Short answer
As of October 23, 2026, a genuinely free VPS exists only as a cloud free tier: Oracle Cloud Infrastructure Compute and Google Cloud Compute Engine keep small always-free instances after sign-up, and Microsoft Azure Virtual Machines (B-series) gives 12 months free. 8 more providers give sign-up credit (for example Vultr, DigitalOcean, Infomaniak and OneProvider) and 16 offer a free trial. All need a card or ID check.
Best free options
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1
Oracle Cloud Infrastructure Compute
Hyperscaler compute with per-OCPU hourly pricing, a permanent free Arm tier and 45 regions. VM.Standard.A1.Flex 1 OCPU / 8 GB at $16.06/month with 8 GB RAM. 25 locations in 21 countries, DDoS protection included and Windows Server available.
VM.Standard.A1.Flex 1 OCPU / 8 GB: 1 vCPU, 8 GB RAM, 50 GB NVMe, 10 TB traffic. -
2
Google Cloud Compute Engine
Hyperscale cloud with a free e2-micro and per-second metered VMs in 40+ regions worldwide. E2-micro at $6.11/month with 1 GB RAM. 41 locations in 27 countries and Windows Server available.
e2-micro: 2 vCPU, 1 GB RAM, ? GB Persistent Disk (billed separately), traffic n/a. -
3
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. -
4
Vultr
US cloud with 32 global locations, Windows images and crypto payments, shared VPS from $2.50/mo. Regular Performance 1 vCPU / 0.5 GB (vc2-1c-0.5gb) at $2.50/month with 512 MB RAM. 32 locations in 19 countries, DDoS protection included and Windows Server available.
Regular Performance 1 vCPU / 0.5 GB (vc2-1c-0.5gb): 1 vCPU, 512 MB RAM, 10 GB SSD, 500 GB traffic. -
5
DigitalOcean
US public cloud with Droplet VMs from $4/mo across 13 cities on four continents. Basic 512 MB (s-1vcpu-512mb-10gb) at $4.00/month with 512 MB RAM. DDoS protection included, hourly billing and accepts crypto.
Basic 512 MB (s-1vcpu-512mb-10gb): 1 vCPU, 512 MB RAM, 10 GB SSD, 500 GB traffic.
All 27 free VPS offers
| # | Provider | Type | What you get | $/month | Windows | Trustpilot |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Always free tier | US$300 credit for 30 days plus Always Free resources (2 AMD micro VMs, Arm A1 2 OCPU/12 GB, 200 GB block storage, 10 TB egress/month) that continue after the trial | $16.06 | Yes | 1.3 (180) | |
| 2 | Always free tier | $300 welcome credit valid for 90 days for new customers (card verification via temporary hold); plus Always Free e2-micro (1 per month in Oregon, Iowa or South Carolina, 30 GB-month standard disk, 1 GB NA egress). | $6.11 | Yes | 1.4 (43) | |
| 3 | Free for 12 months | $200 credit for 30 days on a new free account, plus 750 h/month each of B1s, B2pts v2 (Arm) and B2ats v2 free for 12 months (new customers; non-prepaid card and phone number required). | $6.86 | Yes | 1.4 (57) | |
| 4 | Free credit | Promotional free credits for new accounts valid up to 30 days (amount varies by campaign); non-card payment methods require a small deposit | $2.50 | Yes | 1.6 (585) | |
| 5 | Free credit | $5 automatic signup credit for your first team, expires after 90 days (no promo code needed) | $4.00 | No | 4.5 (2,581) | |
| 6 | Free credit | Public Cloud: CHF 300 credit valid for 3 months, once per customer (phone number and bank card required; CHF 20 pre-authorisation released). VPS Cloud has a 30-day money-back guarantee. | $3.25 | Yes | 4.0 (2,060) | |
| 7 | Free credit | $100 promotional credit for new OneCloud customers. Requires a registered payment method and a $10+ deposit, and the credit expires 30 days after activation. | $4.00 | No | 2.5 (681) | |
| 8 |  Akamai Cloud (Linode) |
Free credit | US$100 promotional credit for new customers, expires 60 days after activation (GPUs excluded); up to $5,000 by application for businesses | $5.00 | No | 2.5 (207) |
| 9 | Free credit | $50 credit toward a first cVirtual order (promotion on the cVirtual page). Separate new-client one-time discount code CPLAN. | $4.00 | Yes | 2.5 (5) | |
| 10 |  Amazon Lightsail |
Free credit | AWS Free Tier for new accounts: $100 in credits at sign-up plus up to $100 more for completing activities (max $200, expires after 6 months); usable on Lightsail. Former Lightsail-specific free months are no longer offer | $5.00 | Yes | 1.3 (429) |
