Exoscale
Switzerland· Cloud Computing
Exoscale vs Hetzner
Vergelijk Exoscale en Hetzner op mogelijkheden, rechtsgebied, waarborgen en geschiktheid voor Europese kopers.
Beide vermeld als alternatief voor: Amazon Web Services (AWS), Google Cloud Platform, Microsoft Azure
Hetzner
Germany· Cloud Computing
Needs review
Shortlist for German-owned IaaS/bare metal in DE/FI parks, API cloud VMs, inclusive-traffic EU economics, ISO 27001 + BSI C5 Type 2. Skip for hyperscaler PaaS depth, SOC 2-first audits, or zero US-group footprint (optional US Ashburn/Hillsboro + Singapore via subsidiaries/colocation). Prefer OVHcloud/Scaleway for broader EU portfolios; STACKIT for DE public-sector framing.
EU-operated (DE HQ)Owned DE/FI parksISO 27001:2022BSI C5 Type 2Bare metal + auctionOptional US/SG cloud
Gemarkeerde rijen verschillen tussen de twee producten.
| Kenmerk | Exoscale | Hetzner |
|---|---|---|
| Land van herkomst | Switzerland | Germany |
| Categorie | Cloud Computing | Cloud Computing |
| Open source | Nee | Nee |
| Self-hosted | Nee | Nee |
| Hoofdkantoor | Niet vermeld | Germany |
| Juridische entiteit | Niet vermeld | Hetzner Online GmbH, Industriestr. 25, 91710 Gunzenhausen (HRB 6089 Ansbach) |
| VS-moeder / zeggenschap | Niet vermeld | Geen bekende VS-moeder |
| CLOUD Act-blootstelling (indicatief) | Niet vermeld | Middel |
| Hosting / residentie | Niet vermeld | Owned parks: Nuremberg, Falkenstein (DE), Helsinki (FI). Non-cloud EU-only. Cloud optional US (Ashburn, Hillsboro) and Singapore on 3rd-party colocation. AV subprocessors: Hetzner Finland Oy; US: Hetzner US LLC, NTT Americas, QTS Hillsboro; SG: Hetzner Singapore, NTT SG1. Master data stays EU. |
| Samenvatting | European public cloud (IaaS) from Swiss operator Akenes SA (A1 Digital): multi-zone compute, managed Kubernetes (SKS), DBaaS, object and block storage, and GPUs across CH, DE, AT, BG, and HR. | German data center operator (Gunzenhausen): dedicated servers, Hetzner Cloud VPS, storage, and owned parks in Germany and Finland, with optional US and Singapore cloud locations. |
| Tags |
| In één oogopslag | Exoscale | Hetzner |
|---|---|---|
| HQ | Niet vermeld | Gunzenhausen, Germany |
| Legal entity | Niet vermeld | Hetzner Online GmbH (HRB 6089 Ansbach) |
| EU parks | Niet vermeld | Nuremberg, Falkenstein (DE); Helsinki (FI) |
| Optional cloud regions | Niet vermeld | Ashburn and Hillsboro (US); Singapore |
| Model | Niet vermeld | IaaS / dedicated / hosting (unmanaged cloud and root) |
| Open source | Niet vermeld | No (commercial infrastructure) |
Exoscale
High-Performance Compute Instances
Exoscale's compute instances use SSD local storage with options for standard, CPU-optimized, memory-optimized and storage-optimized flavors. Sizes range from Micro (512MB RAM, 1 core) to Jumbo (225GB RAM, 24 cores). GPU instances with NVIDIA cards (A30, V100, A40, A5000, RTX 6000 Pro) suit AI tasks. Anti-affinity ensures instances spread across hosts for resilience. Snapshots and custom templates aid backups and deployments. Billing prorates to the second, with powered-off instances charged only for storage.
Scalable Kubernetes Service (SKS)
Managed Kubernetes deploys clusters in 120 seconds. Starter clusters are free (no SLA), Pro offers 99.95% uptime. Users scale worker nodes, manage control planes via portal, CLI, API or Terraform. Integrates with network load balancers. Supports cloud-native apps across zones.
Managed DBaaS and Storage
DBaaS covers PostgreSQL, MySQL, Kafka, OpenSearch, Valkey and Grafana, with plans from Hobbyist (2GB RAM) to Premium (225GB RAM, multiple replicas). Object Storage is S3-compatible with multi-redundancy and replication. NVMe Block Storage attaches multiple volumes per instance for low-latency needs. Traffic: inbound free, intra-zone free, 1TB outbound free per instance monthly.
Hetzner
Dedicated root servers and Server Auction
Bare-metal root servers with full hardware isolation for predictable I/O and custom OS installs. The Server Auction lists surplus or end-of-primary-use machines at declining prices for labs, secondary environments, and cost-sensitive dedicated capacity.
Hetzner Cloud with API, networks, and apps
VMs with shared or dedicated vCPU classes, managed via Console, REST API, and CLI. Private networks, stateful firewalls, load balancers, Linux images, Terraform/Ansible/Kubernetes integrations, and one-click apps (Docker, Nextcloud, GitLab CE, WireGuard, and more) for self-hosted stacks.
Owned EU data center parks plus optional US/Singapore cloud
Company-operated parks in Nuremberg, Falkenstein (Germany), and Helsinki (Finland). Cloud also in Ashburn, Hillsboro (USA), and Singapore on third-party colocation. Non-cloud products and EU-selected cloud locations keep server data in the EU per Hetzner docs; master data stays in the EU.
