Search cheap windows vm and you'll find the same trick everywhere: a table of $2–$5 VPS prices labeled "Windows" when the fine print says Linux. The honest answer is that a cheap Windows virtual machine costs more than a cheap Linux one for one reason — the Windows Server license. This guide gives you the real all-in prices for a Windows vps hosting box in 2026: what Contabo, IONOS, Vultr, RackNerd, and OVHcloud actually charge once Windows is included, and how to get a Windows VM for free if you only need it for a year.
Figures checked against official provider pages in September 2026. "Windows included" means the license is in the price; "license separate" means you pay the base (Linux) price plus a Windows license add-on.
| Provider / Plan | Cheapest Windows price | Specs | Windows | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Contabo — Windows Server VPS | ~$14.88/mo intro | 4 vCPU, 8 GB RAM, 100 GB SSD | Included (all-in) | $16.20/mo regular; unlimited traffic |
| IONOS — Windows M+ | $16/mo intro | 2 vCore, 4 GB RAM, 120 GB NVMe | Included (all-in) | $25/mo regular; 3-mo intro, 1-yr term |
| Vultr — Cloud Compute + Windows | $5.00/mo + license | 1 vCPU, 1 GB RAM, 25 GB SSD | License separate | Windows license billed as add-on (see Vultr docs) |
| RackNerd — KVM + Windows | $2.24/mo + license | 512 MB / 1 vCore / 30 GB (entry) | License separate | Windows template; license billed separately |
| OVHcloud — VPS + Windows | $4.54/mo + license | 2 vCore, 4 GB RAM, 40 GB NVMe | License separate | Windows offered as OS option; license add-on |
| Azure — B1s (free tier) | $0 for 12 months | 1 vCPU, 1 GiB RAM | Included (free tier) | Windows-capable; 750 hrs/mo; $200 credit also |
Contabo's Windows Server VPS price (~$14.88/mo intro, $16.20 regular, all-in) was verified in this project's September 2026 Windows VPS research; Contabo's page was momentarily returning a 500 error during this writing, so re-confirm at signup. Vultr and OVHcloud do not publish a single "Windows-included" price on their summary pages — the Windows Server license is a separate add-on; the exact fee should be read at order time. All other figures verified live September 2026.
The hardware — vCPU, RAM, SSD — costs the same whether you boot Linux or Windows. What changes is the Windows Server license: Microsoft charges the host a per-core or per-VM fee, and the host passes it on. That is why a $2.24/mo RackNerd box becomes a $15–$25/mo Windows box once you add the OS, and why the only true "cheap Windows VM" prices are the all-in plans where the license is already baked in (Contabo, IONOS) or a free tier that covers it (Azure, AWS).
Two mental models:
~$14.88/mo intro ($16.20 regular) · 4 vCPU, 8 GB RAM, 100 GB SSD, unlimited traffic · Windows included (no BYOL)
Contabo is the price leader for a real Windows server you can leave running. For ~$14.88/mo intro you get 4 vCPU and 8 GB of RAM with Windows Server already licensed — that is 8× the RAM of a $5 Vultr Windows build and the license is included, not added. The trade-offs are the usual Contabo ones: SATA (not NVMe) SSD, shared vCPU, and a 24-month intro term for the low rate. For a cheap Windows VM that just works, it is the default pick.
$16/mo intro ($25 regular) · 2 vCore, 4 GB RAM, 120 GB NVMe · Windows included
IONOS sits just above Contabo on price but gives you NVMe storage and a cleaner all-in Windows price (the page shows Windows M+ at $16/mo intro, $25 regular, 2 vCores / 4 GB / 120 GB NVMe, Windows included). It is the better pick if you value faster disk and a simpler bill over squeezing the last dollars. Downside: the $16 rate is a 3-month intro on a 1-year term, so the effective second-year price is $25/mo.
Vultr Cloud Compute $5.00/mo + Windows license · RackNerd KVM $2.24/mo + Windows license · license billed separately
Both are fantastic cheap Linux VPS hosts, but for Windows the math changes. RackNerd's $2.24/mo and Vultr's $5.00/mo are Linux base prices; adding a Windows template tacks on a monthly Microsoft license fee that the summary pricing pages do not show. By the time you license Windows, you are often at or above Contabo's all-in $14.88/mo — with less RAM. Use these hosts for Windows only if you already want their network, API, or hourly billing, not to save money on the OS.
