Contabo vs Time4VPS

Core VPS runs on proven infrastructure across multiple CPU generations, virtualized with KVM. Hardware is selected for workloads like web hosting, CMS, email, and dev environments, where CPU is rarely the bottleneck. RAM and network throughput are what move performance for these workloads, and those specs are generously allocated across the Core VPS lineup.

Core VPS is the best VPS for lighter, everyday workloads: hobbyists, freelancers, and small teams. Common buyers include WordPress and CMS hosts, self-hosted email and file server operators, dev and staging environment users, and small SaaS backends that want affordable VPS hosting with predictable monthly cost. If your workload runs reliably on proven hardware, paying for the latest CPU generation is unnecessary. That's what cost-efficient VPS hosting like Core VPS is for

Core VPS is priced for value across the European hosting market. Plans start at the lowest entry point in the Contabo VPS lineup and scale to 18 vCores and 96 GB RAM with no hidden fees. Compared with other European cloud providers, Contabo pricing is competitive at every tier, particularly for workloads that don't need the latest CPU generation.

Yes. When to upgrade to VPS hosting at a higher tier is up to you: scale RAM, vCores, and storage in place from the Customer Control Panel without rebuilding the server. If your workload outgrows the top Core VPS tier, the next step up is the Performance VPS line, offering the latest generations of AMD EPYC CPUs, NVMe storage, and high bandwidth. That migration is a one-time move, not an in-place upgrade. You can easily upgrade at any time via your Customer Control Panel.

Free OS options for your VPS include Ubuntu, Debian, AlmaLinux, Rocky Linux, CentOS, openSUSE, and FreeBSD as Linux VPS options. Windows VPS is available with Windows Server as a paid Add-On, where the license cost is added to the monthly bill. You can also upload custom ISOs through the Customer Control Panel and install any OS that runs on KVM, including specialized Linux distributions and BSD variants.

A Virtual Private Server like Core VPS handles a wide range of projects: WordPress and other CMS-based VPS hosting setups, self-hosted email servers (Mailcow, Mailu, Postfix), file servers (Nextcloud, Samba), Discord and small game servers, dev and staging environments, VPN endpoints, monitoring stacks, and small SaaS backends. Web hosting VPS workloads are some of the most common projects on Core VPS, but any lightweight project that runs on Linux or Windows Server is suitable.

Provisioning takes a few minutes after payment clears. You'll get login credentials by email, then access the server through SSH (Linux) or RDP (Windows). The Customer Control Panel handles snapshots, reinstalls, network settings, and Firewall rules. The Contabo API and CLI are Terraform-compatible, which makes Contabo's Cloud VPS a practical fit as the best VPS for developers running infrastructure-as-code workflows. Cloud-init for Linux and cloudbase-init for Windows are also supported for aut

We accept payments in EUR, USD, and GBP, with different payment methods depending on the currency. Please see the full list here and this helpful video guide for more information. For all payment methods other than credit card, the first payment after you have submitted an order has to be done manually. Please use the payment information provided after the order process. Once you have access to your Customer Control Panel , you can manage your payment methods, make payments, and set up automated

Yes, we offer cPanel and Plesk hosting control panels at additional cost. We also offer Webmin for free. Note that we’re offering Plesk for free for the first month across our Cloud VPS, Cloud VDS, Storage VPS, and Dedicated Server plans. If you’re not satisfied with Plesk within the first month, then just cancel it before the end of your first month through the Customer Control Panel (you won’t be charged if you cancel it before the first month ends). We also put together this hosting panel com

A Virtual Dedicated Server gives you dedicated CPU and RAM inside a virtualized environment. The resources are committed to your instance alone, not pooled across tenants like a shared VPS, and running on proven hardware without the full cost of a Bare Metal Dedicated Server. Max Performance VPS is the VDS product line from Contabo.

A VPS (Virtual Private Server) and a VDS (Virtual Dedicated Server) both provide virtualized server environments, but they differ in how resources are allocated and managed. A VPS is typically hosted on a physical server along with multiple other VPS instances. Each VPS shares the physical server’s CPU, memory, storage, and other resources. This setup allows for efficient resource utilization and cost-effectiveness but can sometimes lead to resource contention if other VPSs on the same host are

Yes. Dedicated CPU is the defining feature of VDS hosting. Every Max Performance VPS plan assigns AMD EPYC cores to the instance alone, so throughput stays consistent regardless of other activity on the same server.

Pick Cloud VDS for dedicated resource isolation, instant provisioning, and predictable performance without managing physical hardware. A Bare Metal Dedicated Server makes sense when the workload has performance, compliance, I/O, or hardware configuration needs that virtualization cannot fully address.

Pick a plan from the pricing table, choose a contract length, and complete checkout. The instance is provisioned in minutes through the Customer Control Panel. Contract terms range from month-to-month to 24 months, with discounts of 15% on 12-month plans and 20% on 24-month plans.

Yes. Monthly contracts are available on every Cloud VDS tier from S to XXL. The longer-term discounts apply only to 12 and 24-month commitments, but month-to-month gives full flexibility.

