Today, popularity of cloud services is growing in Europe due to the increasing trend towards automation and flexibility, the need for high quality customer service, the desire for cost savings and increased return on investment. In addition, the adoption of remote working culture and the growing demand for cloud-based business continuity tools are also contributing to this trend. The speed, scalability, and security of cloud infrastructures becomes essential for organizations of all industries and sizes, whether private, non-profit, or government.
In this article, we will present a ranking of the best European cloud providers. Our review will be based on a detailed analysis of the advantages and disadvantages of cloud providers that offer VPS server Europe. You will be able to make an informed choice in favor of the most suitable solution for your business.
1. Serverspace.io
Serverspace.io is a European cloud provider offering virtual infrastructure management services for small and medium-sized businesses. It offers automatic deployment of VPS in Europe with popular Unix and Windows Server operating systems on a pay-as-you-go model. Infrastructure creation is done from anywhere in the world in 1 minute. Open API, CLI and Terraform tools are available for integration of client services.
Advantages
- User-friendly control panel
Serverspace provides a user-friendly interface where users even without system administration skills can easily deploy servers with the desired configuration and change them at any time. The panel allows to easily manage the infrastructure, monitor the system status and replenish the balance. - Fast server creation
Serverspace virtual servers are created automatically after configuration selection within 1 minute. The record of creating a cloud server with Linux OS is 24 seconds. - Flexible server calculator
The provider offers the ability to flexibly configure a server configuration based on one of two virtualization platforms VMware or vStack. Users can choose not only the operating system, but also its version, select the data center location, configure the number of vCPUs, the volume of SSD disk and RAM, and the bandwidth. You can also choose the applications that will be deployed with the server, including WordPress. - Geo-distributed network of data centers
Serverspace offers to deploy virtual infrastructure in 6 data centers located around the world on 3 continents. One of the data centers is located in the Netherlands, Amsterdam. Cloud provider not only guarantees excellent performance in Europe, but also opens new horizons for business development anywhere in the world. - Enterprise level equipment
Serverspace uses only high quality and reliable hardware, protected against failures and downtime, with an automatic backup system. VPS are based on Intel Xeon Gold 3.1 GHz processors, which guarantees increased performance. - Extensive knowledge Base
Serverspace offers tutorial base with instructions on how to work both in the control panel and on the server. - Free support 24/7
Serverspace experts are available around the clock to provide the necessary advice to users. In addition, the average response time to a question is only 15 minutes, which is unique in the industry. - Easy and fast migration
The provider allows you to migrate your IT infrastructure to the VMware cloud from another cloud provider at no cost. All you need to do is convert virtual machines to OVA/OVF files and submit a support request.
Disadvantages
Serverspace does not provide physical hardware, and doesn't allow users to reserve a separate virtualization host in the pool. Also OS-level administration at an additional cost.
2. OVHCloud
OVHCloud is one of Europe's largest cloud infrastructure providers based in France. OVHcloud provides scalable cloud computing services, domain names and web hosting plans. The company hosts equipment in over 40 data centers across 4 continents. It is now a global player and a leading provider of cloud services in Europe.
Advantages
- A large number of cloud services
OVHcloud provides many features including dedicated servers, VMware-based VPC and OpenStack-based public cloud. The company's offerings are comprehensive and cater to the needs of different users. - Geo-distributed data center network
The company operates 44 data centers on 4 continents and 44 redundant points of presence (PoPs) distributed across the globe. - Flexible servers
With hourly billing, OVHCloud provides servers in seconds. This means users can change server requirements at any time to match the resources needed to run your applications. - DRaaS
Disaster Recovery as a Service (DRaaS) allows business owners to ensure business continuity by quickly fixing mobility and portability issues and quickly recovering data in emergency situations. Managed DRaaS is fully responsible for implementing and managing data protection and recovery without the additional cost of software or hardware licenses. - High Grade Dedicated Servers
Dedicated servers are optimized to meet the new challenges of converged infrastructure and storage. These platforms are based on AMD EPYC and Intel Xeon Gold processors.
Disadvantages
Though OVHcloud offers a dashboard and automated delivery system to customize the infrastructure, but some users may find the platform a bit difficult to navigate. Also, technical support takes a long time to respond to requests, which can significantly impact user infrastructure performance.
