Cloud Software Pricing (2026)
What 5 cloud tools actually charge, taken from their own pricing pages and re-checked as they change. Cheapest first.
Pricing verified Aug 05, 2026
Prices here change. You'll hear about it.
Outmano watches pricing, features, roadmaps and reviews across your market, then sends one weekly brief: what changed, and what it means for you.
Cloud pricing at a glance
| Product | Entry price | Plans | Free plan | Free trial |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Vultr | $2/mo | 3 | No | No |
| DigitalOcean | $4/mo | 20 | Yes | No |
| Linode | $5/mo | 8 | No | No |
| Hetzner | Custom | 3 | No | No |
| Scaleway | Custom | 0 | No | No |
Every cloud tool we track, cheapest first
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Vultr
High-performance cloud compute.
Vultr positions as the scrappy, developer-friendly alternative to AWS/GCP/Azure — comparable to DigitalOcean and Linode/Akamai on price, but competing hard on global data center footprint and raw per-dollar compute value. They're not chasing enterprise logos; they're winning on price transparency and simplicity for technical buyers.
Plans: Cloud Compute – Regular Performance $2/mo · Cloud Compute – High Performance $6/mo · VX1™ Cloud Compute Contact Sales
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DigitalOcean
Cloud infrastructure for developers.
DigitalOcean is firmly the developer-friendly, mid-market alternative to AWS/GCP — cheaper and simpler than hyperscalers, but not trying to compete on enterprise features. They're hunting indie developers, startups, and SMBs who find AWS overwhelming and overpriced for their actual needs.
Plans: Cloud Security Posture Management (CSPM) $0/mo · Uptime $0/mo · Virtual Private Cloud $0/mo · Support Plans $0/mo · App Platform $0/mo · Functions $0/mo · Container Registry $0/mo · Droplets $4/mo · Spaces $5/mo · Volumes $10/mo · Cloudways Managed Hosting $11/mo · Kubernetes $12/mo · Load Balancers $12/mo · Databases $15/mo · Network File Storage Contact Sales · Backups Contact Sales · Evaluations Contact Sales · Additional GPU Options Contact Sales · GPU Droplets Contact Sales · Inference Contact Sales
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Linode
Cloud infrastructure by Akamai.
Aggressively priced in the budget-friendly segment of cloud infrastructure - that $5 Nanode undercuts AWS/GCP significantly. They're positioning as the scrappy alternative for developers who want simplicity without enterprise markup.
Plans: Nanode 1 GB $5/mo · Linode 2 GB $12/mo · Linode 4 GB $24/mo · G7 Dedicated 4 GB $43/mo · Linode 8 GB $48/mo · Linode 24 GB $60/mo · G7 Dedicated 8 GB $86/mo · RTX 4000 Ada GPU x1 Small Contact Sales
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Hetzner
European cloud at honest prices.
Hetzner is aggressively the budget option in European cloud infrastructure — they undercut AWS, GCP, and Azure significantly and compete directly with Scaleway and OVHcloud on price. They're winning teams who prioritize EUR-denominated, GDPR-friendly hosting without enterprise overhead.
Plans: Cost-Optimized Contact Sales · Regular Performance Contact Sales · General Purpose Contact Sales
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Scaleway
European cloud provider.
Positioning as the straightforward alternative to AWS/GCP complexity — no free tier suggests they're targeting serious workloads over hobbyists. Likely competing on transparent pricing and European data sovereignty rather than being the cheapest option.
Cloud Software Pricing FAQ
- How much does cloud software cost?
- Entry prices run from $2/mo (Vultr) to $5/mo (Linode), with a median entry price of $4/mo across the 3 priced products we track.
- What is the cheapest cloud software?
- Vultr has the lowest entry price of the cloud software we track, at $2/mo. DigitalOcean ($4/mo) and Linode ($5/mo) are next. DigitalOcean is free to start on.
- Is there free cloud software?
- Yes — DigitalOcean offers a free plan.
- How is cloud software usually priced?
- 5 of the 5 cloud tools we track use usage based pricing.