# Scaleway vs OVHcloud Startup Program: Which Is Better for Startups in 2026?

OVHcloud and Scaleway start from the same basic advantage: **both are French cloud providers built around European data sovereignty**. Your data stays in the EU, GDPR is central to the offering, and neither has a meaningful edge when the question is simply where your data lives.

That makes the rest of the comparison more interesting. Once sovereignty is taken out of the equation, **OVHcloud stands out for scale, reach, and the size of its startup credits**, while Scaleway makes its case with newer infrastructure, a more focused European footprint, and a developer experience that feels more modern.

**[OVHcloud's Startup Program](https://startup.ovhcloud.com/en/) offers up to €100,000 in credits** on a cloud platform that has been built over more than 25 years and spans dozens of data centers. The program is also open to startups worldwide, which gives it much broader eligibility.

Scaleway takes a more focused approach. **[Scaleway's Startup Program](https://www.scaleway.com/en/startup-program/) offers up to €36,000 in credits** and is limited to European companies, but it pairs those credits with current GPU infrastructure, no egress fees, and a cleaner developer experience.

So the difference is less about sovereignty and more about what you value after that requirement is already satisfied. **OVHcloud gives you more credits and broader reach, while Scaleway gives you a smaller, more tightly European program with newer infrastructure.**

The better choice therefore comes down to three things: **how much credit you need, whether GPU access matters, and whether your company is incorporated in Europe.**

## The short answer

Because both are French sovereign clouds, data protection is a tie, so the decision rests on reach, credit size, and GPUs. OVHcloud's Startup Program is the bigger and more open of the two: up to €100,000, available globally, on a self-built cloud of more than 40 data centers, though its credits cover only older GPUs and no bare metal. Scaleway's Startup Program is smaller and EU-only, up to €36,000, but its credits include current H100 and L40S GPUs, charge no egress fees, and come with a cleaner developer experience. Choose OVHcloud for more credit and global eligibility; choose Scaleway, if you are in the EU, for modern GPUs and a sleeker platform.

## Quick comparison at a glance

| Category | Scaleway Startup Program | OVHcloud Startup Program |
|----------|--------------------------|--------------------------|
| Credit ceiling | Up to €36,000, about $40,000 | Up to €100,000, about $110,000 |
| Entry tier | €1,000 Founders | €10,000 at Start |
| Who can apply | EU-incorporated companies only | Global, via regional entities |
| GPU on credits | Current, H100 and L40S | Older only, V100, V100S, RTX 5000 |
| Bare metal on credits | Available | Excluded from vouchers |
| Egress fees | None within the network | Standard |
| Sovereignty | French, GDPR-native | French, GDPR-native |
| Footprint | Paris, Amsterdam, Warsaw | 46 data centers, four continents |
| Character | Modern, developer-first | Incumbent, builds own hardware |
| Best fit | EU AI teams wanting modern GPUs | Global teams wanting more credit |
| Equity taken | None | None |

## The sovereignty tie, and what actually separates them

The instinct with two European clouds is to compare their sovereignty stories, so clear that off first, because it goes nowhere.

Both companies are French, both are GDPR-native, and both keep your data on European soil under EU jurisdiction. Scaleway is part of the iliad Group; OVHcloud is a listed French company that builds its own hardware. On the question of whether your data stays in Europe, they are interchangeable, and a compliance team would sign off on either.

![Scaleway EU data centers and sovereign cloud regions](https://imagedelivery.net/xZXo0QFi-1_4Zimer-T0XQ/732337f0-b09b-419e-fb78-959fcd5a7900/lg2x =1921x1080)

What actually separates them is scale and reach. OVHcloud is the incumbent, founded in 1999, spanning more than 40 data centers across four continents and serving 1.6 million customers, and its startup program is open worldwide through regional entities. Scaleway is the focused challenger, running three regions in Paris, Amsterdam, and Warsaw, and its program takes European companies only. So the first real fork is geography: OVHcloud will take a startup anywhere, and Scaleway will not.

![OVHcloud global data center footprint across four continents](https://imagedelivery.net/xZXo0QFi-1_4Zimer-T0XQ/c08caf60-a7eb-48f4-db73-56061b88ef00/md1x =1120x590)

So the sovereignty match is a draw, and the interesting differences start with who can apply and how much they get.

## The credits, and who can get them

OVHcloud offers more money to more companies, while Scaleway offers a smaller, EU-bound program with a lower barrier of a different kind.

OVHcloud runs two 12-month levels, gated by size rather than geography. Start gives €10,000 plus 6 hours of engineer time, and Scale offers up to €100,000 plus up to 20 engineer hours, to a tech company under five years old with fewer than 50 employees and revenue below €10M. No investor referral is required, and the program is global.

<iframe class="aspect-video h-auto" width="100%" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/tldQCcbCu9I" title="OVHcloud Startup Program overview" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" referrerpolicy="strict-origin-when-cross-origin" allowfullscreen></iframe>

Scaleway runs three consumption-gated tiers, open only to EU-incorporated companies. You start with a one-time €1,000 Founders voucher, then move to Early Stage at €9,000 total or Growth at €36,000 total, each expecting a matching level of real monthly usage. No partner is needed either, but the ceiling is roughly a third of OVHcloud's, and the hard gate is that you must be a European company.

