UpCloud Free Trial: free credits and offers

Standard 7-day free trial (quota-limited, no dollar credit) high confidence

All new users get a 7-day trial starting at the moment of activation, NOT a fixed credit pot. Trial quotas (official docs): Cloud Servers 2 cores / 4 GB RAM (all OSes except Windows); Block Storage 60 GB each of Archive, Standard and MaxIOPS; Networks 2 IPv4 + 2 IPv6; NAT/VPN Gateway x1 (Development or Standard plan); Managed Object Storage 1 instance up to 250 GB; Managed Databases 1 DB / 1 node (MySQL, PostgreSQL, Valkey, OpenSearch); Managed Load Balancer 1 Development plan, 1000 sessions; Managed Kubernetes 1 cluster on Development plan. Not available: Windows servers, GPU servers, Private Cloud. Firewall is locked to standard web ports (HTTP/HTTPS open both ways; SSH in only; RDP in only; SMTP 25 blocked both directions; NTP/DNS out only). You can redeploy within quotas as often as you like. Upgrade minimum is a one-time deposit of 10 in account currency; when the trial ends without a deposit, deployed services are removed and new deployments are blocked (account stays active). Data egress is free (zero-cost egress is a standard UpCloud feature since the 2025 'UpCloud Essentials' change).

Eligibility

All new users, no .edu, no region limit beyond UpCloud's sanctioned-region restrictions (Russia, Belarus, Crimea, Iran, North Korea, Cuba, Syria excluded). Credit card + billing info ARE required to activate the trial (0 or 1 EUR/USD temporary authorization, card not charged before/during/after). No card-free trial.

How to claim

1) Register at signup.upcloud.com (name, email, phone required). 2) Log into the Control Panel; trial does not auto-start. 3) Verify identity with credit card + billing info to enter the trial. 4) Start trial within 365 days of registration or the account is removed. 5) Optionally pay min 10 one-time deposit to keep/upgrade; request longer trials from sales.

Expiry

7 days from activation (longer only via promotion). Promo credits from signup codes are valid 60 days after signup per bonus-credits docs; trial credits for the standard trial effectively expire with the 7-day window. Accounts not started within 365 days of registration are deleted.

Gotchas

This is a quota trial, not money: the 'small ~$25 free trial credit' often cited for UpCloud does not match current docs - the baseline trial has no dollar credit at all. CC mandatory for activation. Windows/GPU excluded. After expiry your resources are deleted if you haven't deposited at least 10. SMTP port 25 blocked; outbound SSH restricted. 14-day and 30-day figures floating around are leftover promos, not the standard.

Source

upcloud.com

30-day money-back guarantee on first payment (up to 500 EUR/USD) high confidence

The first payment made at/after trial upgrade carries a 30-day money-back guarantee of up to 500 EUR / 500 USD; contact support for refund. Not an independent offer - it attaches to the first one-time deposit (minimum 10).

Eligibility

Any new customer making their first payment; no .edu or startup requirements; same CC/sanctioned-region rules as the trial.

How to claim

Upgrade the trial account with a minimum 10 one-time deposit in Billing, use services for up to 30 days, request a refund from Customer Support within the window if unhappy.

Expiry

Refund window = 30 days from first payment, capped at 500 EUR/USD of the first payment.

Gotchas

Only the FIRST payment is covered and only up to 500; does not stack on top of promo credits. It is trial-vs-free: you must have paid to claim it.

Source

upcloud.com

UpCloud Startup Program - up to 25,000 EUR credits in 3 tiers high confidence

Official program page (read directly today): Tier 1: up to 25,000 EUR free credit, valid 24 months, for startups in the UpCloud ecosystem (partner VC, incubator or accelerator) that have raised more than 5M EUR. Tier 2: 5,000 EUR free credit, valid 12 months, for startups founded within the last 24 months in FI, SE, NO, DK or IS (Nordics). Tier 3: 1,000 EUR free credit, valid 12 months, for startups founded within the last 24 months in non-Nordic EU, EEA, UK or CH. Credits usable across compute, storage, networking and managed databases; GPU Servers are excluded from credit usage (UpCloud may enable them at its discretion post-onboarding). Also includes 24/7 human support, startup events/forum, solution-architecture consultations, and a startup spotlight on UpCloud channels. Since March 2026 the program is run in partnership with Maria 01, the Helsinki startup hub. Applications reviewed in 5-10 business days; you may be asked for proof of company registration, valid VAT ID, funding-round documentation (Tier 1) and accelerator/VC/incubator affiliation proof (Tier 1). After credits expire, services continue at standard pricing and you are notified beforehand.

