Table of Contents
- How this page ranks
- What a small Azure VM costs, line by line
- The CPU credit model, in Microsoft's words
- Egress and the free account
- Nine alternatives at 2 vCPU and 4 GB
- Which alternative for which reason
- Windows Server without Azure
- Who should stay on Azure
- What this page could not verify
- FAQ
- Sources
How this page ranks
The Azure size used as the reference is B2als v2: 2 vCPU and 4 GiB, the smallest B-series size with a usable amount of memory. The alternatives are ranked by the monthly list price of their smallest fixed-price plan with at least 2 vCPU and 4 GB in a US region, with the plan's specs shown so that a larger plan (Contabo's 8 GB, InterServer's 8 GB) is visible as such. Azure's prices come from the Retail Prices API for East US, Linux, pay-as-you-go, converted to a month at 730 hours; the CPU rules are quoted from Microsoft Learn. Provider prices were read from their pages and APIs on this site's other pages in September 2026 and are linked in the sources. The rule was fixed before the prices were read. An earlier version of this page cited benchmark results and a "three years of benchmarking" narrative; none of it could be sourced and it has been removed.
What a small Azure VM costs, line by line
Azure's VM price is the compute only. Three more lines appear on every small-server bill: the managed OS disk, the public IP address, and outbound data transfer. From the Retail Prices API for East US in September 2026:
| Size | vCPU / GiB | Base CPU | Per hour (Linux) | Per 730-hour month | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| B1ls | 1 / 0.5 | 5% | $0.0052 | $3.80 | Linux only |
| B1s | 1 / 1 | 10% | $0.0104 | $7.59 | In the 12-month free allowance |
| B2ats v2 (AMD) | 2 / 1 | 20% | $0.0094 | $6.86 | In the 12-month free allowance |
| B2ts v2 (Intel) | 2 / 1 | 20% | $0.0104 | $7.59 | |
| B2als v2 (AMD) | 2 / 4 | 30% | $0.0376 | $27.45 | The size the table below is ranked against |
| B2ls v2 (Intel) | 2 / 4 | 30% | $0.0416 | $30.37 | |
| B2s (v1) | 2 / 4 | 20% | $0.0416 | $30.37 | Older generation, same price as B2ls v2 |
| B2as v2 (AMD) | 2 / 8 | 40% | $0.0752 | $54.90 | |
| B2s v2 (Intel) | 2 / 8 | 40% | $0.0832 | $60.74 |
| Line item (East US) | Price | Per month |
|---|---|---|
| Standard SSD managed disk E4 (32 GiB) | $2.40 a month | $2.40 |
| Premium SSD managed disk P4 (32 GiB) | $5.28 a month | $5.28 |
| Standard HDD managed disk S4 (32 GiB) | $1.54 a month | $1.54 |
| Standard static public IPv4 | $0.006 an hour | $4.38 |
| Data transfer out, first 100 GB | $0 | $0 |
| Data transfer out, above 100 GB | $0.087 per GB (Microsoft network routing); $0.08 (Internet routing) | Usage |
| Data transfer in | $0 | $0 |
So the reference server, a Linux B2als v2 with an E4 disk and a static IP, is $27.45 + $2.40 + $4.38 = $34.23 a month before egress. The cheapest thing Azure sells that boots Linux, a B1ls with an S4 disk and an IP, is $3.80 + $1.54 + $4.38 = $9.72 for half a gigabyte of memory and a 5% CPU baseline. These are list prices; reservations and savings plans lower the compute line for one- or three-year commitments and are not compared here.
