Google Compute Engine vs IONOS Cloud Servers
IONOS Cloud Servers is cheaper across every workload modelled here.
List prices checked
Rate cards side by side
Only the axes at least one of them bills on. A dash means that provider does not charge for it.
| Billing axis | Google Compute Engine | IONOS Cloud Servers | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Entry plan | — | $4.00/mo | — |
| Compute | $0.048/vCPU-hr | — | — |
| Data transfer out | $0.120/GB | Free | — |
| Free tier | Yes | Yes | — |
Source: Google pricing (May 2026) · IONOS pricing (May 2026). Published list prices only — committed-use discounts, regional variation, and per-request charges are not included. Not yet independently re-checked against the vendor’s page.
Monthly cost for three real workloads
The rate cards applied to identical usage. This is where the winner changes.
| Workload | Google Compute Engine | IONOS Cloud Servers | Cheaper |
|---|---|---|---|
| Side projectA personal site or small app with modest traffic, a few gigabytes of assets, and one small always-on process. | $47 | $4.00 | IONOS Cloud Serverssaves $43/mo (91%) |
| Growing SaaSA funded product serving a few thousand daily users, with an image-heavy frontend and two application servers. | $189 | $8.00 | IONOS Cloud Serverssaves $181/mo (96%) |
| Media-heavy siteA publisher or video product where delivery dominates the bill and compute is almost an afterthought. | $1,235 | $4.00 | IONOS Cloud Serverssaves $1,231/mo (100%) |
Workload definitions are identical on every comparison page, so figures here can be read against any other pair in the same category.
What each one is for
Google Compute Engine
by Google
Comparable to EC2 on list price, with sustained-use discounts applied automatically as an instance runs rather than requiring an upfront commitment.
Free tier: One e2-micro instance per month, always free
IONOS Cloud Servers
by IONOS
Per-minute billed servers from a German provider, with unlimited traffic and pricing aimed at small European businesses rather than at scale-out workloads.
Free tier: Unlimited traffic included
Common questions
- Is Google Compute Engine or IONOS Cloud Servers cheaper in 2026?
- IONOS Cloud Servers is cheaper in all 3 modelled workloads.
- What is the difference in egress cost between Google Compute Engine and IONOS Cloud Servers?
- IONOS Cloud Servers does not charge for data transfer out at all, while Google Compute Engine charges $0.120 per GB. On a read-heavy workload that difference is the entire comparison.
- Which has the better free tier, Google Compute Engine or IONOS Cloud Servers?
- Both publish one. Google Compute Engine: One e2-micro instance per month, always free. IONOS Cloud Servers: Unlimited traffic included.
- What do these estimates not include?
- Committed-use and reserved discounts, regional price variation, per-request API charges, support plans, and minimum retention periods. All of those move real invoices, sometimes by a lot. These figures compare published list prices for the same workload, which is the comparison the rate cards alone cannot give you.