Is Microsoft Azure's B1ms the best deal?

Virtual Machines · $15.11/mo (2 GB RAM, 1 vCPU)

Better deals exist

Azure B1ms at $15.11/mo is significantly overpriced for a basic 1-2GB RAM VM. Multiple providers offer comparable or better specs (1-2GB RAM, 1 vCPU) for $2-6/mo with fewer hidden costs. Even accounting for renewal price hikes and bandwidth overages, you'll save 60-87% annually by switching.

Cloud VPS XS (Linux)

$2/mosave 87%

1GB RAM, 1 vCPU, 10GB NVMe at $2/mo intro with unlimited traffic up to 1 Gbit/s - nearly 8x cheaper than Azure.

Caveat: Renewal pricing jumps 2-6x after the 1-year contract; renewal will likely be $6-12/mo, but still far cheaper than Azure's recurring $15.11.

VPS Hosting NVMe 2

$2.09/mosave 86%

2GB RAM, 1 vCPU, 50GB NVMe SSD at $2.09/mo intro with unmetered bandwidth and root SSH access - matches Azure's RAM for 1/7th the price.

Caveat: Renewal jumps to $9.99-$15.99/mo after intro term; requires 36-month contract for lowest price; domain and add-ons will upsell aggressively.

Cloud Servers Starter 1xCPU-1GB

$3.5/mosave 77%

1GB RAM, 1 vCPU, 10GB Standard SSD at $3.50/mo with 99.999% SLA (better than Azure's 99.9%) and no renewal trap.

Caveat: Backups add 10-60% surcharge; data transfer overages possible despite 'fair use' policy; previous-gen AMD CPU.

Cloud VMs Type A (1vCPU/1GB)

$4/mosave 73%

1GB RAM, 1 vCPU, 20GB NVMe, 5TB transfer at $4/mo with no long-term contract lock-in.

Caveat: Non-dedicated CPU thread; Windows/SQL licensing adds undisclosed surcharge at checkout; powered-off servers still accrue charges.

VPS VPS-1

$4.54/mosave 70%

4GB RAM, 2 vCPU, 40GB NVMe, unlimited traffic at $4.54/mo - double Azure's RAM and vCPU for 70% less.

Caveat: Windows license adds $0.039/vCore/hr surcharge; APAC egress loses free status after mid-2026; Object Storage has retrieval fees and minimum storage durations.

Before you switch

Azure's $15.11/mo is for Linux only; Windows Server VMs carry a license surcharge on top, making the gap even wider.
Most cheaper alternatives have renewal-price traps (2-6x jumps after year 1); budget $6-15/mo renewal costs, still well below Azure.
Verify bandwidth needs: Azure charges for outbound data above 100GB/mo pooled free tier; most alternatives offer 1-5TB free, but check your actual usage.
Azure's B1ms is burstable (CPU throttles after burst credits); UpCloud and OVHcloud offer more consistent performance at lower cost.
Check OS licensing: Windows Server on any provider adds $0.039-$0.15/vCore/hr; stick to Linux to maximize savings.
Confirm data residency/region requirements; some alternatives (Scaleway, Fly.io) have region-specific pricing and may not serve your geography.

This comparison is generated from publicly listed pricing and may contain errors or omissions. It is not financial or professional advice, and CloudHosting.io is not responsible for decisions made based on it. Pricing, promotions, and specs change frequently and may not reflect current terms, regional availability, taxes, or contract length. Always verify current pricing and terms directly on the provider's site before purchasing or switching.

Comparable plans across providers

Provider	Plan	Price	Specs
Scaleway	Virtual Instances · STARDUST1-S	$0.43/mo	1 GB RAM, 1 vCPU	Visit
IONOS	Cloud VPS (Linux) · Cloud VPS XS	$2/mo	1 GB RAM, 1 vCPU, 10 GB NVMe	Visit
Bluehost	VPS Hosting · NVMe 2	$2.09/mo	2 GB RAM, 1 vCPU, 50 GB NVMe SSD	Visit
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
AWS Lightsail	Virtual Servers · GP 1GB (Linux, IPv6)	$5/mo	1 GB RAM, 2 vCPU, 40 GB 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

Visit Microsoft Azure

Comparing prices across every provider we track...