Portainer vs UpCloud: Pricing Comparison 2026
Side-by-side pricing comparison of Portainer and UpCloud. See all plans, features, and costs at a glance.
Bottom line: UpCloud starts at $3/mo, making it $7/mo cheaper than Portainer ($10/mo). Portainer offers a free plan.
Last updated: March 16, 2026
Portainer vs UpCloud: Quick Pricing Facts
| Feature | Portainer | UpCloud |
|---|---|---|
| Starting Price | $10/mo | $3/mo |
| Number of Plans | 4 | 10 |
| Free Tier | Yes | Yes |
| Pricing Model | freemium | usage-based |
| Annual Discount | N/A | N/A |
UpCloud is the more affordable option, starting at $3/mo compared to Portainer's $10/mo. Both are Hosting & Infra tools with 14 combined pricing plans and 33 features compared.
Both tools offer free plans, making them accessible for teams on a budget. Portainer uses freemium pricing while UpCloud uses usage-based pricing, which may affect your total cost at scale.
Review the detailed tier-by-tier comparison above to see exactly which features are included at each price point and find the best fit for your Hosting & Infra needs.
| Pricing Plans |  Portainer Try it free |  UpCloud Try it free |
|---|---|---|
| Tier 1 | Managed Kubernetes Development $0/monthCheapest Includes
| |
| Tier 2 | ProPopular $10/month $8 / year Includes
| Managed Load Balancer Essentials $0/monthCheapest Includes
|
| Tier 3 | Business $25/month $21 / year Includes
| NAT and VPN Essentials $0/monthCheapest Includes
|
| Tier 4 | Enterprise Custom pricing Includes
| Developer Plan $3/monthCheapest $0 / year Includes
|
| Tier 5 | — | Managed Databases (1 GB) $8/monthCheapest $1 / year Includes
|
| Tier 6 | — | File Storage (250 GB) $38/monthCheapest $3 / year Includes
|
| Tier 7 | — | Managed Object Storage (250 GB) $5/monthCheapest $0 / year Includes
|
| Tier 8 | — | GPU Server (1 x NVIDIA L40S, 8 cores, 64 GB) $747/monthCheapest $62 / year Includes
|
| Tier 9 | — | High Memory Plans $2490/monthCheapest $208 / year Includes
|
| Tier 10 | — | Private Cloud Custom pricing Includes
|
Swipe to compare plans →
UpCloud
UpCloud offers a free plan, starts at $7/mo lower ($3/mo vs $10/mo), offers 10 tiers vs 4.
Based on pricing data only. Review the full comparison below for your specific needs.
Best value: UpCloud
Try UpCloud freeWhich Should You Choose?
Choose Portainer if:
- •You prefer Portainer's free tier features—Basic features, Community support
- •You prefer Portainer's freemium model with its 4-tier structure
- •You value Portainer's specific feature progression from free to advanced tier levels
Choose UpCloud if:
- •You want lower per-user costs—UpCloud starts at $3/mo, saving $7/mo compared to Portainer at $10/mo
- •You prefer UpCloud's free tier features—Up to 30 data plane nodes
- •You need 10 pricing tiers for flexible team sizing—more options mean less overpaying for features you don't need
- •You want more features built-in—UpCloud offers 11 additional features across its plans
Both Portainer and UpCloud offer free plans [1], eliminating cost barriers for evaluation. This means you can test both tools thoroughly with your actual workflows before any financial commitment. The free tiers differ in scope: Portainer includes 2 features, while UpCloud includes 1 features. Evaluate which free tier matches your evaluation needs before deciding to upgrade. Your best approach is to activate both free trials and evaluate which tool's workflow, integrations, and user experience align better with your team's needs before committing to paid plans.
Frequently Asked Questions: Portainer vs UpCloud
Which is cheaper, Portainer or UpCloud?
How many pricing plans does Portainer have vs UpCloud?
Does Portainer or UpCloud offer a free plan?
Can I save money by paying annually for Portainer or UpCloud?
What is the most popular Portainer plan?
Does Portainer or UpCloud offer custom enterprise pricing?
What pricing models do Portainer and UpCloud use?
Sources
- Portainer Official Pricing— Vendor pricing page
- UpCloud Official Pricing— Vendor pricing page
Track Price Changes
Get notified when pricing changes for these tools.