# Linode Pricing in 2026: Plans, VPS Costs and What You Pay

> A full breakdown of Linode pricing in 2026: shared CPU, dedicated VPS, GPU plans, add-on costs, free credits, and whether it is worth it for your team.
- **Author**: harsh-kanani
- **Published**: 2026-06-16
- **Modified**: 2026-06-16
- **Category**: Deployment Guides
- **URL**: https://kuberns.com/blogs/linode-pricing/

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Linode pricing starts at $5 per month for a shared CPU instance. Since Linode rebranded to Akamai Cloud, its compute plans are now organized by hardware generation: G6, G7, and G8. All plans use hourly billing with a monthly cap, so you never pay more than the listed monthly rate.

A solo developer running a side project can stay under $10 per month. A team running a production app with a managed database will typically spend $80 to $200 per month. For teams who want cloud infrastructure without the server management overhead, [Kuberns](https://dashboard.kuberns.com) deploys full-stack apps on AWS automatically with no DevOps required.

**TL;DR**

- Linode shared CPU plans start at $5/mo (Nanode 1GB)
- Dedicated VPS plans start at $36/mo (G6), $43/mo (G7), $50/mo (G8)
- GPU plans start at $0.52/hr (RTX 4000 Ada)
- Add-ons like Managed Databases, Object Storage, and NodeBalancers are billed separately
- New accounts get $100 free credit, no coupon code needed
- Powered-off instances still bill at the full hourly rate

## How Much Does Linode Cost?

![A quick cost overview of Linode plans including shared CPU, dedicated VPS, GPU, and add-ons](https://kuberns-blogs.s3.ap-south-1.amazonaws.com/linode-cost-overview.png)

Linode pricing varies by product. Here is a quick reference across the full suite:

| Product | Starting Price | Transfer Included |
|---|---|---|
| Shared CPU (Nanode) | $5/mo | 1 TB |
| Dedicated CPU (G8) | $50/mo | Pooled |
| GPU (RTX 4000 Ada) | $0.52/hr | None |
| Managed Database | $15/mo | N/A |
| Object Storage | $6.99/mo | 250 GiB |
| NodeBalancer | $10/mo | N/A |
| Backups | 20% of plan | N/A |

Linode also includes free inbound transfer, free DNS management, and free DDoS protection on all plans. Transfer quotas are pooled across all instances on your account, which is useful if you run multiple nodes.

> Wondering how Linode stacks up against DigitalOcean on total cost? See [Linode vs DigitalOcean vs Kuberns: a practical comparison](https://kuberns.com/blogs/post/linode-vs-digitalocean-vs-kuberns-ai/).

## What Are Linode Plans and How Is Pricing Structured?

![Linode shared CPU, dedicated VPS, and GPU plan tiers with starting prices](https://kuberns-blogs.s3.ap-south-1.amazonaws.com/linode-plans-pricing-structure.png)

Linode organizes its compute into three main categories: shared CPU, dedicated CPU, and GPU. Each targets a different workload profile. All are billed hourly with a hard monthly cap.

### Shared CPU Plans

Shared CPU plans are the starting point for most developers. You share the underlying CPU with other tenants, which keeps costs low but means performance can vary under heavy load on the host.

#### Nanode 1GB Plan

The Nanode is Linode's entry-level plan. At $5 per month, you get 1 vCPU, 1GB RAM, 25GB SSD storage, and 1TB outbound transfer. It is suited for low-traffic personal projects, staging environments, lightweight APIs, and testing. It is not suitable for production apps with real traffic.

#### Standard Shared Plans

Standard shared plans scale from 2GB RAM to 192GB RAM. Here is the full pricing breakdown:

| RAM | vCPUs | Storage | Transfer | $/mo |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2 GB | 1 | 50 GB | 2 TB | $12 |
| 4 GB | 2 | 80 GB | 4 TB | $24 |
| 8 GB | 4 | 160 GB | 5 TB | $48 |
| 16 GB | 6 | 320 GB | 8 TB | $96 |
| 32 GB | 8 | 640 GB | 16 TB | $192 |
| 64 GB | 16 | 1280 GB | 20 TB | $384 |
| 96 GB | 20 | 1920 GB | 20 TB | $576 |
| 128 GB | 24 | 2500 GB | 20 TB | $768 |
| 192 GB | 32 | 3840 GB | 20 TB | $960 |

The $24/mo tier (4GB / 2 vCPU) is the most common entry point for small production apps. The $48/mo tier suits most startup workloads comfortably.

