Hetzner vs Vultr: Which VPS is Right for You in 2026?

Hetzner's European value meets Vultr's global flexibility. Both offer developer-focused hosting with competitive pricing, but geography and features differ. Here's the complete comparison.

Quick Verdict

Choose Hetzner if: You want maximum value, EU data centers, or bandwidth-heavy applications.

Choose Vultr if: You need global presence, bare metal, GPU instances, or high-frequency compute.

Pricing Comparison

Plan	Hetzner	Vultr
Entry VPS	€3.29/mo (2 vCPU, 2GB RAM)	$5/mo (1 vCPU, 1GB RAM)
Mid-tier	€5.77/mo (2 vCPU, 4GB RAM)	$20/mo (2 vCPU, 4GB RAM)
High-end	€14.77/mo (4 vCPU, 16GB RAM)	$40/mo (4 vCPU, 8GB RAM)
Bare Metal	€39/mo (dedicated)	$120/mo (E-2286G)

Hetzner is dramatically cheaper—up to 70% less for equivalent specs. Vultr compensates with specialized instance types.

Performance Benchmarks

Both deliver excellent performance:

• CPU Performance: Vultr high-frequency beats Hetzner standard by ~40%
• I/O Speed: Hetzner local NVMe is faster (~800 MB/s vs ~600 MB/s)
• Network: Vultr has more locations; Hetzner has superior EU connectivity
• Bandwidth: Hetzner includes 20TB+; Vultr charges per GB over allocation

Features Matrix

Feature	Hetzner	Vultr
Control Panel	Cloud Console	Modern Dashboard
API Access	Full REST API	Full REST API
Kubernetes	❌	✅ VKE (managed)
Bare Metal	✅ Auction servers	✅ Premium pricing
GPU Instances	❌	✅ NVIDIA A100
Load Balancers	✅ €5.39/mo	✅ $10/mo
Locations	EU, US, Singapore	32 worldwide
Hourly Billing	✅	✅

Best Use Cases

Hetzner excels for:

• European businesses (GDPR, latency)
• High-bandwidth applications
• Cost-optimized production workloads
• Teams comfortable with DIY infrastructure

Vultr excels for:

• Global applications needing edge presence
• AI/ML requiring GPU compute
• Performance-critical apps (high-frequency)
• Teams wanting managed Kubernetes

FAQ

Can Hetzner compete with Vultr's global network?

For EU and US East, yes. For Asia, South America, or Africa, Vultr's 32 locations give better latency.

Which is better for AI workloads?

Vultr. They offer NVIDIA A100 GPUs. Hetzner has dedicated servers but no cloud GPU offerings.

Is Hetzner reliable enough for production?

Absolutely. Hetzner has decades of hosting experience. Their cloud platform is mature and reliable.

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Our recommendation: Hetzner for EU-focused projects and best value. Vultr for global deployments, GPU workloads, or managed Kubernetes.