Startups today are faced with a critical decision: choosing the right cloud infrastructure to support growth while managing costs, compliance, and scalability. While hyperscalers like AWS, Google Cloud, and Azure dominate the landscape, emerging alternatives are gaining traction—especially in Europe. 🌐📈
Enter Scaleway: a European cloud provider offering competitive pricing, sustainability leadership, and data sovereignty. In this review, we’ll evaluate whether Scaleway is the right fit for early-stage startups.
Overview
Scaleway is a France-based cloud service provider, part of the Iliad Group, known for its developer-centric, sustainable infrastructure offerings. It provides virtual machines, bare metal servers, managed databases, Kubernetes, serverless functions, AI-ready GPU instances, and more—all hosted in EU data centers. 🚀🏠
Scaleway’s appeal lies in its transparent pricing, strong European compliance (GDPR, HDS), and a startup program offering up to €36,000 in credits. It’s designed for technical teams and founders prioritizing affordability, simplicity, and regional control.
Scaleway Key Features
💻Compute Instances – Flexible & Affordable
Choose from cost-optimized, production-grade, and ARM-based VMs, including “learning” instances perfect for MVPs and prototypes.
🧱Bare Metal & Apple Silicon – Unique Hardware Access
Dedicated performance with Elastic Metal servers and remote-access Mac minis for iOS/macOS development.
🗃️Managed Databases – Fully Offloaded Setup
PostgreSQL, MySQL, Redis, and MongoDB® — all managed with backup, scaling, and HA options.
🌐Kubernetes (Kapsule & Kosmos) – For DevOps Teams
Managed single-cloud and multi-cloud Kubernetes clusters with free and paid control plane options.
⚖️Serverless Functions & Containers – Scale on Demand
Pay-as-you-go execution of code or containers without provisioning servers; generous free tier included.
💾Storage Options – Affordable and S3-Compatible
Includes Object Storage with 75GB free egress, cold Glacier storage, and fast block volumes with tiered IOPS.
🤖AI Infrastructure – GPU Power for ML Workloads
Access NVIDIA H100, L40S, L4 GPUs, and deploy pre-trained models through Managed Inference.
🌍Environmental Impact Tools – Track Your ESG Footprint
Use Scaleway’s Environmental Calculator to monitor emissions, water use, and hardware lifecycle.
Scaleway Pros and Cons
👍 Pros
- Transparent, competitive pricing
- Strong support for European data sovereignty
- Clean UX and easy onboarding
- Sustainable infrastructure with low PUE
- Excellent AI/GPU offerings
- Generous free tiers and startup credits
- Unique Mac mini and ARM server options
👎 Cons
- Limited global region availability
- Fewer managed services than AWS or GCP
- Ecosystem and Marketplace less mature
- Support quality mixed at lower tiers
- Instance resizing not GUI-friendly
- No HIPAA compliance for U.S. healthcare startups
Considering Scaleway for Startups
📌 Do you need GDPR-ready infrastructure? If your startup handles EU user data, Scaleway’s fully EU-based data centers and GDPR compliance make it a safe and compliant choice.
💰 Budget-conscious and want predictable pricing? Scaleway is known for its transparent pricing and generous free tiers, helping you avoid surprise bills and manage costs as you grow.
🔗 Are integrations with open-source tools a must? Scaleway supports open standards like Kubernetes and S3 APIs, and integrates with tools like GitLab, Docker, and Terraform, ensuring flexibility.
👥 Is your team comfortable with some DevOps? While the UI is intuitive, more advanced setups (like Kubernetes or instance resizing) require command-line or API knowledge, suiting DevOps-savvy teams.
📈 Will you scale mainly within Europe? Scaleway’s infrastructure is concentrated in Paris, Amsterdam, and Warsaw—ideal for EU-focused operations but limited for global scaling needs.
🚚 Do you need high-performance GPUs or Mac development? Scaleway offers dedicated Mac minis for iOS builds and NVIDIA GPUs (including H100) for AI workloads, catering to these specialized startup needs.
Scaleway Plans and Pricing
Scaleway offers pay-as-you-go pricing across most services, plus monthly billing options for Bare Metal. They provide tools like cost calculators, billing alerts, and spending dashboards for predictability. Here’s a quick comparison:
| Plan / Service | Monthly Cost (Est.) | Key Features |
|---|---|---|
| PLAY2 VM | €10-€20 | Basic dev/test workloads, local NVMe |
| PRO2 VM | €80-€160 | Dedicated vCPU, production-grade |
| Object Storage | €15/TB | S3-compatible, 75GB free egress |
| Managed DB (Postgres) | €36 | 2 vCPU, 4GB RAM, 100GB storage |
| H100 GPU Instance | €2.73/hr | High-end AI training workloads |
| Mac mini (M1) | €75/month | iOS/macOS CI/CD and builds |
Scaleway Promo Code / Startup Discount Info
Scaleway does not offer public promo codes, but its Startup Program 🎯 provides between €1,000 and €36,000 in credits depending on your stage. 📈 Eligibility typically includes being an early-stage startup, not currently a paying Scaleway customer, and using their infrastructure for core development. 💼 Discounts can last from 6–12 months and include added support and partner perks. 🤝
Comparing Scaleway with Alternatives
| Feature | Scaleway | AWS | Google Cloud |
| Free tier | ✅ Yes | ✅ Yes | ✅ Yes |
| Sales pipeline tools | ❌ No | ⚠️ Limited | ⚠️ Limited |
| Built-in marketing | ❌ No | ✅ Yes (via tools) | ✅ Yes (via tools) |
| Support tools | ⚠️ Basic Free | ✅ Advanced Tiers | ✅ Advanced Tiers |
| Price (starting) | 💶 ~€10/month | 💵 ~€25/month | 💵 ~€30/month |
FAQs
❓ Is Scaleway beginner-friendly for non-technical teams?
It’s more suited for technical founders, though the console is user-friendly with one-click apps.
❓ Does Scaleway integrate with CI/CD or Terraform?
Yes. It supports Terraform, CLI, API, and popular CI/CD pipelines.
❓ Any surprise costs or billing traps?
No hidden fees. It offers billing alerts and cost dashboards for transparency.
❓ Does it work well for AI startups?
Absolutely. Scaleway offers powerful GPU instances and even runs an AI startup accelerator.
❓ Can I host HIPAA-regulated data?
No, Scaleway is not HIPAA compliant, making it unsuitable for US healthcare startups.
❓ Is customer support reliable?
Support varies. Paid tiers (Silver, Gold) offer faster responses than the free Basic plan.
❓ What makes Scaleway different from AWS or GCP?
European focus, free egress bandwidth, and environmental leadership.
Final Thoughts
Scaleway delivers a compelling package for startups prioritizing cost-efficiency, compliance, and sustainability. Its Startup Program and transparent pricing make it easy for founders to build without surprises.💪🚀
For startups based in Europe or building for a European audience, it’s a strong choice. But if your growth strategy depends on global coverage, HIPAA compliance, or a vast service ecosystem, Scaleway may not be the ideal long-term solution.🧠✨
📌If you’re looking to scale affordably while aligning with EU values and sustainability goals, Scaleway might be your cloud of choice.
