Aruba Cloud vs UpCloud (2026): which should you pick?
As of Nov 13, 2026, Aruba Cloud and UpCloud share a 2.0 GPA, neither has a free plan and their prices can't be set side by side, so the choice depends on whether you care more about value for money, where Aruba Cloud grades higher, or the free plan, where UpCloud does.
Checked Nov 13, 2026 · graded Nov 13, 2026 by ToolGPA
They get the same grade on features, ease of use and platforms.
Price, platforms and features side by side. The table says where each price was read and when.
Aruba Cloud
Italian cloud provider with VPS, dedicated servers and public cloud
UpCloud
Cloud servers, databases and Kubernetes from a Finnish provider
Which one is for you
Pick Aruba Cloud if
- Fits if you want a VPS in Italy or the EU billed in euros
- Works for people who already run VMware or Kubernetes
Look elsewhere if
- Skip it if you want shared website hosting, as this is server rental you manage
- Watch out: the lowest VPS prices are for the first 3 months, then the standard price applies
- Watch out: prices are in euros and exclude VAT, with no dollar view
- Tight if you need dedicated, Kubernetes or VMware, since those are priced separately
Pick UpCloud if
- Fits if you run your own servers and want zero-cost egress
- Works for developers who use Terraform or Kubernetes
Look elsewhere if
- Not for you if you want a simple site host, as these are servers you manage
- Tight if you want a long trial, as it is 7 days, 2 cores and 4 GB in total, with no Windows servers
- Watch out: the trial needs card verification and must start within 365 days of registering or the account is removed
- Watch out: Cloud Native plans bundle no storage or public IP, which cost extra
How we grade them
| 2.0GPAAruba CloudFair | 2.0GPAUpCloudFair | |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | BThe VPS H.1-1 is 2.99 euros a month ex. VAT as a 3-month launch price, around the $3.00 mark and below the $5.00 cheaper-quarter line. The H.2-4 is 5.49 euros after its first 3 months. | CNo plan price was read because the pricing page sat behind a bot check, so it sits in the middle. |
| Free plan and trial | FNothing is free: no free plan and no trial are listed. | DA 7-day trial with EUR 10 of credit that starts only after card verification. |
| Features | BCloud VPS, dedicated and bare metal servers, containers and storage, databases, VMware, private cloud and GPU services. No gap shows in the rented-server job, though managed services are extra. | BServers, managed databases, Kubernetes, GPU servers and an API cover the whole job. |
| Ease of use | DNo store rating on record. You configure and manage the server yourself unless you buy managed services. | DNo store rating on record, and you run servers through a console, API or Terraform. |
| Platforms and integrations | BWeb only, but it works with OpenStack, Kubernetes, VMware, Veeam and Proxmox. | BWeb console and API, with Kubernetes and Terraform support. |
| Best for | Italian cloud VPS and dedicated servers | cloud servers from a Finnish provider |
The GPA is the average of the five grades: an A is 4 points, an F is none. The full reasons are on each tool's page: Aruba Cloud and UpCloud. How we grade
Where they differ
At a glance
| Aruba Cloud | UpCloud | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Paid | Free trial |
| Starts at | €2.99 per month ex. VAT and up (Cloud VPS H.1-1), shown as a 3-month launch price | Not published |
| Free plan | None | None |
| Free trial | None listed | 7-day free trial with €10 of credit, started after card verification |
| Web | ||
| Made by | Aruba S.p.A. | UpCloud |
| Price read from | arubacloud.com | Not confirmed |
| Checked | Nov 13, 2026 | Nov 13, 2026 |
Worth knowing
Aruba Cloud
- Prices are in euros and exclude VAT; the page does not show a US dollar version.
- The discounted VPS prices apply to the first 3 months; the standard price applies at the next renewal.
- This is infrastructure rental, not shared website hosting; you manage the server yourself unless you buy managed services.
- Only the Cloud VPS line is priced here; dedicated, Kubernetes and VMware pricing is configured separately.
UpCloud
- The pricing page sat behind a bot check, so no plan prices were read; use the vendor's calculator for figures.
- The free trial limits you to 2 cores and 4 GB of memory in total and excludes Windows servers.
- A trial must be started within 365 days of registration or the account is removed.
