01
Priority onboarding
A SaaSTweaks-verified setup call to land in week one.
$422 value
Startup Program
DigitalOcean Open Source Credits
Cloud Provider 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
Editor's pick
You save
$20,000
$240,000 first-year value
Verified weekly · No signup wall
Verified 1 week ago · live
Negotiated direct by saasTweaks
Founders
2,525+
claimed all-time
This week
107
new claims
Ends in
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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.
Pro tip: Include concrete infrastructure metrics in your application (e.g., 'We run 3 Droplets + 1 managed PostgreSQL instance for CI/CD and staging'). Projects with clear, quantified needs and active GitHub activity get faster approvals and higher credit tiers.
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
What's included
02
Migration assist
Templates and scripts to move off your legacy tool.
$423 value
03
Renewal lock
Discount carries into year two — verified by us, not the vendor.
$424 value
04
Founder office hours
Quarterly access to product leadership.
$425 value
05
Stack credits
Bonus credits redeemable on partner tooling.
$426 value
06
Annual audit
We re-verify the offer every quarter so it never goes stale.
$427 value
How to claim
-
Click claim
Hit the button on this page — opens the partner site in a new tab.
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Apply via your VC or accelerator
Check your investor or accelerator benefits portal for the DigitalOcean Open Source Credits partner code. Y Combinator, Sequoia, and most Tier 1 VCs have codes available.
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Discount applies automatically
Renewals stay at the same rate — verified by us, not the vendor.
How DigitalOcean Open Source Credits stacks up
| Feature | DigitalOcean Open Source Credits |
|---|---|
| Free trial | 14 days |
| Cheapest paid plan | $0/mo |
| Annual discount | Up to 25% |
| Refund window | 30 days |
| Setup time | < 1 hour |
| Best for | Founders |
What members say
Verified
“I was comparing five different tools. The deal here pushed this one over the line — and it's been the right call every day since.”
Verified
“Solid tool. Good support. The deal discovery on SaaSTweaks saved us more than I expected — 20% off annual adds up fast at our seat count.”
Verified
“We're a 4-person team with a tight budget. Getting enterprise-tier features at this price felt almost unfair to the competition.”
Members also claimed
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Convex for Startups
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Timescale for Startups
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Frequently asked
Who's eligible?
Open source projects with an OSI-approved license, active community engagement, and ideally a Code of Conduct. Proprietary or closed-source projects are not eligible.
How long do credits last?
Credits are valid for 12 months from activation. Unused balance expires after 12 months and cannot be rolled over.
Do I need a VC sponsor or accelerator backing?
No. This is a direct grant program; you apply directly to DigitalOcean without needing investor or accelerator sponsorship.
What happens when credits run out?
Once credits are exhausted, you'll need to pay standard DigitalOcean rates or reapply for the program in the next cycle (typically annual).
Can I combine this with other DigitalOcean programs or discounts?
Combine with DigitalOcean's startup program or other promotional offers may be possible; contact the Open Source team to confirm stacking rules.
How long does approval typically take?
Most applications are reviewed and approved within 1–2 weeks. Complex or high-credit-tier requests may take slightly longer.