Vultr vs CloudCone: Which Cheap VPS Fits a Small Project?
Two budget cloud hosts, one decision: pay-as-you-go Vultr with many regions, or CloudCone's SC2 servers with big bandwidth in Los Angeles.
Prices and availability checked on 2026-10-25; they may change.
Check Vultr plansCheck CloudCone plansVultr
Hourly-billed cloud compute, plans from $2.50 to $640 a month in the Vultr API listing.
CloudCone
Image: CloudCone
SC2 KVM cloud servers from $5.20 to $63.09 a month, hourly or monthly billing.
Quick answer
For a small project, choose Vultr if you want a choice of data-centre locations and fine-grained plan sizes starting at $2.50 a month. Choose CloudCone if you want 3 TB of bandwidth on every plan and are happy with a single Los Angeles location. Neither comparison here is a benchmark: PickNexo has not tested either host.
Vultr vs CloudCone plans side by side
| Spec | Vultr | CloudCone SC2 |
|---|---|---|
| Entry price | $2.50/mo (512 MB, IPv6-only), $3.50 (512 MB) | $5.20/mo (1 GB) |
| 1 GB plan | $5/mo: 1 vCPU, 25 GB SSD, 1 TB bandwidth | $5.20/mo: 1 vCPU, 20 GB RAID-10 SSD, 3 TB |
| 2 GB plan | $10/mo: 1 vCPU, 55 GB SSD, 2 TB (or $15 for 2 vCPU, 65 GB) | $10.34/mo: 2 vCPU, 40 GB, 3 TB |
| 4 GB-class plan | $20/mo: 2 vCPU, 80 GB, 3 TB | $17.56/mo: 3 vCPU, 4 GB, 80 GB, 3 TB |
| 8 GB-class plan | $40/mo: 4 vCPU, 160 GB, 4 TB | $31.99/mo: 5 vCPU, 8 GB, 160 GB, 3 TB |
| Locations | Several US regions listed for standard plans (e.g. New Jersey, Chicago, Dallas) | Los Angeles, US |
| Billing | Hourly with a monthly cap | Hourly or monthly |
Vultr figures come from its public plans API (vc2 type); CloudCone figures from its homepage plan table. Vultr's 2 GB and 4 GB rows list the cheapest plan with that RAM.
See Vultr pricingWhere Vultr wins
- More plan steps at the low end, including $2.50 and $3.50 options.
- Multiple locations on mainstream plans, which helps latency for a US audience.
- Larger ladder up to many vCPUs and hundreds of GB of RAM if the project grows.
Where CloudCone wins
Image: CloudCone
- 3 TB of bandwidth on every SC2 plan, versus 1 to 4 TB on Vultr's comparable tiers.
- More vCPUs per dollar on its mid plans (3 vCPU/4 GB at $17.56 versus 2 vCPU at $20).
- RAID-10 SSD and KVM across all six SC2 plans, plus hourly or monthly billing.
Strengths on paper
- Both bill hourly, so you can spin up a test server and delete it.
- Both offer snapshot or backup options (CloudCone lists auto-backups and snapshots in its panel).
- Vultr covers a wider range of sizes; CloudCone gives generous bandwidth.
Watch-outs
- CloudCone's SC2 list shows only one location (Los Angeles), so latency to Europe or Asia may be higher.
- Vultr's cheapest plans have 512 MB RAM and, for the $2.50 plan, IPv6 only; confirm your software supports that.
- Prices exclude taxes and optional add-ons. Check backups, IPv4 and support terms before you commit.
- Neither host was tested by PickNexo; compare independent benchmarks for CPU and disk speed.
Pick Vultr if... / Pick CloudCone if...
Pick Vultr if
- You need servers close to your users in more than one region.
- You want a very cheap 512 MB box for a small script.
- You expect to scale to bigger instances later.
Pick CloudCone if
- Your project moves a lot of data (downloads, proxies, backups).
- US West Coast latency is fine.
- You like a simple six-plan ladder with the same bandwidth.
Related PickNexo reading
Read our Vultr review, the CloudCone SC2 plans compared, and the CloudCone review. If shared hosting is enough, see UltaHost vs Hostinger. Browse all PickNexo guides.
FAQ
Is Vultr or CloudCone cheaper?
Vultr's entry plans start lower ($2.50 and $3.50 a month), but at 1 GB the two are close: $5 on Vultr and $5.20 on CloudCone, with CloudCone listing more bandwidth.
Which is better for a small website?
Either can host a small site. A 1 GB plan is a common starting point; choose the location closest to your visitors.
Does CloudCone bill hourly?
Yes, its homepage lists hourly prices (for example $0.00699 per hour for SC2 Starter) alongside monthly prices.
Can I use these VPS for a VPN or bot?
Both are commonly used for light workloads, but check each provider's terms of service and acceptable-use policy first.
Sources
PickNexo has not tested these products hands-on; this article summarises official information and reputable reports. Some links are affiliate links, which may earn us a commission at no extra cost to you. Affiliate disclosure.