BuyVM vs RackNerd (2026): which should you pick?
As of Nov 13, 2026, BuyVM and RackNerd share a 1.8 GPA, neither has a free plan, and RackNerd starts cheaper, at $1.83 a month when paid by the year against $2 a month when paid by the year.
Checked Nov 13, 2026 · graded Nov 13, 2026 by ToolGPA
They get the same grade on all five counts.
Price, platforms and features side by side. The table says where each price was read and when.
BuyVM
Low-cost KVM VPS slices with unmetered bandwidth and block storage
RackNerd
Low-cost KVM VPS, shared hosting and dedicated servers
Which one is for you
Pick BuyVM if
- Fits if you want a cheap Linux VPS and can run it yourself
- Works for small projects that need block storage
Look elsewhere if
- Not for you if you want help running the server, as slices are unmanaged
- Watch out: Slice 512 to 2048 share CPU, and only the 4096 slice lists dedicated CPU
- Pricey if you add DDoS protection, managed databases or nightly backups, all paid add-ons
- Skip it if you need many locations, as there are three
Pick RackNerd if
- Fits if you are comfortable running a Linux server yourself
- Works for small side projects that need a cheap VPS
Look elsewhere if
- Not for you if you want a managed server, as VPS plans are unmanaged
- Watch out: yearly specials and monthly plans are on different pages and do not follow one price scale
- Tight if you need IPv6, which is provided on request by support ticket
- Skip it if you want a trial, as nothing is free
How we grade them
| 1.8GPABuyVMWeak | 1.8GPARackNerdWeak | |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | ASlice 512 is $24 a year, or $2 a month, and Slice 1024 is $3.50 a month, both under the $5 cheaper-quarter start. | AA 1 GB KVM VPS special at $21.99 a year, about $1.83 a month, under 60% of the $5 cheaper-quarter start. |
| Free plan and trial | FNo free plan and no trial on the pages read, so you pay from day one. | FNothing free and no trial on the pages read, so you pay from day one. |
| Features | CKVM slices, block storage, a free DirectAdmin license and a control panel. Only three locations, and backups and DDoS protection are add-ons. | CKVM VPS with root access, a control panel, cPanel shared hosting and dedicated servers. The VPS is unmanaged, so the basics come with a lot of work for you. |
| Ease of use | DUnmanaged servers you set up and secure yourself. | DUnmanaged root and SSH servers: you install, configure and secure the system yourself. |
| Platforms and integrations | CWeb panel only, with no integrations listed. | CWeb control panel with no integrations or apps listed. |
| Best for | low-cost unmanaged KVM slices | cheap unmanaged VPS servers |
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: BuyVM and RackNerd. How we grade
Price against what you get
BuyVM starts at $2 a month when paid by the year and scores 1.7 out of 4 on features, ease of use and platforms. RackNerd starts at $1.83 a month when paid by the year and scores 1.7.
They score the same, and RackNerd starts $0.17 a month lower. Of the other web hosts on the chart, 8 score higher than BuyVM for less, and 5 score higher than RackNerd for less.
Features, ease of use and platforms, averaged
What paid plans start at, a month (each step along is roughly double) →
- The best score at each price
- Has a free plan
- No free plan
Where they differ
- BuyVM also covers file management.
At a glance
| BuyVM | RackNerd | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Paid | Paid |
| Starts at | $24.00 per year (Slice 512) | $21.99 per year (1 GB KVM VPS special) |
| Free plan | None | None |
| Free trial | None listed | None listed |
| Web | ||
| Made by | BuyVM (a division of Cloudzy) | RackNerd LLC |
| Price read from | buyvm.net | racknerd.com |
| Checked | Nov 13, 2026 | Nov 13, 2026 |
Worth knowing
BuyVM
- The cheapest slice is billed yearly, and the others are billed monthly.
- The Slice 512 to 2048 plans share CPU on a fair-share basis; only the 4096 slice lists dedicated CPU usage.
- DDoS protection, managed databases and nightly backups are paid add-ons.
- The shared hosting page linked from the product list returned a page-not-available message when read, so only VPS pricing is recorded.
RackNerd
- VPS plans are unmanaged: the vendor describes root access and SSH, and the buyer runs the server.
- The yearly VPS specials and the monthly VPS plans are priced on different pages, and the figures do not follow one scale.
