Compare / Laravel Cloud vs Contabo Cloud VPS
Laravel Cloud vs Contabo Cloud VPS
Pre-calculated from hand-checked data — Laravel Cloud checked 2026-08-06, Contabo checked 2026-08-06.
The short version
Laravel Cloud wins more of our comparison points, but Contabo Cloud VPS still fits if budget bulk compute — game servers, dev boxes, and side projects where raw specs per euro beat consistency describes you.
Price Tie
Laravel Cloud costs less while you're starting out, but Contabo Cloud VPS works out cheaper once traffic grows.
Ease Laravel Cloud
Laravel Cloud is easier to get running: connect a Git repository or run cloud ship; Laravel Cloud builds the supported runtime and deploys every push with zero downtime.
Control Contabo Cloud VPS
Contabo Cloud VPS gives you more control over the stack — the flip side of the convenience trade.
Free tier Laravel Cloud
Laravel Cloud has a free tier; Contabo Cloud VPS doesn't.
Features Laravel Cloud
Laravel Cloud comes out ahead on 6 of the 15 features we track, versus 2.
What developers say about this matchup
We couldn't find a substantive first-person discussion comparing this exact pair. We leave the section empty instead of filling it with vendor marketing or generic SEO comparisons.
At a glance
| Laravel Cloud | Contabo Cloud VPS | |
|---|---|---|
| Best for | Laravel teams that want the framework, database, queues, scheduler, cache, and deploy workflow managed as one platform. | Budget bulk compute — game servers, dev boxes, and side projects where raw specs per euro beat consistency. |
| How deploys work | Connect a Git repository or run cloud ship; Laravel Cloud builds the supported runtime and deploys every push with zero downtime. | You get root on a bare server after order verification clears; bring your own setup or use the one-click app installs. |
| The tradeoff | The excellent Laravel experience comes from an opinionated runtime, so arbitrary containers and server-level access are out. | The lowest sticker price here, paid for with oversubscription, slow support, and slow provisioning. |
| Free tier | New Starter subscriptions get their first month free; after that, Starter costs $5/month and includes $5 in monthly usage credit. | None |
What you'd realistically pay
Laravel Cloud Contabo Cloud VPS
| Project stage | Laravel Cloud | Contabo Cloud VPS | Cheaper |
|---|---|---|---|
| Just starting | ≈$5/mo Starter — The $5 subscription includes $5 of monthly usage credit; a small app and database that scale to zero can stay inside it. | ≈€5.50/mo Cloud VPS 4 — 4 shared vCPU, 8 GB RAM, 100 GB SSD, 200 Mbit/s unlimited traffic. €4.40/month on a 24-month term. | Laravel Cloud |
| Steady traffic | ≈$12/mo Starter + always-on Flex 1GB — One always-on Flex 1GB app instance reaches a $12 monthly compute cap; the $5 usage credit offsets the $5 Starter fee. | ≈€14/mo Cloud VPS 8 — 8 shared vCPU, 24 GB RAM, 300 GB SSD, 600 Mbit/s. €11.20/month on a 24-month term. | Laravel Cloud |
| Growing | ≈$68.90/mo Growth + medium SaaS resources — The official medium-SaaS example is about $53.90 in usage; add the $20 Growth fee and subtract its $5 usage credit. | ≈€49/mo Cloud VPS 18 — 18 shared vCPU, 96 GB RAM, 600 GB SSD, 1 Gbit/s. €39.20/month on a 24-month term. | Contabo Cloud VPS |
Laravel Cloud pricing notes
- Every paid plan includes $5 in monthly usage credits, which reset each billing cycle.
- Flex compute bills per second while awake, scales to zero when idle, and is capped at 28 days of runtime per billing cycle.
- Each compute size earns a data-transfer allowance; overage is $0.10/GB.
- Managed databases, caches, queues, object storage, and WebSockets have separate usage charges.
Contabo Cloud VPS pricing notes
- Promo prices (about 20% off) require a 24-month term; list prices apply month to month.
- A one-time setup fee applies to entry plans on short terms since April 2026 — the exact amount shows at checkout.
