Hetzner vs UpCloud: Complete Comparison (2026)
An in-depth comparison of Hetzner and UpCloud to help you choose the right tool for your business.
Last updated: November 2026
Hetzner
6.4/10
German hosting provider offering cloud servers, dedicated servers, S3-compatible object storage and shared web hosting at low prices for developers and businesses.
UpCloud
7/10
A Finnish cloud infrastructure provider offering cloud servers, managed Kubernetes, managed databases, object storage, and networking to developers and businesses.
Feature-by-Feature Comparison
| Feature | | |
|---|---|---|
| Scores | ||
| Overall Rating | 6.4/10 | 7/10 |
| Integration | 7/10 | 7/10 |
| Support | 4/10 | 8/10 |
| Cost | 9/10 | 6/10 |
| Customization | 8/10 | 7/10 |
| Security | 6/10 | 7/10 |
| Reliability | 7/10 | 8/10 |
| Ease of Use | 6/10 | 7/10 |
| Analytics | 4/10 | 5/10 |
| Scalability | 6/10 | 7/10 |
| Pricing | ||
| Free plan | No | No |
| Cheapest paid plan | €2/mo Webhosting S | €3/mo Starter |
| Estimated cost for 10 users | €2/mo Webhosting S | €3/mo Starter |
| Features | ||
| API and CLI | ||
| Automatic Backups | ||
| Cloud Compute | ||
| Multiple Regions | ||
| Object Storage | ||
| VPS Hosting | ||
| Content Delivery Network | Not listed | |
| Dedicated Servers | Not listed | |
| Managed Databases | Not listed | |
| Managed Kubernetes | Not listed | |
| Shared Hosting | Not listed | |
| Uptime SLA | Not listed | |
Hetzner vs UpCloud cost by team size
Hetzner costs less at every team size we checked.
| Team size | Hetzner | UpCloud |
|---|---|---|
| 1 user | €2/moWebhosting S | €3/moStarter |
| 5 users | €2/moWebhosting S | €3/moStarter |
| 10 users | €2/moWebhosting S | €3/moStarter |
| 25 users | €2/moWebhosting S | €3/moStarter |
| 50 users | €2/moWebhosting S | €3/moStarter |
The plan that fits each team size, billed monthly, before add-ons and usage charges. Each cost opens that tool's pricing calculator for the team size.
Which One Should You Choose?
Why choose Hetzner
- Lower estimated cost for 10 users: €2/mo vs €3/mo
- Higher Cost score (9/10 vs 6/10)
- Higher Customization score (8/10 vs 7/10)
Why choose UpCloud
- Higher Support score (8/10 vs 4/10)
- Higher Security score (7/10 vs 6/10)
- Better fit for enterprise (6/10 vs 4/10)
Pros & Cons
Hetzner
Pros
- Compute is still cheaper than DigitalOcean, Linode or Vultr and several times cheaper than the hyperscalers, even after the 2026 price rises.
- Cloud servers are billed hourly with a monthly cap, and firewalls and private networks are included at no extra cost.
- Infrastructure can be automated through a REST API, a CLI, and integrations for Terraform, Ansible and Kubernetes.
- Hetzner owns its data centers in Germany and Finland, which suits teams that need EU data residency.
- Object storage includes 1 TB of storage and 1 TB of egress for a flat base price.
Cons
- Prices rose by about 30 to 37 percent in April 2026, the second increase in about 18 months.
- US cloud bandwidth allowances were cut sharply in December 2024.
- Reviewers often report strict identity checks that block or close new accounts.
- There is no 24/7 chat support, and some reviewers say support is slow to respond.
- Managed services are limited compared with the hyperscalers, so most of the stack is self-managed.
UpCloud
Pros
- Independent benchmarks recorded very low p99 disk latency on its MaxIOPS storage
- Advertises a 100% uptime SLA with 50x credits for downtime
- Fixed plan prices include data transfer, which keeps bills predictable
- Official Terraform provider, REST API, and CLI support infrastructure as code
- Broad managed portfolio covering Kubernetes, four database engines, object storage, and a CDN
- EU headquarters, ISO 27001 certification, and GDPR focus suit European buyers
Cons
- Reviewers find it several times more expensive than Hetzner for similar specs
- Fewer locations than larger providers, concentrated in Europe
- Smaller community and fewer third-party reviews than DigitalOcean or Vultr
- One user reports outbound port 25 is blocked by default, which hinders mail servers
- Pricing is changing in November 2026, so older published prices may be out of date
Not sold on either?
Frequently Asked Questions
UpCloud scores higher on our Hosting & Infrastructure criteria: 7/10 against 6.4/10 for Hetzner. The largest gap is in Support: 4/10 for Hetzner and 8/10 for UpCloud.
Hetzner costs less for 10 users: about €2/mo on its Webhosting S plan, against about €3/mo on its Starter plan for UpCloud, billed monthly.
No, neither Hetzner nor UpCloud lists a free plan.
UpCloud is the better fit for enterprise: we rate it 6/10 for them, against 4/10 for Hetzner.
