A cloud VPS server (cloud virtual private server) is a virtual machine that runs on cloud infrastructure using KVM (kernel-based) virtualization. The provider carves physical servers into isolated instances; each instance gets a fixed slice of compute — a certain number of vCPUs, a set amount of RAM, and a block of SSD storage. You boot it with Linux (or sometimes Windows), and you get root or administrator access.
The "cloud" part means the underlying hardware is pooled and redundant, and you can usually scale the instance up or down and pay for what you use. The "VPS" part means your resources are private to your instance, unlike shared hosting where many sites compete for the same CPU and memory. Hostinger's official page describes its product as "KVM-based Virtual Private Server"; DigitalOcean calls its instances "Droplets"; Vultr calls them "Cloud Compute"; ScalaHosting calls them "Managed Cloud VPS"; Hetzner calls them "Cloud Servers."
The table below lists the entry-level plan we could verify on each provider's official pricing page on 2026-10-15. The cheapest verified 1-vCPU cloud VPS starts at $2.50/month (Vultr). All amounts are in the currency the provider lists; for the providers below that is USD.
| Provider (verified) | Entry plan | vCPU | RAM | Storage | Bandwidth | Monthly price |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Vultr — Cloud Compute (Regular Performance) | 1 vCPU / 0.5 GB | 1 | 0.5 GB | 10 GB SSD | 0.5 TB | $2.50/mo IPv6 only $3.50/mo with IPv4 |
| DigitalOcean — Basic Droplet | 1 vCPU / 512 MiB | 1 | 512 MiB | 10 GiB SSD | 500 GiB | $4.00/mo |
| Hostinger — KVM 1 | 1 vCPU / 4 GB | 1 | 4 GB | 50 GB NVMe | 4 TB | $6.49/mo intro 2-yr term; renews $11.99/mo |
| ScalaHosting — Managed Build #1 | Managed cloud VPS | 1 | see plan | NVMe SSD | Unmetered | $29.95/mo intro renews $54.95/mo |
Sources for the four rows above are the official pricing pages cited in the verification table below, all read on 2026-10-15. Hetzner and Contabo are omitted from this price table because their official pages could not be read for automated verification on that date (see the verification table). Their prices are not estimated.
As Hetzner's official cloud page explains, shared cloud plans share hardware resources with "neighbors" and suit variable or low-traffic workloads; dedicated cloud plans assign dedicated vCPUs to your project for predictable performance. Entry plans from DigitalOcean, Vultr, and Hostinger use shared vCPUs, which a provider can oversell. If you run steady, production-grade workloads, pay for a dedicated vCPU tier.
Unmanaged plans (DigitalOcean, Vultr, Hostinger entry) give you a bare Linux server and root access — you patch, secure, and monitor it. Managed plans (ScalaHosting's Managed Cloud) include a control panel, backups, and support for a higher fee. The trade-off is purely your time versus your money.
Included transfer varies widely: DigitalOcean's entry includes 500 GiB of outbound transfer (then $0.01/GiB overage); Vultr's entry includes 0.5 TB; Hostinger's KVM 1 includes 4 TB; ScalaHosting's managed plans list unmetered bandwidth. If you serve large files or media, bandwidth is often the real cost driver, not the vCPU.
Pick a region close to your users. Hetzner's cloud runs in Germany, Finland, Singapore, and the US; DigitalOcean spans nine regions; Vultr lists 30+ locations. If data protection law matters to you, Hetzner states GDPR compliance and ISO/IEC 27001-certified German and Finnish data centers.
DigitalOcean bills per second (minimum 60 seconds or $0.01) as of January 1, 2026; Vultr bills hourly on Cloud Compute. If you spin servers up and down for tests, per-second or hourly billing beats a fixed monthly commitment. Note that some "intro" monthly prices (e.g., Hostinger's $6.49) require a multi-year term and renew higher.
This is the audit trail. Each row is a fact we state on this page, the condition under which it applies, the official provider page it came from, and the date we actually opened that page.
