Hetzner vs Linode
Detailed comparison — pricing, features, pros & cons
Hetzner — Hetzner is a german cloud hosting provider offering exceptional price-to-performance ratio. It works best for Cost-conscious developers and startups and European businesses needing GDPR-compliant hosting.
Linode — Linode is a developer-friendly cloud hosting platform, now part of Akamai Cloud. It works best for Developers wanting affordable, reliable VPS hosting and Startups needing scalable cloud infrastructure.
This comparison covers pricing, key strengths and limitations, and what each tool does best to help you choose the right fit for your workflow.
Quick Comparison
| Feature | Hetzner | Linode |
|---|---|---|
| Rating | 4.8 / 5 | 4.6 / 5 |
| Pricing Model | Paid | Paid |
| Starting Price | €3.29/mo | $5/mo |
| Category | Infrastructure & Hosting | Infrastructure & Hosting |
| Free Plan | ✗ No | ✗ No |
Pros & Cons
- Exceptional value — 2-3x cheaper than AWS for equivalent specs
- GDPR-compliant EU data centers in Germany and Finland
- High-performance NVMe SSDs and dedicated CPU options
- Simple pricing with no hidden egress fees
- Data centers only in Europe and one US location
- Less managed services compared to major cloud providers
- Customer support primarily through tickets
Linode - Straightforward, transparent pricing with no hidden fees
- High-performance NVMe SSD storage on all plans
- Strong global data center coverage with low-latency options
- Backed by Akamai's global CDN infrastructure post-acquisition
- Less managed tooling compared to AWS or Azure
- Object storage less mature than AWS S3
- Smaller marketplace of one-click apps than DigitalOcean
Who Is It For?
- Cost-conscious developers and startups
- European businesses needing GDPR-compliant hosting
- High-traffic applications needing affordable bandwidth
- Self-hosted services and open-source projects
- Developers wanting affordable, reliable VPS hosting
- Startups needing scalable cloud infrastructure
- Teams migrating from traditional hosting to cloud
- Applications requiring consistent global performance
Which Tool Should You Choose?
- Cost-conscious developers and startups
- European businesses needing GDPR-compliant hosting
- High-traffic applications needing affordable bandwidth
- Self-hosted services and open-source projects
Choose Linode if… - Developers wanting affordable, reliable VPS hosting
- Startups needing scalable cloud infrastructure
- Teams migrating from traditional hosting to cloud
- Applications requiring consistent global performance
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Hetzner better than Linode?
Which is cheaper, Hetzner or Linode?
What is the main difference between Hetzner and Linode?
Verdict
Based on our editorial ratings, Hetzner scores higher (4.8/5 vs 4.6/5). Hetzner is particularly well-suited for Cost-conscious developers and startups. That said, Linode remains a strong choice if developers wanting affordable, reliable vps hosting is your priority.