Contabo Windows VPS (2026): The Real Monthly Cost, Plan by Plan, Once the Windows Server Licence Is Added

Contabo’s Windows VPS page starts at €5.50 a month, and every card on it says “Windows Server”. That figure is the price of the server. The Windows Server licence is a separate monthly fee, and Contabo sets it by plan size: from €8.00 on Cloud VPS 4 up to €77.00 on Cloud VPS 18. On every plan, the licence costs more than the server itself. This guide puts both numbers side by side, so you can see what a Windows VPS at Contabo really costs before you order.

The short answer

• Cheapest Windows VPS: Cloud VPS 4 (4 vCPU, 8 GB RAM, 100 GB SSD). Server €5.50 a month plus the Windows licence €8.00 a month = €13.50 a month before VAT on a monthly term (our arithmetic).
• No bring-your-own licence. Contabo’s FAQ: “On our VPS, you cannot use your own Windows license.” The monthly fee “is determined by the size of the VPS you order”.
• The licence is 59% to 69% of the monthly bill across the six plans on the page (our arithmetic, monthly term).
• Pick Windows Server 2025 or 2022. Contabo still offers 2016, whose extended support from Microsoft ends in January 2027 (details below).

Contabo Windows VPS: server price + licence, plan by plan

All six plans on Contabo’s Windows VPS page, in euros before VAT, as Contabo’s price data lists them. “Monthly term” is the price on a 1-month contract; the “24-month rate” is the effective monthly server price Contabo shows “for the first 24 months” of a 24-month subscription. The licence fee is the same for Windows Server 2016, 2019, 2022 and 2025 on a given plan.

On a 24-month term the server price drops, and the licence is listed as a flat monthly fee with no term discount in Contabo’s price data. If it is billed that way, Cloud VPS 4 with Windows works out to €12.40 a month and Cloud VPS 18 to €116.20 a month (our arithmetic). We have not gone through checkout, so confirm the total on the order page.

See Contabo Cloud VPS plans

How to read Contabo’s Windows pages

• The card price is the server only. Each “Get Started” button on the Windows VPS page opens the plan with “Windows Server Datacenter 2025” already selected, at that plan’s licence fee (€8.00 on Cloud VPS 4). The big number on the card does not include it.
• “Standard” or “Datacenter”? The Windows page says Contabo offers “preinstalled Windows Server Standard versions”, while the Cloud VPS order options and price data name the add-on “Windows Server Datacenter” (2016, 2019, 2022 and 2025). Check the edition shown in the order summary if it matters for your software.
• The old “€4.99” line. Contabo’s separate Windows licences page still says “Windows license for €4.99 a month?”. The current price data lists €8.00 a month on the smallest Cloud VPS, so treat €4.99 as out of date.
• Including or excluding VAT. The cards have an “Including VAT / Excluding VAT” switch. Contabo’s country list shows, for example, 19% VAT for Germany, 20% for the UK and 21% for Romania. Our figures are before VAT.

Other costs to add

• Auto Backup (optional): €1.65 a month on Cloud VPS 4, €3.35 on 6, €5.00 on 8, €6.70 on 12, €8.35 on 16 and €10.00 on 18.
• Location: the prices above are for the EU location. Other regions add a monthly surcharge: on Cloud VPS 4, from €1.05 (UK) to €2.55 (Japan); on Cloud VPS 6, €1.60 to €4.00. Our Contabo price guide covers regions and the Linux-side prices.
• Plesk (optional): Contabo says you can run Plesk Obsidian “on top of both Linux and Windows”. In the Cloud VPS order options, Web Admin is €13.50, Web Pro €21.50 and Web Host €43.50 a month on every plan; the Plesk page also offers the first month free (“Test Plesk for 1 Month for Free”). Its comparison table quotes lower “from” prices (Web Admin from €11.89), so check the order summary.
• More Remote Desktop users: Contabo’s help center says Windows Remote Desktop “allows two active user sessions at the same time” by default. For more simultaneous users you need additional Client Access Licenses (CALs), and Contabo asks you to contact support for a quote, so there is no list price.

Our arithmetic, a full example: Cloud VPS 4 + Windows + Auto Backup in the EU, monthly term: €5.50 + €8.00 + €1.65 = €15.15 a month before VAT.

Which Windows Server version to pick

The licence fee is the same for every version, so the choice is about support. Microsoft’s lifecycle pages list these end dates:

Our reading: for a new server, take Windows Server 2025 (the version Contabo’s cards preselect) or 2022. Avoid 2016 unless an old application needs it; its security updates end in January 2027. Switching versions later means a reinstall, and Contabo warns that “upon reinstallation, all existing data will be deleted”.