| Fact (from official page) | Condition to get it | Official source page | Verified |
|---|---|---|---|
| DigitalOcean Basic Droplet: 1 vCPU, 512 MiB RAM, 10 GiB SSD, 500 GiB transfer, $4.00/mo. | Standard monthly plan, no commitment. | digitalocean.com/pricing/droplets | 2026-10-15 |
| DigitalOcean Droplets are billed per second (minimum 60 seconds or $0.01), effective January 1, 2026. | Applies to all Droplets. | digitalocean.com/pricing/droplets | 2026-10-15 |
| Vultr Cloud Compute (Regular Performance) entry: 1 vCPU, 0.5 GB RAM, 10 GB SSD, 0.5 TB, $2.50/mo ($0.004/hr). IPv4 version is $3.50/mo. | Regular Performance, shared vCPU. | vultr.com/pricing | 2026-10-15 |
| Hostinger KVM 1: 1 vCPU, 4 GB RAM, 50 GB NVMe, 4 TB, $6.49/mo. | Intro price on a 2-year term; renews at $11.99/mo. | hostinger.com/vps-hosting | 2026-10-15 |
| Hostinger KVM plans range $6.49–$25.99/mo (KVM 1 to KVM 8). | Intro pricing, multi-year term. | hostinger.com/vps-hosting | 2026-10-15 |
| ScalaHosting managed Build #1: $29.95/mo intro (renews $54.95/mo), managed cloud VPS with SPanel. | Intro offer; managed (includes management). | scalahosting.com/vps-hosting | 2026-10-15 |
| ScalaHosting offers an "Anytime Unconditional Money-back Guarantee" on managed cloud hosting. | Applies to managed cloud hosting plans. | scalahosting.com/vps-hosting | 2026-10-15 |
| Hetzner Cloud: shared vCPU plans share hardware with neighbors; dedicated vCPU plans assign dedicated vCPUs to your project. | Shared vs. Dedicated tier choice. | hetzner.com/cloud | 2026-10-15 |
| Hetzner Cloud states a 99.9% uptime SLA with defined service credits. | Per Hetzner's cloud page SLA statement. | hetzner.com/cloud | 2026-10-15 |
| Contabo official VPS page could not be read: it returned a security/verification challenge to the browser. not verified | Automated browser was blocked; no price read. We link, we do not estimate. | contabo.com/en/vps | 2026-10-15 |
| Hetzner official cloud page shows prices only through an interactive calculator; no numeric price was readable. price not verified | Calculator requires interaction; only descriptive/SLA text confirmed. | hetzner.com/cloud | 2026-10-15 |
A cloud VPS server (cloud virtual private server) is a virtual machine that runs on cloud infrastructure using KVM virtualization. You are allocated a fixed amount of vCPU, RAM, and SSD storage on physical hardware that is shared with other tenants (or, on dedicated-tier plans, not shared). Unlike shared web hosting, your resources are isolated per instance. The providers covered here name it differently: DigitalOcean calls them Droplets, Vultr calls them Cloud Compute, Hostinger calls them KVM VPS, ScalaHosting calls them Managed Cloud VPS, and Hetzner calls them Cloud Servers.
From the providers whose official pricing pages we could verify on 2026-10-15: Vultr's entry Cloud Compute plan is 1 vCPU for $2.50/month (IPv6 only; $3.50/month with IPv4); DigitalOcean's entry Basic Droplet is 1 vCPU for $4.00/month; Hostinger's entry KVM 1 (1 vCPU, 4 GB RAM) is $6.49/month intro on a 2-year term, renewing at $11.99/month. So the cheapest verified 1-vCPU cloud VPS starts at $2.50/month. Hetzner's and Contabo's official pages could not be loaded for automated verification on that date, so we do not state their prices here — check their official sites.
As Hetzner's official cloud page states, shared cloud plans share hardware resources with "neighbors" and suit variable or low-traffic workloads, while dedicated cloud plans assign dedicated vCPUs to your project for predictable performance. Many budget VPS plans use shared vCPUs, which providers can oversell. If steady, production-grade performance matters, choose a dedicated vCPU tier.
It depends on the value of your time. ScalaHosting's entry managed cloud VPS is $29.95/month intro (renewing at $54.95/month) and includes server management; DigitalOcean, Vultr, and Hostinger entry plans are unmanaged, meaning you administer the Linux server yourself. If you are comfortable administering Linux, unmanaged at $2.50 to $6.49/month is far cheaper in fees; if your time is valuable, managed may be cheaper overall.
No. Bandwidth, backups, managed support, and control panels are often billed separately. For example, DigitalOcean bills per second with included outbound transfer starting at 500 GiB/month and charges $0.01/GiB overage; ScalaHosting's managed plans include unmetered bandwidth and backups. Always read the official pricing and terms page before buying.
On 2026-10-15 we read the official pricing or terms pages of DigitalOcean, Vultr, Hostinger, ScalaHosting, and Hetzner (Hetzner shows prices through an interactive calculator, so only its shared vs. dedicated vCPU description and 99.9% uptime SLA statement were confirmed). Contabo's official VPS page returned a security/verification challenge and could not be read, so we link to it instead of estimating a price.
A cloud VPS server is the sweet spot between shared hosting and a dedicated box: isolated resources, root access, and hourly or monthly billing. If you just want the cheapest verified core today, Vultr's 1 vCPU at $2.50/month (IPv6) and DigitalOcean's 1 vCPU at $4.00/month are the floor we could confirm on 2026-10-15. Step up to Hostinger's 1 vCPU / 4 GB at $6.49/month intro if you want more RAM, or to ScalaHosting's managed Build #1 at $29.95/month if you would rather someone else run the server.
Before you buy, confirm the vCPU type (shared vs. dedicated), the renewal price after any intro term, the included bandwidth, and the data-center region. And if a provider's page fights automated verification — as Hetzner's calculator and Contabo's challenge did for us — open it yourself and read the live number rather than trusting a screenshot or a third-party deal site.