Contabo vs Hostkey (2026): which should you pick?
As of Nov 13, 2026, Contabo grades higher than Hostkey: 1.6 against 1.2 out of 4.0.
Checked Nov 12, 2026 and Nov 13, 2026 · graded Nov 12, 2026 and Nov 13, 2026 by ToolGPA
Contabo grades higher on value for money. They get the same grade on the free plan, features, ease of use and platforms.
Price, platforms and features side by side. The table says where each price was read and when.
Hostkey
Dedicated, GPU and VPS servers from European and US data centers
Which one is for you
Pick Contabo if
- Fits if you want a lot of RAM and storage for little and can manage a server
- Works for staging boxes, CI runners and hobby servers
Look elsewhere if
- Skip it if you can't look after a Linux server, as support covers the VPS only
- Not for you if you won't commit: the lowest price is for 24 months
- Watch out: a one-time setup fee applies on monthly Cloud VPS 4 orders
- Watch out: outgoing traffic is unlimited only under fair use, and heavy servers can be throttled
- Watch out: the price after the term isn't shown
Pick Hostkey if
- Fits if you need a dedicated or GPU server in a chosen location
- Works for teams that administer their own servers
Look elsewhere if
- Pricey if you only need a website, as dedicated servers start at €50 a month
- Not for you if you want a managed server, as administration is a paid add-on
- Watch out: prices show in euros by default, and dollar prices were not read
- Skip it if you need VPS prices, as that page was not readable
How we grade them
| 1.6GPAContaboWeak | 1.2GPAHostkeyWeak | |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | B$5.28 a month excl. VAT on a 24-month term for 4 vCPU, 8GB RAM and 100GB, at the edge of the cheaper quarter ($5.28). Terms differ and the price after the term isn't shown. | DA ready dedicated server starts at €50 a month, above shared or VPS hosting, and EPYC servers start at €259. |
| Free plan and trial | FNo free plan and no trial on record; every plan is paid from the first day. | FNothing free and no trial on the pages read, so you pay from day one. |
| Features | CVPS sizes from 4 to 18 vCPU, snapshots, Plesk and cPanel options, many locations. The gap: it's a bare server, and Contabo supports the VPS, not the software on it. | CDedicated and GPU servers, many locations, a control panel and API, colocation and S3 storage. All unmanaged. |
| Ease of use | DNo rating on record. An unmanaged VPS means installing, patching and troubleshooting it yourself. | DUnmanaged servers you set up and administer yourself. |
| Platforms and integrations | CWeb panel only, with no integrations listed. | CWeb panel and API, with one integration listed. |
| Best for | cheap servers with lots of RAM | dedicated and GPU 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: Contabo and Hostkey. How we grade
Price against what you get
Contabo starts at $5.28 a month and scores 1.7 out of 4 on features, ease of use and platforms. Hostkey starts at about $55.86 a month and scores 1.7.
They score the same, and Contabo starts $50.58 a month lower. Of the other web hosts on the chart, 39 score higher than Contabo for less, and 96 score higher than Hostkey 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
- Hostkey also covers system monitor.
At a glance
| Contabo | Hostkey | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Paid | Paid |
| Starts at | $5.28 per month excl. VAT, 24-month subscription (Cloud VPS 4) | €50 per month for a ready-to-order dedicated server |
| Free plan | None | None |
| Free trial | None listed | None listed |
| Web | ||
| Made by | Contabo GmbH | HOSTKEY |
| Price read from | contabo.com | hostkey.com |
| Checked | Nov 12, 2026 | Nov 13, 2026 |
Worth knowing
Contabo
- The price shown is the monthly rate on a 24-month subscription; the page does not show the price after the term or a plain monthly price.
- A one-time setup fee applies to new Cloud VPS 4 orders on monthly contracts.
- Outgoing traffic is unlimited under a fair usage policy, and Contabo may throttle servers with very high or disruptive usage.
- Contabo supports the VPS itself, not the software installed on it; maintenance and troubleshooting are the user's job.
Hostkey
- Prices display in euros by default; a USD switch is offered but dollar prices were not read here.
- All servers are unmanaged, and administration is a paid add-on.
- The VPS page returned an access error, so VPS prices are not recorded.
- Hosting-provider and special offers on the site change often and carry their own terms.
