Alternatives · Web Hosting
Hetzner alternatives
As of Nov 12, 2026, the highest-graded Hetzner alternative is DigitalOcean (2.2 GPA). It's also the best free one.
Hetzner compared with 6 alternatives: Contabo, OVHcloud, DigitalOcean, Vultr, Akamai Linode and 1 more.
Hetzner is a paid product, starting at €1.60 per month excl. VAT (Webhosting S). 1 of the 6 alternatives is free or has a free plan. One more offers a free trial.
Listings checked up to Nov 12, 2026 · Where the facts come from
Black Friday: is there a Hetzner sale?
At a glance
| Tool | Price | Free plan | Runs on |
|---|---|---|---|
| HetznerThis tool | From €1.60/mo | No | Web |
| Contabo | From $5.28/mo | No | Web |
| OVHcloud | From $4.54/mo | No | Web |
| DigitalOcean | Free plan · from $4/mo | Yes | Web |
| Vultr | From $2.50/mo | No | Web |
| Akamai Linode | From $5/mo | No | Web |
| Kamatera | Free trial · from $4/mo | Trial only | Web |
Price against what you get
Hetzner starts at about $1.79 a month and scores 2.7 out of 4 on features, ease of use and platforms. None of the 6 alternatives on this chart both scores higher and starts lower.
Features, ease of use and platforms, averaged
What paid plans start at, a month (each step along is roughly double) →
- The best score at each price
- Has a free plan
- No free plan
How each one differs from Hetzner
Contabo
Low-priced VPS and dedicated servers from a German host
- Contabo starts at $5.28 per month excl. VAT, 24-month subscription (Cloud VPS 4).
- Contabo does not cover file sharing, which Hetzner does.
Suits: Buyers who want a lot of RAM and storage for little money
OVHcloud
VPS, public cloud, web hosting and dedicated servers
- OVHcloud starts at $4.54 per month and up (VPS-1).
- OVHcloud also covers databases.
- OVHcloud does not cover file sharing, which Hetzner does.
Suits: Buyers who want cheap VPS with unlimited traffic
DigitalOcean
Cloud servers, app hosting and managed databases for developers
- DigitalOcean starts at $4 per month (Droplet), billed per second.
- DigitalOcean has a free plan, which Hetzner lacks.
- DigitalOcean also covers databases.
- DigitalOcean does not cover file sharing, which Hetzner does.
Suits: Developers who want plain virtual machines with a predictable monthly cap
Vultr
Cloud servers, bare metal and GPUs billed hourly or monthly
- Vultr starts at $2.50 per month (IPv6-only 512MB Cloud Compute).
- Vultr does not cover file sharing, which Hetzner does.
Suits: Developers who want inexpensive servers across many locations
Akamai Linode
Linux virtual servers from $5 a month on Akamai Cloud
- Akamai Linode starts at $5 per month (Nanode 1GB), billed hourly.
- Akamai Linode also covers databases.
- Akamai Linode does not cover file sharing, which Hetzner does.
Suits: Developers who want plain Linux servers at a fixed monthly price
Kamatera
Configurable cloud servers from $4 a month in many data centers
- Kamatera starts at $4 per month for a Basic server.
- Kamatera also covers system monitor.
- Kamatera does not cover file sharing, which Hetzner does.
Suits: Developers who want to size CPU, RAM and storage separately
Limits worth knowing in Hetzner
- Prices are in euros and exclude VAT, read from a page that was served for a non-US visitor, so a US buyer should confirm the dollar figures.
- Web hosting packages do not include a domain; one must be ordered separately.
- A one-time setup fee is listed on the Webhosting page, for example €4.12 on Webhosting M.
- Cloud and dedicated servers are unmanaged unless you add the separate Managed Server product.
Common questions
What are the alternatives to Hetzner?
The alternatives to Hetzner in this directory are Contabo, OVHcloud, DigitalOcean, Vultr, Akamai Linode and Kamatera. Each one has a side-by-side comparison with Hetzner.
Is there a free alternative to Hetzner?
Yes. DigitalOcean has a free plan alongside paid ones.
When were these prices checked?
Every listing on this page was checked on Nov 12, 2026, against the pages it cites. Vendors change prices without notice, so confirm on their site before you buy.