Power you have to operate, or a server that just works.
AWS is the most capable cloud platform in the world, and operating it safely takes a cloud engineer, IAM and VPC configuration, and ongoing cost control. The bill is unpredictable: compute, storage, data transfer, and snapshots are all billed separately. RemarkableCloud is a fully managed VPS at one flat monthly price, with a 500% SLA and a team that runs the server for you. Choose AWS if you have the engineering depth and need its scale. Choose RemarkableCloud if you want the server handled.
AWS is the most powerful cloud platform, and the most demanding to operate.
Amazon Web Services launched in 2006 and is the largest cloud platform in the world, running hundreds of services from EC2 compute and S3 storage to managed databases, serverless functions, machine learning, and global CDN. Its infrastructure spans more than 30 regions worldwide. For an enterprise with a cloud engineering team and genuine scale requirements, AWS has no equal, and that is a real statement, not a polite one.
But AWS is not managed hosting. An EC2 instance is raw, unmanaged compute: OS patching, security hardening, monitoring, backups, firewall rules, and incident response are all your responsibility. Operating AWS safely means IAM policies, VPC networking, security groups, and CloudTrail logging, work most teams cover with a dedicated cloud engineer or a consultant. The billing compounds the problem: compute, EBS storage, data transfer out, and snapshots are each metered separately, so a $30 estimate can become a $90 invoice. The gap between "powerful" and "practical" is the gap a small team falls into when the bill arrives and no one is sure why.
What you operate, and what you pay.
AWS and RemarkableCloud both give you a Linux server in the cloud. They divide the operational work, and the billing, in completely different ways. Two differences matter most.
AWS EC2 is raw compute you operate yourself.
AWS manages the physical hardware. Everything above the hypervisor is yours: OS patching, security, monitoring, backups, firewall, IAM, and VPC networking. Most teams need a cloud engineer just to operate it safely.
RemarkableCloud is a server with a team that runs it.
Our team handles OS patching, security hardening, monitoring, incident response, firewall, mail gateway, and backups proactively, before issues reach you. You deploy code. You never need a cloud engineer.
AWS billing is metered and unpredictable.
Compute hours, EBS storage, data transfer out, I/O operations, and snapshots are each billed separately. A $30 estimate can become a $90 invoice. AWS credits its 99.99% SLA only after the threshold is breached.
RemarkableCloud is one flat price with a 500% SLA.
Compute, storage, transfer, backups, mail gateway, and management are one monthly figure with no metered line items. 1 hour down equals 5 hours credited, from minute one, automatically, with no threshold and no claim.
What you actually get for the same money.
An AWS EC2 t3.medium lists at roughly $30 per month for compute alone, but EBS storage, data transfer, and snapshots are each metered separately, and the real monthly cost commonly reaches $75 to $90 or more. RemarkableCloud's Shared CPU 8 GB Cloud Cube is $36 per month with annual billing, with 2× the RAM, 100 GB of NVMe storage, 20 TB of transfer, and full management already included. One flat figure, no metered line items.
2 vCPU · 4 GB RAM · EBS storage billed separately · transfer metered
Unmanaged compute. Burstable CPU credits. Storage, data transfer, and snapshots each billed as separate line items. 99.99% SLA.
per month, on-demand compute only
- Unmanaged, you operate the instance yourself
- EBS storage billed separately, around $0.10 per GB
- Data transfer out billed at $0.09 per GB
- Snapshots billed per GB stored, no panel included
- Cloud engineer needed to operate it safely
With 100 GB of EBS, 500 GB of transfer, and snapshots, the real monthly cost commonly reaches $75 to $90 or more, before any cost for the engineer who operates it.
