Cloud credits for startups (2026)
Credits from hyperscalers (AWS, Google Cloud, Microsoft Azure and others), European and regional clouds, and developer platforms for hosting, serverless and databases. The biggest tiers are normally reserved for startups backed by a partner investor or accelerator; smaller self-serve tiers exist for bootstrapped teams.
We track 35 programs in this category from 22 providers: all 35 are open now. 33 are open to startups worldwide and 2 are limited to specific countries or regions. The largest headline value among open programs is Cloudflare for Startups — Tier 1 from Cloudflare ($350,000 in Cloudflare credits for one year + priority support and SA office hours). Across the 32 open programs with a stated value, the median is $80,000. Most common types: Hyperscaler (11), European cloud (7), PaaS (6), Developer cloud (4).
Guides: Free AI credits for startups (2026): every program compared · Cloud credits for startups (2026): AWS vs Google Cloud vs Azure and 30 more
All 35 programs, open first and largest first
| Program | What you get | Where | Status | Verified |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cloudflare for Startups — Tier 1Cloudflare | $350,000 in Cloudflare credits for one year + priority support and SA office hours | Worldwide | Open | 2026-10-22 |
| Google for Startups Cloud Program — AI tierGoogle Cloud | Up to $350,000 over 2 years (Year 1: 100% of usage up to $250K; Year 2: 20% up to another $100K) | Worldwide | Open | 2026-10-22 |
| AWS Activate — PortfolioAmazon Web Services | Up to $200,000 in AWS Activate Credits | Worldwide | Open | 2026-10-22 |
| Google for Startups Cloud Program — Scale tierGoogle Cloud | Up to $200,000 over 2 years (Year 1: 100% of usage up to $100K; Year 2: 20% up to another $100K) + up to $12K Enhanced Support credits | Worldwide | Open | 2026-10-22 |
| Huawei Cloud Startup ProgramHuawei Cloud | Minimum 5,000 in cash credit vouchers; can apply for up to $150,000 | Worldwide | Open | 2026-10-22 |
| Microsoft for Startups — Azure startup credits (direct)Microsoft | $200 Azure credits on sign-up, $5,000 after business verification, then automatic milestone upgrades to $25K / $50K / up to $150,000 based… | Worldwide | Open | 2026-10-22 |
| Microsoft for Startups — Investor Network offerMicrosoft | Most start with $100,000 Azure credits; up to $150K over time, plus Azure Standard Support, GitHub Enterprise, M365, LinkedIn Premium etc. | Worldwide | Open | 2026-10-22 |
| Akamai Cloud Rise (formerly Linode Rise)Akamai | $500–$120,000 cloud credits in year 1, then discounted services in years 2–3 | Worldwide | Open | 2026-10-22 |
| Alibaba Cloud AI Catalyst ProgramAlibaba Cloud | Up to $120K cloud credits + up to 2B free tokens on Model Studio + AI expert consultation | Worldwide | Open | 2026-10-22 |
| OVHcloud Startup Program — ScaleOVHcloud | Up to €100,000 (~$110,000) free cloud credits for 12 months + up to 20 hours 1:1 engineering | Worldwide | Open | 2026-10-22 |
| IONOS Cloud Startup ProgramIONOS | SPARK: up to €5,000 (12 months); ACCELERATE: up to €100,000 (up to 24 months) in IONOS Cloud credits | Worldwide | Open | 2026-10 |
| Backblaze Flamethrower Startup ProgramBackblaze | Up to $100,000 in Backblaze B2 Cloud Storage credits | Worldwide | Open | 2026-10-22 |
| Cloudflare for Startups — Tier 2Cloudflare | $100,000 in Cloudflare credits for one year + technical sessions | Worldwide | Open | 2026-10-22 |
| FPT Startup Innovation ProgramFPT Smart Cloud | Support package worth up to $100,000 in FPT cloud/AI resources plus mentoring and business support | Worldwide | Open | 2026-10-30 |
| Render for Startups — AIRender | $100K in Render credits + 1:1 onboarding and dedicated support Slack for 1 year | Worldwide | Open | 2026-10 |
