OVH vs. Contabo – A Comparison

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At Contabo, we strive for transparency and aim to provide you with the necessary information to make informed decisions. That’s why we’ve crafted a detailed comparison between us and OVH. Although this comparison is created by us at Contabo, we do our best to maintain authenticity in our presentation. We take pride in our offerings, and our primary goal is to give you a comprehensive overview of how we stacks up against OVH in areas that matter most to you—such as the diversity of our services, pricing, performance, and customer support quality. 
Consider this an essential, rather unbiased guide to determining which provider best suits your needs. We understand that everyone’s requirements are unique, and our aim is to assist you in navigating your choices by presenting a candid comparison of what both we and OVH have to offer. Let us start with the battle: OVH vs. Contabo!

What is OVH?

OVH is a leading provider in the cloud computing and web hosting industry, headquartered in France. Established in 1999, OVH has become a significant force by delivering robust and scalable cloud services designed for a wide range of users, including enterprises, developers, and small businesses. The company is known for its extensive suite of offerings, such as dedicated servers, managed hosting, and public and private cloud solutions, all tailored to meet the diverse demands of its international customer base. OVH distinguishes itself with a focus on security, innovation, and cost-efficiency, offering a compelling and comprehensive platform that supports the complex IT needs of its clients globally. 

What is Contabo?

Contabo, based in Germany and founded in 2003, has carved a niche for itself in the web hosting and cloud services sector. The company caters primarily to IT professionals and organizations seeking robust, scalable hosting solutions at competitive prices. Contabo is renowned for its commitment to high performance, exceptional value, and superior customer support, offering a range of services that address everything from small-scale personal projects to large enterprise needs. With its focus on reliability and the ability to adapt to customer requirements, Contabo has established a strong reputation among a diverse, global customer base, making it a trusted provider in the industry. 

Contabo vs. OVH Product Offerings

We and OVH each provide an extensive array of products designed to meet diverse customer requirements, encompassing core services, additional features, and vital security measures. This section offers a detailed overview of the offerings from both providers, highlighting the unique tools and enhancements that distinguish their respective portfolios. By exploring these offerings, you will gain a clearer understanding of the services, add-ons, and security options available, empowering you to make well-informed choices about the solutions that are most suitable for your specific projects. 

Product Contabo OVH 
Virtual Yes VPS Storage VPS VDS Yes VPS 
Bare Metal Yes Dedicated Servers Outlet Servers Yes Dedicated Servers 
Web Hosting No Yes 
Managed No Yes 
Object Storage Yes S3-compatible Yes S3-compatible 
Domains Yes Yes 

Addons

The addons offered by us and OVH present a wealth of tools and services that can significantly improve and streamline your digital projects. These plug-and-play solutions expand functionality and offer greater adaptability, allowing users to customize their hosting setups to fit precise needs easily. Getting to know the variety and impact of these addons is important for maximizing the benefits of your selected provider. This ensures that your projects are not only more efficient but also equipped with cutting-edge technology and robust security features. 

Addon Contabo OVH 
Backups     Yes   Yes 
SSH Keys Setup     Yes   Yes 
Paid SSL Certificate   Yes   Yes 
Private Networking   Yes   Yes 
Server Management   Yes   Yes 
Block storage     No   Yes 
Object storage     Yes   Yes 
Load balancer     No   Yes 
Monitoring   Yes   Yes 

In reviewing the addons available from us and OVH, both providers clearly offer a diverse array of features aimed at enhancing security, boosting functionality, and providing flexible options for different hosting requirements. Both providers offer essential services like SSL certificates and server management, appealing to users who prioritize comprehensive security and straightforward administration. Moreover, OVH excels with scalable options like block storage and load balancers, ideal for those with variable or increasing needs. This analysis underscores the distinct strengths each provider brings to meet varying customer preferences. 

Contabo vs. OVH – Extra Features

Beyond the basic addons, we and OVH provide a range of extra features that aim to augment and tailor the user experience. This section will focus on these additional capabilities, illustrating how they can boost the efficiency, security, and scalability of your projects. 

Feature Contabo OVH 
IPv4 Address   Yes   Yes 
IPv6 Address   Yes   Yes 
Admin REST API   Yes   Yes 
Firewall   Available for certain products   Yes 
Reverse DNS (PTR Record)   Yes   Yes 
DDoS Protection   Yes   Yes 
Cloud-init   Yes, built-in  Yes 

In analyzing the additional features available from us and OVH, both providers clearly focus on offering services that are thorough and adaptable to contemporary digital project requirements. Features such as IPv4 and IPv6 addresses, Admin REST APIs, and DDoS protection are standard with both, providing a strong base for both security and adaptability. 

Operating Systems & Panels

Let us explore the range of operating systems and control panels offered by us and OVH, highlighting the diversity of their hosting solutions. Both providers support major operating systems like Linux and Windows, and offer leading control panels such as cPanel and Plesk. These options significantly influence the management and enjoyment of your hosting environment. Selecting the ideal combination of operating system and control panel is important for the smooth operation of your web projects. 

