Hetzner alternatives: where to go, and when to stay
Six providers, one per reason to leave, and an eight-step migration plan.
The short answer: DigitalOcean if you want managed services around your servers and per-second billing ($24 a month for 4 GB), Netcup if you want the closest thing to old-school Hetzner (from €8.26 excl. VAT), OVHcloud VPS if price is all that matters and you can commit for a year (from €3.81 excl. VAT). Infomaniak keeps your data in Switzerland, and Kimsufi replaces Hetzner's server auction. If you run in Hetzner's US regions, read the first section carefully: that's where prices rose the most. We compared these six providers on the prices they publish in 2026.
The ranking is editorial: a sponsored spot is always labeled on its card, and no affiliate link changes a score.
Why so many Hetzner customers are shopping around
For years Hetzner was the cheapest serious place to run a Linux box, and plenty of users still call it one of the most reliable. What changed in 2026 is the price, then availability. Six reasons, each checked against Hetzner's own pages or user forums.
Two price hikes in one year
The first 2026 increase hit every customer, existing servers included, with no exception for long contracts. Hetzner pointed to the cost of RAM and NVMe drives. Four months later, a second increase hit new orders. The CPX22 (2 vCPU, 4 GB) went from €7.99 to €19.49 excl. VAT per month without IPv4, 2.4 times more. The dedicated-vCPU CCX13 went from €15.99 to €42.99.
US regions took the biggest hit
On the second increase, prices in Ashburn and Hillsboro rose by 158% on average, against 99% in Germany. The CPX41 in the US went from €38.99 to €120.49. Today the entry US plan (CPX11, 2 vCPU, 2 GB) costs €17.99 a month with only 1 TB of traffic, while European plans include 20 TB. For a US-hosted app, DigitalOcean is now in the same price range.
The cheap plans can't be ordered
The Cost-Optimized line (CX23 at €5.99, CAX11 at €6.49, IPv4 included) is marked "currently unavailable" in Falkenstein, Nuremberg and Helsinki. A status notice also says server creation is restricted for new customers and some existing ones, picked at random. So your real entry price for 4 GB is the CPX22 at €19.99: more than three times the CX23.
The resize trap
New prices apply to new orders and to rescales. Your old server keeps its price, but the day you add RAM, it moves to the current rate. A CPX32 that went from €13.99 to €35.49 means a bill 2.5 times higher for one click on "Rescale". Compare against a move before you upsize.
Opaque account verification
Hetzner asks for a government ID or a card prepayment in your name. A large first order can be delayed or refused, signing up over a VPN is discouraged, and free email addresses don't help. Forum users regularly report refusals with no reason given; staff say they don't explain so they don't coach fraudsters.
Automated abuse shutdowns
Hetzner watches for outbound network scans. The automated alert leaves little time to respond, and one user reports an IP cut for about ten hours on a public holiday, restored after contacting support. If you run a Tor relay, a security scanner or monitoring that probes many hosts, that's a real risk.
You're leaving because… go to…
The right Hetzner alternative depends on what's pushing you out. Usually one line fits. Each card jumps to the full profile below.
4 GB Droplet at $24 a month, per-second billing.
You want the closest thing to old HetznerNetcupVPS 500 (2 vCore, 4 GB) from €8.26 excl. VAT.
You just want the lowest priceOVHcloud VPSVPS-1 (2 vCPU, 4 GB) from €3.81 excl. VAT with a 12-month commitment.
You need hourly billing in EuropeOVHcloud Public CloudHourly instances, no commitment, free egress.
Your data has to stay in SwitzerlandInfomaniakVPS Lite 2 vCPU 4 GB at CHF 7.20 a month.
You used the server auctionKimsufiOVHcloud's entry-level bare metal from €9.99 excl. VAT.
