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Software · head to head

Cloudflare vs Vultr

Cloudflare logo

Cloudflare

Software

The web performance and security company

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Vultr logo

Vultr

Software

High performance cloud compute

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Each has a real cost: Cloudflare free tier limited to basic features (no advanced analytics or premium features); 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: Cloudflare covers Global CDN, Vultr covers Cloud servers.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Cloudflare and Vultr actually diverge.

Attributes where Cloudflare and Vultr differ
AttributeCloudflareVultr
Pricing modelUnknownusage-based
PlatformsWebWeb, Api, Cli
Founded20092014

Identical on both: starting price (Free), 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 Cloudflare

  • Global CDN
  • DDoS Protection
  • WAF
  • DNS
  • SSL/TLS
  • Load Balancing
  • Bot Management
  • Workers (Serverless)

Only in Vultr

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

Both cover

  • Cloud deployment
  • Web support
  • Api support

What people use each for

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

Cloudflare

  • Global content delivery network (CDN) with 330+ data centres worldwidenot Vultr
  • DDoS protection and bot blockingnot Vultr
  • Web application security and rate limitingnot Vultr
  • DNS management and domain protectionnot Vultr
  • Static and dynamic content cachingnot Vultr
  • Serverless computing via Cloudflare Workersnot Vultr
  • Database and storage services (D1, R2)not Vultr
  • Performance optimisation for Core Web Vitalsnot Vultr

Vultr

  • High performance computingnot Cloudflare
  • Game serversnot Cloudflare
  • Streamingnot Cloudflare
  • Database hostingnot Cloudflare
  • Application serversnot Cloudflare

Where each one falls short

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

Cloudflare

  • Free tier limited to basic features (no advanced analytics or premium features)
  • Pro tier ($20-25/month) caps at professional websites (higher tiers needed for enterprise scale)
  • Caches only anonymous API GET responses (authenticated requests and non-GET methods not cached)
  • Geographic coverage limited to announced 330+ cities (may not cover all regions globally)

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

Cloudflare

Free

No published plan breakdown. See the Cloudflare review.

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 Cloudflare if

  • You need global cdn.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You also want ddos protection.
Cloudflare review

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.
Vultr review

Questions people ask

Is Cloudflare or Vultr better?
Neither clearly leads. Cloudflare 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, Cloudflare or Vultr?
Cloudflare starts at Free and Vultr at Free.
Does Cloudflare or Vultr run on more platforms?
Cloudflare runs on Web. Vultr runs on Web, Api, Cli.
Can I use Cloudflare for free?
Both have a free tier, so you can try either at no cost before committing.
What is Cloudflare best used for?
Cloudflare is most often used for global content delivery network (cdn) with 330+ data centres worldwide, ddos protection and bot blocking, web application security and rate limiting, dns management and domain protection. Of those, global content delivery network (cdn) with 330+ data centres worldwide and ddos protection and bot blocking are not what Vultr is typically brought in for.
What can Cloudflare do that Vultr cannot?
Cloudflare covers Global CDN, DDoS Protection, WAF, DNS. Vultr covers Cloud servers, Bare metal servers, Block storage, Object storage. Both handle Cloud deployment, Web support, Api support.
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