Hetzner vs Contabo
Compare monthly cost, included bandwidth, and EU sovereignty for the same vCPU/RAM workload.
Prices & hardware specs verified 2026-09-02
Editorial Verdict
Contabo leads on raw vCPU/RAM per dollar (4vCPU/8GB for €4.40 incl. VAT; $4.31 VAT-stripped) with unmetered bandwidth, ideal for bulk storage and seedboxes. Hetzner leads on network quality, API polish, and verifiable uptime SLAs.
⚠ Class context: both vendors are compared on fair-share (shared vCPU) plans here — specs are burst ceilings (“up to”), not guaranteed minimums. For measurable, guaranteed capacity, compare dedicated-class plans on the main comparison.
Cost Benchmark Across Typical Workloads
Starter (1 vCPU / 2GB / 1TB)
Hetzner Cloud $6.98/mo
vs
Contabo $4.31/mo
Contabo is $2.67/mo cheaper
Web App (2 vCPU / 4GB / 5TB)
Hetzner Cloud $6.98/mo
vs
Contabo $4.31/mo
Contabo is $2.67/mo cheaper
High Traffic (4 vCPU / 8GB / 20TB)
Hetzner Cloud $10.48/mo
vs
Contabo $4.31/mo
Contabo is $6.17/mo cheaper
Strengths & Trade-offs
Hetzner Cloud
Visit Hetzner Cloud →Strengths
- Premium network (Anexia/DE-CIX peering)
- Excellent API+Terraform coverage
- Reputation for stable NVMe performance
Gotchas
- Higher price per vCPU vs Contabo
- No unmetered tier
Contabo
Visit Contabo →Strengths
- Unmetered bandwidth on all VPS plans
- 4vCPU/8GB entry at €4.40 incl. VAT ($4.31 VAT-stripped; best price/GB)
- Large storage VPS lineup (up to 1.6TB SSD)
Gotchas
- Mixed support reputation
- CPU steal reported under heavy multi-tenant load
Configure your exact vCPU/RAM/bandwidth
Test your custom workload in the interactive calculator.