Best VPS for AI Agents
Run your AI agent 24/7 on a server instead of your laptop. Compare requirements and find the cheapest VPS that fits.
AI agent server requirements
| Agent | Minimum | Recommended | |
|---|---|---|---|
| OpenClaw | 1 vCPU / 2 GB | 2 vCPU / 4 GB | VPS for OpenClaw → |
| Hermes Agent | 1 vCPU / 2 GB | 2 vCPU / 4 GB | VPS for Hermes Agent → |
| n8n | 2 vCPU / 2 GB | 2 vCPU / 4 GB | VPS for n8n → |
| Claude Code | 1 vCPU / 4 GB | 2 vCPU / 8 GB | VPS for Claude Code → |
How much RAM does an AI agent need?
- 2 GB: Testing a single lightweight agent (OpenClaw or Hermes Agent with API models).
- 4 GB: One agent in production, or n8n with PostgreSQL on the same server.
- 8 GB: Claude Code with project builds, browser automation, or several agents on one server.
Cheapest VPS with 2 vCPU and 4 GB RAM
| Provider | Plan | vCPU | RAM | Disk | Price | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hostup | VPS XS | 2 | 4 GB | 50 GB | $4.48/mo | Details |
| Netcup | VPS 500 G12 | 2 | 4 GB | 128 GB | $5.59/mo | Details |
| Contabo | Storage Vps 10 NVME | 2 | 4 GB | 300 GB | $6.20/mo | Details |
| Hetzner | CX 23 | 2 | 4 GB | 40 GB | $6.75/mo | Details |
| Hetzner | CAX11 | 2 | 4 GB | 40 GB | $7.31/mo | Details |
| Netcup | VPS 1000 ARM G11 | 6 | 8 GB | 256 GB | $7.36/mo | Details |
| Contabo | Storage Vps 20 SSD | 3 | 8 GB | 400 GB | $8.45/mo | Details |
| Contabo | Cloud Vps Core 6 NVME | 6 | 12 GB | 200 GB | $8.45/mo | Details |
| Hostup | VPS SM | 4 | 8 GB | 100 GB | $8.86/mo | Details |
| Netcup | VPS 1000 G12 | 4 | 8 GB | 256 GB | $9.82/mo | Details |
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Why run an AI agent on a VPS?
AI agents like OpenClaw, Hermes Agent, n8n, and Claude Code are most useful when they run all the time: they answer messages, run scheduled workflows, and keep long tasks going. A VPS keeps the agent online 24/7, separates it from your personal laptop and files, and gives it a stable public IP for webhooks.
How to choose a VPS for an AI agent
- RAM first. Agents that use hosted models (Claude, GPT, Gemini) need little CPU, but Node.js and Python runtimes, browsers, and databases need memory. 4 GB is a safe default.
- 2 vCPU keeps installs, updates, and parallel tasks responsive.
- NVMe storage speeds up package installs and databases; 20-40 GB is enough for most agents.
- Location close to you or your APIs lowers latency for chat and webhooks.
Do I need a GPU?
No, as long as the agent uses an API-hosted model. A GPU is only needed to run large language models locally, which is a different and much more expensive class of server.