Vultr vs Kamatera VPS Performance Battle: Real-World Benchmarks 2025 🚀
Testing Background: Why These Two Matter in 2025
Look, I've been testing VPS providers for over a decade now, and honestly? The cloud hosting game keeps getting more competitive. When my colleague asked me to pit Vultr against Kamatera in a head-to-head performance showdown, I figured... why not? Both are making serious waves in the budget-to-mid-range VPS market.
Setting up this comparison took me about 3 weeks of real testing across different workloads. I deployed identical configurations on both platforms - nothing fancy, just solid mid-tier specs that most developers and small businesses actually use in practice.
Grab Your Vultr Credits Here →
Test Configuration Overview
Both servers were deployed with similar specs (though Kamatera's customization meant slight variations):
- CPU: 2 vCPU cores
- RAM: 4GB DDR4
- Storage: 80GB SSD
- Network: 1Gbps connection
- OS: Ubuntu 22.04 LTS
- Test Duration: 72 hours continuous monitoring
Vultr Location: New York, USA (IP: 149.28.142.67)
Kamatera Location: New York, USA (IP: 138.68.234.91)
Raw Performance Data 📊
Vultr Geekbench 6 Results
System Information
Operating System Ubuntu 22.04.3 LTS
Kernel Linux 5.15.0-89-generic x86_64
Model QEMU Standard PC (Q35 + ICH9, 2009)
Motherboard N/A
BIOS SeaBIOS 1.15.0-1
Processor Information
Name Intel Xeon E5-2650 v4
Topology 1 Processor, 2 Cores
Identifier GenuineIntel Family 6 Model 79 Stepping 1
Base Frequency 2.20 GHz
L1 Instruction Cache 32.0 KB x 2
L1 Data Cache 32.0 KB x 2
L2 Cache 256 KB x 2
L3 Cache 30.0 MB
Memory Information
Size 3.84 GB
Single-Core
Running Running
File Compression 1547
Navigation 1632
HTML5 Browser 1891
PDF Renderer 1789
Photo Library 1456
Clang 1678
Text Processing 1543
Asset Compression 1789
Object Detection 1234
Background Blur 1876
Horizon Detection 2134
Object Remover 1567
HDR 1789
Photo Filter 1834
Geekbench Score 1687
Multi-Core
Running Running
File Compression 2943
Navigation 3124
HTML5 Browser 3567
PDF Renderer 3234
Photo Library 2789
Clang 3456
Text Processing 2987
Asset Compression 3123
Object Detection 2456
Background Blur 3678
Horizon Detection 4123
Object Remover 2897
HDR 3234
Photo Filter 3567
Geekbench Score 3289
Kamatera Geekbench 6 Results
System Information
Operating System Ubuntu 22.04.3 LTS
Kernel Linux 5.15.0-89-generic x86_64
Model KVM Virtual Machine
Motherboard N/A
BIOS SeaBIOS 1.14.0-2
Processor Information
Name Intel Xeon Gold 6248R
Topology 1 Processor, 2 Cores
Identifier GenuineIntel Family 6 Model 85 Stepping 7
Base Frequency 3.00 GHz
L1 Instruction Cache 32.0 KB x 2
L1 Data Cache 32.0 KB x 2
L2 Cache 1.0 MB x 2
L3 Cache 35.75 MB
Memory Information
Size 3.84 GB
Single-Core
Running Running
File Compression 1789
Navigation 1876
HTML5 Browser 2134
PDF Renderer 1967
Photo Library 1678
Clang 1923
Text Processing 1789
Asset Compression 1956
Object Detection 1456
Background Blur 2078
Horizon Detection 2345
Object Remover 1734
HDR 1923
Photo Filter 2001
Geekbench Score 1876
Multi-Core
Running Running
File Compression 3456
Navigation 3678
HTML5 Browser 4123
PDF Renderer 3789
Photo Library 3234
Clang 3967
Text Processing 3456
Asset Compression 3723
Object Detection 2876
Background Blur 4234
Horizon Detection 4678
Object Remover 3456
HDR 3789
Photo Filter 4001
Geekbench Score 3823
Network Performance - iperf3 Tests
Vultr Network Results:
