Compare cheap cloud servers & VPS · beginner-friendly
October 2026 cloud server deals, on one page
Chinese clouds from ¥38/year (≈$5), global VPS from $21.99/year, plus a few that are free forever.
Editor's picks · October 2026
Best 3 deals this month
All from major providers, 2 vCPU and up — enough for a website or a small AI tool.
Alibaba Cloud Simple Application Server
Alibaba Cloud (Aliyun)2 vCPU / 2 GB 200 Mbps peak 40 GB disk Unmetered traffic
¥38/year (≈$5)usually ¥68
The cheapest tier from a big provider. Flash sales daily at 10:00 and 15:00 (Beijing time).
Baidu AI Cloud e1
Baidu AI Cloud2 vCPU / 4 GB 3 Mbps
¥39/year (≈$5.5)
Twice the memory for the same money — good for WordPress and small AI tools.
Alibaba Cloud ECS e (economy)
Alibaba Cloud (Aliyun)2 vCPU / 2 GB 3 Mbps dedicated 40 GB disk
¥99/year (≈$14)
Same renewal price until 2029-03-31 — the no-surprises choice for a long-term site.
Mainland China providers
Chinese cloud deals compared
First-year prices are all low; the real differences are renewal prices and purchase limits.
| Provider | Entry plan | First year | Renewal | Limits | Link |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Baidu AI Cloud | 2 vCPU / 4 GB, 3 Mbps | ¥39/yr≈$5.5 | List price | First purchase, 1 only | Baidu AI Cloud |
| Alibaba Cloud Simple App Server | 2 vCPU / 2 GB, 200 Mbps peakUnmetered traffic | ¥38/yr flash saleDaily 10:00 & 15:00 Beijing time; otherwise ¥68/yr (≈$9.5) | List price | New users, 1 only | Alibaba Cloud |
| Alibaba Cloud ECS eNo renewal hike | 2 vCPU / 2 GB, 3 Mbps | ¥99/yr≈$14 | Same price until 2029-03-31 | New and existing users | Alibaba Cloud |
| Tencent Cloud Lighthouse | 4 vCPU / 4 GB, 3 Mbps | ¥109 first year≈$15 | List price; 45% off in the renewal zone | Once per verified identity, until 2026-12-30 | Tencent Cloud |
| JD Cloud Lighthouse | 2 vCPU / 2 GB, 3 Mbps | From ¥68/yr≈$9.5 | No same-price renewal seen | New users, 1 only; flash sales 9:30 / 15:00 / 20:00 | JD Cloud |
| Volcano Engine | 2 vCPU / 2 GB | From ¥79/yr≈$11 | List price | New users, first order, 1 only | Volcano Engine |
These mainland China offers usually need Chinese real-name verification, and hosting a public website on them requires ICP filing (free, about 1–3 weeks). Want a fixed renewal price? Pick Alibaba Cloud's ¥99 plan.
Spend nothing
Free forever & sign-up credits
All four ask for a credit card to verify your identity.
Oracle Cloud
Always Free Arm, 2 OCPU / 12 GB + 10 TB/month traffic, plus $300 credit (30 days).
💡 Don't fall for outdated offers
DigitalOcean's new-user credit is now $5; the $200 you see online is old news.
🆓 No credit card?
Free-forever VPS hosts with no card or ID (Vyce, Woiden, Openworld, ASCS, tested 2026-10-22): see the table and renewal rules →
No ICP filing
Cheap global VPS
Usable right after purchase, no filing wait. Speed from mainland China depends on the network route.
| Provider | Cheapest plan | Price | Alipay | Speed from China | Link (no filing) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| RackNerdCheapest | 1 vCPU / 1 GB, 20 GB, 3 TB | $21.99/yrRenews at the same price | Yes | Standard route, so-so at evening peak | RackNerd |
| CloudCone | 2 vCPU / 1 GB, 30 GB, 4 TB | $28/yr | Yes | Standard route | CloudCone |
| BandwagonHost | 2 vCPU / 1 GB, 20 GB, 1 TB | $49.99/yrCN2 GIA plan $169.99/yr | Yes | Fast on the GIA plan | BandwagonHost |
| DMIT | 1 vCPU / 1 GB, 20 GB | $36.90/yr | Yes | Fast on the Premium route | DMIT |
| Vultr | 1 vCPU / 1 GB | $5/moBilled hourly | Yes | Tokyo / Singapore, moderate | Vultr |
| LightNode | 1 vCPU / 2 GB, 50 GB NVMe, 1 TB | $7.71/moBilled hourly, same in Tokyo; Hong Kong $10.41/mo | Yes | Tokyo / Hong Kong, moderate | LightNode |
| DigitalOcean | 1 vCPU / 512 MB | $4/mo | Not verified | Singapore, moderate | DigitalOcean |
Servers outside mainland China need no ICP filing, but visitors in China may see latency and evening packet loss. For websites and learning only.
When it's cheapest
2026 sale calendar
Bookmark this page — we update prices as soon as each sale starts.
-
Live · until 11-30
Baidu AI Cloud 11.11: ¥39 for the first year.Live
-
Live · until 12-30
Tencent Cloud Lighthouse sale.Live
-
Coming soon
Alibaba Cloud 11.11: started Oct 24 last year; expected tiers ¥38 / ¥99 / ¥199.Coming soon
-
11-27 · 11-30
Black Friday & Cyber Monday: the big one for global VPS (last year RackNerd 1 GB went as low as $10.60/yr). -
12-12
Double 12: details TBA.TBA
Short answers
Popular questions
The four questions we get most — each page opens with the answer.
What are the cheapest cloud servers in 2026?
China from ¥38/yr, global from $21.99/yr Read →
Alibaba Cloud or Tencent Cloud for a website?
Long term: Alibaba ¥99; need 4 GB: Tencent ¥109 Read →
What server do I need for Dify / an AI assistant?
At least 2 vCPU / 4 GB, from ¥39/yr Read →
Which cloud servers are free forever?
Oracle and Google have always-free tiers Read →
Match it to your need
Which one should I pick?
Tap a question to see the answer.
I just want a blog or personal site
Go with Alibaba Cloud's ¥99 ECS e — the renewal price doesn't go up. Don't want ICP filing? RackNerd at $21.99/yr.
I want to run an AI assistant (e.g. Dify)
You need at least 2 vCPU / 4 GB: Baidu AI Cloud at ¥39, or Tencent Cloud's 4 vCPU / 4 GB at ¥109.
I don't want to spend anything
Try Oracle's Always Free tier or Google Cloud's e2-micro. Both need a credit card.
How many servers can I buy at the new-user price?
Usually one per verified identity, and year two renews at list price — check the renewal price before you buy.
China or overseas — which should I choose?
Visitors in mainland China and speed matters: a Chinese server plus ICP filing. No filing, or an overseas audience: a global VPS.
From purchase to up and running
Beginner guides
Guides are being written and will appear here.
Log in, change the password, open ports
Coming soon
One-click sites with the BT (aaPanel) panel
Coming soon
Install WordPress in 10 minutes
Coming soon
Deploy your own AI assistant (Dify)
Coming soon
Read before you buy
Common pitfalls
Cheap isn't always a good deal. These four catch people most often.
⚡ Flash price vs. regular price
Flash sales run at set times; miss one and you pay the regular price.
💸 Renewal price
Most plans renew at list price in year two — often 5–10× more.
📋 ICP filing
Websites on mainland China servers must be ICP-filed; overseas servers don't.
📶 Peak bandwidth
"200 Mbps peak" isn't dedicated bandwidth — check whether traffic is capped.