Hetzner alternatives, provider by provider
For each provider: why switch to it, who it's for, its limit, how to move from Hetzner, and what a comparable machine costs (2 vCPU and 4 GB when the plan exists). Prices are those published in 2026, in the provider's own currency, excluding VAT unless stated.
DigitalOcean: the developer ecosystem
DevelopersWhy switch to DigitalOcean. Deep documentation, managed databases, Kubernetes, object storage and one-click apps. Billing is per second (60-second minimum) and capped at the monthly price, just like Hetzner. The 4 GB Basic Droplet (2 vCPU, 80 GB, 4 TB transfer) is $24 a month; the range starts at $4 for 512 MB. With US Hetzner prices up 158% on average, the gap that used to justify Hetzner in Virginia or Oregon is mostly gone.
Who it's for. Product teams and startups that want managed services around their servers without the complexity of a hyperscaler.
Who it's not for. Anyone in Europe leaving Hetzner just to pay less: at equal RAM, DigitalOcean costs more than Netcup or OVHcloud.
Its limit. Included transfer: 4 TB on the $24 Droplet, against 20 TB on Hetzner's European plans. A site serving heavy files can see that line climb.
How to migrate. Create a Droplet with the same distro in the region closest to your users, add your SSH key, sync with rsync, then switch DNS. If your database moves to a managed service, plan a dump and restore, not a file copy.
- Price
- 4 GB Droplet at $24/mo
- Our score
- 3.9/5
- Best for
- managed services, developers
- Limit
- 4 TB transfer included
Netcup: the German host closest to Hetzner
Closest matchWhy switch to Netcup. It's the name former Hetzner customers mention most on forums, and several say they're very satisfied. The VPS 500 (2 vCore, 4 GB RAM, 64 GB storage) starts at €8.26 excl. VAT a month with traffic included. VPS 1000 is €14.50, VPS 2000 €26.92. Locations: Nuremberg, Vienna, Amsterdam, Manassas (US) and Singapore, so you keep a similar map.
Who it's for. Developers and self-hosters used to Hetzner who want raw Linux at the best RAM per euro.
Who it's not for. People who want a ready-made Windows image or a hand-holding control panel.
Its limit. Netcup raised prices in 2026 too and pulled a promotion. The best rates need a 12- or 24-month term (up to 26% off), and there's no Hetzner-style hourly billing.
How to migrate. Same playbook as Hetzner: same distro, rsync the data, dump the databases, switch DNS. If you use Coolify or Cloudron, reinstall it and restore its backup.
- Price
- VPS 500 from €8.26/mo excl. VAT
- Best for
- ex-Hetzner self-hosters
- Regions
- Germany, Austria, US, Singapore
- Limit
- best prices need a term
OVHcloud VPS: the lowest price, with a catch
CheapestWhy switch to OVHcloud VPS. For 2 vCPU and 4 GB, the VPS-1 starts at €3.81 excl. VAT a month, with 40 GB NVMe, daily backup, DDoS protection and unmetered traffic at 500 Mbit/s. Against Hetzner's CPX22 at €19.99, that's about €195 saved over a year. VPS-2 (4 vCPU, 8 GB) is €7.21.
Who it's for. Freelancers and small teams running a site, a web app or a few Docker containers on a European server.
Who it's not for. Anyone spinning machines up and down by the hour: the VPS is monthly.
Its limit. The "from" price assumes a 12-month upfront term (that's how the order link is set up). Month to month costs more, so check the total in the configurator. OVHcloud also raised prices in 2026, and bandwidth is capped at 500 Mbit/s.
How to migrate. Order a VPS with the same distro, rsync your data, switch DNS. Keep the Hetzner box running until everything answers: it's billed hourly, capped monthly.
