Raff vs Netcup: VPS Pricing, Bandwidth, and Support (2026)

Introduction

Raff vs Netcup is a practical VPS comparison between a simple U.S.-focused cloud platform and a German value VPS provider with very aggressive storage-heavy pricing. Raff Technologies is built around predictable virtual machines, unmetered bandwidth, included operational features, and human support. Netcup is strongest when you want a low monthly euro price with large included storage and you are comfortable managing the server yourself.

A VPS, or virtual private server, is a virtual machine that gives you isolated compute, memory, storage, and operating-system control on shared physical infrastructure. The important question is not only “which provider has more CPU and RAM for the lowest visible price?” The better question is: “which provider gives my team the right mix of price, bandwidth, storage, support, and operational simplicity?”

This comparison looks at Raff General Purpose VMs against Netcup's regular x86 VPS line because both are value-oriented shared-resource VPS offerings. Netcup's Root Server line is a different category because it is positioned around dedicated CPU cores; Raff's CPU-Optimized line is the closer match for dedicated-vCPU workloads. For this article, the focus is everyday VPS hosting: websites, small applications, development environments, internal tools, staging servers, and self-managed production services.

Quick Verdict

Raff and Netcup are both strong low-cost VPS options, but they win for different reasons. Netcup gives you very large included storage on its current x86 VPS tiers, starting at €5.91/month incl. 19% VAT for 2 vCore, 4 GB RAM, and 128 GB NVMe. Raff General Purpose starts at $4.99/month for 2 vCPU, 4 GB RAM, and 50 GB NVMe, and focuses on a simpler cloud platform with unmetered bandwidth, DDoS protection, snapshots, automated backups, private networking, web console access, and 24/7 human support.

Choose Raff if you want a straightforward cloud server experience with support, predictable bandwidth economics, and cloud features already built into the platform. Choose Netcup if your priority is maximum included storage per euro and you are comfortable operating a self-managed VPS through a more traditional hosting-style workflow.

The cleanest summary is this: Netcup is hard to beat on storage-per-price, while Raff is stronger when support, bandwidth simplicity, and operational features matter as much as raw disk size.

Raff Overview

Raff is a cloud infrastructure platform focused on virtual machines, storage, networking, snapshots, backups, S3-compatible object storage, private networking, and developer-friendly operations. Raff's current VM lineup is split into General Purpose and CPU-Optimized tiers.

For this comparison, Raff General Purpose is the right match. It is designed for websites, development environments, staging servers, internal tools, and general workloads where price matters but the team still wants a cloud platform around the server.

Current Raff General Purpose tiers are:

The important part is what comes around the VM. Raff includes unmetered bandwidth, DDoS protection, snapshots, automated backups, private networking, firewall controls, web console access, block storage expansion, and API/CLI access as part of the platform story. You can also deploy Linux distributions such as Ubuntu, Debian, Rocky Linux, AlmaLinux, Fedora, Alpine, and others through the Linux VM product page.

From our side, this is intentional. We include unmetered bandwidth because surprise egress costs make cloud budgeting harder for small teams. A low VPS price is useful, but a predictable operating bill is what lets a startup, agency, or solo developer keep shipping without checking a calculator every week.

Netcup Overview

Netcup is a German hosting and VPS provider known for low prices, large included storage, and strong value in the European VPS market. Its regular x86 VPS G12 plans currently include DDR5 ECC RAM, NVMe storage, traffic included, snapshots, DDoS protection, remote console access, and API access.

Current Netcup x86 VPS tiers shown on the English VPS page are:

Netcup's biggest advantage is obvious: storage. If you compare included disk capacity at similar RAM and CPU tiers, Netcup provides substantially more NVMe storage than Raff General Purpose. That matters for workloads such as media-heavy sites, archival data, large self-hosted apps, and projects where the disk requirement is large but the operational support requirement is low.

There is one important distinction. Netcup's own VPS positioning separates VPS from Root Server. The regular VPS line shares physical resources, while dedicated CPU cores are positioned under Netcup's Root Server line. That does not make Netcup VPS bad; it simply means buyers should compare it against shared-resource VPS products rather than dedicated-vCPU cloud instances.

