Direct comparison
AWS vs Hetzner
AWS or Hetzner? The direct cloud comparison of services, data centers, costs and sovereignty. Hyperscaler versus European cloud – focused on sovereignty, GDPR and compliance.
Management summary
As of 2026-07AWS positions itself as the most comprehensive cloud provider with the deepest service portfolio (Strategic Opportunities 10/10), ranging from IaaS to Quantum Computing and GenAI, and offers global reach (9/10) through 114 data centers worldwide. In return, AWS is more expensive (Price 4/10) and exhibits lower technological (4/10) and operational sovereignty (7/10) due to US jurisdiction, resulting in a SEAL Score of 4.1/10. Hetzner convinces as a cost-efficient EU provider with an outstanding price-performance ratio (Cost Rating 9.6/10) and strong Bare Metal infrastructure (10/10), supported by high operational (9/10) and technological sovereignty (8/10) as well as a SEAL Score of 7.4/10. Hetzner's portfolio is, however, focused on Compute and basic storage, lacking Managed Services such as databases (0/10), Kubernetes (1/10), or AI (0/10), making the provider primarily suitable for Linux-heavy, cost-sensitive DACH teams with basic infrastructure requirements.
Methodology & data basisAWS
HyperscalerUSP: Market leader with the widest range of features and global reach
Recommendation: Recommended for innovation drivers and international scaling
Hetzner
EU providerUSP: Very strong price-performance IaaS from a German independent Provider on EU-operated data centers, focussing on compute power
Recommendation: Recommended for cost-sensitive DACH teams that want a modern data center with basic requirements on bare metal inrastructure
Performance chart
AWS and Hetzner across 8 core categories, compared with the average of all providers (1–10).
Market positioning
All 13 providers by sovereignty and portfolio performance — purely computed from the category ratings.
Positions are purely computational: X = mean of technological & operational sovereignty, Y = mean of all remaining rating categories (each 1–10). Not a ranking recommendation. Methodology & data basis
Strengths & weaknesses
Automatically derived from the editorially reviewed rating data and backed by the category ratings (1–10) — fair to both sides.
Strengths
- Broadest service portfolio with top scores in databases, networking, and virtualization (each 10/10), covering complex enterprise scenarios and innovations up to Quantum Computing.
- Excellent data security and encryption (9/10) through extensive KMS, HSM, and Confidential Computing offerings such as Nitro Enclaves and CloudHSM.
- Global market leadership with 114 data centers in 20 countries and 700 Points of Presence, enabling low latency and high availability worldwide (Global Reach 9/10).
- Comprehensive compliance landscape with certifications such as BSI C5, ISO 27001/27017/27018/27701, SOC 1-3, and PCI DSS, meeting strict regulatory requirements.
Points to consider
- Low technological sovereignty (4/10) due to proprietary technologies and high lock-in risk, making a later exit or migration to other platforms more difficult.
- Weak price competitiveness (4/10) with particularly high costs for CPU (4.2/10), RAM (3.0/10), and Egress (3.0/10), which can increase TCO for pure IaaS workloads.
- Limited operational sovereignty (7/10) and low SEAL Score (4.1/10), conditioned by US jurisdiction and the US CLOUD Act, which is a consideration for data-sensitive DACH customers.
Strengths
- Outstanding price-performance ratio with a Cost Rating of 9.6/10, particularly for CPU (9.8/10) and S3 storage (9.6/10), enabling significant cost savings compared to hyperscalers.
- Very high operational sovereignty (9/10) and technological sovereignty (8/10) through a German, owner-managed company without a US parent and an open KVM hypervisor, minimizing lock-in.
- Best Bare Metal offering in the comparison field (10/10) with Dedicated Root Servers and GPU options, ideal for workloads requiring direct hardware access or specific performance requirements.
- Strong SEAL Score of 7.4/10 (74%), underscoring high independence from US laws and control over data and infrastructure in Europe.
Points to consider
- No Managed Databases (0/10) and no Managed Kubernetes (1/10), making the operation of complex, modern applications difficult without own administrative effort.
- Low strategic opportunities (3/10) due to missing AI (0/10) and Big Data services (0/10), which does not support innovations in these areas on the platform.
- Weak data security and encryption (4/10) and no managed KMS/HSM (Encryption 2/10), which can make meeting strict compliance requirements for sensitive data more difficult.
Which provider when?
Use-case-based decision aid — both options are a valid choice.
Choose AWS if:
- You need a broad portfolio of Managed Services, particularly databases (Aurora, RDS), Big Data platforms (EMR, Glue), and AI/ML tools (SageMaker, Bedrock), to maximize development speed and innovation.
- Your workloads require global availability and low latency in many regions outside Europe, supported by 30+ regions and 700 Points of Presence.
- You operate Microsoft workloads (Windows Server, MSSQL, AD) or require VMware compatibility (VMware Cloud on AWS), as Hetzner offers no support here (Microsoft 1/10, Virtualization 0/10).
- Strict compliance requirements for encryption and key management (BYOK, HSM) are decisive, as AWS scores 9/10 here, while Hetzner only reaches 2/10.
Choose Hetzner if:
- Cost efficiency in the IaaS area is the primary criterion, as Hetzner is significantly cheaper with a Cost Rating of 9.6/10 than AWS (4/10), particularly for CPU and storage.
- You are looking for a sovereign, EU-based provider with high operational control (9/10) and minimal lock-in (Technological Sovereignty 8/10), ideal for DACH teams with data privacy concerns regarding US providers.
