2 Best Free Alternatives to Hetzner in 2026
By Noahlast updated
Compared: free alternatives to Hetzner
| Alternative | Best for | Standout | Biggest weakness | Learning curve | Price |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hetznerreference | developers and small teams who need cheap, no-frills cloud or dedicated compute in EU data centers and don't need a hyperscaler's global edge network | Per-resource pricing that consistently undercuts AWS, DigitalOcean, and Google Cloud on raw compute, with a stateful firewall, private networking, and 20TB of traffic included at no extra cost on cloud plans. | Support is email-only with no phone or live chat, data centers are concentrated in Germany, Finland, and one US location rather than a global points-of-presence network, and Hetzner has periodically restricted or delayed account approvals for new customers in some countries. | Moderate | From $4.59/mo |
| DigitalOcean | developers and small engineering teams who want predictable, usage-based cloud pricing for VMs, Kubernetes, and managed databases without navigating AWS's pricing complexity | Simple, transparent per-second billing on Droplets starting at $4/month, combined with a newer AI infrastructure stack (GPU access, a 70+ model inference engine, and managed agent orchestration) on the same account. | Fewer regions and a smaller managed-service catalog than AWS, Azure, or Google Cloud, so teams with complex compliance, networking, or enterprise-integration needs often outgrow DigitalOcean and have to migrate to a hyperscaler. | Low | Free tier · paid from $4/mo |
| AWS Amplify | teams already building on AWS who want Git-based hosting plus managed auth, data, and storage without assembling separate services | Provisions a full backend (Cognito authentication, data APIs, storage, functions) from a single TypeScript codebase alongside CI/CD hosting on CloudFront | Pricing spans multiple separately-billed AWS services (hosting, Cognito, AppSync, DynamoDB, Lambda), so total cost isn't visible on the Amplify pricing page alone, and the platform assumes comfort with AWS's console and IAM model rather than offering a simplified single-dashboard experience like Vercel or Netlify. | Moderate | Free tier · paid from $0.01/mo |
Hetzner
DigitalOcean
AWS Amplify1.DigitalOcean — best Hetzner alternative for developers and small engineering teams who want predictable, usage-based cloud pricing for VMs, Kubernetes, and managed databases without navigating AWS's pricing complexity
DigitalOcean is the best Hetzner alternative for teams that want predictable per-second billing plus a genuinely free tier for lightweight apps, not just cheap compute. DigitalOcean's Droplets start at $4/month with per-second billing (60-second minimum), slightly undercutting Hetzner's $4.59/month entry-level CX22 instance, and DigitalOcean's App Platform includes a genuine $0/month free tier for static sites and small apps, something Hetzner doesn't offer at any tier. DigitalOcean holds a 4.6/5 rating from 159 Capterra reviews, giving it documented review evidence Hetzner's own listing doesn't have. DigitalOcean has also built out an AI infrastructure line, including GPU access across 20 data centers and an inference engine serving 70+ open models behind one API endpoint. Hetzner is still the better choice for teams that want more bundled bandwidth and EU-specific data residency: Hetzner includes 20TB of traffic at no extra cost on cloud plans plus a stateful firewall and private networking, and its data centers sit specifically in Germany and Finland for GDPR compliance, while DigitalOcean's free outbound transfer starts at a smaller 500GiB/month allowance.
Compared to Hetzner: cheaper entry-level compute ($4/mo Droplets vs $4.59/mo CX22), a genuine free tier via App Platform vs Hetzner's no free tier, documented 4.6/5 rating from 159 Capterra reviews vs no rating data for Hetzner
Wins:Droplets start at $4/month vs Hetzner's $4.59/month entry-level CX22 instance · App Platform includes a genuine $0/month free tier for static sites and small apps, which Hetzner doesn't offer at any tier · 4.6/5 rating from 159 Capterra reviews, documented review evidence Hetzner's own listing lacks
Loses:Free outbound data transfer starts at a smaller 500GiB/month allowance vs Hetzner's 20TB included on cloud plans · Fewer EU-specific data centers for GDPR data residency than Hetzner's Germany and Finland locations · Fewer regions and a smaller managed-service catalog than the major hyperscalers, a limitation it shares with Hetzner's own smaller footprint
Pros
- Droplets start at $4/month with simple per-second billing, easier to predict than hyperscaler pricing.
