Contabo is my top cheap KVM VPS pick for generous specs, AlexHost is the best runner-up, and Time4VPS is the best budget option.

If you want to go with the best virtualization solutions, KVM is the right choice for you. You get complete flexibility in choosing the OS. It will also increase the performance and scalability of the server. Therefore, many people want their servers to be based on KVM.

However, a small problem is regarding the price. Generally, KVM is expensive which makes it harder for small businesses and individuals to buy them. So, we have collected the 12 best cheap KVM VPS hosting providers that you can use.

New to KVM? The explanation is below the list.

Contents
  1. 12 Cheap KVM VPS hosting Providers
  2. What is KVM Hosting?
  3. Choosing the Right KVM Service
  4. Final Words
  5. FAQ

12 Cheap KVM VPS hosting Providers

Top RatedContabo Cloud VPS S
Hosting PlanContabo Cloud VPS S
CPU4 vCPU Cores (AMD EPYC)
Memory8 GB RAM
Disk Space50 GB (NVMe)
BandwidthUnlimited
Starting Price$8.49/mo
Editor's ChoiceAlexHost KVM VPS U1
Hosting PlanKVM VPS U1
CPU1 vCore
Memory1.5 GB DDR4
Disk Space10 GB (NVMe)
Bandwidth100 Mbps port
Starting Price€6.00/mo
Best BudgetVultr Regular Cloud ComputeRegular Cloud Compute
Hosting PlanRegular Cloud Compute (IPv6 only)
CPU1 vCPU
Memory0.5 GB
Disk Space10 GB (SSD)
Bandwidth0.5 TB
Starting Price$2.50/mo
Compare these plans in a table
Comparison of Contabo Cloud VPS S, KVM VPS U1, Regular Cloud Compute
ProviderContabo Cloud VPS SKVM VPS U1Regular Cloud Compute
Hosting PlanContabo Cloud VPS SKVM VPS U1Regular Cloud Compute (IPv6 only)
CPU4 vCPU Cores (AMD EPYC)1 vCore1 vCPU
Memory8 GB RAM1.5 GB DDR40.5 GB
Disk Space50 GB (NVMe)10 GB (NVMe)10 GB (SSD)
BandwidthUnlimited100 Mbps port0.5 TB
Starting Price$8.49/mo€6.00/mo$2.50/mo

The list contains all the information you will need about the hosting provider. You can see the uptime, security features, scalability, performance, hosting specs, etc. This will make it easier for you to select the right hosting. So, let’s begin with the list and see the cheapest KVM services to go with.

#1 Contabo (Generous Specs)

contabo kvm virtualization

Contabo is the best KVM hosting service you can use. It’s known for the fully independent virtual servers that come with a great performance as compared to many others. If you consider the price, it’s way less than other competitors. Therefore, it stands in first place on the list. The KVM-based VPS uses the right optimization technique to increase performance.

The price is also affordable. Also, there are no extra fees for traffic. It also includes IPV4 and IPv6. The snapshot technology makes it a bit more reliable.

As a customer, you get complete control over the servers. You can reboot the server anytime you want. Not to mention, you can also reinstall the OS anytime you want. The performance is good because of the virtualization. They use standard hardware to get the best results. It provides German quality and its VPS is built with Dell, HP, AMD, and Samsung.

So, you can expect great reliability here. Coming back to the software, you can use any image file here to install the OS and control panels. They support all OS including Windows and Linux. In the same way, you can have Cpanel, Plesk, Webmin, or you can go with Lamp.

They have got awesome speed for the server. You don’t need to worry about the performance. The customer support is good here.

contabo cloud vps pricing

Visit Contabo

Hosting specs

  • CPU: AMD EPYC 4 vCores to 10 vCores depending on the plan you choose.
  • Memory/RAM: 8 to 60 GB RAM
  • Storage size & type: Starts from 50 GB NVMe. You can increase the storage as per your need.
  • Bandwidth/traffic: Starts from 32 TB traffic limit and unlimited incoming traffic.

Security features

  • It has free DDoS protection for all plans.
  • Physical security of data center. No one is allowed to enter the data center without proper authorization.
  • 2-factor authentication is also available for the server.
  • Uptime monitoring makes it easier to track your server and know the details.
  • SSL Certificates are also available. You can also get the domain from here.
  • Standard quality hardware from a reputed company.

Data centers locations

They have 5 regions covered in the data center and there are 8 different locations for the data center. The US regions are considered as different locations.

