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Oracle Cloud (OCI): Pricing, Features & Alternatives

Oracle Cloud Infrastructure (OCI) is best known among developers for its Always Free tier: ARM-based Ampere A1 compute, AMD micro VMs, block storage, and 10 TB/mo egress that never expire. Beyond free it is a full enterprise IaaS. The catch is OCI’s strict, sometimes frustrating account-approval process.

Category

Hosting

Pricing

Free tier available

Free tier

Yes

Best for

Hosting — cloud, iaas

Oracle Cloud (OCI) Pricing Plans (2026)

PlanPrice
Always FreePopular$0 (Always Free)
Free trial$300 credit / 30 days
Pay as you goUsage-based

Pricing summary: Free. Always confirm current pricing on the official site.

Key Oracle Cloud (OCI) Features

  • Ampere A1 ARM (2 OCPU / 12 GB from Jun 2026)
  • 2 AMD micro VMs
  • 200 GB block storage
  • 10 TB/mo egress

Pros

  • +Most generous free tier anywhere
  • +Powerful ARM Ampere VMs at $0
  • +10 TB egress included
  • +Full enterprise cloud underneath

Cons

  • Notoriously strict account approval
  • Free ARM capacity often unavailable
  • Clunky console
  • Free Ampere limits cut in June 2026

Best Oracle Cloud (OCI) Alternatives

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Oracle Cloud (OCI) Compared

Oracle Cloud (OCI) FAQ

What is Oracle Cloud (OCI) used for?

Oracle Cloud (OCI) is a hosting tool. Home of the most generous Always Free tier — ARM Ampere VMs you can run indefinitely at $0.

Is Oracle Cloud (OCI) free?

Yes — Oracle Cloud (OCI) has a free tier you can start with, and paid plans for more usage and features.

How much does Oracle Cloud (OCI) cost?

Oracle Cloud (OCI) is free to use, with usage-based pricing on some features.

What are the best Oracle Cloud (OCI) alternatives?

Popular Oracle Cloud (OCI) alternatives include Vercel, Railway, Render, Microsoft Azure, Cloudflare Pages & Workers. Compare pricing and features on our Oracle Cloud (OCI) alternatives page.

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