Switching guide, 2026
Looking for a Contabo alternative? Keep the server, lose the contract.
Contabo is known for a lot of server for the money. The catch is in the terms. Here’s what changes when you switch, and how to move this afternoon.
Contabo, what you sign up for
- TermRenews by the same length1 to 24 mo
- To stopBefore the term ends4 weeks’ notice
- CryptoCard, PayPal, Skrill, bankNot accepted
From Contabo's own terms and help pages.
LiteKeep Lite 8, by the hour
$12
- No term
- No notice
- No ID
- Crypto
- NVMe
- 10 Gbps
8 vCPU, 8 GB, 160 GB NVMe a month. Delete it any hour and billing stops.
The short answer
LiteKeep is the Contabo alternative with no term to sign. You pay per started hour, capped monthly, and delete the server whenever you’re done: no four weeks’ notice, no renewal you forgot to cancel. You pay with Bitcoin, USDT or USDC, sign up with an email and a password, and every plan runs on NVMe with a 10 Gbps port in any of 15 countries.
The picker below matches the Contabo server you run today to a Lite with at least the same RAM.
Most “Contabo alternatives” lists are rankings with affiliate links, and none of them asks the question that decides it: what are you signing up for?
On Contabo, a server comes with a term of one to 24 months. It renews by the same length unless you cancel four weeks before it ends, the lowest prices need the full 24 months, and you pay by card, PayPal, Skrill or bank transfer. Contabo states plainly that it doesn’t accept cryptocurrencies.
LiteKeep works the other way round. No term, no notice period, billed by the hour with a monthly cap, paid in crypto with no ID.
This guide puts both side by side, matches your Contabo server to a Lite, and walks you through the move.
In this guide you’ll learn
- What each host commits you to, in one table
- A picker that matches your Contabo server to a Lite
- The reasons people look for an alternative, and how LiteKeep handles each
- Which Lite replaces which Contabo server
- How to move without downtime
Chapter 1
The short answer
From Contabo’s own product pages, terms and help articles, and ours.
| Contabo VPS | LiteKeep Lite | |
|---|---|---|
| Billing | A term of 1, 3, 6, 12 or 24 months | Per started hour, capped monthly |
| Lowest price needs | A 24-month term | Nothing: one price, every month |
| Stopping | Cancel four weeks before the term ends | Delete the server; billing stops that hour |
| If you forget | The term renews by the same length | Nothing renews; servers draw from your balance |
| Payment | Card, PayPal, Skrill, bank transfer; no crypto | BTC, ETH, USDT, USDC, SOL, BNB, XRP, XMR |
| Sign-up | Terms allow requests for proof of identity | Email and password |
| Network port | 200 Mbit/s to 1 Gbit/s on Core VPS | 10 Gbps on every plan |
| Disk | SSD, with NVMe as an option on larger plans | NVMe on every plan |
| DDoS protection | Always-on, no capacity published | Always-on filtering upstream, included |
Chapter 2
Find the Lite that replaces your Contabo server
Pick the RAM your Contabo server uses today and how long you need it. The picker names the Lite with at least that much memory, and what changes for you.
Your match
Lite 8.
- Pay with Bitcoin, USDT, USDC or five other coins. Contabo states it does not accept cryptocurrencies.
- No term and no notice period: delete the server the day you are done. Contabo terms renew by the same length unless cancelled four weeks before the end.
- A Lite 8 has 8 GB of RAM on NVMe, KVM with full root, in any of 15 countries.
Try it before you move anything: billed by the hour, so an afternoon of testing costs cents. Deploy a Lite 8
Chapter 3
Why people look for a Contabo alternative
Price is rarely the reason people leave Contabo. These are.
1. The term and the notice period
Every Contabo server runs on a term of one to 24 months. To stop, you cancel four weeks before the term ends; miss it and the term renews for the same length again. A short project, a test or a server you only need for a launch still means a month at least.
On LiteKeep there’s no term at all. Billing is per started hour at 0.15% of the monthly price, and a month never costs more than the monthly price. Delete the server and billing stops. Hourly vs monthly billing, worked out.
