DigitalOcean
Hosting AI agents (OpenClaw, Hermes Agent, n8n) on low-cost Droplets with 1-Click images
VPS · Basic Droplet 1 vCPU / 512 MiB (s-1vcpu-512mb-10gb) · from:
$4.00≈ €3.57 (estimated conversion from $4.00)
AI VPS compared: CPU plans for agents, GPU plans for bigger models
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A VPS is the simplest way to keep an agent, workflow tool or small model running around the clock. Compare verified monthly plans, regions and storage, and see which hosts also rent GPUs for bigger models.
AI VPS providers
When a VPS is enough
- Agents that call model APIs
The heavy lifting happens at the model provider, so the server mainly needs memory, storage and a stable network. No GPU is needed.
- Small local models
Small quantised models can run on CPU with tools such as Ollama or llama.cpp. System memory limits the model size, and responses are much slower than on a GPU.
- Larger models or many users
Once responses need to be fast or the model needs tens of gigabytes of memory, the GPU's VRAM becomes the limit, so compare GPU instances instead.
Tools for this decision
- GPU Cost CalculatorEstimate monthly GPU spend from verified hourly prices, usage hours, instances and storage.
- VRAM / Model FitEstimate the GPU memory a model needs for inference or fine-tuning, and which GPUs fit.
- Agent Hosting SelectorAnswer a few questions about your agent and get a best-fit hosting category and provider shortlist.
How we compare
Monthly plan prices.
Rows lead with the provider's cheapest verified monthly plan of this kind; with a region or EU filter, the cheapest plan available there. An introductory price is only shown next to its renewal price and is never used to rank. Prices exclude VAT and sales tax.Not verified means not verified.
When no official source confirms a value we show “Not verified” instead of an estimate. Where a provider's terms do not allow its prices to be republished, we link to its live pricing instead.Freshness on every row.
Updated today: checked on the current day (UTC). Fresh: up to 7 days. Stale: up to 30 days. Needs refresh: older than that.No paid placement.
Results only change order with the sort you pick. Affiliate relationships never affect order, filters or which providers appear.
Filters match a provider when one of its listed offers meets every GPU, VRAM, region, price and billing-increment condition together. Spot, reserved and serverless billing list each provider that offers that pricing and show only prices on that basis, or “not verified” when we have none. Without a GPU filter, providers are matched on their own regions and lead with their monthly plans. Read the full methodology and our affiliate disclosure.
Frequently asked questions
What is a VPS for AI?
A regular virtual private server used for AI work: running agents, automation tools, vector databases or small models. Most AI VPS plans have no GPU; each result shows whether the host also rents GPUs.
Which AI VPS is the best?
The one with enough memory for your agent or model, a region close to you or inside the EU if you need that, and a monthly price you can live with after any introductory term. Sort by lowest price and check the renewal price shown next to introductory offers.
How much RAM does an AI agent need on a VPS?
It depends on the agent and how it is installed. OpenClaw's documentation runs its gateway on 1 GB of RAM with API-based models, but asks for at least 6 GB to build the image from source (accessed 26 Sep 2026).
Can I host an LLM on a VPS?
Small quantised models can run on a CPU-only VPS, but slowly, and system memory limits the model size. For larger models, many users or low latency, a GPU instance is the better fit.
Can I run my own AI server?
Yes. Rent a VPS or GPU server, install a runtime such as Ollama or vLLM, and keep the endpoint private behind an SSH tunnel, a VPN or an authenticating proxy. The VRAM / Model Fit tool helps size the machine for a model.
Why do some plans show an introductory and a renewal price?
Some hosts sell the first term at a lower introductory price and charge a higher price when the plan renews. We rank and label plans by the renewal or standard monthly price and show the introductory price next to it, so a first-term discount is never presented as the running cost.