Softwr

Cloud & Infrastructure · head to head

Render vs Vultr

Render logo

Render

Cloud & Infrastructure

A modern cloud platform for the next generation

From
Free
Rated
-
Vultr logo

Vultr

Cloud & Infrastructure

High performance cloud compute

From
Free
Rated
-

The short version

  • Each has a real cost: Render the free Hobby workspace is limited to 25 services and 5 GB of bandwidth; 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: Render covers Web services, Vultr covers Cloud servers.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Render and Vultr actually diverge.

Attributes where Render and Vultr differ
AttributeRenderVultr
PlatformsWeb, ApiWeb, Api, Cli
Founded20192014

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

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 Render

  • Web services
  • Static sites
  • Background workers
  • Postgres database
  • Redis database
  • Scheduled jobs
  • Environment variables
  • Custom domains

Only in Vultr

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

Both cover

  • DDoS protection
  • Cloud deployment
  • Web support

What people use each for

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

Render

  • Deploying web services, static sites and cron jobs from a Git repository without managing serversnot Vultr
  • Running managed Postgres and Redis alongside application servicesnot Vultr
  • Preview environments per pull request for small teamsnot Vultr

Vultr

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

Where each one falls short

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

Render

  • The free Hobby workspace is limited to 25 services and 5 GB of bandwidth
  • Every paid plan charges the workspace fee plus compute on top, so $25 per month for Pro is a floor rather than a total
  • SAML SSO and SCIM require the Scale plan at $499 per month
  • HIPAA-compliant workspaces, inbound IP rules and advanced RBAC roles are Scale plan features
  • Organization-level audit logs require Scale; Pro provides only workspace audit logs
  • Contractual uptime SLAs, support response SLAs and a technical account manager are Enterprise only, and Enterprise is custom priced with no published rate
  • Included bandwidth is 25 GB on Pro and 1 TB on Scale, with usage beyond that billed separately

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

Render

Free
  • FreeFree
    • 1 web service
    • 1 static site
    • Shared CPU
  • Starter$7/month
    • Unlimited services
    • Dedicated CPU
    • 2GB RAM

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 Render if

  • You need web services.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Web, Api.
  • You also want static sites.

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 Render or Vultr better?
Neither clearly leads. Render 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, Render or Vultr?
Render starts at Free and Vultr at Free.
Does Render or Vultr run on more platforms?
Render runs on Web, Api. Vultr runs on Web, Api, Cli.
Can I use Render for free?
Both have a free tier, so you can try either at no cost before committing.
What is Render best used for?
Render is most often used for deploying web services, static sites and cron jobs from a git repository without managing servers, running managed postgres and redis alongside application services, preview environments per pull request for small teams. Of those, deploying web services, static sites and cron jobs from a git repository without managing servers and running managed postgres and redis alongside application services are not what Vultr is typically brought in for.
What can Render do that Vultr cannot?
Render covers Web services, Static sites, Background workers, Postgres database. Vultr covers Cloud servers, Bare metal servers, Block storage, Object storage. Both handle DDoS protection, Cloud deployment, Web support.

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