Hetzner vs OVHcloud: Which European Host Should You Choose?
Hetzner and OVHcloud are two of Europe's best-known independent infrastructure providers, and both started as budget server hosts before growing into full clouds. Hetzner, founded in Germany in 1997, keeps a tight catalog of cloud servers, dedicated machines and storage with prices that never change at renewal. OVHcloud, founded in France in 1999, runs a far larger network with data centers in Europe, North America and Asia-Pacific, includes its own anti-DDoS system on every service and sells everything from web hosting to private cloud. Prices below are live from our tracker; for OVHcloud we track its Canadian storefront.
At a glance
| Hetzner | OVHcloud | |
|---|---|---|
| Founded | 1997, Germany | 1999, France |
| Cheapest virtual server | CX23: $6.16/mo (2 vCPU · 4 GB RAM · 40 GB NVME · 20 TB traffic · 10 Gbps) | VPS Model 1: $5.18/mo (2 vCPU · 4 GB RAM · 40 GB NVME · Unlimited traffic · 0.5 Gbps) |
| Cheapest dedicated | AX41: $64.28/mo (6 Cores · 64 GB RAM · 1024 GB NVME · Unlimited traffic · 1 Gbps) | KS-B: $10.49/mo (4 Cores · 32 GB RAM · 120 GB SSD · Unlimited traffic · 0.5 Gbps) |
| Dedicated plans we track | 18 | 45 |
| Billing | Hourly or monthly cloud; no renewal markup | Monthly; web hosting has a discounted first year |
| DDoS protection | Included | Included on every service (OVHcloud's own VAC system) |
| Locations | Germany, Finland, US (Ashburn, Hillsboro), Singapore | Europe, Canada, the US and Asia-Pacific |
Cloud and VPS pricing
Hetzner's cheapest cloud server, CX23, costs $6.16 a month for 2 vCPU · 4 GB RAM · 40 GB NVME · 20 TB traffic · 10 Gbps, billed hourly up to that cap, with 20 TB of traffic included on EU plans. OVHcloud's cheapest VPS, VPS Model 1, costs $5.18 for 2 vCPU · 4 GB RAM · 40 GB NVME · Unlimited traffic · 0.5 Gbps with unmetered traffic at the port speed. OVHcloud also sells the same VPS with a 12-month commitment at a lower monthly rate; we track the no-commitment price so it compares directly with Hetzner.
Dedicated servers
This is where both companies made their names. OVHcloud's catalog is broader: we track 45 dedicated models, from budget Kimsufi-style machines such as KS-B at $10.49 up through the Rise, Advance and Scale lines, all with unmetered bandwidth. Hetzner's range is smaller but popular, with the AX41 at $64.28 for 6 Cores · 64 GB RAM · 1024 GB NVME · Unlimited traffic · 1 Gbps, a server auction with older hardware, and a one-time setup fee on some larger models.
Protection and compliance
OVHcloud builds its anti-DDoS mitigation (VAC) into every product, from web hosting to bare metal, and advertises a long list of certifications for regulated workloads. Hetzner includes DDoS protection on its cloud and dedicated servers too. If you need compliance paperwork for a regulated sector, OVHcloud's portfolio is the wider of the two.
Platform and control
Hetzner's cloud is the simpler, more developer-focused product: an official Terraform provider, Kubernetes integrations, load balancers from n/a a month, private networks and firewalls, all in one clean console. OVHcloud offers a full public cloud, private cloud and a large product range, but its control panel is more complex and billing can span several OVHcloud subsidiaries.
Support and reliability
Neither provider offers live chat for ordinary accounts; both work mainly through tickets, and both also run phone lines. OVHcloud's history includes the 2021 fire that destroyed one of its Strasbourg data centers. Our monitor checks each company's own website every few minutes; over the last 30 days it measured 99.93% for Hetzner and 99.97% for OVHcloud, a view of their public sites rather than your servers.
Which one should you pick?
- Choose Hetzner for developer-friendly cloud servers with hourly billing, flat prices, 20 TB of included EU traffic, Terraform and a clean console.
- Choose OVHcloud for the widest dedicated catalog, DDoS mitigation on everything, data centers in Canada and Asia-Pacific, or compliance-heavy European projects.