Feature Contabo OVH 
Linux   Yes   Yes 
Windows Server   Yes   Yes 
cPanel   Yes   Yes, but not for the smallest VPS 
Plesk   Yes   Yes, but not for the smallest VPS 
Docker   Yes   Yes 
Webmin   Yes   No 
LAMP Stack   Yes   No 

In wrapping up this chapter, it’s evident that both we and OVH offer a comprehensive set of features tailored to diverse hosting needs, with strong support for Linux-based environments and Windows Server. Both platforms are equipped to handle major software environments like Docker, enhancing flexibility. However, we set us apart by offering unrestricted access to cPanel and Plesk across all its plans, whereas OVH limits these options on their smallest VPS tier. Furthermore, our exclusive offerings of Webmin and a LAMP stack underscore its commitment to providing a wider array of tools and services. These distinctions are important for users seeking specific capabilities and maximum compatibility for their projects. 

Payment and Billing

The review of payment and billing practices between us and OVH shows that both accommodate global customers by accepting multiple currencies, including Euro, USD, and GBP. This approach provides financial convenience for a diverse audience, reflecting their commitment to international accessibility. 

Contabo vs. OVH – Accepted Currencies

Currency Contabo OVH 
EUR   Yes  Yes 
USD   Yes  Yes  
GBP   Yes  Yes 

Note: OVH supports several other local currencies as well, depending on the country the buyer originates from. 

Contabo vs. DigitalOcean – Accepted Payment Methods 

Payment Method Contabo OVH 
PayPal   Yes, including PayPal automated   Yes 
Credit Card  Yes   Yes 
Wire Transfer   Yes   Yes (Private Cloud) 
Bank Transfer   Yes   No 
Direct Debit / SEPA   Yes   No 

Contabo vs. DigitalOcean – Billing Cycles

This chapter explores the billing cycles of us and OVH, analyzing how different payment terms affect the overall cost-effectiveness of their hosting plans. It highlights the distinctions between opting for longer-term commitments, which may offer cost savings, versus selecting more flexible, short-term agreements that provide less financial burden upfront. This comparison demonstrates how the choice of billing frequency can significantly influence the affordability of services, tailored to the specific needs and financial situations of users. 

Payment Period Contabo OVH 
Hourly   No   Yes 
Monthly   Yes   Yes 
Quarterly   Yes – Reduced Setup Fee   Yes – Discounts apply 
Every 6 months   Yes, Reduced Setup Fee   Yes – Discounts apply 
Yearly   Yes, No Setup Fee   Yes – Discounts apply  
Prepay   Yes   Yes 
Postpaid   Available on certain markets   No 

In summarizing the billing cycle options between us and OVH, it is clear that both providers offer a variety of payment periods tailored to different user preferences and budget constraints. We provide monthly, quarterly, semi-annual, and annual payment options, with incentives such as reduced setup fees for longer commitments and no setup fee for yearly plans. OVH also offers monthly, quarterly, semi-annual, and annual billing, with discounts available for extended commitments. Both providers support prepayment options, while we uniquely offers postpaid billing in certain markets. This range of choices allows customers to select a billing cycle that best fits their financial and operational needs 

Pricing & Plans

Contabo vs. OVH VPS Hosting

Exploring the VPS hosting options from us and OVH involves recognizing each provider’s distinct approach to virtual private servers. In our comparison, VPS plans are segmented into ‘Entry,’ ‘Mid,’ and ‘Highest Plan’ categories based on their hardware configurations. This method focuses on technical aspects rather than pricing, allowing a clearer evaluation of how each plan fits different user requirements. The ‘Highest Plan’ category is identified by being the most premium option available, emphasizing the maximum features and performance that each provider can offer. 

Plan Contabo OVH 
Entry Level Plan   Cloud VPS 1: € 5.36 / month VPS “Starter”: € 4.19 / month 
Mid-Level Plan   Cloud VPS 3: $20.83 / month   VPS “Elite”: € 39.99 / month 
Highest Plan   Cloud VPS 6: $91.63 / month   VPS “VLE-16”: € 47.60 / month 

Prices and configurations were collected on from the providers’ official websites on April 30th, 2024: 

Contabo Specs: 

Cloud VPS 1 Specs: 4 vCPU Cores, 6 GB RAM, 100 GB NVMe/400 GB SSD 

Cloud VPS 3 Specs: 8 vCPU Cores. 24 GB RAM, 300 GB NVMe/1.2TB SSD 

Cloud VPS 6 Specs: 24 vCPU Cores, 120 GB RAM, 600 NVMe/2.4 TB SSD 

OVH Specs: 

Starter Specs: 1 vCPU Core, 2 GB RAM, 20 GB SSD 

Elite Specs: 8 vCPU Cores, 8 GB RAM, 160 GB SSD 

VLE-16 Specs: 16 vCPU Cores, 16 GB RAM, 160 GB NVMe  

Contabo vs OVH Dedicated Server Hosting

Comparing dedicated servers between different providers like us and OVH can be challenging due to the variety of configurations, features, and bundled services each offers. Factors such as included bandwidth, hardware specifications, and out-of-the-box features often differ significantly, adding complexity to direct comparisons. Despite these challenges, we did our best to provide a clear and balanced comparison of dedicated servers from us and the “Advance” lineup from OVH. This specific selection from OVH was chosen as it closely matches the hardware used by us , offering a more relevant and useful comparison for those evaluating dedicated server options between these two providers. 

