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Software · head to head

AWS (Amazon Web Services) vs Vultr

AWS (Amazon Web Services) logo

AWS (Amazon Web Services)

Software

The leading cloud computing platform

From
Free
Rated
-
Vultr logo

Vultr

Software

High performance cloud compute

From
Free
Rated
-

The short version

  • Each has a real cost: AWS (Amazon Web Services) data transfer in is free and data transfer out is charged, which is the standard source of unexpected bills; Vultr vultr Cloud Compute pricing as captured 31 December 2022 started at $5/month (1 vCPU, 1GB RAM, 25GB storage, 1TB transfer), scaling to $10/month and $20/month with more vCPU/RAM/storage; bandwidth overage billed at $0.01 to $0.05 per GB depending on plan
  • They diverge on capability: AWS (Amazon Web Services) covers EC2 - Virtual Servers, Vultr covers Cloud servers.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which AWS (Amazon Web Services) and Vultr actually diverge.

Attributes where AWS (Amazon Web Services) and Vultr differ
AttributeAWS (Amazon Web Services)Vultr
PlatformsWeb, Api, Cli, MobileWeb, Api, Cli
Founded20062014

Identical on both: starting price (Free), pricing model (usage-based), free tier (Yes), user rating (Not yet rated), category (Unknown).

What each one covers

Drawn from each product's published feature list. An absence here means we hold no record of it - not that the product lacks it.

Only in AWS (Amazon Web Services)

  • EC2 - Virtual Servers
  • S3 - Object Storage
  • RDS - Managed Database
  • Lambda - Serverless Computing
  • CloudFront - CDN
  • VPC - Virtual Network
  • IAM - Access Management
  • CloudWatch - Monitoring

Only in Vultr

  • Cloud servers
  • Bare metal servers
  • Block storage
  • Object storage
  • Load balancers
  • Firewalls
  • Private networks
  • Ansible

Both cover

  • Terraform
  • Kubernetes

What people use each for

The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.

AWS (Amazon Web Services)

  • Web hostingnot Vultr
  • Data storagenot Vultr
  • Machine learningnot Vultr
  • Big data analyticsnot Vultr
  • Application developmentnot Vultr

Vultr

  • High performance computingnot AWS (Amazon Web Services)
  • Game serversnot AWS (Amazon Web Services)
  • Streamingnot AWS (Amazon Web Services)
  • Database hostingnot AWS (Amazon Web Services)
  • Application serversnot AWS (Amazon Web Services)

Where each one falls short

Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.

AWS (Amazon Web Services)

  • Data transfer in is free and data transfer out is charged, which is the standard source of unexpected bills
  • Discounts require one or three year Savings Plan commitments rather than being automatic
  • Every service is priced separately, so a working architecture has no single published cost
  • The free tier is a promotional allowance rather than an ongoing free plan

Vultr

  • Vultr Cloud Compute pricing as captured 31 December 2022 started at $5/month (1 vCPU, 1GB RAM, 25GB storage, 1TB transfer), scaling to $10/month and $20/month with more vCPU/RAM/storage; bandwidth overage billed at $0.01 to $0.05 per GB depending on plan

Pricing, plan by plan

AWS (Amazon Web Services)

Free
  • AWS Free TierFree
    • EC2 750 hours/month
    • 5GB S3 storage
    • 20GB data transfer
  • Pay-As-You-GoFree
    • No upfront payment
    • No long-term commitments
    • Pay only for what you use

Vultr

Free
  • Cloud Compute$2.5/month
    • 512MB RAM
    • 10GB SSD
    • 500GB bandwidth
  • Bare Metal$32/month
    • Dedicated hardware
    • High performance
    • Full root access

Which should you pick?

Choose AWS (Amazon Web Services) if

  • You need ec2 - virtual servers.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Web, Api, Cli, Mobile.
  • You also want s3 - object storage.

Choose Vultr if

  • You need cloud servers.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Web, Api, Cli.
  • You also want bare metal servers.

Questions people ask

Is AWS (Amazon Web Services) or Vultr better?
Neither clearly leads. AWS (Amazon Web Services) starts at Free and Vultr at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, AWS (Amazon Web Services) or Vultr?
AWS (Amazon Web Services) starts at Free and Vultr at Free.
Does AWS (Amazon Web Services) or Vultr run on more platforms?
AWS (Amazon Web Services) runs on Web, Api, Cli, Mobile. Vultr runs on Web, Api, Cli.
Can I use AWS (Amazon Web Services) for free?
Both have a free tier, so you can try either at no cost before committing.
What is AWS (Amazon Web Services) best used for?
AWS (Amazon Web Services) is most often used for web hosting, data storage, machine learning, big data analytics. Of those, web hosting and data storage are not what Vultr is typically brought in for.
What can AWS (Amazon Web Services) do that Vultr cannot?
AWS (Amazon Web Services) covers EC2 - Virtual Servers, S3 - Object Storage, RDS - Managed Database, Lambda - Serverless Computing. Vultr covers Cloud servers, Bare metal servers, Block storage, Object storage. Both handle Terraform, Kubernetes.

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