iperf3 -c iperf.he.net -p 5201 -t 30
Connecting to host iperf.he.net, port 5201
[ 5] local 149.28.142.67 port 54328 connected to 216.218.186.2 port 5201
[ ID] Interval Transfer Bitrate Retr Cwnd
[ 5] 0.00-1.00 sec 114 MBytes 957 Mbits/sec 0 468 KBytes
[ 5] 1.00-2.00 sec 112 MBytes 940 Mbits/sec 0 468 KBytes
[ 5] 2.00-3.00 sec 113 MBytes 948 Mbits/sec 0 468 KBytes
[ 5] 3.00-4.00 sec 111 MBytes 932 Mbits/sec 1 397 KBytes
[ 5] 4.00-5.00 sec 113 MBytes 948 Mbits/sec 0 468 KBytes
[ 5] 29.00-30.00 sec 110 MBytes 923 Mbits/sec 0 468 KBytes
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
[ ID] Interval Transfer Bitrate Retr
[ 5] 0.00-30.00 sec 3.29 GBytes 942 Mbits/sec 3 sender
[ 5] 0.00-30.00 sec 3.29 GBytes 942 Mbits/sec receiver
Download Test Results:
Average: 942 Mbits/sec
Maximum: 957 Mbits/sec
Minimum: 923 Mbits/sec
Retransmissions: 3
iperf3 -c iperf.he.net -p 5201 -t 30 -R
Upload Test Results:
Average: 934 Mbits/sec
Maximum: 951 Mbits/sec
Minimum: 918 Mbits/sec
Retransmissions: 2
Kamatera Network Results:
iperf3 -c iperf.he.net -p 5201 -t 30
Connecting to host iperf.he.net, port 5201
[ 5] local 138.68.234.91 port 43256 connected to 216.218.186.2 port 5201
[ ID] Interval Transfer Bitrate Retr Cwnd
[ 5] 0.00-1.00 sec 89.2 MBytes 748 Mbits/sec 2 234 KBytes
[ 5] 1.00-2.00 sec 91.4 MBytes 767 Mbits/sec 1 298 KBytes
[ 5] 2.00-3.00 sec 88.7 MBytes 744 Mbits/sec 3 198 KBytes
[ 5] 3.00-4.00 sec 92.1 MBytes 773 Mbits/sec 0 356 KBytes
[ 5] 4.00-5.00 sec 89.8 MBytes 753 Mbits/sec 2 267 KBytes
[ 5] 29.00-30.00 sec 87.3 MBytes 732 Mbits/sec 1 289 KBytes
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
[ ID] Interval Transfer Bitrate Retr
[ 5] 0.00-30.00 sec 2.67 GBytes 763 Mbits/sec 18 sender
[ 5] 0.00-30.00 sec 2.67 GBytes 763 Mbits/sec receiver
Download Test Results:
Average: 763 Mbits/sec
Maximum: 773 Mbits/sec
Minimum: 732 Mbits/sec
Retransmissions: 18
iperf3 -c iperf.he.net -p 5201 -t 30 -R
Upload Test Results:
Average: 756 Mbits/sec
Maximum: 781 Mbits/sec
Minimum: 723 Mbits/sec
Retransmissions: 14
Disk I/O Performance - sysbench
Vultr Storage Benchmarks:
sysbench fileio --file-total-size=15G prepare
sysbench fileio --file-total-size=15G --file-test-mode=rndrw --file-io-mode=sync --time=60 --max-requests=0 run
File operations:
reads/s: 4567.89
writes/s: 3045.26
fsyncs/s: 9756.43
Throughput:
read, MiB/s: 71.37
written, MiB/s: 47.58
General statistics:
total time: 60.0021s
total number of events: 1045628
Random Read/Write IOPS: 7613.15
Sequential Read: 234.7 MB/s
Sequential Write: 187.3 MB/s
Kamatera Storage Benchmarks:
sysbench fileio --file-total-size=15G prepare
sysbench fileio --file-total-size=15G --file-test-mode=rndrw --file-io-mode=sync --time=60 --max-requests=0 run
File operations:
reads/s: 3234.67
writes/s: 2156.44
fsyncs/s: 6891.22
Throughput:
read, MiB/s: 50.54
written, MiB/s: 33.69
General statistics:
total time: 60.0034s
total number of events: 738965
Random Read/Write IOPS: 5391.11
Sequential Read: 198.4 MB/s
Sequential Write: 156.7 MB/s
Provider Deep Dive 🔍
About Vultr - The Straightforward Performer
Vultr launched back in 2014 and has consistently positioned itself as the "no-nonsense" cloud provider. What I really appreciate about them is their transparent pricing and solid network infrastructure. Starting from $3.50/month for 1GB RAM, 1 CPU, 25GB NVMe SSD storage, and 1TB bandwidth, they've managed to stay competitive without compromising on basics.
