Should I use Linode or Vultr?

Use Linode (Akamai) if you want flat bundled pricing, managed Kubernetes, and Akamai's edge network; use Vultr if you want a low entry price, bare metal servers, and 30+ regions to choose from.

Is Linode cheaper than Vultr?

Linode (Akamai) is not clearly cheaper or more expensive than Vultr, because Linode bundles transfer and storage into one flat rate while Vultr starts at about $2.50/month and bills backups, snapshots, and overage bandwidth separately. Compare Linode's rates on Akamai's cloud pricing page against Vultr's total cost with add-ons.

Is Linode owned by Akamai?

Yes — Akamai acquired Linode in 2022, and Linode now runs as part of Akamai Connected Cloud, positioned as the compute layer under Akamai's edge and CDN network.

Does Vultr have a free tier?

No — Vultr has no permanently free tier, only time-limited new-account credits, commonly 30 days. Linode (Akamai) also has no free tier but offers up to $5,000 in promotional credits to enterprise customers.

Linode (Akamai) vs Vultr (2026)

By Noahlast updated October 23, 2026

Verdict: Choose Linode (Akamai) if you want flat per-instance pricing that bundles CPU, RAM, transfer, and storage, plus managed Kubernetes and Akamai's edge network behind your compute. Choose Vultr if you want a low confirmed entry price, from about $2.50/month, single-tenant bare metal servers, and a choice of 30+ regions. The deciding factor is what the bill includes: Linode folds transfer and storage into one rate, while Vultr's base price leaves backups (about 20% of instance cost), snapshots, and bandwidth overages as extras.

Linode (Akamai)

Cloud infrastructure from Akamai, sold under the Linode name, with shared-CPU VMs from $5/month, dedicated CPU, GPUs, managed Kubernetes, storage, and databases.

Pricing: From $5/mo
License: Paid

Best for developers and small teams running VMs or Kubernetes who want published per-plan prices with a monthly cap and a simpler console than AWS or Azure

4.6/5 on Capterra (22 reviews)

Visit linode.com Read our review

Vultr

A global cloud infrastructure provider offering on-demand cloud compute, bare metal, and GPU instances from data centers in 30+ regions, priced from about $2.50/month.

Pricing: From $2.50/mo
License: Paid

Best for developers and small-to-mid-size teams who want self-service, hourly-billed cloud compute in a specific global region without navigating a hyperscaler's full managed-service catalog

4.5/5 on Capterra (40 reviews)

Visit vultr.com Read our review

Which should you choose?

Choose Linode (Akamai) if…

wins 3/6 use cases

You want one flat per-instance rate that already includes CPU, RAM, transfer, and storage
You want managed Kubernetes, block and object storage, and managed MySQL or PostgreSQL from one provider
You run latency-sensitive apps that benefit from compute sitting under Akamai's edge and CDN network
You are an enterprise customer who can use up to $5,000 in promotional cloud credits
You want built-in networking services such as Cloud Firewall, DNS Manager, and NodeBalancers

Choose Vultr if…

wins 2/6 use cases

You want a low confirmed entry price, from about $2.50/month for an IPv6-only instance or $3.50 with IPv4
You need single-tenant bare metal servers, from about $120/month
You need compute in a specific location among Vultr's 30+ data center regions
You want shared, optimized, GPU, and bare metal compute under one account, billed hourly or monthly with no contract

Linode (Akamai) vs Vultr: feature comparison

Feature	Linode (Akamai)	Vultr
Starting price	Unknownrates published on Akamai's cloud pricing page	Yesfrom about $2.50/month (IPv6-only), $3.50 with IPv4
Free tier	Noup to $5,000 in promotional credits for enterprise customers	Notime-limited new-account credits, commonly 30 days
Pricing model	YesCPU, RAM, transfer, and storage bundled in one flat rate	Partialbase price; backups, snapshots, and overage bandwidth extra
Platforms	Yesweb console	Yesweb console
Hosting / license	Noclosed-source, hosted service only	Noproprietary paid service, hosted only
Data center regions	Yesglobally distributed, region count not listed	Yes30+ regions
Dedicated compute	YesDedicated CPU instances	YesOptimized Cloud Compute from about $28/month
GPU instances	Yesflat bundled per-instance pricing	YesCloud GPU for AI and rendering
Bare metal servers	Unknown	Yessingle-tenant, from about $120/month
Managed Kubernetes	Yesusage-based on top of compute	Unknown
Managed databases	YesMySQL and PostgreSQL	Yesmanaged databases
Networking and security	YesCloud Firewall, DNS Manager, NodeBalancers	YesDDoS protection as a separately priced add-on
Backups	Unknown	Partialautomatic backups at about 20% of instance cost
Edge network	Yescompute layer under Akamai's edge and CDN network	Unknown
Support	Partial1-2 business day responses per reviewers	Partialmixed support feedback on Trustpilot
Learning curve	Partialmoderate; advanced networking is steeper	Partialmoderate
External rating	Yes4.6/5 from 22 reviews (Capterra)	Yes4.5/5 from 40 reviews (Capterra)

Linode (Akamai) vs Vultr: pricing

Every tier both tools publish, as we last checked them — not just the entry price.