- IPv6 addresses are provided on request by support ticket, and the VPS page names only some locations for it.
- The homepage advertises promo codes for dedicated servers; those are not counted here.
Key features
BuyVM
- KVM slices
- Virtual servers described as dedicated slices, running Linux, BSD or Windows with SSD storage and unmetered bandwidth.
- Block storage slabs
- Add-on block storage is sold from $1.25 a month for 256 GB of HDD and can be attached for backups, media or a self-built object store.
- Free DirectAdmin license
- A DirectAdmin control panel license comes with every service, alongside the Softaculous installer and Blesta billing panel as free software.
- Stallion control panel
- BuyVM's own panel is used to manage servers, and the site lists a wiki and a community Discord for help.
- DDoS protection
- Protection of 3500Gbps and more is sold as a paid add-on, along with managed database servers and nightly backups.
- Three locations
- Servers are offered in Las Vegas, New York and Luxembourg.
RackNerd
- KVM VPS with full root access
- Instantly provisioned KVM virtual servers in locations including Los Angeles, New York, Dallas, Amsterdam and Toronto, with a 1Gbps network port.
- ctrl control panel
- RackNerd's own VPS panel handles reboot, reinstall, console, a network firewall and one-click installs of apps such as n8n, Ollama, LibreChat and Portainer.
- cPanel shared hosting
- Shared plans run cPanel with LiteSpeed, Softaculous, free SSL and JetBackup daily backups, and can be deployed in the US, Europe or Singapore.
- Free migration for shared hosting
- The vendor says it will migrate a site from a previous host after a support ticket with the login details.
- Dedicated servers and colocation
- Dedicated servers start at $139 a month, with Ryzen, unmetered 10, 20 and 40Gbps and hybrid options, plus colocation.
- Reseller hosting
- cPanel and WHM reseller plans let a customer sell shared hosting accounts.
Plans
BuyVM
Slice 512$24.00
per year
1 core at 3.50+ GHz on fair-share CPU, 512 MB memory, 10 GB SSD, unmetered bandwidth and 1 IPv4 address.
Slice 1024$3.50
per month
1 core on fair-share CPU, 1024 MB memory, 20 GB SSD, unmetered bandwidth and 1 IPv4 address.
Slice 2048$7.00
per month
1 core on fair-share CPU, 2048 MB memory, 40 GB SSD, unmetered bandwidth and 1 IPv4 address.
Slice 4096$15.00
per month
1 core with dedicated CPU usage, 4096 MB memory, 80 GB SSD, unmetered bandwidth and 1 IPv4 address.
High-volume VPS$30.00
per month and up
From 2 cores, 8 GB memory and 160 GB SSD at an unlimited 1000 Mbps; larger sizes are $45 and $60 a month.
RackNerd
1 GB KVM VPS special$21.99
per year
1 vCPU, 20 GB SSD, 3 TB monthly transfer, a 1Gbps port and full root access. The specials page also lists 2 GB at $35.99 and 4 GB at $59.99 a year.
512 MB KVM VPS$26.99
per year
1 vCore, 30 GB RAID-10 SSD, 500 GB transfer at 1Gbps and one IPv4 address.
Shared 30 GB$5.59
per month
cPanel shared hosting with 30 GB SSD, 2 TB transfer, unlimited domains and databases, free SSL, LiteSpeed and daily JetBackup backups.
Shared 100 GB$9.59
per month
100 GB SSD and 3 TB monthly transfer with the same cPanel, LiteSpeed and backup features. A 200 GB plan is $15.59 a month.
2 GB KVM VPS$20.59
per month
3 vCore, 75 GB RAID-10 SSD and 2 TB transfer. The 1 GB monthly plan is $17.99 and the 4 GB plan $24.59 a month.
Common questions
Which is cheaper, BuyVM or RackNerd?
As of Nov 13, 2026, RackNerd is cheaper to start with: $1.83 a month when paid by the year, against $2 a month when paid by the year for BuyVM. BuyVM starts at $24.00 per year (Slice 512), and RackNerd starts at $21.99 per year (1 GB KVM VPS special).
Which has a free plan, BuyVM or RackNerd?
As of Nov 13, 2026, neither BuyVM nor RackNerd has a free plan.
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.