Cloud · head to head
Contabo vs Proxmox VE
Proxmox VE
Cloud
Open-source hypervisor combining KVM and LXC virtualisation
- From
- €120/year
- Rated
- -
The short version
- Each has a real cost: Contabo fully unmanaged infrastructure requires all setup and maintenance by customer; Proxmox VE per-socket licensing model: cost scales with CPU socket count, not vCore count, resulting in high costs for multi-socket servers
- Prices and features above were last checked on 30 August 2026.
Where they differ
Only the attributes on which Contabo and Proxmox VE actually diverge.
| Attribute | Contabo | Proxmox VE |
|---|---|---|
| Starting price | €4.5/month | €120/year |
| Pricing model | Unknown | subscription |
| Platforms | Linux, Windows | Linux, Web, API, Self-hosted |
| Founded | 2003 | Unknown |
Identical on both: free tier (No), user rating (Not yet rated), category (Cloud).
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 Proxmox VE
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 Proxmox VE
- Game serversnot Proxmox VE
- Development environmentsnot Proxmox VE
- VPN serversnot Proxmox VE
Proxmox VE
- Open-source datacenter virtualisation for hosting providers and cloud platformsnot Contabo
- Cost-sensitive enterprise virtualisation replacing commercial hypervisorsnot Contabo
- High-availability clustering for disaster recovery and business continuitynot Contabo
- Container deployments using LXC as lighter-weight alternative to Dockernot Contabo
- Hybrid VM and container workloads in a single management interfacenot Contabo
- Backup and archival infrastructure alongside primary virtualisationnot 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
Proxmox VE
- Per-socket licensing model: cost scales with CPU socket count, not vCore count, resulting in high costs for multi-socket servers
- Linux-based host only; Windows hypervisors not supported, limiting adoption in Windows-focused organisations
- Clustering and high-availability setup requires operational expertise and careful network configuration
- Commercial support tiers limit advanced features (just-in-time access, network flow logs) to paid subscriptions
- Smaller ecosystem of third-party plugins and integrations compared to VMware vSphere
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
Proxmox VE
€120/year- Community$120/year
- Enterprise Repository access
- Community forum support only
- Per-socket subscription model
- Basic$370/year
- 3 support tickets per year
- 1 business day response time
- Stable updates and Enterprise Repository
- Standard$550/year
- 10 support tickets per year
- 4-hour response time for critical issues
- Remote SSH support and offline updates
- Premium$1100/year
- Unlimited support tickets
- 2-hour response time for critical issues
- Remote SSH support and offline updates
Which should you pick?
Choose Contabo if
- You need vps hosting.
- You work on Linux, Windows.
- You also want dedicated servers.
Questions people ask
- Is Contabo or Proxmox VE better?
- Neither clearly leads. Contabo starts at €4.5/month and Proxmox VE at €120/year, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
- Which is cheaper, Contabo or Proxmox VE?
- Contabo starts at €4.5/month and Proxmox VE at €120/year.
- Does Contabo or Proxmox VE run on more platforms?
- Contabo runs on Linux, Windows. Proxmox VE runs on Linux, Web, API, Self-hosted.
- 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 Proxmox VE is typically brought in for.
- What can Contabo do that Proxmox VE 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.
SourceProxmox VE: What is the licensing model for Proxmox VE?
Proxmox VE is open-source and free to deploy. Optional subscription tiers provide technical support, priority response times, and access to the Enterprise Repository for stable update channels. All tiers include identical virtualisation features.
SourceContabo: 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.
SourceProxmox VE: Can I run Proxmox VE without a support subscription?
Yes. Community Edition (€120/year per socket) provides Enterprise Repository access with community-based support through forums. The core Proxmox VE platform is fully functional without any subscription.
SourceContabo: 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.
SourceProxmox VE: What hypervisors does Proxmox VE support?
Proxmox VE includes both KVM for full virtualisation and LXC for Linux containers. It does not support Xen or Hyper-V. Workloads on those platforms must be migrated or reimplemented.
SourceContabo: 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.
SourceContabo: 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.
SourceRelated pages
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