First login and safe setup

1. Save your password when you order. You set the Windows password during the order. Contabo’s help center says “we do not store your password”, and the order form warns that if you forget it, you will need to reinstall the server.
2. Connect with Remote Desktop (RDP). Use the IP and username from the “Your login data!” email. From Windows, open Remote Desktop Connection; from a Mac, Microsoft’s Remote Desktop app; from Linux, an RDP client such as Remmina or FreeRDP.
3. Run Windows Update and reboot when asked, before you install anything else.
4. Don’t leave RDP open to the whole internet. RDP uses port 3389 by default. Contabo’s own advice is to restrict Remote Desktop access to trusted IPs or a VPN, use strong unique credentials (ideally with multi-factor authentication) and rename or disable the default Administrator account. A small VPN in front of the server works well; see our WireGuard on Contabo guide.
5. Keep a way back in. If a firewall rule locks you out, Contabo says you can reach a VPS through VNC to fix it without RDP. VNC needs a third-party VNC client (such as UltraVNC, RealVNC or TigerVNC); it is not accessible through the Customer Panel.
6. Set up backups: snapshots (1 on Cloud VPS 4, 2 on Cloud VPS 6, 3 from Cloud VPS 8 up) or the paid Auto Backup add-on.

When a Windows VPS makes sense, and when Linux is the cheaper choice

• Windows is worth the licence when your software only runs on Windows: .NET Framework or ASP.NET apps on IIS, MetaTrader and other Windows trading terminals (Contabo pitches Cloud VPS 8 for “Meta Trading”), a remote Windows desktop, or a business app that needs Windows Server.
• Linux is cheaper for the rest. Websites, Docker apps and most self-hosted tools run on Linux, where the licence line is €0.00. For example, a self-hosted deploy platform on Linux, like Coolify on Contabo or Dokploy on Contabo, needs only the server price.
• Size by RAM, then remember the licence scales too. Moving from Cloud VPS 4 to Cloud VPS 6 adds €2.00 to the server and €9.00 to the licence each month (our arithmetic).

Order a Contabo Cloud VPS with Windows

More Contabo guides: all Contabo VPS prices, a private WireGuard VPN for RDP, Coolify and Dokploy on Linux. Or start from Contabo’s homepage.

FAQ

How much is a Windows VPS at Contabo?
The cheapest is Cloud VPS 4: €5.50 a month for the server plus €8.00 a month for the Windows Server licence, €13.50 a month before VAT on a monthly term (our arithmetic).

Is the Windows licence included in the price on Contabo’s Windows VPS page?
No. The card price is for the server. The licence is a separate monthly add-on that the “Get Started” button preselects; its price depends on the plan.

Can I bring my own Windows Server licence to Contabo?
Not on a VPS. Contabo says its licensing agreement with Microsoft requires using the Windows Server licence it provides, for a monthly fee set by the size of the VPS.

Which Windows Server versions does Contabo offer?
2016, 2019, 2022 and 2025, at the same licence fee per plan. Windows Server 2016 reaches the end of Microsoft’s extended support in January 2027, so pick 2025 or 2022 for a new server.

How do I connect to a Contabo Windows VPS?
With Remote Desktop (RDP) using the IP and username from the “Your login data!” email and the password you set when ordering. RDP uses port 3389 by default; Contabo recommends restricting it to trusted IPs or a VPN.

I forgot my Windows password. Can Contabo send it?
No. Contabo says it does not store your password, and the order form warns that if you forget it you will need to reinstall the server.

Can I switch an existing Contabo VPS from Linux to Windows?
Yes, by reinstalling with a Windows Server image in the Customer Control Panel; the licence fee then applies. A reinstall deletes all data on the server.

Is a Contabo Windows VPS managed?
No. Contabo says “All our servers are self-managed by default.” You install, update and secure Windows yourself.

Sources

All checked on October 26, 2026 (Europe/Bucharest).

• Contabo – Windows VPS Server: https://contabo.com/en/windows-servers-vps/
• Contabo – Windows Server and VPS (licences page): https://contabo.com/en/windows-licenses/
• Contabo – Plesk Server and VPS: https://contabo.com/en/plesk-servers/
• Contabo Help Center – How do I connect to my Contabo server for the first time?: https://help.contabo.com/en/support/solutions/articles/103000271271
• Contabo Help Center – Remote Desktop can’t connect: https://help.contabo.com/en/support/solutions/articles/103000294967
• Contabo Help Center – How to connect to your server using VNC: https://help.contabo.com/en/support/solutions/articles/103000407800
• Contabo Help Center – Can I add more remote desktop connections to my server?: https://help.contabo.com/en/support/solutions/articles/103000268826
• Microsoft Learn – Windows Server 2016 lifecycle: https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/lifecycle/products/windows-server-2016
• Microsoft Learn – Windows Server 2019 lifecycle: https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/lifecycle/products/windows-server-2019
• Microsoft Learn – Windows Server 2022 lifecycle: https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/lifecycle/products/windows-server-2022
• Microsoft Learn – Windows Server 2025 lifecycle: https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/lifecycle/products/windows-server-2025