Oracle Cloud's Always Free tier is frequently out of capacity in European and North American regions. Here are the best alternatives in 2026.
Why Oracle Cloud Free Tier Is Hard to Get
Oracle's free Ampere A1 ARM instances are limited. Many regions show "out of host capacity" errors for weeks. The free tier requires credit card verification, and instances can be reclaimed during capacity shortages.
Alternatives
| Provider | Free Tier | RAM | CPU | Best For |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Oracle Cloud | Ampere A1 (limited availability) | 24 GB shared | 4 cores ARM | DevOps, bots |
| Google Cloud | $300 trial credit (90 days) | Varies | Varies | Trial projects |
| AWS | t2.micro (1 year free) | 1 GB | 1 core | Learning |
| Azure | $200 credit (30 days) | Varies | Varies | Trial projects |
| Space-Node VPS-XS | 3.40 EUR/mo | 2 GB | 1 core | Bots, small servers |
| Space-Node Discord Bot | Free | 64 MB | Shared | Discord bots |
| FalixNodes | Free (limited) | 4 GB | Shared | Minecraft (with limits) |
For Discord Bots
Space-Node offers free Discord bot hosting (64 MB RAM, 1 GB SSD). For larger bots, the Middle plan at 0.50 EUR/month provides 512 MB RAM.
For Minecraft Servers
Free options are unreliable. The cheapest reliable option: Space-Node MC Coal at 2.70 EUR/month with 3 GB RAM, NVMe SSD, and 24/7 uptime.
For Web Hosting and Dev Projects
- AWS Free Tier (1 year, 1 GB RAM)
- Google Cloud trial ($300 credits)
- Hetzner (cheapest EU option at ~4 EUR/month)
- Space-Node VPS-XS (3.40 EUR/month)
FAQ
Is Oracle Cloud Always Free still available? Technically yes, but instances are frequently out of capacity in popular regions.
What is the cheapest alternative to Oracle Cloud? Space-Node Discord bot hosting is free. VPS starts at 3.40 EUR/month.
Can I run a Minecraft server on the free tier? Oracle's free ARM instance can technically run Minecraft but performance is inconsistent.
Related: Oracle Cloud Always Free limits, Oracle Cloud VPS review, Best free Minecraft hosting