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Head-to-head · Portainer Hosting

TryDirect Portainer CE vs RemarkableCloud Portainer VPS

  • Updated Sep 2026
  • Both researched from official sources
  • 7 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
RemarkableCloud Portainer VPS #4 in Portainer Hosting 7.5/10 From $5/mo ✓ 4 of 4 features Visit site

TryDirect Portainer CE leads on 1 check, RemarkableCloud Portainer VPS on 4, and 2 are even. Who comes out ahead on the 7 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 priceRemarkableCloud Portainer VPS · $5/mo
  • Free planonly TryDirect Portainer CE
  • Most featuresRemarkableCloud Portainer VPS · 4 of 4

TryDirect Portainer CE scores higher on our rubric for portainer hosting: 8.4 against 7.5 out of 10; our editors rank them #2 and #4.

TryDirect Portainer CE offers free plan; RemarkableCloud Portainer VPS doesn't. RemarkableCloud Portainer VPS is cheaper to start at $5/mo against $9/mo. RemarkableCloud Portainer VPS offers managed updates; TryDirect Portainer CE doesn't publish it. RemarkableCloud Portainer VPS offers backups; TryDirect Portainer CE doesn't publish it. RemarkableCloud 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. RemarkableCloud Portainer VPS is the better fit for small teams wanting Portainer on a managed VPS.

  • TryDirect Portainer CE fits best

    Free-start Portainer deployments across major clouds

  • RemarkableCloud Portainer VPS fits best

    Small teams wanting Portainer on a managed VPS

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 ↗ RemarkableCloud Portainer VPS 7.5/10 Visit ↗
At a glance
Editor score 8.4 7.5
Ranking #2 in Portainer Hosting #4 in Portainer Hosting
Best for Free-start Portainer deployments across major clouds Small teams wanting Portainer on a managed VPS
Pricing model Free plan + paid Paid
Starting price $9/mo $5/mo (best)
Free plan ✓ (best) —
Free trial Not published —
Deployment Cloud, Self-hosted Cloud
Platforms Web, Linux Web
Support Email, Community Phone, Tickets, Docs · 24/7
Integrations 100+ integrations 1 integrations
Built for Small business, Mid-market Solo, Small business, Mid-market
Features TryDirect Portainer CE 1/4 · RemarkableCloud Portainer VPS 4/4
One-click deploy ✓ ✓
Managed updates Not published ✓ (best)
Backups Not published ✓ (best)
Custom domain + SSL Not published ✓ (best)
Specs
Server locations Not published 1
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 CE setup, with Docker Engine installed if needed
  • HTTPS access with a hostname and TLS
  • Daily snapshots; dual offsite backups are optional
Cons
  • Portainer CE deployment costs $50 one-time
  • Cloud-provider server charges are billed separately
  • Free plan includes community support rather than email support
  • No free plan or free trial
  • Snapshots are retained for 24 hours
  • Dual offsite backups 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 →

RemarkableCloud Portainer VPS provisions Portainer Community Edition on a private virtual server, with Docker Engine installed when needed. It suits solo operators and teams who want a browser interface for managing containers, stacks,…

Read the review →
  1. TryDirect Portainer CEPortainer Hosting 8.4Free plan · paid from $9/mo
  2. RemarkableCloud Portainer VPSPortainer Hosting 7.5From $5/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
  • RemarkableCloud Portainer VPS — where it wins

    • One-click Portainer CE setup, with Docker Engine installed if needed
    • HTTPS access with a hostname and TLS
    • Daily snapshots; dual offsite backups are optional

    Where it doesn't

    • No free plan or free trial
    • Snapshots are retained for 24 hours
    • Dual offsite backups 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 →
  • RemarkableCloud Portainer VPS7.5/10 · From $5/mo

    A managed VPS with Portainer CE preinstalled, starting at $5 per month.

    Visit siteFull verdict →

More comparisons

Reviewed by iTechGuides Editors · Editorial team · Updated Sep 2026

Last updated · How we research and update