About HetznerHetzner is a German cloud and dedicated server provider founded in 1997. It runs its own data centers and is best known for low prices on physical and virtual servers, aimed at customers who are comfortable administering them.
| Detail | Hetzner |
|---|---|
| Company | Hetzner Online GmbH (Germany); Hetzner Finland Oy (Finland) |
| Founded | 1997, by Martin Hetzner |
| Headquarters | Gunzenhausen, Bavaria, Germany |
| Own data centers | Falkenstein and Nuremberg (Germany), Helsinki (Finland) |
| Cloud-only locations | Ashburn and Hillsboro (United States), Singapore |
| Sells | Cloud, dedicated and GPU servers, managed servers, storage, web hosting, colocation, domains, SSL |
| Certification | ISO/IEC 27001:2022 (Nuremberg, Falkenstein and Helsinki data centers); BSI C5 Type 2 for its cloud services |
From a German web host to six regions
Martin Hetzner founded the company in Gunzenhausen in 1997. By the company's own account, he started it after asking why web hosting in Germany was so expensive. Dedicated servers became a central part of the business, and Hetzner built its own data centers in Falkenstein and Nuremberg, later adding Helsinki — which gives it direct control over hardware, network, power and running costs. Hetzner Cloud followed, with virtual servers managed through a web console and an API, and cloud locations in the United States and Singapore came later still.
What Hetzner sells
- Cloud servers in four lines, named as Hetzner names them: CX and CAX (cost-optimized, shared Intel/AMD or Ampere Arm vCPUs), CPX (regular performance, shared AMD vCPUs) and CCX (general purpose, dedicated AMD vCPUs). They are billed by the hour up to a monthly cap, with volumes, networks, firewalls, load balancers, snapshots and backups available.
- Dedicated servers — physical machines in the AX (AMD), EX (Intel), SX (storage-heavy) and GEX (NVIDIA GPU) lines.
- Managed servers — Hetzner installs and maintains the operating system and server software, applies security updates and runs backups; the customer works through the konsoleH panel, without root access.
- Storage — Storage Boxes for backups and files, and S3-compatible Object Storage.
- Web hosting, colocation, domains and SSL certificates.
Not every product runs everywhere. Ashburn, Hillsboro and Singapore are cloud-only: dedicated servers can't be ordered there. The CX and CAX lines and Object Storage are available in Europe only, and cloud prices in the US and Singapore differ from European ones.
How DohoHub tracks Hetzner
- Prices. Our scraper re-reads Hetzner's prices every six hours from the same price data its own website displays, and every change goes into the price history on this page. The figures are monthly euro prices for the German location. They cover the server alone: a public IPv4 address and, on some dedicated and managed servers, a one-off setup fee come on top. Hetzner doesn't advertise introductory discounts, so there is no separate renewal price to show.
- Uptime and response time. We probe hetzner.com — Hetzner's public website — every five minutes from a single server in Toronto. These figures describe the website as seen from North America; they say nothing about the servers Hetzner rents out, and the response time mostly reflects the distance to Europe. We don't benchmark Hetzner's servers.
- DHH Score. Computed daily from five parts — price, long-term price, what's included, reliability and users — and broken down in the section below. The facts behind "What's included" are Hetzner's own statements, each listed with its source and the date we checked it; we record them, we don't test them. The formula is published in our methodology.
- Support. We don't rate support quality: we can't measure it, and the existence of a ticket system says nothing about how fast it answers.
Who it suits
Hetzner fits developers, technical teams, agencies and self-hosters who want control over their servers and close oversight of what they cost, and European businesses that want their hosting in the EU. It is a poorer fit for customers who need hands-off administration across the board or extensive application-level support. Either way, compare the full cost of the configuration you need — server, IPv4, setup fees, backups and your own time — rather than the headline price.
Sources, corrections and independence
The company facts above were checked against Hetzner's own pages on 9 October 2026: company overview, company story, dedicated servers, information security and cloud locations. Citing them tells you what Hetzner says about itself, not that we have tested it. Spotted something out of date? Tell us — see our corrections policy.
Nothing a provider pays — affiliate commission, advertising, a verified badge or a homepage slot — changes its prices on this page or its score. Read how DohoHub makes money and our editorial independence policy.
About OVHcloud
OVHcloud is a global cloud computing provider headquartered in Roubaix, France. Founded in 1999 by Octave Klaba, the company has grown from a web hosting business into a major European cloud infrastructure provider, serving individuals, developers, startups, SMBs, and enterprise customers.
OVHcloud offers a broad portfolio of infrastructure and cloud services, including dedicated servers, Virtual Private Servers (VPS), public and private cloud solutions, web hosting, domain names, and network security services. Its infrastructure is designed to support workloads ranging from personal websites and development environments to business-critical applications, large-scale data processing, and artificial intelligence projects.
A key part of OVHcloud's business model is its integrated approach to infrastructure. The company designs and operates much of its own server infrastructure, operates its own data centres, and develops proprietary technologies for server assembly, cooling, and network management. This vertical integration helps OVHcloud maintain control over its infrastructure and offer a wide range of hosting configurations at different price points.
OVHcloud is particularly well known for its dedicated servers, competitive VPS offerings, and extensive European infrastructure. Its services also appeal to customers seeking alternatives to hyperscale cloud platforms, especially those who value infrastructure control, predictable pricing, and European data-hosting options.
The company operates internationally, with data centres and infrastructure serving customers across multiple regions. Its cloud portfolio includes solutions for public cloud computing, private cloud environments, storage, networking, and security, alongside traditional hosting products.
