Cloudflare Pages vs Hetzner
Cloudflare Pages is free static site and full-stack hosting on Cloudflare's global edge network, while Hetzner is german cloud provider with high-performance servers at unbeatable prices. The biggest difference up front: Cloudflare Pages is free, while Hetzner starts at €3.29/mo. Cloudflare Pages is built for developers who want free, fast, globally distributed hosting, whereas Hetzner targets european developers wanting affordable, powerful servers.
At a glance
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|---|---|---|
| Best for | Developers who want free, fast, globally distributed hosting | European developers wanting affordable, powerful servers |
| Starting price | Free | €3.29/mo |
| Free tier | ✓ | — |
| Open source | — | — |
| Free tier available | ✓ | — |
| Open source | — | — |
| Block Storage | — | ✓ |
| Cloud VMs | — | ✓ |
| Dedicated Servers | — | ✓ |
| Edge Network | ✓ | — |
| Git Deploy | ✓ | — |
| Load Balancers | — | ✓ |
| Unlimited Bandwidth | ✓ | — |
| Web Analytics | ✓ | — |
| Workers | ✓ | — |
Cloudflare Pages
Strengths
- Generous free tier — unlimited sites, bandwidth, and requests
- Blazingly fast global CDN
- Full-stack capable with Workers integration
- No surprise bills
Weaknesses
- Build system less flexible than Netlify/Vercel
- Smaller ecosystem of plugins and integrations
- Workers runtime differs from Node.js
- Documentation could be better
Hetzner
Strengths
- Includes Dedicated Servers as a core feature, purpose-built for cloud hosting workflows
- Includes Cloud VMs as a core feature, purpose-built for cloud hosting workflows
- Affordable at €3.29/mo — one of the lower-priced options in the cloud hosting category
- Established product with 29+ years on the market and a mature ecosystem
Weaknesses
- No free plan — you need to pay €3.29/mo from day one to use it
- Fewer built-in features means you may need additional tools to cover gaps
- Costs can spike unexpectedly during traffic surges if limits aren't configured
- Mobile experience lags behind the desktop version in features and polish
The bottom line
Pricing: Cloudflare Pages is completely free, which makes it the obvious pick if budget is the top concern. Hetzner starts at €3.29/mo. That cost buys you a more polished or feature-rich experience, so it comes down to whether the extras justify the spend.
Feature gaps: Cloudflare Pages offers Edge Network, Git Deploy and Unlimited Bandwidth that Hetzner lacks. Hetzner brings Block Storage, Cloud VMs and Dedicated Servers that Cloudflare Pages does not have.
Team fit: Both tools target any size teams, so the decision hinges on features and workflow fit rather than scale.
Where each tool shines: Cloudflare Pages's biggest strengths are: generous free tier — unlimited sites, bandwidth, and requests. blazingly fast global cdn. Hetzner's biggest strengths are: includes dedicated servers as a core feature, purpose-built for cloud hosting workflows. includes cloud vms as a core feature, purpose-built for cloud hosting workflows.
Watch out for: With Cloudflare Pages, users commonly note that build system less flexible than netlify/vercel. With Hetzner, the main complaint is that no free plan — you need to pay €3.29/mo from day one to use it.
Choose Cloudflare Pages if...
- Your profile matches its sweet spot: developers who want free, fast, globally distributed hosting
- Budget is a hard constraint — Cloudflare Pages is free, Hetzner is not
- You specifically need Edge Network and Git Deploy
- You care about blazingly fast global cdn
Choose Hetzner if...
- You need a tool built for european developers wanting affordable, powerful servers
- You specifically need Block Storage and Cloud VMs
- You care about includes cloud vms as a core feature, purpose-built for cloud hosting workflows
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