Hetzner vs DigitalOcean.
We resell both, side by side in the same catalog, so this comparison has no horse in the race. The short version: Hetzner wins on price per gigabyte by a wide margin, DigitalOcean wins on where you can put the server. Whichever fits, you deploy it from one Initech account and one prepaid balance.
Two different value propositions
The verdict up front.
You want maximum hardware per dollar
Hetzner Cloud is the price/performance benchmark of the European market, and it shows in our catalog:
- 4GB RAM, 2 vCPU, 40GB NVMe from $10/mo
- NVMe storage and up to 20TB transfer on EU plans
- Dedicated-vCPU CCX line from $82/mo
- Cheaper add-ons: volumes $0.13/GB vs $0.20/GB
You need the location, not the discount
DigitalOcean trades price for reach and polish:
- 9 regions through us, including Sydney, Bangalore, Toronto and London
- Intel and AMD premium variants of every Basic tier
- A mature platform ecosystem around the droplet
- Transfer allowances that scale with the plan, up to 5TB and beyond
Plan for plan, matched by RAM
Pricing: our retail USD, lowest region for each plan family.
Prices are our retail USD pricing, lowest region for each plan family; Hetzner's $10 and $16 CX plans and 20 TB allowances are Nuremberg and Helsinki, with the US and Singapore plans starting at $29 to $33. Exact figures are on the order form. DigitalOcean Intel/AMD premium variants cost roughly 17% over the listed Basic tiers.
5 Hetzner locations, 9 DigitalOcean regions
Locations we sell.
Hetzner
DigitalOcean
Do not pick one account. Pick neither.
Why through Initech.
One signup, one balance
Sign up with just an email, top up once, and spend that balance on Hetzner, DigitalOcean or any of the other six clouds we carry. No provider accounts, no separate invoices.
Same panel for both
Deploy, reinstall, console and reverse DNS work the same way on a Hetzner box and a DigitalOcean droplet. Start on Hetzner for the price and add a Sydney droplet the day a customer needs one.
Honest add-on pricing
Volumes are $0.13/GB on Hetzner and $0.20/GB on DigitalOcean; backups are $20 and $15 respectively. Both lines are payable by PayPal or any of 18 cryptocurrencies.
Both platforms live in the same Initech catalog: one signup with just an email, one prepaid balance, and the same panel for deploy, reinstall and console. Start on Hetzner for the price, add a DigitalOcean droplet in Sydney when a customer needs it, and pay for both with PayPal or any of 18 cryptocurrencies. Add-ons stay honest too: volumes are $0.13/GB on Hetzner and $0.20/GB on DigitalOcean, backups $20 and $15 respectively.
Hetzner vs DigitalOcean questions
Straight answers. Anything else, ask before you order.
01/Which is cheaper, Hetzner or DigitalOcean?
At our retail pricing, Hetzner, by a wide margin at every matched RAM tier: 4GB is $10/mo on Hetzner against $48/mo on DigitalOcean, and 8GB is $16/mo against $96/mo. DigitalOcean earns the difference back only if you need its regions or ecosystem.
02/Which has more locations?
DigitalOcean, with 9 regions through us across North America, Europe, India, Singapore and Australia. Hetzner offers 5 locations through us: Nuremberg, Helsinki, Virginia, Oregon and Singapore.
03/Can I run Windows on either?
Not on these two lines: both are Linux in our catalog. If you need Windows Server with RDP, we sell Vultr Windows VPS and Amazon Lightsail Windows, both also payable in crypto.
04/Do I need separate Hetzner and DigitalOcean accounts?
No. Both deploy from one Initech account with one prepaid balance. You never create accounts with the providers themselves, and you can mix providers freely as needs change.
05/How do I pay?
PayPal or any of 18 cryptocurrencies including Bitcoin, Lightning and Monero. Registration asks for an email address and a country; no card or ID documents are required.
Deploy whichever won
Both platforms, one account, one balance. Online in minutes.
