Software · head to head
Vultr vs Lambda (AWS Serverless)
Lambda (AWS Serverless)
Software
Run code without thinking about servers
- From
- Free
- Rated
- -
The short version
- Each has a real cost: 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; Lambda (AWS Serverless) billed on two axes at once, $0.20 per million requests plus $0.0000166667 per GB-second of duration, so memory settings change the bill as much as traffic does
- They diverge on capability: Vultr covers Cloud servers, Lambda (AWS Serverless) covers Function-as-a-Service.
Where they differ
Only the attributes on which Vultr and Lambda (AWS Serverless) actually diverge.
| Attribute | Vultr | Lambda (AWS Serverless) |
|---|---|---|
| Platforms | Web, Api, Cli | Web, Api |
Identical on both: starting price (Free), pricing model (usage-based), free tier (Yes), user rating (Not yet rated), category (Unknown), founded (2014).
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 Vultr
- Cloud servers
- Bare metal servers
- Block storage
- Object storage
- Load balancers
- Kubernetes
- Firewalls
- Private networks
Only in Lambda (AWS Serverless)
- Function-as-a-Service
- Event-driven execution
- Auto-scaling
- Pay-per-use
- Multiple languages
- Concurrency limits
- Dead Letter Queues
- Environment variables
Both cover
- Cloud deployment
- Web support
What people use each for
The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.
Vultr
- High performance computingnot Lambda (AWS Serverless)
- Game serversnot Lambda (AWS Serverless)
- Streamingnot Lambda (AWS Serverless)
- Database hostingnot Lambda (AWS Serverless)
- Application serversnot Lambda (AWS Serverless)
Lambda (AWS Serverless)
- Event-driven functions without managing serversnot Vultr
- API backends behind API Gatewaynot Vultr
- Processing S3, DynamoDB, SQS and Kinesis eventsnot Vultr
- Scheduled jobs without a always-on instancenot Vultr
- Edge compute through Lambda@Edgenot Vultr
Where each one falls short
Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.
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
Lambda (AWS Serverless)
- Billed on two axes at once, $0.20 per million requests plus $0.0000166667 per GB-second of duration, so memory settings change the bill as much as traffic does
- Provisioned concurrency, used to avoid cold starts, is charged separately at $0.0000041667 per GB-second whether or not the function runs
- Ephemeral storage beyond the included 512 MB is metered
- Lambda@Edge costs $0.60 per million requests, three times the standard request rate
- VPC use and cross-region data transfer carry EC2 charges on top
Pricing, plan by plan
Vultr
Free- Cloud Compute$2.5/month
- 512MB RAM
- 10GB SSD
- 500GB bandwidth
- Bare Metal$32/month
- Dedicated hardware
- High performance
- Full root access
Lambda (AWS Serverless)
Free- Free TierFree
- 1M free requests/month
- 400,000 GB-seconds/month
- Always free
Which should you pick?
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.
Choose Lambda (AWS Serverless) if
- You need function-as-a-service.
- You want to start without paying.
- You work on Web, Api.
- You also want event-driven execution.
Questions people ask
- Is Vultr or Lambda (AWS Serverless) better?
- Neither clearly leads. Vultr starts at Free and Lambda (AWS Serverless) at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
- Which is cheaper, Vultr or Lambda (AWS Serverless)?
- Vultr starts at Free and Lambda (AWS Serverless) at Free.
- Does Vultr or Lambda (AWS Serverless) run on more platforms?
- Vultr runs on Web, Api, Cli. Lambda (AWS Serverless) runs on Web, Api.
- Can I use Vultr for free?
- Both have a free tier, so you can try either at no cost before committing.
- What is Vultr best used for?
- Vultr is most often used for high performance computing, game servers, streaming, database hosting. Of those, high performance computing and game servers are not what Lambda (AWS Serverless) is typically brought in for.
- What can Vultr do that Lambda (AWS Serverless) cannot?
- Vultr covers Cloud servers, Bare metal servers, Block storage, Object storage. Lambda (AWS Serverless) covers Function-as-a-Service, Event-driven execution, Auto-scaling, Pay-per-use. Both handle Cloud deployment, Web support.