2 vCPU · 8 GB RAM · 100 GB NVMe · 20 TB transfer
2× the RAM of an EC2 t3.medium, with NVMe storage and 20 TB of transfer included, and full management at one flat all-in price.
per month, annual billing, everything included
- Fully managed by RC team, 24/7, no cloud engineer needed
- Daily snapshots plus 200 GB free S3 storage
- 20 TB transfer included, no per-GB billing
- 500% SLA, automatic credits from minute one
- Free migration from AWS
4 vCPU · 16 GB RAM · 200 GB NVMe · 40 TB transfer
Comparable to an AWS m5.xlarge, which lists around $140 per month for compute alone, with dedicated CPU cores and everything included.
per month, annual billing, everything included
- Dedicated CPU cores, never shared or throttled
- Daily snapshots plus 400 GB free S3 storage
- RemarkablePanel control panel included free
- 500% SLA, automatic credits from minute one
- Free migration from AWS
Performance, side by side.
AWS EC2 runs across more than 30 global regions with the widest infrastructure footprint of any provider, and its t-series instances use a burstable CPU credit model that throttles sustained workloads. Every RemarkableCloud Cloud Cube runs on current-generation enterprise Intel and AMD processors at 3 GHz or higher, with 100% NVMe storage, a 50 Gbps DDoS-protected network, and non-oversold resources on every plan, including the $8/month Basic tier.
AWS infrastructure
30+ regions, 100+ availability zones
AWS has the widest global infrastructure footprint of any cloud provider. For multi-region deployments and latency-sensitive global applications, this reach is a genuine advantage, and one of the strongest reasons to choose AWS.
t-series instances are burstable
AWS t3 and t4g instances use a CPU credit model. Sustained CPU-heavy workloads exhaust their credits and throttle. The M and C series avoid this, but cost significantly more per month.
EBS storage is network-attached
Standard EBS volumes are network-attached SSD. True NVMe-speed storage requires instance store, which is ephemeral and lost when the instance stops, or io2 Block Express EBS at premium pricing.
Hundreds of services, a steep learning curve
IAM, VPC, Route 53, CloudFront, RDS, and Lambda are powerful for complex architectures. Each one also adds cost, configuration, and operational surface that a team has to learn and maintain.
RemarkableCloud infrastructure
Current-generation enterprise CPUs at 3 GHz+
Every Cloud Cube runs on modern Intel Xeon and AMD EPYC server-grade processors at 3 GHz or higher. Consistent clock speeds, the same caliber of hardware used in demanding data center workloads, with no mixed-generation fleet.
100% local NVMe on every plan
NVMe storage is included on every Cloud Cube, from the $8/month Basic 2 GB plan to the 128 GB Dedicated CPU tier. It is local and persistent, not network-attached, delivering 5 to 7× faster read and write speeds than standard SSD for database reads and any disk-heavy workload.
50 Gbps DDoS-protected network, all plans
Every Cloud Cube plan runs on a 50 Gbps network with built-in DDoS scrubbing at the infrastructure level. Attack mitigation is on by default. No add-on, no per-GB transfer billing, no separate service to configure.
Non-oversold, allocation guaranteed
Cloud Cubes are never oversold. Your allocated CPU and RAM are consistently yours, never throttled by a credit model or neighboring tenant activity. No burst credits, no exhaustion, no noisy-neighbor risk on any plan.
AWS vs RemarkableCloud across 17 categories.
RemarkableCloud leads on 13 of 17 comparison categories. AWS leads on 3: global region count, breadth of managed cloud services, and compliance certifications. One category, raw platform capability at enterprise scale, is context-dependent. Every other row covers what changes when you replace a raw EC2 instance with a fully managed Cloud Cube.
