- Pick it if you are:
- Developers learning cloud; Startups and small projects
- Top complaint:
- Account lockouts without warning or explanation
- Price:
- From $4/mo
- Pick it if you are:
- European developers and startups; Self-hosters and homelab users
- Top complaint:
- Why was my Hetzner account rejected?
- Price:
- From $3.20/mo
Score Comparison
Signals Comparison
DigitalOcean
- Account lockouts without warning or explanation(10/10)
- Servers blocked without proper notification(9/10)
- App Platform build and deployment failures(6/10)
- Managed services breaking after updates(7/10)
Hetzner
- Hetzner cloud servers 'currently unavailable'(8/10)
- Some services block Hetzner IP ranges(5/10)
- Hetzner network and cloud leaf outages(6/10)
DigitalOcean
- Support response times exceeding 24 hours(8/10)
- No premium support option for small teams(6/10)
Hetzner
- Hetzner support is slow and email-only(6/10)
DigitalOcean
- Hidden costs for load balancers and backups(7/10)
- Charged for inactive/deleted resources(7/10)
Hetzner
- Hetzner price increase 2026: up to 3x on some cloud servers(9/10)
- Rescaling a Hetzner server moves it to the new, higher price(7/10)
- Powered-off Hetzner servers are still billed(5/10)
DigitalOcean
- Dashboard slow with multiple droplets(5/10)
Hetzner
No signals
DigitalOcean
- Limited analytics and monitoring depth(5/10)
Hetzner
- Few managed services compared with AWS or DigitalOcean(5/10)
DigitalOcean
- Platform expanding beyond simple servers(4/10)
Hetzner
- Why was my Hetzner account rejected?(9/10)
DigitalOcean
No signals
Hetzner
- Hetzner server locked for netscan or abuse(8/10)
DigitalOcean
No signals
Hetzner
- Hetzner blocks port 25 and 465 (can't send email)(6/10)
DigitalOcean
No signals
Hetzner
- Hetzner US and Singapore locations cost more and include far less traffic(5/10)
Pricing Comparison
DigitalOcean
Users: N/A
Storage: 10GB SSD
Limits: Shared CPU, Limited resources, Free support has 24hr response
Users: N/A
Storage: 50GB SSD
Limits: Shared CPU, Basic monitoring
Users: N/A
Storage: 25GB SSD
Limits: Higher price point, Still needs managed add-ons
Users: N/A
Storage: Usage-based
Limits: 8GB build memory limit, Less control than Droplets
Hetzner
Storage: 40 GB NVMe, 20 TB traffic
Limits: Shown as 'currently unavailable' on the official page (Nov 2026); EU locations only; was €3.99 before June 2026
Storage: 40 GB NVMe, 20 TB traffic
Limits: Currently unavailable; Arm-only images; was €4.49 before June 2026
Storage: 80 GB NVMe, 20 TB traffic
Limits: Singapore includes only 1 TB traffic; was €7.99 before June 2026
Storage: 20 GB NVMe, 20 TB traffic
Limits: Very small; currently unavailable to order
Storage: 40 GB NVMe, 1 TB traffic
Limits: US prices are far higher than EU after June 2026
Storage: 80 GB NVMe, 20 TB traffic
Limits: Was about €15.99 before June 2026; currently unavailable to order
Storage: 2x 512 GB NVMe
Limits: Older Zen 2 hardware; stock varies
Storage: 2x 512 GB NVMe
Limits: Unmanaged; you handle OS and backups
Storage: 1 TB
Limits: Storage only, not block storage
Feature Comparison
| Feature | DigitalOcean | Hetzner |
|---|---|---|
| Infrastructure | ||
| Virtual servers (Droplets) From $4/month | ||
| Managed Kubernetes | ||
| Multi-cloud/hybrid deployment Not supported natively | ||
| Compute | ||
| Cloud servers (shared and dedicated vCPU) CX, CAX (Arm), CPX, CCX lines | ||
| Dedicated root servers AX, EX, SX, GPU, DX lines + Server Auction | ||
| Databases | ||
| Managed PostgreSQL | ||
| Managed Redis | ||
| Operations | ||
| Rescue system Linux live system, 60-minute activation window | ||
| Networking | ||
| Cloud firewalls and private networks | ||
| Load balancers Extra cost | ||
| Outbound SMTP (port 25/465) Blocked by default on cloud; unblock on request | ||
| Storage | ||
| Object storage (Spaces) S3-compatible | ||
| Object storage (S3-compatible) | ||
| Storage Box From €3.20/month for 1 TB | ||
| Deployment | ||
| App Platform PaaS option | ||
| Performance | ||
| Global CDN Spaces CDN | ||
| Managed services | ||
| Managed databases Self-host only | ||
| Features | ||
| Advanced AI/ML services Limited compared to hyperscalers | ||
| Support | ||
| Phone/live chat support Ticket-based support | ||
Have an app idea? Our small team builds any software: web and mobile apps, games, desktop, AI tools. Price agreed together.
Talk to us