Key features
Contabo
- Cloud VPS range
- Six Cloud VPS sizes from 4 to 18 vCPU cores and 8GB to 96GB RAM, each with unlimited, unmetered incoming traffic and fair-usage outgoing traffic.
- Other VPS lines
- Performance VPS on AMD EPYC CPUs with NVMe storage, Max Performance, Storage VPS, Windows VPS and GPU VPS are sold alongside.
- Plesk and cPanel VPS
- Plesk and cPanel VPS plans are listed, and Plesk is free for the first month on Cloud VPS, Cloud VDS, Storage VPS and dedicated servers.
- Longer terms for lower prices
- Prices shown are the effective monthly rate for a 24-month subscription, and no setup fee applies on longer contracts.
- Snapshots and storage extension
- Each Cloud VPS includes snapshots, and Core VPS plans can double their storage through Storage Extension.
- Many locations
- The product page describes hosting across the EU, US, UK, Australia and Asia.
Hostkey
- Dedicated servers
- Ready-to-order and custom dedicated servers range from single-CPU machines to high-RAM and 10 Gbps models.
- GPU servers
- GPU servers with NVIDIA and AMD cards are sold for AI, HPC and deep learning.
- Many locations
- Data centers are listed in the Netherlands, the UK, Spain, France, the US, Finland, Germany, Iceland, Turkey, Italy, Poland and Switzerland.
- Network and add-on services
- L3-L4 DDoS protection, VLANs, BYOIP, monitoring and SLA support packages are listed as services.
- Control panel and API
- A server control panel and API are listed, along with Terraform support.
- Colocation and S3 storage
- Colocation in the Netherlands and S3-compatible object storage are also offered.
Plans
Contabo
Cloud VPS 4$5.28
per month excl. VAT, 24-month term; $6.60 incl. tax
4 vCPU cores, 8GB RAM, 100GB SSD, 1 snapshot, 200 Mbit/s port and unlimited traffic. A setup fee applies on monthly contracts.
Cloud VPS 6$7.20
per month excl. VAT, 24-month term; $9.00 incl. tax
6 vCPU cores, 12GB RAM, 200GB SSD or 100GB NVMe, 2 snapshots, 300 Mbit/s port and unlimited traffic.
Cloud VPS 8$13.44
per month excl. VAT, 24-month term; $16.80 incl. tax
8 vCPU cores, 24GB RAM, 300GB SSD or 150GB NVMe, 3 snapshots, 600 Mbit/s port and unlimited traffic.
Cloud VPS 12$24.00
per month excl. VAT, 24-month term; $30.00 incl. tax
12 vCPU cores, 48GB RAM, 400GB SSD or 200GB NVMe, 3 snapshots, 800 Mbit/s port and unlimited traffic.
Cloud VPS 16$35.60
per month excl. VAT, 24-month term; $44.50 incl. tax
16 vCPU cores, 64GB RAM, 500GB SSD or 250GB NVMe, 3 snapshots, 1 Gbit/s port and unlimited traffic.
Cloud VPS 18$47.04
per month excl. VAT, 24-month term; $58.80 incl. tax
18 vCPU cores, 96GB RAM, 600GB SSD or 300GB NVMe, 3 snapshots, 1 Gbit/s port and unlimited traffic.
Hostkey
Ready server bm.v1-max€50
per month
4 vCPU, 32 GB RAM, 960 GB SSD and a 1 Gbps port with 50 TB of traffic.
Ready server bm.ru-big€60
per month
6 vCPU, 32 GB RAM, 480 GB SSD and a 1 Gbps port with 30 TB of traffic.
4th Gen EPYC servers€259
per month and up
EPYC 9354 with 32 cores, up to 1 TB RAM, NVMe storage, a 10 Gbps port and 100 TB of traffic.
Object storage€2
per month and up
S3-compatible cold and standard object storage with no extra charges for PUT, POST, COPY or LIST operations.
Common questions
Which is cheaper, Contabo or Hostkey?
As of Nov 13, 2026, Contabo is cheaper to start with: $5.28 a month, against about $55.86 a month for Hostkey. Contabo starts at $5.28 per month excl. VAT, 24-month subscription (Cloud VPS 4), and Hostkey starts at €50 per month for a ready-to-order dedicated server.
Which has a free plan, Contabo or Hostkey?
As of Nov 13, 2026, neither Contabo nor Hostkey 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.