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10 Best Free VPS Services in the UK 2025
Disclosure: We’re reader-supported. When you buy through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission at no extra cost to you. For more information, see our Disclosure page. Thanks.
The demand for Virtual Private Servers (VPS) has surged in recent years, with businesses, developers, and hobbyists seeking flexible, scalable, and cost-effective hosting solutions. A VPS provides a middle ground between shared hosting and dedicated servers, offering greater control, better performance, and more customization options. However, for many, the cost of VPS hosting remains a significant barrier, which is where free VPS services come into play.
In this guide, we’ll explore the best free VPS services available in the UK in 2025. Each provider will be examined in-depth, providing detailed insights into their features, performance, pricing (where applicable), scalability, security features, and support.
1. Vultr
Introduction: Vultr is a well-established cloud computing provider offering a range of VPS hosting solutions, including both paid and free options. Known for its simplicity, scalability, and performance, Vultr has become a favorite among developers and small businesses. It offers both Linux and Windows VPS solutions, and with the free tier, users can access basic cloud resources to test and develop applications.
Key Features:
- Global Data Centers: Vultr has data centers across the globe, including the UK. This gives users the option to deploy VPS instances closer to their target audience, improving speed and latency.
- Customizable Plans: Even though the free VPS is limited, Vultr provides extensive customization for paid plans, allowing users to choose CPU, RAM, storage, and bandwidth.
- User-Friendly Interface: The platform is easy to navigate, making it suitable for both beginners and experienced developers.
- Automatic Backups: For paid plans, Vultr offers automatic backups, ensuring that data is safe in case of a server failure.
Plans and Pricing: Vultr’s free VPS offering is limited but can be accessed through promotional offers or initial credits. For instance, new users often get $100 in credits when signing up, allowing them to explore various plans for free. Beyond the free credits, Vultr’s pricing for paid VPS plans starts at $5 per month, providing access to 1GB of RAM, 25GB SSD storage, and 1TB of bandwidth.
Performance and Speed: Vultr is known for its excellent performance. Even on the free tier, users can expect fast load times and solid uptime. The platform’s SSD storage contributes to faster read/write speeds, which enhances the overall performance of the hosted applications. The use of high-end Intel CPUs also ensures that users have a responsive server, even with limited resources.
Scalability: Scalability is one of Vultr’s strongest features. Users can easily upgrade or downgrade their VPS instance based on changing needs. Whether you need more RAM, storage, or bandwidth, Vultr provides the flexibility to scale seamlessly. The free plan is limited, but users can transition to paid options without downtime.
Security Features: Vultr implements robust security protocols. Features include DDoS protection, firewall configuration, and private networking. For paid users, Vultr also offers additional security measures such as automatic OS updates, SSH key access, and 2-factor authentication.
Support and Customer Service: Vultr offers 24/7 customer support through a ticketing system. While it doesn’t have a live chat option for the free plan, users can still expect timely responses. There’s also a comprehensive knowledge base with tutorials and guides, making it easy to troubleshoot issues on your own.
2. Amazon Web Services (AWS) Free Tier
Introduction: Amazon Web Services (AWS) is the world’s leading cloud service provider, offering a vast array of computing, storage, and networking solutions. While AWS is primarily known for its enterprise-level solutions, it also provides a Free Tier for new users. The AWS Free Tier is an excellent way to get started with cloud services, including VPS-like instances known as EC2 (Elastic Compute Cloud).
Key Features:
- Comprehensive Cloud Services: AWS provides an entire suite of services, including computing power, database storage, content delivery, and other cloud functionalities.
- Scalable Infrastructure: AWS allows you to scale your VPS resources with ease. As your needs grow, you can upgrade to higher-tier plans.
- Global Reach: AWS has data centers around the world, including the UK, offering low-latency access and compliance with local data protection laws.
- Elastic IPs: Users can associate static IPs with their instances, ensuring uninterrupted connectivity.
Plans and Pricing: The AWS Free Tier is available for 12 months, providing 750 hours of t2.micro instance usage each month. This tier includes 1GB of RAM and 30GB of Elastic Block Storage (EBS). After 12 months, users are charged based on AWS’s standard pricing, which starts at $3.50 per month for a similar instance.
Performance and Speed: AWS offers robust performance with its EC2 instances, using high-end processors and SSD storage. Users on the Free Tier experience decent speed, though the resources are limited compared to paid plans. However, the global network of AWS ensures good uptime and fast load times.
