How much does a VPS cost? Prices by RAM size, billing term and hidden extras
By the serverserv team · 6 min read · Updated
A VPS costs about $3 to $15 a month with 2 GB of RAM, $5 to $25 with 4 GB, $6 to $50 with 8 GB and $12 to $100 with 16 GB, at regular prices. How much a VPS costs also depends on the provider type, the billing term, renewal rates and extras such as backups. This guide compares prices by RAM size, shows what a 3-year term saves, and lists the hidden costs.
How much does a VPS cost by RAM size?
RAM is the best single guide to VPS price. The typical regular price is about $12 a month for 2 GB, $19 for 4 GB, $27 for 8 GB and $49 for 16 GB.
| RAM | Range in the market | Market median | serverserv monthly | serverserv 3-year |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2 GB | $3 to $14.15 | $11.88 | KVM Mini $8.99 | $6.29 |
| 4 GB | $4.54 to $24 | $19.24 | KVM 1 $14.99 | $10.49 |
| 8 GB | $6.49 to $48 | $27.00 | KVM 2 $23.99 | $16.49 |
| 16 GB | $12.32 to $96 | $49.00 | KVM 3 $39.99 | $27.99 |
| 32 GB | $23.37 to $192 | $73.99 | KVM 4 $69.99 | $48.99 |
| 64 GB | $43.66 to $384 | $214.99 (5 offers) | KVM 5 $129.99 | $90.99 |
Market figures are month-to-month or regular non-promo prices in USD from about ten providers, including Hostinger, DigitalOcean, Vultr, Akamai (Linode), Hetzner, IONOS, Contabo, InterServer, Namecheap and Hostwinds, at the time of writing (October 2026). vCPU counts, disk sizes and bandwidth differ between offers. serverserv prices are per month, and longer terms are billed once for the whole term.
Why does one VPS cost $5 and another $50 for the same RAM?
Providers sell very different products under the same label. The VPS market splits into three price bands, and the band matters more than the brand.
- Bargain hosts, about $1 to $2 per GB of RAM a month: Contabo, InterServer and Hetzner's cheapest line when in stock. Servers are often heavily shared, some use SSD rather than NVMe, and some limit port speed.
- Mid-market hosts, about $2 to $4 per GB: Hostinger, Namecheap, IONOS at its regular price and Hosting.com at renewal. Big discounts on long prepayments, with higher renewals.
- Developer clouds, about $6 per GB: DigitalOcean, Akamai (Linode), Vultr and Hostwinds. Hourly or monthly billing with no term discount.
Other factors move the price within a band:
- Shared or dedicated vCPU. DigitalOcean's Basic Droplet with 8 GB is $48 a month, while its General Purpose plan with dedicated CPU and 8 GiB is $63.
- Disk type and size. NVMe costs more than SATA SSD.
- What is bundled. Backups, DDoS filtering or a control panel licence add to the price.
- Hardware costs. RAM and NVMe prices rose in 2026, and Hetzner raised new cloud orders by up to 175 percent.
Monthly vs 3-year VPS billing: how much do you save?
At serverserv, a 3-year term costs about 30 percent less than monthly billing, and it renews at the price you paid. Here is the difference over 36 months:
| Plan | Monthly | 1 year | 2 years | 3 years | 36 months on a 3-year term | 36 months billed monthly |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| KVM Mini (1 vCPU, 2 GB) | $8.99 | $7.59 | $6.99 | $6.29 | $226.44 | $323.64 |
| KVM 1 (1 vCPU, 4 GB) | $14.99 | $12.49 | $11.49 | $10.49 | $377.64 | $539.64 |
| KVM 2 (2 vCPU, 8 GB) | $23.99 | $20.49 | $18.49 | $16.49 | $593.64 | $863.64 |
| KVM 3 (4 vCPU, 16 GB) | $39.99 | $33.99 | $30.99 | $27.99 | $1,007.64 | $1,439.64 |
| KVM 4 (8 vCPU, 32 GB) | $69.99 | $59.49 | $54.49 | $48.99 | $1,763.64 | $2,519.64 |
| KVM 5 (16 vCPU, 64 GB) | $129.99 | $110.49 | $101.49 | $90.99 | $3,275.64 | $4,679.64 |
A simple rule: pay monthly while you are still testing what size you need, then move to a longer term once the server has settled. The developer clouds do not offer term discounts, so with them monthly or hourly billing is the only option.
What happens to the VPS price at renewal?
At many mid-market hosts, the VPS price rises by roughly 30 to 190 percent after the intro term. Always check the renewal line before you compare.
- Hostinger KVM 1, 2, 4 and 8: $6.49, $8.99, $12.99 and $25.99 a month for 24 months, then $11.99, $14.99, $28.99 and $49.99.
