Hetzner vs Kamatera (2026): which should you pick?
As of Nov 13, 2026, Hetzner grades higher than Kamatera: 2.4 against 2.2 out of 4.0.
Checked Nov 12, 2026 · graded Nov 12, 2026 and Nov 13, 2026 by ToolGPA
Hetzner grades higher on value for money and ease of use. Kamatera grades higher on the free plan. They get the same grade on features and platforms.
Price, platforms and features side by side. The table says where each price was read and when.
Hetzner
German hosting: web hosting, cloud servers and dedicated servers
Kamatera
Configurable cloud servers from $4 a month in many data centers
Which one is for you
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
Pick Kamatera if
- Fits if you are comfortable running your own server and want to size it
- Makes sense if you want hourly billing for short-lived machines
Look elsewhere if
- Skip it if you want hosting managed for you, since servers are unmanaged by default
- Tight on storage, because the three listed plans have 20 GB and more is $0.05 per GB a month
- Pricey if you pass the allowance, since extra traffic is $0.01 per GB
- Watch out: the trial covers services worth up to $100 on one server
How we grade them
| 2.4GPAHetznerFair | 2.2GPAKamateraFair | |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | 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. | BBasic is $4 a month for 1 vCPU and 1 GB RAM, inside the cheaper quarter of web hosts, but above 60% of the $5.28 line. |
| Free plan and trial | FNo free plan and no trial on record; every plan is paid from the first day. | DA 30-day trial covering up to $100 on one server. The page does not say whether a card is needed, and there is no free plan. |
| Features | 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. | BCustom server sizes, many data centres, hourly billing, control panels, load balancers and a cloud API. |
| Ease of use | CNo store rating on record. Web hosting uses a panel, but cloud and dedicated servers are unmanaged. | DNo store rating on record. You run an unmanaged server yourself, which means a command line. |
| Platforms and integrations | BWeb only, with Terraform, Ansible, Kubernetes, Docker and an API and CLI. | BWeb console and a cloud API, with cPanel, Plesk and common operating systems. No apps. |
| Best for | low-priced German hosting and servers | cloud servers you size yourself and pay for by the hour |
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: Hetzner and Kamatera. How we grade
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. Kamatera starts at $4 a month and scores 2.3.
Hetzner scores higher and starts $2.21 a month lower. Of the other web hosts on the chart, none scores higher than Hetzner for less, and 1 scores higher than Kamatera 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
- Hetzner also covers file sharing.
- Kamatera also covers system monitor.
At a glance
| Hetzner | Kamatera | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Paid | Free trial |
| Starts at | €1.60 per month excl. VAT (Webhosting S) | $4 per month for a Basic server |
| Free plan | None | None |
| Free trial | None listed | 30-day free trial covering services worth up to $100 on 1 server |
| Web | ||
| Made by | Hetzner Online GmbH | Kamatera |
| Price read from | hetzner.com | kamatera.com |
| Checked | Nov 12, 2026 | Nov 12, 2026 |
Worth knowing
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.
Kamatera
- The three listed plans each include only 20 GB of storage; more costs $0.05 per GB per month.
- Extra traffic beyond the included amount is $0.01 per GB.
- The free trial covers up to $100 of services on one server.
- Servers are unmanaged by default; a managed service is an extra option.
Key features
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.
Kamatera
- Build-your-own server sizes
- CPU type (availability, general purpose, burstable or dedicated), RAM, NVMe storage and data center are chosen separately, with up to 104 vCPUs per server.
- Monthly or hourly billing
- A server can be billed monthly or by the hour, and hourly servers are billed by the minute. Charges differ when an hourly server is powered off.
- Many data centers
- Locations listed include Frankfurt, Amsterdam, London, Tokyo, Singapore, Sydney, Toronto, Atlanta and Los Angeles.
- Control panels and add-ons
- cPanel and Plesk licenses, Microsoft SQL Server editions, extended daily backups and a managed-service option can be added to a server.
- Cloud API
- Kamatera lists a cloud API for automating server management, along with load balancers, block storage, a cloud firewall and virtual private cloud.
- Operating system choice
- Ubuntu, AlmaLinux, Arch Linux, CentOS Stream and others are listed, and you can bring a custom image.
Plans
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.
Kamatera
Basic$4
per month for 1 vCPU and 1 GB RAM
Type A server with 20 GB NVMe SSD and 5 TB of internet traffic, in any listed data center.
Standard$25
per month for 2 vCPU and 2 GB RAM
Type B general-purpose server with 20 GB NVMe SSD and 5 TB of traffic.
Pro$39
per month for 2 vCPU and 4 GB RAM
Type B general-purpose server with 20 GB NVMe SSD and 5 TB of traffic. A custom calculator prices any other size.
Common questions
Which is cheaper, Hetzner or Kamatera?
As of Nov 12, 2026, Hetzner is cheaper to start with: about $1.79 a month, against $4 a month for Kamatera. Hetzner starts at €1.60 per month excl. VAT (Webhosting S), and Kamatera starts at $4 per month for a Basic server.
Which has a free plan, Hetzner or Kamatera?
As of Nov 12, 2026, neither Hetzner nor Kamatera has a free plan. Kamatera has a free trial.
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.