Raff Technologies and Vultr both serve developers and small teams that need cloud VMs, object storage, private networking, automation, managed databases, Kubernetes, and application deployment. Raff is the stronger choice when predictable bandwidth, included backups, lower comparable CPU-Optimized pricing, and a compact managed platform matter. Vultr is the stronger choice when global regions, GPU, bare metal, or very low local-NVMe latency matter.
At the benchmarked 2 vCPU / 4 GB tier, Raff CPU-Optimized is $19.99/month with unmetered bandwidth and three included backup slots. Vultr High Performance is $24/month with 5 TB included transfer and paid backup add-ons. In the May 2026 benchmark, Raff measured stronger Redis and memory-write throughput, while Vultr measured stronger single-thread CPU, QD1 disk latency, deep-queue IOPS, sequential disk, and SQLite inserts.
Vultr vs Raff: Which Is Right for You?
The decision separates across five practical areas: geography, specialized hardware, bandwidth model, workload performance, and platform fit.
- Choose Vultr for global placement — Vultr lists 32 cloud data center regions across North America, South America, Europe, Asia, Australia, and Africa.
- Choose Vultr for GPU or bare metal — Vultr offers Cloud GPU and Bare Metal products; Raff does not list GPU or bare metal in its public catalog.
- Choose Vultr for disk-latency-sensitive workloads — the benchmark measured substantially lower QD1 random-read latency on Vultr.
- Choose Raff for predictable bandwidth — Raff includes unmetered VM bandwidth at a 3 Gbps standard port speed; Vultr meters transfer by plan and charges overage.
- Choose Raff for lower comparable pricing — Raff is $19.99/month at 2 vCPU / 4 GB, compared with $24/month for Vultr High Performance and $40/month for Vultr Optimized Cloud Compute CPU-Optimized.
- Choose Raff for memory-heavy application throughput — Raff measured 157,356 Redis SET/GET requests per second versus Vultr's 70,596.
- Choose Raff for a compact managed stack — Raff includes managed Kubernetes, managed databases, functions/serverless, Raff Apps, object storage, VPC, backups, API/CLI, and Terraform.
Vultr still wins on global breadth, specialized hardware, and some local-storage performance patterns. Raff is better suited to US-focused teams that want simpler cost planning and a managed application platform around their VM workloads.
Vultr Overview
Vultr is operated by Constant Company, LLC and was founded in 2014. Its catalog includes Regular Performance, High Performance, High Frequency, Optimized Cloud Compute, Cloud GPU, Bare Metal, object storage, block storage, managed databases, managed Kubernetes, load balancers, snapshots, backups, private networking, API, CLI, and Terraform support.
Vultr is strongest for teams that need many global regions or specialized compute. It lists 32 cloud data center regions and offers GPU and bare-metal products for AI/ML, rendering, analytics, and single-tenant workloads.
Raff Overview
Raff Technologies is a US-focused cloud platform for teams that want predictable VMs, unmetered bandwidth, private networking, storage, backups, and managed application services without a hyperscaler-sized control plane.
Raff offers:
- General Purpose and CPU-Optimized VMs
- Managed Kubernetes
- Managed databases
- Functions/serverless
- Raff Apps
- S3-compatible object storage
- Block storage volumes
- Private cloud networking
- Load balancers
- Snapshots and automated backups
- Firewalls, DDoS protection, and VNC console access
- API, CLI, Terraform, and custom OS support
Raff operates from Vint Hill, Virginia, runs 10,000+ production VMs, and is rated 4.5/5 on Trustpilot in the current comparison data.
Vultr Pricing vs Raff Pricing
The table below compares Raff CPU-Optimized against Vultr High Performance because those are the classes used in the May 2026 benchmark.
| Plan class | Raff CPU-Optimized | Vultr High Performance AMD | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 vCPU / 1 GB | $3.99/mo — 25 GB NVMe | $6.00/mo — 25 GB NVMe | Raff about 34% lower |
| 1 vCPU / 2 GB | $9.99/mo — 50 GB NVMe | $12.00/mo — 50 GB NVMe | Raff about 17% lower |
| 2 vCPU / 2 GB | $13.99/mo — 50 GB NVMe | $18.00/mo — 60 GB NVMe | Raff about 22% lower |
| 2 vCPU / 4 GB | $19.99/mo — 80 GB NVMe | $24.00/mo — 100 GB NVMe | Raff about 17% lower |
| 4 vCPU / 8 GB | $35.99/mo — 120 GB NVMe | $48.00/mo — 180 GB NVMe | Raff about 25% lower |
| 8 vCPU / 16 GB | $63.99/mo — 180 GB NVMe | $96.00/mo — 350 GB NVMe | Raff about 33% lower |
Raff also offers General Purpose VMs from $5.99/month for development, staging, low-traffic sites, and non-critical workloads.