  • 4 Datacenters in Germany
  • 3 Datacenters in the US (West, Central, and East)
  • 1 in Asia Singapore

Uptime: A bit less than 99 (user claimed, there is no guarantee)

Scalability: Easy and Fast. You can upgrade to any plan you want. They provide you with full control over the servers. So, scaling up or down won’t be an issue here. Contabo also has quick server provisioning. Therefore, the time taken is very minimal.

Starting price: VPS S (first plan) starts at $8.49 per month

#2 AlexHost (Best Runner-Up)

alexhost kvm vps hosting

AlexHost is a Moldova-based provider that runs its own data center in Moldova. Its KVM VPS plans start at just €6 per month, and the more popular plans are available in eight European countries.

The lineup is short and easy to compare. There are three plans: U1, U2, and U4. All of them use NVMe storage and DDR4 RAM, and every VPS comes with a dedicated IPv4 address, IPv6, and full root access.

The U1 plan is only sold in Moldova and comes with a 100 Mbps port. The U2 and U4 plans are available in Moldova and seven other European locations, and outside Moldova they come with a 1 Gbps shared port. A shared port means the full speed isn't guaranteed at all times, but it's still a good step up from 100 Mbps.

Longer billing cycles cut the price noticeably. The U2 plan costs €10 per month on monthly billing, but €60 for a full year, which works out to €5 per month. That makes AlexHost one of the better-value KVM options in Europe if you're happy to pay upfront.

These are unmanaged servers, so you handle the OS, updates, and software yourself. AlexHost supports Linux distributions like Ubuntu, Debian, Fedora, and CentOS, as well as Windows. It also offers a 30-day money-back guarantee, which is longer than most budget VPS hosts.

alexhost kvm vps pricing

Hosting specs

  • CPU: 1 to 4 vCores (Intel Xeon E5-2683 v4 platform)
  • Memory/RAM: 1.5 GB to 8 GB DDR4
  • Storage size and type: 10 GB to 80 GB NVMe
  • Bandwidth/traffic: 100 Mbps port in Moldova, 1 Gbps shared port in the other locations

Security features

  • KVM virtualization keeps each VPS isolated from other customers on the same host.
  • AlexHost says it runs network-level DDoS protection. If you expect regular attacks, it also sells a separate DDoS-protected VPS line.
  • AlexHost lists ISO/IEC 27001 and ISO 9001 certifications, and its data center uses video surveillance and equipment access control.
  • Full root access, so you can set up your own firewall and security tools.
  • Cryptocurrency payments are accepted.

Datacenter locations

AlexHost offers 8 KVM VPS locations, all in Europe. The U1 plan is only available in Moldova.

  • Moldova
  • Netherlands
  • Sweden
  • Bulgaria
  • Switzerland
  • France
  • United Kingdom
  • Romania

Uptime: 99.9% (as advertised by AlexHost)

Scalability: You can upgrade the VPS from your client area or ask support to do it for you.

Starting Price: €6 per month for the U1 plan, or €40.80 per year (€3.40 per month) with yearly billing. The U2 plan starts at €10 per month, or €5 per month when paid yearly.

Visit AlexHost

#3 Vultr

vultr virtualization

Vultr is a premium infrastructure cloud to go with. It might not be the cheapest option you have but if you are looking for the best service in the market, here is the choice for you. The reason why we have included it in the cheap KVM hosting providers list is because of its predictable pricing.

It becomes affordable if you compare it with the premium KVM providers. Vultr is one of the hosting companies that provide maximum customization features. You can configure your OS as per your needs. There is no limit here. You can also upload your custom OS using an ISO file. So, it becomes a great choice for the people.

Now, if we talk about the performance, it has 100% SLA uptime. The speed is great here. There are no long-term contracts that you will have to do. You can pay as you go here. There are many products to choose from. Also, the data centers are located globally.

Vultr has got some of the powerful features. To begin with, the powerful API and the app marketplace are the two best things that make your work a lot easier. Further, it has a beginner-friendly User interface. Vultr is a simple yet powerful KVM host. So, you can surely consider it.

vultr pricing

Hosting Specs

  • CPU: 100% Intel Cores (You can customize it)
  • Memory/RAM: 512 MB to 96 GB
  • Storage size and type: 100% SSD starts from 10 GB
  • Bandwidth/traffic: 0.5 TB to 15 TB

Security Features

  • Advanced DDoS protection with native mitigation.
  • Direct Connect allows you to have better performance and security.
  • If you are running a company, you can use features like single sign-on, team management, etc. This will be a lot more useful.
  • You can track the server’s health and monitor it for as long as you can.
  • It has a secure private network.
  • If you think you need help, you can always contact their support.

