Contabo vs IONOS VPS
IONOS has the lower starting price: $5.00 a month for 2 GB RAM, against $5.28 for 8 GB at Contabo.
Prices checked on October 27, 2026. Monthly prices in USD on the billing term shown with each plan, including discounts through our links. We earn a fee if you buy through a provider link, which never changes the ranking. How we rank
The short answer
- IONOS has the lower starting price: $5.00 a month for 2 GB RAM, against $5.28 for 8 GB at Contabo.
- Contabo gives more memory for your money: a median of $1.19 per GB of RAM, about 2.1 times cheaper than IONOS at $2.50.
- Contabo scales further, up to 96 GB RAM and 24 vCPU, while IONOS tops out at 24 GB and 12 vCPU.
- For location, only Contabo has servers in Singapore, Japan, Australia, India.
Side by side
| Compared on | Contabo | IONOS |
|---|---|---|
| Starting price | $5.28/mo | $5.00/mo (better) |
| Median price per GB RAM | $1.19 (better) | $2.50 |
| Lowest price per GB RAM | $0.49 (better) | $2.33 |
| Median price per vCPU | $4.20 (better) | $5.00 |
| VPS plans | 17 | 5 |
| Largest plan RAM | 96 GB (better) | 24 GB |
| Largest plan vCPU | 24 (better) | 12 |
| NVMe storage | Yes | Yes |
| Unlimited bandwidth plans | Yes | Yes |
| Server countries | United States, United Kingdom, Germany, Singapore, Japan, Australia, India | United States, United Kingdom, Germany |
| Discount through VPS Scouter | – | – |
| Founded | 2003 | 1988 |
| Headquarters | Munich, Germany | Montabaur, Germany |
Price at every RAM size
The cheapest plan from each provider with at least this much memory, per month.
| RAM | Contabo | IONOS |
|---|---|---|
| 1 GB+ | $5.28 · Cloud VPS 4 (8 GB, 4 vCPU) | $5.00 · VPS S+ (2 GB, 1 vCPU) (better) |
| 2 GB+ | $5.28 · Cloud VPS 4 (8 GB, 4 vCPU) | $5.00 · VPS S+ (2 GB, 1 vCPU) (better) |
| 4 GB+ | $5.28 · Cloud VPS 4 (8 GB, 4 vCPU) (better) | $11.75 · VPS M+ (4 GB, 2 vCPU) |
| 8 GB+ | $5.28 · Cloud VPS 4 (8 GB, 4 vCPU) (better) | $20.75 · VPS L+ (8 GB, 4 vCPU) |
| 16 GB+ | $13.44 · Cloud VPS 8 (24 GB, 8 vCPU) (better) | $38.75 · VPS XL+ (16 GB, 8 vCPU) |
| 32 GB+ | $24.00 · Cloud VPS 12 (48 GB, 12 vCPU) | No plan this size |
Best value plans from Contabo and IONOS
| # | Provider and plan | vCPU | RAM | Storage | Bandwidth | Price | Visit provider |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | ContaboCloud VPS 6 | 6 | 12 GB | 200 GB SSD | Unlimited | $7.20/mo2-year term · renews at $9.00/mo | Visit Contabo |
| 2 | ContaboCloud VPS 8 | 8 | 24 GB | 300 GB SSD | Unlimited | $13.44/mo2-year term · renews at $16.80/mo | Visit Contabo |
| 3 | ContaboCloud VPS 12 | 12 | 48 GB | 400 GB SSD | Unlimited | $24.00/mo2-year term · renews at $30.00/mo | Visit Contabo |
| 4 | ContaboCloud VPS 4 | 4 | 8 GB | 100 GB SSD | Unlimited | $5.28/mo2-year term · renews at $6.60/mo | Visit Contabo |
| 5 | ContaboCloud VPS 18 | 18 | 96 GB | 600 GB SSD | Unlimited | $47.04/mo2-year term · renews at $58.80/mo | Visit Contabo |
| 6 | ContaboCloud VPS 16 | 16 | 64 GB | 500 GB SSD | Unlimited | $35.60/mo2-year term · renews at $44.50/mo | Visit Contabo |
| 7 | ContaboCloud VPS Plus 6 | 6 | 12 GB | 300 GB NVME | Unlimited | $18.40/mo2-year term · renews at $23.00/mo | Visit Contabo |
| 8 | ContaboCloud VPS Plus 18 | 18 | 96 GB | 900 GB NVME | Unlimited | $95.20/mo2-year term · renews at $119.00/mo | Visit Contabo |
| 9 | ContaboCloud VPS Plus 8 | 8 | 24 GB | 450 GB NVME | Unlimited | $33.60/mo2-year term · renews at $42.00/mo | Visit Contabo |
| 10 | ContaboCloud VPS Plus 12 | 12 | 48 GB | 600 GB NVME | Unlimited | $56.80/mo2-year term · renews at $71.00/mo | Visit Contabo |
| 11 | ContaboCloud VPS Plus 16 | 16 | 64 GB | 750 GB NVME | Unlimited | $76.00/mo2-year term · renews at $95.00/mo | Visit Contabo |
| 12 | ContaboCloud VPS Plus 4 | 4 | 8 GB | 150 GB NVME | Unlimited | $13.00/mo2-year term · renews at $16.25/mo | Visit Contabo |
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Contabo cheaper than IONOS?
IONOS has the lower entry price at $5.00 a month. Per GB of RAM, Contabo is cheaper, with a median of $1.19 across its plans. Which one is cheaper for you depends on the plan size you need, so check the table by RAM size.
Which is better, Contabo or IONOS?
It depends on what you need. Contabo gives more memory for your money: a median of $1.19 per GB of RAM, about 2.1 times cheaper than IONOS at $2.50. Contabo scales further, up to 96 GB RAM and 24 vCPU, while IONOS tops out at 24 GB and 12 vCPU. Neither price tells you about speed or support, so read the provider pages and reviews too.
How do you compare the prices?
We use each provider's monthly price in USD on the billing term it advertises, which we show next to every price, including any discount you get through our links. Prices come from the providers' own pricing pages and are checked every Sunday.