2. No crypto
Contabo takes cards, PayPal, Skrill and bank transfer, and says it doesn’t accept cryptocurrencies such as Bitcoin.
On LiteKeep, crypto is how you pay. Top up your balance in Bitcoin, USDT, USDC or five other coins, and servers draw from it by the hour. How paying for hosting with crypto works.
3. Proof of identity
Contabo’s terms let it ask customers for additional evidence, particularly about their identity.
LiteKeep asks for an email address and a password. No ID, no card, no documents to send later.
4. Port speed and disk
Contabo’s Core VPS plans come with ports from 200 Mbit/s on the entry plan to 1 Gbit/s on the largest, and SSD storage with NVMe as a smaller option on larger plans.
Every Lite has a 10 Gbps port and NVMe storage. The port is how fast data can move in a burst; each plan’s monthly traffic allowance, pooled across your servers, sets how much. Moving a lot of data every month? A Traffic Lite includes 32 TB.
Chapter 4
Which Lite replaces your Contabo server
Find the RAM of the Contabo server you run today. The right column is the Lite to deploy.
| Your Contabo VPS | Deploy on LiteKeep | What you get |
|---|---|---|
| 4 vCPU, 8 GB | Lite 8 | 8 vCPU, 8 GB, 160 GB NVMe |
| 6 vCPU, 12 GB | Lite 16 | 16 vCPU, 16 GB, 320 GB NVMe |
| 8 vCPU, 24 GB | Lite 32 | 16 vCPU, 32 GB, 640 GB NVMe |
| 12 vCPU, 48 GB, or 16 vCPU, 64 GB | Lite 64 | 24 vCPU, 64 GB, 1,280 GB NVMe |
| 18 vCPU, 96 GB | Lite 96 | 32 vCPU, 96 GB, 1,920 GB NVMe |
| Used mostly for storage | Vault | 700 GB to 3 TB of NVMe |
Chapter 5
How to move from Contabo without downtime
Moving a server is mostly copying files and changing DNS. One Contabo-specific step: send your cancellation in time, four weeks before the term ends.
- Check your Contabo term end dateHow to check: Cancel at least four weeks before it, so the term doesn’t renew. You can keep using the server until the end.
- Lower your DNS TTL a day beforeHow to check: Set it to 300 seconds, so the switch spreads in minutes.
- Deploy your Lite and secure itHow to check: Same OS version if you can. Follow our VPS security guide first.
- Copy your filesHow to check: From the new server:
rsync -avz --progress root@old-server:/var/www/ /var/www/. Run it again just before the switch; the second pass copies only changes. - Dump and restore databasesHow to check: For example
mysqldumporpg_dumpon the old server, then import on the new one. - Test, then switch DNSHow to check: Point your own PC at the new IP with your hosts file, click through, then change DNS.
Chapter 6
Quick answers
The questions people ask before they switch.
Is there a minimum term? No. You pay per started hour, and a month never costs more than the monthly price. Delete a server and billing stops.
Can I pay with Bitcoin or USDT? Yes: BTC, ETH, USDT, USDC, SOL, BNB, XRP or XMR. Contabo doesn’t accept crypto.
Do you ask for ID? No. An email address and a password open the account.
I only have a card. Buy USDC in a wallet app with your card, then pay with it; the deposit page walks you through it. Our no-card guide has the details.
Is traffic unlimited? Each plan includes a monthly allowance, pooled across your servers, and past it traffic is $2 per TB. For heavy traffic, a Traffic Lite includes 32 TB a month.
Is there DDoS protection? Yes, always-on filtering on our upstream network, included on every server.
Can I run Windows? Yes: Windows Server on any Lite, for $4 a month extra.
Now it’s your move
If you came here because of the term, the payment options or a request for documents, a Lite removes all three: billed by the hour, paid in crypto, with no ID.
Deploy one next to your Contabo server, move a site over this afternoon, and cancel the old term in time.