Comparing prices across every provider we track...
CloudHosting.ioCloudHosting.io
Virtual Servers · $22/mo (2 GB RAM, 2 vCPU, 60 GB SSD, 3000 GB transfer)
AWS Lightsail's $22/mo Windows plan is significantly overpriced compared to Linux-based alternatives with matching or superior specs. OVHcloud's VPS-1 at $4.54/mo offers 2x the RAM and vCPU for 79% less, though you'll need to add Windows licensing (~$0.94/mo) if required. Even accounting for renewal-price traps and hidden costs, multiple providers deliver better real value.
4GB RAM and 2 vCPU for $4.54/mo with unlimited traffic and daily backups included; Windows license surcharge is only ~$0.94/mo if needed, still 80% cheaper than Lightsail.
Caveat: Windows licensing adds per-vCore/hour charges; APAC regions lose free egress after mid-2026; IPv4 addresses billed separately.
2GB RAM, 2 vCPU, 90GB NVMe, and unlimited traffic for $5/mo intro pricing; matches Lightsail's core specs at 77% discount.
Caveat: Intro price is 1-year promotional; renewal pricing jumps 2-6x higher (potentially $10-30/mo); Windows licensing adds per-vCPU surcharge.
Linux-only at $2/mo with 1GB RAM, 1 vCPU, 10GB NVMe, and unlimited traffic up to 1 Gbit/s; cheapest option if Windows is not mandatory.
Caveat: Intro pricing on 1-year contract; renewal pricing 2-6x higher; specs are half of Lightsail but cost 91% less.
2GB RAM, 1 vCPU, 50GB NVMe SSD, and unmetered bandwidth for $2.09/mo intro; matches Lightsail's RAM and storage at 90% discount.
Caveat: Requires 36-month contract for lowest price; renewal jumps to $9.99-15.99/mo; domain and privacy add-ons become paid after year one.
1GB RAM, 1 vCPU, 10GB SSD at $3.5/mo with 99.999% SLA (higher than Lightsail); clean pricing with no Windows license trap.
Caveat: Specs are half of Lightsail; backups add 10-60% surcharge; data transfer overages possible despite fair-use policy.
Before you switch
| UpCloud | Cloud Servers - Starter · STARTER-1xCPU-1GB | $3.5/mo | 1 GB RAM, 1 vCPU, 10 GB Standard SSD | Visit |
| Namecheap | VPS Hosting · Spark | $3.88/mo | 1 GB RAM, 1 vCPU, 20 GB SSD | Visit |
| Kamatera | Cloud VMs · Type A base (Availability, 1 vCPU/1GB) | $4/mo | 1 GB RAM, 1 vCPU, 20 GB NVMe SSD | Visit |
| OVHcloud | VPS · VPS-1 | $4.54/mo | 4 GB RAM, 2 vCPU, 40 GB NVMe | Visit |
| Vultr | Cloud Compute · Regular 1vCPU/1GB | $5/mo | 1 GB RAM, 1 vCPU, 25 GB NVMe SSD | Visit |
| IONOS | VPS Hosting (VPS+) · VPS S+ | $5/mo | 2 GB RAM, 2 vCPU, 90 GB NVMe | Visit |
| Liquid Web | VPS Hosting · Compute 1 | $5/mo | 1 GB RAM, 1 vCPU, 30 GB SSD | Visit |
| Linode (Akamai) | Shared CPU Compute · Nanode 1 GB | $5/mo | 1 GB RAM, 1 vCPU, 25 GB SSD | Visit |
| Civo | Compute Instances · xSmall | $5.43/mo | 1 GB RAM, 1 vCPU, 25 GB NVMe | Visit |
| IONOS | IONOS CLOUD Cubes (Basic) · Basic Cube XS | $5.76/mo | 2 GB RAM, 1 vCPU, 60 GB NVMe | Visit |
| Fly.io | Machines (Shared CPU) · shared-cpu-1x - 1GB | $5.92/mo | 1 GB RAM, 1 vCPU | Visit |
| DigitalOcean | Droplets · Basic 1GB | $6/mo | 1 GB RAM, 1 vCPU, 25 GB SSD | Visit |
OVHcloud
IONOS
View AWS Lightsail's plan
Bluehost
UpCloud