Amazon Web Services vs. DigitalOcean vs. IBM Power Virtual Server

Overview
ProductRatingMost Used ByProduct SummaryStarting Price
Amazon Web Services
Score 8.5 out of 10
N/A
Amazon Web Services (AWS) is a subsidiary of Amazon that provides on-demand cloud computing services. With over 165 services offered, AWS services can provide users with a comprehensive suite of infrastructure and computing building blocks and tools.
$100
per month
DigitalOcean
Score 8.6 out of 10
N/A
DigitalOcean is an infrastructure-as-a-service (IaaS) platform from the company of the same name headquartered in New York. It is known for its support of managed Kubernetes clusters and “droplets” feature.
$5
Starting Price Per Month
IBM Power Virtual Server
Score 9.3 out of 10
N/A
IBM presents their Power Systems Virtual Server as a scalable, cost-effective way to run IBM AIX, IBM i and Linux workloads​.N/A
Pricing
Amazon Web ServicesDigitalOceanIBM Power Virtual Server
Editions & Modules
Free Tier
$0
per month
Basic Environment
$100 - $200
per month
Intermediate Environment
$250 - $600
per month
Advanced Environment
$600-$2500
per month
1GB-16GB
$5.00
Starting Price Per Month
8GB-160GB
$60.00
Starting Price Per Month
No answers on this topic
Offerings
Pricing Offerings
Amazon Web ServicesDigitalOceanIBM Power Virtual Server
Free Trial
YesNoNo
Free/Freemium Version
YesNoNo
Premium Consulting/Integration Services
NoNoYes
Entry-level Setup FeeNo setup feeNo setup feeOptional
Additional DetailsAWS allows a “save when you commit” option that offers lower prices when you sign up for a 1- or 3- year term that includes an AWS service or category of services.
More Pricing Information
Community Pulse
Amazon Web ServicesDigitalOceanIBM Power Virtual Server
Considered Multiple Products
Amazon Web Services
Chose Amazon Web Services
Amazon Web Services is much more mature than all of the cloud service providers out in the market. It has 300+ services that solve almost all of your cloud problems.
Chose Amazon Web Services
Initially, we were with GoDaddy hosting but made a switch to a dedicated server with Bluehost. Our reasoning was that we would get more value from a dedicated server, however, as our SAAS grew we realized cloud computing was the way to go. We ended up choosing AWS over Digital …
Chose Amazon Web Services
For a small to mid level business to maintain production level servers Heroku, Digital Ocean, and Linode are quite reasonable even though they don't provide the same level of security and GUI options as AWS (I think Heroku actually runs on AWS). Once you hit the tipping point …
Chose Amazon Web Services
The flexibility and innovation are the keys. Amazon Web Services provides all the solutions I need in one [place]. With other providers I don't have enough flexibility to create my architecture of services as I need them. Only Amazon Web Services pre-configures services ready …
DigitalOcean
Chose DigitalOcean
Amazon has a very complex UI and many products to offer. They haven't polished up their UI and it has a much greater learning curve compared to DigitalOcean. However, Amazon Web Services (AWS) does have more comprehensive cloud computing services, which forces some companies to …
Chose DigitalOcean
DigitalOcean is cheaper and more flexible than DreamHost, but DreamHost is easier to maintain than DigitalOcean. DigitalOcean has many more server options and templates/images than DreamHost. Amazon Web Services is much more confusing to use. The DigitalOcean website is much …
Chose DigitalOcean
DigitalOcean is an inexpensive product as compared to other products available in the market. The UI is easy and the beginner can also understand the UI with the step by step guide. It provides a lot of custom features and the user needs to pay only for what they are using. …
Chose DigitalOcean
Vultr is a new player in the game. They don't advertise their hardware model and for that reason, people may not trust them. I have run few benchmarks on Vultr, they performed slightly better than DigitalOcean but they aren't trustworthy. Their transparency index is very low …
Chose DigitalOcean
As I have said, DigitalOcean was slightly more expensive than something like HostGator, but the amount of customization and quality of service make it worth any difference. AWS was always a pain to set up and use, but DigitalOcean makes it cake.
