DigitalOcean Open Source Credits
DigitalOcean Open Source Credits for startups: $20,000 in credits
DigitalOcean offers grants of credits to open source projects to help with their development, infrastructure, and testing needs.
- No equity or dilution
- No sponsor required
- Co-marketing & visibility
- Direct team access
About DigitalOcean Open Source Credits
- Open source projects get $60–$20,000 annually in DigitalOcean compute, storage, and bandwidth credits with no equity stake or sponsor required.
- Direct access to DigitalOcean's Open Source team, co-marketing opportunities, and priority support included in the grant.
- OSI-approved license + community engagement + Code of Conduct required; approval typically takes 1–2 weeks.
DigitalOcean is a cloud infrastructure provider offering compute, storage, and networking services. Their Open Source Credits program grants annual cloud credits to FOSS projects to cover development, testing, and production infrastructure—no equity dilution, no VC requirement.
DigitalOcean Open Source Credits at a glance
DigitalOcean is a cloud infrastructure provider offering compute, storage, and networking services. Their Open Source Credits program grants annual cloud credits to FOSS projects to cover development, testing, and production infrastructure—no equity dilution, no VC requirement.
- $60–$20,000Annual credit range
- OSI-approved licensePrimary eligibility gate
- 1–2 weeksTypical approval window
- 12 monthsStandard credit validity
The DigitalOcean Open Source Credits offer explained
DigitalOcean grants annual credits that cover Droplets (VMs), App Platform, Managed Databases, Spaces (object storage), and bandwidth. Credits are non-transferable, expire after 12 months, and are applied directly to your DigitalOcean account. The grant amount depends on project maturity, community size, and infrastructure needs.
Heads up: credit programs change their terms and caps regularly — confirm the current offer on the application page before you plan around it.
Apply to DigitalOcean Open Source CreditsEligibility & key terms
| Detail | What to know |
|---|---|
| License | OSI-approved open source license (GPL, MIT, Apache 2.0, etc.) |
| Community | Demonstrated active community engagement and user base |
| Code of Conduct | Formal Code of Conduct recommended (not always mandatory) |
| Credit range | $60–$20,000 annually based on project scale |
| Equity/sponsor | None required; direct application to DigitalOcean |
How DigitalOcean Open Source Credits compares
Here's how DigitalOcean Open Source Credits stacks up against other cloud infrastructure credits in the same category:
| Program | Headline offer | Category |
|---|---|---|
| DigitalOcean Open Source Credits | $20,000 in credits | This page |
| Alibaba Cloud Startup Catalyst Program | $120,000 in credits | Cloud Provider Credits |
| Appwrite Startups Program | $20,000 in credits | Cloud Provider Credits |
| AWS Activate | $100,000 in credits | Cloud Provider Credits |
How to apply for DigitalOcean Open Source Credits
- Verify OSI license
Confirm your project uses an OSI-approved open source license (check opensource.org/licenses).
- Document community & use case
Prepare GitHub stats, user count, contribution history, and a brief description of your infrastructure needs.
- Apply via DigitalOcean Open Source portal
Submit application at digitalocean.com/open-source with project details, Code of Conduct link, and estimated monthly compute/storage needs.
- Await approval & activate
DigitalOcean reviews within 1–2 weeks; once approved, credits are added to your account and ready to use immediately.
Free cloud infrastructure for open source, no strings attached—ideal for projects that need production-grade compute without vendor lock-in or equity dilution.SaaSTweaks editorial
Who should apply — and who shouldn't
Apply if
- Your project is OSI-licensed and has active community contributors or users.
- You need reliable cloud infrastructure for CI/CD, testing, or production workloads but lack budget.
- You want to avoid equity dilution or VC pressure while scaling infrastructure.
- You're open to DigitalOcean's ecosystem (Droplets, App Platform, Managed Databases) and don't require multi-cloud.
Skip if
- Your project is proprietary or uses a non-OSI license (e.g., custom commercial license).
- You need multi-cloud flexibility or are already committed to AWS/GCP/Azure.
- Your infrastructure needs exceed $20,000 annually or require specialized services (GPU compute, Kubernetes at scale).
More Cloud Provider Credits
If DigitalOcean Open Source Credits isn't the right fit, compare it against Alibaba Cloud Startup Catalyst Program, Appwrite Startups Program, AWS Activate, AWS Rapid Ramp Credits — or browse the full Cloud Provider Credits category.
Final verdict
Apply — strong program.
This is a no-strings-attached grant for legitimate open source projects. The eligibility bar is reasonable (OSI license + community proof), approval is fast, and credits cover real production costs. Even if you eventually outgrow DigitalOcean, the 12-month runway is valuable runway for early-stage FOSS projects.
Apply to DigitalOcean Open Source CreditsCapabilities
- • Annual cloud credits ($60–$20,000)
- • Covers Droplets, App Platform, Managed Databases, Spaces, and bandwidth
- • No equity or investor requirement
- • Direct application (no sponsor needed)
- • Co-marketing and community visibility
- • Priority support from Open Source team
- • 12-month credit validity
- • Fast 1–2 week approval
How to claim
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Click claim
Hit the button on this page — opens the partner site in a new tab.
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Sign up through the partner link
No code needed — the offer applies automatically when you register through our DigitalOcean Open Source Credits link.
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Offer applies automatically
No surcharge to you — verified by the SaaSTweaks Deal Desk, not the vendor.
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