| Feature | AWS | RemarkableCloud |
|---|---|---|
| Server management | Self-managed, you operate the EC2 instance | Fully managed by RC team, 24/7 RC wins |
| Skill requirement | Cloud engineer needed to operate safely | No DevOps hire needed, our team handles operations RC wins |
| OS and security patching | Customer responsibility, manual | Managed proactively by our team RC wins |
| Proactive monitoring | CloudWatch, you configure and watch it | RC team monitors and resolves before customer impact RC wins |
| Pricing model | Metered, compute plus EBS plus transfer plus snapshots billed separately | One flat monthly price, everything included RC wins |
| Data transfer cost | Around $0.09 per GB out, adds up fast | 20 TB or more included, no per-GB billing RC wins |
| Uptime SLA | 99.99% per region, credits after the threshold | 500%, 1 hr down equals 5 hrs credited automatically from minute one RC wins |
| SLA credit process | Credits require a claim after the threshold is breached | Automatic credits, no threshold, no claim to file RC wins |
| Storage type | EBS network-attached SSD, true NVMe needs instance store | 100% local NVMe on every plan RC wins |
| CPU model | t-series burstable, exhausts credits under sustained load | Non-oversold, allocation guaranteed, no credit model RC wins |
| Backups | EBS snapshots billed per GB stored | Daily snapshots plus free S3 storage included RC wins |
| Mail gateway | Not included, SES billed per email sent | MailChannels SMTP and Rspamd antispam included free RC wins |
| Control panel | None included, install and configure separately | RemarkablePanel included free RC wins |
| Free migration | Not included, complex self-managed migration | Full server migration by RC team, free RC wins |
| Global data centers | 30+ regions, 100+ availability zones worldwide | Single US East location They win |
| Managed services breadth | Extensive: RDS, Lambda, EKS, SageMaker, CloudFront, and more | VPS-focused, Cloud Cubes only They win |
| Compliance certifications | SOC 2, ISO 27001, HIPAA, FedRAMP, PCI DSS | SOC 2, contact us for specific compliance needs They win |
| Platform capability at scale | Unmatched for complex enterprise architectures | Built for VPS workloads, not hyperscale architectures context-dependent |
Pick your Cloud Cube.
The comparison above showed two specific Cloud Cubes against AWS EC2 instances. Here is the complete RemarkableCloud lineup, from the 2 GB Basic tier at $8 per month with annual billing to the 128 GB Dedicated CPU tier. Every plan, regardless of size, includes the same genuine full management, daily snapshots with offsite S3 backup storage, MailChannels SMTP and Rspamd mail gateway, RemarkablePanel, and the 500% SLA. One flat monthly price, no metered compute, no per-GB transfer billing, no separate charges for storage or snapshots.
- Fully Managed, server, mail, security
- Daily Snapshots & Remote Backups
- Free S3 Storage, 2x your NVMe disk
- Inbound & Outbound Mail Gateway
- 500% SLA Guarantee
- Fully Managed, server, mail, security
- Daily Snapshots & Remote Backups
- Free S3 Storage, 2x your NVMe disk
- Inbound & Outbound Mail Gateway
- 500% SLA Guarantee
- Fully Managed, server, mail, security
- Daily Snapshots & Remote Backups
- Free S3 Storage, 2x your NVMe disk
- Inbound & Outbound Mail Gateway
- 500% SLA Guarantee
- Fully Managed, server, mail, security
- Daily Snapshots & Remote Backups
- Free S3 Storage, 2x your NVMe disk
- Inbound & Outbound Mail Gateway
- 500% SLA Guarantee
- Fully Managed, server, mail, security
- Daily Snapshots & Remote Backups
- Free S3 Storage, 2x your NVMe disk
- Inbound & Outbound Mail Gateway
- 500% SLA Guarantee
- Fully Managed, server, mail, security
- Daily Snapshots & Remote Backups
- Free S3 Storage, 2x your NVMe disk
- Inbound & Outbound Mail Gateway
- 500% SLA Guarantee
- Fully Managed, server, mail, security
- Daily Snapshots & Remote Backups
- Free S3 Storage, 2x your NVMe disk
- Inbound & Outbound Mail Gateway
- 500% SLA Guarantee
- Fully Managed, server, mail, security
- Daily Snapshots & Remote Backups
- Free S3 Storage, 2x your NVMe disk
- Inbound & Outbound Mail Gateway
- 500% SLA Guarantee
- Fully Managed, server, mail, security
- Reserved CPU, no sharing or bursting
- Daily Snapshots & Remote Backups
