Compute comparison
Edge vs Hetzner
Hetzner is famously cheap, and on raw price per plan it's hard to beat. Edge competes on a different axis: exact sizing, global reach and a bill that can't surprise you.
The honest answer
When Hetzner is the better choice
Hetzner has earned its reputation. Its shared vCPU plans start at a few euros a month — for many European workloads, it's genuinely the cheapest good option.
Choose Hetzner if…
- Lowest price per plan is your top priority
- Your users are mainly in Europe, near its German and Finnish data centres
- Your workload fits neatly into one of its fixed plans
- You want data centres run on green energy
Feature by feature
Edge and Hetzner, side by side
| Hetzner | ||
|---|---|---|
| Pricing model | Per resource | Fixed server plans |
| Custom vCPU, RAM and disk | ||
| Price per plan | Competitive | Often the lowest |
| Sign up without a card | ||
| Identity checks at signup | None | Sometimes required |
| Billing | Hourly, prepaid | Hourly, postpaid |
| Surprise bills possible | ||
| Region coverage | 33 regions, 5 continents | EU, US, Singapore |
| Egress | Free | Allowance, then per TB |
| NVMe storage | ||
| GPU instances | Coming soon | |
| Sustainability | Uses existing capacity | Green energy data centres |
Pricing models
Fixed steps versus a straight line
Hetzner plans scale in fixed steps of vCPU, RAM and disk — cheap per step, but if you need lots of memory and little disk you still buy the whole bundle. Edge prices every GB and core on its own, so the bill tracks what you use.
- vCPU $0.004/hr (≈ $2.92/mo)
- RAM $0.00256/GiB-hr (≈ $1.87/mo)
- NVMe $0.074/GiB-month
Hetzner prices its plans in euros excluding VAT, with a traffic allowance included and per-TB charges beyond it. We don't reproduce its prices here — check Hetzner's site for current figures.
When to choose Edge
Where Edge makes more sense
You need regions beyond Europe
Hetzner is concentrated in Germany and Finland, with limited US and Singapore presence. Edge spans 33 regions on five continents.You want to size VMs exactly
Hetzner's plans are fixed bundles. Edge prices vCPU, RAM and disk independently.You want zero-friction signup
Hetzner requires payment details and sometimes ID verification. Edge signup is free, with no card.
Migration
Moving from Hetzner
Follow the steps below yourself, or have our expert services team run the move with you.
- 01
Map what you run
List your servers, their plan and what each actually uses. Decide which ones would benefit from being closer to users outside Europe. - 02
Recreate on Edge
Create matching VMs in the nearest region with the same OS image, SSH keys and a startup script for your stack. - 03
Sync and test
Copy data across while Hetzner keeps serving. Transfer into and out of Edge is free, so test as long as you need. - 04
Switch DNS
Point your records at the new VMs, watch traffic move, then shut the old instances down.
FAQ
Edge vs Hetzner, answered
Is Edge cheaper than Hetzner?
Usually not on raw price per plan — Hetzner is one of the cheapest providers anywhere. Edge can come out ahead when a workload doesn't fit Hetzner's bundles, needs regions outside Europe, or sends a lot of traffic past Hetzner's allowance.
Does Edge offer GPU instances?
Not yet — they're coming soon. Neither provider offers cloud GPU instances today.
Do I need to verify my identity to sign up?
No. Edge signup is free, with no card and no identity checks.
Try Edge next to Hetzner
Create a free account — no card needed — and deploy a VM with exactly the resources you want. Compare the bill for yourself.
Prepaid billing: top up when you're ready, stop any time.