VPSServer vs Vultr: Which Cloud VPS Delivers Better Bang for Buck? 🤔

So I've been running some projects that needed better hosting than shared, but didn't quite need dedicated servers yet. You know that awkward middle ground where VPS makes sense? Yeah, that's where I ended up.

After browsing around (and honestly getting overwhelmed by all the choices), I narrowed it down to two providers that seemed legit: VPSServer and Vultr. Both had decent reviews, reasonable pricing, and didn't look like they'd disappear overnight.

Spoiler: one of these definitely exceeded my expectations, while the other... well, let's just say you get what you pay for sometimes.

Meet the Players 🎭

VPSServer - The European Underdog

VPSServer is this German company that's been doing VPS hosting since 2008. They're not as flashy as some of the bigger names, but they've got this solid, no-nonsense approach that I kinda appreciate.

They focus mainly on European datacenters, though they do have some US presence now. Their whole thing is "reliable hosting without the marketing fluff" - which honestly sounds refreshing after seeing so many "BEST VPS EVAR!!!" ads.

Vultr - The Cloud Computing Darling

Vultr needs no introduction if you've been in the VPS game for a while. They've been riding the "simple cloud computing" wave since 2014 and have built quite the following.

They're the poster child for hourly billing and quick deployment - basically the DigitalOcean competitor that actually gives DO a run for their money.

Test Configuration 🔧

For this showdown, I grabbed similar configs from both:

• VPSServer: VPS-4 plan in Frankfurt (2 vCPU, 4GB RAM, 80GB NVMe) - $19.99/month
• Vultr: High Performance instance in New Jersey (2 vCPU, 4GB RAM, 128GB NVMe) - $24/month

Both running Ubuntu 22.04 because why make life complicated, right?

VPSServer Bench.sh Results 📊

System Information
------------------
Uptime     : 5 days, 18 hours, 47 minutes
Processor  : AMD EPYC 7543 32-Core @ 2.80GHz (2 vCPU cores)
CPU usage  : 0.7% avg over last minute
Load       : 0.02, 0.05, 0.03 (1, 5, 15 min)
Memory     : 287.4 MB / 3.9 GB (7.4%)
Disk       : 5.2 GB / 78.3 GB (6.6%)
Distro     : Ubuntu 22.04.4 LTS
Kernel     : 5.15.0-91-generic
VM Type    : KVM
IPv4/IPv6  : ✓ Online / ✓ Online

Network Performance
------------------
Provider   : Hetzner Online GmbH (AS24940)
ISP        : VPSServer.com
ASN        : AS24940
Host       : Frankfurt am Main Datacenter
Location   : Frankfurt, Hesse, Germany
Country    : DE

Speedtest Results:
Location          | Upload  | Download | Ping
Frankfurt, DE     | 512 Mbps| 934 Mbps | 0.4ms
London, UK        | 287 Mbps| 523 Mbps | 14.2ms
Paris, FR         | 334 Mbps| 634 Mbps | 8.7ms
New York, US      | 89 Mbps | 187 Mbps | 87.3ms
Tokyo, JP         | 45 Mbps | 98 Mbps  | 234.1ms

Disk Performance
---------------
Block Size | 4k            | 64k           | 512k          | 1024k
Read       | 143.7 MB/s    | 896.2 MB/s    | 2.1 GB/s      | 2.3 GB/s
Write      | 138.9 MB/s    | 867.3 MB/s    | 1.9 GB/s      | 2.1 GB/s

CPU Benchmark
------------
Threads    | 1             | 2
Events/s   | 1,234.56      | 2,387.91
Time       | 16.184s       | 8.378s

Vultr Bench.sh Results 📈

System Information
------------------
Uptime     : 3 days, 11 hours, 29 minutes  
Processor  : Intel Xeon E-2286G @ 4.00GHz (2 vCPU cores)
CPU usage  : 1.2% avg over last minute
Load       : 0.08, 0.06, 0.04 (1, 5, 15 min)
Memory     : 312.8 MB / 3.9 GB (8.0%)
Disk       : 4.7 GB / 125.8 GB (3.7%)
Distro     : Ubuntu 22.04.4 LTS
Kernel     : 5.15.0-91-generic
VM Type    : KVM
IPv4/IPv6  : ✓ Online / ✗ Offline

Network Performance
------------------
Provider   : Choopa, LLC (AS20473)
ISP        : Vultr Holdings LLC
ASN        : AS20473
Host       : New Jersey Datacenter
Location   : Piscataway, New Jersey, United States
Country    : US

Speedtest Results:
Location          | Upload  | Download | Ping
New York, US      | 789 Mbps| 967 Mbps | 2.1ms
Washington, US    | 654 Mbps| 823 Mbps | 8.4ms
Atlanta, US       | 423 Mbps| 687 Mbps | 23.7ms
Los Angeles, US   | 234 Mbps| 456 Mbps | 68.9ms
London, UK        | 123 Mbps| 298 Mbps | 76.2ms

Disk Performance
---------------
Block Size | 4k            | 64k           | 512k          | 1024k
Read       | 98.4 MB/s     | 534.7 MB/s    | 1.4 GB/s      | 1.6 GB/s
Write      | 94.2 MB/s     | 498.3 MB/s    | 1.2 GB/s      | 1.4 GB/s

CPU Benchmark
------------
Threads    | 1             | 2
Events/s   | 987.23        | 1,834.67
Time       | 20.256s       | 10.892s

Performance Deep Dive (Where Things Get Spicy) 🌶️

CPU Battle - AMD vs Intel Round 47,302

Holy crap, VPSServer's AMD EPYC absolutely demolished Vultr's Intel setup. We're talking 25% better single-core and 30% better multi-core performance.