| Vultr Startup ProgramVultr | Up to $100K in cloud credits + 35% long-term discounts | Worldwide | Open | 2026-10-22 |
| Oracle Startup Growth Engine (LATAM)Oracle | $5,000–$60,000 in OCI Universal Credits (12 months), at Oracle's discretion, plus account/engineer support and one year of OPN Level 1… | Latin America | Open | 2026-10-22 |
| Civo Startup ProgramCivo | Launchpad up to $1K, Propel up to $10K, Elevate up to $50K in cloud credits | Worldwide | Open | 2026-10-22 |
| Scaleway Startup Program — Growth StageScaleway | €3,000/month for 12 months = €36,000 (~$40,000) in credits + dedicated CSM | Worldwide | Open | 2026-10-22 |
| Vercel for StartupsVercel | Up to $30,000 Flexible Commitment Amount + Enterprise-tier access for one year | Worldwide | Open | 2026-10-22 |
| Render for Startups — ScaleRender | $10K credits (under $1M raised) or $25K credits ($1M+ raised) | Worldwide | Open | 2026-10 |
| UpCloud Startup ProgramUpCloud | Up to $25,000 in cloud credits (Tier 1); $5,000 for Nordic startups (Tier 2); $1,000 for other EU/EEA/UK/CH startups (Tier 3), plus… | 7 countries | Open | 2026-10-30 |
| Fly.io for StartupsFly.io | Up to $15,000 in Fly.io credits (expire after 1 year) + shared Slack with the Fly.io team | Worldwide | Open | 2026-10-22 |
| OVHcloud Startup Program — StartOVHcloud | €10,000 (~$11,000) free cloud credits for 12 months + 6 hours 1:1 engineer time | Worldwide | Open | 2026-10-22 |
| Cloudflare for Startups — Tier 3Cloudflare | $10,000 in Cloudflare credits for one year | Worldwide | Open | 2026-10-22 |
| Render Migration CreditsRender | Up to $10K in migration credits to cover switching costs | Worldwide | Open | 2026-10-22 |
| Scaleway Startup Program — Early StageScaleway | €1,500/month for 6 months = €9,000 (~$10,000) in credits | Worldwide | Open | 2026-10-22 |
| AWS Activate — FoundersAmazon Web Services | Starts at $1,000 in AWS Activate Credits; select participants may qualify for up to $5,000 | Worldwide | Open | 2026-10-22 |
| Render for Startups — BuildRender | $2,500 in credits via a partner; $5,000 via select partners | Worldwide | Open | 2026-10 |
| Google for Startups Cloud Program — Start tierGoogle Cloud | Up to $2,000 in Google Cloud credits (1 year) + $200 Google Skills credits + 12 months free Workspace Business Plus for new signups | Worldwide | Open | 2026-10-22 |
| Scaleway Startup Program — FoundersScaleway | One-time €1,000 voucher (~$1,100) valid 12 months | Worldwide | Open | 2026-10-22 |
| Render for Startups — PrototypeRender | $500 in Render credits | Worldwide | Open | 2026-10 |
| DigitalOcean Startups (Hatch)DigitalOcean | Credit amount varies by partner/award level (not published); $10,000 monthly usage limit; GPU credits separately on review | Worldwide | Open | 2026-10-22 |
| Netlify for StartupsNetlify | Discounted rate off standard pricing (details shared on approval) + structured support | Worldwide | Open | 2026-10-22 |
| Tencent Cloud Startup ProgramTencent Cloud | Financial support, service discounts, training and marketing (amounts not stated on the page) | Worldwide | Open | 2026-10 |
Other categories
AI credits for startups · GPU credits for startups · Free developer tools for startups · Data & analytics perks for startups · Security & compliance perks for startups · Business software perks for startups · Banking & payments perks for startups · Cash grants & prizes for startups · Government grants for startups · Research & student founder programs · Equity-free accelerators & incubators
Program terms change often. Open a program to see its official source and verification date, and confirm on the provider's page before you apply. Spotted something out of date? Report a correction.