$0 for 12 months · 1 vCPU, 1 GiB RAM (B1s) · Windows-capable · 750 hrs/mo
If your Windows VM is for evaluation, a lab, or a short project, Azure's free tier gives you a Windows-capable B1s (1 vCPU / 1 GiB) free for 12 months, plus a $200 credit. AWS Free Tier does the same with a Windows t2.micro/t3.micro for 12 months. Oracle's free tier is Linux-only, so it is out for Windows. This is the cheapest possible Windows VM — zero dollars — as long as you stay inside the 12-month window and the 1 GiB RAM ceiling. After that, you migrate to Contabo/IONOS or pay Azure's standard rate.
The typical "cheap Windows VPS" list is a Linux price table with a "Windows available" footnote. Both vendor pages (Contabo, IONOS, Vultr — which we exclude from benchmarking because they only show who owns the head term) and the affiliate tables miss what actually decides your bill:
Pick Contabo Windows Server VPS (~$14.88/mo intro) for 4 vCPU / 8 GB with the license included. It is the lowest all-in Windows price we verified and the default answer to "cheap Windows VM."
Pick IONOS Windows M+ ($16/mo intro) for 2 vCore / 4 GB / 120 GB NVMe with Windows included. Slightly pricier second year, but faster disk and less fine print.
Pick Azure's free tier (Windows B1s, 12 months free). It is the only genuinely no-cost Windows VM — just respect the 12-month clock and the 1 GiB RAM limit.
You can — both support Windows templates — but add the license fee to the base price. Unless you need their specific network or hourly billing, Contabo/IONOS will be cheaper once Windows is counted.
A cheap Windows VM is a virtual machine running Windows Server (or Windows desktop, for some use cases) on rented cloud hardware, priced at the low end of the market. The catch is that "cheap" usually refers to the Linux price — Microsoft's Windows Server license is billed separately or bundled as an all-in price, and that license is what actually costs money. A genuinely cheap Windows VM means the Windows license is included or clearly priced, not hidden behind a $2 Linux promo.
Because of the Windows Server license. The hardware (vCPU, RAM, SSD) costs the same whether you run Linux or Windows, but Microsoft charges the host a per-core or per-VM license fee that the provider passes on. On budget KVM hosts (RackNerd, Vultr) the $2–$5 base price is Linux-only; adding a Windows template adds a separate monthly license. All-in Windows VPS providers (Contabo, IONOS) bake the license into the price, which is why their Windows plans start around $14–$16/month rather than $2–$5.
The cheapest all-in Windows VPS we verified is Contabo Windows Server VPS at about $14.88/month intro ($16.20/month regular) for 4 vCPU, 8 GB RAM, and 100 GB SSD with Windows included — no separate license to buy. IONOS Windows M+ is close at $16/month intro ($25 regular) for 2 vCores, 4 GB, and 120 GB NVMe, also Windows-included. Both are far cheaper than bolting a Windows license onto a $2–$5 Linux VPS, where the license can double or triple the bill.
Yes, but only via a free tier, not a permanent free VPS. Microsoft Azure's free account includes a Windows-capable B1s VM (1 vCPU, 1 GiB RAM) free for 12 months under its free tier, and AWS Free Tier includes Windows on its t2.micro/t3.micro for 12 months. Oracle's Always Free tier is Linux-only. So for a no-cost Windows VM, Azure (or AWS) free tier is the answer; just remember the 12-month clock and the 1 GiB RAM ceiling.
Yes, both offer Windows templates, but the cheap base price is Linux. RackNerd's KVM VPS starts at $2.24/month and Vultr's Cloud Compute at $5.00/month — both Linux. Adding Windows means a separate monthly license fee on top, so a "cheap Windows VM" on those hosts ends up more expensive than Contabo or IONOS all-in Windows plans once the license is counted. Use RackNerd/Vultr for Windows only if you already want their ecosystem or need a specific configuration.
A cheap Windows VM in 2026 isn't the $2–$5 number you see in most tables — that's Linux. Once the Windows Server license is counted, the real floor for an always-on box is Contabo Windows Server VPS at ~$14.88/mo (all-in), with IONOS Windows M+ at $16/mo as the NVMe alternative. For free, Azure's 12-month B1s is the only no-cost Windows VM. And the budget KVM hosts (RackNerd, Vultr) are only "cheap Windows" if you ignore the license — which you shouldn't.
Pick by total all-in price, not by the Linux teaser. Do that, and your Windows VM costs exactly what the provider actually charges — no surprise license line at checkout.