ISO 27001, BSI C5 Type 2, and console DPA
Public ISO/IEC 27001:2022 certificate for DE/FI park scope; BSI C5 Type 2 for cloud; Art. 28 DPA accept-in-console with published TOMs and annual external TOM review available to DPA customers. Not a SOC 2-first vendor.
Inclusive traffic-oriented European cloud pricing model
Pay-as-you-go cloud (hourly or monthly) and list-based dedicated servers, with marketing emphasis on high inclusive traffic on European plans versus hyperscaler egress bills. Confirm current allowances and rates only on the official calculator—figures change by region and over time.
| Assurance & compliance | Exoscale | Hetzner |
|---|---|---|
| Independent security / no-logs audit | Niet vermeld | Not applicable Hosting/IaaS, not a no-logs VPN. Public ISO 27001, BSI C5 Type 2, and annual TOM review (TUV Rheinland) instead. |
| ISO 27001 | Niet vermeld | Verified ISO/IEC 27001:2022; public SOCOTEC certificate. Scope: infrastructure, operation, support of Nuremberg, Falkenstein, Helsinki parks. |
| SOC 2 / SOC 3 | Niet vermeld | Not found Hetzner states focus on ISO 27001 rather than SOC 2 for international market. |
| GDPR / EU data protection | Niet vermeld | Vendor claimed German entity; public privacy policy, Art. 28 DPA, TOMs, subprocessor list. Customer remains controller for data on rented systems. |
| US CLOUD Act exposure (indicative) | Niet vermeld | Partial EU entity / no known US parent, but optional US cloud uses Hetzner US LLC and US colocation (NTT, QTS); Singapore similarly. EU placements keep server data in EU per docs. Not legal advice. |
| Data processing agreement (B2B) | Niet vermeld | Vendor claimed Standard DPA accept-in-console; sample PDF published; no custom wet-ink DPAs per vendor docs. |
| EU AI Act | Niet vermeld | Not applicable Infrastructure hosting, not an AI system product. |
| BSI C5 (cloud) | Niet vermeld | Verified Vendor publishes BSI C5 Type 2 attestation PDF for cloud services (German BSI catalogue). |
| KRITIS / section 8a BSIG | Niet vermeld | Vendor claimed Hetzner states BSI classification as operator of critical services and certification under section 8a BSIG. |
| Considerations & known limitations | Exoscale | Hetzner |
|---|---|---|
| Optional US and Singapore cloud regions | Niet vermeld | Medium Ashburn, Hillsboro, and Singapore use third-party colocation and local subsidiaries; server content placed there leaves the EU. Zero-US-footprint policies may still reject the vendor even for EU-only workloads. |
| Unmanaged cloud and dedicated servers | Niet vermeld | Medium You own OS patching, app security, and backups. Platform firewalls help but do not replace customer ops. Poor fit if you need managed DBaaS and full-stack ops. |
| Narrower managed-service catalog vs hyperscalers | Niet vermeld | Low Strong IaaS and bare metal; weak match if procurement assumes AWS-parity managed services. Plan hybrid architecture early. |
| ISO scope is DE/FI parks | Niet vermeld | Low Published ISO 27001 scope centers on German and Finnish parks. Do not assume identical coverage for every US/Singapore deployment without reading current certificates. |
Geschiktheid
Exoscale
Best fit when
Niet vermeld
Poor fit when
Niet vermeld
Hetzner
Best fit when
- Teams that want German-jurisdiction hosting with owned parks in Germany and Finland
- Workloads that need bare-metal root servers or cost-effective dedicated via Server Auction
- Ops-heavy orgs comfortable with unmanaged IaaS (Console/API/CLI, Terraform, apps)
- Buyers optimizing for EU residency plus inclusive traffic economics versus hyperscaler egress
- German/EU checklists asking for ISO 27001, BSI C5, and an Art. 28 DPA in-console
Poor fit when
- Orgs that need a full AWS/Azure-style managed services catalog (PaaS, serverless, AI)
- Policies that forbid any US subsidiary, US colocation, or optional US region at group level
- Buyers requiring SOC 2 as the primary assurance artifact (Hetzner focuses on ISO/C5)
- Teams expecting fully managed OS patching, databases, and DR without operating the stack
Consider instead when
When: You need a broader European cloud portfolio or more managed service surface
Consider: OVHcloud or Scaleway
Still European operators; compare regions, bare-metal depth, and support models.
When: German public-sector sovereign cloud framing is the primary procurement driver
Consider: STACKIT
Different product and governance story; verify current certifications and residency.
When: You need hyperscaler managed depth more than EU-owned IaaS
Consider: AWS, Azure, or Google Cloud (accept US-group CLOUD Act posture)
Trade EU operator control for catalog breadth.
When: You want a smaller EU regional cloud with a different feature/region mix
Consider: Exoscale or UpCloud
Compare locations, SLAs, and managed options against Hetzner's park scale.
Open questions for due diligence
Exoscale
Niet vermeld
Hetzner
- Does your policy allow a German provider that also offers US/Singapore regions if you only deploy in DE/FI?
- Is BSI C5 Type 2 + ISO 27001 sufficient, or is SOC 2 mandatory for your auditors?
- Which SKUs (cloud vs dedicated vs managed web hosting) match your backup and support needs?
- Will you need regions or managed services Hetzner does not offer natively (CDN, managed DB, AI APIs)?