DigitalOcean vs Hetzner
DigitalOcean vs Hetzner compared for European indie developers and small startups. Pricing, EU jurisdiction, GDPR posture, and why Runsite (an EU-registered PaaS in Frankfurt) is worth a look.
DigitalOcean vs Hetzner: quick answer
DigitalOcean and Hetzner both offer Git-push deploy workflows, but they differ where it counts. DigitalOcean starts around from $5/mo. Hetzner (a German (EU) company) and DigitalOcean (US-headquartered) sit on different sides of the data-residency question. For European teams that need GDPR-compliant hosting in Frankfurt with predictable EUR billing and a permanent free tier, Runsite is the EU-native alternative to both.
// digitalocean problems → runsite solutions
Common DigitalOcean frustrations. Sound familiar?
Every DigitalOcean frustration, solved.
DigitalOcean problem
"I have to manage the server myself"
Droplets require SSH access, OS updates, security patches, nginx config, and manual deployment.
Runsite solution
Fully managed PaaS
Push to GitHub, auto-build, auto-deploy. SSL, scaling, and maintenance handled for you.
DigitalOcean problem
"DigitalOcean is a US company"
Your data is subject to US jurisdiction even on Amsterdam droplets.
Runsite solution
EU entity, EU law
Runsite is registered in the EU. Your data is governed by European privacy laws.
DigitalOcean problem
"$200 trial credit runs out"
DigitalOcean's trial is generous but temporary. After 60 days, you pay for everything.
Runsite solution
Permanent free tier
No trial period. No credit card. Build and deploy at zero cost, forever.
// comparison
Runsite vs DigitalOcean
Side-by-side. No marketing fluff, just facts.
| Feature | Runsite | DigitalOcean |
|---|---|---|
| Deployment Method | ✓ Git push, auto-build | Manual server setup |
| Server Management | ✓ Fully managed | ✗ You manage everything |
| EU Data Centers | ✓ Frankfurt (eu-central) | ✓ Amsterdam, Frankfurt |
| GDPR Compliance | ✓ EU entity | ✗ US company |
| Free Tier | ✓ Permanent | ✗ $200 trial credit |
| Basic Droplet | €5/mo (managed) | $6/mo (unmanaged) |
| SSL Certificates | ✓ Automatic | Manual setup |
// the other side
What about Hetzner?
Hetzner gives you a bare Linux VPS in Germany for a few euros. Runsite gives you a managed PaaS on the same continent: git push, automatic SSL, and no server administration.
// hetzner problems → runsite solutions
Common Hetzner frustrations. Sound familiar?
Every Hetzner frustration, solved.
Hetzner problem
"I just wanted to deploy, not run a server"
A Hetzner Cloud VPS is an empty Linux machine. You install the runtime, configure nginx, set up SSL, and script every deploy yourself.
Runsite solution
Managed PaaS, not a bare VM
Push to GitHub and Runsite builds, deploys, and terminates SSL for you. The server underneath is our problem, not yours.
Hetzner problem
"Patching and uptime are on me"
Kernel updates, firewall rules, fail2ban, log rotation and 3am reboots all come with an unmanaged VPS.
Runsite solution
We run the infrastructure
OS patching, scaling and health checks are handled. You ship application code and nothing else.
Hetzner problem
"There is no free tier to prototype on"
Hetzner is inexpensive but every project is billed from the first hour — there is no permanent free plan for side projects.
Runsite solution
Permanent free tier
Prototype and host small projects at zero cost, no credit card and no expiry date.
// comparison
Runsite vs Hetzner
Side-by-side. No marketing fluff, just facts.
| Feature | Runsite | Hetzner |
|---|---|---|
| Deployment Method | ✓ Git push, auto-build | Manual server setup (SSH) |
| Server Management | ✓ Fully managed | ✗ You manage the OS, patches, nginx |
| EU Data Centers | ✓ Frankfurt (eu-central) | ✓ Nuremberg, Falkenstein, Helsinki |
| EU Jurisdiction | ✓ EU entity | ✓ German company (GmbH) |
| Automatic SSL | ✓ Provisioned for you | Manual (certbot / your setup) |
| Cheapest Instance | €5/mo (managed) | ~€3.79/mo (unmanaged VPS) |
| Free Tier | ✓ Permanent, no card | ✗ None |
| Billing Currency | € EUR | € EUR |
// pricing, side by side
DigitalOcean vs Hetzner: what each actually costs
Free tier covers static sites only (up to 3 apps). There is no always-free plan for containers or servers; new accounts get time-limited promotional credit on top.
DigitalOcean's entry prices are genuinely low, but the cheap tiers are either unmanaged (Droplets) or resource-limited, and managed databases push the real cost up quickly. There is no free tier, which makes it a poor fit for prototyping.
Pricing verified June 2026. Check the official pricing page of each provider for current rates.
