gridscale vs UpCloud

Compare gridscale and UpCloud on capabilities, jurisdiction, assurance, and fit for European buyers.

Both listed as alternatives to: Amazon Web Services (AWS), DigitalOcean, Microsoft Azure

gridscale

Germany· Cloud Computing

Needs review

Shortlist when you need a German GmbH cloud with EU/CH/AT location choice, managed Kubernetes/databases, and Hybrid Core white-label HCI. Skip when you need global hyperscaler coverage or pure lowest-cost VMs—consider Hetzner for cost-sensitive compute or AWS/Azure for worldwide breadth; use OVHcloud parent portfolio when scale across more European regions is the priority.

EU-operated (DE entity)Multi-country EU/CH locationsManaged KubernetesHybrid Core HCIBSI C5 (claimed)OVHcloud group

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UpCloud

Finland· Cloud Computing

Needs review

Shortlist UpCloud when you want Finnish-contracted IaaS with MaxIOPS storage, CNCF Managed Kubernetes, managed open-source databases, and customer-pinned EU regions—plus optional global PoPs. Skip when you need hyperscaler-only PaaS depth or the absolute lowest bare-metal VPS pricing; consider Hetzner, Scaleway, or AWS/Azure/GCP depending on that gap.

Finnish-operated IaaSMaxIOPS block storageCNCF Managed KubernetesISO 27001 (claimed)Selectable EU regionsZero-cost egress policy

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Highlighted rows differ between the two products.

gridscale vs UpCloud: Snapshot
Feature	gridscale	UpCloud
Country of origin	Germany	Finland
Category	Cloud Computing	Cloud Computing
Open source	No	No
Self-hosted	No	No
Headquarters	Germany	Finland
Legal entity	gridscale GmbH, Oskar-Jäger-Straße 173, 50825 Köln (HRB 97235, Amtsgericht Cologne)	UpCloud Oy (Business ID 2431560-5), Aleksanterinkatu 15 B, 00100 Helsinki
Governing law	German law (GTC; English GTC for information only—German prevails)	Finland (Terms of Service; arbitration Helsinki)
US parent / control	No known US parent	No known US parent
CLOUD Act exposure (indicative)	Medium	Medium
Hosting / residency	Customer infrastructure marketed on European Tier 3 locations (Frankfurt multi-AZ, Eichenzell, Hannover, Paderborn, Amsterdam, Gais, Lucerne, Vienna); some Hybrid Core sites partner-operated (hosttech, rhöncloud, BAIONITY, windCORES). Privacy policy also lists US-group ancillary processors: Stripe (payments), Google Analytics/GTM, Microsoft Bing Ads, Meta, LinkedIn; Mautic on-prem DE; Recruitee NL. No public claim that primary VM storage runs on AWS/GCP/Azure.	Customer-selected regions across 15 DCs (EU majority: FI, SE, NO, DK, DE, NL, ES, PL, UK; plus US-CHI/NYC/SJO, SG, AU) in colocations (Equinix, Digital Realty, CoreSite, Telia, Verne, Green Mountain, etc.). Customer Data stays in chosen DC. Vendor: EU VMs have no customer-data subprocessors; group subsidiaries only otherwise. Account data in Finland with global support access (incl. US/SG). Payments/hCaptcha are separate third parties.
Summary	Cologne-based German IaaS/PaaS and Hybrid Core HCI cloud (OVHcloud group) with European locations, managed Kubernetes, and white-label private cloud options for DACH teams.	Finnish IaaS from UpCloud Oy (Helsinki): MaxIOPS block storage, Cloud Servers, managed Kubernetes and databases across 15 global regions with customer-selected residency.
Tags	cloud iaas kubernetes api paas hybrid-cloud hci german-cloud data-sovereignty	cloud iaas kubernetes api infrastructure gdpr finland managed-databases

At a glance: gridscale vs UpCloud
At a glance	gridscale	UpCloud
HQ	Cologne, Germany	Helsinki, Finland
Legal entity	gridscale GmbH (HRB 97235)	UpCloud Oy (2431560-5)
Parent	OVHcloud (100% since Sept 2023)	Not listed
Hosting	European Tier 3 sites DE/NL/CH/AT (+ partners)	Not listed
Commercial model	B2B; trial then per-minute usage metering	Hourly pay-as-you-go; trial credits; zero-cost egress policy
Open source	No (API/IaC clients only)	No (platform proprietary)
Founded	Not listed	2011
Regions	Not listed	15 DCs / 12 countries (EU-heavy + US/APAC)
Self-hosted	Not listed	No (public/private cloud IaaS)

