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Amazon EC2 alternatives: 5 apps ranked by verified data

Facts checked Nov 8, 2026AppBreakup editorialHow we rankAll VPS and cloud server providers

Top picks

Common reasons people leave Amazon EC2: data transfer, storage and IPs are billed separately, making costs hard to predict, and steeper learning curve than flat-priced VPS hosts. We ranked 5 alternatives by how directly each one replaces Amazon EC2, then by reviews, real visits and how recently each app's facts were checked against its own website. Amazon Lightsail currently ranks first.

Quick comparison

#AppPricingVerified priceOpen sourcePlatformsVerified factsScore
1Amazon Lightsail logoAmazon LightsailPaid$5 USD/monthNoWeb, Linux, Windows8 of 868.8
2DigitalOcean Droplets logoDigitalOcean DropletsPaid$4 a month (512 MiB, 1 vCPU)NoWeb, Linux6 of 664.8
3Vultr logoVultrPaid—NoWeb5 of 559.6
4Linode logoLinodePaid—NoWeb4 of 459.4
5OVHcloud logoOVHcloudPaidFrom $4.54/month (VPS-1)NoWeb9 of 957.5
  1. Amazon Lightsail logo

    1. Amazon LightsailTop pick

    Best for: People who want a predictable-price VPS that can grow into the wider AWS ecosystem.

    PaidWeb, Linux, Windows

    68.8

    score / 100

    Why switch from Amazon EC2

    AWS's own simple VPS with bundled storage and transfer at a flat monthly price.

    Pros

    • Fixed monthly bundles including transfer
    • Static IP and DNS management included
    • Windows server plans available
    • Easy path to other AWS services

    Cons

    • Lower specs for the price than budget VPS hosts
    • Smaller transfer allowances in some Asian regions
    • AWS account and billing can be complex
    Visit Amazon Lightsail Compare with Amazon EC2Details and reviews
    How this score is calculated
    Editorial fit ×0.3100
    Reviews ×0.363
    Clicks (90 days) ×0.150
    Freshness ×0.15100
    Votes ×0.150

    0 counted reviews, 0 up and 0 down votes. Full formula

    Is Amazon Lightsail a good Amazon EC2 alternative?

    Verified facts

    8 of 8 verified
    Starting price (with IPv4)
    $5 USD/month
    Checked Nov 8, 2026aws.amazon.com(opens source in a new tab)
    Windows plans
    From $9.50 USD/month
    Checked Nov 8, 2026aws.amazon.com(opens source in a new tab)
    Static IP
    Included in all plans
    Checked Nov 8, 2026aws.amazon.com(opens source in a new tab)
    Free tier
    Yes, under AWS Free Tier
    Checked Nov 8, 2026aws.amazon.com(opens source in a new tab)
    Starting price
    $3.50 a month (IPv6-only Linux bundle)
    Checked Nov 8, 2026aws.amazon.com(opens source in a new tab)
    Linux plan with IPv4
    From $5 a month
    Checked Nov 8, 2026aws.amazon.com(opens source in a new tab)
    Windows plan
    From $9.50 a month (with IPv4)
    Checked Nov 8, 2026aws.amazon.com(opens source in a new tab)
    Free plan
    Yes, under the AWS Free Tier
    Checked Nov 8, 2026aws.amazon.com(opens source in a new tab)
  2. DigitalOcean Droplets logo

    2. DigitalOcean Droplets

    Best for: Developers who want a simple, well-documented VPS with predictable monthly pricing.

    PaidWeb, Linux

    64.8

    score / 100

    Why switch from Amazon EC2

    Simpler VPS with predictable monthly pricing and included bandwidth, popular with small teams.

    Pros

    • Clear flat pricing with included transfer
    • Easy control panel and API
    • Managed databases, Kubernetes and storage alongside
    • Excellent tutorials and docs

    Cons

    • Pricier per core and RAM than budget European hosts
    • Fewer regions than the large clouds
    • Backups cost extra as a percentage of the Droplet price
    Visit DigitalOcean Droplets Compare with Amazon EC2Details and reviews
    How this score is calculated
    Editorial fit ×0.387
    Reviews ×0.363
    Clicks (90 days) ×0.150
    Freshness ×0.15100
    Votes ×0.150

    0 counted reviews, 0 up and 0 down votes. Full formula

    Is DigitalOcean Droplets a good Amazon EC2 alternative?

