Choosing the right hosting platform is one of the most important decisions for WordPress site owners. It affects website speed, reliability, security, and—most importantly—monthly cost.
This guide compares Amazon EC2 and Contabo from a real-world perspective, especially for bloggers, freelancers, and small site owners running low-to-medium traffic websites.
It focuses on:
- Pricing differences
- Setup process
- Features and ecosystem
- Pros and cons
- Which platform suits which type of user
Quick Summary (TL;DR)
- Contabo → Best for low-cost VPS hosting with generous resources and bandwidth.
- AWS EC2 → Best for scalability, managed services, and long-term growth.
- Beginners who already use AWS may prefer to stay on EC2.
- Budget-focused users managing multiple small sites may prefer Contabo.
1. Pricing Comparison (Realistic Estimates)
Prices change frequently. Always verify on official websites before purchasing.
AWS EC2 (Example: Small WordPress Site)
Using a t3.micro instance in US East (N. Virginia):
| Component | Approx Cost |
|---|---|
| EC2 Instance | $7–9/month |
| Storage (30 GB EBS) | ~$2.40/month |
| Data Transfer | Small for low traffic |
| Total | $10–12/month |
AWS pricing becomes higher when adding:
- Load balancers
- Managed databases
- CDN
- Backups
- Higher bandwidth usage
👉 Official EC2 pricing:
https://aws.amazon.com/ec2/
Contabo (Example: Cloud VPS)
Contabo offers entry-level VPS plans starting around:
| Component | Approx Cost |
|---|---|
| Cloud VPS | €4.50–€8/month |
| Storage | Included |
| Bandwidth | Generous / Fair-use |
| Total | ~$5–10/month |
Most plans include NVMe storage and high RAM for the price.
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Pricing Verdict
| Platform | Best For |
|---|---|
| Contabo | Lowest long-term cost |
| AWS EC2 | Enterprise features & scaling |
For simple WordPress blogs, Contabo is usually cheaper.
For growing projects, AWS offers better infrastructure.
2. Setup Process Comparison
Setting Up WordPress on AWS EC2
Typical workflow:
- Launch EC2 instance
- Configure security groups (ports 22, 80, 443)
- Install Nginx/Apache, PHP, MySQL/MariaDB
- Assign Elastic IP
- Configure DNS
- Install SSL
- Configure backups
AWS also offers AWS Lightsail for beginners who want simpler management.
EC2 provides more control—but requires more learning.
Setting Up WordPress on Contabo
Typical workflow:
- Order VPS
- Choose OS image
- Get IP address
- Connect via SSH
- Install WordPress stack
- Configure DNS
- Install SSL
Contabo focuses on classic VPS hosting. Everything is managed manually unless extra services are purchased.
Setup Verdict
| Platform | Difficulty |
|---|---|
| Contabo | Easier for single-server use |
| EC2 | More complex, more flexible |
3. Features and Ecosystem
AWS EC2 Strengths
- CloudFront CDN
- RDS managed database
- IAM security system
- S3 object storage
- Auto-scaling
- CloudWatch monitoring
- ACM certificates
These services help build enterprise-grade platforms.
Contabo Strengths
- High RAM/CPU for low price
- Simple VPS management
- Predictable billing
- Good for multi-site hosting
- No surprise bandwidth charges
4. Pros and Cons
Contabo — Pros
✅ Very affordable
✅ Large resources per dollar
✅ Generous traffic limits
✅ Simple billing
✅ Good for hosting multiple sites
Contabo — Cons
❌ Limited managed services
❌ Fewer global regions
❌ Less enterprise tooling
❌ Requires server management skills
AWS EC2 — Pros
✅ Global infrastructure
✅ Enterprise reliability
✅ Advanced security
✅ Easy scaling
✅ Integration with AWS ecosystem
AWS EC2 — Cons
❌ Higher cost
❌ Complex pricing
❌ Steeper learning curve
❌ Bandwidth charges
5. Which One Should You Choose?
Choose Contabo If:
- Budget is your top priority
- You manage multiple small websites
- You are comfortable with Linux
- You want predictable monthly costs
- You don’t need managed cloud services
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Choose AWS EC2 If:
- You want long-term scalability
- You plan to integrate cloud services
- You expect traffic growth
- You value global redundancy
- You already use AWS tools
👉 EC2 official page:
https://aws.amazon.com/ec2/
6. Migration Strategy (Lightsail → EC2 → Contabo)
For users currently on Lightsail or EC2:
Safe Migration Steps
- Keep old site live
- Set up new server
- Install WordPress
- Export database and files
- Import on new server
- Update URLs
- Test locally
- Enable SSL
- Switch DNS
- Monitor for 24–48 hours
- Shut down old server
Never delete old hosting before full testing.
7. Security and SSL
Both platforms support free SSL using Let’s Encrypt.
With Certbot:
sudo certbot --nginx
This enables HTTPS and automatic renewal.
8. Cost-Saving Tips
- Start with smallest instance
- Scale only when needed
- Use CDN for media files
- Remove unused snapshots
- Monitor disk usage
- Use WP caching plugins
- Optimize images
These steps reduce hosting expenses on both platforms.
9. Final Recommendation
For most small WordPress site owners:
- Short-term & learning phase → AWS EC2
- Long-term & budget hosting → Contabo
If you already invested time in AWS, it makes sense to continue there. Once your websites are stable, migrating to a cost-effective VPS like Contabo can significantly reduce expenses.
The best approach is to build on EC2, learn server management, and later decide if switching to Contabo makes financial sense.
10. Resources
- Contabo Hosting Plans:
https://www.kqzyfj.com/gb81zw41w3JLKLOOOTTOJLPQMKLPL - AWS EC2 Pricing:
https://aws.amazon.com/ec2/ - AWS Lightsail:
https://aws.amazon.com/lightsail/ - Let’s Encrypt SSL:
https://letsencrypt.org/ - WP-CLI Tool:
https://wp-cli.org/