A Linux VPS is a virtual private server that runs a Linux operating system. A physical server is divided into separate virtual machines, each with its own allocated CPU, RAM, storage and bandwidth. This provides a more isolated environment than shared hosting while costing less than renting an entire physical server. Time4VPS Linux VPS uses KVM virtualization. Your server has its own operating system and kernel, and you receive full root access. You can install software, change system settings a

Linux VPS hosting provides greater control, flexibility and resource isolation than standard shared hosting. The main benefits include: Full root access for managing the operating system and server configuration. Allocated CPU, RAM, storage and bandwidth according to the selected plan. Freedom to install compatible applications, services and development tools. A separate Linux kernel that you can update and customise. KVM virtualization for an isolated virtual server environment. Flexible plans

With shared hosting, multiple customers use the same server environment and hosting software. The provider manages the operating system and core server configuration, while customers usually manage their websites through a control panel. Access to system settings and server-level software is restricted. A Linux VPS gives you an isolated virtual machine with allocated resources and full root access. You can select the operating system, install your own software and configure the server according

Yes. Time4VPS Linux VPS is a self-managed service. Time4VPS installs the initial operating system and maintains the physical hardware, network equipment and data centre infrastructure. As the server administrator, you are responsible for: Installing, configuring and managing server software. Administering and updating the operating system. Securing SSH, applications, ports and user accounts. Monitoring server resources and application performance. Managing websites, databases, mailboxes and othe

You can use a Linux VPS for any compatible and lawful project that complies with the Time4VPS Terms of Service. Common uses include: Hosting websites, online stores and multiple web applications. Running APIs, databases and backend services. Creating development, testing or staging environments. Running Docker containers and automation tools. Hosting private cloud storage or file-sharing services. Configuring a private VPN server. Running supported game servers. Hosting monitoring, analytics or

Choose a plan based on the combined requirements of your operating system, applications, database and expected traffic. Leave enough free RAM, CPU and storage for updates, temporary files and traffic increases. Linux 2 – €2.88/month with the current two-year offer Renewal price: €5.77/month 1 × 2.6 GHz CPU 2 GB RAM 25 GB storage 4 TB bandwidth Linux 24 – €23.25/month with the current two-year offer Renewal price: €46.49/month 6 × 2.6 GHz CPU 24 GB RAM 300 GB storage 48 TB bandwidth Plans extend

Yes. You can upgrade your Linux VPS to a larger plan through the Time4VPS Client Area. Select your VPS, open the management section, choose “Upgrade,” and then select the new package and billing cycle. The system calculates the amount due after you continue with the upgrade request. Once the order is completed, the upgrade is processed automatically. The VPS must be rebooted during the process, so a short interruption should be expected. According to the Time4VPS upgrade documentation, the exist

Time4VPS provides 64-bit operating system templates for several widely used Linux distributions: AlmaLinux 8, 9 and 10 Rocky Linux 9 and 10 Ubuntu 22.04 and 24.04 Debian 11, 12 and 13 Templates with Webmin or cPanel are also available for supported plans. A cPanel licence must be purchased separately for cPanel to work. Due to its limited resources, the Linux 1 plan does not support cPanel, DirectAdmin or Plesk. Operating system installation normally takes approximately 15–30 minutes. Available

KVM stands for Kernel-based Virtual Machine. It is a full virtualization technology that creates separate virtual machines on a physical server. Each KVM VPS has its own virtualized hardware, including its own kernel, disk, network interface and allocated resources. Time4VPS uses KVM for its Linux VPS plans and allocates CPU resources for use by the individual virtual server. Because the VPS has its own kernel, you have greater control over kernel versions and modules than with container-based v

Yes. You receive full root access to your Time4VPS Linux VPS. The root credentials are available in the Client Area, and you can connect remotely through SSH using the server’s IP address. SSH keys can also be configured for more secure authentication. Root access allows you to install compatible applications, libraries, web servers, databases, control panels and other software. You can also change system settings, manage users, configure firewall rules and customise the Linux environment. All i

Time4VPS Linux VPS supports Linux kernel version 3.x or newer. Because the service uses KVM virtualization, your VPS has a kernel that is separate from the physical host and other virtual machines. You can update the kernel when your operating system, software or security requirements call for a newer supported version. You can also add or remove compatible kernel modules and adjust the kernel configuration. This is useful when an application requires a particular feature, filesystem, networking

Backups are optional and are not included by default with the Linux VPS plans. You can add a backup component or order a paid one-time backup through the Client Area. A one-time backup can be created even if the VPS does not have the regular backup component. Time4VPS currently permits one such backup per day. The backup cannot be downloaded and can only be restored to the associated VPS. Because Linux VPS is a self-managed service, you remain responsible for protecting your data and confirming

Time4VPS servers are hosted in Vilnius, Lithuania. The European Tier III data centre uses redundant power and network systems to reduce the risk of service interruptions. Its infrastructure includes 100 Gbps of network capacity, five global transit providers, DDoS mitigation hardware and 2N network redundancy. Power infrastructure includes two high-voltage transmission lines, UPS systems, diesel generators and N+1 redundancy. Physical protection includes biometric access control, locked server r

Yes, we do. Every virtual machine comes with one primary IPv6 address with an option to add more. How many IPv4 addresses are included? Each VPS includes one IPv4 address. If you need more IPv4 addresses, they can be purchased as add-ons after server deployment (max. 30 additional IPs per single instance). Do you offer Windows in Container VPS? Container VPS supports only Linux distributions. If you need Windows 2012 R2, Windows 2016 or Windows 2019 please review our Windows VPS offers. What ope

Each VPS includes one IPv4 address. If you need more IPv4 addresses, they can be purchased as add-ons after server deployment (max. 30 additional IPs per single instance).