Linode (Akamai)

Shared CPU: Nanode 1GB1 vCPU, 1GB RAM, 25GB storage, 1TB transfer; $0.0075/hour, billed hourly up to the monthly cap. Jakarta and São Paulo cost $6 and $7/month.$5/mo
Shared CPU: Linode 2GB1 vCPU, 2GB RAM, 50GB storage, 2TB transfer; $0.018/hour. Linode 4GB (2 vCPUs, 80GB, 4TB) is $24/month.$12/mo
Dedicated CPU: G6 Dedicated 4GB2 dedicated vCPUs, 4GB RAM, 80GB storage, 4TB transfer; $0.054/hour. G7 Dedicated 4GB is $43/month; G8 Dedicated 4x2 is $0.07/hour with no bundled transfer.$36/mo
High Memory: Linode 24GB2 vCPUs, 24GB RAM, 20GB storage, 5TB transfer; $0.09/hour.$60/mo
GPU: RTX 4000 Ada x1 Small$0.52/hour, billed hourly; 1 GPU, 4 vCPUs, 16GB RAM. RTX 6000 x1 is $1.50/hour and RTX PRO 6000 Blackwell x1 is $3.00/hour.Custom
Managed Kubernetes (LKE)Standard control plane included at no charge; worker nodes billed as regular instances. High-availability control plane $60/cluster/month; LKE Enterprise $300/cluster/month.Custom

Verified October 26, 2026Latest pricing

Vultr

Regular Performance Cloud Compute (entry)1 vCPU, 512MB RAM, 10GB SSD, 0.5TB bandwidth, IPv6-only, limited regions.$2.50/mo
Regular Performance Cloud Compute (IPv4)Same specs as the entry tier (1 vCPU, 512MB RAM, 10GB SSD) with an IPv4 address included; a $5/month 1GB RAM tier is the more broadly usable starting point.$3.50/mo
Optimized Cloud ComputeHigher-performance compute tier for production workloads needing more consistent CPU/RAM allocation than Regular Performance instances.$28/mo
Bare MetalSingle-tenant physical server with no shared resources, for workloads needing dedicated hardware.$120/mo

Not yet verifiedLatest pricing

Linode vs Vultr pricing: which costs less?

Vultr has the lower confirmed entry price, from about $2.50/month, but Linode (Akamai) bundles transfer and storage into a flat per-instance rate, so the cheaper option depends on how much bandwidth, backup, and snapshot use a workload adds.

Vultr's entry instance is 1 vCPU, 512MB RAM, 10GB SSD, and 0.5TB bandwidth for about $2.50/month IPv6-only, or $3.50 with IPv4; a $5/month 1GB tier is the more usable start. Backups add about 20% of instance cost, and snapshots and overage bandwidth are billed per GB. Vultr's figures come from third-party sources, so confirm them on vultr.com. Linode's exact rates sit on Akamai's cloud pricing page rather than in this listing, and Akamai markets low egress fees as an advantage. Neither provider has a permanently free tier.

Which is easier to use, Linode or Vultr?

Linode (Akamai) and Vultr both carry a moderate learning curve rating, and both position themselves as simpler self-service alternatives to AWS, Google Cloud, and Azure.

Reviewers switching from hyperscalers rate Linode's dashboard as more intuitive than AWS or Azure, though load balancing and advanced networking take more effort than the core compute setup. Vultr provisions Cloud Compute servers within minutes through self-service deployment, with no sales or onboarding process. The bigger day-to-day difference is billing clarity: Linode's bundled rate is easier to forecast, while Vultr's backup, snapshot, and bandwidth add-ons need tracking.

Which has more cloud services, Linode or Vultr?

Linode (Akamai) lists more managed services, including managed Kubernetes, block and object storage, managed MySQL and PostgreSQL, Cloud Firewall, DNS Manager, and NodeBalancers, while Vultr lists more compute shapes, including bare metal servers.

Vultr's range covers Regular Performance and Optimized Cloud Compute, a newer VX1 line, Cloud GPU, Bare Metal, and managed databases, with DDoS protection, automatic backups, and snapshots as separately priced add-ons. Linode adds GPU and Dedicated CPU instances and runs underneath Akamai's edge and CDN network. Neither matches the full managed-service catalog of AWS or Google Cloud, which both listings acknowledge.

Can Vultr replace Linode?

Vultr can replace Linode (Akamai) for virtual machines, GPU compute, and managed databases, but teams that depend on Linode's managed Kubernetes, NodeBalancers, or Akamai's edge network should confirm Vultr equivalents before moving.