Chose DigitalOcean
I've tried both AWS and Azure and, while they're both great solutions, they are much more challenging to setup and maintain. The idea that my billing could spike because of something unexpected leaves me a tad uneasy. For our solutions I'd rather pay the $10/mo with …
Chose DigitalOcean
DigitalOcean can be seen more like a Rackspace or a similar provider. They aren't offering more extended services such as AWS Redshift of something on a larger scale. They are great for just vanilla virtualization and maintaining uptime for those resources across a large set of …
Chose DigitalOcean
Initially we started using DigitalOcean due to their pricing point as we were in development phase. Slowly when we used it, we starting liking it a lot as it is very fast & easy to get started, compared to the other Cloud Providers we've used. Also they have blogs and …
Chose DigitalOcean
AWS: Too complex to set things up. Period.
Mediatemple: Great features, services and customer service. Prices are a bit high for what they offer.
Linode: Outstanding features and customer support. Difficult to start with for novice users.
IBM Power Virtual Server
Chose IBM Power Virtual Server
At [first,] my team was working with Amazon Web Services and later we changed to IBM. I can say IBM suits best with our work requirements as it has all the features AWS has and also with new features included. one of the best this is its price which can be affordable by both …
Chose IBM Power Virtual Server
Amazon Web Services is slightly less in cost However this fact is far out shadowed by the superior customization and efficiency of the IBM Power system Virtual Server. IBM also provides far superior customer service.
Chose IBM Power Virtual Server
They both have their own ups and downs and it totally depends on the team which suits them best. IBM Power Virtual Server has Performance, Scalability, Reliability and Availability, Compatibility, and Good Vendor Support. The specific use case and workload requirements played a …
Chose IBM Power Virtual Server
IBM Power System components are more reliable and have longer uptimes than those of competing systems. The IBM Power System Virtual Server setup and configuration process was simple. To now, no errors have been made in terms of placing an unreasonable burden on the server, …
Chose IBM Power Virtual Server
IBM POWER SYSTEM VIRTUAL SERVER is best no comparison with others. The system is trust worthy best in industry.
Chose IBM Power Virtual Server
We don't have any comparison with IBM's excellent playing quality with proper security as Compared to other virtual servers. Overall IBM POWER SYSTEM VIRTUAL SERVER is the best.
Chose IBM Power Virtual Server
Allows us to rapidly supply new workloads. Allows certain groups to have more control over their own resources. Enables the use of a single infrastructure to support numerous operating systems. When it comes to data copy, IBM Power Systems Virtual Server helps us out.
Chose IBM Power Virtual Server
Despite the fact that we have utilized AWS and other solutions, IBM Power System virtual servers have provided superior outcomes for our customers. When it comes to heavy workload operation, IBM Power servers are well-suited for delivering the greatest performance. It allows …
Chose IBM Power Virtual Server
It is more effective and efficient at doing activities, and it is capable of functioning independently. Manual engagement is required due to the fact that it is extremely likely. It takes only a few minutes to be back up and running. Because of its quickness, it is normally …
Chose IBM Power Virtual Server
First and foremost, I believe that IBM Power System Virtual Server is significantly less expensive than Microsoft Azure, making it more affordable for small and medium-sized businesses. The IBM Cloud provides the finest load balancing, continuous performance, and network …
Chose IBM Power Virtual Server
This is due to the accuracy, efficiency, and speed with which it operates. It has been extremely beneficial to our organization, allowing us to complete a limited number of jobs in a shorter amount of time. It has always been our first pick since it is the greatest. It is the …
Chose IBM Power Virtual Server
When compared to the IBM Power System Virtual Server, Microsoft Azure is a little more costly. Because of its working abilities, IBM is a formidable rival in the software industry. It has the capability of supporting a wide range of operating-system configurations. In terms of …
Chose IBM Power Virtual Server
We'd previously utilized AWS, but because we have members of our team who are already familiar with IBM, we believe it's the ideal fit for our needs. IBM's pricing strategy is also ideal for us in comparison to AWS.