Plan Contabo OVH 
Entry Level Plan   AMD Ryzen 12: 98.76 € / month   Advance-3: $164.70 / month 
Highest Plan   AMD EPYC 32 Cores: 312.35 € / month   Advance-6: $307.80 / month 

Prices and configurations were collected on from the providers’ official websites on April 30th, 2024: 

Contabo Specs: 

AMD Ryzen 12: 12 Cores @3.7 GHz, 64GB ECC RAM, 1 TB NVMe, 1 Gbit/s 

AMD EPYC 32 Cores: 2x 16 Cores @2.8 GHz, 256 GB ECC RAM, 3 TB HDD, 1 Gbit/s 

OVH Specs: 

Advance-3: 24 Cores @3.7 GHz, 32 GB ECC RAM, 1024 GB NVME, 1 Gbit/s 

Advance-6: 24 Cores @2.4 GHz, 128 GB ECC RAM, 1080GB NVMe, 1 Gbit/s 

OVH vs. Contabo Available Locations

The geographic positioning of data centers is pivotal for the performance of online projects, affecting key factors such as latency, adherence to data governance laws, and regulatory compliance. The security and operational quality of these centers, as indicated by their certifications, are also critical elements to consider. This section reviews the locations of us and OVH’s data centers to determine how well they support optimal service performance. It explores how the strategic placement of these data centers contributes to improved service reliability and efficiency for their users. 

Contabo OVH 
Locations   8   13 
   EU (1,2,3), UK,   
US (West, Central, East),    
Asia (Singapore, Japan), Australia   
EU (1-6), UK, US (3), Asia (India, Singapore), Australia 
Region Contabo OVH 
North America   Yes   Yes  
Europe   Yes   Yes   
Asia   Yes   Yes  
Oceania   Yes   Yes 

In concluding this chapter on data center locations, both we and OVH have established a strong global presence, which is key for delivering robust performance and compliance with regional regulations. We operate 8 data centers located across the EU, the UK, the US, Asia, and Australia, ensuring a comprehensive reach. OVH boasts an even broader footprint with data centers in multiple locations across the EU, the UK, the US, Asia, and Australia, including three locations in the US and additional centers in India. 

Both providers cover key regions including North America, Europe, Asia, and Oceania, positioning them well to serve a global clientele. This widespread distribution helps minimize latency, enhances data sovereignty, and meets various regulatory requirements, making both us and OVH competitive options for users seeking international hosting solutions. 

Customer Support – Contabo vs. OVH 

Reliable support is essential for the smooth functioning of hosting services, and providing multiple contact methods enhances user accessibility. This section will explore the various support channels offered by us and OVH. 

Support Channel Contabo OVH 
Phone Support   Yes   Yes 
Email Support   Yes   Yes 
Video Guides   Yes   No 
Knowledgebase   Yes   Yes 
Live-Chat  No  No 
Forum Support  No  Yes 

The support options from us and OVH are balanced as well, both providers offer essential channels like phone and email support, supplemented by comprehensive knowledge bases. We provide video guides, aiding visual learners and newcomers, while OVH adds value with forum support, encouraging community interaction. Despite neither offering live chat, the available support methods ensure users have adequate resources for assistance. 

Conclusion on OVH vs. Contabo

In wrapping up our thorough comparison between us and OVH, each provider demonstrates unique strengths that cater to different hosting needs. We excel with our broad support across operating systems, inclusion of advanced tools like Webmin and a LAMP stack, and offers unrestricted access to control panels such as cPanel and Plesk. OVH differentiates itself with its extensive global data center presence and special offerings like block storage and load balancers, which are critical for scalability and performance. 

Both providers offer flexible payment options and billing cycles, accommodating a wide range of financial preferences and project durations. When it comes to support, both us and OVH provide essential channels like phone and email, but they diverge in areas like video guides and forum support, which could sway user preferences based on support style. 

Overall, this comparison aims to equip you with a comprehensive overview to make an informed decision, considering how each provider’s offerings align with your specific requirements and strategic goals. Whether you prioritize extensive toolsets, global server reach, or specific support features, both us and OVH offer compelling reasons to be considered for your hosting needs. However, we still you will choose our services 🙂 

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