Hetzner vs Akamai Linode (2026): which should you pick?
As of Nov 12, 2026, Hetzner grades higher than Akamai Linode: 2.4 against 2.0 out of 4.0.
Checked Nov 12, 2026 · graded Nov 12, 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.
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 Akamai Linode if
- Fits if you want plain Linux servers at a fixed monthly price
- Works for people who need a lot of included transfer
Look elsewhere if
- Skip it if you don't want to patch a server yourself
- Not for you if you want a free plan or trial
- Watch out: prices differ by region, and backups, storage and some services cost extra
- Watch out: Akamai's own pricing pages weren't readable, so prices come from the public API
How we grade them
| 2.4GPAHetznerFair | 2.0GPAAkamai LinodeFair | |
|---|---|---|
| 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. | BNanode 1GB is $5 a month, inside the cheaper quarter ($5.28), with 1TB transfer. Jakarta is $6 and Sao Paulo $7, and backups cost $2 to $5 more. |
| Free plan and trial | FNo free plan and no trial on record; every plan is paid from the first day. | FNo free plan and no trial on record; every plan is paid from the first day. |
| 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. | BShared, dedicated, high-memory and GPU Linodes, block and object storage, Kubernetes, managed databases, firewall and backups. The listing names no core gap. |
| 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. Servers are unmanaged, so OS updates and security are yours. |
| Platforms and integrations | BWeb only, with Terraform, Ansible, Kubernetes, Docker and an API and CLI. | BWeb only, with a public v4 API, a CLI and Cloud Manager. |
| Best for | low-priced German hosting and servers | plain Linux servers at a fixed price |
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 Akamai Linode. 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. Akamai Linode starts at $5 a month and scores 2.3.
Hetzner scores higher and starts $3.21 a month lower. Of the other web hosts on the chart, none scores higher than Hetzner for less, and 1 scores higher than Akamai Linode 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.
- Akamai Linode also covers databases.
At a glance
| Hetzner | Akamai Linode | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Paid | Paid |
| Starts at | €1.60 per month excl. VAT (Webhosting S) | $5 per month (Nanode 1GB), billed hourly |
| Free plan | None | None |
| Free trial | None listed | None listed |
| Web | ||
| Made by | Hetzner Online GmbH | Akamai Technologies |
| Price read from | hetzner.com | api.linode.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.
Akamai Linode
- Linodes are unmanaged servers: the buyer handles operating system updates and security.
- Prices differ by region; Jakarta and Sao Paulo cost $1 and $2 more than the base price on a Nanode.
- Backups, extra storage and some services cost extra on top of the instance price.
- Akamai's own pricing pages refused automated access, so these prices come from Linode's public API.
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.
Akamai Linode
- Linux virtual machines
- Linodes come in shared, dedicated, high-memory and GPU classes, and are billed hourly up to a fixed monthly price.
- Block and object storage
- Block Storage volumes attach to a Linode, and Object Storage is $5 a month for 250GB including its bundled transfer.
- Kubernetes and managed databases
- The regions list shows Kubernetes and Managed Databases as capabilities in supported data centers.
- Backups
- The optional backup add-on costs $2 a month on a Nanode 1GB and $5 on a Linode 4GB.
- Networking controls
- Cloud Firewall, VPCs, VLANs and NodeBalancers are listed as capabilities in the regions data.
- API and CLI
- A public v4 API, a CLI and Cloud Manager manage resources, and Akamai's docs cover automating deployments.
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.
Akamai Linode
Nanode 1GB$5
per month, billed hourly ($0.0075 per hour)
1 vCPU, 1GB RAM, 25GB storage and 1TB of monthly transfer. Jakarta is $6 and Sao Paulo $7.
Linode 2GB$12
per month, billed hourly ($0.018 per hour)
1 vCPU, 2GB RAM, 50GB storage and 2TB of monthly transfer.
Linode 4GB$24
per month, billed hourly ($0.036 per hour)
2 vCPUs, 4GB RAM and 4TB of monthly transfer; backups are an extra $5 a month at this size.
Object Storage$5
per month, prorated
Flat rate including 250GB of storage; storage beyond that is $0.02 per GB in most data centers.
Common questions
Which is cheaper, Hetzner or Akamai Linode?
As of Nov 12, 2026, Hetzner is cheaper to start with: about $1.79 a month, against $5 a month for Akamai Linode. Hetzner starts at €1.60 per month excl. VAT (Webhosting S), and Akamai Linode starts at $5 per month (Nanode 1GB), billed hourly.
Which has a free plan, Hetzner or Akamai Linode?
As of Nov 12, 2026, neither Hetzner nor Akamai Linode 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.