Datacenter locations

There are 19 locations worldwide. So, you have full control over which one you should choose.

  • New Jersey, US
  • Chicago, US
  • Dallas, US
  • Seattle, US
  • Los Angeles, US
  • Atlanta, US
  • Silicon Valley, US
  • Miami, US
  • Sydney, Australia
  • Toronto, Canada
  • Amsterdam, Netherlands
  • London, UK
  • Frankfurt, Germany
  • Paris, France
  • Tokyo, Japan
  • Seoul, South Korea
  • Singapore city, Singapore
  • Stockholm, Sweden
  • Mexico City, Mexico

Uptime: 100% SLA

Scalability: You have complete control over here. It has a pay-only-what-you-use pricing model for better scalability or you can also go with a fixed-rate plan.

Starting Price: Cloud Compute plan starts at $2.50 per month.

Get $50 Free Credits

#4 Blackhost

black.host nvme

Blackhost is another great hosting provider. The main reason why it’s one of the cheapest KVM servers is because of the plan allocation. They have many small plans. The basic plan which will cost you less than $2.99 just has 512 MB of RAM. This makes a perfect choice for the people who want to try out KVM-based hosting but are running tight on budget.

As the server is KVM-based, it becomes easy to upgrade the server. Here, you won’t get extra add-ons like premium panel, Softaculous, security add-ons, etc. They have an extra charge for their addons. However, during the signup you will get to choose which Operating system to install.

The servers are fast and the hosting provider only supports Linux. Now, one of the biggest disadvantages is that they don’t offer a free SSL certificate. But in exchange, unlike other competitors, Blackhost doesn’t have any server setup fee.

So, you can have a look here to know more about it. It doesn’t have fancy addons but if KVM Virtualization is all that you are looking for, you can choose this hosting provider.

black.host pricing

Hosting specs

  • CPU: 1 vCore
  • Memory/RAM: 512 MB to 1 GB
  • Storage size and type: 10 to 20 GB (Raid10 NVMe)
  • Bandwidth/traffic: Unmetered

Security Features

  • DDoS protection is available but not for free.
  • Daily & Weekly Backups with Snapshots.
  • 1 Dedicated ip.
  • Bitcoin payment is also available. So, if you want to pay anonymously, this can be a great hosting provider to go with.

Data Center locations

They have three data centers locations:

  • London (United Kingdom)
  • Amsterdam (Netherlands)
  • Vienna (Austria)

Scalability: KVM Scalability. It will need rebooting of the server if you want to upgrade. No data will be lost. If you change the location, the IP address will change.

Starting Price: Starts at just $2.99. They only have a monthly plan. If you want to add any addon like Backup or DDoS, it will cost you extra.

Go to Blackhost

#5 Interserver

interserver virtualization platforms

Interserver is yet another great KVM hosting that is packed with a lot of features. If you want a super-fast hosting provider that also includes a lot of tools and features, Interserver is your choice. There are three types of KVM VPS from which you can choose one. You can select the configuration and then proceed with your requirements.

They offer fully customizable plans. You can choose what specifications you want and you only have to pay for that. Therefore, it’s quite easy for anyone to get started. It will also help you save some money as you don’t have to choose a plan.

The apps market allows you to choose your favorite app without any issues. You can install the script you want. It also has the option to use your favorite panel. So, if you don’t want to go with the regular free panel, you get the option.

Along with KVM, they also have Virtuozzo, Openvz, and Hyper-v virtualization. They have pricing for the extra add-ons but clear pricing is something that we love.

interserver linux vps

Hosting Specs

  • CPU: 1 to 16 cores
  • Memory/RAM: 2048 MB to 32768 MB (2 to 32 GB)
  • Storage size and type: 30 GB to 480 GB
  • Bandwidth/traffic: 1 TB to 16 TB

Security Features

  • They have AI-based self-healing hardware. If a problem is detected in your server, it will automatically transfer it to another node giving you a fast and secure experience.
  • You get the monitoring features.
  • The software security here is great.
  • You get dedicated resources here.
  • Further, you can also have remote backup locations if you want. It’s a paid service. So, you will have to pay extra charges for it.
  • Even after all these things, if something goes wrong, their support team is always there to help you out with the query. You can request support and get it solved.

Datacenter locations

They have 2 data centers and both of them are located in the US. So, if you have an audience that is not from the US or nearby, you might want to go with the other KVM hosting provider.

  • Los Angeles, California
  • Secaucus, New Jersey

Uptime: 99.9%

Scalability: They have five fully configurable servers that can also be upgraded anytime you want without any issues. Further, there are enough options to choose the plan.