    Verified facts

    6 of 6 verified
    Starting price
    $4 a month (512 MiB, 1 vCPU)
    Checked Nov 8, 2026digitalocean.com(opens source in a new tab)
    Included transfer
    From 500 GiB/month
    Checked Nov 8, 2026digitalocean.com(opens source in a new tab)
    Backups
    20% (weekly) or 30% (daily) of Droplet cost
    Checked Nov 8, 2026digitalocean.com(opens source in a new tab)
    Inbound bandwidth
    Free
    Checked Nov 8, 2026digitalocean.com(opens source in a new tab)
    Snapshots
    $0.06 per GB/month
    Checked Nov 8, 2026digitalocean.com(opens source in a new tab)
    Billing
    Per second, 60-second or $0.01 minimum
    Checked Nov 8, 2026digitalocean.com(opens source in a new tab)
  3. Vultr logo

    3. Vultr

    Best for: Developers wanting hourly cloud servers or GPUs close to users in many regions

    PaidWeb

    59.6

    score / 100

    Why switch from Amazon EC2

    Cheap VPS and GPU servers in many locations, with flat hourly and monthly prices.

    Pros

    • Wide choice of regions worldwide
    • Bare metal and cloud GPUs alongside regular VMs
    • Custom ISO uploads and one-click marketplace apps
    • API, open-source CLI and Terraform provider

    Cons

    • Servers are unmanaged; you handle updates and security
    • Pricier than budget hosts like Contabo for the same RAM
    Visit Vultr Compare with Amazon EC2Details and reviews
    How this score is calculated
    Editorial fit ×0.377
    Reviews ×0.363
    Clicks (90 days) ×0.150
    Freshness ×0.1585
    Votes ×0.150

    0 counted reviews, 0 up and 0 down votes. Full formula

    Is Vultr a good Amazon EC2 alternative?

    Verified facts

    5 of 5 verified
    Servers launched
    Over 80 million
    Checked Nov 8, 2026docs.vultr.com(opens source in a new tab)
    Developer tools
    API, CLI, Terraform provider and SDKs
    Checked Nov 8, 2026docs.vultr.com(opens source in a new tab)
    CLI licence
    Apache-2.0
    Checked Nov 1, 2026github.com(opens source in a new tab)
    Custom ISO
    Yes
    Checked Nov 8, 2026docs.vultr.com(opens source in a new tab)
    Owner
    The Constant Company, LLC
    Checked Nov 8, 2026docs.vultr.com(opens source in a new tab)
  4. Linode logo

    4. Linode

    Best for: Developers who want simple, predictable cloud servers plus managed Kubernetes and databases

    PaidWeb

    59.4

    score / 100

    Why switch from Amazon EC2

    Akamai's developer cloud: straightforward VPS plans with generous included transfer.

    Pros

    • Bundled pricing that includes transfer with each plan
    • Managed Kubernetes, databases and object storage
    • Long-standing docs, API and CLI

    Cons

    • Rebranding to Akamai Cloud spreads docs across two sites
    • Costs more than budget hosts like Hetzner or Contabo
    • Fewer managed services than AWS, Azure or Google Cloud
    Visit Linode Compare with Amazon EC2Details and reviews
    How this score is calculated
    Editorial fit ×0.369
    Reviews ×0.363
    Clicks (90 days) ×0.150
    Freshness ×0.15100
    Votes ×0.150

    0 counted reviews, 0 up and 0 down votes. Full formula

    Is Linode a good Amazon EC2 alternative?

    Verified facts

    4 of 4 verified
    Owner
    Akamai
    Checked Nov 8, 2026linode.com(opens source in a new tab)
    Kubernetes
    Linode Kubernetes Engine (managed)
    Checked Nov 8, 2026linode.com(opens source in a new tab)
    Pricing
    CPU, transfer, storage and RAM bundled
    Checked Nov 8, 2026linode.com(opens source in a new tab)
    Cloud credits
    Up to US$5,000 for qualifying businesses
    Checked Nov 8, 2026linode.com(opens source in a new tab)
  5. OVHcloud logo

    5. OVHcloud

    Best for: European businesses and hobbyists wanting cheap VPS or dedicated servers with built-in DDoS protection

    PaidWeb

    57.5

    score / 100

    Why switch from Amazon EC2

    European provider with low-cost VPS and dedicated servers and no egress surprises on many plans.

