UpCloud vs Vultr Cloud Compute
Neither wins outright: UpCloud is cheaper for 2 of 3 workloads and Vultr Cloud Compute for the rest.
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 | UpCloud | Vultr Cloud Compute | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Entry plan | $5.00/mo | $2.50/mo | 2× Vultr Cloud Compute |
| Compute | $0.0074/vCPU-hr | $0.0040/vCPU-hr | 1.9× Vultr Cloud Compute |
| Data transfer out | $0.010/GB | $0.010/GB | Same |
| Free tier | No | Yes | — |
Source: UpCloud pricing (May 2026) · Vultr 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 | UpCloud | Vultr Cloud Compute | Cheaper |
|---|---|---|---|
| Side projectA personal site or small app with modest traffic, a few gigabytes of assets, and one small always-on process. | $5.40 | $2.92 | Vultr Cloud Computesaves $2.48/mo (46%) |
| Growing SaaSA funded product serving a few thousand daily users, with an image-heavy frontend and two application servers. | $11 | $11 | UpCloudsaves $0.04/mo |
| Media-heavy siteA publisher or video product where delivery dominates the bill and compute is almost an afterthought. | $95 | $98 | UpCloudsaves $2.52/mo (3%) |
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
UpCloud
by UpCloud
A Finnish host selling on MaxIOPS block storage performance, with a transfer allowance per instance and pricing close to DigitalOcean's.
Vultr Cloud Compute
by Vultr
Cheap flat-rate instances across an unusually wide region list, including locations the hyperscalers do not serve. Bandwidth is allocated per instance rather than pooled.
Free tier: None; the $2.50 IPv6-only plan is the entry point
Common questions
- Is UpCloud or Vultr Cloud Compute cheaper in 2026?
- It depends on volume — UpCloud wins 2 of the 3 modelled workloads and Vultr Cloud Compute wins 1. The scenario table above shows where the crossover falls.
- Which has the better free tier, UpCloud or Vultr Cloud Compute?
- Vultr Cloud Compute does — None; the $2.50 IPv6-only plan is the entry point. UpCloud bills from the first unit of usage.
- 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.