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Hetzner vs DigitalOcean
Hetzner's CX23 gives 2 vCPU and 4 GB for €5.99 a month with IPv4, excluding VAT; DigitalOcean starts at $4.00 for 512 MiB and charges $12.00 for 2 GB. Both bill by the hour. DigitalOcean adds managed databases and Kubernetes; Hetzner has neither.
Which one to pick
Pick Hetzner if
- You want the most memory for the money in Europe: 4 GB for €5.99 with IPv4
- You'd like ARM servers or €50 of credit to start
- One or a few servers are all you need
Pick DigitalOcean if
- You want managed PostgreSQL, MySQL, Valkey or MongoDB next to your servers
- You need managed Kubernetes
- You'd rather pay in dollars, with 13 datacenters on four continents
The same server on both
Each host's cheapest entry plan with at least this much memory, with the IPv4 address added where it's extra.
HetznerDigitalOcean1 GB+
Hetzner
DigitalOcean
2 GB+
Hetzner
DigitalOcean
4 GB+
Hetzner
DigitalOcean
No entry plan this size
8 GB+
Hetzner
DigitalOcean
No entry plan this size
Hetzner bills in euros and DigitalOcean in US dollars, so each bar is drawn on its own scale.
Where they differ most
With IPv4, per month
- Hetzner
- €5.99/month
- DigitalOcean
- $4.00/month
Public IPv4
- Hetzner
- €0.50/month extra
- DigitalOcean
- Included
Continents
- Hetzner
- Europe, North America, Asia
- DigitalOcean
- North America, Europe, Asia, Oceania
Included traffic
- Hetzner
- 20 TB on CX23
- DigitalOcean
- Not stated on Basic 512 MiB
Managed databases
- Hetzner
- None
- DigitalOcean
- PostgreSQL, MySQL, Valkey, MongoDB, Kafka, OpenSearch
Managed Kubernetes
- Hetzner
- NoNo
- DigitalOcean
- YesYes
Every fact, side by side
A dot marks a row where they differ. Rows with an info mark open a note.
DigitalOceanHetzner