Starting Price: $6 per month for Linux

Visit InterServer

#6 Impreza Host

impreza host kvm vps servers

Impreza Host sells KVM VPS plans in 9 countries, which is more choice than most budget providers on this list. You can pick from Europe, the US, and Asia, and every location uses the same four plans at the same price.

Its main focus is privacy. Impreza runs a no-KYC signup, accepts cryptocurrency alongside PayPal, cards, and bank transfer, and markets its offshore VPS with a DMCA-ignored policy. That still doesn't put a server above the laws of the country it sits in, so read the acceptable-use terms before you rely on it.

The plans are fixed, but you can customize the resources at checkout and upgrade or downgrade later from the client area. Changes apply right away, and you only pay the difference in hardware cost. There is also a Swap Location feature that moves your server to another country with a new IP address for $5 per swap.

The VPS is unmanaged, but you get full root access and VNC console access. Port 25 is open, which matters if you plan to run your own mail server, and every plan includes a free .onion domain.

The one weak point here is the price per resource. At $9 per month, the entry plan gives you 1 GB of RAM and 20 GB of SSD storage, which is less than what Contabo or AlphaVPS offer for similar money. You are paying more for the locations and the privacy policy than for raw specs.

impreza host kvm vps pricing

Hosting specs

  • CPU: 1 to 4 CPU cores (configurable at checkout)
  • Memory/RAM: 1 GB to 8 GB
  • Storage size and type: 20 GB to 60 GB SSD
  • Bandwidth/traffic: 5 TB per month on every plan

Security features

  • DDoS protection is included with every VPS plan at no extra cost. Impreza says it covers both volumetric and layer-7 attacks.
  • No-KYC signup. You don't need to hand over documents to order.
  • Crypto payments through CoinPayments, Cryptomus, or ImprezaPay if you don't want to pay by card.
  • Full root and VNC access, so you control the firewall and server configuration yourself.
  • Optional Impreza Backup service for off-server backups, sold separately.

Data Center Locations

Impreza offers 9 VPS locations. Pricing and plans are the same in each one.

  • Romania
  • Ukraine
  • Russia
  • Netherlands
  • USA
  • Switzerland
  • Hong Kong
  • Lithuania
  • Finland

Uptime: 99.9% SLA

Scalability: You can upgrade or downgrade the VPS at any time from the client area without contacting support. Changes are applied instantly.

Starting Price: $9 per month for 1 CPU core, 1 GB RAM, and 20 GB SSD. New VPS orders come with a 7-day money-back guarantee.

Visit Impreza Host

#7 RackNerd

racknerd virtualization kvm

RackNerd is the best choice for people who don’t want to worry about paying a hosting fee each month. It can be quite a bargain if you compare it to other cheap KVM hosting providers.

However, many KVM services that we saw above had something missing, be it an affordable yearly price. Here, you will get the best price for the entire year. This will decrease your hosting expenses and your worries a lot. You will get a super-fast KVM-based server with full root access and quick provisioning. You can get started with RackNerd in no time.

The vps features are great here. For starters, you will get an intuitive control-panel to manage your server. The performance is great as they use modern servers. Their support is the next thing that you will love. If you talk about the management, they have an easy-to-use panel that is friendly even for beginners.

Their support is available 24×7 via multiple channels. However, the only downside here is if you decide to upgrade the price will go up significantly.

racknerd vps hosting prices

Hosting Specs

  • CPU: 1 vcore
  • Memory/RAM: 0.5 GB
  • Storage size and type: 15 GB SSD (RAID-10)
  • Bandwidth/traffic: 500 GB (uplink 1Gbps)

Hosting features

  • They have modern server infrastructure, which is a plus.
  • All their VPS are SSD cached.
  • You are guaranteed a network speed of 1Gbps.
  • You can reinstall your VPS operating system at any time.
  • Once you order your VPS, you can expect an instant activation.

Datacenter locations

They only have one option here from which you can choose. If you decide to go with higher vps plans, you’ll get more locations to choose from.

  • USA (New york)

Uptime: 99.9% uptime

Scalability: Upgrading with KVM is easy. However, the price will increase significantly if you want to upgrade your plan. This is how you can get started with RackNerd.

Starting Price: It costs you $1.91 per month. That’s $22.99 per year. The good thing is that the price won’t change too much if you decrease the tenure. So, you can pick an annual plan if you want.

Visit RackNerd

#8 AlphaVPS

alphavps kvm vps in europe

If you are looking for a KVM server with full root access in the European region, you found the best provider to go with. Alpha VPS can be considered one of the cheapest KVM hosting providers if you consider the price.

