Hetzner has earned a reputation as one of Europe’s best-value hosting providers. Founded in 1997 by Martin Hetzner in Gunzenhausen, Germany, the company operates its own data centers in Falkenstein, Nuremberg, and Helsinki, giving it full control over hardware and infrastructure. That vertical integration is a big reason Hetzner can offer prices that often make developers do a double take.
Their dedicated server auction, where used servers are sold at steep discounts, has become legendary in the developer community. You can pick up a powerful bare-metal server for a fraction of what you’d pay at AWS or Google Cloud. The Hetzner Cloud platform, launched in 2018, offers virtual servers starting at just a few euros per month with solid performance.
Hetzner Cloud instances come with fast NVMe storage, generous bandwidth (20 TB included on most plans), and data centers that comply with strict German data protection laws. For European companies navigating GDPR requirements, hosting with a German provider offers clear advantages.
The company serves over 500,000 customers and manages roughly 300,000 servers. Despite its scale, Hetzner has kept things straightforward — no complex pricing calculators, no surprise egress charges, no consultants needed to figure out your bill. Pricing is transparent and predictable.
Hetzner doesn’t have the managed services ecosystem of AWS or the global footprint of Google Cloud, and their support isn’t known for hand-holding. But for developers and businesses who know what they’re doing and want excellent hardware at honest prices, Hetzner is hard to beat. The company reported over €400 million in revenue in recent years, all while remaining privately held and profitable.