VPS Pricing Comparison

Pricing is where this comparison becomes nuanced. Raff is not cheaper than Netcup at every comparable tier. Netcup's current x86 VPS prices are aggressive, especially when you consider the included storage.

If you only need the largest possible included disk for the lowest visible monthly price, Netcup is the stronger option. The 16 vCore / 64 GB plan with 2048 GB NVMe is especially storage-heavy compared with Raff's 16 vCPU / 64 GB plan with 480 GB NVMe.

But most VPS decisions are not only storage decisions. A server also needs updates, backups, firewalling, recovery access, support, migration planning, DNS changes, private networking, and a predictable monthly cost. Raff's value is not that every raw spec is lower-priced. Raff's value is that the cloud operating model is simpler for small teams that want infrastructure without enterprise-cloud complexity.

Bandwidth and Traffic

Bandwidth is one of the easiest places for cloud pricing to become confusing. A server can look cheap until file downloads, application traffic, backups, API responses, or static assets begin moving real data.

Raff positions its VM tiers with unmetered bandwidth. That is important for teams running web applications, APIs, self-hosted tools, developer environments, and content-heavy workloads where traffic can vary from month to month. You do not need to estimate every outbound gigabyte before launching a small project.

Netcup's regular VPS page lists traffic included on its current VPS plans. That is a strong point for Netcup. It means this comparison is not like comparing Raff against hyperscaler instances where outbound bandwidth can become a separate bill line. Both providers are attractive for users who dislike traditional egress billing.

The difference is in the broader platform context. Raff wraps bandwidth into a cloud server offer that also emphasizes DDoS protection, backups, snapshots, firewall, private networking, and support. Netcup gives you traffic included and strong VPS pricing, but it is still closer to the traditional self-managed VPS provider model.

Storage and Backups

Storage is the category where Netcup clearly leads on included capacity. At every comparable tier in the current VPS x86 G12 lineup, Netcup includes more disk than Raff General Purpose. That matters when the workload is storage-heavy and the user does not want to attach separate volumes or object storage.

Raff takes a different approach. The base VM storage is smaller, but the surrounding storage system includes block storage expansion, snapshots, automated backups, and S3-compatible object storage for data that does not belong on the VM disk. That architecture is usually cleaner for applications where the VM should run the app, databases should be backed up separately, and large files should live in object storage.

For example, a Laravel or Django application can run on a Raff VM while uploaded files go to object storage and database dumps go to a backup bucket. That is more operationally mature than putting every file, database, log, and backup onto one large VPS disk.

Netcup's large included disk is excellent for users who want one big server with everything on it. Raff's model is better when you want to separate compute, backups, and object storage as the application grows.

Support and Operations

Support is one of the most important differences between Raff and Netcup. Raff publicly positions support as 24/7 human support with an average response under 10 minutes, alongside documentation, quick-start guides, and API references. For small teams, this can matter more than a few dollars of monthly price difference.

Netcup provides ticket support, help center documentation, phone/contact options, and a community. That is a normal and useful model for a hosting provider. It works well for users who already know how to operate Linux servers, debug services, configure firewalls, and handle migrations.

The question is what happens when something breaks at the wrong moment. If you are a solo developer, startup founder, or small team without a dedicated infrastructure engineer, the support model can change the real cost of the VPS. A cheaper server can become expensive if you spend hours debugging networking, backups, DNS, or restore procedures alone.

Raff is designed to reduce that operational burden. You still get root access and control, but the platform is built for people who want help available when infrastructure becomes business-critical.

Regions and Data Center Fit

Netcup has a strong European identity and operates infrastructure across European locations, with additional availability in Manassas, Virginia, and other infrastructure references depending on product line and availability. That makes Netcup attractive for users who specifically want German or European hosting economics, European data-center proximity, or transatlantic options.

Raff is a better fit when the buyer wants U.S.-focused cloud infrastructure with simple pricing and direct support. For teams serving U.S. audiences, building U.S.-based SaaS projects, or looking for a U.S. VPS alternative to larger clouds, Raff's positioning is straightforward.

