Aleph Cloud vs AWS, Azure, Google Cloud, Scaleway
Up to 69% cheaper than the hyperscalers, with storage included and decentralization built in. Compare pricing, features, and capabilities across the leading cloud providers.
Start at $0.0143/h67%
cheaper than AWS
69%
cheaper than Azure
61%
cheaper than Google Cloud
57%
cheaper than Scaleway
Small workloads — 2 vCPU / 4 GB / 40 GB
Comparable plans across providers, with 40 GB block storage normalized in the total.
| Provider | Plan | Compute | + Storage | Total / month |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 🛡 Aleph Cloud | VPS 2-core | $20.81 | included | $20.81/mo |
| AWS | t3.medium | $30.37 | $3.20 (gp3) | $33.57/mo |
| Azure | B2s | $30.37 | $6.13 (P4) | $36.50/mo |
| Google Cloud | e2-medium | $24.46 | $4.00 | $28.46/mo |
| Scaleway | PLAY2-NANO | $21.29 | $4.32 | $25.61/mo |
→ Aleph is 38% cheaper than AWS, 43% cheaper than Azure, 27% cheaper than Google Cloud, and 19% cheaper than Scaleway.
Standard workloads — 4 vCPU / 8 GB / 80 GB
Aleph offers an exact 4-core / 8 GB tier. AWS, Azure, and Google force you to a 16 GB tier (marked *), so you pay for memory you don't need.
| Provider | Plan | Compute | + Storage | Total / month |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 🛡 Aleph Cloud | VPS 4-core | $41.61 | included | $41.61/mo |
| AWS | t3.xlarge (4c/16GB)* | $121.47 | $6.40 | $127.87/mo |
| Azure | B4ms (4c/16GB)* | $121.47 | $12.27 | $133.74/mo |
| Google Cloud | e2-standard-4 (4c/16GB)* | $97.84 | $8.00 | $105.84/mo |
| Scaleway | PLAY2-MICRO (4c/8GB) | $42.57 | $8.64 | $51.21/mo |
→ Aleph is 67% cheaper than AWS, 69% cheaper than Azure, 61% cheaper than Google Cloud, and 19% cheaper than Scaleway.
Large workloads — 8 vCPU / 16 GB / 160 GB
Aleph offers an exact 8-core / 16 GB tier. All four competitors force you to a 32 GB tier (marked *).
| Provider | Plan | Compute | + Storage | Total / month |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 🛡 Aleph Cloud | VPS 8-core | $83.22 | included | $83.22/mo |
| AWS | t3.2xlarge (8c/32GB)* | $242.94 | $12.80 | $255.74/mo |
| Azure | B8ms (8c/32GB)* | $242.94 | $24.54 | $267.48/mo |
| Google Cloud | e2-standard-8 (8c/32GB)* | $195.69 | $16.00 | $211.69/mo |
| Scaleway | PRO2-S (8c/32GB)* | $172.66 | $18.66 | $191.32/mo |
→ Aleph is 67% cheaper than AWS, 69% cheaper than Azure, 61% cheaper than Google Cloud, and 57% cheaper than Scaleway.
Capabilities — where Aleph Cloud is uniquely different
Price is only part of the story. Aleph Cloud is the only provider in this comparison that offers all six capabilities below — making it the only credible option for censorship-resistant, sovereignty-aware, crypto-native infrastructure.
| Provider | Decentralized | Censorship-resistant | Confidential compute | Crypto payments | No KYC | Wallet auth |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 🛡 Aleph Cloud | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| AWS | ✗ | ✗ | Partial | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ |
| Azure | ✗ | ✗ | Partial | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ |
| Google Cloud | ✗ | ✗ | Partial | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ |
| Scaleway | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ |
Methodology
All prices are list, on-demand, with no commitments or reserved instances. As of April 2026. Regions used: AWS us-east-1, Azure eastus, Google Cloud us-central1, Scaleway fr-par. Storage normalized to 40/80/160 GB block storage at standard performance tier. Hyperscalers (AWS, Azure, Google Cloud) do not offer exact 4-core / 8 GB or 8-core / 16 GB tiers — comparisons use the next-tier-up (16 GB / 32 GB respectively), reflecting what a customer actually pays. Aleph Cloud prices include block storage in the listed price. Pay in $ALEPH for an additional 20% bonus. Sources: official pricing pages of each provider, retrieved April 2026.
Frequently asked questions
How can Aleph Cloud be cheaper than AWS, Azure, and Google Cloud?
Aleph Cloud is built on a decentralized network of independent compute providers (Compute Resource Nodes, or CRNs) instead of corporate-owned datacenters. This eliminates the margin layers, marketing budgets, and lock-in services that hyperscalers price into every instance. The result: the same vCPU, RAM, and SSD storage at 60–69% lower cost.
Is Aleph Cloud production-ready?
Yes. Aleph Cloud has been running production workloads since 2020 across a global network of CRNs, with established uptime, SSH access, persistent storage, and full root control. It powers applications across DeFi, AI, RWA, gaming, and Web3 infrastructure.
Can I migrate from AWS, Azure, or Google Cloud to Aleph Cloud?
Yes. Aleph Cloud VPS instances run standard Linux distributions (Ubuntu, Debian, etc.) and accept SSH key authentication, so any workload that runs on EC2, Azure VM, or GCE — including Docker, Kubernetes, web servers, databases, and AI inference — can run on Aleph Cloud with minimal changes. The main difference is decentralized DNS and storage, which are optional.
What's included in Aleph Cloud's price?
Every Aleph Cloud VPS includes: vCPUs, RAM, NVMe SSD storage (proportional to plan), unlimited egress traffic, IPv6 networking, SSH access, root control, and console access. There are no installation fees, no egress charges, and no surprise bills. The hyperscalers in this comparison charge separately for storage, IPs, snapshots, and egress.
Do I need to hold $ALEPH tokens to use Aleph Cloud?
No. You can pay with ALEPH (with a 20% bonus), USDC, or credit card / SEPA. Token holding is no longer required — the new pricing model is a prepaid credit balance you top up in any of these payment methods.
Where are Aleph Cloud nodes located?
Aleph Cloud's CRNs are distributed globally across multiple jurisdictions, operated by independent providers. This is by design — the goal is censorship resistance and sovereignty, so no single government, corporation, or attacker can take down the network. You can browse available nodes from the console at app.aleph.cloud.
Start building on decentralized cloud
Spin up a VPS in under a minute. No credit card required to start. Pay with ALEPH (+20% bonus), USDC, or credit card.