Aruba Cloud vs Hetzner (2026): which should you pick?
As of Nov 13, 2026, Hetzner grades higher than Aruba Cloud: 2.4 against 2.0 out of 4.0.
Checked Nov 12, 2026 and Nov 13, 2026 · graded Nov 12, 2026 and Nov 13, 2026 by ToolGPA
Hetzner grades higher on value for money and ease of use. They get the same grade on the free plan, features and platforms.
Price, platforms and features side by side. The table says where each price was read and when.
Aruba Cloud
Italian cloud provider with VPS, dedicated servers and public cloud
Hetzner
German hosting: web hosting, cloud servers and dedicated servers
Which one is for you
Pick Aruba Cloud if
- Fits if you want a VPS in Italy or the EU billed in euros
- Works for people who already run VMware or Kubernetes
Look elsewhere if
- Skip it if you want shared website hosting, as this is server rental you manage
- Watch out: the lowest VPS prices are for the first 3 months, then the standard price applies
- Watch out: prices are in euros and exclude VAT, with no dollar view
- Tight if you need dedicated, Kubernetes or VMware, since those are priced separately
Pick Hetzner if
- Fits if you're in Europe and want euro billing and German data centres
- Works for small PHP sites on cheap shared hosting
Look elsewhere if
- Not for you if you want a free plan or trial
- Watch out: prices are in euros excl. VAT and were read from a non-US page, so confirm a dollar figure
- Watch out: a one-time setup fee applies, such as €4.12 on Webhosting M
- Skip it if you want managed cloud servers, as they're unmanaged unless you add Managed Server
- Watch out: no domain is included
How we grade them
| 2.0GPAAruba CloudFair | 2.4GPAHetznerFair | |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | BThe VPS H.1-1 is 2.99 euros a month ex. VAT as a 3-month launch price, around the $3.00 mark and below the $5.00 cheaper-quarter line. The H.2-4 is 5.49 euros after its first 3 months. | AWebhosting S is €1.60 a month excl. VAT, under the cheaper quarter's $5.28 and under 60% of it. Cloud servers start at €5.49. |
| Free plan and trial | FNothing is free: no free plan and no trial are listed. | FNo free plan and no trial on record; every plan is paid from the first day. |
| Features | BCloud VPS, dedicated and bare metal servers, containers and storage, databases, VMware, private cloud and GPU services. No gap shows in the rented-server job, though managed services are extra. | BWeb hosting, cloud, dedicated and auction servers, object storage, DNS and SSL, a REST API and Terraform. No gap in the core job is named, though domains are sold separately. |
| Ease of use | DNo store rating on record. You configure and manage the server yourself unless you buy managed services. | CNo store rating on record. Web hosting uses a panel, but cloud and dedicated servers are unmanaged. |
| Platforms and integrations | BWeb only, but it works with OpenStack, Kubernetes, VMware, Veeam and Proxmox. | BWeb only, with Terraform, Ansible, Kubernetes, Docker and an API and CLI. |
| Best for | Italian cloud VPS and dedicated servers | low-priced German hosting and servers |
The GPA is the average of the five grades: an A is 4 points, an F is none. The full reasons are on each tool's page: Aruba Cloud and Hetzner. How we grade
Price against what you get
Aruba Cloud starts at about $3.34 a month and scores 2.3 out of 4 on features, ease of use and platforms. Hetzner starts at about $1.79 a month and scores 2.7.
Hetzner scores higher and starts $1.55 a month lower. Of the other web hosts on the chart, 1 scores higher than Aruba Cloud for less, and none scores higher than Hetzner for less.
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
Where they differ
- Aruba Cloud also covers databases.
- Hetzner also covers file sharing.
At a glance
| Aruba Cloud | Hetzner | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Paid | Paid |
| Starts at | €2.99 per month ex. VAT and up (Cloud VPS H.1-1), shown as a 3-month launch price | €1.60 per month excl. VAT (Webhosting S) |
| Free plan | None | None |
| Free trial | None listed | None listed |
| Web | ||
| Made by | Aruba S.p.A. | Hetzner Online GmbH |
| Price read from | arubacloud.com | hetzner.com |
| Checked | Nov 13, 2026 | Nov 12, 2026 |
Worth knowing
Aruba Cloud
- Prices are in euros and exclude VAT; the page does not show a US dollar version.
- The discounted VPS prices apply to the first 3 months; the standard price applies at the next renewal.
- This is infrastructure rental, not shared website hosting; you manage the server yourself unless you buy managed services.
- Only the Cloud VPS line is priced here; dedicated, Kubernetes and VMware pricing is configured separately.
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.
Key features
Aruba Cloud
- Cloud VPS in Italy
- OpenStack-based virtual servers with 1 public IP, 1 Gb/s connectivity, SSD storage up to 320 GB, and a choice of Linux or Windows.
- Dedicated and bare metal servers
- Dedicated servers, quick-start dedicated servers and Metal Cloud clusters are sold alongside the VPS line.