This is not a universal win for either provider. If your audience is primarily in Germany, Austria, the Netherlands, or nearby European markets, Netcup deserves serious consideration. If your audience is primarily in the United States or your team wants a U.S.-hosted cloud platform with hands-on support, Raff is likely the cleaner fit.

Feature Comparison

Who Should Choose Raff?

Choose Raff if your team wants predictable cloud infrastructure without hyperscaler complexity. Raff is a good fit when you care about unmetered bandwidth, human support, backups, snapshots, firewalling, private networking, web console access, and the ability to grow from a single Linux VM into a broader cloud setup.

Raff is also a strong fit when your workload is not just “a cheap server.” If the VPS runs a customer-facing app, production API, business website, private tool, or revenue-generating project, the surrounding platform matters. Support, backups, and recovery paths become part of the real price.

You should choose Raff when:

• You want U.S.-focused cloud infrastructure.
• You value 24/7 human support.
• You want unmetered bandwidth without egress-bill anxiety.
• You want built-in backups, snapshots, firewalling, and private networking.
• You plan to use additional cloud services such as object storage or block storage.
• You prefer a clean developer-first platform over a traditional hosting workflow.

For most teams, the practical starting point is the Linux VM product page or the pricing page.

Who Should Choose Netcup?

Choose Netcup if your main priority is storage-heavy VPS value and you are comfortable operating your own server. Netcup's current x86 VPS plans include far more storage than Raff General Purpose at comparable CPU and RAM tiers, which makes Netcup attractive for large self-hosted applications, media libraries, backup-heavy workloads, or users who want a large VPS disk by default.

Netcup is also a good fit if you specifically want a European provider, German hosting economics, or data-center proximity to European users. For experienced Linux administrators, Netcup can be very cost-effective.

You should choose Netcup when:

• You want the most included storage per euro.
• You are comfortable with a self-managed VPS model.
• Your users are primarily in Europe.
• You want a traditional hosting/VPS control panel workflow.
• You do not need Raff's support model or broader cloud platform features.
• You are comparing based on raw storage-heavy VPS value.

Netcup is not the wrong choice. It is simply optimized for a different buyer.

Migration Considerations

Migrating from Netcup to Raff is similar to any VPS-to-VPS migration. You create a new Raff VM with the same operating system family, harden SSH access, install your application stack, copy files, migrate databases, test the application, and then update DNS.

A safe migration plan usually looks like this:

1. Create the new Raff VM.
2. Install the same runtime stack: Nginx, Apache, PHP, Node.js, Python, Docker, or database services.
3. Copy application files with rsync or scp.
4. Export and import databases.
5. Move uploaded media to VM storage, block storage, or object storage.
6. Test the application using the new server IP.
7. Lower DNS TTL before cutover.
8. Point DNS to Raff.
9. Monitor logs and traffic.
10. Keep the old Netcup VPS online until the new setup is verified.

The key decision during migration is storage architecture. If your Netcup server uses a very large local disk, do not blindly copy that structure onto a smaller VM disk. Decide what belongs on the VM, what belongs on block storage, and what belongs in object storage. This is often the moment when a team can clean up years of server sprawl.

Final Recommendation

Raff vs Netcup is not a simple “one is better” comparison. Netcup is excellent for storage-heavy VPS buyers who want low euro pricing and are comfortable with self-managed infrastructure. Raff is better for teams that want a simpler cloud experience, U.S.-focused infrastructure, unmetered bandwidth, included operational features, and human support.

If your buying decision is based on raw storage per euro, Netcup is the stronger candidate. If your buying decision includes support, backups, bandwidth predictability, private networking, and the ability to grow into a broader cloud platform, Raff is the stronger fit.

For small teams, the right question is not “which VPS has the biggest disk?” The right question is “which provider makes this server easier to run six months from now?” If that answer includes predictable bandwidth, support, snapshots, backups, and a clean cloud workflow, Raff is the better choice.

This comparison was prepared from Raff's current product reference and Netcup's official VPS pricing as of May 2026.