Smelt Cloud vs Vultr Bare Metal
Vultr is one of the more affordable bare-metal providers, which makes it a fair benchmark. We are upfront about the spec match: Vultr's flagship dual-EPYC node is memory- and storage-dense (64 cores / 1,536 GB / ~102 TB NVMe) at $2,925 per month. Smelt matches its core count at the Compute tier, reaches its memory at the Compute Ultra tier, and adds free egress plus storage and AI-inference tiers.
Vultr figures verified Apr 5, 2026
| Dimension | Vultr Bare Metal | Smelt Cloud |
|---|---|---|
| Cores (matched) | 64 (2x AMD EPYC 9354) | 64 (Compute tier) |
| Memory | 1,536 GB | 512 GB (Compute) · 1.5 TB (Compute Ultra) |
| Local NVMe | ~102 TB (16x 6.4 TB) | Boot mirror on-node; bulk via Molten / Vault tiers |
| Price | $2,925 / month | Pricing Coming Soon |
| Egress | Metered bandwidth beyond the included allowance | Free on the included transfer allowance |
| Breadth | Compute-focused | Compute, storage, and AI inference on one stack |
Comparisons match the closest Vultr configuration by cores and memory (compute) or by cost per terabyte (storage), and normalize for included storage and egress. Specs for both sides are shown so you can judge the fit.
Smelt Cloud as a Vultr alternative
As a Vultr alternative, Smelt competes on free egress, breadth, and owned-hardware economics rather than claiming to undercut this specific RAM-heavy node. Vultr already undercuts the hyperscalers and its reference box packs a lot of memory and local storage. Smelt matches the core count, offers a high-memory tier for RAM parity, includes free egress, and spans storage and mixture-of-experts AI inference that a compute-first provider does not.
Matched on cores, honest on RAM
Vultr's reference node carries 1,536 GB — three times Smelt's base Compute node. We match it on cores at the Compute tier and on memory at the Compute Ultra tier, rather than pretending a 512 GB node is the same thing.
One stack, three categories
Vultr is compute-first. Smelt spans dedicated compute, all-flash and HDD storage, and mixture-of-experts AI inference on a single platform — so RAM-heavy plus storage-heavy needs live in one place.
Free egress
Smelt includes a transfer allowance with no egress fees, so traffic does not become a surprise line item as you scale.
Where Vultr is the better fit
Vultr offers self-serve provisioning in many global locations today with instant deployment and a mature control panel, and its reference node is genuinely good value for memory- and storage-dense single boxes. For immediate multi-region bare metal or fully self-serve hourly provisioning, Vultr leads. Smelt wins on free egress, breadth across compute, storage, and inference, and committed owned-hardware economics.
Questions, answered.
Does Smelt cost less than Vultr bare metal?
We do not claim to undercut Vultr's specific RAM- and storage-dense reference node, which is strong value. Smelt competes on free egress, breadth across compute, storage, and inference, and owned-hardware economics. Public compute pricing is published before the charter cohort closes.
Does Smelt offer the same instant provisioning?
Not yet — Smelt is in private beta launching from a single region. Vultr leads on immediate multi-region self-serve provisioning today.
What does Smelt offer beyond compute?
Storage (all-flash Molten and HDD Vault) and AI inference (Forge MoE for mixture-of-experts models) on the same dedicated-hardware platform.
- Vultr Bare Metal pricing — verified Apr 5, 2026
Vultr and other names are trademarks of their respective owners. Smelt Cloud is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or sponsored by Vultr. Figures shown are the competitor's public list prices as of the dates above and may change; Smelt figures are effective rates described in our documentation. This comparison is provided for informational purposes.
Ready to get off the cloud meter?
Charter applications are open for the first deployment. Apply in two minutes, or join the waitlist — no payment required.