Compare / Linode Shared CPU vs Contabo Cloud VPS
Linode Shared CPU vs Contabo Cloud VPS
Pre-calculated from hand-checked data — Akamai Linode checked 2026-08-06, Contabo checked 2026-08-06.
The short version
Linode Shared CPU 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 Linode Shared CPU
Linode Shared CPU is cheaper at every stage we model — about $24/mo even for a growing project.
Ease Tie
Both take similar effort to get a first deploy live.
Features Linode Shared CPU
Linode Shared CPU comes out ahead on 1 of the 15 features we track, versus 0.
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
| Linode Shared CPU | Contabo Cloud VPS | |
|---|---|---|
| Best for | Developers who want a proven, boring VPS with cheap bandwidth. | Budget bulk compute — game servers, dev boxes, and side projects where raw specs per euro beat consistency. |
| How deploys work | You get root on a Linux server; the Marketplace offers one-click apps for common stacks. | You get root on a bare server after order verification clears; bring your own setup or use the one-click app installs. |
| The tradeoff | Fully self-managed, with a smaller ecosystem than DigitalOcean's tutorials and tooling. | The lowest sticker price here, paid for with oversubscription, slow support, and slow provisioning. |
| Free tier | None | None |
What you'd realistically pay
Linode Shared CPU Contabo Cloud VPS
| Project stage | Linode Shared CPU | Contabo Cloud VPS | Cheaper |
|---|---|---|---|
| Just starting | ≈$5/mo Nanode 1GB — 1 vCPU, 1 GB RAM, 25 GB SSD, 1 TB pooled transfer. | ≈€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. | Linode Shared CPU |
| Steady traffic | ≈$12/mo Linode 2GB — 1 vCPU, 2 GB RAM, 50 GB SSD, 2 TB pooled transfer. | ≈€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. | Linode Shared CPU |
| Growing | ≈$24/mo Two Linode 2GB — Scale horizontally or move up the shared-CPU line. | ≈€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. | Linode Shared CPU |
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.
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
Pricing clarity Linode Shared CPU
Free tier
Scaling Linode Shared CPU
Control
Feature by feature
Linode Shared CPU wins 1, Contabo Cloud VPS wins 0, with 14 even.
Deploy workflow
| Linode Shared CPU | Contabo Cloud VPS | |
|---|---|---|
| Deploy from Git push | No No deploy pipeline — bring your own CI or scripts. | No No deploy pipeline — bring your own CI or scripts. |
| Preview deploys | No Nothing built in. | No Nothing built in. |
| Official CLI | Yes linode-cli covers instances, volumes, and DNS. | Yes The cntb CLI and REST API manage instances and snapshots. |
| Instant rollbacks | Partial Backups and images restore machines; no deploy-level rollback. | Partial Included snapshots restore machines; automatic backups cost extra. No deploy-level rollback. |
Platform
| Linode Shared CPU | Contabo Cloud VPS | |
|---|---|---|
| Custom domains + HTTPS | Yes Free DNS manager; TLS on the box is yours via certbot. | Yes Point DNS at the server; TLS is yours via certbot or a proxy. |
| Built-in CDN / edge network | No Akamai CDN exists as a separate enterprise product; nothing bundled. | No No CDN product — put Cloudflare in front if needed. |
| Serverless functions | No Not a VPS feature. | No Not a VPS feature. |
| Docker containers | Yes Docker Marketplace app or install it yourself. | Yes Docker one-click install or set it up yourself. |
| SSH / shell access | Yes Full root SSH, plus a web-based LISH console. | Yes Full root SSH. |
| EU hosting region | Yes Frankfurt, London, Amsterdam, and more at US prices. | Yes German data centers at the base price; other EU sites available. |
Runtime & operations
| Linode Shared CPU | Contabo Cloud VPS | |
|---|---|---|
| Automatic scaling | No Manual resizing only. | No Manual plan upgrades only. |
| Scale to zero | No Servers bill while they exist on the account. | No The contract bills until cancelled, powered off or not. |
| Scheduled jobs | Yes Classic cron on the box. | Yes Classic cron on the box. |
| Managed database | Yes Akamai Managed Databases (Postgres, MySQL) sold separately. | No No managed database product — self-host or go external. |
| Logs & metrics built in | Partial Longview basic metrics free for a few servers; app logs are yours. | Partial Basic usage graphs in the customer panel; everything else is yours. |
Watch out for
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.
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: Akamai Linode and Contabo. Or answer four questions to see what fits your project.