Eligibility

New UpCloud customers only; UpCloud account required before applying; company registered in EU, EEA, UK, Ukraine or CH; valid VAT ID; founded within the last 24 months (Tiers 2 and 3). Tier 1 additionally requires partner-ecosystem affiliation and >5M EUR raised. No .edu / student angle. No funding cap for T2/T3 (bootstrapped OK). Region-locked to Europe (Nordic advantage).

How to claim

1) Create an UpCloud account. 2) Open the Startup Program page and use the on-page 'Apply now' application form. 3) Submit company details; wait 5-10 business days for review. 4) On approval, credit is attached to your account (usage details in the welcome email).

Expiry

Tier 1 credits valid 24 months; Tier 2/3 valid 12 months from approval; program itself is ongoing (Maria 01 partnership announced March 2026).

Gotchas

Credits are denominated in EUR on the official page (site displays in euros; third-party trackers sometimes restate them in USD - treat EUR figures as canonical). 'Up to' Tier 1 means the final amount is UpCloud's discretion within the cap. GPU excluded. Must be a NEW customer - existing UpCloud users are ineligible. VAT ID is mandatory, so individuals/students without a company cannot use it. After expiry you pay standard prices with no cliff.

Source

upcloud.com

Signup promo-code trial credits (historically up to 500 EUR/USD for 30 days) - currently INACTIVE medium confidence

UpCloud layers time-boxed promos on the baseline trial: Aug 2025 'upcloud500' gave 500 USD for 30 days plus first-payment matching (max 100 USD, forever) and looser trial quotas (16 CPU / 32 GB / 1024 GB storage / 5 IPs), ending 2025-09-30; later 'boost500' offered 500 EUR or 500 USD valid for the first 30 days with GPU excluded. As of TODAY (2026-10-22) I verified on the live signup page that the boost500 code returns 'Promo code boost500 is inactive' and the default offer is the 7-day trial with an optional promo-code field. Affiliate codes for 250/500 credits also circulate but none are live on the default page. Per official bonus-credits docs: one promo code, only at signup, promo credits valid 60 days after signup, and promo-credit accounts need manual support activation to deploy GPU products.

Eligibility

New trial accounts; same CC-verification rules as the trial. No student/startup distinction - it is a general new-user promo.

How to claim

Register at signup.upcloud.com and enter a valid promo code in the 'Promo code' field at signup (only one code, only at signup). Check which code is live before relying on it - none are advertised on the default page today.

Expiry

boost500: INACTIVE as of 2026-10-22 (verified on signup page). upcloud500: ended 2025-09-30. Generic rule: promo credits valid 60 days after signup.

Gotchas

Inactivity of boost500 verified today; historical amounts/durations come from UpCloud's own social posts (Mastodon/Nostr) and third-party trackers, so treat the code details as second-hand. Codes expire without notice - recheck the signup page before claiming.

Source

signup.upcloud.com

Referral program: 25 EUR/USD to the new user, 50 EUR/USD to the referrer high confidence

Per official bonus-credits docs (read today): a new user signing up via a referral receives 25 EUR / 25 USD free credits spendable on any service; the referrer earns 50 EUR / 50 USD on their account. Referral credits do NOT expire. Conditions: the referred new user must make a minimum of two one-time payments and stay active for at least 28 days for the referrer to receive the 50. So the new user's 25 requires two paid one-time deposits - effectively a paid-account perk, not free-for-forever.

Eligibility

Any new UpCloud user referred by an existing customer; no .edu or startup requirement; no stated funding/age cap; same sanctioned-region rules apply.

How to claim

1) Get an existing customer's personal referral code/link. 2) Sign up with it. 3) New user receives 25 credit on the account. 4) Make at least two one-time payments and keep the account active 28+ days to unlock the referrer's 50.

Expiry

Referral credits do not expire (official docs).

Gotchas

You must actually pay (2 one-time deposits) - not pure free. One promo/referral code per signup, no stacking described. GPU deployment on bonus-credit accounts needs a support ticket to activate.

Source

upcloud.com

Education / students: no standing program found low confidence

No UpCloud education license, student tier, or .edu email benefit exists on the official site. The only education-related activity is ad-hoc: UpCloud has sponsored university cloud courses (case study: Stony Brook University's cloud computing class - the professor emails UpCloud each semester and UpCloud 'donates credit' to sponsor the whole class; documented 2023, not a published program with eligibility). Third-party coupon sites claim 'student discounts' but the FAQ they quote is generic filler, not an official offer.

Eligibility

Not available to students as a self-serve offer. Individual faculty can request class credit donations by contacting UpCloud directly.

How to claim

No public claim path. A professor/instructor contacts UpCloud sales/support to request sponsored credits for their class (per the Stony Brook example).

Expiry

N/A - no standing program; any credit donation is negotiated per course/semester.

Source

upcloud.com

Low confidence: verify before claiming.