Cheapest VPS for Immich or Nextcloud: Spec-Matched Table

Doc-based, not yet hands-on tested. This guide is written from the official documentation and has not yet been tested hands-on by us. Check the current official docs before running anything.

Prices checked: 2026-10-24, in USD, from each provider's own pricing page (fetched without logging in; prices may vary by region, tax and promotion). App versions: Immich v3.3.5 (https://github.com/immich-app/immich/releases/tag/v3.3.5); Nextcloud server v35.0.2: the newest non-prerelease on GitHub releases (2026-10-15 17:10 JST). It's also the version behind the latest tag of the official Docker image (same digest as 35.0.2), and docs.nextcloud.com's "stable" manual is titled "Nextcloud 35". Note: Docker's stable/production tags currently point to 34.0.5 (same digest as 34.0.5, checked 2026-10-24). GitHub's "Latest" badge sits on v33.0.10 only because it was the last of the three maintenance releases published that day; 35.0.2 is the newest version. The "latest" manual (Nextcloud 36) appears to be for the next version, so we don't use it.

Which Docker tag should you use? Pin an explicit version tag rather than a moving one. For a set-and-forget server, use **nextcloud:34.0.5** (what the image's stable/production channel currently ships). Use nextcloud:35.0.2 only if you want the newest major and are willing to deal with early-major issues. Either way, avoid latest, because it jumps to a new major version without warning.

Transparency note (HomelabWise): This guide is based on official documentation and provider pages only, and was not hands-on tested by us. We didn't benchmark any provider.

Minimum requirements (official)

• Immich: RAM minimum 6 GB, recommended 8 GB; CPU minimum 2 cores, recommended 4. Thumbnails and transcodes add about 10–20% to library storage. Keep the Postgres database on local SSD, not a network share. With 4 GB RAM, Immich can run with machine learning disabled. (Immich requirements)
• Nextcloud: "Memory requirements ... are greatly variable." Nextcloud needs "a minimum of 128MB RAM per process", and the docs "recommend a minimum of 512MB RAM per process". (Nextcloud system requirements)

Because Immich has the stricter requirement, we filter plans by ≥ 8 GB RAM (Immich's recommendation), and also show the cheapest plans that meet the 6 GB minimum.

Plans meeting Immich's recommendation (prices as shown 2026-10-24, USD)

Notes:

• Vultr figures come from the public plans API (monthly_cost; the API response doesn't name a currency, so we assume USD — unverified). São Paulo (sao) costs more: $60/mo for vc2-4c-8gb and $72/mo for the vhp plans. The vultr.com/pricing page didn't render prices to our fetch. Plan availability varies by location.
• Hostinger: the page states "All plans are paid upfront. The monthly rate reflects the total plan price divided by the number of months in your plan." Each promo card says "Renews at $…/mo for 2 years". The exact promo term length (we assume 24 months) isn't printed on the card, so check it in the cart before buying. Hostinger's page also lists KVM 4 at $42.99/mo before the discount.
• DigitalOcean's cheaper Basic plans (4 GiB/2 vCPU at $24.00/mo) are below Immich's 6 GB minimum, so they'd only work with machine learning disabled.
• Disk sizes are small for photo libraries. Check each provider's block/object storage pricing (TODO, not captured).

This page contains affiliate placeholders. See our affiliate disclosure.

[AFFILIATE: Hostinger — VPS (12-month+ plans only)] [AFFILIATE: DigitalOcean — Droplets] See Vultr's own pricing page: vultr.com/pricing (plain link, not an affiliate link).

⚠️ Caution: a VPS is on the public internet from the first boot. Put the app behind HTTPS, keep only the ports you need open, and remember that photo libraries can quickly outgrow the included disk. We haven't benchmarked any of these plans.

Self-hosting at home instead

A mini PC at home avoids monthly fees but needs hardware and power. See our spec-based mini PC guide (08).

Sources

• https://docs.immich.app/install/requirements
• https://docs.nextcloud.com/server/stable/admin_manual/installation/system_requirements.html
• https://www.hostinger.com/vps-hosting
• https://www.digitalocean.com/pricing/droplets
• https://www.vultr.com/pricing/

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