Hetzner Cloud vs DigitalOcean Droplets
Pricing data as of 2026-10-12 · refreshed weekly
Hetzner Cloud (vps) and DigitalOcean Droplets (vps) overlap on 15 stacks. The table below shows the cheapest fitting plan on each for a typical startup workload (~50,000 visits/month) — list prices, no promos.
Hetzner Cloudvps
| CAX11 (Arm)(not orderable now) | $7.59/mo |
| CX23(not orderable now) | $7.09/mo |
| CX33(not orderable now) | $10.59/mo |
| CX43(not orderable now) | $19.09/mo |
| CPX22 (Regular Performance) | $23.59/mo |
| CPX32 (Regular Performance) | $42.59/mo |
| CPX42 (Regular Performance) | $82.59/mo |
DigitalOcean Dropletsvps
| Basic 512MB | $4/mo |
| Basic 1GB | $6/mo |
| Basic 2GB | $12/mo |
| Basic 4GB | $24/mo |
Cheapest fitting plan per stack (startup traffic)
| Stack | Hetzner Cloud | DigitalOcean Droplets | Cheaper |
|---|---|---|---|
| Next.js | $23.59 (CPX22 (Regular Performance)) | $4 (Basic 512MB) | DigitalOcean Droplets |
| Nuxt | $23.59 (CPX22 (Regular Performance)) | $4 (Basic 512MB) | DigitalOcean Droplets |
| Astro | $23.59 (CPX22 (Regular Performance)) | $4 (Basic 512MB) | DigitalOcean Droplets |
| SvelteKit | $23.59 (CPX22 (Regular Performance)) | $4 (Basic 512MB) | DigitalOcean Droplets |
| Remix / React Router | $23.59 (CPX22 (Regular Performance)) | $4 (Basic 512MB) | DigitalOcean Droplets |
| Node.js API | $23.59 (CPX22 (Regular Performance)) | $4 (Basic 512MB) | DigitalOcean Droplets |
| Django | $23.59 (CPX22 (Regular Performance)) | $6 (Basic 1GB) | DigitalOcean Droplets |
| FastAPI | $23.59 (CPX22 (Regular Performance)) | $4 (Basic 512MB) | DigitalOcean Droplets |
| Laravel | $23.59 (CPX22 (Regular Performance)) | $6 (Basic 1GB) | DigitalOcean Droplets |
| Ruby on Rails | $23.59 (CPX22 (Regular Performance)) | $12 (Basic 2GB) | DigitalOcean Droplets |
| Spring Boot | $23.59 (CPX22 (Regular Performance)) | $12 (Basic 2GB) | DigitalOcean Droplets |
| WordPress | $23.59 (CPX22 (Regular Performance)) | $6 (Basic 1GB) | DigitalOcean Droplets |
| Ghost | $23.59 (CPX22 (Regular Performance)) | $6 (Basic 1GB) | DigitalOcean Droplets |
| Strapi | $23.59 (CPX22 (Regular Performance)) | $6 (Basic 1GB) | DigitalOcean Droplets |
| Static site | $23.59 (CPX22 (Regular Performance)) | $4 (Basic 512MB) | DigitalOcean Droplets |
Next.js by traffic level
| Traffic | Hetzner Cloud | DigitalOcean Droplets |
|---|---|---|
| Hobby / side project (~5,000/mo) | $23.59 (CPX22 (Regular Performance)) | $4 (Basic 512MB) |
| Startup / small business (~50,000/mo) | $23.59 (CPX22 (Regular Performance)) | $4 (Basic 512MB) |
| E-commerce (~200,000/mo) | $23.59 (CPX22 (Regular Performance)) | $6 (Basic 1GB) |
| High traffic (~1,000,000/mo) | $23.59 (CPX22 (Regular Performance)) | $12 (Basic 2GB) |
"+" = even the largest plan may not cover that traffic. Full breakdowns: Next.js on Hetzner Cloud · Next.js on DigitalOcean Droplets
FAQ
Is Hetzner Cloud or DigitalOcean Droplets cheaper?
DigitalOcean Droplets is cheaper for all 15 stacks both can run, at startup traffic (~50,000 visits/month). Both are VPS offerings, so compare what each bundles (below) as well as price.
What does a Next.js app cost on Hetzner Cloud vs DigitalOcean Droplets?
Cheapest fitting plan by traffic level — hobby / side project: Hetzner Cloud $23.59/month (CPX22 (Regular Performance)) vs DigitalOcean Droplets $4/month (Basic 512MB); startup / small business: Hetzner Cloud $23.59/month (CPX22 (Regular Performance)) vs DigitalOcean Droplets $4/month (Basic 512MB); e-commerce: Hetzner Cloud $23.59/month (CPX22 (Regular Performance)) vs DigitalOcean Droplets $6/month (Basic 1GB); high traffic: Hetzner Cloud $23.59/month (CPX22 (Regular Performance)) vs DigitalOcean Droplets $12/month (Basic 2GB).
What is included with Hetzner Cloud and DigitalOcean Droplets?
Hetzner Cloud is a VPS with nothing bundled — CDN, TLS automation, previews and deploys are yours to set up. DigitalOcean Droplets is a VPS with nothing bundled — CDN, TLS automation, previews and deploys are yours to set up.
How current are these prices?
They are official list prices as of 2026-10-12, re-checked against each provider's pricing page on a weekly cycle. Intro promos and coupons are not used in totals; taxes are not included unless a plan note says so.