### Dedicated VPS Plans (G7 and G8)

Dedicated plans give you CPU cores that are not shared with other tenants. This means consistent performance regardless of what other workloads are running on the host. These are Linode's true VPS-class plans.

#### G7 Dedicated CPU Plans

G7 plans run on 3rd Gen AMD EPYC processors. They include outbound transfer allowances and are well suited to business-critical applications that need stable, predictable throughput.

| RAM | vCPUs | Storage | Transfer | $/mo | $/hr |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4 GB | 2 | 80 GB | 4 TB | $43 | $0.06 |
| 8 GB | 4 | 160 GB | 5 TB | $86 | $0.13 |
| 16 GB | 8 | 320 GB | 6 TB | $173 | $0.26 |
| 32 GB | 16 | 640 GB | 7 TB | $346 | $0.52 |
| 64 GB | 32 | 1280 GB | 8 TB | $691 | $1.04 |
| 128 GB | 50 | 2500 GB | 10 TB | $1,382 | $2.07 |

#### G8 Dedicated CPU Plans

G8 is Linode's current generation, powered by 5th Gen AMD EPYC processors. G8 Compute plans use a 1:2 RAM-to-CPU ratio, while G8 General plans use a 1:4 ratio for more memory-heavy workloads. Note that G8 plans do not include a fixed transfer allowance; transfer is billed separately.

| Plan | RAM | vCPUs | Storage | $/hr |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| G8 Dedicated 4x2 | 4 GB | 2 | 40 GB | $0.07 |
| G8 Dedicated 8x4 | 8 GB | 4 | 80 GB | $0.14 |
| G8 Dedicated 16x8 | 16 GB | 8 | 160 GB | $0.27 |
| G8 Dedicated 32x16 | 32 GB | 16 | 320 GB | $0.54 |
| G8 Dedicated 64x32 | 64 GB | 32 | 640 GB | $1.08 |
| G8 Dedicated 128x64 | 128 GB | 64 | 1280 GB | $2.16 |

> Running high-traffic workloads and comparing VPS options? See how dedicated plans stack up in [Linode vs Vultr vs Kuberns](https://kuberns.com/blogs/post/linode-vs-vultr-vs-kuberns-ai/).

### GPU Plans

Linode GPU plans are dedicated virtual machines equipped with NVIDIA GPUs. They are designed for compute-intensive workloads like ML model inference, rendering, and large-scale data processing.

#### RTX 4000 Ada Generation

| Plan | GPUs | RAM | vCPUs | Storage | $/hr |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| x1 Small | 1 | 16 GB | 4 | 500 GB | $0.52 |
| x1 Medium | 1 | 32 GB | 8 | 500 GB | $0.67 |
| x1 Large | 1 | 64 GB | 16 | 500 GB | $0.96 |
| x2 Small | 2 | 32 GB | 8 | 1 TB | $1.05 |
| x4 Small | 4 | 128 GB | 32 | 2 TB | $2.96 |

#### RTX PRO 6000 Blackwell Server Edition

| Plan | GPUs | VRAM | RAM | vCPUs | $/hr |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| x1 | 1 | 96 GB | 176 GB | 16 | $2.50 |
| x2 | 2 | 192 GB | 352 GB | 32 | $5.00 |
| x4 | 4 | 384 GB | 704 GB | 64 | $10.00 |

GPU plans are billed purely by the hour with no monthly cap. They are not appropriate for most web application workloads. Unless you are running ML inference, video processing, or scientific compute, a dedicated CPU plan will be more cost-effective.

### Add-On Costs

Linode's compute plan price is not your final bill if you need databases, storage, or load balancing. Each add-on is priced separately.

#### Managed Databases

Linode Managed Databases support PostgreSQL, MySQL, and Redis. Pricing starts at approximately $15/mo for a single-node development instance. High-availability clusters with standby replicas start around $60/mo. Managed databases include automated backups, failover, and patching.