Dedicated CPU Comparison
Vultr Optimized Cloud Compute CPU-Optimized lists a closest 2 vCPU / 4 GB configuration at $40/month with 50 GB storage and 5 TB bandwidth. Raff CPU-Optimized is $19.99/month with 80 GB NVMe SSD and unmetered bandwidth.
The benchmark below compares Raff CPU-Optimized against Vultr High Performance, not Vultr Optimized Cloud Compute. The dedicated-CPU pricing comparison should therefore be treated separately from the benchmark results.
Bandwidth Cost Math
At the benchmarked 2 vCPU / 4 GB tier, Vultr High Performance includes 5 TB monthly transfer and charges $0.01/GB above the allowance. Raff includes unmetered bandwidth at a 3 Gbps standard port speed.
| Monthly outbound traffic | Raff bill | Vultr High Performance bill |
|---|---|---|
| 1 TB | $19.99/mo | $24.00/mo |
| 5 TB | $19.99/mo | $24.00/mo |
| 10 TB | $19.99/mo | About $74.00/mo |
| 50 TB | $19.99/mo | About $484.00/mo |
Below 5 TB, base price and product fit dominate. Above 5 TB, Raff's unmetered model becomes the larger economic difference.
Automated Backups
Raff includes three automated backup slots per VM. Vultr offers automated backups as a paid add-on, commonly modeled at about 20% of the VM's monthly price. On a $24/month Vultr instance, that produces an estimated VM-plus-backup cost of about $28.80/month.
Bandwidth and Transfer Policy
Raff's VM traffic is unmetered at the standard 3 Gbps port speed, so normal egress does not create a per-GB line item.
Vultr includes a fixed transfer allowance by plan. This is suitable for predictable, lower-traffic workloads, but it can create additional cost for file delivery, APIs with large responses, game servers, media workloads, analytics collectors, and backup replication.
Feature Comparison: Vultr vs Raff
Compute
| Feature | Raff | Vultr |
|---|---|---|
| Shared vCPU VMs | General Purpose | Regular Performance, High Performance, High Frequency |
| Dedicated vCPU VMs | CPU-Optimized | Optimized Cloud Compute |
| Entry price | $3.99/mo CPU-Optimized or $5.99/mo General Purpose | $6/mo High Performance or $5/mo Regular Performance |
| Benchmarked 2 vCPU / 4 GB | $19.99/mo | $24/mo High Performance |
| Dedicated 2 vCPU / 4 GB | $19.99/mo | $40/mo Optimized Cloud Compute |
| GPU | Not in public catalog | Cloud GPU and GPU bare metal |
| Bare metal | Not in public catalog | Yes |
Vultr wins on compute breadth. Raff wins where the buyer wants fewer plan families and lower comparable CPU-Optimized pricing.
Networking
| Feature | Raff | Vultr |
|---|---|---|
| VM bandwidth | Unmetered at 3 Gbps standard port speed | Metered by plan |
| 2 vCPU / 4 GB allowance | Unmetered | 5 TB on High Performance |
| Overage | None on normal VM traffic | $0.01/GB |
| IPv4 + IPv6 | Yes | Yes |
| VPC/private networking | Yes | Yes |
| DDoS protection | Yes | Yes |
| Load balancers | Yes | Yes |
Vultr wins on global region coverage. Raff wins on transfer predictability.
Storage
| Feature | Raff | Vultr |
|---|---|---|
| VM disk | NVMe SSD | NVMe SSD on High Performance |
| Storage model | Distributed block storage | Local NVMe on High Performance |
| Block storage volumes | Yes | Yes |
| Snapshots | Yes | Yes |
| Live migration | Yes | Different local-storage model |
| Automated backups | Three slots included | Paid add-on |
| Object storage | S3-compatible | Available |
Vultr's local NVMe measured stronger QD1 latency and deep-queue disk performance. Raff's distributed storage supports VM mobility, snapshots, live migration, and a more integrated backup workflow.
Platform
| Feature | Raff | Vultr |
|---|---|---|
| Managed Kubernetes | Yes | Vultr Kubernetes Engine |
| Managed databases | Yes | PostgreSQL, MySQL, Redis |
| Functions/serverless | Yes | No equivalent first-party layer in this comparison |
| Application deployment | Raff Apps | Marketplace and one-click apps |
| Object storage | Yes | Yes |
| API and CLI | Yes | Yes |
| Terraform provider | Yes | Yes |
| GPU / AI infrastructure | Not in public catalog | Yes |
| Bare metal | Not in public catalog | Yes |
Both providers cover VMs, Kubernetes, databases, object storage, networking, and automation. Vultr's advantage is the breadth and maturity of its global hardware catalog. Raff adds a focused serverless and application-deployment layer alongside its VM platform.
