Compare / Laravel Cloud vs Linode Shared CPU
Laravel Cloud vs Linode Shared CPU
Pre-calculated from hand-checked data — Laravel Cloud checked 2026-08-06, Akamai Linode checked 2026-08-06.
The short version
Laravel Cloud wins more of our comparison points, but Linode Shared CPU still fits if developers who want a proven, boring VPS with cheap bandwidth describes you.
Price Linode Shared CPU
Linode Shared CPU is cheaper at most of the stages we model.
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 Linode Shared CPU
Linode Shared CPU gives you more control over the stack — the flip side of the convenience trade.
Free tier Laravel Cloud
Laravel Cloud has a free tier; Linode Shared CPU doesn't.
Features Laravel Cloud
Laravel Cloud comes out ahead on 5 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 | Linode Shared CPU | |
|---|---|---|
| Best for | Laravel teams that want the framework, database, queues, scheduler, cache, and deploy workflow managed as one platform. | Developers who want a proven, boring VPS with cheap bandwidth. |
| 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 Linux server; the Marketplace offers one-click apps for common stacks. |
| The tradeoff | The excellent Laravel experience comes from an opinionated runtime, so arbitrary containers and server-level access are out. | Fully self-managed, with a smaller ecosystem than DigitalOcean's tutorials and tooling. |
| 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
| Project stage | Laravel Cloud | Linode Shared CPU | 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/mo Nanode 1GB — 1 vCPU, 1 GB RAM, 25 GB SSD, 1 TB pooled transfer. | ≈ Tie |
| 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. | ≈$12/mo Linode 2GB — 1 vCPU, 2 GB RAM, 50 GB SSD, 2 TB pooled transfer. | ≈ Tie |
| 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. | ≈$24/mo Two Linode 2GB — Scale horizontally or move up the shared-CPU line. | Linode Shared CPU |
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.
Linode Shared CPU pricing notes
- US and EU core regions share identical pricing; transfer overage is $0.005/GB.
- IPv4 is included; private same-datacenter traffic doesn't count against the allowance.
Our ratings
Ease of use Laravel Cloud
Pricing clarity Linode Shared CPU
Free tier Laravel Cloud
Scaling Laravel Cloud
Control Linode Shared CPU
Feature by feature
Laravel Cloud wins 5, Linode Shared CPU wins 2, with 8 even.
Deploy workflow
| Laravel Cloud | Linode Shared CPU | |
|---|---|---|
| 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 linode-cli covers instances, volumes, and DNS. |
| Instant rollbacks | Partial You can redeploy an older Git commit, but there is no documented one-click rollback workflow. | Partial Backups and images restore machines; no deploy-level rollback. |
Platform
| Laravel Cloud | Linode Shared CPU | |
|---|---|---|
| Custom domains + HTTPS | Yes Custom domains and automatically renewed TLS certificates are included on every plan. | Yes Free DNS manager; TLS on the box is yours via certbot. |
| Built-in CDN / edge network | Yes A Cloudflare-powered global edge network caches static assets and cacheable responses automatically. | No Akamai CDN exists as a separate enterprise product; nothing bundled. |
| 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 Marketplace app or install it yourself. |
| SSH / shell access | No There is no SSH shell; use one-off commands, Tinker, logs, or the CLI instead. | Yes Full root SSH, plus a web-based LISH console. |
| EU hosting region | Yes Frankfurt, Ireland, and London regions are available alongside North America and Asia Pacific. | Yes Frankfurt, London, Amsterdam, and more at US prices. |
Runtime & operations
| Laravel Cloud | Linode Shared CPU | |
|---|---|---|
| Automatic scaling | Partial Growth can autoscale up to 10 replicas; unlimited scaling requires Business or higher. | No Manual resizing only. |
| Scale to zero | Yes Flex app compute scales to zero when idle and wakes in under 500 milliseconds. | No Servers bill while they exist on the account. |
| 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. | Yes Akamai Managed Databases (Postgres, MySQL) sold separately. |
| Logs & metrics built in | Partial Application logs and CPU and memory metrics are built in, with retention tied to the plan. | Partial Longview basic metrics free for a few servers; app logs are 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.
Akamai Linode
- Charges accrue while a server exists on the account, powered on or off.
- Transfer allowances are prorated for partial months.
- Some regions (Jakarta, São Paulo) carry documented higher prices.
Read the full reviews: Laravel Cloud and Akamai Linode. Or answer four questions to see what fits your project.