They have various plans due to which you can choose a lower plan and pay less. Overall, the server is great and high-performing. The control panel will allow you to do all the things from there. You can reinstall OS, monitor your server, reset your password, etc. It’s a beginner-friendly panel.

If we talk about advanced features, it has Docker and K8 (Kubernetes). Many people also want to use Docker with KVM. So, if that’s the case here, you can surely go with Alpha VPS. If you have been researching, you might already know that it’s hard to find the KVM VPS with Docker at such an attractive price.

Just like every hosting provider, you can install any OS you want. You can install Ubuntu, Debian, Cent, Fedora, or if you want to have a different OS, they have the facility to upload your custom ISO file. They also have high-resources servers. So, you can run your app at the best possible speed.

Plan vCPU ECC RAM NVMe (RAID 10) Transfer Monthly billing Annual billing (per month)
C2G 2 2 GB 30 GB 3 TB €2.99 €2.54
C8G 4 8 GB 75 GB 8 TB €6.49 €5.52
C16G 6 16 GB 140 GB 12 TB €11.99 €10.19
C32G 8 32 GB 240 GB 20 TB €22.99 €19.54

Source: AlphaVPS's Cheap VPS page, checked October 17, 2026. Prices exclude VAT. Every plan is a KVM server with an IPv4 address and a /64 IPv6 block, and the network ports run at as much as 10 Gbit/s. Four more sizes sit between these, from 4 GB to 24 GB of RAM.

Hosting specs

  • CPU: Intel Xeon Scalable (2 to 8 vCPU)
  • Memory/RAM: 2 to 32 GB ECC
  • Storage size & type: 30 GB to 240 GB NVMe storage (RAID10)
  • Bandwidth/traffic: 3 TB to 20 TB, with network ports as fast as 10 Gbit/s

Security features

  • DDoS protection is included in all the plans which is a great thing.
  • They also support FDE which is Disk Encryption.
  • Tier I providers for the network. It’s great for the performance as well.
  • Advanced monitoring is available for CPU and memory. You can also view it as a graph.
  • Basic features like password reset from the panel can also be done.

Data centers locations

They have seven data center locations. Unfortunately, DDoS protection is not available in Bulgaria. So, if you are planning to go with that location, you will have to keep that in mind.

  • Sofia, Bulgaria
  • Nuremberg, Germany
  • London, UK
  • New York, USA
  • Dallas, USA
  • Los Angeles, USA
  • Seattle, USA

Uptime: 99.9%

Scalability: One can upgrade or downgrade the server anytime they want. They provide complete facility for it. You don’t need to worry about bandwidth overuse. They will send you an email about the upgrade in case the bandwidth is overused. So, you can take the action after that.

Starting price: It starts at €5 per month for the cheapest plan.

Visit AlphaVPS

#9 Digital Ocean

digitalocean enterprise grade kvm

Digital Ocean is known as the developer’s cloud. They have thousands of features that you can use. Along with being developer-friendly, it’s one of the cheap KVM hosting providers.

Digital Ocean is known for its security and performance. The performance is also outstanding. All these make it a good KVM hosting to try out. If you want to save more money, you can go with the shared CPU. If not, you can always go with the dedicated CPU which is completely reserved for you. Even the shared CPU has enough resources to run your website.

It has global data centers and comes with private networking features. It supports Kubernetes. Digital Ocean makes it easier to manage and handle your server with one click. So, if you are a fan of automation, you can surely go with this.

Further, it’s recommended for all the websites even if you are planning to start a SaaS website. They have a completely predictable and transparent pricing model that you can use. So, you don’t need to worry about the pricing. You can get started directly with Digital Ocean and start deploying.

digitalocean pricing plans

Hosting Specs

Here, we have considered a general-purpose server. You will get better specs if you go with other types of servers.

  • CPU: Intel Xeon or AMD
  • Memory/RAM: 1 to 16 GB
  • Storage size and type: 25 to 320 GB NVMe SSD (Extra storage available)
  • Bandwidth/traffic: 1000 GB to 6 TB

Security Features

  • Constant monitoring is available for the droplet.
  • Alert if the CPU usage increases or there is something suspicious going on.
  • Cloud firewall that is not only useful for the production stage but also the staging environment.
  • Team management feature to save yourself from imposters.
  • Snapshots and backups are available.
  • http/2 support.

Datacenter locations

They have 13 data centers among which only 9 are available for new users due to limited capacity. We have also mentioned which of them are available. Here is a complete list of the locations.

