Amazon Web Services (AWS) vs Contabo Comparison
Compare Amazon Web Services (AWS) vs Contabo features, pricing, and more.
Last updated: November 2026
Amazon Web Services (AWS)
7.9/10
Amazon's public cloud platform, with over 200 pay-as-you-go services for compute, storage, databases, networking and AI, used by startups through large enterprises and governments.
Contabo
5.1/10
Munich-based provider of low-cost cloud VPS, dedicated servers and S3-compatible object storage, aimed at developers and small businesses that want a lot of resources for a low price.
Feature-by-Feature Comparison
| Feature | | |
|---|---|---|
| Scores | ||
| Overall Rating | 7.9/10 | 5.1/10 |
| Analytics | 8/10 | 2/10 |
| Cost | 5/10 | 10/10 |
| Customization | 10/10 | 7/10 |
| Ease of Use | 4/10 | 4/10 |
| Integration | 10/10 | 5/10 |
| Reliability | 9/10 | 4/10 |
| Scalability | 10/10 | 5/10 |
| Security | 9/10 | 5/10 |
| Support | 6/10 | 3/10 |
| Pricing | ||
| Free plan | Yes | No |
| Cheapest paid plan | Contact for pricing | €4/mo Cloud VPS 4 |
| Estimated cost for 10 users | Free Free plan | €4/mo Cloud VPS 4 |
| Features | ||
| Managed Kubernetes | ||
| API and CLI | ||
| Multiple Regions | ||
| Object Storage | ||
| VPS Hosting | ||
| Automatic Backups | Not listed | |
| Cloud Compute | Not listed | |
| Content Delivery Network | Not listed | |
| DDoS Protection | Not listed | |
| Dedicated Servers | Not listed | |
| Managed Databases | Not listed | |
| Serverless Functions | Not listed | |
| Uptime SLA | Not listed | |
Amazon Web Services (AWS) vs Contabo cost by team size
| Team size | Amazon Web Services (AWS) | Contabo |
|---|---|---|
| 1 user | FreeFree plan | €4/moCloud VPS 4 |
| 5 users | FreeFree plan | €4/moCloud VPS 4 |
| 10 users | FreeFree plan | €4/moCloud VPS 4 |
| 25 users | FreeFree plan | €4/moCloud VPS 4 |
| 50 users | FreeFree plan | €4/moCloud VPS 4 |
The plan that fits each team size, billed monthly, before add-ons and usage charges. Each cost opens that tool's pricing calculator for the team size.
Which One Should You Choose?
Why choose Amazon Web Services (AWS)
- Has a free plan (Contabo does not)
- Higher Analytics score (8/10 vs 2/10)
- Higher Integration score (10/10 vs 5/10)
- Better fit for enterprise (10/10 vs 2/10)
- Better fit for startups (8/10 vs 6/10)
Why choose Contabo
- Higher Cost score (10/10 vs 5/10)
Pros & Cons
Amazon Web Services (AWS)
Pros
- The service catalogue is unusually broad, with over 200 services across 38 regions, so most infrastructure needs can be met on one platform.
- EC2 has a 99.99% region-level SLA with credits of up to 100%, and instances unavailable for more than six minutes in an hour are not billed for that hour.
- The free plan gives up to $200 in credits, and more than 30 always-free services let new teams experiment at low cost.
- Support scales from a $29 minimum up to dedicated Enterprise and Unified Operations tiers for mission-critical workloads.
- G2 rates it 4.4 across more than 17,000 reviews, and reviewers praise its scalability and global reach.
Cons
- Reviewers widely cite a steep learning curve across the console and services.
- Usage pricing is complex and can produce unexpected bills unless spend is monitored closely.
- Paid support is billed as a percentage of total AWS spend, so support costs rise with usage.
- A July 2025 billing console bug showed customers estimated charges in the billions, which hurt trust in its cost tooling.
Contabo
Pros
- Very low prices for the RAM, CPU and disk you get, starting at about 4.40 euros a month on a 24-month term
- Unlimited traffic and DDoS protection included on every VPS
- Object storage has no egress fees and works with the AWS CLI, s3cmd and rclone
- Choice of 11 locations across Europe, the US, Asia and Australia
- REST API and CLI for automation
Cons
- Independent benchmarks rate CPU, disk and network performance near the bottom of the market
- Phone support was dropped for a chatbot-first live chat, and users report slow responses
- New servers can take hours to provision
- Backups, Windows licences and control panels all cost extra
- No managed Kubernetes, managed databases or integrated monitoring
Not sold on either?
Frequently Asked Questions
Amazon Web Services (AWS) scores higher on our Hosting & Infrastructure criteria: 7.9/10 against 5.1/10 for Contabo. The largest gap is in Analytics: 8/10 for Amazon Web Services (AWS) and 2/10 for Contabo.
Amazon Web Services (AWS) has a free plan; Contabo does not list one.
Amazon Web Services (AWS) is the better fit for enterprise: we rate it 10/10 for them, against 2/10 for Contabo.
Amazon Web Services (AWS) has Managed Kubernetes, which Contabo lacks.
