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Cloud · head to head

Contabo vs Keil MDK

Contabo logo

Contabo

Cloud

Affordable high-performance VPS hosting

From
€4.5/month
Free plan
No
Full reviewWebsite
Keil MDK logo

Keil MDK

Developer Tools

Microcontroller Development Kit for Arm-based devices

From
Free
Free plan
Yes
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Only Keil MDK has a free tier, so it costs nothing to try first.
  • Each has a real cost: Contabo fully unmanaged infrastructure requires all setup and maintenance by customer; Keil MDK pricing for Essential and Professional subscriptions not disclosed on primary site
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 30 August 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Contabo and Keil MDK actually diverge.

Attributes where Contabo and Keil MDK differ
AttributeContaboKeil MDK
Starting price€4.5/monthFree
Pricing modelUnknownfreemium
Free tierNoYes
PlatformsLinux, WindowsWeb
CategoryCloudDeveloper Tools
Founded2003Unknown

Identical on both: user rating (Not yet rated).

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 Contabo

  • VPS Hosting
  • Dedicated Servers
  • Object Storage
  • Snapshots
  • DDoS Protection
  • Custom ISO
  • Multiple Locations
  • SSD Storage

Only in Keil MDK

Nothing recorded that Contabo does not also cover.

What people use each for

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

Contabo

  • Web hostingnot Keil MDK
  • Game serversnot Keil MDK
  • Development environmentsnot Keil MDK
  • VPN serversnot Keil MDK

Keil MDK

  • Embedded software developmentnot Contabo
  • ARM microcontroller programmingnot Contabo
  • Professional development environmentsnot Contabo

Where each one falls short

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

Contabo

  • Fully unmanaged infrastructure requires all setup and maintenance by customer
  • No formal SLA with financial compensation for downtime violations

Keil MDK

  • Pricing for Essential and Professional subscriptions not disclosed on primary site
  • Customers must contact Arm Developer Tools store for subscription rates

Pricing, plan by plan

Contabo

€4.5/month
  • Cloud VPS$4.5/month
    • 4 vCPU
    • 8 GB RAM
    • 100 GB SSD
  • Cloud VDS$39/month
    • Dedicated cores
    • 24 GB RAM
    • 180 GB NVMe
  • Dedicated Server$149/month
    • AMD CPU
    • 64 GB RAM
    • 1 TB NVMe

Keil MDK

Free

No published plan breakdown. See the Keil MDK review.

Which should you pick?

Choose Contabo if

  • You need vps hosting.
  • You work on Linux, Windows.
  • You also want dedicated servers.
Contabo review

Choose Keil MDK if

  • You want to start without paying.
Keil MDK review

Questions people ask

Is Contabo or Keil MDK better?
Neither clearly leads. Contabo starts at €4.5/month and Keil MDK at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Contabo or Keil MDK?
Keil MDK has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at €4.5/month for Contabo and Free for Keil MDK.
Does Contabo or Keil MDK run on more platforms?
Contabo runs on Linux, Windows. Keil MDK runs on Web.
Can I use Keil MDK for free?
Yes. Keil MDK has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. Contabo starts at €4.5/month.
What is Contabo best used for?
Contabo is most often used for web hosting, game servers, development environments, vpn servers. Of those, web hosting and game servers are not what Keil MDK is typically brought in for.
What can Contabo do that Keil MDK cannot?
Contabo covers VPS Hosting, Dedicated Servers, Object Storage, Snapshots.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Contabo: What is the base pricing for Contabo VPS?

Contabo Cloud VPS starts at EUR 4.50 per month (approximately $4.95 USD) with 4 vCPU cores and 8 GB RAM. Prices scale up to EUR 39+ per month for dedicated performance VPS with higher specs.

Source
Keil MDK: Does Keil MDK have a free version?

Yes, Keil MDK Community Edition is free for non-commercial projects. Essential and Professional editions are available as monthly or annual subscriptions.

Source
Contabo: Does Contabo raise prices at renewal?

No. Unlike many hosting providers, Contabo does not increase renewal prices. The promotional price you get at sign-up is locked in for future renewals.

Source
Keil MDK: How much do Keil MDK paid editions cost?

Specific pricing for Essential and Professional editions is not published on the main site. Rates are available from the Arm Developer Tools store or by contacting Arm sales.

Source
Contabo: What data center locations does Contabo offer?

Contabo operates 9 global data center regions including multiple EU locations, US East/Central/West Coast, United Kingdom, India, Singapore, Japan, and Australia.

Source
Contabo: Does Contabo provide managed services?

No. Contabo VPS is fully unmanaged. You handle all setup, security patching, and system maintenance. Managed hosting adds 2 hours per month of dedicated support for a fee.

Source
Contabo: What is Contabo's uptime guarantee?

Contabo maintains a 99.996% uptime guarantee across all plans. The platform includes unlimited traffic and free DDoS protection.

Source
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