Hetzner vs netcup (2026): which should you pick?
As of Nov 13, 2026, Hetzner grades higher than netcup: 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 features and platforms. They get the same grade on value for money, the free plan and ease of use.
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
netcup
German web hosting, vServers and root servers priced in euros
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 netcup if
- Fits if you want low-cost PHP hosting or a vServer in Germany
- Works for small sites on Webhosting 1000
Look elsewhere if
- Skip it if you need Python, Ruby on Rails or Node.js on the two cheapest web plans
- Watch out: prices are in euros and read at the German VAT default of 19%
- Tight if you need a month-to-month VPS, as the cheaper price is on a 12-month contract
- Not for you if you want a free plan or a trial
How we grade them
| 2.4GPAHetznerFair | 2.0GPAnetcupFair | |
|---|---|---|
| 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. | AWebhosting 1000 is €2.69 a month incl. VAT, under 60% of the $5 cheaper-quarter start. |
| 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 the pages read, 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. | CWeb hosting, vServers with a remote console and API, root servers and domains. Python, Rails and Node.js are not in the two smallest plans. |
| Ease of use | CNo store rating on record. Web hosting uses a panel, but cloud and dedicated servers are unmanaged. | CHosting panel work for each site, and server plans need configuring. No store rating. |
| Platforms and integrations | BWeb only, with Terraform, Ansible, Kubernetes, Docker and an API and CLI. | CWeb control panel only, with no integrations listed. |
| Best for | low-priced German hosting and servers | cheap web hosting and VPS from Germany |
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 netcup. 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. netcup starts at about $3.01 a month and scores 2.0.
Hetzner scores higher and starts $1.22 a month lower. Of the other web hosts on the chart, none scores higher than Hetzner for less, and 9 score higher than netcup 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.
- netcup also covers databases.
At a glance
| Hetzner | netcup | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Paid | Paid |
| Starts at | €1.60 per month excl. VAT (Webhosting S) | €2.69 per month incl. 19% VAT (Webhosting 1000) |
| Free plan | None | None |
| Free trial | None listed | None listed |
| Web | ||
| Made by | Hetzner Online GmbH | netcup GmbH |
| Price read from | hetzner.com | netcup.com |
| 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.
netcup
- Prices are in euros and, by default, include German VAT of 19%; the site lets a buyer pick another country's VAT rate, and these figures were read at the German default.
- Python, Ruby on Rails and Node.js are not included in Webhosting 1000 and 2000.
- VPS prices fall with longer contracts: the page marks 12 months as -13% and 24 months as -26% against the 1-month price.
- The vServer prices shown here are for the default location; the site's price data lists other locations such as Singapore at higher figures.
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.
netcup
- Cloud web hosting
- Web hosting runs on a redundant cloud setup with chroot environments, SSH access and free Let's Encrypt SSL certificates for all domains.
- vServers with remote console and API
- Virtual servers come with snapshots, a remote console, a DVD drive, an API, DDoS protection and traffic included.
- Root servers
- Root servers offer guaranteed resources and root access from the first minute.
- Local block storage
- Extra storage for vServers is priced from €0.012 per GB and month, up to 8 TB, without a fixed term.
- Managed servers and clusters
- Managed vServers, netcup Enterprise managed servers and a managed cloud cluster are listed for buyers who do not want to run Linux themselves.
- Domains
- Domain registration, transfers and a reseller program are sold alongside hosting.
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.
netcup
Webhosting 1000€2.69
per month, incl. 19% VAT
50 GB SSD, SSH access, SSL certificates and 1 .de or alternative domain included. No Python, Ruby or Node.js.
Webhosting 2000€4.03
per month, incl. 19% VAT
150 GB SSD, SSH access, the WordPress toolkit and 3 .de domains or 1 alternative domain included.
Webhosting 4000€8.10
per month, incl. 19% VAT
500 GB SSD, SSH access, Ruby and Node.js, and 6 .de domains or 2 alternative domains included.
Webhosting 8000€13.17
per month, incl. 19% VAT
1000 GB SSD, SSH access, Ruby and Node.js, and 12 .de domains or 3 alternative domains included.
VPS 500 G12.5€8.26
per month on a 12-month contract, incl. 19% VAT
2 vCore (x86), 4 GB RAM, 64 GB SSD, traffic included. The page also shows €9.50 for a 1-month term, and 12 and 24-month terms are marked -13% and -26%.
VPS 1000 G12.5€14.50
per month on a 12-month contract, incl. 19% VAT
4 vCore (x86), 8 GB RAM and 128 GB SSD. Larger VPS 2000, 4000 and 8000 plans run up to 16 vCore, 64 GB RAM and 1 TB SSD.
Common questions
Which is cheaper, Hetzner or netcup?
As of Nov 13, 2026, Hetzner is cheaper to start with: about $1.79 a month, against about $3.01 a month for netcup. Hetzner starts at €1.60 per month excl. VAT (Webhosting S), and netcup starts at €2.69 per month incl. 19% VAT (Webhosting 1000).
Which has a free plan, Hetzner or netcup?
As of Nov 13, 2026, neither Hetzner nor netcup 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.