| 11 | Free credit | £100 credit for new Krystal Cloud accounts to trial the platform | $13.34 | Yes | 4.9 (2,459) | |
| 12 | Free trial | Free 3-day test for new users on any server configuration worth up to 3 000 ₽ | $1.78 | Yes | — | |
| 13 | Free trial | 24-hour free trial period on new servers (credit-card validation required, per the Trials & Special Offers doc); Webdock also runs occasional free-credit coupon promotions but states there are currently no promotions for | $2.41 | No | 4.9 (359) | |
| 14 | Free trial | Trial period available on request via support (VPS FAQ; no fixed public terms); a 7-day trial is advertised only for dedicated servers for hosting providers | $3.60 | Yes | 3.1 (214) | |
| 15 | Free trial | Free trial after card verification (EUR/USD 0-1 authorisation, not charged): the docs describe a standard 7-day trial limited to 2 cores/4 GB, 60 GB storage, 2 IPv4 + 2 IPv6, no Windows/GPU; the product page advertises ' | $3.50 | Yes | 3.0 (168) | |
| 16 | Free trial | 30-day free trial for one server worth up to $100/month with 1 TB traffic; a valid credit card (or $10 refundable deposit) is required and charges begin after the trial unless the server is terminated | $4.00 | Yes | 4.3 (388) | |
| 17 | Free trial | Trial terms differ by page: a free one-day trial without a card (7-day extended trial with payment details) on the homepage, and 30 days with up to $100 credit on the US page | $4.00 | Yes | 1.4 (118) | |
| 18 | Free trial | 3-day free trial of Flexible, no credit card required | $11.00 | No | 4.6 (3,766) | |
| 19 | Free trial | 3-day free trial on selected plans, available after a balance top-up | $6.66 | Yes | 4.1 (114) | |
| 20 | Free trial | Free Windows VPS for the first month (1 vCPU, 1 GB RAM, 40 GB SSD, 500 GB transfer), then $14.97/mo, with no credit card required; a 180-day Windows evaluation plan is also sold | $8.99 | Yes | 4.5 (222) | |
| 21 | Free trial | A0 package: first month free with no commitment, then $4/month (homepage offer) | $5.00 | Yes | 4.0 (3) | |
| 22 | Free trial | A 'Free trial' button is shown on every VPS plan, but the page states no trial length or terms; the knowledgebase only documents a trial for shared hosting. | $5.88 | No | 4.2 (22,054) | |
| 23 | Free trial | The vServer page advertises 'Kostenlos testen' (try for free) but publishes no trial terms | $48.19 | No | 4.9 (297) | |
| 24 | Free trial | AraCloud product page offers free trial credits for new sign-ups; the amount is not stated. Account start requires a minimum $10 prepaid deposit. | $8.93 | No | — | |
| 25 | Free trial | 7-day test of kVPS50; Cloud VPS promo code CLOUDTEST$1 gives 20 units ($20) for $1, valid 35 days | $13.22 | Yes | — | |
| 26 | Free trial | 14-day free trial | $9.86 | Yes | — | |
| 27 | Free trial | Free trial: after signup, support credits the account with enough balance for 'a few hours' of usage (no dollar amount published) | — | No | 2.8 (46) |
Terms as published by each provider on the verification date; they change often. Updated October 23, 2026.
Prices compared
Free VPS: what to expect
What to check
- A card or ID check is almost always required
- Idle always-free instances can be reclaimed
- Credits expire, usually after 30–90 days
- Outbound port 25 is usually blocked on free tiers
Frequently asked questions
Is there a truly free VPS?
As of October 23, 2026, a genuinely free VPS exists only as a cloud free tier: Oracle Cloud Infrastructure Compute and Google Cloud Compute Engine keep small always-free instances after sign-up, and Microsoft Azure Virtual Machines (B-series) gives 12 months free. 8 more providers give sign-up credit (for example Vultr, DigitalOcean, Infomaniak and OneProvider) and 16 offer a free trial. All need a card or ID check.
Is there a free Windows VPS?
Not permanently. Cloud credit (for example Amazon Lightsail, Infomaniak, Krystal and Psychz Networks) can pay for a Windows instance for a few weeks; after that it is billed. The cheapest paid Windows plans are on the cheap Windows VPS page.
What is the catch with free VPS offers?
Always-free instances are small (typically 1 GB RAM or a shared Arm core), can be reclaimed when idle, and need card verification. Credits expire after 30–90 days, and trials last a few hours to a month.
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.