Short answer
As of October 23, 2026, the closest alternative to Google Cloud Compute Engine is LikeVPS, followed by Microsoft Azure Virtual Machines (B-series) and Contabo. The cheapest of the 12 is Vultr at $2.50/month, against $6.11 at Google Cloud Compute Engine.
Key takeaways
- Prices run from $2.50 (Vultr, IPv6-only or NAT) with a median of $5.77 per month across 12 providers.
- Widest footprint: Microsoft Azure Virtual Machines (B-series), 48 data-center locations in 32 countries.
- Best rated: Contabo, 4.6/5 on Trustpilot from 11,470 reviews.
- 10 of 12 offer Windows Server, 8 include DDoS protection and 3 bill by the hour.
Best Google Cloud Compute Engine alternatives
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1
LikeVPS
UK-registered VPS provider with 26 locations across Europe, North America, Asia and Oceania; DDoS protection and unlimited traffic included in most plans. Lite 2.0 at $10.00/month with 2 GB RAM. 26 locations in 26 countries, DDoS protection included and Windows Server available.
Lite 2.0: 1 vCPU, 2 GB RAM, 25 GB NVMe, 20 TB traffic. -
2
Microsoft Azure Virtual Machines (B-series)
Microsoft's hyperscale cloud, with burstable B-series VMs from roughly $7/month and a 12-month free tier. Standard_B2ats_v2 at $6.86/month with 1 GB RAM. 48 locations in 32 countries and Windows Server available.
Standard_B2ats_v2: 2 vCPU, 1 GB RAM, ? GB Managed disk (billed separately), traffic n/a. -
3
Contabo
Munich-based host selling high-RAM shared-vCPU VPS from €5.50 across 10+ locations on four continents. Cloud VPS 4 at $6.16/month with 8 GB RAM. DDoS protection included, Windows Server available and unmetered traffic on some plans.
Cloud VPS 4: 4 vCPU, 8 GB RAM, 100 GB SSD, unmetered traffic. -
4
Evoxt
Kuala Lumpur KVM cloud host with 17 locations worldwide and a flat VM price list from $2.99/mo including weekly backups. VM-0.5 at $2.99/month with 512 MB RAM. 17 locations in 15 countries, Windows Server available and free backups.
VM-0.5: 1 vCPU, 512 MB RAM, 5 GB , 500 GB traffic. -
5
OVHcloud VPS
French public cloud group selling NVMe VPS with unlimited traffic in 11 datacenter regions from $4.54/mo. VPS-1 at $4.54/month with 4 GB RAM. DDoS protection included, Windows Server available and unmetered traffic on some plans.
VPS-1: 2 vCPU, 4 GB RAM, 40 GB NVMe, unmetered traffic.
All 12 alternatives
| # | Provider | Plan | $/month | RAM | $/GB RAM | Locations | Windows | Hourly | Trustpilot |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Lite 2.0 | $10.00 | 2 GB | $5.00 | 26 | Yes | No | — | |
| 2 | Standard_B2ats_v2 | $6.86 | 1 GB | $6.86 | 48 | Yes | No | 1.4 (57) | |
| 3 | Cloud VPS 4 | $6.16 | 8 GB | $0.77 | 10 | Yes | No | 4.6 (11,470) | |
| 4 | VM-0.5 | $2.99 | 512 MB | $5.98 | 17 | Yes | No | — | |
| 5 | VPS-1 | $4.54 | 4 GB | $1.14 | 11 | Yes | No | 3.8 (8,843) | |
| 6 | Regular Performance 1 vCPU / 0.5 GB (vc2-1c-0.5gb) | $2.50 | 512 MB | $5.00 | 32 | Yes | Yes | 1.6 (585) | |
| 7 |  Amazon Lightsail |
Linux 512 MB | $5.00 | 512 MB | $10.00 | 19 | Yes | Yes | 1.3 (429) |
| 8 | pro.sm.amd | $10.00 | 4 GB | $2.50 | 30 | Yes | No | — | |
| 9 | Starter | $5.59 | 1 GB | $5.59 | 17 | Yes | No | 4.5 (292) | |
| 10 | Lite | $5.94 | 1 GB | $5.94 | 42 | No | No | 4.2 (265) | |
| 11 | VPS Basic | $5.52 | 1 GB | $5.52 | 29 | No | No | 3.5 (1,836) | |
| 12 | VM.Standard.A1.Flex 1 OCPU / 8 GB | $16.06 | 8 GB | $2.01 | 25 | Yes | Yes | 1.3 (180) |
Prices compared
Why people switch from Google Cloud Compute Engine
Google Cloud Compute Engine sells plans from $6.11 a month in 41 locations (Africa, Asia, Europe, North America, Oceania, South America); it offers Windows, bills monthly.
Its strengths: always-free e2-micro plus a $300 / 90-day credit makes it easy to trial and 40+ regions across six continents, including south america, africa and the middle east. Its limits: compute is only part of the bill: disk, external ipv4 and internet egress are all extra, so small vps workloads cost far more than flat-rate hosts and burstable e2-micro/small/medium share cpu with a low baseline. The alternatives below match the strengths and avoid at least one of the limits.
Frequently asked questions
What is the best alternative to Google Cloud Compute Engine?
As of October 23, 2026, the closest alternative to Google Cloud Compute Engine is LikeVPS, followed by Microsoft Azure Virtual Machines (B-series) and Contabo. The cheapest of the 12 is Vultr at $2.50/month, against $6.11 at Google Cloud Compute Engine.
What is a cheaper alternative to Google Cloud Compute Engine?
Vultr at $2.50 per month (Regular Performance 1 vCPU / 0.5 GB (vc2-1c-0.5gb): 1 vCPU, 512 MB RAM, 10 GB SSD, 500 GB traffic).
Sources
Prices, plans and locations were read from these pages; last checked October 23, 2026. Prices change, so confirm on the provider's site before you buy.