    Pros

    • Anti-DDoS protection included on every product
    • VPS plans include unlimited traffic and daily backup
    • Wide range from web hosting to bare metal and public cloud
    • European company with a data-sovereignty focus

    Cons

    • Large catalogue that is hard to navigate
    • Control panel and support are less polished than developer clouds
    • VPS bandwidth is capped once some regional monthly quotas are reached
    Visit OVHcloud Details and reviews
    How this score is calculated
    Editorial fit ×0.363
    Reviews ×0.363
    Clicks (90 days) ×0.150
    Freshness ×0.15100
    Votes ×0.150

    0 counted reviews, 0 up and 0 down votes. Full formula

    Is OVHcloud a good Amazon EC2 alternative?

    Verified facts

    9 of 9 verified
    Founded
    1999, France
    Checked Nov 8, 2026ovhcloud.com(opens source in a new tab)
    VPS starting price
    From $4.54/month (VPS-1)
    Checked Nov 8, 2026ovhcloud.com(opens source in a new tab)
    VPS traffic
    Unlimited
    Checked Nov 8, 2026ovhcloud.com(opens source in a new tab)
    DDoS protection
    Included on all products
    Checked Nov 8, 2026ovhcloud.com(opens source in a new tab)
    Kubernetes
    Managed Kubernetes Service
    Checked Nov 8, 2026ovhcloud.com(opens source in a new tab)
    Starting price
    From $4.54 a month (VPS-1)
    Checked Nov 8, 2026ovhcloud.com(opens source in a new tab)
    VPS-2 plan
    From $8.50 a month
    Checked Nov 8, 2026ovhcloud.com(opens source in a new tab)
    VPS-3 plan
    From $12.32 a month
    Checked Nov 8, 2026ovhcloud.com(opens source in a new tab)
    VPS-4 plan
    From $23.37 a month
    Checked Nov 8, 2026ovhcloud.com(opens source in a new tab)

The best Amazon EC2 alternative for…

The highest-ranked app in this list for each need.

Amazon Lightsail logo

Best Amazon EC2 alternative for most people

Amazon Lightsail

AWS's own simple VPS with bundled storage and transfer at a flat monthly price.

Amazon Lightsail logo

Best Amazon EC2 alternative for Windows

Amazon Lightsail

AWS's own simple VPS with bundled storage and transfer at a flat monthly price.

DigitalOcean Droplets logo

Best Amazon EC2 alternative for Linux

DigitalOcean Droplets

Simpler VPS with predictable monthly pricing and included bandwidth, popular with small teams.

Vultr logo

Best Amazon EC2 alternative for working in the browser

Vultr

Cheap VPS and GPU servers in many locations, with flat hourly and monthly prices.

Amazon EC2 alternatives: common questions

What is the best alternative to Amazon EC2?

Amazon Lightsail ranks first right now. AWS's own simple VPS with bundled storage and transfer at a flat monthly price. DigitalOcean Droplets and Vultr follow it in our ranking.

Amazon EC2 vs Amazon Lightsail: what's the difference?

Both Amazon EC2 and Amazon Lightsail are paid products. Verified prices: Amazon EC2 Up to $200 for new customers, over 6 months, Amazon Lightsail $5 USD/month. Only Amazon Lightsail runs on Linux and Windows.

Is Amazon EC2 free?

Amazon EC2 is a paid product. Billing: Per second; Savings Plans: Up to 72% off On-Demand; Spot discount: Up to 90% off On-Demand; Free tier: Yes. Checked on Amazon EC2's own site, November 2026.

How much do Amazon EC2 alternatives cost?

Verified prices for the top-ranked Amazon EC2 alternatives: Amazon Lightsail, $5 USD/month; DigitalOcean Droplets, $4 a month (512 MiB, 1 vCPU); OVHcloud, From $4.54/month (VPS-1). Each price was checked on the app's own site; see each card below for the date and source.

Is there a free alternative to Amazon EC2?

None of the 5 alternatives we track has a free plan; all are paid, though some offer trials.

Is there an open-source alternative to Amazon EC2?

None of the 5 alternatives in this list is open source.

Which Amazon EC2 alternatives work on Linux?

Amazon Lightsail and DigitalOcean Droplets run on Linux.

Why do people switch from Amazon EC2?

The complaints we hear most: data transfer, storage and IPs are billed separately, making costs hard to predict; steeper learning curve than flat-priced VPS hosts; spot capacity can be taken back at short notice.

How is this list ranked?

Every app is scored with the same published formula: how directly it replaces Amazon EC2, reviews (weighted by verification), visits from AppBreakup, how recently its facts were checked against its own website, and reader votes.