// in-depth comparison
How DigitalOcean and Hetzner each compare to Runsite
DigitalOcean vs Runsite
DigitalOcean is solid infrastructure and the wrong abstraction if you would rather write code than administer Linux. It made cloud computing accessible to individual developers at a time when AWS felt impenetrable. Droplets are straightforward, the pricing is clear, and the community tutorials cover almost every deployment scenario. For developers comfortable with Linux administration, it provides good value.
The core issue is that Droplets are unmanaged virtual machines. OS updates, security patches, firewall configuration, SSL certificates, and deployment automation are all on you. App Platform exists as a managed alternative, but it is limited in flexibility and still US-headquartered. The $200 trial credit expires after 60 days, leaving no free tier. Runsite is a fully managed PaaS: push code to GitHub, get a running app with automatic SSL, in EU data centers, from an EU entity.
Developers tired of SSH sessions, nginx configurations, and weekend maintenance windows will appreciate the managed approach. You get an EU-jurisdictional Frankfurt region (eu-central), with zero server management overhead.
Hetzner vs Runsite
Hetzner is one of the best-value infrastructure providers in Europe, and that is exactly why the comparison is about developer experience rather than jurisdiction. It is a German company (Hetzner Online GmbH) running data centers in Nuremberg, Falkenstein and Helsinki, so EU residency and GDPR posture are already strong — arguably a match for any EU-native PaaS. If your only concern is where the bytes physically sit, Hetzner is a legitimately good answer.
The catch is that a Hetzner Cloud instance is an unmanaged virtual machine. You get root on a blank Linux box for a few euros a month, and everything above that — runtime, nginx, TLS certificates, deploy scripts, OS patching, monitoring — is your job. For teams that enjoy running their own stack this is a feature. For an indie developer who just wants a URL, it is a weekend of yak-shaving before the first deploy. Runsite is a managed PaaS: git push, automatic builds, automatic SSL, and zero server administration, in the Frankfurt (eu-central) region under an EU entity.
Put simply: Hetzner wins on raw price per core, Runsite wins on the hours you get back. If your time is worth more than the €1–2/month difference, the managed option usually pays for itself.
// why consider runsite
Beyond DigitalOcean and Hetzner
EU PaaS for indie developers and small European startups. One region: Frankfurt.
EU-First Infrastructure
While DigitalOcean and Hetzner default to US markets, Runsite is built exclusively for European developers. Frankfurt (eu-central) region, EU entity, EU jurisdiction, with no transatlantic transfers.
Real GDPR Compliance
EU-registered entity. Your data is governed by European law. No US jurisdiction, no CLOUD Act.
Predictable Pricing
No per-invocation charges, no surprise bills. Fixed plans with hard spending caps and Telegram alerts.
Common Questions
FAQ
Which is better for EU hosting, DigitalOcean or Hetzner?
Hetzner (a German (EU) company) has the stronger EU-residency story here, while DigitalOcean is US-headquartered and stays subject to the US CLOUD Act even in its European regions. If jurisdiction is your deciding factor, that gap matters. Runsite is EU-native as well, running exclusively in Frankfurt (eu-central) under an EU entity, and adds fully managed deploys, predictable EUR billing, and a permanent free tier — so you get European residency without giving up developer experience.
Which has the better free tier, DigitalOcean or Hetzner?
Free tiers on both DigitalOcean and Hetzner change frequently and tend to share the same catch: compute that sleeps after inactivity, bandwidth or build-minute caps, or trial credits that expire after a fixed window. They are fine for quick experiments but rarely sustainable for an always-on hobby project. If a permanent free tier matters, read the current terms carefully. Limits are often buried in the pricing footnotes. Runsite takes the opposite approach: a free tier with no credit card and no expiry, designed to keep small projects online indefinitely rather than nudging you onto a paid plan.
Is DigitalOcean or Hetzner GDPR-compliant?
Hetzner (a German (EU) company) can keep data under European jurisdiction, whereas DigitalOcean, as a US-incorporated provider, remains subject to the US CLOUD Act regardless of the region you pick — a common sticking point in DPO review. For workloads where EU jurisdiction is a hard requirement, an EU-registered provider removes the ambiguity. Runsite keeps data in Frankfurt under an EU entity, so GDPR posture is the default rather than a per-region configuration exercise.
What is the cheapest way to deploy a side project, DigitalOcean or Hetzner?
For a single small service, both DigitalOcean and Hetzner can look inexpensive on paper. The headline price rarely matches the real bill. Per-service billing, metered bandwidth, build minutes, and add-ons for databases or key-value stores stack up quickly, and neither platform offers a hard spending cap to stop a surprise invoice. The cheapest predictable option is one with fixed monthly pricing and an enforced ceiling. Runsite bills in EUR from €5/month with hard spending caps and Telegram alerts, plus a permanent free tier, so a side project stays cheap by design, not by careful monitoring.
// explore alternatives
Try the European Alternative
Skip the DigitalOcean vs Hetzner debate. Deploy on Runsite.
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