Vultr matches Linode's hourly billing and adds bare metal servers and 30+ regions for placing compute close to users. A move also changes how costs behave: Linode bundles transfer and storage into each instance's rate, while Vultr bills backups, snapshots, and bandwidth overages on top. Support is a weak spot on both, with Linode reviewers reporting 1-2 business day responses and Vultr drawing mixed support feedback on Trustpilot.

Strengths and weaknesses

Linode (Akamai)

Pros

Published per-plan pricing from $5/month, billed hourly and never above each plan's monthly cap apart from transfer overages.
The standard LKE control plane is free; Kubernetes users pay only for worker nodes, or $60/cluster/month for a high-availability control plane.
Extra egress costs $0.005/GB, and G6 and G7 plans include 1-20TB of transfer a month.
Dashboard and console rated more intuitive than AWS or Azure by reviewers switching from hyperscalers.
New customers get $100 in credit for 60 days, and larger migrations can apply through sales for up to $5,000 in credits.

Cons

Support response times reported at 1-2 business days by reviewers, slower than premium hyperscaler support tiers.
Fewer advanced managed services than AWS or Google Cloud's full catalog.
The new G8 dedicated plans include no transfer, and some plans and GPUs cost more in certain regions.
Instances keep billing while powered off; only deleting a service stops the charges.

Vultr

Pros

Data centers in 30+ global regions allow placing compute close to end users worldwide.
Hourly and monthly billing with no long-term contract, similar to DigitalOcean and Linode.
Product range spans shared Cloud Compute, Optimized Compute, Bare Metal, and GPU instances under one account.
Entry-level instances start under $5/month, competitive with the cheapest hyperscaler equivalents.

Cons

Backups, snapshots, and bandwidth overages are extra costs on top of the advertised base compute price.
No broad managed-service catalog (managed Kubernetes, serverless, AI platform services) comparable to AWS, GCP, or Azure.
Support quality and billing experience draw more mixed feedback on Trustpilot than on developer-focused review sites.
No permanently free tier; new-account credit promotions are time-limited (commonly 30 days).

Which fits your use case?

Use case	Pick	Why
Developer running a hobby project on a very cheap server	Vultr	Vultr's entry instance costs about $2.50/month IPv6-only or $3.50 with IPv4, a confirmed low floor for small projects.
Startup that wants a predictable monthly cloud bill	Linode (Akamai)	Linode bundles CPU, RAM, transfer, and storage into one flat per-instance rate, while Vultr adds backups, snapshots, and bandwidth overages to the base price.
Team running containerized workloads on Kubernetes	Linode (Akamai)	Linode offers managed Kubernetes priced on top of compute, while Vultr's listing notes a thinner managed-service catalog than the hyperscalers.
Workload that needs dedicated physical hardware	Vultr	Vultr sells single-tenant Bare Metal servers from about $120/month; Linode's listing offers Dedicated CPU instances but does not list bare metal.
App that needs low latency close to users worldwide	Tie	Linode runs as the compute layer under Akamai's edge and CDN network, while Vultr offers 30+ regions for placing servers near users.
Enterprise moving off a hyperscaler that wants migration credits	Linode (Akamai)	Linode offers up to $5,000 in promotional cloud credits for new and existing enterprise customers, against Vultr's time-limited new-account credits.

Neither a match?

Both lists carry verified pricing and honest weaknesses for every option.

6 alternatives to Linode (Akamai)6 alternatives to Vultr

Popular comparisons

Linode (Akamai) vs Vultr: migration FAQ

Should I use Linode or Vultr?: Use Linode (Akamai) if you want flat bundled pricing, managed Kubernetes, and Akamai's edge network; use Vultr if you want a low entry price, bare metal servers, and 30+ regions to choose from.
Is Linode cheaper than Vultr?: Linode (Akamai) is not clearly cheaper or more expensive than Vultr, because Linode bundles transfer and storage into one flat rate while Vultr starts at about $2.50/month and bills backups, snapshots, and overage bandwidth separately. Compare Linode's rates on Akamai's cloud pricing page against Vultr's total cost with add-ons.
Can Vultr replace Linode?: Yes for virtual machines, GPU compute, and managed databases, and Vultr adds bare metal servers. Teams using Linode's managed Kubernetes, NodeBalancers, or Akamai's edge network should confirm Vultr equivalents first.
Is Linode owned by Akamai?: Yes — Akamai acquired Linode in 2022, and Linode now runs as part of Akamai Connected Cloud, positioned as the compute layer under Akamai's edge and CDN network.
Does Vultr have a free tier?: No — Vultr has no permanently free tier, only time-limited new-account credits, commonly 30 days. Linode (Akamai) also has no free tier but offers up to $5,000 in promotional credits to enterprise customers.