- Free S3 Storage, 2x your NVMe disk
- 500% SLA Guarantee
- Fully Managed, server, mail, security
- Reserved CPU, no sharing or bursting
- Daily Snapshots & Remote Backups
- Free S3 Storage, 2x your NVMe disk
- 500% SLA Guarantee
- Fully Managed, server, mail, security
- Reserved CPU, no sharing or bursting
- Daily Snapshots & Remote Backups
- Free S3 Storage, 2x your NVMe disk
- 500% SLA Guarantee
- Fully Managed, server, mail, security
- Reserved CPU, no sharing or bursting
- Daily Snapshots & Remote Backups
- Free S3 Storage, 2x your NVMe disk
- 500% SLA Guarantee
- Fully Managed, server, mail, security
- High-Capacity NVMe, 2x per GiB RAM
- Daily Snapshots & Remote Backups
- Free S3 Storage, 2x your NVMe disk
- 500% SLA Guarantee
- Fully Managed, server, mail, security
- High-Capacity NVMe, 2x per GiB RAM
- Daily Snapshots & Remote Backups
- Free S3 Storage, 2x your NVMe disk
- 500% SLA Guarantee
- Fully Managed, server, mail, security
- High-Capacity NVMe, 2x per GiB RAM
- Daily Snapshots & Remote Backups
- Free S3 Storage, 2x your NVMe disk
- 500% SLA Guarantee
- Fully Managed, server, mail, security
- High-Capacity NVMe, 2x per GiB RAM
- Daily Snapshots & Remote Backups
- Free S3 Storage, 2x your NVMe disk
- 500% SLA Guarantee
Three steps to leave AWS.
RemarkableCloud handles the full migration from any AWS EC2 instance at no cost. Most migrations complete in 2 to 24 hours with no downtime planned. You stay on AWS until we confirm the new server is verified and ready.
Order your Cloud Cube
Pick a Cloud Cube plan and complete the order. We provision the new server and send migration credentials within minutes. Your AWS EC2 instance stays running and serving traffic. No reconfiguration on the AWS side.
We migrate your full stack
Our team copies files, databases, mail accounts, DNS records, and SSL certificates from the AWS EC2 instance to the new Cloud Cube. We test everything on a staging URL before cutover. You review and approve. No surprises, no rushed migrations.
Coordinated cutover, then go live
When you approve, we point your domain DNS to the Cloud Cube during a coordinated window. Final database sync, DNS propagation, post-migration verification, then you decommission the AWS EC2 instance. You are fully live on RemarkableCloud.
Four reasons teams move from AWS to RemarkableCloud.
Teams running a single web app, database, or mail server on AWS EC2 move to RemarkableCloud for four consistent reasons: they want the server operated without hiring a cloud engineer, they want one predictable bill instead of metered line items, they want enterprise mail deliverability without per-email charges, and they want a 500% SLA instead of a 99.99% guarantee with a claim form.
No cloud engineer required.
Operating AWS safely means IAM policies, VPC networking, security groups, CloudTrail logging, and ongoing cost optimization. Most small and mid-sized teams pay for that expertise, on payroll or through a consultant. On RemarkableCloud, our team handles everything a cloud engineer would do for your server, so you do not need the hire.
One predictable bill, no metered line items.
AWS billing surprises are well known. Compute hours, EBS storage, data transfer out, I/O operations, snapshot storage, and support tier fees compound into an invoice that rarely matches the original estimate. On RemarkableCloud, compute, storage, transfer, backups, the mail gateway, and management are one flat monthly figure. The price you see is the bill you pay.
Mail included, not billed per email.
AWS does not include a mail server. SES charges per email sent plus per GB of attachments, and a fresh EC2 IP has no sending reputation. RemarkableCloud routes all outbound mail through the MailChannels enterprise relay, with established IP reputation whitelisted by Gmail and Outlook, plus Rspamd antispam on inbound. Unlimited outbound mail, inbox delivery from day one, no per-email billing.
A 500% SLA, not a 99.99% guarantee.
AWS offers a 99.99% per-region SLA, and credits apply only after that threshold is breached, with a claim required. RemarkableCloud's 500% SLA credits 5 hours for every hour of downtime, automatically, from the first minute, with no threshold and no claim. AWS sells you infrastructure, the uptime risk stays yours. We manage the server, so the guarantee is ours to honor.
