What is the difference between DigitalOcean and Hetzner?

DigitalOcean is best for Developers and small businesses wanting simple cloud, while Hetzner is best for European developers wanting affordable, powerful servers. DigitalOcean starts at $4/mo and Hetzner starts at €3.29/mo.

DigitalOcean vs Hetzner

DigitalOcean is cloud infrastructure provider with droplets, managed databases, and Kubernetes at accessible pricing, while Hetzner is german cloud provider with high-performance servers at unbeatable prices. Hetzner comes in cheaper, but price alone does not tell the full story. DigitalOcean is built for developers and small businesses wanting simple cloud, whereas Hetzner targets european developers wanting affordable, powerful servers.

At a glance

	DigitalOcean	Hetzner
Best for	Developers and small businesses wanting simple cloud	European developers wanting affordable, powerful servers
Starting price	$4/mo	€3.29/mo
Free tier	—	—
Open source	—	—
Free tier available	—	—
Open source	—	—
App Platform	✓	—
Block Storage	—	✓
Cloud VMs	—	✓
Dedicated Servers	—	✓
Droplets	✓	—
Kubernetes	✓	—
Load Balancers	—	✓
Managed DBs	✓	—

DigitalOcean

Strengths

Includes Droplets as a core feature, purpose-built for cloud hosting workflows
Includes Managed DBs as a core feature, purpose-built for cloud hosting workflows
Affordable at $4/mo — one of the lower-priced options in the cloud hosting category
Established product with 15+ years on the market and a mature ecosystem

Weaknesses

No free plan — you need to pay $4/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
Limited team/admin features if your organization eventually scales up

Try DigitalOcean → Full review

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

Try Hetzner → Full review

The bottom line

Pricing: DigitalOcean starts at $4/mo. Hetzner starts at €3.29/mo. Hetzner is the more affordable option.

Feature gaps: DigitalOcean offers App Platform, Droplets and Kubernetes that Hetzner lacks. Hetzner brings Block Storage, Cloud VMs and Dedicated Servers that DigitalOcean does not have.

Team fit: DigitalOcean is geared toward small teams teams, while Hetzner is aimed at any size teams. Pick the one that matches where your team is today and where it is headed — migrating tools later is always painful.

Where each tool shines: DigitalOcean's biggest strengths are: includes droplets as a core feature, purpose-built for cloud hosting workflows. includes managed dbs as a core feature, purpose-built for cloud hosting workflows. 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 DigitalOcean, users commonly note that no free plan — you need to pay $4/mo from day one to use it. With Hetzner, the main complaint is that no free plan — you need to pay €3.29/mo from day one to use it.

Choose DigitalOcean if...

Your profile matches its sweet spot: developers and small businesses wanting simple cloud
You specifically need App Platform and Droplets
You care about includes managed dbs as a core feature, purpose-built for cloud hosting workflows
Your team size fits the small teams profile DigitalOcean is designed for

Choose Hetzner if...

You need a tool built for european developers wanting affordable, powerful servers
You want to save on per-user costs — Hetzner is $0.71/user/mo cheaper
You specifically need Block Storage and Cloud VMs
You care about includes cloud vms as a core feature, purpose-built for cloud hosting workflows
Your team size fits the any size profile Hetzner is designed for