- Price
- VPS-1 from €3.81/mo (12-month term)
- Our score
- 4.2/5
- Best for
- tight budgets in Europe
- Limit
- term needed for that price
OVHcloud Public Cloud: hourly billing in Europe
HourlyWhy switch to OVHcloud Public Cloud. If what you liked about Hetzner Cloud was spinning up a box for a few hours and deleting it, this is the closest European match. Instances bill by the hour: d2-2 (1 vCore, 2 GB) comes to €5.71 excl. VAT a month if left on, d2-4 (2 vCores, 4 GB) to €11.44, d2-8 to €20.60. Outbound traffic isn't billed on these instances.
Who it's for. Teams running Terraform or an API against their infrastructure (it's built on OpenStack), and workloads that come and go.
Who it's not for. A box that runs 24/7 for years: the VPS is much cheaper for the same RAM.
Its limit. OVHcloud passed a second 2026 increase on dedicated servers and Public Cloud (VPS were spared). The console takes longer to learn than Hetzner's.
How to migrate. Swap the Hetzner Terraform provider for the OpenStack or OVHcloud one, recreate private networks and firewall rules, deploy. Hetzner snapshots don't import as is: start from a clean image and your backups.
- Price
- d2-4 at €11.44/mo excl. VAT
- Our score
- 4.2/5
- Best for
- variable workloads, Terraform
- Limit
- pricier than a VPS if always on
Infomaniak: Swiss hosting on a small budget
SwissWhy switch to Infomaniak. VPS Lite runs in Switzerland on AMD EPYC and NVMe with DDoS protection. The 2 vCPU, 4 GB, 60 GB plan is CHF 7.20 a month; the 1 vCPU, 2 GB entry plan is CHF 2.70; 4 vCPU and 8 GB is CHF 18.00. Infomaniak is an independent Swiss company.
Who it's for. Teams that need data outside both the US and the EU, under Swiss law.
Who it's not for. Anyone needing many global regions or an infrastructure API as rich as Hetzner Cloud's.
Its limit. Prices are only shown in Swiss francs, so your bill moves with the exchange rate. Real cloud features (private networks, hourly instances) mean VPS Cloud, from CHF 38.41 a month.
How to migrate. Pick the VPS Lite closest to your Hetzner box, install the same distro, rsync over SSH.
- Price
- 2 vCPU 4 GB at CHF 7.20/mo
- Our score
- 4.0/5
- Best for
- Swiss data residency
- Limit
- priced in CHF only
Kimsufi (OVHcloud): a replacement for the server auction
Bare metalWhy switch to Kimsufi. If you bought refurbished boxes on Hetzner's server auction (from €72.70 excl. VAT a month in 2026), Kimsufi plays the same role at OVHcloud: entry-level bare metal, no frills. The KS-B starts at €9.99 excl. VAT a month plus a €9.99 setup fee, and it was listed as coming soon when we checked. Kimsufi was spared by OVHcloud's VPS increase.
Who it's for. Offsite backups, game servers, self-hosted services that want a whole machine.
Who it's not for. Critical production. For serious work, OVHcloud's Rise range starts at €56.99, and Hetzner's AX41 still costs €59 with no setup fee.
Its limit. The cheapest configs sell out fast and the hardware isn't new. Check disk and CPU before ordering.
How to migrate. Install the OS from the control panel, rsync or restore from backup, then shut the old server down. Hetzner bills in arrears, so a final invoice after cancellation is normal.
- Price
- KS-B from €9.99/mo excl. VAT
- Our score
- 3.7/5
- Best for
- backups, self-hosting
- Limit
- entry-level hardware
Hetzner and its alternatives side by side
Our default pick: DigitalOcean if you need managed services or US regions, Netcup if you want the same spirit as Hetzner in Europe. Over 12 months, a 4 GB machine costs €239.88 excl. VAT at Hetzner (CPX22, the one you can order), €99.12 at Netcup and €45.72 at OVHcloud with a one-year term. One row per provider: left, the price for about 4 GB of RAM; right, traffic, locations and billing.