When AWS is the right choice. When RemarkableCloud is.
AWS is the wrong answer for some buyers and the right answer for others. Same for RemarkableCloud. The honest version of this page is which one matches the shape of your team and your workload. Here is the test.
Choose AWS when
- You have a dedicated cloud engineer or DevOps team and need infrastructure at enterprise scale.
- You need 30+ global regions and 100+ availability zones for multi-region, latency-sensitive deployments.
- You need AWS-specific managed services such as RDS, Lambda, EKS, or SageMaker as part of your architecture.
- Your compliance requirements demand FedRAMP, HIPAA, or specific AWS certifications.
- You are building a complex microservices architecture that genuinely benefits from the full AWS ecosystem.
- Elastic, ephemeral scaling matters more to you than a predictable flat monthly bill.
Choose RemarkableCloud when
- You want a server that works without hiring a cloud engineer to operate it.
- Your workload is a VPS: a web app, a database, a mail server, or managed WordPress.
- You are tired of unpredictable AWS bills and want one flat monthly price.
- You want a 500% SLA with automatic credits instead of 99.99% with a threshold and a claim form.
- You want enterprise mail deliverability included, not SES billed per email sent.
- You want to stop spending engineering time on infrastructure and focus on your product.
RemarkableCloud vs AWS, your questions answered.
Is RemarkableCloud a replacement for AWS?
For a specific kind of workload, yes. If you are running a web app, a database, a mail server, or managed WordPress on an EC2 instance, a Cloud Cube does the same job, fully managed, at a flat price. RemarkableCloud is not a replacement for AWS at hyperscale: if you need 30+ global regions, managed services like RDS, Lambda, EKS, or SageMaker, or a complex microservices architecture, AWS is the right platform and we will say so. The honest test is the shape of your workload. A VPS-shaped workload on EC2 is usually paying for complexity it does not use.
Can you migrate me off AWS if I use RDS, S3, or other AWS services?
Yes, with one honest caveat. Migrating a standard EC2 instance, its files, databases, mail, and DNS, is straightforward and free, and most migrations complete in 2 to 24 hours. If you also use AWS-specific managed services such as RDS or S3, those are not a like-for-like copy: an RDS database moves to a managed database on your Cloud Cube, and S3 storage moves to the free S3-compatible backup storage included with your plan. Our team scopes this with you before any work begins, so you know exactly what moves and how. Nothing is migrated until you have reviewed and approved the plan.
Why does an AWS EC2 instance end up costing more than the listed price?
The price AWS shows for an EC2 instance is compute alone. EBS storage is billed separately at roughly $0.10 per GB, data transfer out is billed at around $0.09 per GB, and snapshots are billed per GB stored. A t3.medium listed near $30 per month commonly reaches a real cost of $75 to $90 or more once storage, transfer, and snapshots are included, before any cost for the cloud engineer needed to operate it. RemarkableCloud's Shared CPU 8 GB Cloud Cube is $36 per month with annual billing, with storage, 20 TB of transfer, backups, the mail gateway, and full management all included. One flat figure, no metered line items.
How is RemarkableCloud's 500% SLA different from AWS's 99.99% SLA?
AWS offers a 99.99% per-region uptime SLA, and credits apply only after that threshold is breached, with a claim required. RemarkableCloud's 500% SLA credits you automatically from minute one of any downtime: one hour down means five hours of service credited back to your account. There is no threshold to breach, no claim form to file, and no support ticket required. There is also a structural difference. AWS sells you infrastructure, so the uptime risk stays with you. RemarkableCloud manages the server, so the guarantee is ours to honor.
Do I need a cloud engineer to run a RemarkableCloud Cloud Cube?
No. Operating AWS safely involves IAM policies, VPC networking, security groups, and CloudTrail logging, which is why most teams running AWS either hire a cloud engineer or pay a consultant. A Cloud Cube is fully managed: our team handles OS patching, security hardening, monitoring, incident response, the firewall, and backups. You deploy your application and we operate the server underneath it. The expertise you would otherwise pay for is included in the flat monthly price.