#### Object Storage

Linode Object Storage starts at $6.99/mo for 250 GiB of storage and 1 TB of outbound transfer. Additional storage is billed at $0.02 per GiB and additional transfer at $0.005 per GiB.

#### NodeBalancers and Block Storage

NodeBalancers (Linode's managed load balancer) cost $10/mo each. Block Storage starts at $0.10 per GiB per month, with a minimum of 10 GiB.

#### Backups

Linode's automated backup service costs 20% of your plan's monthly price. On a $48/mo shared plan, backups add $9.60/mo. This gives you daily, weekly, and bi-weekly snapshots with two-week retention.

### Hidden Costs to Know

#### Transfer Overages

Each plan includes a transfer quota. Going over the quota is billed at $0.005 per GiB for outbound transfer. Inbound transfer is always free. Transfer allowances are pooled across all instances on the account, so multiple nodes share one quota.

#### Powered-Off Instances Still Bill

Stopping a Linode instance does not stop billing. Akamai reserves the underlying hardware resources whether your instance is running or not. To stop charges you must either delete the instance or take a snapshot and destroy it. Shutting it down from within the OS or the console is not enough.

> Add-ons are where IaaS costs quietly climb. See [how AI optimization makes cloud solutions more cost-effective](https://kuberns.com/blogs/post/how-ai-optimisation-makes-it-cloud-solutions-cost-effective/) for a breakdown of where teams overpay.

## Does Linode Offer a Coupon or Free Trial?

New Linode accounts receive $100 in free credits automatically. No coupon code is required. Credits are valid for 60 days from account creation and can be applied to any plan or product on the platform.

There is no ongoing free tier on Linode. The $100 credit is enough to run a $5/mo shared plan for the full 60 days, test a dedicated instance, or experiment with GPU compute for a few hours before committing.

Active promotional codes occasionally appear through Linode's blog, partner pages, or developer community events. Checking the [Akamai Cloud pricing page](https://www.akamai.com/cloud/pricing) directly will show the current standard rates. For updated promo codes, Linode's official newsletter and community forums are the most reliable sources.

> Looking for a cloud provider that gives you more than just free credits to get started? See [the best cloud platforms for startups that scale without burning budget](https://kuberns.com/blogs/post/cloud-for-startups-to-scale-without-burning-budget/).

## Is Linode Worth It in 2026, or Is There a Better Option?

![Linode IaaS vs managed PaaS comparison showing manual tasks versus automated deployment](https://kuberns-blogs.s3.ap-south-1.amazonaws.com/is-linode-worth-it.png)

Linode is a well-priced, reliable IaaS platform. Its compute rates are competitive, transfer is generous, the network is solid across all major regions, and the G8 generation hardware brings it up to date with modern infrastructure expectations.

The honest limitation is what IaaS means in practice. Every Linode instance is a bare Linux server. You configure the OS, install your runtime, manage deployments, handle SSL, set up monitoring, and deal with scaling yourself or through tools you build and maintain. For teams with DevOps experience, this is normal. For development teams who want to focus on the application rather than the infrastructure, the overhead adds up fast.

Linode suits teams who need full control over their stack, run custom software that does not fit managed platform constraints, or already have the operational expertise to manage servers efficiently. It is harder to justify for small dev teams, early-stage startups, or anyone whose time is better spent building product than managing infrastructure.

> Not sure if IaaS or PaaS is the right model for your team? See [IaaS vs PaaS: choosing the right cloud model](https://kuberns.com/blogs/iaas-vs-paas-vs-saas/) for a direct breakdown.

## What If You Did Not Have to Manage the Server at All?

![Developer pushing code once vs managing multiple manual server tasks on a VPS](https://kuberns-blogs.s3.ap-south-1.amazonaws.com/linode-vs-managed-paas.png)

The appeal of Linode is control and cost. But most developers using a $48/mo VPS are not using it because they want to manage a server. They are using it because it is the affordable option they know.

[![Deploy smarter with Kuberns AI](https://kuberns-blogs.s3.ap-south-1.amazonaws.com/CTA_banner.png)](https://dashboard.kuberns.com)

[Kuberns](https://dashboard.kuberns.com) is an agentic AI deployment platform that gives you production-grade cloud infrastructure without the server management layer. You connect your repository, and the AI agent handles everything: infrastructure provisioning, database setup, environment configuration, SSL, scaling, and monitoring. No Dockerfile. No YAML. No SSH sessions at midnight.