- App Platform includes a genuine free tier, not just a time-limited trial.
- Managed Kubernetes includes a free control plane, a cost hyperscalers usually charge for.
- 4.6/5 rating from 159 Capterra reviews, with reviewers reporting largely positive sentiment.
Cons
- Far fewer regions and managed services than AWS, Azure, or Google Cloud, limiting fit for complex enterprise needs.
- The new-account credit is a modest $5 valid for 90 days, smaller than promotional credits some competitors offer.
- The AI infrastructure line (GPU access, inference engine) is newer and less proven than dedicated AI cloud providers.
- Support and SLA options are thinner than what enterprise customers get from the major hyperscalers.
Pricing: Free tier · paid from $4/mo — $4/month Droplets vs Hetzner's $4.59/month CX22 (both entry-level shared-vCPU instances) (verified undefined NaN, NaN)
2.AWS Amplify — best Hetzner alternative for teams already building on AWS who want Git-based hosting plus managed auth, data, and storage without assembling separate services
AWS Amplify is the best Hetzner alternative for teams that want a managed full-stack toolkit — Git-based CI/CD hosting plus authentication, data APIs, storage, and serverless functions — provisioned from one TypeScript codebase, rather than assembling infrastructure manually. Amplify's 12-month AWS Free Tier includes 1,000 build minutes, 5GB of CDN storage, and 15GB of data transfer per month at no cost, something Hetzner doesn't offer at any tier since Hetzner has no permanent free tier. Amplify holds a 4.8/5 rating from 8 Capterra reviews and a 5.0/5 from 11 Product Hunt reviews, reviewer evidence Hetzner's own listing lacks. Hetzner is still the better choice for teams that want simple, predictable, long-term pricing: Amplify's backend services (Cognito, AppSync, DynamoDB, Lambda) are billed separately under their own AWS pricing, so total cost isn't visible on the Amplify pricing page alone, while Hetzner's cloud servers start at a flat $4.59/month with a stateful firewall and 20TB of traffic included at no extra cost. Amplify's free tier also expires after 12 months and assumes comfort with AWS's console and IAM permissions model, a steeper learning curve than Hetzner's simpler dashboard.
Compared to Hetzner: 12-month AWS Free Tier (1,000 build minutes, 5GB storage, 15GB transfer) vs Hetzner's no free tier at any level, documented ratings (4.8/5 from 8 Capterra + 5.0/5 from 11 Product Hunt) vs no rating data, managed backend toolkit (auth, data APIs, storage, functions) from one codebase
Wins:12-month AWS Free Tier covers 1,000 build minutes, 5GB storage, and 15GB transfer/month at no cost, vs Hetzner's no free tier at any level · 4.8/5 from 8 Capterra reviews and 5.0/5 from 11 Product Hunt reviews, documented ratings Hetzner's own listing lacks · Provisions a full backend (auth, data APIs, storage, functions) from one TypeScript codebase alongside CI/CD hosting
Loses:Backend services (Cognito, AppSync, DynamoDB, Lambda) are billed separately under their own AWS pricing, making total cost less visible than Hetzner's flat $4.59/month entry price · Free tier build minutes and transfer allowances expire after 12 months, unlike an ongoing plan · Steeper learning curve for teams unfamiliar with AWS's console and IAM permissions than Hetzner's simpler dashboard
Pros
- Combines Git-based CI/CD hosting with a full backend toolkit (auth, data, storage, functions) provisioned from code.
- 12-month AWS Free Tier covers 1,000 build minutes, 5 GB storage, and 15 GB data transfer per month at no cost.
- No pay-per-seat pricing for team collaboration.
- Extends into any other AWS service as an application's needs grow.
Cons
- Backend services (Cognito, AppSync, DynamoDB, Lambda) are billed separately under their own AWS pricing, making total cost harder to estimate than flat-rate competitors.
- Learning curve is steeper for teams unfamiliar with AWS's console, IAM permissions, and service naming.
- Free tier build minutes and transfer allowances expire after 12 months.
- Fewer opinionated defaults than Vercel or Netlify, requiring more configuration for common frontend framework deployments.
Pricing: Free tier · paid from $0.01/mo — Free for 12 months (AWS Free Tier) then pay-as-you-go across multiple AWS services vs Hetzner's flat $4.59/month CX22 starting price (verified undefined NaN, NaN)