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: $6.23/mo (2 vCPU · 4 GB RAM · 40 GB NVME · 20 TB traffic · 10 Gbps) | VPS Model 1: $5.14/mo (2 vCPU · 4 GB RAM · 40 GB NVME · Unlimited traffic · 0.5 Gbps) |
| Cheapest dedicated | AX41: $64.98/mo (6 Cores · 64 GB RAM · 1024 GB NVME · Unlimited traffic · 1 Gbps) | KS-B: $10.41/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 $6.23 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 $5.14 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 $10.41 up through the Rise, Advance and Scale lines, all with unmetered bandwidth. Hetzner's range is smaller but popular, with the AX41 at $64.98 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 99.78% for Hetzner and 99.86% 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 famous for the best price-to-performance in Europe. Where Contabo competes on raw resources, Hetzner competes on network quality, low latency and a polished API — ideal for developers running latency-sensitive workloads.
About OVHcloudOVHcloud is a French cloud computing company founded in 1999 by Octave Klaba. Headquartered in Roubaix, France, OVHcloud is the largest European cloud provider with 1.6 million customers in 140 countries. It operates 33 data centers across 4 continents with its own global fiber backbone. The company went public on Euronext Paris (OVH) in 2021. OVHcloud offers a full spectrum from VPS and bare metal to private/public cloud and web hosting, with a strong focus on European data sovereignty and compliance.
Comparison Table
| Feature | Hetzner | OVHcloud |
|---|---|---|
| Price / mo | $1.81 win | $1.82 |
| 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 | 99.78% | 99.86% win |
Price History
Hetzner · Webhosting SCollecting price history — the trend fills in as we track this plan.
OVHcloud · StarterCollecting price history — the trend fills in as we track this plan.
Uptime & Performance
Hetzner 99.78% OVHcloud 99.86%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 $64.98/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
OVHcloud- 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 $6.23 a month for 2 vCPU · 4 GB RAM · 40 GB NVME · 20 TB traffic · 10 Gbps; OVHcloud's cheapest VPS costs $5.14 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 $10.41. Hetzner's range is smaller but very popular, for example the AX41 at $64.98 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 99.78% for Hetzner and 99.86% for OVHcloud. That measures their public sites, not your servers.