Scalability: One of the key advantages of AWS is its scalability. Users can start small with the Free Tier and easily scale their VPS by upgrading to larger EC2 instances with more CPU, RAM, and storage. AWS makes scaling as simple as adjusting configurations and upgrading to higher service tiers.
Security Features: AWS provides enterprise-grade security, including data encryption, firewalls, and network monitoring. For users on the Free Tier, they can implement their own security measures such as VPC (Virtual Private Cloud), security groups, and IAM (Identity and Access Management) policies to control access to resources.
Support and Customer Service: AWS offers a wide range of support options, including a knowledge base, forums, and paid support plans. The free tier users have access to basic support, but for more comprehensive help, upgrading to a premium support plan is recommended.
3. Google Cloud Platform (GCP) Free Tier
Introduction: Google Cloud Platform (GCP) is another leading cloud service provider that offers a range of cloud computing solutions, including VPS hosting through its Compute Engine. The free tier on GCP gives users access to a variety of services to try out its platform, making it an ideal choice for developers and businesses.
Key Features:
- Variety of Services: GCP offers more than just VPS services. Users can access various tools for machine learning, big data, and serverless computing.
- Compute Engine: This is GCP’s virtual machine service that allows users to create custom VPS instances based on their specific needs.
- Persistent Storage: GCP provides persistent disk storage, which ensures data remains intact even if a virtual machine is stopped.
- Preemptible VMs: Users can opt for preemptible VMs that are more cost-effective, but may be stopped by Google at any time.
Plans and Pricing: GCP’s Free Tier includes $300 worth of credits for the first 90 days, along with free access to a small f1-micro instance with 0.6GB of RAM and 30GB of storage per month, forever. Once the credits are used up, or after 90 days, users are charged according to GCP’s standard rates, which start at approximately $5 per month for similar instances.
Performance and Speed: GCP’s performance is top-notch, with its Compute Engine powered by Google’s infrastructure. Even on the free tier, users experience solid performance with low latency, especially for basic applications. GCP’s global network ensures fast access to resources worldwide.
Scalability: Google Cloud excels in scalability. You can start with the free instance and later scale up your resources by choosing from a variety of instance types and configurations. The platform allows you to adjust resources quickly, depending on your application’s needs.
Security Features: Security is a key strength of Google Cloud. GCP offers robust encryption, both at rest and in transit. The platform also provides identity management tools and network security features like firewalls and private IPs. Multi-factor authentication (MFA) is available to enhance security.
Support and Customer Service: Google Cloud provides a comprehensive knowledge base, community forums, and chat support. Free tier users have access to basic support, while paid users can opt for more advanced support options, including 24/7 technical assistance.
4. Oracle Cloud Free Tier
Introduction: Oracle Cloud is a cloud computing service offering an array of solutions, including virtual machines, storage, and databases. Oracle’s Free Tier is aimed at developers, startups, and enterprises that want to experiment with cloud infrastructure without incurring costs. The free tier includes both always-free services and a 30-day trial with $300 in credits.
Key Features:
- Always-Free Services: Oracle Cloud’s free tier includes always-free access to two compute instances, which can be used to run VPS-like services.
- Storage: The free tier includes 100GB of object storage and 10GB of block storage, ideal for hosting files and databases.
- Cloud Networking: Oracle’s networking services, including Virtual Cloud Networks (VCN), are included in the free tier, offering isolation and enhanced security.
Plans and Pricing: Oracle’s Free Tier offers two Always Free instances, each with 1/8th of a CPU core, 1GB of RAM, and 100GB of storage. This is quite generous compared to other free VPS offerings. After the free trial credits are used up, Oracle charges based on usage, with pricing starting at $0.0255 per hour for a comparable compute instance.
Performance and Speed: Oracle Cloud provides excellent performance, especially for low-intensity workloads. While the free VPS is limited in terms of resources, Oracle’s infrastructure ensures that users experience low latency and consistent speeds. The storage is SSD-based, contributing to faster read and write speeds.
Scalability: Oracle offers a high degree of scalability. Users can easily upgrade to more powerful instances as their needs grow. The platform also supports automatic scaling, so users don’t need to manually adjust resources as demand fluctuates.
Security Features: Oracle’s Free Tier includes robust security features, including encryption at rest and in transit, firewalls, and identity management tools. Users can also set up VPNs for private networking.
Support and Customer Service: Oracle Cloud provides 24/7 support for paid plans, but free-tier users are limited to community support. Oracle’s extensive documentation and user forums are useful for troubleshooting.
