UpCloud
High-performance Finnish cloud with industry-leading disk I/O — an alternative to DigitalOcean and Linode.
Overview
UpCloud is a Helsinki, Finland-based European company building cloud infrastructure and hosting software since 2012. As an EU-headquartered provider, UpCloud operates under GDPR and is outside the reach of the US CLOUD Act, making it a privacy-friendly alternative to AWS, Google Cloud, and Azure for European teams.
Why European teams pick UpCloud
Teams in Europe pick UpCloud when they want a cloud infrastructure provider that bills in EUR, supports their local data-protection officer requirements, and keeps customer data under Finland law, operating since 2012. Compared with AWS, Google Cloud, and Azure, UpCloud avoids cross-border data transfers under Schrems II and the US CLOUD Act, which is often the deciding factor for European procurement and legal teams.
See more EU cloud infrastructure tools or browse other startups from Finland.
About
UpCloud is a Finnish cloud provider founded in 2012, offering IaaS infrastructure with a strong focus on storage performance and reliability. Its MaxIOPS storage technology consistently benchmarks as the fastest block storage in Europe, making it particularly well-suited for database workloads. UpCloud operates data centres in Helsinki, Frankfurt, Amsterdam, and several other locations globally — with EU data residency available across all primary EU zones. It offers VMs, private cloud, object storage, managed load balancers, and a clean API. UpCloud is certified ISO 27001 and signs a GDPR DPA for all customers, making it a strong choice for Finnish and Nordic companies with performance-critical applications.
Details
- Founded
- 2012
- Headquarters
- Helsinki, Finland
Categories
Other EU startups like UpCloud
- RailwayUnited Kingdom — Instant deployment infrastructure for developers — popular across European teams.
- PortainerNew Zealand — Container management UI for Docker and Kubernetes — a New Zealand/European alternative to Rancher.
- CoolifyHungary — Open-source, self-hostable PaaS platform — a Heroku/Render alternative you deploy on your own EU server.
- GitpodGermany — Cloud development environments that spin up instantly from any Git repo — a German alternative to GitHub Codespaces.
- Infra.marketSwitzerland — Swiss VPS and dedicated hosting powered by renewable energy.
- Aruba CloudItaly — Italian cloud provider with low-cost VPS and public cloud — a European alternative to DigitalOcean.
Frequently asked questions
What is UpCloud?
UpCloud is a Finnish cloud provider founded in 2012, offering IaaS infrastructure with a strong focus on storage performance and reliability. Its MaxIOPS storage technology consistently benchmarks as the fastest block storage in Europe, making it particularly well-suited for database workloads. UpCloud operates data centres in Helsinki, Frankfurt, Amsterdam, and several other locations globally — with EU data residency available across all primary EU zones. It offers VMs, private cloud, object storage, managed load balancers, and a clean API. UpCloud is certified ISO 27001 and signs a GDPR DPA for all customers, making it a strong choice for Finnish and Nordic companies with performance-critical applications.
What does UpCloud do?
UpCloud is high-performance finnish cloud with industry-leading disk i/o — an alternative to digitalocean and linode. It is listed under cloud infrastructure and hosting on EU Alts because its core functionality serves teams looking for a European cloud infrastructure tool with EU data residency, typically as a switch away from AWS, Google Cloud, and Azure.
Is UpCloud a good European cloud infrastructure alternative?
UpCloud is a fit for European businesses evaluating cloud infrastructure options where data residency and GDPR alignment matter — typical buyers include EU-based SaaS teams, public-sector projects, regulated industries (healthcare, finance, legal), and any organisation that needs to demonstrate that customer data does not leave the EU. It also overlaps with hosting use cases.
Is UpCloud GDPR compliant?
UpCloud is headquartered in Helsinki, Finland and falls under EU jurisdiction, so it processes user data under the GDPR by default. Customer data processing is supervised by Finland's data protection authority, the Tietosuojavaltuutettu (Office of the Data Protection Ombudsman). Because the company is not US-incorporated, it is not subject to the US CLOUD Act — meaning US authorities cannot compel UpCloud to disclose customer data the way they can with AWS, Google Cloud, and Azure. For European buyers, that often simplifies DPIA paperwork and standard contractual clauses.
How do teams switch from AWS to UpCloud?
Most teams move to UpCloud from AWS, Google Cloud, and Azure because they want EU data residency without giving up the core cloud infrastructure workflow. UpCloud's Finland base means a single jurisdiction for both the company and (typically) its hosting infrastructure, so you can drop Schrems II transfer impact assessments for this part of your stack. Plan the migration in stages: export your data from the US incumbent, pilot UpCloud with a small team, then move the rest once the integration coverage you need is confirmed.
Where is UpCloud based?
UpCloud is headquartered in Helsinki, Finland. The company was founded in 2012. Its main website is https://upcloud.com.