Chose IBM Power Virtual Server
Installation of IBM Power System Virtual Server was simple. Because of the simplicity of scaling, no mistakes have been made in terms of overloading the server. When we switched from on-premises solutions to IBM Power System Virtual Server, we had 99.9% uptime and no …
Chose IBM Power Virtual Server
It's more versatile and dependable. It's up to my team to handle it any way they see fit. Quick and simple to operate. The customer service provided by the company's technical department is excellent. My intention is to keep using it. A government customer is using IBM Power
Chose IBM Power Virtual Server
IBM Power System Virtual Server is cheaper than other cloud platforms. IBM is more suited to heavy computational workloads, and Amazon EC2 does not offer the same cost effectiveness. Amazon EC2 is often cheaper and offers better coverage around the world. It also has a wider …
Chose IBM Power Virtual Server
We use IBM Power System Virtual Server because other services are too expensive and we only need a server that is affordable with scalability. This one was a good choice for us as it provides efficiency in our day-to-day tasks and cloud software.
Chose IBM Power Virtual Server
IBM Power System Virtual Server allows you to use powerful AI. IBM Systems are well designed to run any kind of application. It helps to use a single platform to avoid unnecessary activities and actions to maintain. It is going to be the one as competitive for all the virtual …
Chose IBM Power Virtual Server
We have been using many other systems in our projects like Red Hat Enterprise Linux, Microsoft Windows, etc. If someone is looking for a better stable environment with high system performance and better security updates and features, then I always prefer the IBM Power System …
Chose IBM Power Virtual Server
Firstly I can say IBM Power System Virtual Server is much better with respect to cost when compared to Microsoft Azure which is good for small and medium scale industries to afford. IBM facilitates Load Balancing, continuous Performance, and Network Monitoring features which …
Chose IBM Power Virtual Server
One of the best advantages of IBM Power System Virtual Server is its price model because Amazon web service is a bit costlier than IBM's power system. IBM offers better cloud storage which is similar to AWS. IBM Power System Virtual Server is best for handling workload when you …
Chose IBM Power Virtual Server
Microsoft Azure is one of the best alternatives for IBM Power System Virtual Server. Coming to comparison, firstly I must say about its pricing level. When compared to other virtual servers it is less in cost where even middle and low-level enterprises can make use of it. IBM …
Features
Amazon Web ServicesDigitalOceanIBM Power Virtual Server
Infrastructure-as-a-Service (IaaS)
Comparison of Infrastructure-as-a-Service (IaaS) features of Product A and Product B
Amazon Web Services
8.4
78 Ratings
2% above category average
DigitalOcean
9.1
36 Ratings
10% above category average
IBM Power Virtual Server
8.7
197 Ratings
6% above category average
Service-level Agreement (SLA) uptime9.072 Ratings9.931 Ratings8.9195 Ratings
Dynamic scaling8.873 Ratings9.932 Ratings8.8195 Ratings
Elastic load balancing9.369 Ratings9.423 Ratings9.8189 Ratings
Pre-configured templates7.166 Ratings10.029 Ratings9.7190 Ratings
Monitoring tools8.473 Ratings9.235 Ratings7.1194 Ratings
Pre-defined machine images8.366 Ratings9.433 Ratings9.7191 Ratings
Operating system support7.972 Ratings8.933 Ratings8.9193 Ratings
Security controls8.674 Ratings8.732 Ratings8.0192 Ratings
Automation8.325 Ratings6.55 Ratings7.1168 Ratings
Best Alternatives
Amazon Web ServicesDigitalOceanIBM Power Virtual Server
Small Businesses
DigitalOcean Droplets
DigitalOcean Droplets
Score 9.4 out of 10
DigitalOcean Droplets
DigitalOcean Droplets
Score 9.4 out of 10
DigitalOcean Droplets
