Compare / Scaleway Instances vs Vultr Cloud Compute
Scaleway Instances vs Vultr Cloud Compute
Pre-calculated from hand-checked data — Scaleway checked 2026-08-06, Vultr checked 2026-08-06.
The short version
Scaleway Instances 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 every stage we model — about $20/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 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
| Scaleway Instances | Vultr Cloud Compute | |
|---|---|---|
| Best for | EU projects that want real cloud ergonomics — hourly billing, CLI, Terraform, managed databases — without a US hyperscaler. | Developers who want a cheap server near their users, wherever those users are. |
| 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 fresh Linux server; setup and deploys are yours to script. |
| The tradeoff | À la carte pricing makes the real cost higher than the sticker, and account verification can be painful. | Fully self-managed, and the hour-based billing model is less forgiving than per-second rivals. |
| Free tier | None | None |
What you'd realistically pay
Scaleway Instances Vultr Cloud Compute
| Project stage | Scaleway Instances | Vultr Cloud Compute | 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/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. | Vultr Cloud Compute |
| 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. | ≈$5/mo vc2-1c-1gb — Fine for steady modest traffic; move up when RAM gets tight. | Vultr Cloud Compute |
| 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. | ≈$20/mo vc2-2c-4gb — 2 vCPU, 4 GB RAM, 80 GB SSD, 3 TB transfer. | Vultr Cloud Compute |
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.
Vultr Cloud Compute pricing notes
- Bandwidth overage costs $0.01/GB.
- IPv4 is included on Cloud Compute plans.
Our ratings
Ease of use Scaleway Instances
Pricing clarity Vultr Cloud Compute
Free tier
Scaling Scaleway Instances
Control
Feature by feature
Scaleway Instances wins 1, Vultr Cloud Compute wins 0, with 14 even.
Deploy workflow
| Scaleway Instances | Vultr Cloud Compute | |
|---|---|---|
| Deploy from Git push | No Not on Instances — bring your own CI, or use Scaleway’s separate serverless products. | No No deploy pipeline — script your own. |
| Preview deploys | No Nothing built in. | No Nothing built in. |
| Official CLI | Yes The scw CLI covers instances, volumes, IPs, and snapshots. | Yes vultr-cli manages instances, snapshots, and DNS. |
| Instant rollbacks | Partial Snapshots and images restore machines; no deploy-level rollback. | Partial Snapshots restore a machine; no deploy-level rollback. |
Platform
| Scaleway Instances | Vultr Cloud Compute | |
|---|---|---|
| Custom domains + HTTPS | Yes Point DNS at the server; TLS is yours via certbot or a proxy. | Yes Point DNS at the server; TLS via certbot or a proxy is on you. |
| 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. | Partial Vultr sells a separate CDN product; nothing is bundled with the server. |
| 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 Docker marketplace image or install it yourself. |
| 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 Amsterdam, Frankfurt, London, Paris, and more at the same USD prices. |
Runtime & operations
| Scaleway Instances | Vultr Cloud Compute | |
|---|---|---|
| Automatic scaling | No Manual resizing on Instances; autoscaling lives in the serverless products. | No Manual resizing only. |
| Scale to zero | Partial A fully powered-off (archived) instance stops compute billing, but IPs and volumes keep billing. | No Powered-off servers still bill; destroy to stop charges. |
| 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. | Yes Vultr Managed Databases (Postgres, MySQL, Kafka) sold separately. |
| Logs & metrics built in | Partial Cockpit collects instance metrics and logs into managed Grafana; app-level instrumentation is yours. | Partial Basic usage graphs; application monitoring is yours to set up. |
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.
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: Scaleway and Vultr. Or answer four questions to see what fits your project.