| Price for about 4 GB RAM | Traffic, locations, billing | |
|---|---|---|
| HetznerStarting point | CPX22 at €19.99/mo excl. VAT (CX23 at €5.99, unavailable) | 20 TB in Europe, 1 TB on US CPX11; Germany, Finland, US, Singapore; hourly, capped monthly |
| DigitalOceanDevelopers | 4 GB Droplet at $24/mo | 4 TB included; US and Europe; per second, capped monthly |
| NetcupClosest match | VPS 500 from €8.26/mo excl. VAT on a 12-month term | Traffic included; Germany, Austria, Netherlands, US; 1, 12 or 24-month term |
| OVHcloud VPSCheapest | VPS-1 from €3.81/mo excl. VAT, 12-month term | Unmetered at 500 Mbit/s; monthly |
| OVHcloud Public CloudHourly | d2-4 at €11.44/mo excl. VAT | Egress not billed; hourly |
| InfomaniakSwiss | 2 vCPU 4 GB at CHF 7.20/mo | Hosted in Switzerland; monthly |
| KimsufiBare metal | KS-B from €9.99/mo excl. VAT | A whole physical server; monthly |
Entry prices published by each provider in 2026, subject to change. Specs aren't identical: compare on your real workload.
Moving off Hetzner in eight steps
A server doesn't export like a contact list: you rebuild it elsewhere, then copy the data. Order matters, because each step protects something: your data, your DNS, your uptime.
Check whether you really need to move
Day 0Open the Hetzner console and look at what each server costs. A server ordered before the second increase keeps its price as long as you don't resize it. If it's big enough, the cheapest move is no move. Some changes to an old-price server do flip it to the current rate, so check before you touch it.
- Time
- 15 minutes
- Upside
- keep the old price
Inventory everything that runs
Day 1List each server, its distro, services (web server, databases, Docker containers, cron jobs), volumes, private networks, firewall rules, IPs and the DNS records pointing at them. Hetzner backups and snapshots stay behind.
- Time
- an hour to half a day
- Risk if rushed
- a forgotten service
Open the new account early
Day 1Every provider vets new customers, sometimes with ID. Open the account days ahead, without a VPN, with a work email, and start with a small machine so verification doesn't block your schedule.
- Risk if rushed
- delayed migration
Lower your DNS TTL
CriticalTwo days before cutover, set the TTL of your A and AAAA records to 300 seconds. On the day, the change spreads in minutes instead of hours. If your DNS lives at Hetzner, move it first to your registrar or an independent DNS host.
- When
- 48 hours before
- Value
- TTL 300 seconds
Build the new server as a twin
Day 2Install the same distro and version as on Hetzner: upgrading during a move multiplies failure points. Add your SSH key, set the firewall, install packages. If your setup lives in Ansible, Docker Compose or Terraform, this is where it pays off.
- Rule
- same OS version
Copy the data twice
CriticalRun a first rsync while the old server is live: slow, but no downtime. On the day, stop writes (maintenance mode), take a clean database dump, then rsync again so only the delta moves. Never copy the files of a running database.
Hetzner includes 20 TB of egress in Europe, then €1 per TB, so a few hundred GB costs nothing extra.
- Tool
- rsync over SSH
- Downtime
- a few minutes
Switch DNS and verify
D-dayPoint DNS at the new IP. Test the site, forms, outgoing email, cron jobs and TLS certificates (Let's Encrypt must be able to validate the new server). Watch the logs for an hour.
- Time
- one to two hours
Keep Hetzner a few days, then delete
D+7Leave the old box on for a week. A Hetzner server is billed until it's deleted, even when powered off, so delete it afterwards along with its snapshots, volumes and floating IPs. The final invoice arrives after cancellation because Hetzner bills in arrears.
- Wait
- one week
- Trap
- a stopped server is still billed
Is your tool missing from this page? Email us: hello@hackceleration.com
What makes a Hetzner exit go wrong
The same mistakes show up again and again on self-hosting forums. None are really technical: they're rushed comparisons and things left behind, and they can cost more than the increase you were running from.