5. Linode
Introduction: Linode is a popular VPS hosting provider that offers affordable cloud computing services. Known for its high-performance SSD-based VPS, Linode offers a free credit-based system where users can get $100 in credits to explore their offerings. This makes it an attractive option for those looking for a free trial VPS service.
Key Features:
- High-Performance SSD Storage: Linode uses SSD drives for its VPS instances, which results in faster performance and better reliability.
- DDoS Protection: Built-in DDoS protection ensures that Linode instances remain protected from malicious traffic.
- Customizable Plans: While the free credits are limited, Linode offers extensive customization for its paid VPS plans, allowing users to choose from various CPU, RAM, and storage configurations.
Plans and Pricing: Linode’s free VPS credits give users $100 to spend over a 60-day period. After the credits are exhausted, Linode’s VPS plans start at $5 per month for 1GB of RAM, 25GB of storage, and 1TB of bandwidth.
Performance and Speed: Linode offers excellent performance, with fast SSD storage, high-end CPUs, and optimized networking. Even on the free credits, users can expect good speeds and solid uptime for basic workloads.
Scalability: Linode makes scaling easy, with flexible plans that allow users to increase their VPS resources as needed. The platform supports vertical and horizontal scaling for more complex requirements.
Security Features: Linode provides several security options, including firewall protection, DDoS mitigation, and automatic backups. Users can also implement SSH key authentication and set up private networks for additional security.
Support and Customer Service: Linode offers 24/7 support via tickets, but free-tier users are limited to community support. The platform also provides a rich knowledge base with tutorials and guides to help users troubleshoot.
6. DigitalOcean
Introduction: DigitalOcean is a cloud infrastructure provider that focuses on simplicity and developer-friendly features. The platform’s free VPS offering comes in the form of a $100 credit, which users can use to test out their cloud services for 60 days.
Key Features:
- Developer-Friendly: DigitalOcean offers a straightforward platform with easy-to-use APIs, a simple dashboard, and excellent documentation.
- Flexible Virtual Machines: Users can configure their VPS with custom amounts of RAM, CPU, and storage based on their project needs.
- Kubernetes Support: DigitalOcean supports Kubernetes, enabling users to manage containerized applications efficiently.
Plans and Pricing: The free VPS credit provides users with $100, which lasts for 60 days. After the credits are used up, DigitalOcean’s pricing starts at $5 per month for 1GB of RAM, 25GB SSD storage, and 1TB of bandwidth.
Performance and Speed: DigitalOcean is known for its excellent performance, with SSD storage and high-speed networking. The platform ensures fast response times and consistent uptime.
Scalability: DigitalOcean’s VPS services are highly scalable. Users can easily increase resources as their demands grow. The platform also supports auto-scaling for managed Kubernetes clusters.
Security Features: DigitalOcean provides robust security features such as DDoS protection, private networking, and SSH key authentication. The platform also supports firewall configurations and automated backups.
Support and Customer Service: DigitalOcean offers 24/7 support, but free-tier users must rely on community forums and documentation for assistance. However, the documentation is comprehensive and detailed.
7. Kamatera
Introduction: Kamatera is a cloud infrastructure provider offering VPS hosting with a focus on scalability and flexibility. While Kamatera doesn’t offer a typical free VPS plan, new users can get a $100 credit to try out their services. This credit can be used to run cloud instances for free within certain limits.
Key Features:
- Wide Range of Services: Kamatera offers a range of cloud services, including compute, storage, and networking solutions.
- High Performance: Kamatera’s infrastructure includes high-performance SSD storage, ensuring fast load times and low latency.
Plans and Pricing: Kamatera provides a $100 credit to new users, allowing them to experiment with various services. After the credits are used, pricing starts at $4 per month for a basic VPS instance.
Performance and Speed: Kamatera is known for excellent performance, with high-speed SSD storage and optimized CPU usage. The platform offers fast load times and consistent performance even with limited resources.
Scalability: Kamatera’s key feature is its scalability. Users can increase resources at any time, whether vertically (adding more CPU, RAM, or storage) or horizontally (adding more instances).
Security Features: Kamatera includes a range of security features, including firewalls, DDoS protection, and automatic backups.
Support and Customer Service: Kamatera offers 24/7 customer support through live chat and tickets, along with a detailed knowledge base.
8. UpCloud
Introduction: UpCloud is a VPS hosting provider known for its high-performance cloud services. It offers a free trial with $100 in credits, which can be used to test its services.
