Hetzner Cloud
Cloud VM/IaaS
A low-cost cloud VM provider with virtual servers, volumes, networking, snapshots, and global infrastructure options.
Starter cost
Paid entry
Card required
Yes
Always-on
Supported
Billing risk
medium
Category
Cloud VM/IaaS
Cost range
Paid VM pricing; small servers can be low monthly cost, while storage, backup, and traffic rules vary
Free tier details
Hetzner Cloud is usually a paid infrastructure choice rather than a no-card free-tier app host.
Database fit
Hetzner Cloud fits Postgres, Redis, MySQL workloads, with the exact storage, compute, and quota story depending on the current plan.
- Best database use
- Cheap always-on VMs, self-managed Docker apps, users comfortable with Linux servers
- Check before launch
- Verify backups, storage quotas, connection limits, regions, and whether a separate database provider is needed.
Stress-test Hetzner Cloud before you pick it
Answer a short provider-specific form, then run the full bill-risk simulator with your scenario prefilled.
Fit summary
Hetzner Cloud is strongest when low-cost always-on infrastructure matters more than a managed app workflow. It gives control, but pushes operations work back to you.
Best fit
Cheap always-on VMs, self-managed Docker apps, users comfortable with Linux servers
Deployment model
Infrastructure-first VM hosting where you install and operate the app stack.
Operations owner
You own server updates, backups, monitoring, incident response, and capacity planning.
Billing model
Predictable VM-style pricing, but backups, storage, IPs, load balancers, and transfer can add cost.
Runtime fit
Node.js API, Python FastAPI, Docker app, Static frontend
Data fit
Postgres, Redis, MySQL
Budget fit
Under $5, Under $10, Under $25, Custom
Region strategy
Broad regional coverage across US, Europe, and Asia.
Choose this if
- Cheap always-on VMs
- Strong price/performance
- You are comfortable setting budgets and alerts before deploying.
Think twice if
- No managed PaaS workflow
- Check server, snapshot, backup, volume, load balancer, IPv4, and traffic pricing.
- You need a provider to handle patching, backups, and incidents for you.
Decision checks
Use these notes as a launch checklist, not a final pricing promise. Verify live provider limits before moving real users.
Strengths
- Strong price/performance
- always-on infrastructure
- good for self-hosted stacks
Watch outs
- No managed PaaS workflow
- you own server security and backups
- Check server, snapshot, backup, volume, load balancer, IPv4, and traffic pricing.
Before launch
- Set budget alerts and spend notifications before attaching production traffic.
- Confirm the minimum paid plan covers your expected app, database, and bandwidth usage.
- Verify database storage, backups, connection limits, and whether the database is bundled or external.
- Confirm always-on services, workers, and cron jobs are included in the plan you choose.