Quick decision

Just need the cheapest server

Budget is the main constraint. You need something that works — not the fastest, not the most reliable, just functional.

Hetzner CX22

~€4/month. NVMe storage, transparent pricing, no renewal traps. Best honest cheap VPS in Europe.

Contabo

More RAM and storage per € than anyone else. CPU is shared and variable. Best if you need memory/storage, not compute.

Hostinger KVM

Cheapest with a usable control panel. Less raw than Hetzner but easier to manage.

Note

Not the fastest. Not the most reliable. Just works. Watch renewal pricing — many providers advertise a first-term rate that doubles. Hetzner doesn't.