Key capabilities: gridscale vs UpCloud
Key capabilities	gridscale	UpCloud
EU-operated (DE entity)	Yes	Not listed
Multi-country EU/CH locations	Yes	Not listed
Managed Kubernetes	Yes	Yes
Hybrid Core HCI	Yes	Not listed
BSI C5 (claimed)	Yes	Not listed
OVHcloud group	Yes	Not listed
Finnish-operated IaaS	Not listed	Yes
MaxIOPS block storage	Not listed	Yes
ISO 27001 (claimed)	Not listed	Yes
Selectable EU regions	Not listed	Yes
Zero-cost egress policy	Not listed	Yes

gridscale

Panel + API + Terraform provisioning
Deploy VMs with attached storage in seconds via the control panel or automate with the REST API and common IaC clients (Terraform, Packer). Built for teams that want both click-ops and git-ops without a hyperscaler control-plane learning curve.
Managed Kubernetes, databases, and load balancers
PaaS layers cover managed Kubernetes orchestration plus fully managed databases with audit logs and automatic backups, and managed load balancers for traffic distribution—so app teams avoid running the full stack themselves.
S3-compatible object storage and Rocket NVMe storage
Object storage follows S3-style APIs for backups, archives, and unstructured data, with region choice called out for GDPR-oriented placement. Rocket Storage targets high-IOPS NVMe workloads; not every Hybrid Core location exposes object storage—check the data-center matrix.
Per-minute GPU bare-metal for AI/ML
GPU instances are marketed as dedicated bare-metal performance for AI/ML and data science, with CPU, RAM, and storage included and usage billed by the minute rather than only long-term reserved shapes.
Hybrid Core Concierge HCI and white-label cloud
Fully managed hyperconverged packages combine hardware delivery, installation, remote operations, white-label branding/SAML options, and access to the wider gridscale location ecosystem—aimed at enterprises and hosters building private or partner clouds.

UpCloud

MaxIOPS clustered block storage
In-house all-flash block tier rated up to ~100,000 read IOPS at 4K, separate from compute hosts, with Standard and Archive tiers for capacity. Attach up to 16 devices per server (up to 64 TB total); encryption at rest optional. Suits databases and I/O-heavy apps that outgrow commodity cloud disks.
Cloud Servers on AMD EPYC with automation
Linux/Windows VMs with Starter, Premium, and Cloud Native plan families, hot resize options, firewall, utility and SDN private networking. Full lifecycle via control panel, REST API, CLI, Terraform/OpenTofu, Pulumi, and Crossplane—for teams automating fleets rather than clicking one-off VPS.
CNCF Managed Kubernetes (UKS)
Managed control planes with CNCF-certified Kubernetes versions, autoscaler integration, CSI block volumes, load-balancer integration, and private-only clusters. Worker nodes use ordinary Cloud Server plans including Private Cloud hosts—good fit when you want K8s without running etcd yourself.
Managed PostgreSQL, MySQL, Valkey, OpenSearch
Turnkey databases with automated backups, multi-node HA options, private utility/SDN connectivity, and point-in-time recovery on relational plans. Reduces ops load for product teams that still want open engines rather than proprietary hyperscaler databases.
Customer-selected global regions (EU-first footprint)
Fifteen data centers across twelve countries: dense Northern/Central Europe (Helsinki x2, Stockholm, Stavanger, Copenhagen, Amsterdam, Frankfurt, Madrid, Warsaw, London) plus US, Singapore, and Sydney. Customer Data stays in the chosen zone unless you request a move—use EU zones for residency programmes.
Zero-cost egress packaging and 99.999% SLA line
Public pricing emphasises no per-GB internet egress charges under a Fair Transfer Policy, plus Premium-class 99.999% SLA with service credits for unscheduled downtime. Simplifies bills for chatty APIs and multi-service architectures compared with classic egress meters—confirm fair-use limits for extreme transfer cases.

