Comparing prices across every provider we track...
CloudHosting.ioCloudHosting.io
Virtual Servers · $44/mo (4 GB RAM, 2 vCPU, 80 GB SSD, 4000 GB transfer)
AWS Lightsail's $44/mo Windows plan is significantly overpriced compared to Linux-equivalent alternatives. Even accounting for Windows licensing, you can find 2-4 vCPU plans with 4GB+ RAM for $5-6/mo on other providers. The real trap is AWS's data transfer overage costs ($0.09-0.132/GB) and the 70-90% Windows premium over Linux.
8GB RAM, 4 vCPU, 100GB SSD, unlimited traffic for $5.94/mo - nearly 7.5x the specs at 13% of the price, though you'll need to add Windows licensing separately.
Caveat: Price requires 24-month prepayment; shorter terms cost more per month; fair usage policy on unlimited traffic; ticket-only support on base tier.
4GB RAM, 1 vCPU, 50GB NVMe, 4000GB transfer (matching your AWS allowance) for $6.49/mo intro rate - 85% cheaper upfront.
Caveat: Intro price requires 12-48 month prepay; renews at $11.99/mo (2.7x higher); Linux-only at this price point; weekly backups, not daily.
4GB RAM, 2 vCPU, 40GB SSD, 20TB transfer (5x your AWS allowance) for $6.49/mo - excellent value with no Windows premium if you use Linux.
Caveat: VAT excluded from listed price; traffic overage billed per GB beyond 20TB EU pool; recent large price increases on other product lines suggest future hikes possible.
4GB RAM, 2 vCPU, 40GB NVMe, unlimited traffic, daily backups for $4.54/mo - cheapest option with matching RAM and vCPU count.
Caveat: Windows license surcharge $0.039/vCore/hour adds ~$28/mo for Windows; APAC regions lose free egress after mid-2026; IPv4 addresses billed separately.
2GB RAM, 2 vCPU, 80GB NVMe, unlimited traffic (up to 1 Gbit/s) for $4.33/mo - Linux-only but half your AWS price with better specs per dollar.
Caveat: Intro pricing; renewal 2-6x higher after contract; Windows license surcharge required; outbound transfer beyond 2TB pooled allowance tiered at $0.036/GB.
Before you switch
| IONOS |
| VPS Hosting (VPS+) · VPS S+ |
| $5/mo |
| 2 GB RAM, 2 vCPU, 90 GB NVMe |
| Visit |
| IONOS | IONOS CLOUD Cubes (Basic) · Basic Cube XS | $5.76/mo | 2 GB RAM, 1 vCPU, 60 GB NVMe | Visit |
| Contabo | Core VPS · Cloud VPS 4 | $5.94/mo | 8 GB RAM, 4 vCPU, 100 GB SSD | Visit |
| Kamatera | Cloud VMs · Sample: 1 vCPU / 2GB / 20GB | $6/mo | 2 GB RAM, 1 vCPU, 20 GB NVMe SSD | Visit |
| Gcore | Cloud Compute (Standard Gen 0, Linux) · g0-standard-1-2 | $6.15/mo | 2 GB RAM, 1 vCPU | Visit |
| Hostinger | KVM VPS · KVM 1 | $6.49/mo | 4 GB RAM, 1 vCPU, 50 GB NVMe SSD | Visit |
| Hetzner | Cloud Servers · CX23 | $6.49/mo | 4 GB RAM, 2 vCPU, 40 GB SSD | Visit |
| Scaleway | Virtual Instances · DEV1-S | $6.55/mo | 2 GB RAM, 2 vCPU | Visit |
| Namecheap | VPS Hosting · Pulsar | $6.88/mo | 2 GB RAM, 2 vCPU, 40 GB SSD | Visit |
| OVHcloud | Public Cloud Compute Instances · d2-2 | $8.98/mo | 2 GB RAM, 1 vCPU, 25 GB local disk | Visit |
| GoDaddy | VPS Hosting · 1 vCPU / 2 GB | $8.99/mo | 2 GB RAM, 1 vCPU, 40 GB NVMe | Visit |
| IONOS | IONOS CLOUD vCPU Servers · vCPU - per core | $9.36/mo | 1 vCPU | Visit |
Contabo
Hostinger
View AWS Lightsail's plan
Hetzner
OVHcloud
IONOS