Their global footprint is impressive - 25+ data centers worldwide, and honestly? The deployment process is dead simple. Click, deploy, done in under 60 seconds most times.
About Kamatera - The Customization King
Kamatera takes a completely different approach. Starting at $4/month, Kamatera allows you to tailor parameters such as CPU type, RAM, storage, and server location - and I mean REALLY customize everything. Want 3.5GB of RAM instead of 4GB? No problem. Need exactly 73GB of storage? They got you covered.
The trade-off? Well, with great customization comes... let's say "interesting" user experience decisions. Their control panel feels like it was designed by engineers, for engineers. It works, but don't expect Digital Ocean levels of polish.
Performance Analysis: The Numbers Don't Lie 📈
CPU Performance Breakdown
Winner: Kamatera 🏆
The Geekbench results tell a clear story. Kamatera edges out Vultr in both single-core (1876 vs 1687) and multi-core (3823 vs 3289) performance. That Intel Xeon Gold 6248R processor is showing its newer architecture advantages over Vultr's older E5-2650 v4.
Real-world impact: If you're running Node.js applications, Python scripts, or any CPU-bound tasks, that ~13% performance boost from Kamatera will be noticeable.
Network Performance: Where Vultr Shines
Winner: Vultr 🏆
This one's not even close. Vultr delivered 942 Mbits/sec average throughput vs Kamatera's 763 Mbits/sec. That's a 23% difference! Even more telling - Vultr had only 3 retransmissions during our 30-second test, while Kamatera had 18.
Why this matters: If you're serving content, running APIs, or doing anything network-intensive, Vultr's superior network infrastructure shows.
Storage I/O: Vultr Takes Another W
Winner: Vultr 🏆
Vultr absolutely dominated storage performance:
- Random IOPS: 7613 vs 5391 (41% higher!)
- Sequential Read: 234.7 MB/s vs 198.4 MB/s
- Sequential Write: 187.3 MB/s vs 156.7 MB/s
Bottom line: Database-heavy applications, file processing, anything that hammers storage will run noticeably better on Vultr.
Use Case Scenarios 🎯
Vultr is Perfect For:
- Web hosting with multiple sites
- API backends that need consistent response times
- Game servers (that network performance!)
- CI/CD pipelines with lots of file operations
- Media streaming applications
Kamatera Works Best For:
- Development environments where you need exact specs
- Specialized applications with unique resource requirements
- Cost optimization when you only need specific resources
- CPU-intensive batch processing
- Custom enterprise deployments
FAQ: Real Questions, Real Answers ❓
Q: Which has better uptime?
A: In my 72-hour monitoring, both maintained 100% uptime. Historically, Vultr has slightly better track record, but both are solid.
Q: What about customer support?
A: Vultr's support is faster but more templated. Kamatera takes longer but their engineers actually understand complex setups.
Q: Can I upgrade resources easily?
A: Vultr: Yes, but with some downtime. Kamatera: Live scaling available, but interface is clunky.
Q: Which is better for beginners?
A: Vultr, hands down. Kamatera's customization is powerful but overwhelming for newcomers.
Q: What about backup options?
A: Both offer automated snapshots. Vultr's are easier to manage; Kamatera's are more flexible but require more configuration.
Q: IPv6 support?
A: Both support IPv6, though Vultr's implementation feels more mature.
Q: How's the API documentation?
A: Vultr's API docs are excellent. Kamatera's... exist. They work, but expect to spend time figuring things out.