Trust and Infrastructure
| Feature | Raff | Vultr |
|---|---|---|
| Trustpilot rating | 4.5/5 across 16 reviews | 1.7/5 across 559 reviews |
| Production scale | 10,000+ production VMs | Vultr reports 45M+ instances deployed |
| Founded | Early 2025 | 2014 |
| Public footprint | Vint Hill, Virginia | 32 global cloud regions |
Raff has the higher listed rating but a much smaller review base and shorter operating history. Vultr has a much larger global footprint and longer public track record.
Performance Benchmarks: Raff vs Vultr
The following results come from the May 11, 2026 single-pass benchmark window.
Methodology
| Setting | Value |
|---|---|
| Test date | 2026-05-11 |
| Raff VM | 2 vCPU HiMem / 4 GB DDR5 / 80 GB NVMe — $19.99/mo, Vint Hill, Virginia |
| Vultr VM | 2 vCPU / 4 GB DDR5 / 100 GB local NVMe — $24/mo High Performance, Chicago |
| OS | Ubuntu 24.04 LTS |
| Tools | sysbench 1.0.20, fio 3.36, iperf3 3.16, redis-benchmark 7.x |
| Runs | Single pass per test |
| Test cost | Paid at standard rates by Raff Technologies; no sponsorship or rebate from Vultr |
Results
| Benchmark | Raff | Vultr | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| Redis SET | 157,356 req/s | 70,596 req/s | Raff 2.2x faster |
| Redis GET | 157,356 req/s | 70,596 req/s | Raff 2.2x faster |
| Memory random write | 6,099 MiB/s | 2,790 MiB/s | Raff 2.2x faster |
| Memory random read | 5,541 MiB/s | 5,259 MiB/s | Raff 5% faster |
| Memory sequential read | 131 GB/s | 127 GB/s | Raff 4% faster |
| CPU single-thread | 1,662 events/s | 1,824 events/s | Vultr 9% faster |
| Disk QD1 random-read P99 | 807 µs | 53 µs | Vultr about 15x lower latency |
| Disk QD32 random read | ~75,000 IOPS | ~210,000 IOPS | Vultr 2.8x higher |
| Disk sequential read | 2.4 GB/s | 4.6 GB/s | Vultr 1.9x faster |
| SQLite insert | 331,000 inserts/s | 424,000 inserts/s | Vultr 22% faster |
Raff's strongest measured result is memory-bound application throughput. Vultr's strongest measured result is local-NVMe latency and high-queue-depth disk performance.
The benchmark is a single-window snapshot and the regions differed. Results vary with host load, time, image, and test configuration; a same-region multi-run refresh would strengthen the comparison.
When You Should Choose Vultr
Choose Vultr when:
- You need 32 global cloud regions.
- You need GPU compute or bare metal.
- Your workload depends on very low QD1 local-NVMe latency.
- Deep-queue disk IOPS and sequential disk throughput dominate performance.
- You need deployment in Europe, Asia-Pacific, South America, or Africa.
- A longer operating history and larger infrastructure catalog matter to procurement.
When You Should Choose Raff
Choose Raff when:
- You want lower comparable CPU-Optimized pricing.
- You need unmetered bandwidth rather than a 5 TB allowance.
- You want three automated backup slots included.
- Redis, cache, queue, and memory-write throughput matter.
- You want managed Kubernetes, managed databases, functions/serverless, and Raff Apps in one compact stack.
- Your workload is US-focused and benefits from Virginia placement.
Migrating from Vultr to Raff
- Inventory Vultr instances, plans, regions, operating systems, attached volumes, networks, firewall rules, DNS, backups, and application dependencies.
- Provision Raff VMs with equal or greater CPU, RAM, and storage.
- Check disk-device names and update
/etc/fstab, mount scripts, and monitoring rules where needed. - Transfer files with rsync and migrate databases with native dump, restore, or replication tools.
- Recreate networking, firewall rules, backups, monitoring, and service dependencies.
- Lower DNS TTL to 300 seconds, complete the final sync, and update A and AAAA records.
- Validate real production traffic before deleting the Vultr instance and snapshots.
About Vultr
Vultr is operated by Constant Company, LLC and offers cloud compute, high-performance VMs, optimized compute, GPU, bare metal, managed databases, managed Kubernetes, storage, networking, and related infrastructure products.
Conclusion: Vultr or Raff?
Choose Vultr when global placement, GPU, bare metal, or local-NVMe disk latency are the deciding requirements.
Choose Raff when lower comparable VM pricing, unmetered bandwidth, included backups, memory-heavy application throughput, and a focused managed application platform matter more.