Compare / Scaleway Instances vs Netcup VPS / Root Server
Scaleway Instances vs Netcup VPS / Root Server
Pre-calculated from hand-checked data — Scaleway checked 2026-08-06, Netcup checked 2026-08-06.
The short version
Scaleway Instances 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 Netcup VPS / Root Server
Netcup VPS / Root Server is cheaper at every stage we model — about €19.25/mo even for a growing project.
Ease Scaleway Instances
Scaleway Instances is easier to get running: spin up an instance from the console or the scw CLI, then manage it like any VPS; Terraform and cloud-init are first-class.
Features Scaleway Instances
Scaleway Instances comes out ahead on 4 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
| Scaleway Instances | Netcup VPS / Root Server | |
|---|---|---|
| Best for | EU projects that want real cloud ergonomics — hourly billing, CLI, Terraform, managed databases — without a US hyperscaler. | European projects that want the most NVMe and RAM per euro and can live with German contract formalities. |
| How deploys work | Spin up an instance from the console or the scw CLI, then manage it like any VPS; Terraform and cloud-init are first-class. | You get root on a bare server: bring your own setup; the Server Control Panel handles images, snapshots, and a remote console. |
| The tradeoff | À la carte pricing makes the real cost higher than the sticker, and account verification can be painful. | Best-in-class specs per euro, but 12-month terms, strict signup checks, and an unforgiving abuse process. |
| Free tier | None | None |
What you'd realistically pay
Scaleway Instances Netcup VPS / Root Server
| Project stage | Scaleway Instances | Netcup VPS / Root Server | Cheaper |
|---|---|---|---|
| Just starting | ≈€10.42/mo DEV1-S + IPv4 + 10 GB volume — ~€6.55 instance (2 shared vCPU, 2 GB RAM) + €2.92 IPv4 + ~€0.95 block storage. Ex-VAT, ~730h/month. | ≈€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. | Netcup VPS / Root Server |
| Steady traffic | ≈€24.92/mo PLAY2-NANO + IPv4 + 20 GB volume — ~€20.10 instance (2 shared vCPU, 4 GB RAM) + €2.92 IPv4 + ~€1.90 block storage. | ≈€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. | Netcup VPS / Root Server |
| Growing | ≈€45/mo PLAY2-MICRO + IPv4 + 20 GB volume — ~€40.20 instance (4 shared vCPU, 8 GB RAM) + €2.92 IPv4 + ~€1.90 block storage. | ≈€19.25/mo VPS 2000 G12 — Incl. 19% VAT. 8 shared vCores, 16 GB RAM, 512 GB NVMe, unmetered traffic. | Netcup VPS / Root Server |
Scaleway Instances pricing notes
- Hourly billing (~730 h/month), ex-VAT, with no egress fees — bandwidth is an unmetered per-instance speed.
- Flexible IPv4 €0.004/h (~€2.92/month); IPv6 is free. Block Storage 5K is €0.000130/GB/h (~€0.095/GB/month).
- Savings Plans (12/36-month commitment) take up to 25% off compute.
- New Professional accounts with a payment method get €100 in credit.
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).
Our ratings
Ease of use Scaleway Instances
Pricing clarity Netcup VPS / Root Server
Free tier
Scaling Scaleway Instances
Control
Feature by feature
Scaleway Instances wins 4, Netcup VPS / Root Server wins 0, with 11 even.
Deploy workflow
| Scaleway Instances | Netcup VPS / Root Server | |
|---|---|---|
| Deploy from Git push | No Not on Instances — bring your own CI, or use Scaleway’s separate serverless products. | No No deploy pipeline — bring your own CI or scripts. |
| Preview deploys | No Nothing built in. | No Nothing built in. |
| Official CLI | Yes The scw CLI covers instances, volumes, IPs, and snapshots. | Partial The Server Control Panel exposes a webservice API; there is no first-class official CLI. |
| Instant rollbacks | Partial Snapshots and images restore machines; no deploy-level rollback. | Partial Manual copy-on-write snapshots restore machines; no automatic backups, no deploy-level rollback. |
Platform
| Scaleway Instances | Netcup VPS / Root Server | |
|---|---|---|
| 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 | Partial Edge Services adds a CDN in front of load balancers and object storage; nothing automatic on a bare instance. | No No CDN product — put Cloudflare in front if needed. |
| Serverless functions | No Not on Instances — Scaleway sells separate Serverless Containers and Functions products. | No Not a VPS feature. |
| Docker containers | Yes Docker-ready images or install it yourself. | Yes Install Docker yourself on any image. |
| SSH / shell access | Yes Full root SSH. | Yes Full root SSH. |
| EU hosting region | Yes Paris, Amsterdam, Warsaw, and Milan — EU-only by design. | Yes Vienna, Nuremberg, and Amsterdam are the core locations. |
Runtime & operations
| Scaleway Instances | Netcup VPS / Root Server | |
|---|---|---|
| Automatic scaling | No Manual resizing on Instances; autoscaling lives in the serverless products. | No Manual plan upgrades only. |
| Scale to zero | Partial A fully powered-off (archived) instance stops compute billing, but IPs and volumes keep billing. | 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 Managed PostgreSQL/MySQL from ~€11.40/month plus storage; Redis and MongoDB too. | No No managed database product — the closest thing is a fully managed vServer. |
| Logs & metrics built in | Partial Cockpit collects instance metrics and logs into managed Grafana; app-level instrumentation is yours. | Partial Basic graphs in the Server Control Panel; app-level monitoring is yours. |
Watch out for
Scaleway
- List prices exclude storage and public IPv4: add ~€2.92/month for a flexible IPv4 and ~€0.095/GB/month for block storage.
- Scaleway raised prices across Stardust, PLAY2, PRO2, BASIC3, and storage on 1 June 2026.
- "Standby" bills as a running instance; only a full power-off (archive) stops compute billing — and IPs and volumes keep billing regardless.
- Automated KYC can freeze accounts (sometimes with servers running) until you re-verify with ID and selfie.
- The famous €0.43/month Stardust instances are chronically out of stock.
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.
Read the full reviews: Scaleway and Netcup. Or answer four questions to see what fits your project.