  • 3 data centers in New York City, US (2 available)
  • 2 in Amsterdam, Netherlands (1 available)
  • 3 in San Francisco, US (1 available)
  • Singapore
  • London, UK
  • Frankfurt, Germany
  • Toronto, Canada
  • Bangalore, India

Uptime: 99.99% SLA

Scalability: Digital Ocean has great scalability; you can easily upgrade your plan whenever you want without any issues. This is why people prefer the Digital Ocean.

Starting Price: As low as $5 per month for a basic regular Intel droplet. Premium Intel will be just a dollar more.

Visit DigitalOcean

#10 Time4VPS (Best Budget)

time4vps kvm linux vps

Time4VPS is a Europe-based KVM hosting provider. If you are planning to get hosting in Europe, you can surely go with Time4VPS. The company is best suited for people who have a small budget. The main cost-cutting can be done by choosing the right plan.

They have got 8 plans. The first plan is very basic and suited for the complete beginners whereas the last plan is for people who are running a mid-sizes website. So, you can get the perfect plan no matter what are your requirements. As there are plenty of options, it’s easier to scale up the server.

They have Windows KVM along with Linux. The security given here is very basic but you can use their premium tool if you want. It also has a secure VPN if you want to use it.

Talking about the performance, you will get the best speed and the uptime is also excellent. However, they only have one location. It’s in Europe. So, you will have to keep that in mind.

You can surely customize the OS as per your needs. They also have optional backup options.

Hosting Specs

  • CPU: Intel Xeon Gold 6132 (1 to 16 cores)
  • Memory/RAM: 2 to 64 GB
  • Storage size and type: 20 GB to 640 GB
  • Bandwidth/traffic: 4 TB to 128 TB

Security Features

  • The hardware is powerful and comes with all the good features that you can use.
  • Secure storage is yet another reason why you should be going with the hosting provider.
  • Further, it also has optional backup storage.
  • They also accept Coinify payments which allow you to make your payment using Cryptocurrency. So, you can also treat this as a security feature.
  • Spam protection and filtering.
  • If you want, you can upgrade to BitNinja for better security. It will cost you a bit extra.
  • Data N+1 redundancy in the data center.
  • You will surely get the basic software security along with all of these. So, don’t worry much about the security.

Datacenter locations

They just have one data center location which is located in Europe.

  • Lithuania, Europe

Uptime: 99.98% uptime

Scalability: You can upgrade or downgrade the server anytime. Here, there are many plans to choose from. Therefore, it makes it quite easier to choose the best one as per your needs. You don’t have to spend more time thinking. You can slowly upgrade.

Starting Price: As low as €3.25 (The annual plan will cost you €25.95 per year) for Linux, Windows KVM starts at €14.29.

time4vps unmanaged vps prices

Activate Time4VPS Discount (50% OFF)

#11 NameCheap

namecheap vps hosting

NameCheap is yet another cheap hosting provider to go with. If you have been using hosting services for a while, you might already be aware of NameCheap. They have been providing the best service to its customer for a very long time.

So, you can expect great quality here. However, you might not have noticed “KVM” in any of their VPS services. Therefore, many people assume that they are not providing KVM service. However, that’s not the case, you can surely go with their servers, they use KVM for virtualization.

They have mentioned in their blog that they started using KVM a long time ago. So, all the new users will get the KVM-based virtualization if they go with VPS. For more information, you can check out their knowledge base and know more about the same. They have various management plans.

For instance, if you want them to do the basic management, you can go with the basic plan. In the same way, you can go with the advanced plan for better management. The servers are fast and you will get complete access to the root.

namecheap kvm virtualization

Hosting specs

  • CPU: 2 or 4 cores
  • Memory/RAM: 2 or 6 GB RAM
  • Storage size and type: 40 or 120 GB (RAID 10 SSD)
  • Bandwidth/traffic: 1 or 3 TB

Security Features

  • They follow top security standards for their plans.
  • If you want to have better security, you can surely go with their server management plan. It has various plans that can handle the security and manage the server for you.
  • Routine server backups and constant monitoring are included in all the plans.
  • They have premium DNS and software security.
  • You can surely use their security apps if you want your website to be more secure.

Datacenter locations

For VPS, you only have one option to go with. They have their primary data center in the USA in which you can host your VPS. There are no other options here to go with.

  • Phoenix, Arizona, USA

Uptime: 99.9% monthly

Scalability: They offer easy scalability. You can switch through different plans. As there are only two VPS plans, it can be quite complicated to scale up. However, if you want cheap managed hosting, NameCheap VPS can be a great choice.

