Start with raw VMs + predictable economics
If predictable, low-cost infrastructure is the primary constraint — particularly for European workloads or cost-sensitive applications — Hetzner Cloud offers the best price-to-performance ratio in the market. A dedicated Hetzner server provides compute resources at roughly 5-10x lower cost than comparable AWS instances. The trade-off is limited managed services, fewer regions, and a smaller ecosystem than hyperscalers. For workloads that don't need deep cloud integration and primarily need affordable compute, Hetzner is hard to beat.
- Recommendation: Hetzner Cloud, DigitalOcean Droplets
Recommended starting points
Based on your constraints, these products typically fit best. Read each decision brief to confirm pricing behavior and limits match your reality.
Hetzner Cloud
Cost-effective cloud VMs with strong price/performance, often chosen for Europe-centric deployments and straightforward infrastructure.
DigitalOcean Droplets
Simple, developer-friendly cloud VMs with predictable pricing, often chosen by small teams for straightforward hosting.
Why this recommendation
If predictable, low-cost infrastructure is the primary constraint — particularly for European workloads or cost-sensitive applications — Hetzner Cloud offers the best price-to-performance ratio in the market. A dedicated Hetzner server provides compute resources at roughly 5-10x lower cost than comparable AWS instances. The trade-off is limited managed services, fewer regions, and a smaller ecosystem than hyperscalers. For workloads that don't need deep cloud integration and primarily need affordable compute, Hetzner is hard to beat.