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Objective expert review Hetzner.de
Hetzner Cloud VPS Review 2025
Raw Power, European Privacy, and Almost Unbeatable Value
Hetzner is a company I have worked with and used on multiple occasions in the past, and I must admit I was rather excited when I got the opportunity to write a review about their cloud VPS servers and plans as I do feel I know them quite well! Most of us, especially in this day and age, are tired of unrealistic promises and confusing pricing structures of many hosting providers, but Hetzner feels like a breath of fresh, a fresh German-engineered air if you will.
Their platform isn’t cluttered with "managed" hand-holding, but rather a powerful, straightforward, and surprisingly affordable infrastructure for those who know their way around a server console. But do they fit your needs? In this review I will look into the Hetzner Cloud VPS plans, their pricing, and what you're really getting when you signing up with them.
Hetzner’s cloud comes across as a "simple cloud solution". You won't find cPanel pre-loaded or endless "free" (and mostly useless) bundled extras. What you will find is a clear grid of virtual servers, transparent Hetzner VPS pricing for 2025, and high-performance hardware, all carefully governed by strict European data protection standards. For developers, sysadmins, and businesses with specific performance needs and in-house technical skill, this might just feel like the holy grail. But let’s start to give you a clearer picture.
Simple Transparent Simplicity
In true German fashion, one of the first thing you will notice on the Hetzner Cloud VPS page is the lack of gimmicks. Their plans are straightforward and laid out in a clean, comparative table making it easy for any type of user to see what’s included and what not. Hetzner VPS plans are available in three sub-categories, namely “Shared Cost Optimised” for cost efficiency, “Shared Regular Performance” the best price-performance for low to medium CPU usage, and lastly “Dedicated General Purpose” that comes with dedicated vCPUs, great for critical production environments. Unlike providers that hide renewal hikes, Hetzner's pricing is consistent and prorated. You pay by the hour, but your bill is capped at the monthly rate, so there are no nasty month-end surprises.
When you spin up a Hetzner Cloud server for the first time you will be given a base image. They give you full root access, a choice of Linux distributions (Ubuntu, Debian, Fedora, to name just a few.), and your allocated resources. All their plans that are European based will also give you at least 20TB of traffic per month, which is quite generous! Let's start breaking down the core Hetzner VPS plans.
The Hetzner Shared Cost Optimised VPS Range:
This is Hetzner's flagship Cloud VPS series, and by far the most popular amongst their clients. These plans range from the entry-level CX23 plans, which comes with 2x vCPUs (Intel/AMD), 4GB RAM, 40GB NVMe SSD disk space, and 20TB traffic for a mere €4.15 per month, up to 16x vCPUs (Ampere), 16GB RAM, 320GB NVMe disk space, and 20TB traffic on the CAX41 plan, which sells for €29.14 at the time of writing. These plans are perfect for starting of with VPS servers, staging environments, or even small applications.
The Hetzner Shared Regular Performance VPS Range:
These VPS servers from Hetzner are aimed at users that needs cost effective VPS solutions, but a bit more power than their entry-level VPS servers. The options go from 2x vCPUs (Intel/AMD), 4GB RAM, 80GB NVMe disk space, and 20TB bandwidth on the CPX22 plan, which will set you back €7.72 per month, up to 16x vCPU (AMD), 32GB RAM, 640GB NVMe storage space, and 20TB traffic on the CPX62 plan. This plan goes for only €46.40 per month, which in my opinion is astoundingly low for the specs on offer. This range from Hetzner is suited for any type of application, as well as medium traffic websites.
The Hetzner Dedicated General Purpose VPS Range:
If you need dedicated resources, or have mission critical projects, then this is the range you should look at. They start with the CCX13 plan which comes with 2x vCPUs (AMD), 8GB RAM, 80GB NVMe storage space, and a 20TB traffic limit. The cost for this plan is reasonable at €14.86 per month. On the other end of the spectrum, they have the CCX63 plan which goes for a staggering €343.30 per month. It does, however, include 48x vCPUs (AMD), 192GB RAM, 960GB NVMe disk space, and 60TB of traffic. The price puts it out of reach of most users, and I would say this option is suited best for production databases, larger web applications, or development platforms requiring more headroom.
Key Features & What's Included
(as well as what’s Not Included)
Here is a precise breakdown of what you get and what you don't get when you sign up for a Hetzner VPS server.
Included in Your Hetzner Cloud VPS:
High-Performance Hardware: Their VPS servers come with either AMD, Intel, or Ampere CPUs, bundled with blazing-fast NVMe SSD storage disks with a RAID10 setup for fault tolerance.
Full Root Access & API Control: You will get total control of your server through SSH and a comprehensive REST API/CLI tool for full automation is included by default.
Decent Traffic Limits: All plans come standard with at least 20TB per month.
IP Addresses: Hetzner includes one IPv4 and one IPv6 address in their plans.
Snapshots & Automated Backups: Manual snapshots and an optional automated backup service (costing 20% of your server's price) that retains up to 7 backups are included in all their plans.
DDoS Protection: Basic DDoS protection is included free of charge for all their cloud VPS servers.
Block Storage (Volumes): You can expand your cloud instance with high-availability SSD drives.
GDPR Compliance: All Hetner’s data centers (including the USA and Singapore) operate under strict EU data protection standards, and a Data Processing Agreement (DPA) is also available.
