Compare / Netcup VPS / Root Server vs Contabo Cloud VPS
Netcup VPS / Root Server vs Contabo Cloud VPS
Pre-calculated from hand-checked data — Netcup checked 2026-08-06, Contabo checked 2026-08-06.
The short version
Contabo Cloud VPS wins more of our comparison points, but Netcup VPS / Root Server still fits if european projects that want the most NVMe and RAM per euro and can live with German contract formalities describes you.
Price Tie
Contabo Cloud VPS costs less while you're starting out, but Netcup VPS / Root Server works out cheaper once traffic grows.
Ease Tie
Both take similar effort to get a first deploy live.
Features Contabo Cloud VPS
Contabo Cloud VPS 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
| Netcup VPS / Root Server | Contabo Cloud VPS | |
|---|---|---|
| Best for | European projects that want the most NVMe and RAM per euro and can live with German contract formalities. | 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 bare server: bring your own setup; the Server Control Panel handles images, snapshots, and a remote console. | You get root on a bare server after order verification clears; bring your own setup or use the one-click app installs. |
| The tradeoff | Best-in-class specs per euro, but 12-month terms, strict signup checks, and an unforgiving abuse process. | The lowest sticker price here, paid for with oversubscription, slow support, and slow provisioning. |
| Free tier | None | None |
What you'd realistically pay
Netcup VPS / Root Server Contabo Cloud VPS
| Project stage | Netcup VPS / Root Server | Contabo Cloud VPS | Cheaper |
|---|---|---|---|
| Just starting | ≈€5.91/mo VPS 500 G12 — Incl. 19% VAT. 2 shared vCores, 4 GB DDR5 RAM, 128 GB NVMe, unmetered traffic. Also available hourly at €0.010/h. | ≈€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. | Contabo Cloud VPS |
| Steady traffic | ≈€12.79/mo RS 1000 G12 — Incl. 19% VAT. 4 dedicated EPYC cores, 8 GB RAM, 256 GB NVMe — dedicated cores at a shared-core price. | ≈€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. | Netcup VPS / Root Server |
| Growing | ≈€19.25/mo VPS 2000 G12 — Incl. 19% VAT. 8 shared vCores, 16 GB RAM, 512 GB NVMe, unmetered traffic. | ≈€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. | Netcup VPS / Root Server |
Netcup VPS / Root Server pricing notes
- Every plan has an hourly-billed variant with no minimum term (VPS 500: €0.010/h) — slightly pricier per month but cancellable anytime.
- IPv6-only saves €0.60/month, but you cannot add a public IPv4 later.
- Non-EU locations (US, Singapore) and Vienna carry a small surcharge (about €0.90/month on the entry plan).
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 Netcup VPS / Root Server
Free tier
Scaling Netcup VPS / Root Server
Control
Feature by feature
Netcup VPS / Root Server wins 0, Contabo Cloud VPS wins 1, with 14 even.
Deploy workflow
| Netcup VPS / Root Server | 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 | Partial The Server Control Panel exposes a webservice API; there is no first-class official CLI. | Yes The cntb CLI and REST API manage instances and snapshots. |
| Instant rollbacks | Partial Manual copy-on-write snapshots restore machines; no automatic backups, no deploy-level rollback. | Partial Included snapshots restore machines; automatic backups cost extra. No deploy-level rollback. |
Platform
| Netcup VPS / Root Server | Contabo Cloud VPS | |
|---|---|---|
| Custom domains + HTTPS | Yes Point DNS at the server; TLS is yours via certbot or a proxy. | Yes Point DNS at the server; TLS is yours via certbot or a proxy. |
| Built-in CDN / edge network | No No CDN product — put Cloudflare in front if needed. | 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 Install Docker yourself on any image. | Yes Docker one-click install or set it up yourself. |
| SSH / shell access | Yes Full root SSH. | Yes Full root SSH. |
| EU hosting region | Yes Vienna, Nuremberg, and Amsterdam are the core locations. | Yes German data centers at the base price; other EU sites available. |
Runtime & operations
| Netcup VPS / Root Server | Contabo Cloud VPS | |
|---|---|---|
| Automatic scaling | No Manual plan upgrades only. | No Manual plan upgrades only. |
| Scale to zero | No The contract bills until cancelled, powered off or not. | 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 | No No managed database product — the closest thing is a fully managed vServer. | No No managed database product — self-host or go external. |
| Logs & metrics built in | Partial Basic graphs in the Server Control Panel; app-level monitoring is yours. | Partial Basic usage graphs in the customer panel; everything else is yours. |
Watch out for
Netcup
- Regular rates have a 12-month minimum term; cancellation must arrive at least 31 days before term end or the contract renews.
- An hourly-billed model with no minimum term exists — pick it deliberately if you want flexibility.
- The abuse team can suspend servers instantly (including Friday night) and works Mon–Fri office hours; out-of-hours phone support costs €40 per 15 minutes.
- Sign-up identity checks are strict and some orders get rejected.
- Prices are displayed including 19% German VAT — your actual VAT depends on your country.
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: Netcup and Contabo. Or answer four questions to see what fits your project.