Contabo vs Kamatera (2026): which should you pick?
As of Nov 13, 2026, Kamatera grades higher than Contabo: 2.2 against 1.6 out of 4.0.
Checked Nov 12, 2026 · graded Nov 12, 2026 and Nov 13, 2026 by ToolGPA
Kamatera grades higher on the free plan, features and platforms. They get the same grade on value for money and ease of use.
Price, platforms and features side by side. The table says where each price was read and when.
Kamatera
Configurable cloud servers from $4 a month in many 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 Kamatera if
- Fits if you are comfortable running your own server and want to size it
- Makes sense if you want hourly billing for short-lived machines
Look elsewhere if
- Skip it if you want hosting managed for you, since servers are unmanaged by default
- Tight on storage, because the three listed plans have 20 GB and more is $0.05 per GB a month
- Pricey if you pass the allowance, since extra traffic is $0.01 per GB
- Watch out: the trial covers services worth up to $100 on one server
How we grade them
| 1.6GPAContaboWeak | 2.2GPAKamateraFair | |
|---|---|---|
| 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. | BBasic is $4 a month for 1 vCPU and 1 GB RAM, inside the cheaper quarter of web hosts, but above 60% of the $5.28 line. |
| Free plan and trial | FNo free plan and no trial on record; every plan is paid from the first day. | DA 30-day trial covering up to $100 on one server. The page does not say whether a card is needed, and there is no free plan. |
| 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. | BCustom server sizes, many data centres, hourly billing, control panels, load balancers and a cloud API. |
| Ease of use | DNo rating on record. An unmanaged VPS means installing, patching and troubleshooting it yourself. | DNo store rating on record. You run an unmanaged server yourself, which means a command line. |
| Platforms and integrations | CWeb panel only, with no integrations listed. | BWeb console and a cloud API, with cPanel, Plesk and common operating systems. No apps. |
| Best for | cheap servers with lots of RAM | cloud servers you size yourself and pay for by the hour |
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 Kamatera. 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. Kamatera starts at $4 a month and scores 2.3.
Kamatera scores higher and starts $1.28 a month lower. Of the other web hosts on the chart, 23 score higher than Contabo for less, and 1 scores higher than Kamatera 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
- Kamatera also covers system monitor.
At a glance
| Contabo | Kamatera | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Paid | Free trial |
| Starts at | $5.28 per month excl. VAT, 24-month subscription (Cloud VPS 4) | $4 per month for a Basic server |
| Free plan | None | None |
| Free trial | None listed | 30-day free trial covering services worth up to $100 on 1 server |
| Web | ||
| Made by | Contabo GmbH | Kamatera |
| Price read from | contabo.com | kamatera.com |
| Checked | Nov 12, 2026 | Nov 12, 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.
Kamatera
- The three listed plans each include only 20 GB of storage; more costs $0.05 per GB per month.
- Extra traffic beyond the included amount is $0.01 per GB.
- The free trial covers up to $100 of services on one server.
- Servers are unmanaged by default; a managed service is an extra option.
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.
Kamatera
- Build-your-own server sizes
- CPU type (availability, general purpose, burstable or dedicated), RAM, NVMe storage and data center are chosen separately, with up to 104 vCPUs per server.
- Monthly or hourly billing
- A server can be billed monthly or by the hour, and hourly servers are billed by the minute. Charges differ when an hourly server is powered off.
- Many data centers
- Locations listed include Frankfurt, Amsterdam, London, Tokyo, Singapore, Sydney, Toronto, Atlanta and Los Angeles.
- Control panels and add-ons
- cPanel and Plesk licenses, Microsoft SQL Server editions, extended daily backups and a managed-service option can be added to a server.
- Cloud API
- Kamatera lists a cloud API for automating server management, along with load balancers, block storage, a cloud firewall and virtual private cloud.
- Operating system choice
- Ubuntu, AlmaLinux, Arch Linux, CentOS Stream and others are listed, and you can bring a custom image.
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.
Kamatera
Basic$4
per month for 1 vCPU and 1 GB RAM
Type A server with 20 GB NVMe SSD and 5 TB of internet traffic, in any listed data center.
Standard$25
per month for 2 vCPU and 2 GB RAM
Type B general-purpose server with 20 GB NVMe SSD and 5 TB of traffic.
Pro$39
per month for 2 vCPU and 4 GB RAM
Type B general-purpose server with 20 GB NVMe SSD and 5 TB of traffic. A custom calculator prices any other size.
Common questions
Which is cheaper, Contabo or Kamatera?
As of Nov 12, 2026, Kamatera is cheaper to start with: $4 a month, against $5.28 a month for Contabo. Contabo starts at $5.28 per month excl. VAT, 24-month subscription (Cloud VPS 4), and Kamatera starts at $4 per month for a Basic server.
Which has a free plan, Contabo or Kamatera?
As of Nov 12, 2026, neither Contabo nor Kamatera has a free plan. Kamatera 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.