Key Features:
- High-Performance Infrastructure: UpCloud uses SSD storage and high-speed networking to provide excellent performance for VPS users.
- Customizable VPS Plans: Users can tailor their VPS based on RAM, CPU, storage, and bandwidth needs.
Plans and Pricing: UpCloud’s free credit plan allows users to test the platform. After the trial, pricing starts at $5 per month for 1GB of RAM, 25GB of storage, and 1TB of bandwidth.
Performance and Speed: UpCloud delivers fast performance, especially with its proprietary MaxIOPS storage technology. Users experience solid speed and low latency.
Scalability: UpCloud is highly scalable, allowing users to quickly increase resources or add new servers as their needs grow.
Security Features: UpCloud provides robust security features, including firewalls, data encryption, and DDoS protection.
Support and Customer Service: UpCloud offers 24/7 support, with options for live chat and a comprehensive knowledge base for troubleshooting.
9. Scaleway
Introduction: Scaleway is a cloud computing provider offering scalable VPS hosting solutions. The company offers a generous free VPS tier with access to multiple resources for trial purposes.
Key Features:
- Affordable Pricing: Scaleway offers competitive pricing for its VPS solutions.
- User-Friendly: The platform is known for its simple interface and powerful API.
Plans and Pricing: Scaleway offers free VPS resources for trial users. After the free trial, pricing starts at €2.99 per month.
Performance and Speed: Scaleway provides solid performance with high-speed SSD storage.
Scalability: The platform supports vertical and horizontal scaling.
Security Features: Scaleway includes strong security measures like firewalls and VPNs.
Support and Customer Service: Scaleway offers 24/7 support, with a ticketing system.
10. Contabo
Introduction: Contabo is a VPS hosting provider known for its affordable plans and flexible cloud solutions. It offers free VPS trials with significant resources.
Key Features:
- Flexible Plans: Contabo provides scalable VPS options with significant memory and storage.
- Performance: Users benefit from fast SSD storage and high-performance networking.
Plans and Pricing: Contabo’s free trial offers access to a range of resources.
Performance and Speed: Contabo provides high-speed VPS instances.
Scalability: The platform supports scalable VPS options.
Security Features: Contabo includes essential security features like firewalls.
Support and Customer Service: Contabo offers 24/7 support for all users.
Conclusion
In 2025, free VPS services in the UK continue to evolve, offering users access to powerful cloud computing resources without upfront costs. These services are highly beneficial for developers, startups, and small businesses that require a cost-effective way to explore cloud hosting, test applications, or host smaller projects. Providers such as Vultr, AWS, Google Cloud, and others offer a variety of free plans, ranging from credits to completely free instances with limitations on resources like CPU, RAM, and storage.
Each VPS provider brings unique strengths to the table. Vultr and Linode stand out for their ease of use, high performance, and flexibility, making them ideal for developers looking to scale. AWS, Google Cloud, and Oracle Cloud provide expansive service offerings, with AWS and GCP offering the added benefit of massive global infrastructure and scalability for more ambitious projects. Kamatera and UpCloud are particularly recognized for their high-performance setups, making them ideal for users requiring fast and efficient cloud environments. Scaleway and Contabo, while more affordable, still provide solid performance and features, allowing users to run various applications without significant investment.
Performance remains a common theme across these providers, with SSD storage and high-speed processors ensuring that even free-tier users experience reliable and swift performance. Additionally, scalability is a critical factor, enabling users to grow their cloud infrastructure as their needs increase, which is a huge advantage over traditional hosting solutions.
Security is also a key focus for most providers, offering built-in protections like firewalls, DDoS mitigation, and encryption, all of which ensure that free-tier services are still secure enough for sensitive projects. Most platforms provide essential security features for free-tier users, though those requiring more advanced protection can explore additional tools in higher-tier plans.
Customer support can vary, with providers like AWS, Google Cloud, and Linode offering comprehensive knowledge bases and community support, while others like Kamatera and UpCloud provide dedicated support via tickets or live chat. However, free-tier users are typically limited to community-driven support or basic customer service unless they upgrade to a premium support plan.
In conclusion, while free VPS hosting comes with limitations, it remains an excellent option for those looking to test, experiment, or host small-scale projects without a financial commitment. With robust infrastructure, high-performance capabilities, and opportunities for scalability, these free VPS services continue to empower users worldwide to innovate and develop without worrying about upfront costs. The key to selecting the best service lies in understanding your specific requirements—whether it’s a simple website, application testing, or a more demanding, scalable solution—and choosing a provider that best matches those needs.