NOT Included:
No Windows Server Licenses or Support: Their platform is focused solely on Linux, and Linux only. Their website also states: "Right now we are focusing on support for Linux... we will not provide any support for Windows." So, while a Hetzner Windows Server VPS might be technically possible via your own license, it is unsupported by them.
There is No cPanel/WHM: You must license and install any control panel you need yourself.
No Free Domain or Email Hosting: Unfortunately, these are not part of their cloud server product offerings.
No Custom Configurations: Unlike some providers that lets you “build” your own VPS server, you cannot custom-order a VPS from Hetzner and must choose from the predefined Hetzner VPS plans on offer.
No 24/7 Phone Support: The primary channel for support is via ticket system within the Cloud Console, but there is also phone support from Mon–Fri 08:00–18:00 CET time for authenticated users only. The phone number listed on their main page, it is primarily for dedicated server sales.
The Hetzner Cloud VPS Purchase & Setup
Quick and Easy
If you are ready to sign up for one of their cloud VPS servers, simply open your browser and go to https://www.hetzner.com/de/ (or www.hetzner.com) and click on “Cloud” in the top main menu. Next click on the “Prices” button which is below the main image and it will take you to the three categories and options for each. After deciding which server to take, you can click on “Get Started”, a button below the plans breakdown. You will then need to create an account first, which can involve providing identification - a standard practice for Hetzner to combat fraud and abuse. Once approved, provisioning a server in the Hetzner Cloud console is really fast, probably even under a minute. You simply need to select your server location, with options being Germany, Finland, USA, or Singapore, then pick a plan that suits your needs from the clear Hetzner Cloud VPS pricing table, choose an OS image or a pre-configured App (like Docker or WordPress), and lastly click create. The entire process is super-easy and quick, even for first-time users.
Support
Competent, But Missing Some Channels
Hetzner support is primarily ticket-based which can be logged through their console. They also have a live chat function on their website, but it is AI-based, and although it provides instant answers to most issues, one sometimes prefer to chat to a human rather than a machine. Luckily, they do have phone support for authenticated users, but this is only available during the week between 08:00–18:00 CET time. Response times are quick, and in my personal experience, their support agents are knowledgeable, efficient, and solves infrastructure-related issues (networking, hardware, hypervisor) very quickly. One needs to note though that they will not help you debug your PHP code or install software for you. You must be self-sufficient or have the technical resources in-house. This is the one negative trade-off for the low Hetzner VPS pricing Germany offers.
Security
A Shared Responsibility Model
They cover the basics, and then some, but security here is a partnership. Hetzner provides a very secure data center, basic DDoS protection, and solid network firewall tool for you to configure. However, to secure your operating system, or managing your user accounts, configuring software firewalls (like UFW or firewalld), or applying patches is entirely your duty. Furthermore, the included snapshot and backup features that comes standard are great tools for your security and disaster recovery plan.
Pros & Cons
Pros:
Excellent Cost-to-Performance Ratio: The Hetzner cloud pricing 2025 VPS is probably one of the best on the market at the moment. They include great specs for what you pay.
Transparent Billing: Hourly billing capped monthly, with no hidden renewal spikes.
High-Performance Hardware: They make use of Intel, AMD, and Ampere CPUs only, as well as super-fast NVMe storage drives, not to even mention their fast and very reliable network! E
Full Control & Automation: With each of their servers you will get full root access and a first-class API for complete control and infrastructure-as-code practices.
European Data Privacy: GDPR compliance is built-in as standard and this is a major factor for businesses concerned with data privacy and control.
Cons:
Fully Unmanaged: What this means is that you require some technical expertise, or need to budget for a separate sysadmin.
No Windows Support: This could be a deal-breaker for users that prefer Microsoft technologies.
Limited Support Channels: Support is mostly ticket-based. Phone support is only available during certain hours, there’s no live chat with a real human (only AI).
Account Verification Can Be Strict: The signup process is more rigorous than typical hosts, which can delay initial access. But it depends how you look at it – for me it is mostly a positive as it shows their commitment to security.
Basic DDoS Protection Only: Although included, it may not be enough for targets of sophisticated, large-scale attacks without additional mitigation services.
My Verdict
Is Hetzner Cloud VPS the Right Option for You in 2025?
After looking at what they offer, as well as my own experience with them over the years, the answer is highly dependent on your profile.
Yes, if:
You are a developer, a tech startup, an agency with DevOps skills, or anyone who treats infrastructure as code. If you need raw power that won’t break your budget, value data privacy, and are technical enough to use command lines, APIs, and managing your own stack from the OS up, then this is definitely for you! The Hetzner Cloud VPS pricing is simply too good to ignore.
Maybe not so much, if:
You're a small business owner, a blogger, or a developer who wants a hands-off hosting experience. If you need cPanel, or need a Windows-based Server, require immediate phone support during after-hours for application issues, or want the host to handle security patches automatically, a managed provider (despite the higher cost) will save you time, stress, and potential security risks.
My Final Thought:
For me personally, there’s not much not to like about Hetzner. I have been dealing with them for years and have never had a bad experience, nor have anyone I know. Hetzner Cloud might not be for everyone, and it doesn't try to be. It is a precision tool for the technically capable. If you fit that mold, it offers a level of power, control, and value that is exceptionally hard to beat in 2025. So, if this is you, sign up! You won’t be disappointed.