The CPU credit model, in Microsoft's words
Microsoft's B-family page says B-series VMs "are the only VM type that use credits for CPU performance provisioning", and describes the mechanism: the VM "accumulates CPU credits when a workload is operating below the base CPU performance threshold and uses credits when running above the base CPU performance threshold until all of its credits are consumed. Upon consuming all the CPU credits, a B-series virtual machine is throttled back to its base CPU performance until it accumulates the credits to CPU burst again." The base percentages are in the table above; the same docs give each size's initial credits, credits banked per hour and maximum bank (a B2als v2 starts with 60, banks 36 an hour and can hold 864). In practice a B2als v2 that idles most of the day can run flat out for a while when it needs to; one that runs a steady load above 30% of two vCPUs will be held at 30%. Azure's non-burstable families (D-series and others) have no credit model and cost more per hour; they are outside this page.
The providers in the table below do not sell CPU on a credit balance. Vultr, Linode, DigitalOcean, OVHcloud, Contabo, Hostwinds and InterServer sell shared vCPUs whose sustained use is governed by acceptable-use terms rather than a stated percentage, and each offers dedicated-CPU lines at higher prices; Lightsail is burstable in the same sense as Azure and says so on its FAQ. This page does not claim to have measured any of them.
Egress and the free account
Outbound transfer is the line that surprises people. The first 100 GB in a month is free; above it, East US charges $0.087 per GB on the default Microsoft-network routing and $0.08 on Internet routing, with lower rates from about 10 TB up. One terabyte out in a month is therefore roughly $80. Every provider in the table folds an allowance into the monthly price: 3 TB on Vultr's 4 GB plan, 4 TB on DigitalOcean, Linode and Lightsail at 4 GB, 8 TB on InterServer's four-slice plan, 2 TB on Hostwinds, and unmetered or unlimited wording at OVHcloud and Contabo, subject to their terms.
The Azure free account, from Microsoft's page in September 2026, gives new customers a $200 credit with "up to 30 days to use your credit", plus 12 months of free monthly amounts including "750 hours each of B1s, B2pts v2 (Arm-based), and B2ats v2 (AMD-based) burstable VMs", and a set of always-free services. It is a real way to run a small VM free for a year; the disk, IP and egress lines still bill, and the VM bills at list price in month 13.
Nine alternatives at 2 vCPU and 4 GB
| Provider | Plan | Specs | US locations | Monthly | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| OVHcloud | VPS-1 | 2 vCPU / 4 GB / 40 GB / unmetered | Vint Hill VA, Hillsboro OR | $5.35 | $4.54 a month on a yearly term |
| Contabo | Cloud VPS 4 | 4 vCPU / 8 GB / 100 GB / unlimited | Carlstadt NJ, St. Louis, Seattle | $6.60 | Introductory price for 24 months; check the configurator for a location fee |
| InterServer | 4 slices | 2 vCPU / 8 GB / 160 GB / 8 TB | NYC (Secaucus), Dallas, Los Angeles | $12 | Monthly, no contract; 2 slices (1 vCPU, 4 GB) is $6 |
| Hostwinds | Unmanaged Linux 4 GB | 2 vCPU / 4 GB / 75 GB / 2 TB | Dallas, Seattle | $18.99 | Monthly |
| Vultr | vc2-2c-4gb | 2 vCPU / 4 GB / 80 GB / 3 TB | Nine US regions | $20 | Hourly; API; Windows images |
| DigitalOcean | Basic 4 GiB | 2 vCPU / 4 GiB / 80 GB / 4 TB | NYC, SFO (full lineup); Atlanta, Richmond, Kansas City (Premium-CPU plans only) | $24 | Hourly; managed databases, Kubernetes, App Platform |
| Linode | Linode 4GB | 2 vCPU / 4 GB / 80 GB / 4 TB | Ten US regions | $24 | Hourly; API |
| AWS Lightsail | 4 GB bundle | 2 vCPU / 4 GB / 80 GB / 4 TB | N. Virginia, Ohio, Oregon | $24 | Fixed bundle inside AWS; burstable CPU |
| Hetzner | CPX21 (US) | 3 vCPU / 4 GB / 80 GB NVMe / 1 TB | Ashburn VA, Hillsboro OR | $37.49 | US price since June 15, 2026; IPv4 extra; EU price is lower |
Every price in the table includes the disk, the IPv4 address (Hetzner excepted) and a transfer allowance. Against the $34.23 Azure reference, OVHcloud is about a sixth of the price, Vultr about three fifths, and Hetzner's US price is higher than Azure's compute line alone, which is why Hetzner is last here despite its reputation for low European prices. Kamatera sells a configurable server in eight US cities and would fit the size, but its 2 vCPU, 4 GB price is set in a configurator rather than on a list, so it is not ranked. Google Cloud is metered like Azure and is compared separately below.