I wasn't expecting this kind of gap, honestly. The EPYC 7543 is a beast, and it shows. If you're doing any kind of computational work, this difference is gonna be noticeable.

Vultr's E-2286G isn't terrible - it's actually pretty decent for most workloads. But when you put them side by side... yeah, no contest.

Network Performance - Location Matters (Obviously)

This is where geography comes into play big time.

VPSServer from Frankfurt gave me incredible speeds within Europe - that 934 Mbps download is just insane for a VPS. But cross-Atlantic performance? Meh. 89 Mbps to NYC isn't terrible, but it's not great either.

Vultr from New Jersey was the opposite story. Fantastic US connectivity (967 Mbps download locally), but European speeds took a hit. Makes sense, but worth noting if you're serving global traffic.

Storage - NVMe vs NVMe (But Not Really)

VPSServer's NVMe setup is significantly faster across the board. That 46% better 4K performance is huge for database workloads or anything doing lots of small file operations.

Vultr's storage isn't bad - it's still NVMe after all - but VPSServer is clearly using higher-end drives or has better I/O optimization.

What These Are Actually Good For 💡

VPSServer Strengths ✨

• CPU-intensive applications: That EPYC performance is no joke
• European businesses: Amazing connectivity within EU
• Database hosting: Excellent I/O performance
• Development environments: Fast compiles and responsive terminals
• Game servers: Low latency within Europe

Vultr Sweet Spots 🎯

• US-focused applications: Great domestic connectivity
• Quick prototyping: Hourly billing and fast deployment
• Learning/experimenting: Easy to spin up and tear down
• API backends: Solid performance for REST services
• Content delivery: Good US coverage

Pricing Breakdown (The Fun Part) 💸

VPSServer wins on raw value - better performance AND lower price. Vultr gives you more storage and flexible billing, but costs more overall.

The snapshot pricing difference is kinda crazy though - VPSServer charges 10x less for backups.

Real Talk FAQ 🗣️

Q: Which has better uptime? A: Both were solid during my testing. VPSServer had one brief maintenance window (with advance notice), Vultr had zero downtime in my 6-week test period.

Q: Support quality? A: Vultr's support is faster but more template-y. VPSServer takes longer to respond but gives more detailed, technical answers.

Q: Migration help? A: Vultr has better documentation and tools for migration. VPSServer will help, but you're mostly on your own.

Q: Control panel differences? A: Vultr's interface is more polished and modern. VPSServer's panel is functional but looks dated.

Q: Scaling options? A: Vultr makes it easier to upgrade/downgrade on the fly. VPSServer requires submitting tickets for changes.

Q: Geographic availability? A: Vultr has way more datacenter locations. VPSServer is mostly Europe-focused with limited US presence.

Q: API access? A: Both offer APIs, but Vultr's is more comprehensive and better documented.

Q: What about DDoS protection? A: Basic protection on both, but neither offers enterprise-grade mitigation without additional costs.

Cancellation & Refunds (The Awkward Stuff) 😅

VPSServer offers a 14-day money-back guarantee, which is shorter than most but they actually honor it without much hassle. Cancellation requires a support ticket and takes 24-48 hours to process.

Vultr doesn't do refunds per se, but since they bill hourly, you can just delete your instances and stop paying. Much cleaner IMO. Final bill gets charged to your card within a few days.

Both require you to delete all data before cancellation - standard practice, but worth mentioning.

My Honest Experience 📝

Using VPSServer felt like discovering a hidden gem. The performance was legitimately impressive - compiling code, running databases, everything just felt snappy. The control panel looks like it's from 2015, but functionally it works fine.

One thing that bugged me: their documentation isn't great. Basic stuff is covered, but if you run into issues, you're googling or opening tickets. Support is knowledgeable but slow.

The Frankfurt location gave me excellent connectivity to most of Europe, but US speeds were... adequate. If you're primarily serving European users, this is a non-issue.

Vultr felt more familiar - it's basically what you expect from a modern cloud provider. Clean interface, good docs, fast support responses. The server performance was solid, just not as impressive as VPSServer.

Their New Jersey datacenter location worked great for my US-based projects. The ability to spin up new instances in minutes is genuinely useful when you're testing stuff.

One weird thing though - I had a couple instances that would randomly reboot. Not often (maybe once every 2-3 weeks), but annoying enough to notice. Vultr support said it was "planned maintenance" but... suspicious timing.

The Bottom Line 🎯

Final Scores:

VPSServer: 8.7/10 ⭐

• ✅ Outstanding CPU performance
• ✅ Excellent storage speeds
• ✅ Great European connectivity
• ✅ Better value for money
• ❌ Limited global presence
• ❌ Dated interface
• ❌ Slower support

Vultr: 7.9/10 ⭐

• ✅ Modern, polished experience
• ✅ Flexible billing options
• ✅ Great US connectivity
• ✅ Extensive datacenter network
• ❌ Lower raw performance
• ❌ Higher costs
• ❌ Occasional stability issues

My Recommendation

If you're primarily serving European users and want maximum performance per dollar, go with VPSServer. The performance difference is real, and the cost savings add up over time.

If you need global coverage, want modern tooling, or prefer the flexibility of hourly billing, Vultr is the safer choice. It's more expensive but offers better overall experience.

Personally? I'm keeping both. VPSServer for my European backend services, Vultr for US-facing stuff and quick experiments. Sometimes having options is worth the extra complexity.

This review comes from: VPSJudge offers real-world VPS hosting reviews, benchmark tests, and expert comparisons to help you choose the right provider.