![Scaleway Startup Program eligibility](https://imagedelivery.net/xZXo0QFi-1_4Zimer-T0XQ/24dd9947-a9f1-4d40-7f93-76cab860de00/lg1x =2608x846)

So on raw credit and reach, OVHcloud wins: more money, and open to the world. Scaleway's case is not the size of the number.

| How the money works | Scaleway Startup Program | OVHcloud Startup Program |
|---------------------|--------------------------|--------------------------|
| Ceiling | €36,000, about $40,000 | €100,000, about $110,000 |
| Entry amount | €1,000 Founders | €10,000 at Start |
| Who can apply | EU-incorporated only | Global |
| Gate | EU incorporation, then consumption | Under 5 years, under 50 staff, under €10M |
| Partner required | No | No |

## GPUs and modernity: new hardware vs old

Scaleway's case is here, because the younger platform put newer AI hardware inside its credits than the incumbent did.

Scaleway's credits cover current GPUs, H100 and L40S, alongside its AI Inference and AI Training services and Kubernetes Kapsule, all EU-hosted. For an AI team, that means the free credit runs on the hardware you would actually choose today, with training data kept on the continent.

![Scaleway H100 and L40S GPU instances for AI workloads](https://imagedelivery.net/xZXo0QFi-1_4Zimer-T0XQ/ad487302-61cb-46ee-e1d5-ef3918836a00/md1x =2292x1004)

OVHcloud is more restricted where it counts for AI. Its vouchers are redeemable for Public Cloud and Hosted Private Cloud, but the eligible GPU instances are older generations, the V100, V100S, and RTX 5000, and bare metal, its signature product, cannot be paid with credits at all. It has a European AI story through its Mistral partnership, but the credit itself buys last-generation accelerators. So the incumbent hands you more money, and the challenger hands you better chips to spend it on.

![OVHcloud Startup Program eligible products and GPU instances](https://imagedelivery.net/xZXo0QFi-1_4Zimer-T0XQ/2037a8e2-2331-49f7-1547-2dbf0e291400/public =2330x1316)

The tension is real for AI startups: OVHcloud's larger credit stops at older GPUs, while Scaleway's smaller credit reaches current ones.

## The platform: incumbent iron vs challenger developer experience

Behind the credits sit two different temperaments, one built on owned hardware, the other on developer polish.

OVHcloud is the vertically integrated incumbent. It designs its own servers, runs its own fiber, and water-cools its own facilities, which is the root of its low prices and its bare-metal heritage, and it gives you enormous global reach. The trade is that the platform can feel rawer and more operational than a newer rival's.

Scaleway is the modern, developer-first cloud. It leans on a cleaner console, no egress fees within its network, current AI services, and a startup community and iliad investor network, on a smaller EU footprint. The trade is less reach and a smaller credit, in exchange for a sleeker experience and current hardware. So the choice of platform mirrors the choice of program: incumbent breadth against challenger polish.

## Frequently asked questions

**Can a non-EU startup apply to either program?** OVHcloud, yes, it is global through regional entities. Scaleway, no, it accepts only companies incorporated in the EU or an associated country.

**Which program gives more credit?** OVHcloud, up to €100,000, with €10,000 at its Start level. Scaleway offers up to €36,000 across three tiers.

**Which has better GPUs on its credits?** Scaleway, whose credits cover current H100 and L40S instances. OVHcloud's eligible GPUs are older V100, V100S, and RTX 5000, and bare metal is excluded from its vouchers.

**Are both European sovereign clouds?** Yes. Both are French, GDPR-native, and keep data in the EU, so sovereignty does not separate them.

**Do you need a VC or accelerator to apply?** Neither requires a partner. OVHcloud gates by company size, and Scaleway gates by EU incorporation and consumption.

## Final thoughts

With sovereignty largely equal between the two, the decision comes down to a clearer trade-off: **OVHcloud gives you more credit and broader reach, while Scaleway gives you newer hardware and a more focused European program.**

**OVHcloud is the stronger choice for most startups that prioritize scale and flexibility.** Its program offers up to €100,000 in credits, is available worldwide, and runs on a large cloud platform with extensive infrastructure behind it. The trade-off is that its GPU options are older, and bare metal is not covered by the startup credits.

Scaleway is more compelling for a narrower group. **It is particularly well suited to European AI startups that care about access to newer GPUs.** H100 and L40S instances are eligible for credits, there are no egress fees, and the overall developer experience is more streamlined. In return, you get a smaller credit ceiling and must meet the program's European eligibility requirements.

That makes the choice fairly straightforward. **Choose OVHcloud if you want more credit, broader eligibility, and a larger infrastructure footprint. Choose Scaleway if you are building in Europe and would rather put a smaller credit toward newer GPU hardware.**