Contabo vs netcup (2026): which should you pick?
As of Nov 13, 2026, netcup grades higher than Contabo: 2.0 against 1.6 out of 4.0.
Checked Nov 12, 2026 and Nov 13, 2026 · graded Nov 12, 2026 and Nov 13, 2026 by ToolGPA
netcup grades higher on value for money and ease of use. They get the same grade on the free plan, features and platforms.
Price, platforms and features side by side. The table says where each price was read and when.
netcup
German web hosting, vServers and root servers priced in euros
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 netcup if
- Fits if you want low-cost PHP hosting or a vServer in Germany
- Works for small sites on Webhosting 1000
Look elsewhere if
- Skip it if you need Python, Ruby on Rails or Node.js on the two cheapest web plans
- Watch out: prices are in euros and read at the German VAT default of 19%
- Tight if you need a month-to-month VPS, as the cheaper price is on a 12-month contract
- Not for you if you want a free plan or a trial
How we grade them
| 1.6GPAContaboWeak | 2.0GPAnetcupFair | |
|---|---|---|
| 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. | AWebhosting 1000 is €2.69 a month incl. VAT, under 60% of the $5 cheaper-quarter start. |
| 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. | CWeb hosting, vServers with a remote console and API, root servers and domains. Python, Rails and Node.js are not in the two smallest plans. |
| Ease of use | DNo rating on record. An unmanaged VPS means installing, patching and troubleshooting it yourself. | CHosting panel work for each site, and server plans need configuring. No store rating. |
| Platforms and integrations | CWeb panel only, with no integrations listed. | CWeb control panel only, with no integrations listed. |
| Best for | cheap servers with lots of RAM | cheap web hosting and VPS from Germany |
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 netcup. 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. netcup starts at about $3.01 a month and scores 2.0.
netcup scores higher and starts $2.27 a month lower. Of the other web hosts on the chart, 39 score higher than Contabo for less, and 9 score higher than netcup 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
- netcup also covers databases.
At a glance
| Contabo | netcup | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Paid | Paid |
| Starts at | $5.28 per month excl. VAT, 24-month subscription (Cloud VPS 4) | €2.69 per month incl. 19% VAT (Webhosting 1000) |
| Free plan | None | None |
| Free trial | None listed | None listed |
| Web | ||
| Made by | Contabo GmbH | netcup GmbH |
| Price read from | contabo.com | netcup.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.
netcup
- Prices are in euros and, by default, include German VAT of 19%; the site lets a buyer pick another country's VAT rate, and these figures were read at the German default.
- Python, Ruby on Rails and Node.js are not included in Webhosting 1000 and 2000.
- VPS prices fall with longer contracts: the page marks 12 months as -13% and 24 months as -26% against the 1-month price.
- The vServer prices shown here are for the default location; the site's price data lists other locations such as Singapore at higher figures.
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.
netcup
- Cloud web hosting
- Web hosting runs on a redundant cloud setup with chroot environments, SSH access and free Let's Encrypt SSL certificates for all domains.
- vServers with remote console and API
- Virtual servers come with snapshots, a remote console, a DVD drive, an API, DDoS protection and traffic included.
- Root servers
- Root servers offer guaranteed resources and root access from the first minute.
- Local block storage
- Extra storage for vServers is priced from €0.012 per GB and month, up to 8 TB, without a fixed term.
- Managed servers and clusters
- Managed vServers, netcup Enterprise managed servers and a managed cloud cluster are listed for buyers who do not want to run Linux themselves.
- Domains
- Domain registration, transfers and a reseller program are sold alongside hosting.
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.
netcup
Webhosting 1000€2.69
per month, incl. 19% VAT
50 GB SSD, SSH access, SSL certificates and 1 .de or alternative domain included. No Python, Ruby or Node.js.
Webhosting 2000€4.03
per month, incl. 19% VAT
150 GB SSD, SSH access, the WordPress toolkit and 3 .de domains or 1 alternative domain included.
Webhosting 4000€8.10
per month, incl. 19% VAT
500 GB SSD, SSH access, Ruby and Node.js, and 6 .de domains or 2 alternative domains included.
Webhosting 8000€13.17
per month, incl. 19% VAT
1000 GB SSD, SSH access, Ruby and Node.js, and 12 .de domains or 3 alternative domains included.
VPS 500 G12.5€8.26
per month on a 12-month contract, incl. 19% VAT
2 vCore (x86), 4 GB RAM, 64 GB SSD, traffic included. The page also shows €9.50 for a 1-month term, and 12 and 24-month terms are marked -13% and -26%.
VPS 1000 G12.5€14.50
per month on a 12-month contract, incl. 19% VAT
4 vCore (x86), 8 GB RAM and 128 GB SSD. Larger VPS 2000, 4000 and 8000 plans run up to 16 vCore, 64 GB RAM and 1 TB SSD.
Common questions
Which is cheaper, Contabo or netcup?
As of Nov 13, 2026, netcup is cheaper to start with: about $3.01 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 netcup starts at €2.69 per month incl. 19% VAT (Webhosting 1000).
Which has a free plan, Contabo or netcup?
As of Nov 13, 2026, neither Contabo nor netcup 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.