# Alibaba Cloud vs UpCloud

**Leader by Vioscale score:** UpCloud

| Attribute | Alibaba Cloud | UpCloud |
|---|---|---|
| **Vioscale score** | 46.4 (49% (low)) | 68.2 (73% (medium)) |
| deployment.options | `{"cloud":true}` | `{"cloud":true}` |
| description.long | Global cloud services provider offering infrastructure, AI capabilities, databases, serverless computing, and communications services. | A cloud infrastructure provider delivering compute, storage, and managed services with a focus on European data sovereignty, transparent pricing, and 24/7 engineering support. Emphasizes zero-cost egress and predictable, vendor-lock-free pricing starting at €3/month. |
| features.capabilities | `{"tier":"hyperscaler","regions_count":"Global with significant Asia Pacific presence","serverless_faas":true,"managed_databases":true}` | `{"tier":"vps_dev","free_egress":true,"block_storage":true,"gpu_instances":true,"regions_count":"15 data centers in 12 countries","object_storage":true,"managed_databases":true,"managed_kubernetes":true,"private_networking":true}` |
| integrations.count | 1 | 0 |
| integrations.list | `[{"name":"Salesforce"}]` | - |
| market.availability | `{"hqCountry":"CN","primaryMarkets":["CN"],"availabilityScope":"global","availableCountries":[],"notAvailableCountries":[]}` | `{"hqCountry":"FI","primaryMarkets":["FI","EU"],"availabilityScope":"global","availableCountries":[],"notAvailableCountries":[]}` |
| platform.support | `{"cli":true,"web":true}` | `{"cli":true,"web":true}` |
| pricing | `{"type":"hybrid","plans":[{"free":false,"name":"Pay-As-You-Go","summary":"Usage-based billing","commitment":"monthly","description":"Pay only for what you use with no upfront payments required","contactSales":false},{"free":false,"name":"Subscription Billing","summary":"Lower subscription rates","commitment":"annual","description":"Lower rates for day-to-day services when elasticity is not a concern","contactSales":false},{"free":false,"name":"AI Token Plan","summary":"Starts from $6/mo","commitment":"monthly","components":[{"kind":"fixed","amount":6,"period":"month","currency":"USD"}],"description":"All-in-one plan covering every AI modality","contactSales":false}],"addOns":[{"name":"ECS Savings Plans"},{"name":"Storage Capacity Unit"},{"name":"ECS Reserve Instance"},{"name":"Data Transfer Plan"},{"name":"CDN Resource Plan"},{"name":"SMS Resource Package"}],"summary":"From $6/mo (AI Token Plan). Multiple billing models: pay-as-you-go, subscription, resource packages. Free trial: $200 instant credits, up to $5000.","currency":"USD","freeTier":true,"sourceUrl":"https://www.alibabacloud.com","retrievedAt":"2026-08-03T13:22:18.222Z","startingPrice":{"amount":6,"period":"month","currency":"USD"},"billingPeriods":["month","year"]}` | `{"type":"subscription","plans":[{"free":false,"name":"Essentials","summary":"Standard support tier","features":["24/7 support","Email and live chat support","< 4 hour response time","< 2 hour incident response","Maintenance information","SLA 99.999%","Two-factor authentication","Zero-cost egress"],"description":"Standard support tier with 24/7 availability","contactSales":false},{"free":false,"name":"Advanced","summary":"Priority support tier","features":["24/7 support","Priority support queue","< 1 hour response time","< 30 minute incident response","Status page access","Consumption analytics","SLA 99.999%","Zero-cost egress"],"description":"Priority support with faster response times","contactSales":false},{"free":false,"name":"Enterprise","summary":"Enterprise support tier with dedicated account manager","features":["24/7 support","Dedicated support members","Customer Success Manager","< 10 minute response time","< 5 minute incident response","Status page and direct email","Account audit logs","SLA 99.999%","Zero-cost egress"],"description":"Dedicated support with fastest response times and account management","contactSales":true}],"summary":"From €3/mo. Free 7-day trial with €500 credits. Usage-based billing with no lock-in.","currency":"EUR","freeTier":true,"sourceUrl":"https://upcloud.com/pricing/","retrievedAt":"2026-08-13T22:21:10.794Z","freeTrialDays":7,"billingPeriods":["month"]}` |
| pricing.free_tier | yes | yes |
| pricing.model | freemium | freemium |
| pricing.price_level | low | low |
| pricing.transparent | no | yes |
| reliability.sla_pct | - | 99.999 |
| reliability.status_page | yes | yes |
| security.disclosure_policy | - | yes |
| security.gdpr | - | yes |
| security.iso27001 | - | yes |

## Capabilities (Cloud Infrastructure)

| Capability | Alibaba Cloud | UpCloud |
|---|:--:|:--:|
| **Core** |  |  |
| Provider tier | Hyperscaler | VPS / developer |
| **Reach** |  |  |
| Regions / global footprint | Global with significant Asia Pacific presence | 15 data centers in 12 countries |
| **Compute** |  |  |
| Bare-metal servers | - | - |
| GPU / accelerated compute | - | ✓ |
| Spot / preemptible pricing | - | - |
| **Storage** |  |  |
| Object storage | - | ✓ |
| Block storage | - | ✓ |
| **Managed** |  |  |
| Managed Kubernetes | - | ✓ |
| Managed databases | ✓ | ✓ |
| Serverless / FaaS | ✓ | - |
| **Network** |  |  |
| VPC / private networking | - | ✓ |
| **Pricing** |  |  |
| Free / low egress | - | ✓ |
| **Compliance** |  |  |
| Data-residency / sovereign options | - | - |
| **Ecosystem** |  |  |
| Partner marketplace | - | - |

*Source: Vioscale. Generated 2026-09-01T16:47:32.668Z. "-" = undocumented, not absent.*