DigitalOcean Droplets
Score 9.4 out of 10
Medium-sized Companies
SAP on IBM Cloud
SAP on IBM Cloud
Score 9.0 out of 10
SAP on IBM Cloud
SAP on IBM Cloud
Score 9.0 out of 10
SAP on IBM Cloud
SAP on IBM Cloud
Score 9.0 out of 10
Enterprises
SAP on IBM Cloud
SAP on IBM Cloud
Score 9.0 out of 10
SAP on IBM Cloud
SAP on IBM Cloud
Score 9.0 out of 10
SAP on IBM Cloud
SAP on IBM Cloud
Score 9.0 out of 10
All AlternativesView all alternativesView all alternativesView all alternatives
User Ratings
Amazon Web ServicesDigitalOceanIBM Power Virtual Server
Likelihood to Recommend
8.0
(90 ratings)
8.8
(36 ratings)
9.8
(195 ratings)
Likelihood to Renew
9.4
(10 ratings)
9.0
(2 ratings)
9.9
(4 ratings)
Usability
7.8
(21 ratings)
8.8
(10 ratings)
8.5
(4 ratings)
Availability
9.0
(1 ratings)
10.0
(1 ratings)
9.1
(2 ratings)
Performance
-
(0 ratings)
9.0
(1 ratings)
8.2
(2 ratings)
Support Rating
7.2
(24 ratings)
8.8
(9 ratings)
9.1
(3 ratings)
Online Training
7.0
(1 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
Implementation Rating
10.0
(3 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
7.0
(1 ratings)
Configurability
-
(0 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
9.0
(1 ratings)
Ease of integration
-
(0 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
7.5
(3 ratings)
Product Scalability
-
(0 ratings)
10.0
(1 ratings)
9.0
(3 ratings)
Vendor post-sale
-
(0 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
8.0
(1 ratings)
Vendor pre-sale
-
(0 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
8.0
(1 ratings)
User Testimonials
Amazon Web ServicesDigitalOceanIBM Power Virtual Server
Likelihood to Recommend
Amazon AWS
This is something that is actually common across most cloud providers. A comprehensive understanding of one's use cases, constraints and future directions is key to determining if you even need a cloud solution. If you are a 2-person startup developing something with a best-scenario audience of 1k DAU in a year, you would very likely best served by a dirt-cheap dedicated Linux server somewhere (and your options to graduate to a cloud solution will still be open). If, however, you are a bigger fish, and/or you are actively considering build-vs-buy decisions for complicated, highly-loaded, six-figure requests per minute systems, global loadbalancing, extreme growth projections - then MAYBE you solve all or part of it with a cloud provider. And depending on your taste for risk, reliability, flexibility, track record - it might be AWS.
Read full review
DigitalOcean
DigitalOcean is perfect for hosting client websites, running marketing tools, and managing media storage with Spaces and CDN. The use of Droplets to quickly launch landing pages or WordPress sites for campaigns is a Godsend. It’s great for fast, cheap, and scalable solutions. But for complex microservices or projects needing strict compliance (like HIPAA), DigitalOcean may not always be the best fit, but that depends heavily on your project.
Read full review
IBM
It is really impactful in terms of scenarios like ERP systems and Data Analytics where heavy data needs to be analysed in terms of volume and their needs to be high scalability offering so in that scenario it is a great asset and features like distribution of workload using AI capabilities by leveraging modern IBM offerings like Watson is really helpful the area in which it could improve is native development of application in terms of adoption of New cloud Technologies
Read full review
Pros
Amazon AWS
  • During the month-end, we experience high resource utilization; however, with AWS's scalability, we can effectively tackle the peak load.
  • With AWS IAM, we don't need to set up complete infrastructure for identity and access management, as AWS provides end-to-end IAM services.
  • With AWS, development has become very easy as it's very quick to spin up and destroy the environment, which saves costs.
