Hetzner vs Leaseweb (2026): which should you pick?
As of Nov 13, 2026, Hetzner grades higher than Leaseweb: 2.4 against 1.6 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, features and ease of use. They get the same grade on the free plan 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
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 Leaseweb if
- Fits if you need a dedicated server or cloud servers from a large provider
- Works for teams who manage their own infrastructure
Look elsewhere if
- Skip it if you want a price up front, as none was readable on the pages we checked
- Not for you if you want simple shared web hosting
- Watch out: VPS traffic above the included pack is billed on the next invoice
- Tight if you need high availability from a VPS, which points you to Public Cloud
How we grade them
| 2.4GPAHetznerFair | 1.6GPALeasewebWeak | |
|---|---|---|
| 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. | CNo prices are on record, so it sits in the middle by default. Traffic above the included pack on a VPS is billed on the next invoice. |
| Free plan and trial | FNo free plan and no trial on record; every plan is paid from the first day. | FNothing free and no trial on record, so you pay from day one. |
| 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. | CDedicated servers, VPS, public cloud, a portal and API, basic firewall and monitoring. VPS use local storage, so a hypervisor failure means recovery time. |
| Ease of use | CNo store rating on record. Web hosting uses a panel, but cloud and dedicated servers are unmanaged. | DThis is general server infrastructure that you configure yourself. |
| Platforms and integrations | BWeb only, with Terraform, Ansible, Kubernetes, Docker and an API and CLI. | BWeb customer portal and an API, with no phone or desktop app. |
| Best for | low-priced German hosting and servers | dedicated servers and cloud infrastructure |
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 Leaseweb. How we grade
Where they differ
- Hetzner also covers file sharing.
- Leaseweb also covers system monitor.
At a glance
| Hetzner | Leaseweb | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Paid | Paid |
| Starts at | €1.60 per month excl. VAT (Webhosting S) | Not published |
| Free plan | None | None |
| Free trial | None listed | None listed |
| Web | ||
| Made by | Hetzner Online GmbH | Leaseweb |
| Price read from | hetzner.com | Not confirmed |
| Checked | Nov 12, 2026 | Nov 13, 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.
Leaseweb
- No prices were read: the Leaseweb website loads its pages with scripts and returned no readable pricing.
- VPS traffic above the included pack is billed on the next invoice.
- The knowledge base says VPS use local storage, so a hypervisor failure carries a recovery time, and points to Public Cloud for higher availability.
- It is general server infrastructure rather than a shared web hosting product.
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.
Leaseweb
- Dedicated servers
- Single servers or large deployments, customizable or built to order, delivered between on-demand and a maximum of 5 working days, with Windows or Linux and cPanel or Plesk options.
- Leaseweb VPS
- Virtual private servers on KVM hypervisors with local NVMe storage, SSH access, optional control panels and 5 to 30TB data traffic packs depending on plan and location.
- Public Cloud
- Instances on a CloudStack-based KVM platform, bought monthly or hourly, in general purpose, compute optimized, memory optimized and GPU optimized types.
- Customer portal and API
- Services are managed through a customer portal with a developer API, and ordering APIs exist for dedicated servers and VPS.
- Basic firewall and monitoring
- VPS include a free basic firewall, and the knowledge base documents service monitoring and data-traffic notifications.
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.
Leaseweb
Pricing could not be confirmed. See leaseweb.com.
Common questions
Which is cheaper, Hetzner or Leaseweb?
As of Nov 13, 2026, Hetzner starts at €1.60 per month excl. VAT (Webhosting S), and Leaseweb has no price we could confirm.
Which has a free plan, Hetzner or Leaseweb?
As of Nov 13, 2026, neither Hetzner nor Leaseweb 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.