Scaleway vs OVHcloud: Which French Cloud Should You Choose in 2026?

Both are French and EU-based. That is the part most comparison pages treat as the whole story. It is not. One is built more for developers who want a cleaner console, hourly billing and managed services. The other is often cheaper for a plain VPS and has a wider set of locations and a broader catalog. The useful question is which job you actually need done.

A plain VPS that just needs to run is a different purchase from a developer platform that will grow into managed databases or Kubernetes. OVHcloud’s VPS line is closer to a finished monthly package. Scaleway’s instance line is closer to unbundled cloud compute. Mixing the two numbers without saying what is included produces the wrong answer.

Price reality: bundle versus instance plus add-ons

OVHcloud’s VPS-1 is the clearest entry point for a simple workload. On the French site it starts around €3.81 HT per month (roughly €4.57 TTC). The English/US pages commonly show the 12-month equivalent near $4.54 per month or a no-commitment rate closer to $5.35. Specs are 2 vCores, 4 GB RAM and 40 GB NVMe. Daily backup of the previous 24 hours is included. Public IPv4 is included. Traffic is unmetered in most regions. Asia-Pacific locations (Mumbai, Singapore, Sydney) carry a monthly quota (commonly 500 GB on VPS-1) after which the port is rate-limited. Confirm the exact term and region on the day you order.

Scaleway’s development instances are priced differently. DEV1-S is listed around €6.42–€6.55 per month for compute only (2 vCPU, 2 GB). STARDUST1-S is even lower but only 1 vCPU / 1 GB. Official tables state that list prices include egress and IPv6; storage and attached public IPv4 are excluded. Flexible IPv4 is billed separately at roughly €0.004–0.005 per hour (about €3 per month). Local storage is included on the DEV1 line; many other instance families require block storage as an add-on. Snapshots are also billed. The June 2026 price adjustment raised several rates; the live pricing page is the source of truth.

A realistic Scaleway total for a small always-on instance with IPv4 therefore sits higher than the headline compute number. Once you add the Flexible IP and any extra storage, the gap versus OVHcloud’s bundled VPS-1 narrows or disappears for the simplest jobs. For larger or more complex setups the comparison flips depending on whether you value hourly control and managed services more than the monthly bundle.

Egress is generally included on both in European regions. Confirm any Asia-Pacific exception on the live OVHcloud page before you rely on it.

Use-case split

Plain VPS (website, small app, VPN, staging box)
OVHcloud is the simpler and usually cheaper choice. You get a known monthly price, storage, IPv4 and a daily backup in one line item. More locations are available if you need North America or Asia-Pacific. Scaleway works if you already like its console and accept the add-on math, but it is not the lowest-entry finished package.

Developer app that needs hourly control, private networks or an API-first workflow
Scaleway is usually the better fit. The console is cleaner in most recent reviews, billing is hourly, and the platform is built around European regions (Paris, Amsterdam, Warsaw, Milan and others). You can spin resources up and down without a long commitment. Just budget for the IPv4 and any block storage you attach.

Managed database (Postgres, Redis)
Both offer managed databases. Scaleway is frequently competitive on smaller managed shapes and pairs them with the same developer console. OVHcloud’s managed offerings sit inside a larger catalog. Compare the exact size and storage you need on the live pages; neither is a universal winner on every shape.

GPU or managed Kubernetes on a budget
Both run Kubernetes and both sell GPU instances. Scaleway is often competitive on smaller GPU shapes. OVHcloud has a wider geographic footprint and a broader overall catalog. Prices and stock move. Check the live GPU and node pricing for your exact configuration rather than freezing a winner from a single snapshot.

Multi-region or global footprint
OVHcloud. It operates more locations outside Europe. Scaleway is Europe-first. If your users or compliance needs are mainly inside the EU, the difference is smaller. If you need North America or Asia-Pacific presence, OVHcloud is the clearer option.

