Hetzner vs RamNode (2026): which should you pick?
As of Nov 13, 2026, Hetzner grades higher than RamNode: 2.4 against 1.8 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 RamNode if
- Fits if you want an hourly-billed VPS with an API
- Works for small servers you manage yourself
Look elsewhere if
- Not for you if you want a managed server, as these are self-managed
- Skip it if you want a trial, as nothing is free
- Tight if you need cPanel hosting, as that product is mentioned but not priced on the page read
- Watch out: data centers are in Atlanta, New Jersey, Seattle, Los Angeles and the Netherlands only
How we grade them
| 2.4GPAHetznerFair | 1.8GPARamNodeWeak | |
|---|---|---|
| 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. | BA 512 MB Standard VPS is $4 a month or $0.006 an hour, inside the cheaper quarter. |
| 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. | CStandard, Storage and NVMe VPS and dedicated-CPU VDS, with an API and CLI. The cheapest has 512 MB of memory, so the basics are small. |
| Ease of use | CNo store rating on record. Web hosting uses a panel, but cloud and dedicated servers are unmanaged. | DYou set up and secure the operating system yourself. |
| Platforms and integrations | BWeb only, with Terraform, Ansible, Kubernetes, Docker and an API and CLI. | BWeb panel plus an API, CLI and infrastructure tools. |
| Best for | low-priced German hosting and servers | small unmanaged VPS billed 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 RamNode. 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. RamNode starts at $4 a month and scores 2.0.
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 10 score higher than RamNode 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.
- RamNode also covers file management.
At a glance
| Hetzner | RamNode | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Paid | Paid |
| Starts at | €1.60 per month excl. VAT (Webhosting S) | $4 per month, or $0.006 per hour (512MB Standard VPS) |
| Free plan | None | None |
| Free trial | None listed | None listed |
| Web | ||
| Made by | Hetzner Online GmbH | RamNode (a trademark of InMotion Hosting, Inc.) |
| Price read from | hetzner.com | ramnode.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.
RamNode
- These are self-managed servers; the buyer sets up and secures the operating system.
- A cPanel hosting product is mentioned on the site, but its plans were not priced on the pricing page read.
- Data centers named on the site are in Atlanta, New Jersey, Seattle, Los Angeles and the Netherlands.
- RamNode is a registered trademark of InMotion Hosting, Inc., which its legal footer names.
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.
RamNode
- OpenStack cloud platform
- Servers sit in a virtual private cloud with private networks, snapshots, custom firewalls and load balancers.
- API, CLI and infrastructure tools
- Servers can be deployed from a dashboard, an API or a CLI, and the vendor lists Terraform and Ansible support and cloud-init.
- Several server tiers
- Standard SSD, Premium NVMe, Storage VPS with up to 4TB of disk, dedicated-CPU VDS and IPv6-only Lite plans, resizable at any time.
- Hourly billing
- Plans list an hourly rate beside the monthly one, and payment is by PayPal, card, crypto or Alipay.
- Included bandwidth and IPv4
- Every plan includes an IPv4 address and a set transfer allowance, with an egress overage of $0.004 per GB on the compared plan.
- Chat and ticket support
- Live chat and tickets are staffed around the clock, according to the vendor.
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.
RamNode
Standard VPS$4
per month, or $0.006 per hour, for 512MB
SSD compute from 512MB, 1 core, 20GB and 1TB bandwidth up to 16GB, 8 cores, 260GB and 14TB at $80 a month.
Storage VPS$4
per month, or $0.006 per hour, for 512MB
Spinning-disk plans from 512MB with 160GB and 2TB bandwidth, up to 12GB with 4000GB and 150TB at $64 a month.
Premium NVMe VPS$14
per month, or $0.021 per hour, for 2GB
2GB, 2 cores, 80GB NVMe and 6TB bandwidth, up to 32GB, 16 cores and 600GB NVMe at $192 a month.
VDS (dedicated CPU)$50
per month, or $0.074 per hour, for 8GB
Virtual dedicated servers with dedicated cores: 8GB and 2 cores with 200GB NVMe and 10TB bandwidth, up to 64GB and 16 cores at $320 a month.
Ways to pay less
Hetzner
No public discounts listed.
RamNode
- Other savings
Bonus credit on deposits
Deposit tiers from $10 (20% bonus) to $500 (100% bonus) add promotional credit, up to $500 of bonus credit per calendar year.
Common questions
Which is cheaper, Hetzner or RamNode?
As of Nov 13, 2026, Hetzner is cheaper to start with: about $1.79 a month, against $4 a month for RamNode. Hetzner starts at €1.60 per month excl. VAT (Webhosting S), and RamNode starts at $4 per month, or $0.006 per hour (512MB Standard VPS).
Which has a free plan, Hetzner or RamNode?
As of Nov 13, 2026, neither Hetzner nor RamNode 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.