- Your infrastructure requirements focus on Bare Metal servers (10/10) and Linux workloads (9/10), without the need for Managed PaaS services such as Kubernetes or databases.
- You prefer an independent, owner-managed German provider with a high SEAL Score (7.4/10) over a US hyperscaler with a SEAL Score of 4.1/10.
Service comparison by category
All 19 rating categories in a head-to-head duel (1–10). A notable lead is marked from a 2-point difference.
| Category | AWSvsHetznerScale 1–10 | Avg. all | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Data Security & Encryption | 94 | 7.8 | Lead AWS |
| Technological Sovereignty | 48 | 7.4 | Lead Hetzner |
| Operational Sovereignty | 79 | 8 | Lead Hetzner |
| Strategic Capabilities | 103 | 6.2 | Lead AWS |
| Price | 49 | 6.4 | Lead Hetzner |
| Collaboration Tools | 43 | 5.1 | balanced |
| Global Reach | 93 | 4.5 | Lead AWS |
| Big Data | 90 | 4.8 | Lead AWS |
| AI | 70 | 4.8 | Lead AWS |
| Bare Metal | 310 | 5.2 | Lead Hetzner |
| Virtualization | 100 | 5.7 | Lead AWS |
| Containerization | 91 | 7.3 | Lead AWS |
| Databases | 100 | 6.9 | Lead AWS |
| High Availability | 104 | 6.7 | Lead AWS |
| Microsoft | 61 | 4.5 | Lead AWS |
| Linux | 109 | 8.8 | balanced |
| Encryption | 92 | 6.8 | Lead AWS |
| Storage | 106 | 7.7 | Lead AWS |
| Network | 105 | 7.8 | Lead AWS |
Management Summary
Sovereign Cloud
SEAL Framework
Strategic (15 %)
Legal & Jurisdictional (10 %)
Data & AI (10 %)
Operational (15 %)
Supply Chain (20 %)
Technology (15 %)
Security & Compliance (10 %)
Environmental (5 %)
Availability & Locations
Compute
shared & low-budget
Hot Storage
Cold Storage
Managed Databases
Network & Security
Orchestration
Virtualization
Management
Big Data
AI & Machine Learning
Compliance & Certificates
German cloud security catalogue
IT service management system standard
Information security management system
Cloud security controls for providers
Personal data protection for cloud
Privacy information management extension
Energy management for data centers
Cloud Security Alliance assurance registry
Service organization control audit reports
Payment card data security standard
Quality management system standard
Cost Indication
vCPU/h
H100/h
GB/h
CPU/h
Ratio1/4
GB/h | 3000 IOPS
GB/h
GB/h
GB/h
Cluster/h
per 1 Mil Requests
GB-Sec
LLama3.3-70B per 1Mil tokens
LLama3.3-70B per 1Mil tokens
per GB
Our comparison methodology
The scores show a relative price comparison per service category. The lowest price earns 10 points; higher prices are marked down proportionally. Missing services are treated neutrally.
As of: List prices as of 11 September 2025, location Germany (DE).
More cloud comparisons
Frequently asked questions: AWS vs Hetzner
What is the difference between AWS and Hetzner?
AWS offers the deepest and broadest cloud portfolio on the market (Strategic Opportunities 10/10) with over 200 services ranging from IaaS to AI and Quantum Computing, and has a global presence (9/10). Hetzner focuses as a cost-efficient IaaS provider on Compute and Bare Metal infrastructure (10/10) with an outstanding price-performance ratio (9.6/10), but does not offer Managed Services such as databases or Kubernetes. While AWS carries a higher lock-in risk due to proprietary technologies (Technological Sovereignty 4/10), Hetzner is characterized by high technological (8/10) and operational sovereignty (9/10) as a German, independent provider.
Which provider is more sovereign for DACH customers?
Hetzner is significantly more sovereign with a SEAL Score of 7.4/10 (74%) compared to AWS with 4.1/10 (41%). This is reflected in operational sovereignty, where Hetzner scores 9/10, while AWS is at 7/10. Technological sovereignty is also higher at Hetzner with 8/10 than at AWS with 4/10, due to the open KVM hypervisor and fewer proprietary dependencies. For customers who prioritize independence from US laws and control over data in Europe, Hetzner is the clearer choice.
Who is cheaper: AWS or Hetzner?
Hetzner is significantly cheaper with a Cost Rating of 9.6/10, while AWS has a rating of 6.0/10. Particularly for CPU (Hetzner 9.8/10 vs. AWS 4.2/10) and S3 storage (Hetzner 9.6/10 vs. AWS 3.1/10), costs are lower at Hetzner. Also for Egress, AWS is more expensive with 3.0/10 than Hetzner with 6.0/10. Actual costs are, however, workload-dependent and can vary through Savings Plans at AWS or specific Bare Metal configurations at Hetzner.
Which provider offers better Managed Services for databases and Kubernetes?
AWS offers a comprehensive range of Managed Databases (Score 10/10) with services such as Aurora and RDS, as well as a mature Kubernetes platform (Containerization 9/10) through EKS. Hetzner has no Managed Databases (0/10) and a very low offering for containerization (1/10), meaning customers must manage these services themselves. For teams that want to minimize administrative effort and use Managed Services, AWS is the only option in the comparison.
Is AWS better suited for global expansion?
Yes, AWS has a global reach of 9/10 with 114 data centers in 20 countries and 700 Points of Presence on 6 continents. Hetzner has a global reach of only 3/10 with locations in 4 countries (Germany, Finland, USA, Singapore) and 6 Availability Zones. For companies that serve customers worldwide or require low latency in many regions, AWS is significantly better positioned.
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