- "Unlimited" traffic is fair-use: Contabo reserves the right to throttle disruptive usage.
Our ratings
Ease of use Laravel Cloud
Pricing clarity Laravel Cloud
Free tier Laravel Cloud
Scaling Laravel Cloud
Control Contabo Cloud VPS
Feature by feature
Laravel Cloud wins 6, Contabo Cloud VPS wins 2, with 7 even.
Deploy workflow
| Laravel Cloud | Contabo Cloud VPS | |
|---|---|---|
| Deploy from Git push | Yes Connect a Git repository and every push to the configured branch deploys automatically. | No No deploy pipeline — bring your own CI or scripts. |
| Preview deploys | Partial Starter includes one preview environment; broader preview workflows are available on higher plans. | No Nothing built in. |
| Official CLI | Yes The cloud CLI deploys apps and manages environments, resources, logs, and commands. | Yes The cntb CLI and REST API manage instances and snapshots. |
| Instant rollbacks | Partial You can redeploy an older Git commit, but there is no documented one-click rollback workflow. | Partial Included snapshots restore machines; automatic backups cost extra. No deploy-level rollback. |
Platform
| Laravel Cloud | Contabo Cloud VPS | |
|---|---|---|
| Custom domains + HTTPS | Yes Custom domains and automatically renewed TLS certificates are included on every plan. | Yes Point DNS at the server; TLS is yours via certbot or a proxy. |
| Built-in CDN / edge network | Yes A Cloudflare-powered global edge network caches static assets and cacheable responses automatically. | No No CDN product — put Cloudflare in front if needed. |
| Serverless functions | No Laravel Cloud runs server-based application compute rather than serverless functions. | No Not a VPS feature. |
| Docker containers | No The platform builds its own optimized images and does not accept arbitrary Docker images. | Yes Docker one-click install or set it up yourself. |
| SSH / shell access | No There is no SSH shell; use one-off commands, Tinker, logs, or the CLI instead. | Yes Full root SSH. |
| EU hosting region | Yes Frankfurt, Ireland, and London regions are available alongside North America and Asia Pacific. | Yes German data centers at the base price; other EU sites available. |
Runtime & operations
| Laravel Cloud | Contabo Cloud VPS | |
|---|---|---|
| Automatic scaling | Partial Growth can autoscale up to 10 replicas; unlimited scaling requires Business or higher. | No Manual plan upgrades only. |
| Scale to zero | Yes Flex app compute scales to zero when idle and wakes in under 500 milliseconds. | No The contract bills until cancelled, powered off or not. |
| Scheduled jobs | Yes Laravel scheduled tasks are supported and automatically wake sleeping environments. | Yes Classic cron on the box. |
| Managed database | Yes Managed Laravel MySQL and serverless Postgres are provisioned directly from the platform. | No No managed database product — self-host or go external. |
| Logs & metrics built in | Partial Application logs and CPU and memory metrics are built in, with retention tied to the plan. | Partial Basic usage graphs in the customer panel; everything else is yours. |
Watch out for
Laravel Cloud
- Starter costs $5/month plus usage, although its $5 monthly usage credit can cover a tiny app that frequently scales to zero.
- Autoscaling and dedicated worker clusters require the $20/month Growth plan or higher.
- The platform supports a defined set of frameworks and runtimes; it is not a general-purpose Docker host.
- Databases, caches, object storage, and WebSockets bill separately from app compute.
Contabo
- Since 15 April 2026 entry plans on 1- or 6-month terms carry a one-time setup fee — it is waived only on 12-month-plus terms.
- New orders go through manual identity verification: provisioning can take hours to more than a day, not minutes.
- Shared hardware is heavily oversubscribed — CPU steal and variable disk I/O are common on busy nodes.
- Non-EU locations (US, UK, Asia, Australia) cost a monthly surcharge on top of list prices.
- Monthly billing only: the server bills as long as the contract runs, powered off or not.
Read the full reviews: Laravel Cloud and Contabo. Or answer four questions to see what fits your project.