Read full review
DigitalOcean
  • DigitalOcean provides some of the best cost-to-value services available
  • The DigitalOcean cloud console is very intuitive and easy to navigate
  • DigitalOcean has great support for Docker and other dev ops tools like Terraform.
  • DigitalOcean iterates quickly and provides cutting edge features for organizations that want to keep up with the latest and greatest dev ops tooling
  • DigitalOcean has a great developer community and numerous support docs/tutorials
Read full review
IBM
  • It is good in managing our documents in a precise manner.
  • It is a comprehensive tool and supports other languages like JAVA and Python and it is useful for us.
  • It is quite a valuable tool available at a reasonable price in the market and it is a scalable tool.
Read full review
Cons
Amazon AWS
  • When there is any misconfiguration of EC2 related to SSM Connect. It doesn't clearly states that what particular configuration is missing.
  • Debugging networking related issues could be improved.
  • From the security group page, it's difficult to determine which resource a security group is associated with.
Read full review
DigitalOcean
  • Some products/services available on other Cloud providers aren't available, but they seem to be catching up as they add new products like Managed SQL DBs.
  • While they have FreeBSD droplets (VMs), support for *BSD OSs is limited. I.e. the new monitoring agent only works on Linux.
  • There are no regions available on South America.
  • They don't seem to offer enterprise-level products, even basic ones as Windows Server, MS SQL Server, Oracle products, etc.
Read full review
IBM
  • The software appears to be geared for a no-programming approach, which implies that making changes is more difficult.
  • The user base is small making it monotonous and difficult to come up with new methods.
  • The number of rankings is not as large as competitors.
  • The admin end is poorly designed, as they are unable to receive and respond to client feedback.
Read full review
Likelihood to Renew
Amazon AWS
We are almost entirely satisfied with the service. In order to move off it, we'd have to build for ourselves many of the services that AWS provides and the cost would be prohibitive. Although there are cost savings and security benefits to returning to the colo facility, we could never afford to do it, and we'd hate to give up the innovation and constant cycle of new features that AWS gives us.
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DigitalOcean
I've been very happy with it for my purposes and I plan to continue to use DigitalOcean for the foreseeable future!
Read full review
IBM
At the moment we are 100% satisfied with the performance and our support team is well used to the process involved. So unless we have some major issues in adopting, we are sure to be with IBM itself.
Read full review
Usability
Amazon AWS
AWS offers a wide range of powerful services that cater to various business needs which is significant strength. The ability to scale resources on-demand is a major advantage making it suitable for businesses of all sizes. The sheer volume of options and configurations can be overwhelming for new users leading to a steep learning curve. While functional the AWS management console can feel cluttered and less intuitive compared to some competitors which can hinder navigation. Although some documentation lacks clarity and practical examples which can frustrate users trying to implement specific solutions.
Read full review
DigitalOcean
I honestly can't think of an easier way to set up and maintain your own server. Being able to set up a server in minutes and have fully control is awesome. The UX is incredibly intuitive for first-time users as well so there's no reason to be intimidated when it comes to giving DigitalOcean a shot.
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IBM
I would rate IBM Power Virtual Server’s overall usability as an 8 out of 10. The platform offers a solid interface and intuitive dashboard, making it relatively easy for users with cloud experience to navigate. Its scalability and flexibility are strong points. However, the learning curve for new users can be steep, especially when dealing with complex integrations or configurations. While documentation and support are extensive, some users may find the setup process challenging. Overall, it’s highly functional but could be streamlined further for beginners.
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Reliability and Availability
Amazon AWS
Availability is very good, with the exception of occasional spectacular outages.
Read full review
DigitalOcean
Have not found a single second of down time myself. Superior availability.
Read full review
IBM
Very easy to use.
Read full review
Performance
Amazon AWS
AWS does not provide the raw performance that you can get by building your own custom infrastructure. However, it is often the case that the benefits of specialized, high-performance hardware do not necessarily outweigh the significant extra cost and risk. Performance as perceived by the user is very different from raw throughput.