- Cloud Native plans bundle no storage or public IP, which are bought separately.
Key features
Aruba Cloud
- Cloud VPS in Italy
- OpenStack-based virtual servers with 1 public IP, 1 Gb/s connectivity, SSD storage up to 320 GB, and a choice of Linux or Windows.
- Dedicated and bare metal servers
- Dedicated servers, quick-start dedicated servers and Metal Cloud clusters are sold alongside the VPS line.
- Containers and storage
- Managed Kubernetes, a container registry, S3-compatible object storage, block storage and cloud backup are offered.
- Databases and monitoring
- A Database as a Service and a monitoring service are listed in the public cloud menu.
- VMware and private cloud
- VMware hosted private cloud, Azure Local, Red Hat OpenShift, Proxmox and Vates options cover hybrid and private deployments.
- GPU and AI services
- GPU servers, GPU on demand and AI models available through an API are listed in the AI section.
UpCloud
- Cloud servers in three plan types
- Starter plans suit small projects, Premium plans list a 99.999% SLA and MaxIOPS storage, and Cloud Native plans unbundle storage and IPs.
- Managed services
- Managed databases (MySQL, PostgreSQL, Valkey and OpenSearch), Kubernetes, a load balancer and object storage are sold alongside servers.
- Zero-cost egress
- The documentation lists free outbound data transfers as a product feature to lower total cloud costs.
- Private cloud and GPU servers
- Dedicated Private Cloud infrastructure and GPU servers for AI and machine-learning work are also offered.
- API and billing tools
- A RESTful API and a pricing calculator are published, and billing supports bonus credits and several payment methods.
Plans
Aruba Cloud
VPS H.1-1€2.99
per month ex. VAT
1 vCPU, 1 GB RAM, 20 GB SSD and 2 TB monthly traffic. The page gives no original price for this model.
VPS H.1-2€3.99
per month ex. VAT
1 vCPU, 2 GB RAM, 40 GB SSD and 5 TB monthly traffic. The page gives no original price for this model.
VPS H.2-4€5.49
per month ex. VAT, after a first 3 months at €3.00
2 vCPUs, 4 GB RAM, 40 GB SSD and 25 TB monthly traffic.
VPS H.4-8€10.49
per month ex. VAT, after a first 3 months at €5.00
4 vCPUs, 8 GB RAM, 80 GB SSD and 50 TB monthly traffic.
VPS H.8-16€18.99
per month ex. VAT, after a first 3 months at €13.00
8 vCPUs, 16 GB RAM, 160 GB SSD and 100 TB monthly traffic.
VPS H.16-32€37.99
per month ex. VAT, after a first 3 months at €24.00
16 vCPUs, 32 GB RAM, 320 GB SSD and 100 TB monthly traffic.
UpCloud
Pricing could not be confirmed. See upcloud.com.
Ways to pay less
Aruba Cloud
- Other savings
Up to 52% off Cloud VPS for 3 months
A launch promotion discounts newly activated VPS hosting services for the first 3 months; standard prices apply at the next renewal.
UpCloud
No public discounts listed.
Common questions
Which is cheaper, Aruba Cloud or UpCloud?
As of Nov 13, 2026, Aruba Cloud starts at €2.99 per month ex. VAT and up (Cloud VPS H.1-1), shown as a 3-month launch price, and UpCloud has no price we could confirm.
Which has a free plan, Aruba Cloud or UpCloud?
As of Nov 13, 2026, neither Aruba Cloud nor UpCloud has a free plan. UpCloud has a free trial.
More comparisons
How this page was made
- The verdict at the top follows a fixed rule. When both tools are in the same category and either is in our top three for it, the verdict follows that ranking: the higher-placed tool is our pick. The top three weigh who each tool suits as well as its grades, so a pick can go against the GPA. Otherwise the page does not pick one and says which grades higher: the higher GPA first; on a tie, the one with a free plan, then the one that starts cheaper in dollars a month, counted the same way for both; if they are still level, what the choice depends on.
- The grades are our own, from each tool’s review or report card. The GPA is their average.
- Prices, plans and platforms come from each tool’s listing. The table above says where each price was read and when.
- The differences and the answers to the questions are worked out from those listings.