6 Best OVHcloud Alternatives for Cloud and Dedicated Servers

Why look beyond OVHcloud

OVHcloud offers a range of cloud and dedicated server products, often appealing to organizations prioritizing data sovereignty within Europe and requiring cost-effective infrastructure. Its strength lies in its owned and operated data centers, which can provide granular control over hardware and network infrastructure. However, organizations may seek alternatives for several reasons.

Some users might find OVHcloud's public cloud interface and API less intuitive compared to providers with a stronger developer experience focus. While OVHcloud has a global presence, its data center footprint outside of Europe may be less extensive than hyperscale providers, which could impact latency for global applications. Additionally, the breadth of managed services in areas like serverless, advanced databases, or AI/ML might be more limited compared to larger cloud platforms. For scenarios requiring a broader ecosystem of integrated services, a different provider might offer a more comprehensive solution.

Top alternatives ranked

1. 1. Hetzner — Cost-effective infrastructure with a strong European focus

   Hetzner Online is a German provider of web hosting services, dedicated servers, and cloud products. Established in 1997, it operates multiple data centers primarily in Germany and Finland, emphasizing data privacy and competitive pricing. Hetzner's cloud platform, Hetzner Cloud, offers virtual private servers (VPS), dedicated servers, and storage solutions. It is positioned as a strong alternative to OVHcloud for users prioritizing European data residency and seeking similar cost efficiencies for compute and storage resources. The company maintains its hardware, which can allow for predictable performance and pricing models. Hetzner is known for its direct approach to infrastructure, providing a developer-friendly API and command-line interface for managing resources. While its managed service ecosystem is less expansive than hyperscale clouds, it provides core infrastructure components at competitive rates, particularly for projects with European user bases or data compliance requirements.

   Best for: European data residency, cost-effective VPS and dedicated servers, small to medium-sized applications requiring predictable pricing.

   Visit: Hetzner official website

2. 2. Scaleway — European cloud offering diverse compute and storage options

   Scaleway, a subsidiary of the Iliad Group, is a French cloud provider founded in 1999. It offers a range of cloud computing services, including bare metal servers, virtual instances (Elements), managed Kubernetes, and object storage. Scaleway positions itself as a European alternative to larger hyperscale providers, focusing on competitive pricing and a developer-centric experience. With data centers primarily in France, the Netherlands, and Poland, it caters to users with European data sovereignty concerns. Scaleway's product portfolio includes specialized offerings like high-performance compute instances and AI/ML infrastructure. Its ecosystem, while not as broad as AWS or Azure, provides essential cloud primitives for modern application deployment. Scaleway offers a comprehensive API and various SDKs, making it suitable for automated infrastructure management.

   Best for: European data residency, cost-effective cloud infrastructure, bare metal and managed Kubernetes, developer-friendly tooling.

   Visit: Scaleway official website

3. 3. DigitalOcean — Developer-friendly cloud with simplified pricing

   DigitalOcean, founded in 2012, is a cloud infrastructure provider known for its focus on developers and simplicity. It offers virtual servers, called Droplets, managed databases, managed Kubernetes, and object storage (Spaces). DigitalOcean emphasizes ease of use, predictable pricing, and extensive documentation, making it popular among startups, small to medium-sized businesses, and individual developers. While its data center footprint is global, including locations in Europe, North America, and Asia, its primary appeal is its streamlined user experience and clear billing. DigitalOcean's marketplace provides one-click installations for various applications and development stacks. For users transitioning from OVHcloud who prioritize a more accessible public cloud experience without the complexities of hyperscale providers, DigitalOcean offers a compelling alternative with a strong community and support ecosystem.

   Best for: Developers, startups, small to medium businesses, simplified cloud deployments, predictable pricing.

   Visit: DigitalOcean official website

4. 4. Linode (Akamai) — Reliable and predictable cloud computing

   Linode, acquired by Akamai in 2022, has been offering cloud hosting services since 2003. It provides virtual servers, managed Kubernetes, object storage, and managed databases. Linode is known for its consistent performance, predictable pricing model, and a strong emphasis on developer experience, similar to DigitalOcean. With data centers across North America, Europe, Asia, and Australia, Linode offers a global presence. Its appeal lies in providing powerful, yet straightforward, virtual machines and infrastructure services without the complexity often found in larger cloud ecosystems. Linode historically targeted developers and small to medium-sized businesses needing reliable infrastructure for web applications, game servers, and general-purpose compute. The integration with Akamai's edge network capabilities is expanding its offerings, particularly for distributed applications and content delivery.

