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KVM VPS · Docker · Free Portainer setup

Portainer VPS Hosting

Run your containers on your own KVM VPS and manage them from a web interface. Once the VPS is running, our engineers install Docker Engine and Portainer Community Edition for you, at no extra cost.

  • Automated deployment on our KVM platform
  • Free Docker and Portainer setup by our engineers
  • Full root access, NVMe SSD and unmetered bandwidth

From$10/month

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Rated 4.9 on Google · 200 reviews

Portainer VPS plans

Standard Ucartz KVM VPS packages in our USA data centre. Order one, and once the VPS is running our engineers set up Docker and Portainer for you at no extra cost.

VPS Lite

$10/mo

or $36 billed yearly

  • 1 CPU core
  • 4 GB RAM
  • 50 GB NVMe SSD
  • Unmetered bandwidth
  • 1 IPv4 address

Good for: A few lightweight containers

Order VPS Lite
Recommended for most stacks

VPS Standard

$20/mo

or $120 billed yearly

  • 2 CPU cores
  • 8 GB RAM
  • 100 GB NVMe SSD
  • Unmetered bandwidth
  • 1 IPv4 address

Good for: Several app stacks with databases

Order VPS Standard

VPS Pro

$30/mo

or $180 billed yearly

  • 4 CPU cores
  • 16 GB RAM
  • 200 GB NVMe SSD
  • Unmetered bandwidth
  • 1 IPv4 address

Good for: Many stacks or memory-hungry apps

Order VPS Pro

VPS Elite

$40/mo

or $240 billed yearly

  • 8 CPU cores
  • 32 GB RAM
  • 400 GB NVMe SSD
  • Unmetered bandwidth
  • 1 IPv4 address

Good for: Heavy workloads, CI runners or AI tools

Order VPS Elite

All plans: KVM virtualisation, NVMe SSD, unmetered bandwidth, one IPv4 address and full root access, in our USA data centre. Prices are in US dollars and shown in your currency automatically. Plan suggestions are a starting point; ask us if you are unsure.

How it works

From order to managing containers in your browser.

  1. 1

    Choose a plan

    Order the KVM VPS package that fits your containers and pay at checkout.

  2. 2

    Automatic deployment

    Our control panel creates the VPS in about a minute once the order is approved. Your login details arrive by email.

  3. 3

    Ask for your free setup

    Open a Technical Support ticket from the client area. Our engineers install Docker Engine and Portainer with standard settings.

  4. 4

    Deploy your apps

    We send you the Portainer address and admin login. You keep full root access, and Free Basic Managed Support covers quick tasks after that.

What the free Portainer setup covers

Standard Docker and Portainer, installed the way their documentation describes. Anything beyond it is optional and billed only for the time used.

Included free

  • Docker Engine and the Docker Compose plugin
  • Portainer Community Edition, running as a container with its data kept on a volume
  • HTTPS access to the Portainer web interface
  • Your Portainer admin account, sent through the ticket

Custom work, billed by time

From $8 per 15 minutes or $28 per hour, only for the time used. No contract.

  • Deploying and configuring your applications as Portainer stacks
  • A reverse proxy with SSL certificates for several domains
  • Container backups, and moving containers from another server
  • Monitoring and alerts for your containers

Docker and Portainer on your own VPS

Portainer gives Docker a web interface: start and stop containers, read their logs, open a console, manage images, volumes and networks, and deploy Docker Compose files as stacks, without typing every command over SSH.

Because it is your VPS, you decide what runs on it and you keep full root access. Everything we install is standard Docker, so your containers and Compose files work the same way if you move them to another server later.

Choose memory with your containers in mind: databases and Java or AI applications need the most. VPS Standard with 8 GB RAM is a comfortable start for a few stacks.

Current Portainer releaseCommunity Edition 2.45.1 LTS (17 September 2026)
Docker Engine versions supported by Portainer 2.45.128.5.1 and 29.8.1
LicencePortainer Community Edition is free and open source
Deploying appsDocker Compose files as stacks, from the web editor, an upload or a Git repository

Checked 28 September 2026 against Portainer requirements, Portainer releases.

What people run with Portainer

Self-hosted apps

Open-source apps such as Nextcloud, Uptime Kuma or Vaultwarden, each in its own container.

Development and staging

Spin up copies of your Docker Compose projects for testing, then remove them.

Internal tools

Dashboards, wikis and admin tools for your team, isolated from each other.

Automation

n8n, databases and message queues side by side on one server.

Learning Docker

See what each container, image, volume and network does from the web interface.

Client projects

Keep each client’s stack separate and easy to hand over.

Root access with a real team behind it

Your Portainer VPS, your rules, and our engineers when you want them

Run your Portainer VPS exactly the way you like. Free Basic Managed Support is included from day one, and pay-as-you-go experts are there for the jobs you would rather not do yourself. No retainer, no lock-in.

Rated 4.9 on Google · 200 reviews
Included free

Free Basic Managed Support

Complimentary, best-effort help with quick tasks of about 5 minutes: access and console checks, OS reinstalls, IP and DNS pointing, service restarts and first-level troubleshooting.

What is included →
Pay as you go

Plug-and-play expert help

Web server tuning, SSL, Docker, control panels or a quick fix. From $8 per 15 minutes or $28 per hour. Book once, or add a monthly plan and cancel it any time.

See on-demand support →
Projects

AI, automation & custom builds

Need more than a server? We build n8n automations, private AI assistants, CI/CD pipelines and complete application stacks on your VPS.

Plan a project →

Frequently asked questions

Is Portainer free?

We install Portainer Community Edition, which is free and open source. You pay Ucartz only for the VPS.

Can I use my own docker-compose files?

Yes. Portainer deploys a Compose file as a stack from its web editor, an upload or a Git repository.

Can I still use the Docker command line?

Yes. You have full root access over SSH, and containers you start from the command line also show up in Portainer.

Is the Docker and Portainer setup really free?

Yes. Once your VPS is active, open a Technical Support ticket from the client area and our engineers do a basic Docker and Portainer setup with standard settings at no extra cost. Custom work, such as deploying your application stacks, is billed from $8 per 15 minutes or $28 per hour.

How fast is the VPS ready?

Deployment is automated: our control panel creates the VPS in about a minute once the order is approved, and some new orders are checked by our team first. The login details arrive by email and the VPS appears in your client area.

Where are the servers?

These KVM VPS plans run in our USA data centre. Each VPS has one IPv4 address and unmetered bandwidth.

Is there a money-back guarantee?

Yes. A VPS is covered by our 30-day money-back guarantee on your first purchase of that service at Ucartz. The full conditions are in section 8 of our Terms and Conditions.

Do I get root access?

Yes. You get full root access over SSH, plus the Virtualizor panel in your client area for reboots, the VNC console and OS reinstalls.

Is support included with a self-managed Portainer VPS?

Yes. Free Basic Managed Support is included with every Portainer VPS: complimentary, best-effort help with quick tasks of about 5 minutes, such as access and console checks, OS reinstalls, DNS pointing and first-level troubleshooting.

What if I need help beyond basic support?

Hire an engineer on demand, from $8 per 15 minutes or $28 per hour, or choose a monthly plan. There is no contract, so you can switch the extra support off whenever you like.

Can you install n8n, Docker or an AI model on my Portainer VPS?

Yes. We install and configure n8n, Docker, Portainer, private LLMs such as Ollama, and most open-source software, then hand the setup over to you.