Google Cloud vs Hetzner Cloud Comparison
Compare Google Cloud vs Hetzner Cloud features, pricing, and more.
Last updated: November 2026
Google Cloud
7.6/10
Google's public cloud platform providing pay-as-you-go virtual machines, Kubernetes, serverless, databases, storage, networking, data analytics and AI services for businesses of every size.
Hetzner Cloud
6.2/10
Hourly-billed virtual cloud servers, object storage, networking and load balancers from German host Hetzner, aimed at developers and cost-conscious technical teams.
Feature-by-Feature Comparison
| Feature | | H Hetzner Cloud |
|---|---|---|
| Scores | ||
| Overall Rating | 7.6/10 | 6.2/10 |
| Analytics | 9/10 | 4/10 |
| Cost | 5/10 | 8/10 |
| Customization | 9/10 | 7/10 |
| Ease of Use | 5/10 | 7/10 |
| Integration | 8/10 | 7/10 |
| Reliability | 9/10 | 7/10 |
| Scalability | 10/10 | 6/10 |
| Security | 9/10 | 6/10 |
| Support | 5/10 | 4/10 |
| Pricing | ||
| Free plan | Yes | No |
| Cheapest paid plan | Contact for pricing | €6/mo Cost-Optimized CX23 |
| Estimated cost for 10 users | Free Always Free | €6/mo Cost-Optimized CX23 |
| Features | ||
| Cloud Compute | ||
| Multiple Regions | ||
| Object Storage | ||
| Uptime SLA | ||
| API and CLI | Not listed | |
| Automatic Backups | Not listed | |
| Content Delivery Network | Not listed | |
| DDoS Protection | Not listed | |
| Dedicated Servers | Not listed | |
| Managed Databases | Not listed | |
| Managed Kubernetes | Not listed | |
| Serverless Functions | Not listed | |
| VPS Hosting | Not listed | |
Google Cloud vs Hetzner Cloud cost by team size
| Team size | Google Cloud | Hetzner Cloud |
|---|---|---|
| 1 user | FreeAlways Free | €6/moCost-Optimized CX23 |
| 5 users | FreeAlways Free | €6/moCost-Optimized CX23 |
| 10 users | FreeAlways Free | €6/moCost-Optimized CX23 |
| 25 users | FreeAlways Free | €6/moCost-Optimized CX23 |
| 50 users | FreeAlways Free | €6/moCost-Optimized CX23 |
The plan that fits each team size, billed monthly, before add-ons and usage charges. Each cost opens that tool's pricing calculator for the team size.
Which One Should You Choose?
Why choose Google Cloud
- Has a free plan (Hetzner Cloud does not)
- Higher Analytics score (9/10 vs 4/10)
- Higher Scalability score (10/10 vs 6/10)
HWhy choose Hetzner Cloud
- Higher Cost score (8/10 vs 5/10)
- Higher Ease of Use score (7/10 vs 5/10)
Pros & Cons
Google Cloud
Pros
- Very broad managed catalogue that spans VMs, GKE, serverless, several database engines, a CDN and Cloud Armor, so most infrastructure can come from one vendor.
- Global footprint, which Wikipedia put at 40 regions and 121 zones in early 2024, helps teams deploy close to users and across zones.
- A 300 USD, 90-day credit plus a permanent Always Free tier, including a small VM, lets developers prototype at no cost.
- Capterra reviewers credit its scalability with helping them adapt quickly to changing client demand.
Cons
- Capterra reviewers repeatedly say the billing is complex, hard to audit and sometimes produces unexpected charges.
- Technical support requires a paid plan priced as a percentage of spend, and Premium starts at 15,000 USD a month.
- Reviewers report a steep learning curve and inconsistent documentation.
- The free e2-micro VM is limited to three US regions, so other regions incur standard charges.
HHetzner Cloud
Pros
- EU servers include 20 TB of traffic, and extra traffic costs only €1 per TB.
- Hourly billing capped at a monthly price, with no contracts.
- A full API and CLI plus Terraform and Ansible integrations make automation straightforward.
- Stateful firewalls and private networks come at no extra cost.
- Still cheaper per spec than DigitalOcean in independent 2026 comparisons.
Cons
- Prices rose twice in 2026, with CPX and CCX new orders up by as much as about 176%.
- Cost-Optimized types are listed as unavailable, and provisioning was limited for new customers from June 2026.
- Many users report account verification failures and suspensions with little explanation.
- No managed database, serverless or managed Kubernetes products.
- US and Singapore servers include far less traffic than EU servers.
Not sold on either?
Frequently Asked Questions
Google Cloud scores higher on our Hosting & Infrastructure criteria: 7.6/10 against 6.2/10 for Hetzner Cloud. The largest gap is in Analytics: 9/10 for Google Cloud and 4/10 for Hetzner Cloud.
Google Cloud has a free plan; Hetzner Cloud does not list one.
