Scaleway vs Vultr
Both are alternatives to AWS (EC2 compute). Here's how they stack up — verified facts, no spin.
Also searched as Vultr vs Scaleway — same comparison, one verdict.
Both are cloud & vps tools with the same broad shape, but Scaleway scores 60 against Vultr's 52 on data ownership and exit cost — the gap is in how easily you could leave.
Scaleway
The EU-sovereign option — French cloud with ARM and bare-metal range.
For teams that want their infrastructure under EU jurisdiction on principle, Scaleway is the credible sovereign pick: instances billed by the hour, ARM options, object storage, and managed Kubernetes — all operated from France. English-language docs are thinner than the US providers'.
Vultr
The widest region map — 32 data centres including Asia and South America.
When latency to Mumbai, Tokyo, Seoul, or São Paulo matters, Vultr's 32 regions are the draw. Pricing starts around $2.50–6/mo, billing is hourly, and GPU instances are available for AI workloads — a practical AWS exit that keeps global reach.
Side by side
6 points of comparison, every one read from a verified field. Green marks the side that wins a row outright. A dash means we do not hold that fact — never that it is zero.
| Scaleway | Vultr | |
|---|---|---|
| Sovereignty ScoreOur transparent 0–100 composite for data ownership and exit cost. | 60 | 52 |
| Open source | No | No |
| Self-hostable | No | No |
| Local-first data | No | No |
| License | Proprietary service | Proprietary service |
| Pricing | Instances billed hourly from a few euros/mo; EU regions | From ~$2.50–6/mo; hourly billing; GPU instances available |
Scaleway edges it on the Sovereignty Score, but the right pick depends on the trade-offs below.
Weighing both against staying on AWS (EC2 compute)? Is AWS (EC2 compute) free? What it actually costs →
Scaleway
Strengths
- +EU jurisdiction and data sovereignty
- +ARM instances and bare-metal range
- +Hourly billing
Trade-offs
- −EU-centric region map
- −Documentation thinner in English
Vultr
Strengths
- +32 regions — the widest map in this comparison
- +Hourly billing and GPU options
- +Competitive entry pricing
Trade-offs
- −Ticket-first support
- −Bandwidth caps vary by plan and region
Which one fits you
The trade-offs above, turned into a decision. Find the line that describes your team.
Choose Scaleway
if a lower exit cost matters more to you than any single feature, and eU jurisdiction and data sovereignty.
Choose Vultr
if 32 regions — the widest map in this comparison.
Neither, yet
if both carry a real cost you should weigh first — eU-centric region map, and ticket-first support. If either of those is a dealbreaker for your team, the shortlist is wrong rather than the choice.
Scaleway vs Vultr — common questions
Is Scaleway a better fit than Vultr for cloud & vps?
It depends on what you are optimising for, and the honest split is this: Scaleway scores 60 to Vultr's 52 on data ownership and exit cost, so it is the safer choice if you care about being able to leave. Vultr earns its place on a different axis — 32 regions — the widest map in this comparison. Neither is a wrong answer for every team; the table above is the actual comparison.
What happens if we want to switch later?
Neither of these is local-first by default, so plan the exit at the point you adopt rather than later. Export what matters on a schedule instead of trusting you can retrieve it on demand — that is the most common way a cloud & vps migration turns into a project instead of an afternoon.
Are Scaleway and Vultr both alternatives to AWS (EC2 compute)?
Yes — both appear in our AWS (EC2 compute) comparison, which is why they are worth putting side by side. People usually arrive here already having decided to move off AWS (EC2 compute) and now choosing between the two replacements, which is a narrower and much easier question.
Related alternative guides
Facts verified 2026-07-19. Licenses and pricing change — spotted something out of date? That's a correction we want.