Comparison
Hetzner Cloud vs DigitalOcean
Updated 2026-08-12 · Keyword: hetzner vs digitalocean
Hetzner Cloud regularly delivers more CPU and RAM per euro than DigitalOcean, which makes it the default for EU-heavy side projects and homelab overflow. DigitalOcean remains stronger for US-centric latency, global region consistency, and beginner-friendly docs. If your users are primarily in Europe, start with Hetzner and keep DigitalOcean as a US failover. If you sell primarily to US customers or need App Platform adjacency, DigitalOcean is the safer primary. Convert Hetzner euro prices carefully when budgeting in USD.
Spec snapshot (entry plans)
Comparable entry-tier plans from each provider.
| Field | Hetzner Cloud | DigitalOcean |
|---|---|---|
| Plan | CX22 | Basic Droplet 1GB |
| vCPU | 2 | 1 |
| RAM | 4 GB | 1 GB |
| Disk | 40 GB ssd | 25 GB ssd |
| Bandwidth | 20.0 TB | 1.0 TB |
| Price / month | $4.49 | $6.00 |
Hetzner Cloud
Best for: EU-focused workloads and side projects where euro pricing and strong price-per-GB dominate the decision.
Watch out: US region coverage is thinner than DigitalOcean or Vultr. Latency to North American users can be worse if you only deploy in Falkenstein or Helsinki.
Visit HetznerDigitalOcean
Best for: Developers who want predictable droplet pricing, excellent documentation, and a smooth first-VPS experience with one-click apps and App Platform nearby.
Watch out: Not always the cheapest at scale. Bandwidth overages can add up on high-traffic workloads. Raw $/GB may favor Hetzner or Vultr for heavy transfer.
Visit DigitalOceanAll tracked plans
| Provider | Plan | vCPU | RAM | Disk | $/mo |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| DigitalOcean | Basic Droplet 1GB | 1 | 1 GB | 25 GB | $6.00 |
| DigitalOcean | Basic Droplet 2GB | 1 | 2 GB | 50 GB | $12.00 |
| DigitalOcean | Basic Droplet 4GB | 2 | 4 GB | 80 GB | $24.00 |
| DigitalOcean | CPU-Optimized 4GB | 2 | 4 GB | 25 GB | $42.00 |
| Hetzner Cloud | CX22 | 2 | 4 GB | 40 GB | $4.49 |
| Hetzner Cloud | CX32 | 4 | 8 GB | 80 GB | $8.49 |
| Hetzner Cloud | CPX21 | 3 | 4 GB | 80 GB | $9.49 |
| Hetzner Cloud | CPX31 | 4 | 8 GB | 160 GB | $16.49 |
Related: Hetzner Cloud overview · DigitalOcean overview · Methodology