Suggestions appear as you type. Use the up and down arrows to choose one and Enter to open it.

This page's audience real numbers from our own analytics — open to see them
–Visitors
–Page views
–Clicks to vendors
–Time on page
–Reading now
Clicks to vendors, by tool
  • –
Top countries
  • –
Devices
  • –

– · counted by iTechGuides's own first-party analytics, bots removed, every figure rounded down · how we count

Head-to-head · Portainer Hosting

TryDirect Portainer CE vs Cloudzy Portainer VPS

  • Updated Sep 2026
  • Both researched from official sources
  • 6 checks side by side
Higher score TryDirect Portainer CE #2 in Portainer Hosting 8.4/10 Free plan · paid from $9/mo Free plan✓ 1 of 4 features Visit TryDirect
Cloudzy Portainer VPS #3 in Portainer Hosting 7.8/10 From $2.48/mo ✓ 3 of 4 features Visit Cloudzy

TryDirect Portainer CE leads on 1 check, Cloudzy Portainer VPS on 3, and 2 are even. Who comes out ahead on the 6 yes/no, price and count checks where we have data for both products. The editor score weighs everything else too.

Our verdict

  • Highest scoreTryDirect Portainer CE · 8.4/10
  • Lowest starting priceCloudzy Portainer VPS · $2.48/mo
  • Free planonly TryDirect Portainer CE
  • Most featuresCloudzy Portainer VPS · 3 of 4

TryDirect Portainer CE scores higher on our rubric for portainer hosting: 8.4 against 7.8 out of 10; our editors rank them #2 and #3.

TryDirect Portainer CE offers free plan; Cloudzy Portainer VPS doesn't. Cloudzy Portainer VPS is cheaper to start at $2.48/mo against $9/mo. Cloudzy Portainer VPS offers backups; TryDirect Portainer CE doesn't publish it. Cloudzy Portainer VPS offers custom domain + ssl; TryDirect Portainer CE doesn't publish it.

TryDirect Portainer CE is the better fit for free-start Portainer deployments across major clouds. Cloudzy Portainer VPS is the better fit for developers seeking low-cost Portainer VPS hosting.

  • TryDirect Portainer CE fits best

    Free-start Portainer deployments across major clouds

  • Cloudzy Portainer VPS fits best

    Developers seeking low-cost Portainer VPS hosting

Advertiser disclosure: iTechGuides is reader-supported. We may earn a commission when you click some links. It never changes our verdict. How we rank.

Side by side

Feature TryDirect Portainer CE 8.4/10 Visit ↗ Cloudzy Portainer VPS 7.8/10 Visit ↗
At a glance
Editor score 8.4 7.8
Ranking #2 in Portainer Hosting #3 in Portainer Hosting
Best for Free-start Portainer deployments across major clouds Developers seeking low-cost Portainer VPS hosting
Pricing model Free plan + paid Paid
Starting price $9/mo $2.48/mo (best)
Free plan ✓ (best) —
Free trial Not published —
Deployment Cloud, Self-hosted Cloud
Platforms Web, Linux Web, Linux
Support Email, Community Live chat, Tickets, Docs · 24/7
Integrations 100+ integrations 4 integrations
Built for Small business, Mid-market Solo, Small business, Mid-market
Features TryDirect Portainer CE 1/4 · Cloudzy Portainer VPS 3/4
One-click deploy ✓ ✓
Managed updates Not published Not published
Backups Not published ✓ (best)
Custom domain + SSL Not published ✓ (best)
Specs
Server locations Not published 13
Our review
Pros
  • Automatic VPS creation and Portainer CE installation
  • Docker, Kubernetes and Docker Compose support
  • Deployments across AWS, Hetzner, DigitalOcean, Vultr and Linode
  • One-click Portainer Community Edition on Docker templates
  • Dashboard manages Docker, Swarm, Kubernetes, and remote Edge nodes
  • Plans start at $2.48/month, with free snapshots available
Cons
  • Portainer CE deployment costs $50 one-time
  • Cloud-provider server charges are billed separately
  • Free plan includes community support rather than email support
  • The 512 MB plan does not list one-click Portainer
  • No free plan or free trial
  • Additional snapshots beyond the free quota may cost extra
Our verdict

TryDirect Portainer CE is a deployment template that creates a preconfigured VPS and installs Portainer Community Edition. It is aimed at DevOps engineers, system administrators and software developers who want a web interface for managing…

Read the review →

Cloudzy Portainer VPS combines a cloud server with Portainer Community Edition, offered as a one-click install on Docker templates. It is aimed at developers and teams deploying and managing container workloads, from solo operators to…

Read the review →
  1. TryDirect Portainer CEPortainer Hosting 8.4Free plan · paid from $9/mo
  2. Cloudzy Portainer VPSPortainer Hosting 7.8From $2.48/mo

Strengths and trade-offs

  • TryDirect Portainer CE — where it wins

    • Automatic VPS creation and Portainer CE installation
    • Docker, Kubernetes and Docker Compose support
    • Deployments across AWS, Hetzner, DigitalOcean, Vultr and Linode

    Where it doesn't

    • Portainer CE deployment costs $50 one-time
    • Cloud-provider server charges are billed separately
    • Free plan includes community support rather than email support

  • Cloudzy Portainer VPS — where it wins

    • One-click Portainer Community Edition on Docker templates
    • Dashboard manages Docker, Swarm, Kubernetes, and remote Edge nodes
    • Plans start at $2.48/month, with free snapshots available

    Where it doesn't

    • The 512 MB plan does not list one-click Portainer
    • No free plan or free trial
    • Additional snapshots beyond the free quota may cost extra
  • TryDirect Portainer CE8.4/10 · Free plan · paid from $9/mo

    A free-start route to Portainer across major clouds, with paid deployment and support tiers.

    Visit TryDirectFull verdict →
  • Cloudzy Portainer VPS7.8/10 · From $2.48/mo

    Low-cost VPS hosting pairs one-click Portainer with Docker, Swarm, and Kubernetes management.

    Visit CloudzyFull verdict →

More comparisons

All portainer hosting comparisons → · Full ranking →

Reviewed by iTechGuides Editors · Editorial team · Updated Sep 2026

Last updated · How we research and update