Compare / Laravel Cloud vs Vultr Cloud Compute
Laravel Cloud vs Vultr Cloud Compute
Pre-calculated from hand-checked data — Laravel Cloud checked 2026-08-06, Vultr checked 2026-08-06.
The short version
Laravel Cloud wins more of our comparison points, but Vultr Cloud Compute still fits if developers who want a cheap server near their users, wherever those users are describes you.
Price Vultr Cloud Compute
Vultr Cloud Compute 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 Vultr Cloud Compute
Vultr Cloud Compute gives you more control over the stack — the flip side of the convenience trade.
Free tier Laravel Cloud
Laravel Cloud has a free tier; Vultr Cloud Compute 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 | Vultr Cloud Compute | |
|---|---|---|
| Best for | Laravel teams that want the framework, database, queues, scheduler, cache, and deploy workflow managed as one platform. | Developers who want a cheap server near their users, wherever those users are. |
| 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 fresh Linux server; setup and deploys are yours to script. |
| The tradeoff | The excellent Laravel experience comes from an opinionated runtime, so arbitrary containers and server-level access are out. | Fully self-managed, and the hour-based billing model is less forgiving than per-second rivals. |
| 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 | Vultr Cloud Compute | 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 vc2-1c-1gb — 1 vCPU, 1 GB RAM, 25 GB SSD, 1 TB transfer. A $3.50 512 MB plan ($2.50 IPv6-only) exists for tiny workloads. | ≈ 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. | ≈$5/mo vc2-1c-1gb — Fine for steady modest traffic; move up when RAM gets tight. | Vultr Cloud Compute |
| 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. | ≈$20/mo vc2-2c-4gb — 2 vCPU, 4 GB RAM, 80 GB SSD, 3 TB transfer. | Vultr Cloud Compute |
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.
Vultr Cloud Compute pricing notes
- Bandwidth overage costs $0.01/GB.
- IPv4 is included on Cloud Compute plans.
Our ratings
Ease of use Laravel Cloud
Pricing clarity Vultr Cloud Compute
Free tier Laravel Cloud
Scaling Laravel Cloud
Control Vultr Cloud Compute
Feature by feature
Laravel Cloud wins 5, Vultr Cloud Compute wins 2, with 8 even.
Deploy workflow
| Laravel Cloud | Vultr Cloud Compute | |
|---|---|---|
| Deploy from Git push | Yes Connect a Git repository and every push to the configured branch deploys automatically. | No No deploy pipeline — script your own. |
| 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 vultr-cli manages instances, snapshots, and DNS. |
| Instant rollbacks | Partial You can redeploy an older Git commit, but there is no documented one-click rollback workflow. | Partial Snapshots restore a machine; no deploy-level rollback. |
Platform
| Laravel Cloud | Vultr Cloud Compute | |
|---|---|---|
| Custom domains + HTTPS | Yes Custom domains and automatically renewed TLS certificates are included on every plan. | Yes Point DNS at the server; TLS via certbot or a proxy is on you. |
| Built-in CDN / edge network | Yes A Cloudflare-powered global edge network caches static assets and cacheable responses automatically. | Partial Vultr sells a separate CDN product; nothing is bundled with the server. |
| 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 image 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. |
| EU hosting region | Yes Frankfurt, Ireland, and London regions are available alongside North America and Asia Pacific. | Yes Amsterdam, Frankfurt, London, Paris, and more at the same USD prices. |
Runtime & operations
| Laravel Cloud | Vultr Cloud Compute | |
|---|---|---|
| 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 Powered-off servers still bill; destroy to stop charges. |
| 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 Vultr Managed Databases (Postgres, MySQL, Kafka) sold separately. |
| 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; application monitoring is yours to set up. |
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.
Vultr
- Billing is in one-hour units and continues while a server is powered off — only destroying it stops charges.
- Some regions (like São Paulo) carry documented higher prices.
Read the full reviews: Laravel Cloud and Vultr. Or answer four questions to see what fits your project.