DigitalOcean vs Vercel:Which is more popular?
In September 2026, Vercel had more branded searches than DigitalOcean among cloud hosting platforms worldwide. Vercel had about 2.7 million branded searches, while DigitalOcean had 10. Vercel made up 20.9% of all cloud hosting platform searches we track, and DigitalOcean accounted for <0.01%. When we asked ChatGPT and Google AI Overviews about cloud hosting platforms, DigitalOcean appeared in four of the five answers and Vercel in three. DigitalOcean was mentioned before Vercel in three out of five answers.
Who do people search for more?
Vercel, about 274000 searches for every 1 for DigitalOcean
Who does AI mention more?
DigitalOcean, mentioned in 4 of 5 answers, Vercel in 3
Who does AI recommend more?
DigitalOcean, named ahead of Vercel in 3 of 5 answers
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Top cloud hosting platforms in ChatGPT and Google AI Overviews
In three ChatGPT questions and two Google AI Overviews, DigitalOcean was mentioned in four out of five: in two of the three ChatGPT answers and in both Google AI Overviews. Vercel was mentioned in three out of five: in all three ChatGPT answers, but not in either of the two Google AI Overviews. DigitalOcean was listed before Vercel in three out of five answers.
Most recommended by AI
Brands get a higher ranking if they are mentioned earlier in the answers.
Mentioned by AI
Each dot is one answer, filled in when that answer mentions the brand.
Google Cloud5 of 5Named in 3 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 2 of 2 Google answers
Amazon Web Services5 of 5Named in 3 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 2 of 2 Google answers
Microsoft Azure4 of 5Named in 3 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 1 of 2 Google answers- DigitalOcean4 of 5Named in 2 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 2 of 2 Google answers
- Vercel3 of 5Named in 3 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 0 of 2 Google answers
Cloudflare2 of 5Named in 2 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 0 of 2 Google answers
Cloudways2 of 5Named in 1 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 1 of 2 Google answers
Linode0 of 5Named in 0 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 0 of 2 Google answers
See every answer about cloud hosting platforms
5 answers
Asked ChatGPT
“Which cloud hosting platform should I use?”
Asked ChatGPT
“What are the best cloud hosting platforms?”
Asked ChatGPT
“What's the best cloud hosting platform for web infrastructure?”
Searched Google, AI Overview
“cloud hosting platforms”
Searched Google, AI Overview
“cloud infrastructure provider”
Not named in any answer:
Brands are shown in the order each answer named them. The survey took place in the United States on October 19, 2026.
Is DigitalOcean or Vercel more popular in search?
This chart shows how often people search Google for DigitalOcean and Vercel by name. Each line represents a brand's share of searches for all eight cloud hosting platforms we track, month by month, from English-language searches worldwide.
Share of searches by month for Vercel, DigitalOcean. The figures are in the table below the chart.
View monthly share of searches table
| Month | Cloudflare | Vercel | Google Cloud | Amazon Web Services | Microsoft Azure | Linode | Cloudways | DigitalOcean |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Oct 2025 | 16.2% | 8.8% | 16.4% | 44.2% | 13.2% | 0.65% | 0.53% | <0.01% |
| Nov 2025 | 55.3% | 7.4% | 13.7% | 13.6% | 9.1% | 0.45% | 0.45% | <0.01% |
| Dec 2025 | 38% | 11.3% | 21.1% | 17% | 11.3% | 0.69% | 0.69% | <0.01% |
| Jan 2026 | 27.4% | 15% | 22.7% | 18.3% | 15% | 0.74% | 0.74% | <0.01% |
| Feb 2026 | 26.9% | 18% | 24% | 18% | 12% | 0.49% | 0.73% | <0.01% |
| Mar 2026 | 27% | 18% | 23.7% | 18% | 12.1% | 0.4% | 0.73% | <0.01% |
| Apr 2026 | 27.9% | 22.8% | 22.7% | 15.2% | 10.2% | 0.41% | 0.75% | <0.01% |
| May 2026 | 29.7% | 19.8% | 22.2% | 16.2% | 10.8% | 0.44% | 0.8% | 0% |
| Jun 2026 | 29.3% | 19.6% | 23.2% | 16% | 10.7% | 0.53% | 0.65% | 0% |
| Jul 2026 | 30% | 20% | 21.5% | 16.4% | 10.9% | 0.54% | 0.66% | <0.01% |
| Aug 2026 | 32.3% | 21.6% | 20.9% | 14.5% | 9.6% | 0.48% | 0.58% | 0% |
| Sep 2026 | 31.2% | 20.9% | 20.2% | 17.1% | 9.3% | 0.69% | 0.57% | <0.01% |
How has the DigitalOcean and Vercel comparison changed over the last 12 months?
3 findings
- Vercel was ahead of DigitalOcean in every measured month of the 12 months ending September 2026.
- Across the 12 months ending September 2026, DigitalOcean’s share of searches among cloud hosting platforms worldwide held steady at <0.01%, and its estimated monthly branded searches held steady at 10.
- Across the 12 months ending September 2026, Vercel’s share of searches among cloud hosting platforms worldwide moved from 8.8% to 20.9%, and its estimated monthly branded searches moved from 1.2M to 2.7M.
How did search popularity change for cloud hosting platforms worldwide in September 2026?
1 change
In September 2026, Vercel lost share of searches among cloud hosting platforms worldwide, from 21.6% to 20.9%.
How are branded searches counted?
2 search terms
Brandwave collects information about searches that people make online using DigitalOcean’s and Vercel’s names. When viewed over time, estimated search volumes for these branded terms can be used to understand whether interest in the brands is growing, holding steady, or fading.
DigitalOcean
1 branded search term
- cloud storage digitalocean
Vercel
1 branded search term
- vercel
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