Which alternative for which reason
- The bill is the problem. OVHcloud VPS-1 ($5.35, or $4.54 yearly) or Contabo Cloud VPS 4 ($6.60 introductory). Both are monthly-billed with unmetered transfer; neither has an hourly API. Read the Contabo review for the renewal price and the configurator's location fee before ordering.
- You want to keep hourly billing and an API. Vultr ($20 at 2 vCPU, 4 GB, nine US regions, Windows images) is the closest fixed-price analogue to an Azure VM; Linode and DigitalOcean ($24) add longer-running platforms, and DigitalOcean's managed databases and App Platform replace the Azure services a small app is most likely to have used.
- You want a bigger server than the Azure size for the same money. InterServer four slices, 2 vCPU, 8 GB, 160 GB and 8 TB for $12, month to month, in New York, Dallas or Los Angeles.
- You want to stay inside a hyperscaler. AWS Lightsail's $24 bundle is 2 vCPU, 4 GB, 80 GB and 4 TB with no separate disk, IP or transfer lines, in three US regions, and burstable like Azure. Google Cloud Compute Engine is metered like Azure, with an Always Free e2-micro and nine US regions; the Google Cloud vs Lightsail page covers that pair.
- You need a specific US metro. Vultr and Linode cover the most cities; the datacenter guide maps providers to metros. Azure's nine US regions (Central US, East US, East US 2, North Central US, South Central US, West Central US, West US, West US 2, West US 3) are matched in count only by Vultr and Linode.
Windows Server without Azure
Azure prices Windows as a separate meter: B2als v2 with Windows is $0.0468 an hour in East US, about $34 a month for the compute, or about $41 with the E4 disk and IP. Among fixed-price providers, InterServer sells Windows Cloud Compute from $10 a month (minimum 2 slices: 1 core, 4 GB, 80 GB SSD, 4 TB, on Hyper-V with Remote Desktop, license included) and $5 per additional slice. Vultr and Hostwinds offer Windows images with the license priced on their order pages. The Windows VPS page ranks them.
Affiliate link: BestUSAVPS may earn a commission if you buy from InterServer through it. InterServer is not first in the table above; it is placed here because it has the lowest fixed price for a Windows Server VPS on this site. Other provider links on this page are plain links.
Who should stay on Azure
The reasons are all about what surrounds the VM. Entra ID (Azure AD) sign-in and conditional access; Azure SQL, Cosmos DB or a managed PostgreSQL that the app already talks to over a private network; AKS; an enterprise agreement or Microsoft credits that make the list price irrelevant; compliance work that already cites Azure's certifications; Azure Hybrid Benefit for existing Windows Server licences; or a team that knows the portal and Bicep and does not want to learn a second console. Reserved instances and savings plans also narrow the gap on the compute line for anyone committing to one or three years. None of the providers in the table replaces those things. What they replace is the standalone server with a disk, an IP and some traffic, and for that the gap is the one in the numbers above.
What this page could not verify
- Azure prices in regions other than East US: the API returns per-region prices and other US regions can differ; check the region you use.
- Reserved-instance and savings-plan discounts: not compared; list pay-as-you-go prices only.
- Sustained-CPU behaviour at the fixed-price providers: their terms govern it; no percentage is published in the way Azure publishes a baseline, and this page measured nothing.
- Contabo's location fee for US cities and Kamatera's 2 vCPU, 4 GB price: both set in configurators.
- Windows license prices at Vultr and Hostwinds: on their order pages, not quoted here.