- Hosting.com 4 GB and 8 GB: $6.49 and $9.99 a month on a 3-year term, then $19 and $29.
- IONOS VPS+ M+: $5 for 3 months, then about $14.
- Namecheap Pulsar: $6.88 a month on an annual intro, then $8.88.
Averaged over 3 years, including any renewal months, the 8 GB tier works out at a median of about $18.40 a month across these providers. Some are lower: Contabo costs less, and Hostinger's KVM 2 averages $10.99 over its first 3 years. serverserv KVM 2 is $16.49 a month on a 3-year term, a little below the median, and stays at that price when it renews. Our guide to hosting renewal prices shows how to run this sum for any plan.
What hidden costs should you add to a VPS budget?
The plan price covers the server. Several costs sit outside it, and together they can add more than the plan itself.
- Backups. Often an add-on: Hostwinds, for example, charges $1 a month plus $0.03 per GB. On an unmanaged VPS you can also set up your own off-server backups.
- Control panel licence. Root access lets you install cPanel, Plesk or a free panel, but paid panels need your own licence, often $12 a month or more.
- Windows licence. Windows Server needs a licence. serverserv Windows RDP includes it, from $15.49 a month on a 3-year term with 4 GB RAM.
- Management. If you do not want to run the server yourself, a managed plan costs more. serverserv Managed VPS 1 has the same specs as KVM 1 and costs $27.99 monthly instead of $14.99.
- Bandwidth. Check the monthly allowance and what happens if you go over. serverserv plans include 2 TB to 60 TB.
- Your time. On an unmanaged VPS you install updates, configure the firewall and fix problems.
- Tax and bank fees. Prices usually exclude tax, and your bank may charge to convert currency.
How do you pick the right VPS size?
Start from what you will run, pick the smallest plan that fits with some headroom, and upgrade when your own measurements say so.
- 2 GB: a bot, a personal VPN, learning Linux or a small static site.
- 4 GB: one or two small WordPress sites, a small API or a light app.
- 8 GB: a production web app with its database, or a Docker Compose stack of a few services.
- 16 GB and up: busy stores, several apps on one server or larger databases.
Once the server is running, check memory with free -h, processes with htop and disk space with df -h at a busy time of day. Our guide to how much CPU and RAM a VPS needs goes into more detail.
What do serverserv VPS plans cost?
serverserv Linux KVM VPS plans start at $6.29 a month on a 3-year term, or $8.99 monthly with no contract. Every plan uses KVM virtualization with NVMe storage and full root access, and renews at the price you paid.
- Need Windows? Windows RDP starts at $15.49 a month on a 3-year term, licence included.
- Want the server run for you? Managed VPS starts at $19.99 a month on a 3-year term, or $27.99 monthly plus a one-off $10 setup fee.
See every plan and term on the pricing page.
Questions
What is the price of a VPS?
At regular prices, a VPS with 4 GB of RAM costs about $5 to $25 a month and one with 8 GB about $6 to $50, with medians of about $19 and $27 at the time of writing.
Does the VPS price go up when I renew?
At many hosts it does after the intro term, for example Hostinger KVM 2 rises from $8.99 to $14.99 a month. serverserv VPS plans renew at the price you paid, with at least 30 days' email notice if a price ever has to change.
Is a yearly VPS plan worth it?
Yes, once you know the size you need. A serverserv 3-year term costs about 30 percent less than monthly billing. If you are still testing, start monthly and switch later.
Can I buy a VPS with PayPal?
Yes. serverserv accepts PayPal, Visa, Mastercard and Amex cards, Apple Pay and Google Pay.
Can I upgrade my VPS plan later?
Yes. Request an upgrade to a bigger plan from your client area when you need more resources.
Sources
- DigitalOcean Droplet pricing
- Vultr pricing
- Akamai (Linode) shared CPU pricing
- Hostinger VPS hosting prices
- Namecheap VPS hosting prices
- SSD Nodes: How much does a VPS cost?
Prices from other companies are as published at the time of writing and can change.
More guides
Hosting Renewal Price vs Intro Price, Explained
Why the hosting renewal price is often 2 to 6 times the intro rate, how to work out the true 3-year cost of web hosting, VPS and email, and what to ask first.
7 min readRead →How Much Does Web Hosting Cost in 2026?
How much does web hosting cost in 2026? Shared, VPS and managed VPS prices compared, with the real rate after year one and the extra costs to budget for.
6 min readRead →Install Docker on VPS: Compose and a First App
Install Docker on VPS servers with Ubuntu or Debian via Docker's official repository, add Docker Compose, run a first app and keep its ports off the internet.
6 min readRead →Ready to deploy?
Pick a plan, choose a term and you are online in minutes.
See all plansTalk to salesNeed a custom server, bulk pricing or help moving from another host? Our team will build a quote for you.