- Containers and storage
- Managed Kubernetes, a container registry, S3-compatible object storage, block storage and cloud backup are offered.
- Databases and monitoring
- A Database as a Service and a monitoring service are listed in the public cloud menu.
- VMware and private cloud
- VMware hosted private cloud, Azure Local, Red Hat OpenShift, Proxmox and Vates options cover hybrid and private deployments.
- GPU and AI services
- GPU servers, GPU on demand and AI models available through an API are listed in the AI section.
Hetzner
- Shared web hosting
- Four Webhosting packages with mailboxes, databases, cronjobs and PHP processes, and no minimum contract period.
- Cloud servers
- Shared-resource and dedicated-vCPU cloud servers, with stateful firewalls included at no extra cost and one-click apps such as Docker, GitLab CE and Nextcloud.
- Dedicated servers
- AX, EX, GPU, SX and DX lines, plus a Server Auction of refurbished machines starting at €78.70 a month.
- REST API and CLI
- Cloud resources can be managed through a REST API and a command-line tool, with integrations for Terraform, Ansible and Kubernetes.
- Storage products
- S3-compatible Object Storage, Storage Box backup servers and Storage Share, which Hetzner describes as GDPR-compliant storage.
- Domains, DNS and SSL
- Domain registration from €4.90 a year, DNS management and SSL certificates are sold separately.
Plans
Aruba Cloud
VPS H.1-1€2.99
per month ex. VAT
1 vCPU, 1 GB RAM, 20 GB SSD and 2 TB monthly traffic. The page gives no original price for this model.
VPS H.1-2€3.99
per month ex. VAT
1 vCPU, 2 GB RAM, 40 GB SSD and 5 TB monthly traffic. The page gives no original price for this model.
VPS H.2-4€5.49
per month ex. VAT, after a first 3 months at €3.00
2 vCPUs, 4 GB RAM, 40 GB SSD and 25 TB monthly traffic.
VPS H.4-8€10.49
per month ex. VAT, after a first 3 months at €5.00
4 vCPUs, 8 GB RAM, 80 GB SSD and 50 TB monthly traffic.
VPS H.8-16€18.99
per month ex. VAT, after a first 3 months at €13.00
8 vCPUs, 16 GB RAM, 160 GB SSD and 100 TB monthly traffic.
VPS H.16-32€37.99
per month ex. VAT, after a first 3 months at €24.00
16 vCPUs, 32 GB RAM, 320 GB SSD and 100 TB monthly traffic.
Hetzner
Webhosting S€1.60
per month, excl. VAT
10GB storage, unlimited mailboxes, 1 database, 1 cronjob, 2 PHP processes and a 192MB memory limit. No contract minimum.
Webhosting M€4.12
per month, excl. VAT
50GB storage, unlimited mailboxes, 5 databases, 5 cronjobs, 5 PHP processes and a 256MB memory limit.
Webhosting L€8.32
per month, excl. VAT
100GB storage, 20 databases, 10 cronjobs, 10 PHP processes, a 384MB memory limit, and Redis, SSH and Node.js.
Webhosting XL€16.72
per month, excl. VAT
300GB storage, unlimited mailboxes, 50 databases, 20 cronjobs, 20 PHP processes and a 512MB memory limit.
Cloud servers€5.49
per month and up, excl. VAT
Regular Performance shared-resource cloud servers from €5.49; Cost-Optimized from €5.99; General Purpose with dedicated vCPUs from €36.99.
Ways to pay less
Aruba Cloud
- Other savings
Up to 52% off Cloud VPS for 3 months
A launch promotion discounts newly activated VPS hosting services for the first 3 months; standard prices apply at the next renewal.
Hetzner
No public discounts listed.
Common questions
Which is cheaper, Aruba Cloud or Hetzner?
As of Nov 13, 2026, Hetzner is cheaper to start with: about $1.79 a month, against about $3.34 a month for Aruba Cloud. Aruba Cloud starts at €2.99 per month ex. VAT and up (Cloud VPS H.1-1), shown as a 3-month launch price, and Hetzner starts at €1.60 per month excl. VAT (Webhosting S).
Which has a free plan, Aruba Cloud or Hetzner?
As of Nov 13, 2026, neither Aruba Cloud nor Hetzner has a free plan.
More comparisons
How this page was made
- The verdict at the top follows a fixed rule. When both tools are in the same category and either is in our top three for it, the verdict follows that ranking: the higher-placed tool is our pick. The top three weigh who each tool suits as well as its grades, so a pick can go against the GPA. Otherwise the page does not pick one and says which grades higher: the higher GPA first; on a tie, the one with a free plan, then the one that starts cheaper in dollars a month, counted the same way for both; if they are still level, what the choice depends on.
- The grades are our own, from each tool’s review or report card. The GPA is their average.
- Prices, plans and platforms come from each tool’s listing. The table above says where each price was read and when.
- The differences and the answers to the questions are worked out from those listings.