Starting Price: $9.88 per month

namecheap vps prices

Start with NameCheap (30% OFF)

#12 Akamai Cloud (formerly Linode)

akamai cloud 100 credit

Akamai bought Linode, and the product now carries the Akamai Cloud name. Inside the dashboard and the documentation, each server is still called a Linode, and the smallest plan keeps its old Nanode name.

Akamai Cloud is not the cheapest KVM VPS on this list. What you pay for is a mature cloud platform with hourly billing, a large region network and a 99.99% uptime SLA. For a cheap KVM server, look at the Shared CPU range. The dedicated-core and memory-optimized ranges cost more and are meant for heavier workloads.

Every Linode runs on KVM virtualization. Akamai's API documentation lists KVM as the only hypervisor currently supported, so you get your own kernel and full root access on every plan. Akamai's price list doesn't always mention KVM, but the shared plans use it as well.

Shared CPU plans give you vCPUs on shared physical cores. Akamai allows 100% CPU use in short bursts but asks you to keep sustained usage below 80% on average. That makes these plans a good fit for websites, development servers and light apps, not for constant heavy processing.

The cheapest plan, Nanode, costs $5 per month ($0.0075 per hour). For that price you get a single shared vCPU, 1 GB of memory, a 25 GB SSD disk and a 1 TB monthly transfer allowance. The next plan, Linode 2 GB, costs $12 per month, so the step up after the Nanode is steep. These are North American prices, and some regions cost more.

Akamai Cloud is unmanaged. You install the web stack, configure the firewall and apply updates yourself, so beginners who have never used a Linux terminal will face a learning curve.

New customers get a $100 credit that expires 60 days after activation. A valid payment method is required to confirm your identity, GPU plans are excluded, and anything you use beyond the credit is billed at standard rates.

akamai cloud shared cpu plans

Hosting specs

  • CPU: 1 to 32 shared vCPUs
  • Memory/RAM: from 1 GB up to 192 GB on the largest shared plan
  • Storage size and type: SSD disks from 25 GB up to 3,840 GB
  • Bandwidth/traffic: 1 TB to 20 TB of outbound transfer per month, free inbound transfer, and $0.005 per GB over the allowance

Security Features

  • Free Cloud Firewalls you can apply to each Linode
  • Free private networking with VPCs and VLANs
  • Dedicated IPv4 and IPv6 addresses on every Linode
  • Direct console access through Lish, useful when a firewall rule locks you out of SSH
  • Optional paid Backups service with automatic daily and weekly backups
  • Linode has run cloud servers for more than 20 years, and the platform now runs on Akamai's global infrastructure

Datacenter locations

Akamai lists 31 core compute regions in 26 cities, and Shared CPU plans are available in all core regions. A few regions have limited capacity or are closed to new customers (Jakarta, for example), so check the region list before you deploy.

  • North America: Atlanta, Chicago, Dallas, Fremont, Los Angeles, Miami, Newark, Seattle and Washington, D.C. (US), plus Toronto (Canada)
  • Europe: Amsterdam, Frankfurt, London, Madrid, Milan, Paris and Stockholm
  • Asia: Chennai, Jakarta, Mumbai, Osaka, Singapore and Tokyo
  • South America: São Paulo
  • Oceania: Melbourne and Sydney

Uptime: 99.99% monthly uptime SLA (99% for instances in limited-availability regions)

Scalability: You can resize a Linode to a bigger plan from Cloud Manager when you need more resources. Billing is hourly up to a monthly cap, so a short-lived server costs only the hours it existed. A powered-off Linode is still billed, though, because its resources stay reserved.

Starting Price: $5 per month

Get Akamai's $100 Free Credit

What is KVM Hosting?

Many people might have read somewhere that KVM hosting services are considered the best. Therefore, they have started searching for it. However, they might not know about KVM. So, we will see what exactly is KVM hosting and why you should use it.

KVM stands for Kernel-based Virtual Machine. It’s a virtualization solution built on Linux that allows you to turn your Linux into a hypervisor. Once turned into the hypervisor, it allows you to have multiple isolated environments in a single OS. The isolated environments are called Virtual Machines.

When a hosting service uses KVM virtualization, you get a completely isolated virtual machine that is not at all affected by other machines. As a result, you get complete resources and performance. Not to mention, it’s extremely easy to scale up KVM VPS. Just so you know, KVM is designed on top of VPS. So, KVM is a type of VPS.