For businesses choosing a hosting or cloud provider, OVHcloud offers a combination of infrastructure scale, product variety, and in-house engineering. However, the best fit depends on the specific service, region, support requirements, and total cost of ownership. Customers should compare introductory and renewal prices where applicable, review bandwidth and traffic policies, and evaluate support options before committing to a long-term deployment.
OVHcloud at a Glance
- Founded: 1999
- Founder: Octave Klaba
- Headquarters: Roubaix, France
- Industry: Cloud computing, web hosting, and IT infrastructure
- Core Services: Dedicated servers, VPS, public cloud, private cloud, web hosting, domain names, storage, and network security
- Infrastructure: Company-operated data centres and global network infrastructure
- Key Markets: Europe and international markets
- Notable Strengths: Dedicated server options, broad cloud portfolio, infrastructure ownership, and competitive infrastructure pricing
DohoHub Perspective
OVHcloud is a significant provider to consider when comparing hosting infrastructure, particularly for dedicated servers, VPS deployments, and cloud workloads. Its combination of traditional hosting and cloud services makes it relevant to a wide range of users, from developers and small businesses to larger organizations.
On DohoHub, OVHcloud can be evaluated through measurable factors such as listed pricing, renewal costs where applicable, server specifications, available locations, performance indicators, uptime data, and support options. Comparing these factors across providers helps users determine whether OVHcloud offers the right balance of cost, infrastructure, and service quality for their needs.
Comparison Table
| Feature | Hetzner | OVHcloud |
|---|---|---|
| Price / mo | $1.79 win | $1.84 |
| Renewal price | Same as initial | — |
| Datacenters | 6 | — |
| NVMe storage | ✓ Yes win | ✗ No |
| Free domain | ✗ No | ✗ No |
| Backups | Paid | — |
| CDN | ✗ No | ✗ No |
| Support | Tickets, weekday phone | — |
| Uptime · 30d | 99.93% | 99.97% win |
Price History
Hetzner · Webhosting SCollecting price history — the trend fills in as we track this plan.
Collecting price history — the trend fills in as we track this plan.
Uptime & Performance
Hetzner 99.93%Pros & Cons
Hetzner- Hourly cloud billing and no renewal markup
- 20 TB of monthly traffic on EU cloud plans
- Terraform, Kubernetes integrations and load balancers from n/a/mo
- Popular dedicated line, including the AX41 at $64.28/mo
- Fewer locations: Germany, Finland, two US sites and Singapore
- Setup fees on some larger dedicated models
- Primary IPv4 costs extra on cloud servers
- No live chat support
- Broad dedicated catalog with unmetered bandwidth: 45 models tracked
- Anti-DDoS (VAC) included on every service
- Data centers in Europe, Canada, the US and Asia-Pacific
- Deep compliance portfolio for regulated workloads
- More complex control panel and billing across subsidiaries
- No live chat for ordinary accounts
- Web hosting renews higher after a discounted first year
- The 2021 fire at its Strasbourg site is part of its record
The Verdict
Hetzner is the easier platform to live with: hourly-billed cloud servers, prices that never step up, generous included traffic and first-class automation. OVHcloud is the bigger toolbox: many more dedicated models with unmetered bandwidth, its own anti-DDoS system on every service, locations on more continents and a deeper compliance portfolio, at the cost of a more complex panel. Developers building on cloud VMs will usually prefer Hetzner; teams that need specific bare-metal configurations, a Canadian or Asia-Pacific region, or regulated hosting should look hard at OVHcloud.
Hetzner & OVHcloud alternatives
FAQ
At the entry level the two are close. Hetzner's cheapest cloud server costs $6.16 a month for 2 vCPU · 4 GB RAM · 40 GB NVME · 20 TB traffic · 10 Gbps; OVHcloud's cheapest VPS costs $5.18 for 2 vCPU · 4 GB RAM · 40 GB NVME · Unlimited traffic · 0.5 Gbps. Hetzner bills hourly and never raises the price at renewal; OVHcloud offers a lower rate if you commit to 12 months.
OVHcloud has the broader catalog, with 45 models tracked starting at $10.49. Hetzner's range is smaller but very popular, for example the AX41 at $64.28 for 6 Cores · 64 GB RAM · 1024 GB NVME · Unlimited traffic · 1 Gbps.
Yes. OVHcloud includes its VAC anti-DDoS mitigation on every service, and Hetzner includes DDoS protection on its cloud and dedicated servers.
Both. Hetzner runs cloud locations in Ashburn and Hillsboro. OVHcloud operates in Canada, including its large Beauharnois site near Montreal and Toronto, and in the US.
Our monitor checks each company's website every few minutes. Over the last 30 days it measured 99.93% for Hetzner and 99.97% for OVHcloud. That measures their public sites, not your servers.