Hetzner alternatives: where to go for a cheap VPS

What changed at Hetzner in 2026

Hetzner built its reputation on the cheapest EU cloud per vCPU and GB of RAM, generous included traffic on its European cloud, and hourly billing with no minimum term. Those strengths are still real. But according to Hetzner's own announcements, prices went up on 15 June 2026, and some popular cloud plans became much more expensive. List prices also exclude VAT and a separate monthly fee for an IPv4 address.

Its referral program stopped issuing credits on 31 August 2026 (credits already earned stay usable until the end of 2027), so the familiar sign-up bonus is gone. And outside Europe the picture is different: Hetzner's US and Singapore cloud plans cost roughly three to four times its EU prices.

Why Hetzner is not in our tables

We only list plans whose current specs and prices we could check on the provider's own page on the date shown. After the 2026 changes we could not verify Hetzner's current plan line-up to that standard, so we leave it out rather than show numbers that may be wrong. That is also why this guide compares alternatives instead of Hetzner's own plans. If Hetzner still fits your needs, check its pricing page directly.

Best Hetzner alternatives by need

There is no single replacement; the right pick depends on what made Hetzner attractive to you. The plan table below shows current prices for the providers mentioned here.

• Most RAM and storage per euro: Contabo. Its strength is very high RAM and disk for the price, with unlimited traffic under fair use and locations in Germany, the UK, the US, Asia and Australia. Watch the port speed cap on the entry plan and regular SSD (not NVMe) on the base tiers.
• Unlimited traffic and DDoS protection: OVHcloud, a European provider whose VPS plans include unlimited traffic and anti-DDoS; its newer VPS range also includes a daily backup.
• Cheap NVMe VPS with backups: Hostinger, with NVMe and AMD EPYC on all VPS plans and free weekly backups. The lowest price needs a long prepaid term, and renewal costs much more.
• Servers in the US only: InterServer, with simple slice-based pricing and data centers in New York, Dallas and Los Angeles.
• Low first-year cost with unlimited traffic: IONOS, but the promo lasts only three months and the regular price is much higher - budget for that.
• Hourly billing and many cities: developer clouds such as Vultr (around 30 locations) or DigitalOcean, at a higher price per GB of RAM.

How to move off Hetzner calmly

Moving a server is mostly copying data and switching DNS. Plan it so nothing breaks.

• Lower the TTL on your DNS records a day before, so the switch spreads quickly.
• Build the new server with the same OS version and stack; tools like Docker Compose make this almost a copy-paste.
• Copy files with rsync and databases with a dump and restore; repeat the sync right before the cut-over.
• Switch DNS, watch logs for a few days, and only then cancel the old server (Hetzner bills hourly, so there is no long notice period).

Check the full cost, not the headline price

When comparing, add everything you will actually pay: VAT, an IPv4 address if it is extra, backups, and - most important - the renewal price. Several budget providers show a low price for the first months or for a long prepayment and more afterwards. A plan that looks a little dearer but keeps its price can be cheaper over two years.