Assurance & compliance: gridscale vs UpCloud
Assurance & compliance	gridscale	UpCloud
Independent security / no-logs audit	Not applicable IaaS/PaaS provider—not a no-logs VPN product. Request penetration-test or SOC-style reports under NDA if required.	Vendor claimed Vendor states cloud services audited against Finnish PiTuKri criteria by an independent firm; ISO 27001 ISMS regularly audited. Public PiTuKri report not fully reproduced on marketing pages—request artefacts.
ISO 27001	Vendor claimed Vendor compliance pages and chronology claim ISO/IEC 27001; obtain current certificate for verification.	Vendor claimed Vendor asserts ISO 27001 certified ISMS and publishes certificate PDF; independent registry re-check not completed in this draft.
ISO 27017 (cloud security)	Vendor claimed Compliance page links a certificate PDF download; treat as vendor-published evidence until auditor validates.	Not listed
ISO 27018 (cloud PII)	Vendor claimed Claimed on compliance/about materials; request current scope.	Not listed
SOC 2 / SOC 3	Not found No public SOC 2 found; vendor promotes ISAE 3402 SOC 1 Type 2 instead (different standard).	Not found Facility providers list SOC reports; no clear first-party UpCloud SOC 2 Type II product claim found on compliance pages reviewed.
ISAE 3402 SOC 1 Type 2	Vendor claimed About chronology highlights successful ISAE 3402 SOC 1 Type 2 (incl. January 2025 call-out). Request full report.	Not listed
BSI C5	Vendor claimed Prominently listed on compliance pages; About chronology pairs C5 with January 2025 certification success. Request current attestation.	Not listed
GDPR / EU data protection	Vendor claimed German controller (gridscale GmbH); European location marketing; privacy policy under DS-GVO. Confirm DPA and location selection for your processing.	Vendor claimed Finnish controller/processor under GDPR; customer chooses region; DPA in ToS; CISPE Code of Conduct adherence claimed.
US CLOUD Act exposure (indicative)	Partial EU entity, no known US parent (OVHcloud France owns group). Customer hosting marketed in EU/CH/AT. Partial because privacy recipient list includes US-group Stripe, Google Analytics/GTM, Microsoft, Meta, LinkedIn for payments/marketing. Not legal advice.	Partial Finnish entity / no known US parent; EU-region VMs can avoid US storage. Material exceptions: optional US DCs, US/SG support affiliates for account ops, US colocations if selected. Assessment not a vendor safety claim. Not legal advice.
Data processing agreement (B2B)	Vendor claimed GTC §14.2 requires a separate order-processing contract when gridscale processes personal data for the customer, finalised at latest on contract conclusion. Execute AV/DPA—do not rely on website privacy alone.	Vendor claimed DPA incorporated into Terms of Service; binding on acceptance without separate signature per vendor.
EU AI Act	Not applicable Infrastructure cloud; not an AI system product. GPU capacity may host customer AI workloads under shared-responsibility model.	Not applicable General-purpose IaaS/platform; not an AI system provider by primary product.
Trusted Cloud (DE)	Vendor claimed Compliance page links Trusted Cloud service listing; verify current entry on trusted-cloud.de.	Not listed
CISPE Code of Conduct	Not listed	Vendor claimed Vendor states adherence to CISPE data protection code for cloud infrastructure providers.

Considerations & known limitations: gridscale vs UpCloud
Considerations & known limitations	gridscale	UpCloud
Parent-group integration after OVHcloud acquisition	Medium 100% OVHcloud ownership since 2023 may change roadmap, tooling, support model, or cross-entity data flows over time. Confirm entity, subcontractors, and exit terms for your contract generation.	Not listed
Partner-operated Hybrid Core locations	Medium Some sites are operated with partners (hosttech, rhöncloud, BAIONITY, windCORES, etc.). Capability matrices differ (for example object storage not everywhere). Map exact location codes to SLA and subprocessor wording.	Not listed
US-group ancillary processors (account/marketing)	Medium Privacy policy lists Stripe, Google Analytics/GTM, Microsoft Bing Ads, Meta, and LinkedIn. Material for DPIAs even when VM disks stay in EU halls. Ask which tools touch production account identities versus marketing only.	Not listed
Certifications need current attestation packs	Low BSI C5, ISAE 3402, and ISO claims are vendor-published. Production security reviews should obtain dated reports rather than relying on marketing badges alone.	Not listed
Narrower global footprint than hyperscalers	Low Location set is European-weighted. Unsuitable as a drop-in for multi-continent latency or hyperscaler-only services (global CDN marketplaces, specialized managed services).	Not listed
Optional non-EU regions and support access	Not listed	Medium US, Singapore, and Sydney zones are first-class options. Mis-pinned workloads or defaults can place Customer Data outside the EU. Account information is accessible to non-EEA support staff even when VMs stay in Europe.
Narrower catalogue than hyperscalers	Not listed	Low Strong IaaS and focused managed services; missing many proprietary AWS/Azure/GCP PaaS and AI products. Multi-cloud or dual-vendor designs may still be required.
Limited public SOC 2 for UpCloud entity	Not listed	Medium ISO 27001 and PiTuKri claims are published; a customer-facing SOC 2 Type II for UpCloud itself was not found. Enterprise questionnaires may need NDA artefacts or reliance on ISO plus facility reports.
Colocation facility dependency	Not listed	Low Platform runs in third-party data centres. Facility certifications differ by site; treat them as complementary to UpCloud’s own ISMS, not a substitute for vendor due diligence.
Fair Transfer Policy on zero egress	Not listed	Low Zero-cost egress is a commercial differentiator but is governed by a Fair Transfer Policy—extreme or abusive transfer patterns may fall outside the marketing promise. Validate for CDN-scale or bulk egress designs.