Kuberns runs on AWS infrastructure, which means you get enterprise-grade reliability without paying AWS rates directly. Plans start significantly cheaper than running an equivalent VPS setup when you factor in the time and tooling cost of self-managed infrastructure. It is the PaaS answer to what Linode does as IaaS.

If your team spends any time on server management that you would rather spend on the product, the comparison is not really Linode vs Kuberns on compute cost. It is Linode plus your DevOps time vs Kuberns with none.

## Conclusion

Linode pricing is straightforward and competitive. Shared CPU plans start at $5/mo, dedicated VPS plans from $36/mo, and new accounts get $100 in free credits without needing a coupon. The G8 generation brings modern hardware to a platform that has always had strong fundamentals.

The question is not whether Linode is good value as IaaS. It is. The question is whether IaaS is the right fit for your team in 2026. If you want control and have the expertise to use it, Linode is a solid choice. If you want to ship faster without managing servers, [deploy your first app on Kuberns](https://dashboard.kuberns.com) and see what the infrastructure layer looks like when it runs itself.

[![Deploy on Kuberns without managing servers](https://kuberns-blogs.s3.ap-south-1.amazonaws.com/deploy-on-kuberns-bannner6.png)](https://dashboard.kuberns.com)

## Frequently Asked Questions

### What is Linode pricing per month?

Linode pricing starts at $5 per month for a shared CPU Nanode plan with 1GB RAM. Dedicated VPS plans start at $36/mo (G6) or $43/mo (G7). Most production workloads on Linode land between $50 and $200 per month depending on plan type and add-ons.

### What is the cheapest Linode plan?

The cheapest Linode plan is the Nanode 1GB shared CPU instance at $5 per month. It includes 1 vCPU, 1GB RAM, 25GB SSD storage, and 1TB transfer. It is suitable for lightweight workloads, staging environments, and personal projects.

### How does Linode VPS pricing work?

Linode VPS pricing is hourly with a monthly cap. You are billed per hour of usage, but your bill never exceeds the plan's monthly rate. Dedicated VPS plans (G6, G7, G8) start at $36/mo and offer consistent CPU performance without throttling.

### Is there a Linode coupon or free trial?

Linode offers $100 in free credits for new accounts with no coupon code required. Credits expire after 60 days. There is no ongoing free tier, but the credit is enough to test most plan types before committing.

### What are Linode server pricing options in 2026?

Linode server pricing in 2026 includes shared CPU plans from $5/mo, dedicated CPU plans (G6 from $36/mo, G7 from $43/mo, G8 from $50/mo), and GPU plans from $0.52/hr. Each plan type targets a different workload.

### How does Linode VM pricing work hourly vs monthly?

Linode VM pricing is calculated hourly but capped at the monthly rate. If you run a $5/mo plan for only 100 hours, you pay less than $5. If you run it the full month, you pay the $5 cap. Powered-off instances still accrue hourly charges.

### Does Linode charge for bandwidth?

Linode includes a generous outbound transfer allowance with every plan. Overages are billed at $0.005 per GiB for outbound transfer beyond the included quota. Inbound transfer is always free. Transfer quotas are pooled across all instances on your account.

### What are Linode's dedicated plans called now?

Since the Linode to Akamai Cloud rebrand, dedicated plans are labeled by generation: G6 (legacy hardware, from $36/mo), G7 (3rd Gen AMD EPYC, from $43/mo), and G8 (5th Gen AMD EPYC, from $50/mo). G8 is the current generation.

### How does Linode pricing compare to DigitalOcean?

Linode and DigitalOcean are closely matched on base compute pricing. DigitalOcean Droplets start at $4/mo vs Linode's $5/mo. Linode's dedicated VPS plans include more transfer but are slightly more expensive. See the full breakdown in [DigitalOcean pricing in 2026](https://kuberns.com/blogs/digitalocean-pricing/).

### What changed after Linode became Akamai Cloud?

After the rebrand, Linode's compute plans were reorganized into generation labels (G6, G7, G8) with updated hardware. The pricing page moved to akamai.com/cloud/pricing. Product names changed but the core VPS offering remains similar. New GPU and accelerated compute plans were added under the Akamai brand.

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