Exoscale vs UpCloud Comparison
Compare Exoscale vs UpCloud features, pricing, and more.
Last updated: November 2026
Exoscale
6.4/10
Swiss-based European cloud provider that offers compute instances, managed Kubernetes, managed databases and S3-compatible object storage, aimed at businesses that need data sovereignty.
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 | 5/10 | 5/10 |
| Cost | 6/10 | 6/10 |
| Customization | 6/10 | 7/10 |
| Ease of Use | 6/10 | 7/10 |
| Integration | 7/10 | 7/10 |
| Reliability | 7/10 | 8/10 |
| Scalability | 6/10 | 7/10 |
| Security | 8/10 | 7/10 |
| Support | 6/10 | 8/10 |
| Pricing | ||
| Free plan | Yes | No |
| Cheapest paid plan | Contact for pricing | €3/mo Starter |
| Estimated cost for 10 users | Free SKS Starter | €3/mo Starter |
| Features | ||
| API and CLI | ||
| Cloud Compute | ||
| Managed Databases | ||
| Managed Kubernetes | ||
| Multiple Regions | ||
| Object Storage | ||
| Uptime SLA | ||
| VPS Hosting | ||
| Automatic Backups | Not listed | |
| Content Delivery Network | Not listed | |
Exoscale vs UpCloud cost by team size
Exoscale costs less at every team size we checked.
| Team size | Exoscale | UpCloud |
|---|---|---|
| 1 user | FreeSKS Starter | €3/moStarter |
| 5 users | FreeSKS Starter | €3/moStarter |
| 10 users | FreeSKS Starter | €3/moStarter |
| 25 users | FreeSKS Starter | €3/moStarter |
| 50 users | FreeSKS Starter | €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 Exoscale
- Has a free plan (UpCloud does not)
- Lower estimated cost for 10 users: Free vs €3/mo
- Higher Security score (8/10 vs 7/10)
Why choose UpCloud
- Higher Support score (8/10 vs 6/10)
- Higher Customization score (7/10 vs 6/10)
- Better fit for small business (6/10 vs 4/10)
Pros & Cons
Exoscale
Pros
- Data stays in Swiss and EU zones, backed by ISO 27001/27017/27018, BSI C5, SOC 2 and HDS certifications.
- Per-second billing with no commitment, plus about 1 TiB of free outbound traffic per instance each month.
- The Kubernetes control plane is free on the SKS Starter tier.
- A broad managed-database lineup includes Kafka, ClickHouse and OpenSearch.
- S3-compatible storage and Terraform support make migration from AWS easier.
Cons
- Its service catalogue is much smaller than AWS, Azure or OVHcloud.
- There is less community documentation than for the major clouds.
- Faster paid support starts at 50 per month and Enterprise support needs a 1,500 monthly minimum.
- There is no shared hosting, managed WordPress or CDN product for simple websites.
- Storage costs per GB are higher than at budget providers such as Contabo.
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 Exoscale. The largest gap is in Support: 6/10 for Exoscale and 8/10 for UpCloud.
Exoscale costs less for 10 users: free on its SKS Starter plan, against about €3/mo on its Starter plan for UpCloud, billed monthly.
Exoscale has a free plan; UpCloud does not list one.
UpCloud is the better fit for small business: we rate it 6/10 for them, against 4/10 for Exoscale.