Q: Any hidden costs?
A: Vultr: Pretty transparent, watch bandwidth overages. Kamatera: Lots of add-on charges that can surprise you.
Pricing Deep Dive 💰
| Feature | Vultr Regular | Kamatera Custom | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Entry Plan | $3.50/month | $4.00/month | Kamatera more flexible specs |
| 2 CPU, 4GB RAM | $12/month | $11-15/month | Depends on customization |
| Storage | NVMe included | SSD, pay per GB | Vultr simpler pricing |
| Bandwidth | 1TB included | Pay per GB | Can get expensive on Kamatera |
| IPv4 | Free | $1/month extra | Hidden cost! |
| Load Balancer | $10/month | $25/month | Vultr much cheaper |
Start Your Kamatera Trial →
Cancellation & Refunds (Sort Of) 🔄
Vultr: Pretty straightforward - destroy your instances, billing stops. No refunds on partial months though. Their billing is hourly, so you're not locked into monthly commitments.
Kamatera: More complex because of customization, but they do offer pro-rated refunds within the first 30 days if you're not satisfied. The process involves talking to their billing team though.
Real Usage Experience: 3 Weeks In Production 🛠️
What I Actually Used Them For:
Vultr Setup:
- WordPress multisite installation
- Redis caching layer
- Daily automated backups via cron
- Basic monitoring with Prometheus
Kamatera Setup:
- Custom Node.js application
- PostgreSQL database
- File processing pipeline
- Custom monitoring dashboard
Day-to-Day Reality:
Vultr just... worked. Seriously. I deployed, configured my apps, and pretty much forgot about infrastructure. The one-click apps made WordPress setup trivial, and performance stayed consistent throughout testing.
Kamatera required more hand-holding initially. The customization options meant I spent 2 hours fine-tuning the exact specs I wanted. But once configured? That extra CPU performance was noticeable during peak processing times.
Quirks I Discovered:
- Vultr's snapshot restore is faster but limited scheduling options
- Kamatera's billing dashboard is... confusing. Seriously, hire a UX designer
- Both have solid DDoS protection, though neither advertise it heavily
- Vultr's API rate limiting is more generous
The Verdict: Which Should You Choose? 🏁
Choose Vultr If:
✅ You want reliable, consistent performance
✅ Network speed is critical for your applications
✅ You prefer simple, transparent pricing
✅ Storage I/O performance matters
✅ You're building standard web applications
Overall Score: 8.7/10 ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Choose Kamatera If:
✅ You need specific resource configurations
✅ Raw CPU performance is your priority
✅ You want maximum customization control
✅ Budget optimization through exact resource allocation
✅ You're comfortable with more complex management
Overall Score: 7.9/10 ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Final Thoughts: It Depends (But Really) 🤔
Look, after testing hundreds of VPS providers over the years, I've learned that "best" is highly contextual. Vultr delivers solid, predictable performance with minimal fuss - perfect for most use cases. Kamatera offers incredible flexibility and customization at the cost of complexity.
For most developers and small businesses? Vultr wins. The superior network and storage performance, combined with straightforward pricing, make it the safer choice.
For enterprise teams or applications with very specific resource requirements? Kamatera's customization capabilities become invaluable.
What's your experience with these providers? Drop a comment below - I'm always curious to hear how different workloads perform across various VPS platforms. And hey, if you've got suggestions for the next provider showdown, let me know! 🚀
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About the Author:
Senior VPS Reviewer | Linux Architect | Network Infrastructure Consultant
Expertise:
Global VPS Reviews: 10+ yrs, 500+ providers, performance/network/I/O/cost analysis
Linux Optimization: High-concurrency architectures, kernel tuning, KVM & containers (Docker/K8s)
Network Solutions: CDN acceleration, TCP/IP stack, DDoS mitigation, edge nodes
Certifications: LPIC-3 · CCNP · AWS SAP · CKA
Key Projects:
Global VPS Performance Map: Auto-monitoring 30+ country nodes, quarterly industry reports
Million-concurrency Hybrid CDN: Reduced latency 47%, saved $220K+/yr bandwidth
Tech Columnist: 60+ in-depth articles on Phoronix/LowEndTalk
