UpCloud vs Vultr (2026): which should you pick?
As of Nov 13, 2026, UpCloud grades higher than Vultr: 2.0 against 1.8 out of 4.0.
Checked Nov 12, 2026 and Nov 13, 2026 · graded Nov 12, 2026 and Nov 13, 2026 by ToolGPA
UpCloud grades higher on the free plan and features. Vultr grades higher on value for money. They get the same grade on ease of use and platforms.
Price, platforms and features side by side. The table says where each price was read and when.
UpCloud
Cloud servers, databases and Kubernetes from a Finnish provider
Which one is for you
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
Pick Vultr if
- Fits if you want inexpensive servers across many locations
- Works for projects that need bare metal or GPUs from the same provider
Look elsewhere if
- Skip it if you don't want to set up and patch a server
- Not for you if you need IPv4 on the $2.50 plan, since it's IPv6 only
- Watch out: backups, block storage, load balancers and extra bandwidth cost more
- Watch out: Vultr's own pricing pages weren't readable, so prices are from its public plans API
How we grade them
| 2.0GPAUpCloudFair | 1.8GPAVultrWeak | |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | CNo plan price was read because the pricing page sat behind a bot check, so it sits in the middle. | B$2.50 a month for the IPv6-only 512MB plan, $3.50 with IPv4, $5 for 1GB. Inside the cheaper quarter ($5.28). The IPv6-only plan has no IPv4 at all. |
| Free plan and trial | DA 7-day trial with EUR 10 of credit that starts only after card verification. | FNo free plan and no trial on record; every plan is paid from the first day. |
| Features | BServers, managed databases, Kubernetes, GPU servers and an API cover the whole job. | CCloud Compute, high-frequency and optimized plans, bare metal, GPUs and Kubernetes docs. The listing shows servers, not databases or an app platform, and extras cost more. |
| Ease of use | DNo store rating on record, and you run servers through a console, API or Terraform. | DNo store rating on record. Unmanaged servers: you set up and patch the OS. |
| Platforms and integrations | BWeb console and API, with Kubernetes and Terraform support. | BWeb only, with a v2 API, a CLI, a Terraform provider and SDKs. |
| Best for | cloud servers from a Finnish provider | inexpensive cloud servers in many locations |
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: UpCloud and Vultr. How we grade
Where they differ
- UpCloud also covers databases.
At a glance
| UpCloud | Vultr | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free trial | Paid |
| Starts at | Not published | $2.50 per month (IPv6-only 512MB Cloud Compute) |
| Free plan | None | None |
| Free trial | 7-day free trial with €10 of credit, started after card verification | None listed |
| Web | ||
| Made by | UpCloud | Vultr |
| Price read from | Not confirmed | api.vultr.com |
| Checked | Nov 13, 2026 | Nov 12, 2026 |
Worth knowing
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.
Vultr
- Vultr's pricing and product pages sit behind a bot check, so these prices are read from its public plans API.
- The cheapest $2.50 plan has an IPv6 address only and no IPv4.
- Servers are unmanaged: the buyer sets up and patches the operating system.
- Backups, block storage, load balancers and bandwidth beyond a plan's allowance cost extra.
Key features
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.
Vultr
- Cloud Compute
- Virtual machines in standard and high-frequency classes, with plan sizes starting at 512MB RAM.
- High-performance and optimized compute
- The plans API also lists high-performance and optimized compute types, for example a 1 vCPU, 2GB optimized plan at $28 a month.
- Bare metal and GPUs
- Bare metal servers and GPU instances are sold, with an NVIDIA L40S server listed at $1,122.91 a month.
- Kubernetes and AI workloads
- Vultr's docs cover Kubernetes setup, GPU workloads, AI model docs and a beta documentation agent.
- Public API and CLI
- A v2 API, a CLI, a Terraform provider and SDKs are referenced in the reference documentation.
Plans
UpCloud
Pricing could not be confirmed. See upcloud.com.
Vultr
Cloud Compute 512MB$3.50
per month, with IPv4
1 vCPU, 512MB RAM, 10GB storage and 512GB of bandwidth. An IPv6-only version is $2.50 a month.
Cloud Compute 1GB$5
per month ($0.007 per hour)
1 vCPU, 1GB RAM, 25GB storage and 1TB of bandwidth.
Cloud Compute 2GB$10
per month
1 vCPU, 2GB RAM, 55GB storage and 2TB of bandwidth. The 2 vCPU, 2GB size is $15 a month.
High Frequency 1GB$6
per month
1 vCPU, 1GB RAM, 32GB storage and 1TB of bandwidth. The 2GB size is $12 and the 2 vCPU, 2GB size is $18.
Common questions
Which is cheaper, UpCloud or Vultr?
As of Nov 13, 2026, UpCloud has no price we could confirm, and Vultr starts at $2.50 per month (IPv6-only 512MB Cloud Compute).
Which has a free plan, UpCloud or Vultr?
As of Nov 13, 2026, neither UpCloud nor Vultr 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.