I've been on the hunt for the most affordable cloud server options out there to host my personal projects and maybe a few side hustles. After digging through tons of providers and plans, I narrowed it down to three top contenders for cheap VPS hosting: Hetzner, Contabo and Linode.
So I decided to spin up some instances with each provider and really put them through the paces. I looked at everything from CPU performance to disk speed to overall value for the money. Here's how they stacked up:
Hetzner Cloud
Hetzner ended up being the strongest performer, especially when you factor in their very competitive pricing. Their CX line hits a real sweet spot - the CX21 plan with 2 vCPUs, 4GB RAM, 40GB storage is only $4.59/month. Even beefier plans like the CX42 with 8 cores, 16GB RAM and 160GB of speedy NVMe storage is just $18.59/month.
Hetzner has datacenters in Germany and Finland. In my testing, network speeds were excellent, and I was consistently impressed with the performance-to-price ratio. You can tell they aren't skimping on the underlying hardware.
Contabo VPS
Contabo was another strong choice for cheap VPS hosting, although they couldn't quite match Hetzner on performance. Still, Contabo offers a lot of resources for the money.
Their Cloud VPS S plan with a respectable 4 vCPUs, 8GB RAM, and 200GB SSD storage is $11.31/month. Definitely more than Hetzner, but still very affordable. Their storage offering was also a highlight, packing in 200-400GB on most plans.
The biggest downside for me was network speeds. Contabo just couldn't keep up with the other two. But if you don't need blazing fast connectivity, they're still a great budget option.
Linode
As the priciest of the three, Linode was kind of on the bubble for "cheap" cloud servers. But I wanted to include them to see if the extra cost was justified.
Linode's cheapest "Nanode" plan is $5/month, comparable to Hetzner. But you only get 1GB of RAM, so it's really only suitable for the lightest of loads. Their Linode 4GB plan at $24/month matches up more closely with the other two providers.
Performance-wise, Linode was neck-and-neck with Hetzner. Fast CPUs, great disk speeds, and a rock-solid network. If you're willing to pay a bit of a premium, Linode is a top notch choice. Their 50GB of transfer on the Linode 2GB also beats out the others.
Performance Comparison
I ran some benchmarks on a mid-range 4GB plan with each provider. Here's how they measure up:
| Provider | Plan | CPU (Geekbench) | Storage (IOPS) | Network (Gbps) | Price |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hetzner | CX41 | 2421 | 56,400 | 3.1 | $7.59 |
| Contabo | VPS 4 | 2016 | 37,600 | 1.2 | $30.94 |
| Linode | 4GB | 2394 | 59,700 | 2.8 | $24.00 |
When you look at performance-per-dollar, Hetzner is the clear winner. You get top-tier performance for a fraction of the cost of the other options.
Other Providers
There are a few other popular cheap VPS providers I considered but didn't end up fully testing:
- DigitalOcean: Competitive pricing and a great reputation, but overshadowed by Hetzner and Linode for hardware and network.
- Vultr: Very similar to DigitalOcean, great choice for developers. Just didn't stand out enough this round.
- OVHcloud: Insanely cheap pricing on paper, but fraught with issues around support and reliability. Buyer beware.
The Bottom Line
After all my testing, Hetzner stands tall as the best choice for cheap cloud servers. Unbeatable performance for the price, with plenty of headroom for more demanding projects. Contabo is a respectable runner-up if you need more storage and don't mind slower speeds. Linode is pricey but perfect if you want something more premium while still in the "cheap" range.
Hopefully this deep dive is helpful for anyone else on the hunt for an affordable and capable VPS host! Let me know if you have any other providers I should check out.
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