Contabo VDS vs VPS: Which One Should You Choose in 2025?
Contabo VDS vs VPS: When it comes to affordable hosting, Contabo has made a name for itself as one of the most cost-effective yet powerful providers in the market. (Read our Contabo VPS Hosting Review for a deeper look at their VPS performance). From developers and automation enthusiasts to SaaS founders and small businesses, Contabo is often the go-to choice for budget-friendly, high-performance hosting.
But if you’ve recently explored Contabo’s products, you might have noticed something new: alongside their popular VPS (Virtual Private Servers), they now offer VDS (Virtual Dedicated Servers).
This leaves many users asking: What’s the difference between VPS and VDS? And which one should I choose in 2025?
In this blog, we’ll break down Contabo VPS vs VDS, compare their specs and pricing, and help you decide which hosting option best fits your needs.
What is a VPS?
A Virtual Private Server (VPS) is a virtual machine hosted on a physical server that’s shared with other users. Each VPS gets its own slice of resources (CPU, RAM, storage), isolated from other tenants.
Key Features of a VPS:
- Shared physical hardware, but private environment.
- Scalable and affordable.
- Suitable for small to medium workloads.
- Popular for websites, blogs, automation platforms (like n8n or OpenRPA), and testing environments. We covered this in detail in our blog on Best Hosting Services for Automation Platforms.
👉 VPS is ideal if you want cost-effective hosting with flexibility, but you don’t need guaranteed dedicated cores.
What is a VDS?
A Virtual Dedicated Server (VDS) is similar to a VPS but with one major difference: you get dedicated CPU cores instead of shared ones.
Key Features of a VDS:
- Guaranteed dedicated CPU performance (no noisy neighbors).
- Higher reliability for heavy workloads.
- Suitable for production SaaS apps, game servers, AI/ML workloads, and enterprise-grade hosting.
- Costs more than VPS but cheaper than a full dedicated server.
👉 VDS is perfect if you need consistent performance, no CPU contention, and better scalability.
Contabo VDS vs VPS: Head-to-Head Comparison
| Feature | Contabo VPS | Contabo VDS |
|---|---|---|
| CPU | Shared Cores | Dedicated Cores |
| Performance | Variable (depends on server load) | Consistent (guaranteed) |
| Pricing | Lower (budget-friendly) | Higher (mid-tier) |
| Best For | Small/medium websites, automation tools, dev environments | SaaS apps, databases, AI/ML, high-traffic workloads |
| Scalability | Easy to scale | Easy to scale |
| Reliability | Good but variable | Higher stability, no contention |
Pricing in 2025: VPS vs VDS
Contabo VPS Pricing (as of 2025):
- Starts at $4.70/month with 3 vCPU cores, 8 GB RAM, 150 GB SSD.
- Excellent for startups, hobby projects, automation tools.
Contabo VDS Pricing (as of 2025):
- Starts at $49.99/month with dedicated cores and higher performance.
- Better suited for production apps, databases, and mission-critical workloads.
👉 VPS = affordable entry point.
👉 VDS = enterprise-grade without the cost of a dedicated server.
(Always check Contabo’s pricing page for the latest deals—affiliate link goes here.)
When to Choose VPS Over VDS
Choose VPS if:
- You’re hosting small to medium websites or apps.
- You’re running development/testing environments.
- You need affordable hosting for automation tools like n8n, OpenRPA, or WordPress.
- You don’t need guaranteed dedicated CPU performance.
👉 VPS is the budget-friendly choice that works for 80% of use cases.
When to Choose VDS Over VPS
Choose VDS if:
- You’re running production SaaS platforms with paying customers.
- You need guaranteed CPU cores (no performance drops).
- You’re hosting game servers, AI/ML workloads, or large databases.
- You want a middle ground between VPS and dedicated servers.
👉 VDS is the performance-focused choice for businesses that can’t afford downtime.
VPS vs VDS: Which One is Better in 2025?
The answer depends on your budget and performance needs:
- Small Business / Developer / Automation Enthusiast → Go with VPS. It’s cheap, scalable, and powerful enough for most use cases.
- Growing SaaS / Enterprise / AI Workloads → Choose VDS. It gives you consistent, dedicated CPU power without jumping to expensive dedicated servers.
Both options are solid, but if performance consistency is critical, VDS is worth the extra investment.
Contabo VPS vs VDS: Final Verdict
- VPS = Best for beginners, automation tools, testing, and small projects.
- VDS = Best for businesses, SaaS apps, and workloads that demand reliability.
At the end of the day, Contabo offers some of the most affordable hosting solutions. If you want more insights, check out our full Contabo VPS Hosting Review.
👉 Ready to try Contabo? Check VPS and VDS plans here
