Know what the month will cost
DigitalOcean billing is monthly in arrears: on the first day of each month, DigitalOcean invoices the previous month's usage, and its spend alerts email you once actual usage crosses a threshold. Duskwatch is an independent iPhone app for DigitalOcean, in development; it shows month to date, a month-end estimate and a budget with pacing, and pushes when spend is on pace to pass that budget.
Updated
Month to date, and where the month will land
Month to date $126
Estimate $180–$194
↓ $14 behind September's pace
Month to date is what DigitalOcean has counted so far. The estimate starts from what is running now, using DigitalOcean's invoice preview, and it is a range, not a single number, because the honest answer has a width. The high end assumes droplets bill for the whole month. The low end accounts for droplet plans that stop billing once they reach their monthly hour cap. Both include tax at this month's rate.
The estimate waits for at least a day of data, and for three days when it can only use the running total. When a droplet has already reached its cap, its cost sheet says it is capped this month, so you know it adds nothing more.
Bundled-plan CPU droplets are billed per second, and usage is capped at 672 hours (28 days) a month.
DigitalOcean docs: droplet pricing (external link), verified
Powered-off droplets are still billed; for bundled plans, DigitalOcean says this is because their compute resources stay reserved on the hypervisor.
DigitalOcean docs: droplet pricing (external link), verified
Pace against last month
A total on its own does not tell you whether something changed. Pacing compares this month with last month at the same point, so "↓ $14 behind September's pace" means you are spending less than you were. An arrow pointing the other way is the first hint that a new droplet, a forgotten volume or a busier database is costing more, days before an invoice would show it.
Alerts that look ahead
DigitalOcean's spend alerts are worth turning on. They report what you have already spent. The push from the app adds the other half: it fires when month to date, projected to the end of the month, passes your budget, while there is still time to act.
| DigitalOcean's spend alerts | Budget push from Duskwatch | |
|---|---|---|
| Channel | Email to team owners and billers | Push on your iPhone |
| Based on | Actual usage | Actual usage and a month-end projection |
| Fires when | Spend crosses a threshold, within an hour | Spend passes your budget, or is on pace to pass it |
| Spending cap | No | No |
On pace to pass your budget
acme-prod · Projected above $200 this month.
Spend alerts are sent by email within an hour of spend crossing a threshold, are based on actual usage, and each threshold notifies once per billing cycle.
A spend alert is not a spending cap and does not limit how much you can use.
For the push, the alert server keeps only your budget, if you set one, and the last status it saw. It never stores amounts by resource or the names of what you run.
What drives the bill
When the pace is up, the next question is why. A breakdown before tax shows where the money goes by product, and each droplet, app and database has a cost sheet with what it has cost so far this month, its plan and its own month-end estimate. Twelve months of bars show whether this month is unusual or the new normal.
- A droplet you powered off still bills; the cost sheet keeps counting.
- A volume that is not attached still bills; it shows as "Not attached, still billed".
- A failed payment shows as a banner at the top, before anything else.
Invoices and payments
Past invoices are listed with their amounts, and each one opens to its detail. Share the invoice PDF from the share sheet when your accountant or a client asks for it at an awkward moment.
On the first day of each month, DigitalOcean invoices and charges the primary payment method for the previous month's usage. Invoices can be downloaded as a PDF or a more detailed CSV.
On the Home Screen and Lock Screen
A spend widget puts month to date on the Home Screen, and a Lock Screen gauge shows month to date as a ring against your budget. Like every widget in the app, they show a snapshot the app writes and never hold your sign-in. More on the widgets page.
What Duskwatch doesn't do here
- No spending caps: neither DigitalOcean's spend alerts nor the app stop resources from running.
- No payments: you cannot pay an invoice or change a payment method in the app.
- No exact forecast: the month-end figure is an estimate with a range, not an invoice.
- No cost allocation by tag or project, and no exports beyond sharing an invoice PDF.
Questions
Does DigitalOcean warn me before I pass my budget?
DigitalOcean's spend alerts email you within an hour of actual spend crossing a threshold; they do not forecast. Duskwatch adds a push when month to date, projected to the end of the month, is on pace to pass your budget.
How is the month-end estimate made?
From what is running now, using DigitalOcean's invoice preview, as a range. The low end accounts for droplet plans that stop billing at their monthly hour cap, and the estimate waits for at least a day of data.
What does the server keep about my spending?
Only your budget, if you set one, and the last status it saw, so it can send the push. It never stores costs by resource or the names of your resources.
Can I see my invoices?
Yes. Past invoices are listed with their detail, and you can share an invoice PDF from the share sheet.
Does spend show on the Lock Screen?
Yes. A Lock Screen gauge shows month to date against your budget, and a Home Screen widget shows month to date.