Choosing the Right KVM Service

choosing the right kvm vps

12 providers can be a huge list to filter for the best one, right? We know the struggle. Therefore, we are here with an easy solution that you can go with. Most people would have already selected the best KVM provider. However, if you have not yet selected the best one, here are a few tips that can be helpful:

  1. First, you should know your major requirements. It can be the price of the server, features, security, or you simply might want the best KVM which is not too expensive. Once you know the requirements, it’s quite easier to filter out the providers.
  2. The next thing that you need to do is see the data center locations and hosting specs. These two things are very important. You might have seen the $5 pricing but what if the storage capacity is not enough for you? So, you need to keep that in mind.

Don’t worry, we won’t tell you to scroll up again and start filtering out. Instead, we will recommend the best KVM hosting provider to go with as per your needs.

Here is our filtering list for the best KVM hosting. Depending on your requirements, you can choose the best one from the list.

  • Cheapest KVM Hosting: Blackhost, Time4VPS, and Vultr have the lowest starting price among all of them. However, their plans don’t include all of the features.
  • Feature-rich Hosting: Usually, the clouds have the best features to go with. So, my pick here would be Digital Ocean, Vultr, and Akamai Cloud (formerly Linode).
  • Hosting with the Highest coverage of data center locations: Well, if your major requirement is data center locations, Vultr or Akamai Cloud are the only choices you have.
  • Windows KVM VPS: Out of all, AlexHost and Time4VPS are our picks here.
  • KVM with Docker: Alpha VPS is the only option you have here.

Final Words

To conclude, this was the complete list of the best and the cheapest KVM VPS hosting providers available. The list we have made includes decent providers that have the lowest pricing for KVM-based virtualization. If you want to go with the best KVM providers, we recommend you choose one from our filtering list.

Top RatedContabo Cloud VPS S
Hosting PlanContabo Cloud VPS S
CPU4 vCPU Cores (AMD EPYC)
Memory8 GB RAM
Disk Space50 GB (NVMe)
BandwidthUnlimited
Starting Price$8.49/mo
Editor's ChoiceAlexHost KVM VPS U1
Hosting PlanKVM VPS U1
CPU1 vCore
Memory1.5 GB DDR4
Disk Space10 GB (NVMe)
Bandwidth100 Mbps port
Starting Price€6.00/mo
Best BudgetVultr Regular Cloud ComputeRegular Cloud Compute
Hosting PlanRegular Cloud Compute (IPv6 only)
CPU1 vCPU
Memory0.5 GB
Disk Space10 GB (SSD)
Bandwidth0.5 TB
Starting Price$2.50/mo
Compare these plans in a table
Comparison of Contabo Cloud VPS S, KVM VPS U1, Regular Cloud Compute
ProviderContabo Cloud VPS SKVM VPS U1Regular Cloud Compute
Hosting PlanContabo Cloud VPS SKVM VPS U1Regular Cloud Compute (IPv6 only)
CPU4 vCPU Cores (AMD EPYC)1 vCore1 vCPU
Memory8 GB RAM1.5 GB DDR40.5 GB
Disk Space50 GB (NVMe)10 GB (NVMe)10 GB (SSD)
BandwidthUnlimited100 Mbps port0.5 TB
Starting Price$8.49/mo€6.00/mo$2.50/mo

So, which KVM VPS are you planning to go with? Let us know in the comment section. We know most of you might be struggling to find the best KVM VPS hosting provider. We would be happy to know your struggle story about finding KVM servers. The comment section is open to you.

FAQ

What is the difference between KVM and VPS?

KVM is a type of virtualization where you can run multiple isolated systems. Therefore, you will get dedicated resources for your server. KVM is designed on top of VPS to improve the scalability, performance, and reliability of the server.

What is better KVM VPS or OpenVZ VPS?

KVM gives users complete kernel customization ability whereas OpenVZ has limited options. In simpler words, you can run multiple OS in KVM whereas OpenVZ is only for Linux. OpenVZ uses a shared kernel. Therefore, the resources are also limited. KVM has a more isolated environment and gives better control.

Are there any good KVM VPS in Europe?

There are many great KVM VPS like Digital Ocean, Akamai Cloud, Vultr, etc that provide data centers in Europe. If you want more data centers options in the European region, you can go with AlphaVPS, Time4VPS, and AlexHost. These are the KVM VPS with a majority of data centers in Europe.

What are some good alternatives to KVM VPS?

There are many great alternatives to KVM VPS such as HyperV, OpenVZ, VMware vSphere, and Oracle VM. You can go with any of them. Most people prefer the KVM solution as their VPS as it’s more flexible as compared to other virtualizations.