3. IONOS
IONOS is a European hosting provider offering domain registration, SSL certificates, email services, website builder and cloud hosting, as well as virtual private servers and dedicated servers. Provider gives the ability to deploy infrastructure for website hosting.
Advantages
- A wide range of hosting solutions and services
The provider specializes in providing services under website hosting, so here you can find domain registration, SSL certificate ordering, code-free website editor, and here you can also find ready-made templates, free business email and online booking tool. In addition, you can rent servers in European locations UK, Spain and Germany, as well as in the USA. - Personalized Support Manager
Users are allocated a personalized account manager, he is the main point of contact. Experienced cloud consultants and a 24/7 system administrator support team will also assist. - Transparent and flexible pricing
Users pay only for the resources they use, offering complete cost control without long-term contracts. - Competitive pricing
This is one of the cheapest hosting services on the market. Offers a variety of plans for infrastructure rentals. - Dedicated Servers
A range of reliable Intel® processors from Xeon® E3 to high-performance Xeon® Gold and Silver scalable processors provide the ideal platform for any workload.
Disadvantages
The provider provides a server control panel with an outdated design and an interface that is difficult to navigate. The support service is difficult to access, users have to wait for a long time for a response, and the help is sometimes insufficient.
4. Hetzner
Hetzner is a German web hosting provider with data centers primarily located in Germany. sells a wide range of hosting packages, from shared hosting and self-managed servers to colocation and dedicated server rentals.
Advantages
- Proprietary data centers
Hetzner operates cost-effective, custom-designed, high-density data centers that enable them to deliver maximum computing power with the smallest amount of physical space. - Extensive knowledge base
There is a comprehensive knowledge base and help center. This is useful as the proprietary control panel may take some getting used to, but the documentation can help. - Technical Support
Technical support is available 24/7 to answere on many technical issues. The team is polite and friendly, providing the necessary tips within a few hours. - Dedicated servers
Hetzner provides dedicated servers for rent. Users can choose any hardware suitable for their projects. - DDoS protection
Hetzner offers DDoS protection for user content for free as part of their hosting plans. Thus, the content is protected against any DDoS attacks.
Disadvantages
Hetzner uses its own admin panel that will cover most server administration tasks. The panel looks a bit old fashioned and it may take some time to fully understand. The provider only offers servers in European locations and the US.
5. UpCloud
UpCloud is a European company headquartered in Finland. In ten years, it has grown into a powerful and popular cloud hosting solution by utilizing advanced technology to power its cloud servers.
Advantages
- Easy to use
A proprietary dashboard allows users to easily navigate the interface, manage their cloud infrastructure, and get a complete view of their accounts. - Simple pricing
Payment for servers is charged every hour. UpCloud has two pricing structure. One includes simple plans that allow you to choose any of the low-cost options that are close to what you want. The second is a flexible pricing structure where you don't choose a plan, but choose exactly the resources you want. - Wide choice of data centers
The provider allows you to deploy cloud infrastructure in data centers around the world in Europe, North America, Singapore and Australia. - Exhaustive documentation
Provides detailed service usage guides and documentation.
Disadvantages
The service is not suitable for beginners, it requires deeper knowledge in system administration to understand the configuration of the control panel. Technical support takes a long time to respond and is not always able to guide with questions about working with the infrastructure.
6. Contabo
Contabo is a German hosting provider offering cloud server deployment and management services. With Contabo, companies or ordinary users can purchase a private or dedicated server to host cloud infrastructure, websites and file storage.
Advantages
- Data centers around the world
Contabo provides the opportunity to rent VPS in 11 centers located in 8 regions around the world. - Scalable Resources
Users can increase or decrease resources such as CPU, RAM and storage depending on the needs of the site. - Protection from DDoS attacks
Protection against DDoS attacks is already included in the price of the server, providing reliable protection of content from any such attacks. - Affordable prices
Contabo provides good hosting services at relatively low prices, making them affordable for small businesses and personal projects.
Disadvantages
The management user interface has a minimal set of features. Technical support response time can be long compared to other cloud providers.
All cloud providers are good in their own way and deserve attention, but it's up to you to decide what European cloud provider you choose for your digital project.