Cloud computing has matured, with roughly half of all workloads now running in public clouds. But most enterprises are no longer choosing between just on-premises and a single public cloud. Instead, they’re considering a variety of offerings, from hybrid multicloud to edge, AI, and sovereign cloud models. As a result, selecting a cloud service provider (CSP) has become a nuanced decision based on specific business needs and capabilities.
To help organizations navigate this new landscape, Omdia recently released its Omdia Universe: Global Cloud Service Provider, 2025 report (download a complimentary copy here).
The study evaluates 12 cloud providers across a breadth of services, costs, AI readiness, and sovereignty, categorizing them as Leaders, Challengers, or Prospects.
- Leaders deliver the broadest and deepest services across the widest range of use cases.
- Challengers provide the same breadth of service as Leaders but operate on a smaller scale.
- Prospects offer strong Infrastructure-as-a-Service capabilities but with a narrower scope and less strategic execution.
Vultr’s ranking: Challenging the hyperscaler status quo
With a Solution Capability score of 77% and a Strategy & Execution score of 71%, Vultr debuted in the Challenger category, placing just below the Leader threshold. Omdia highlighted several areas where Vultr excels:
- Transparent pricing: Vultr earned 84% in pricing/TCO, standing out for customer-friendly pay-as-you-go pricing with monthly caps and flat global bandwidth rates. Unlike hyperscalers’ complex pricing, Vultr’s model helps prevent hidden expenses and “cloud cost shock.”
- Security and compliance: With an 84% score, Vultr’s enterprise-grade security is on par with larger providers. Omdia noted Vultr’s multi-layered approach, from firewalls and native DDoS mitigation to encrypted storage and data residency controls, alongside a strong roster of compliance certifications.
- Sustainability alignment: Vultr scored 87% for ESG, reflecting investments such as hydro-powered data centers that reduce environmental impact while helping customers achieve their own sustainability goals.
A better path to innovation
So what does this all mean? Today’s enterprises need more than a one-size-fits-all solution. The question is no longer “Which hyperscaler?” but “Which CSP aligns with our plans and needs?”
The Omdia Universe report shows that innovation isn’t limited to the biggest players. A new breed of providers are proving that enterprises can pursue cutting-edge, scalable AI workloads without inheriting the lock-in or cost complexity of legacy clouds.
Vultr is at the forefront of this shift. As the only independent, global, AI-first cloud platform, Vultr gives teams the control they need to scale responsibly without sacrificing speed, compliance, or budget. From data sovereignty to GPU performance, Vultr is designed to help enterprises successfully deploy AI across the enterprise – faster, easier, and without any surprises.
The Vultr difference
Trusted by more than 1.5 million customers globally, Vultr supports sustained AI innovation across industries like Financial Services, Healthcare, Manufacturing and Energy, and Telecom.
- Enterprise-grade security & compliance: Confidential computing, workload isolation, and hardened environments ensure responsible scaling across use cases.
- Global reach, local control: 32 global cloud data center regions across six continents support regional data governance and low-latency inferencing.
- Composable architecture: Vultr’s API-first design and Kubernetes-native orchestration empower teams to evolve their AI stack without vendor lock-in.
- Predictable pricing, proven scale: Up to 50% lower cloud GPU costs than hyperscalers means AI initiatives can grow without budget fatigue.
Download your copy of Omdia Universe: Global Cloud Service Provider, 2025 to read more, or click here to learn how Vultr can power your enterprise.