Leaving a server whose price is protected
An existing server keeps its rate until you resize it. Moving a box that still costs the old price can mean paying more elsewhere. Do the math server by server: move the ones that must grow, keep the rest.
Comparing a listed price with an orderable one
The CX23 at €5.99 can't be ordered, so Hetzner's real 4 GB price is the CPX22 at €19.99. On the other side, OVHcloud's entry price assumes a one-year term. Compare plans you can actually buy, over the same term.
Forgetting IPv4 and traffic
At Hetzner, IPv4 (about €0.50 a month, based on the gap between its two price lists) is included in listed prices. Elsewhere it may cost extra. Same with traffic: 20 TB at Hetzner in Europe, 4 TB on the $24 DigitalOcean Droplet.
Upgrading the OS mid-move
Using the migration to jump to a new Ubuntu or Debian release doubles what can break. Move as is, then upgrade once settled.
Leaving things behind at Hetzner
Backups, snapshots, volumes, floating IPs, the Hetzner DNS zone and cloud firewall don't follow you. Export the zone, rebuild the rules, and only close the account once nothing points there.
Choosing without the bigger picture
Our ranking of the best VPS hosting compares more providers. For bare metal, see the best dedicated servers; for hourly instances, the best public clouds. Leaving another platform too? Our guide to switching from AWS follows the same method.
- Current price of each Hetzner server noted
- Services, volumes, networks and DNS records inventoried
- New account opened and verified early
- DNS TTL at 300 seconds 48 hours ahead
- Same distro and version on the new server
- First rsync done live
- Database dump and second sync in maintenance mode
- Site, email, cron and certificates checked after cutover
- Old server deleted with its snapshots and floating IPs
Hetzner alternatives: frequently asked questions
What is the cheapest Hetzner alternative?
OVHcloud VPS if you accept a one-year term: VPS-1 (2 vCPU, 4 GB) from €3.81 excl. VAT a month. Netcup's VPS 500, from €8.26 a month on a 12-month term, also sits well below Hetzner's CPX22 at €19.99. Our best VPS hosting ranking covers more options.
Did the 2026 Hetzner price increase affect existing servers?
The first one did: it hit every customer, long contracts included. The second one didn't: it covers new orders and rescales. An order placed before the increase and delivered after keeps the old price.
Why are Hetzner CX servers unavailable?
Hetzner lists its Cost-Optimized CX and CAX plans as unavailable and restricts server creation for some customers, picked at random. Some users run a small script that watches for stock to return. If you can't wait, compare against a VPS elsewhere rather than the CPX22.
Why was my Hetzner account rejected?
Hetzner doesn't give a reason, so it doesn't help fraudsters. Its advice: no VPN at signup, no free email address, a government ID or card prepayment in your name, and a small first order. After a second refusal, pick another provider.
Is there a US alternative to Hetzner's Ashburn and Hillsboro regions?
DigitalOcean is the obvious one: $24 a month for 4 GB with 4 TB of transfer, against Hetzner's US CPX11 at €17.99 for 2 GB and 1 TB. Netcup also runs a site in Manassas, Virginia.
Hetzner or DigitalOcean in 2026?
Hetzner if you're in Europe, need lots of traffic or already have an old-price server. DigitalOcean if you want managed databases and Kubernetes, or run in the US. Our scores: Hetzner 4.1 out of 5, DigitalOcean 3.9 out of 5.
What replaces the Hetzner server auction?
Kimsufi at OVHcloud, from €9.99 excl. VAT for the KS-B, or the Rise range from €56.99 for more power. For DDoS-hardened machines, see our page on DDoS-protected dedicated servers.
Should I move now or wait?
If your current server is enough, wait: it keeps its price. If you need to grow or add a server, compare now, since other providers raised prices in 2026 too and entry plans sell out.
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