- Failover
- All database clusters have automated failover that detects and replaces degraded or failing nodes.checked 9 Oct 2026
- Limit
- High availability requires at least one standby node, and Kafka and OpenSearch do not support standby nodes.checked 9 Oct 2026
- Migration
- Eligible customers with complex workloads can receive free tailored migration support from DigitalOcean specialists.checked 9 Oct 2026
- Monitoring
- Integrated metrics and alerts cover cluster events, resource notifications, latency, CPU, memory, and disk usage.checked 9 Oct 2026
- Network
- New managed database clusters are placed in a VPC network by default.checked 9 Oct 2026
- Operations
- DigitalOcean handles database setup, backups, and updates so customers can focus on building applications.checked 9 Oct 2026
- Paid from
- 15.15checked 22 Sep 2026
- Scaling
- Customers can add CPUs, RAM, and nodes, and storage autoscaling is available without manual intervention.checked 9 Oct 2026
- Security
- Managed database connections use TLS/SSL, backups are encrypted at rest, and customers can restrict connection sources with an application firewall.checked 9 Oct 2026
- Support
- DigitalOcean describes four levels of support services for customers from startups to large businesses.checked 9 Oct 2026
- What it does
- Managed Databases provides fully managed database clusters as an alternative to manually installing, configuring, maintaining, and securing databases.checked 9 Oct 2026
The company
- Founded
- 2012checked 4 Oct 2026
Money
- Free plan
- Nochecked 22 Sep 2026
Alternatives to DigitalOcean Managed Databases
- 1

SQLite
Free planOpen sourceAndroidiOSWebAPI8.6Free plan - 2

HSQLDB
Free planOpen sourceAPILinuxmacOSSelf-hosted8.1From $100 a year - 3

MySQL
Free planAPILinuxmacOSSelf-hosted7.9Free plan - 4

Aiven for PostgreSQL
Free planOpen sourceWebAPISelf-hosted7.8From $5 a month - 5

Azure SQL Database
Free planAndroidiOSWebAPI7.7Free plan - 6

IBM Db2
Free planWebAPILinuxSelf-hosted7.4From $630 a month
