Civo vs UpCloud Comparison
Compare Civo vs UpCloud features, pricing, and more.
Last updated: November 2026
Civo
6.4/10
Civo is a UK cloud provider offering fast managed Kubernetes on K3s, compute instances, managed databases, object storage and GPUs for developer teams.
UpCloud
7/10
A Finnish cloud infrastructure provider offering cloud servers, managed Kubernetes, managed databases, object storage, and networking to developers and businesses.
Feature-by-Feature Comparison
| Feature | | |
|---|---|---|
| Scores | ||
| Overall Rating | 6.4/10 | 7/10 |
| Analytics | 4/10 | 5/10 |
| Cost | 9/10 | 6/10 |
| Customization | 6/10 | 7/10 |
| Ease of Use | 8/10 | 7/10 |
| Integration | 6/10 | 7/10 |
| Reliability | 6/10 | 8/10 |
| Scalability | 6/10 | 7/10 |
| Security | 7/10 | 7/10 |
| Support | 5/10 | 8/10 |
| Pricing | ||
| Free plan | No | No |
| Cheapest paid plan | $5/mo Compute instances | €3/mo Starter |
| Estimated cost for 10 users | $5/mo Compute instances | €3/mo Starter |
| Features | ||
| API and CLI | ||
| Cloud Compute | ||
| Managed Databases | ||
| Managed Kubernetes | ||
| Multiple Regions | ||
| Object Storage | ||
| Automatic Backups | Not listed | |
| Content Delivery Network | Not listed | |
| Uptime SLA | Not listed | |
| VPS Hosting | Not listed | |
Civo vs UpCloud cost by team size
| Team size | Civo | UpCloud |
|---|---|---|
| 1 user | $5/moCompute instances | €3/moStarter |
| 5 users | $5/moCompute instances | €3/moStarter |
| 10 users | $5/moCompute instances | €3/moStarter |
| 25 users | $5/moCompute instances | €3/moStarter |
| 50 users | $5/moCompute instances | €3/moStarter |
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 Civo
- Higher Cost score (9/10 vs 6/10)
- Higher Ease of Use score (8/10 vs 7/10)
- Better fit for startups (9/10 vs 7/10)
Why choose UpCloud
- Higher Support score (8/10 vs 5/10)
- Higher Reliability score (8/10 vs 6/10)
Pros & Cons
Civo
Pros
- The Kubernetes control plane is free, and clusters launch in about 90 seconds.
- Ingress and egress bandwidth are free and unlimited, which avoids surprise transfer bills.
- Pricing is published and billed hourly, with nodes starting at $5.43 a month.
- Resources can be managed through a CLI, a REST API, Terraform and Pulumi, plus a marketplace of over 100 apps.
- It holds ISO 27001, SOC 2 and Cyber Essentials Plus, and it is a UK G-Cloud supplier.
Cons
- It offers far fewer managed services and regions than the hyperscalers.
- Reviewers describe the documentation as limited or uneven.
- Very few independent reviews exist; G2 has none and Gartner has one.
- No core-platform SLA or 24/7 support matrix is clearly published.
- Observability tooling is basic.
UpCloud
Pros
- Independent benchmarks recorded very low p99 disk latency on its MaxIOPS storage
- Advertises a 100% uptime SLA with 50x credits for downtime
- Fixed plan prices include data transfer, which keeps bills predictable
- Official Terraform provider, REST API, and CLI support infrastructure as code
- Broad managed portfolio covering Kubernetes, four database engines, object storage, and a CDN
- EU headquarters, ISO 27001 certification, and GDPR focus suit European buyers
Cons
- Reviewers find it several times more expensive than Hetzner for similar specs
- Fewer locations than larger providers, concentrated in Europe
- Smaller community and fewer third-party reviews than DigitalOcean or Vultr
- One user reports outbound port 25 is blocked by default, which hinders mail servers
- Pricing is changing in November 2026, so older published prices may be out of date
Not sold on either?
Frequently Asked Questions
UpCloud scores higher on our Hosting & Infrastructure criteria: 7/10 against 6.4/10 for Civo. The largest gap is in Cost: 9/10 for Civo and 6/10 for UpCloud.
No, neither Civo nor UpCloud lists a free plan.
Civo is the better fit for startups: we rate it 9/10 for them, against 7/10 for UpCloud.