Enterprise compliance or a very broad catalog (dedicated servers, hosted private cloud, etc.)
OVHcloud. Its range is larger. Scaleway covers the core public-cloud and bare-metal needs of many teams, but it is not trying to match OVHcloud’s full enterprise surface.

What each gets right and the catch

OVHcloud gets the entry price and the package right for a plain VPS. Storage, IPv4, daily backup and (in most regions) unmetered traffic arrive together. The wider location list and the ability to move up to dedicated servers or other products under the same account are real advantages. The catch is that the console and support experience are generally rated lower than Scaleway’s in recent independent reviews. The catalog is broad, so the control panel has more moving parts. Asia-Pacific traffic is not unlimited. Longer-term pricing is usually better than month-to-month, so read the commitment carefully.

Scaleway gets the developer workflow right. Hourly billing, a cleaner console, good API and CLI tooling, and solid managed services make it pleasant for teams that live in the platform. Europe-first regions suit EU data-residency needs. The catch is the unbundled pricing. Headline instance rates often exclude public IPv4 and, on many families, local or block storage. You must add those before you compare totals. Support and console reviews favor Scaleway, but the overall catalog and global footprint are smaller.

Neither side was performance-tested this week. Public reviews and older third-party benchmarks exist; they are not a substitute for your own workload test if latency or sustained CPU matters.

Why you should not switch if the current one works

If you are already running a stable workload on either provider, the monthly difference is usually smaller than the cost of a careful migration. DNS cut-over, data transfer, reconfiguration, possible downtime and the time to re-learn the other console all have a price. For a small VPS or a simple app, that price is rarely recovered in a few euros a month. Stay, keep monitoring the renewal or hourly bill, and only move when you have a concrete reason (new region requirement, managed-service need, support frustration, or a material price change).

Switching makes more sense when the job itself has changed—when you outgrow a plain VPS and need Kubernetes or managed databases, or when you suddenly need a location the current provider does not offer. In those cases the migration is justified by the new requirement, not by a small price gap.

This page answers one question

This URL answers which French cloud fits a given job. It does not answer which is the cheapest VPS on the planet, how to handle Hetzner’s verification steps, or how Contabo’s shared CPU variance behaves under load. Those are different purchases. If you are price-first and not constrained to French or EU jurisdiction, the Contabo alternatives page covers density and shared-CPU trade-offs. If you are also weighing German providers or verification requirements, the Hetzner alternatives page covers that angle. If European sell-out patterns or traffic-policy details matter, the Netcup page is the place. This article stays on the French-cloud split so it does not compete with those pages.

FAQ

Is Scaleway cheaper than OVHcloud?
Not always. OVHcloud’s VPS-1 is usually the lower entry price as a finished bundle. Scaleway’s headline rates are often compute-only. Add Flexible IPv4 and any storage before you decide.

Which is better for a simple VPS?
OVHcloud. The VPS-1 class gives you the cores, RAM, NVMe, daily backup and (in most regions) unmetered traffic in one monthly price.

Does Scaleway include a public IPv4?
Usually no. Flexible IPv4 is billed separately. IPv6 is free. Most production workloads still need the IPv4 address.

Which has better support?
Recent reviews generally favor Scaleway’s console experience and responsiveness. OVHcloud wins on catalog breadth and locations. Neither was re-tested this week.

Can I run Kubernetes on both?
Yes. Both offer managed Kubernetes. Compare live node and storage prices for your exact size; Scaleway is frequently competitive on smaller clusters.

Which is better for GPU?
Compare both on the live page. Scaleway is often competitive on smaller shapes; OVHcloud has a wider catalog and more locations. Stock and prices move.

Should I switch if I am already on one?
Usually no. If the current provider is stable, the monthly difference rarely covers the migration cost for a small workload. Move only when the job itself has changed.

Close

Choose OVHcloud when you want a simple, low-entry VPS bundle or a wider set of locations. Choose Scaleway when you want a cleaner developer platform, hourly billing and managed services, and you are willing to add IPv4 and storage to the headline price. If you are already on either and it works, stay.

I need a simple cheap VPSI need a cleaner developer platform