Fit

gridscale

Best fit when

DACH mid-market teams wanting German contracting plus managed PaaS (Kubernetes, databases, load balancers)
MSPs and hosters needing white-label branding, multi-tenant accounts, and optional Hybrid Core hardware
Workloads that must pick DE/NL/CH/AT regions with Tier 3 marketing claims and green-energy positioning
AI/ML or data-science jobs that need GPU bare-metal with per-minute metering
Buyers who value panel + API/Terraform over hyperscaler IAM sprawl

Poor fit when

Global multi-region applications that need hyperscaler edge, marketplace services, or non-European regions
Teams optimising only for lowest bare VM or dedicated-server unit cost (evaluate Hetzner first)
Buyers requiring public SOC 2 Type II specifically rather than ISAE 3402 SOC 1 Type 2 / BSI C5 packs
Organisations that forbid any US-group ancillary processors (Stripe/Google marketing tools appear in the privacy recipient list)

Consider instead when

When: You need the broader European hyperscale portfolio and more regions under one group brand
Consider: OVHcloud
OVHcloud is the parent group; gridscale stays the HCI/panel-focused product line
When: Cost-sensitive VMs or dedicated servers dominate and you do not need Hybrid Core white-label
Consider: Hetzner
Hetzner typically wins raw price/performance for simple compute
When: France-centric developer cloud with different location and product skew
Consider: Scaleway
Compare ARM options and FR footprint versus gridscale DACH Hybrid Core
When: Swiss-rooted EU cloud positioning is the primary evaluation criterion
Consider: Exoscale
Still compare DE/CH site maps and managed service depth side by side
When: You need worldwide regions, marketplace depth, or US-public-sector cloud programmes
Consider: Amazon Web Services (AWS) or Microsoft Azure
Trade EU-entity simplicity for hyperscaler breadth and US ownership path

UpCloud

Best fit when

EU product teams needing IaaS with Finnish legal entity and pin-to-zone residency
Workloads sensitive to block I/O that benefit from MaxIOPS-class SSDs
Cloud-native stacks on managed Kubernetes plus managed PostgreSQL/MySQL/Valkey
Multi-service apps where predictable outbound transfer packaging matters
Agencies and SaaS operators standardising on API/Terraform automation

Poor fit when

Organisations that require a full hyperscaler catalogue (proprietary AI/PaaS breadth)
Buyers optimising solely for the lowest-cost bare metal or unlimited-traffic VPS
Programmes that forbid any non-EU group support access to account metadata without extra controls
Teams that will deploy only to US regions yet still market the stack as EU-sovereign

Consider instead when

When: You need cheaper raw compute or dedicated servers more than managed K8s packaging
Consider: Hetzner
Often stronger on price for VPS/dedicated; compare managed service depth separately.
When: You want a broader French/EU public-cloud portfolio or different regional SKUs
Consider: OVHcloud or Scaleway
Different product breadth and commercial culture; still European-operated peers.
When: You need hyperscaler-managed platforms, global enterprise contracts, or deep marketplace ecosystems
Consider: AWS, Google Cloud, or Microsoft Azure
Trade European HQ simplicity for catalogue depth and global account teams.
When: You want a compact European cloud with Swiss roots and a tighter region set
Consider: Exoscale
Compare region map and managed feature parity to UpCloud’s 15-DC footprint.

Open questions for due diligence

gridscale

Will gridscale execute your template AV/DPA and attach a location-specific subprocessor list for the regions you enable?
What is the current scope and report date for BSI C5 and ISAE 3402 SOC 1 Type 2 covering the services you will buy?
Which privacy-policy third parties process production account/identity data versus website marketing only?
How are OVHcloud group affiliates involved in support, billing, or platform operations for gridscale customers post-acquisition?
For Hybrid Core partner sites, who is the data-center operator of record and what audit rights apply?

UpCloud

Obtain current ISO 27001 certificate scope/dates and any PiTuKri or other audit reports under NDA if required.
Confirm DPA Appendix 1 legal names and countries of all group-company subprocessors for your service mix.
Document which regions and backup/object-storage endpoints will be allow-listed for EU-only programmes.
Ask whether a SOC 2 or equivalent report for UpCloud Oy is available for enterprise review.
Validate Fair Transfer Policy thresholds for your expected egress profile.