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DigitalOcean
Very quick response and high performance, you have to fine tune configurations on your machines though.
Read full review
IBM
While there’s room for improvement, it generally works very well.
Read full review
Support Rating
Amazon AWS
The customer support of Amazon Web Services are quick in their responses. I appreciate its entire team, which works amazingly, and provides professional support. AWS is a great tool, indeed, to provide customers a suitable way to
immediately search for their compatible software's and also to guide them in a
good direction. Moreover, this product is a good suggestion for every type of
company because of its affordability and ease of use.
Read full review
DigitalOcean
They have always been fast, and the process has been straight-forward. I haven't had to use it enough to be frustrated with it, to be honest, and when I have an issue they fix it. As with all support, I wish it felt more human, but they are doing aces.
Read full review
IBM
As with most IBM products the ongoing support for IBM Power Virtual Server is solid and consistent. IBM provides a clear roadmap for receiving support of their products. Both voice and online response is offered. It is obvious that IBM has the internal systems and culture to maintain support functions. This starts from the initial support call to the problem analysis and continues through the problem resolution. Documentation and communication are consistent within this process.
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Implementation Rating
Amazon AWS
The API's were very well documented and was Janova's main point of entry into the services.
Read full review
DigitalOcean
No answers on this topic
IBM
It is economic.
Read full review
Alternatives Considered
Amazon AWS
Amazon Web Services fits best for all levels of organisations like startup, mid level or enterprise. The services are easy to use and doesn't require a high level of understanding as you can learn via blogs or youtube videos. AWS is Reasonable in cost as the plan is pay as you use.
Read full review
DigitalOcean
DigitalOcean is an inexpensive product as compared to other products available in the market. The UI is easy and the beginner can also understand the UI with the step by step guide. It provides a lot of custom features and the user needs to pay only for what they are using. Amazon has a complex UI and is on the expensive side. DigitalOcean is simple to use and is easily manageable and the servers can easily be set up without additional cost and such.
Read full review
IBM
They both have their own ups and downs and it totally depends on the team which suits them best. IBM Power Virtual Server has Performance, Scalability, Reliability and Availability, Compatibility, and Good Vendor Support. The specific use case and workload requirements played a significant role. Some workloads may benefit from IBM Power Systems' architecture, while others may perform equally well on alternative platforms.
Read full review
Scalability
Amazon AWS
No answers on this topic
DigitalOcean
Great scalability, you can start with small plans and move up to premium features at a very good price.
Read full review
IBM
I would rate IBM Cognos Analytics’ scalability as a 9 out of 10. The platform is highly capable of handling large volumes of data and supporting thousands of users with ease. Its architecture is designed for high performance, though it may require fine-tuning for extremely complex data environments to maintain optimal performance.
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Return on Investment
Amazon AWS
  • Using Amazon Web Services has allowed us to develop and deploy new SAAS solutions quicker than we did when we used traditional web hosting. This has allowed us to grow our service offerings to clients and also add more value to our existing services.
  • Having AWS deployed has also allowed our development team to focus on delivering high-quality software without worrying about whether our servers will be able to handle the demand. Since AWS allows you to adjust your server needs based on demand, we can easily assign a faster server instance to ease and improve service without the client even knowing what we did.
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DigitalOcean
  • Positive - Elastic computer instances make it possible to pay for only for what you need.
  • Positive - Competitive pricing - some of the products that DigitalOcean offers are much cheaper than those offered by competitors.
  • Negative - Having to go to other cloud computing platforms for more specific, advanced services like Computer Vision optimized services, GPU cloud compute instances, etc...
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IBM
  • We have had a return on investment of 30%.
  • There have also been 80% fewer application crashes due to a lack of resources that previously ran on the X86 platform.
  • Administration management has been simplified and staff can dedicate themselves to the development of applications, instead of providing support to users when the applications do not respond efficiently, this made staff 45% more productive.
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