Hetzner Cloud vs Contabo

Two German VPS sellers sell on opposite promises. Hetzner Cloud publishes monthly euro prices excluding VAT, with three server families, an API, a command line tool and a daily backup routine. Contabo shows large specifications at an effective rate that assumes a 24-month subscription, from 4 vCPU and 8 GB RAM at EUR 4.40. The decision turns on whether you want to script and automate your servers or want the most memory for the euro. Contabo's traffic is unlimited only under a fair usage policy, which is the clause to read first.

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Both are reviewed in full in our VPS hosting providers ranking: Hetzner Cloud and Contabo.

1. 01

   EUR 4.40 effective against EUR 6.49 monthly

   Contabo shows Cloud VPS 4 at EUR 4.40 a month, but that is the effective rate for a 24-month subscription, and the minimum initial contract is one month. A one-time setup fee applies to monthly contracts only. Hetzner Cloud lists Regular Performance from EUR 6.49 a month and General Purpose from EUR 43.49, both excluding VAT. Its Cost-Optimized family, from EUR 5.99, was marked currently not available. The two figures are built on different commitments, so compare them with your contract length in mind.

   Depends on the buyer

2. 02

   Eight gigabytes versus no specification at all

   Contabo's Cloud VPS range runs from 4 vCPU, 8 GB RAM and 100 GB SSD at EUR 4.40 up to Cloud VPS 18 with 96 GB RAM at EUR 39.20. Cloud VPS 8 is EUR 11.20 with 24 GB, and Cloud VPS 12 is EUR 20.00 with 48 GB. The Hetzner cloud page we read shows no vCPU, RAM or storage figures next to its prices. A buyer sizing a server from the page alone gets far more to work with from Contabo.

   Edge: Contabo

3. 03

   Falkenstein to Hillsboro, against nine regions

   Hetzner Cloud servers sit in Germany (Falkenstein and Nuremberg), Finland (Helsinki), Singapore, and the USA (Hillsboro and Ashburn). Its own data centre parks are in Falkenstein, Nuremberg and Helsinki, the German and Finnish parks hold ISO/IEC 27001 certificates, and it states a 99.9 percent uptime SLA. Contabo names nine regions and eleven locations across the EU, three US areas, India, Singapore, Japan, the UK and Australia. Contabo reaches more continents, while Hetzner documents certification and uptime. Pick by where your users sit.

   Depends on the buyer

4. 04

   Seven backup slots, one to three snapshots

   Hetzner creates backups automatically every day and keeps seven slots, while snapshots are taken by hand. Both exclude volumes attached to the server, which matters if your data lives on a volume. Contabo allows one to three snapshots depending on the plan, sells Auto Backup as an add-on, and offers a Storage Extension that can double capacity. The cheapest Contabo plans carry a single snapshot slot. For recovery planning, Hetzner's routine is better described on the pages we read.

   Edge: Hetzner Cloud

5. 05

   API, CLI and the work that stays with you

   Hetzner Cloud offers a REST API, a command line tool, and integrations for Ansible, Terraform and Kubernetes. It promotes self-hosting with one-click apps including Coolify, Docker CE, Nextcloud, GitLab CE and WireGuard. Contabo states that it supports the VPS itself, while maintenance, upgrades and troubleshooting of applications fall to the customer. It adds free automatic DDoS protection and Plesk free for the first month. An API goes unmentioned for Contabo in our reading, which counts against it for automation.

   Edge: Hetzner Cloud

6. 06

   Fair usage, port speeds and a EUR 0.50 address

   Contabo lists incoming traffic as unlimited and unmetered, and outgoing as unlimited under a fair usage policy, with the right to throttle servers whose use is exceptionally high. Ports run from 200 Mbit/s on Cloud VPS 4 to 1 Gbit/s. Hetzner charges EUR 0.50 a month excluding VAT for each Primary IPv4 address, and charges nothing for IPv6 Primary IPs. Sustained outbound traffic is the case to test with Contabo, and the address fee is the extra line to expect at Hetzner.

   Depends on the buyer

Are Hetzner and Contabo both German companies?

Yes on the pages we read. Hetzner Online GmbH gives its address as Industriestr. 25, Gunzenhausen, and Contabo GmbH gives Welfenstrasse 22 in Munich in its imprint. Both are therefore German companies by their own legal notices.

Does the Contabo price assume a long contract?

Yes, the displayed figure is the effective monthly rate for a 24-month subscription, shown for the first 24 months.

The minimum initial contract is one month, and the setup fee applies to monthly contracts only. The page also shows a higher figure on each card that it does not explain.

Will a Hetzner server cost more than the list price?

Possibly, because each Primary IPv4 address adds EUR 0.50 a month excluding VAT and the listed prices exclude VAT. IPv6 Primary IPs are not charged. Backups and snapshots are also limited to the server itself, so volumes need their own plan.

• Hetzner Cloud page: server families with starting prices, locations, ISO 27001 parks, 99.9 percent SLA, API and integrations, one-click apps.
• Hetzner backups and snapshots documentation: seven daily backup slots, manual snapshots, volumes excluded.
• Hetzner servers overview: EUR 0.50 monthly charge for Primary IPv4, no charge for IPv6.
• Hetzner legal notice: Gunzenhausen address of Hetzner Online GmbH.
• Contabo VPS page: Cloud VPS 4 to 18 specs and 24-month effective rates, contract terms, traffic policy, snapshots, port speeds, support scope.
• Contabo home page: nine regions and free DDoS protection.
• Contabo imprint: Contabo GmbH address in Munich.