Hetzner vs UpCloud (2026): which should you pick?
As of Nov 13, 2026, Hetzner grades higher than UpCloud: 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 value for money and ease of use. UpCloud 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
UpCloud
Cloud servers, databases and Kubernetes from a Finnish provider
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 UpCloud if
- Fits if you run your own servers and want zero-cost egress
- Works for developers who use Terraform or Kubernetes
Look elsewhere if
- Not for you if you want a simple site host, as these are servers you manage
- Tight if you want a long trial, as it is 7 days, 2 cores and 4 GB in total, with no Windows servers
- Watch out: the trial needs card verification and must start within 365 days of registering or the account is removed
- Watch out: Cloud Native plans bundle no storage or public IP, which cost extra
How we grade them
| 2.4GPAHetznerFair | 2.0GPAUpCloudFair | |
|---|---|---|
| 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 plan price was read because the pricing page sat behind a bot check, so it sits in the middle. |
| Free plan and trial | FNo free plan and no trial on record; every plan is paid from the first day. | DA 7-day trial with EUR 10 of credit that starts only after card verification. |
| 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. | BServers, managed databases, Kubernetes, GPU servers and an API cover the whole job. |
| 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, and you run servers through a console, API or Terraform. |
| Platforms and integrations | BWeb only, with Terraform, Ansible, Kubernetes, Docker and an API and CLI. | BWeb console and API, with Kubernetes and Terraform support. |
| Best for | low-priced German hosting and servers | cloud servers from a Finnish provider |
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 UpCloud. How we grade
Where they differ
- Hetzner also covers file sharing.
- UpCloud also covers databases.
At a glance
| Hetzner | UpCloud | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Paid | Free trial |
| Starts at | €1.60 per month excl. VAT (Webhosting S) | Not published |
| Free plan | None | None |
| Free trial | None listed | 7-day free trial with €10 of credit, started after card verification |
| Web | ||
| Made by | Hetzner Online GmbH | UpCloud |
| 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.
UpCloud
- The pricing page sat behind a bot check, so no plan prices were read; use the vendor's calculator for figures.
- The free trial limits you to 2 cores and 4 GB of memory in total and excludes Windows servers.
- A trial must be started within 365 days of registration or the account is removed.
- Cloud Native plans bundle no storage or public IP, which are bought separately.
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.
UpCloud
- Cloud servers in three plan types
- Starter plans suit small projects, Premium plans list a 99.999% SLA and MaxIOPS storage, and Cloud Native plans unbundle storage and IPs.
- Managed services
- Managed databases (MySQL, PostgreSQL, Valkey and OpenSearch), Kubernetes, a load balancer and object storage are sold alongside servers.
- Zero-cost egress
- The documentation lists free outbound data transfers as a product feature to lower total cloud costs.
- Private cloud and GPU servers
- Dedicated Private Cloud infrastructure and GPU servers for AI and machine-learning work are also offered.
- API and billing tools
- A RESTful API and a pricing calculator are published, and billing supports bonus credits and several payment methods.
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.
UpCloud
Pricing could not be confirmed. See upcloud.com.
Common questions
Which is cheaper, Hetzner or UpCloud?
As of Nov 13, 2026, Hetzner starts at €1.60 per month excl. VAT (Webhosting S), and UpCloud has no price we could confirm.
Which has a free plan, Hetzner or UpCloud?
As of Nov 13, 2026, neither Hetzner nor UpCloud has a free plan. UpCloud 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.