   Best for: Small to medium businesses, developers needing predictable pricing, reliable general-purpose computing, web application hosting.

   Visit: Linode official website

5. 5. Vultr — High-performance cloud with global reach

   Vultr, founded in 2014, is a cloud provider offering high-performance compute instances, bare metal, object storage, and managed databases across a global network of data centers. Vultr emphasizes raw performance and a wide range of operating system choices, catering to developers and businesses seeking fine-grained control over their infrastructure. With data centers in over 30 locations worldwide, Vultr offers robust global coverage, potentially reducing latency for geographically dispersed users. Its product line includes general-purpose compute, optimized compute, and GPU instances, providing flexibility for various workloads. Vultr's approach is designed for users who require robust, customizable infrastructure without necessarily needing the extensive managed services ecosystem of hyperscale providers. This makes it a suitable alternative for those migrating from OVHcloud who need global distribution and performance at competitive prices, with a strong API for automation.

   Best for: Global deployments, high-performance compute, wide OS selection, developers needing flexible infrastructure.

   Visit: Vultr official website

6. 6. AWS EC2 — Broadest ecosystem and scalable compute

   Amazon Web Services (AWS) Elastic Compute Cloud (EC2), launched in 2006, provides scalable virtual servers in the cloud. As a foundational service within AWS, EC2 offers a vast array of instance types, operating systems, and networking options, catering to virtually any workload from small web applications to high-performance computing clusters. While AWS is a hyperscale provider with a more complex pricing structure and service catalog than OVHcloud, EC2 itself provides raw compute capacity. For organizations looking to move from OVHcloud to a provider with unparalleled breadth of services, global reach, and robust ecosystem integration, AWS EC2 serves as the primary compute offering. It integrates seamlessly with thousands of other AWS services for databases, networking, security, machine learning, and more. This makes it an option for those seeking to expand beyond core infrastructure into a fully managed cloud environment, willing to manage the increased complexity for the benefits of scale and features.

   Best for: Scalable enterprise applications, diverse workload requirements, integration with a vast ecosystem, global infrastructure.

   Visit: AWS EC2 product page

Side-by-side

How to pick

Choosing an OVHcloud alternative involves evaluating your specific technical requirements, budget constraints, and operational preferences. Consider the following decision-tree approach:

1. Prioritize European Data Residency and Cost-Effectiveness:
   • If your primary concern is maintaining data within Europe due to GDPR or other regulations, and you seek competitive pricing for core infrastructure, consider Hetzner or Scaleway. Both provide robust, cost-efficient compute and storage solutions with a strong European data center footprint. Hetzner is particularly known for its bare-metal server offerings, while Scaleway provides a broader set of cloud primitives.
2. Focus on Developer Experience and Simplicity:
   • For projects where developer productivity, ease of use, and predictable billing are paramount, DigitalOcean and Linode (Akamai) are strong candidates. They offer streamlined interfaces, clear documentation, and a less complex ecosystem compared to hyperscale clouds. DigitalOcean is often favored by startups and individual developers for its one-click apps and community support, while Linode provides reliable compute with a focus on stability and customer service.
3. Need Global Presence and High Performance:
   • If your application requires a wide global data center footprint and high-performance compute instances, Vultr is a suitable option. Vultr offers a broad selection of global locations and provides bare metal and high-frequency compute instances, catering to workloads demanding low latency and raw power across many regions.
4. Require an Extensive Ecosystem and Enterprise Features:
   • For organizations seeking the most comprehensive suite of cloud services, deep integrations, and enterprise-grade features, AWS EC2 is the entry point to the AWS ecosystem. While it represents a significant increase in complexity and potentially cost, it offers unparalleled scalability, a vast array of managed services (databases, AI/ML, serverless), and global reach for the most demanding and diverse workloads. This choice is typically for companies with dedicated cloud operations teams or those planning significant cloud native adoption.
5. Specific Workload Requirements (e.g., Bare Metal, GPU):
   • If your workload specifically benefits from bare metal servers, both Hetzner and Scaleway (and Vultr) offer strong bare metal options, providing direct access to hardware for performance-intensive or specialized applications. For GPU-accelerated computing, Scaleway and Vultr offer specialized instances, while AWS EC2 provides the broadest range of GPU instance types.

By systematically evaluating these factors against your project's needs, you can narrow down the alternatives and select the provider that best aligns with your technical and business objectives.