AWS vs Hetzner: Compare Prices and Operations

Assess AWS to Hetzner: Cloud migration from AWS to Hetzner covers target architecture, data transfer and cutover within the agreed scope. Arrange a consultation.

AWS and Hetzner prices can be compared once the paid scope is explicit. An EC2 instance, a Lightsail bundle and a self-managed VM are different starting points. This comparison separates compute, storage, networking and operational responsibility. It supplements the migration page with a reproducible method; it is neither a benchmark nor a customer case.

Date and methodology

As of 19 October 2026. Values below are public list prices excluding taxes, credits and individual discounts. Currencies remain separate. A smaller EUR amount than a USD amount does not establish savings without an exchange rate.

The tables use the linked vendor sources and the stated region, product configuration and billing unit. Separately listed extras and operational services must be recorded separately for comparison; equal resource counts do not establish equal performance.

You may reuse the tables and calculation methodology in this article with attribution and a link to this article.

Contents

• Date and methodology
• Price table with explicit limits
• Same region, same size: Frankfurt against Hetzner
• EC2 needs a complete cost inventory
• Compare traffic and location separately
• RDS and other services need a target decision
• When to stay and when to migrate
• Our approach at WZ-IT
• Further guides

Price table with explicit limits

These are price references, not equivalent service bundles. EC2 calculations assume 730 operating hours; calendar months do not always have 730 hours. The AWS T3 source specifies US East (N. Virginia), while the Hetzner source specifies Germany/Finland. An EU-to-EU comparison needs the current AWS price for the selected European region.

The Hetzner reference with one IPv4 therefore totals EUR 19.99 net/month, from EUR 19.49 + 0.50. It is not a complete target architecture. The price adjustment has applied to new orders and rescales since 15 June 2026; certain actions can move legacy servers to current prices. Price adjustment and conditions, legacy-server rules.

Same region, same size: Frankfurt against Hetzner

A comparison with US East prices says little for German operators. The following reference uses the AWS region Frankfurt (eu-central-1) and a server with 4 vCPU and 8 GiB RAM, plus 160 GB of block storage and 20 TB of outbound traffic per month. AWS values come from the AWS price list for EC2 in Frankfurt (on-demand, Linux, excluding discounts, Savings Plans and taxes); the Hetzner values come from the sources named above.

At the ECB reference rate of 16 October 2026 (EUR 1 = USD 1.1253), the AWS compute cost is about EUR 132, the EBS cost about EUR 14 and the traffic about EUR 1,549. The references are not equivalent performance packages: Hetzner CPX32 uses shared vCPUs, while AWS's c7i family is a compute-optimised instance family. Reserved instances and Savings Plans lower the AWS price but are not included. Traffic is the item that decides the difference for data-intensive applications; with low traffic it barely matters. The calculation states source prices, not a saving for your application.

Traffic calculation: 20,000 GB minus the 100 GB free allowance gives 19,900 GB. The first 10,240 GB cost USD 0.09 each (USD 921.60) and the remaining 9,660 GB USD 0.085 each (USD 821.10). Total: USD 1,742.70. The tiered prices come from the AWS data transfer price list.

EC2 needs a complete cost inventory

For procurement, we recommend six cost blocks. This is a planning method, not a claim about a specific AWS invoice:

1. Compute: Record instance type, region, operating system and actual runtime. Include CPU credits for T3; Unlimited can incur extra charges above baseline. T3 model.
2. Block storage: Record EBS capacity, volume type and any additional IOPS or throughput separately. EBS charges are based on provisioned resources. EBS pricing.
3. Networking: Check internet egress, public IPv4 and network services actually used. EC2 pricing directs IPv4 costs to separate VPC billing. EC2 pricing.
4. Data protection and recovery: Define required backups, retention, restore checks and responsible people.
5. Operations: Include monitoring, updates, alert handling and database maintenance at the same scope on both sides.
6. Migration: Calculate data transfer, parallel resources, application testing and rollback as separate one-off costs.

Compare effective existing costs, including outstanding commitments, with the target. An On-Demand list price alone does not establish which expenses migration actually removes. Managed Operations describes target operations; its scope must match the cost inventory.

Compare traffic and location separately

EC2 includes 100 GB of monthly internet egress shared across AWS services and regions, excluding China and GovCloud. This is not an allowance per instance. A complete exit from AWS or a service has a separate conditional transfer waiver. Do not confuse that waiver with recurring traffic rates. AWS transfer rules.

Hetzner charges outbound usage exceeding the plan allowance; inbound and defined internal traffic are free. Public traffic between different network zones counts as outbound. Include the exact plan and location allowance in the calculation. Hetzner billing.

Hetzner Cloud has locations in Germany, Finland, the US and Singapore. A German provider does not automatically imply a German data location. Select the region explicitly and document data flows and access. Location overview.

RDS and other services need a target decision

RDS handles relational database tasks such as provisioning, backups and maintenance. Installing PostgreSQL on a VM moves those tasks to the operator. Include database operations and required resilience alongside the server. RDS scope.

Our recommended mapping records each service's required function, target, owner, recurring costs and acceptance criterion. A PostgreSQL dump alone does not settle authentication, extensions, backup retention or restart procedures. See the RDS/Aurora migration guide for that part. Object storage is covered separately in the S3 migration guide.

When to stay and when to migrate

Our decision framework: Consider Hetzner when applications can run on VMs or containers and operational tasks can be assigned clearly. Retain AWS or consider a partial move when required service functions are missing from the target or ongoing commitments consume the benefit. These are recommendations, not a universal conclusion about the cheapest provider.

A defensible calculation is recurring target costs plus remaining source costs plus agreed operations. Show one-off migration costs separately. Only then can payback be calculated from a positive monthly difference. A zero or negative difference produces no cost-driven payback. Application measurements belong in acceptance testing, not as invented benchmarks in a pricing article.

Our approach at WZ-IT

The AWS to Hetzner migration offer covers analysis, target architecture, data transfer and cutover. Before implementation, the Cloud Exit Assessment can establish costs, dependencies and the migration path. Operations are considered according to the agreed scope. This article promises neither savings nor duration nor a fixed project scope.

Further guides

• AWS egress and Hetzner traffic: the networking cost block in detail.
• Azure and Hetzner compared: separating VMs from App Service.
• DigitalOcean, Hetzner, AWS and Linode: bundle prices and locations.
• Migration overview: existing migration offers.

Assess an AWS migration: Discuss target architecture and migration with WZ-IT or book a consultation.

Sources

• AWS T3
• AWS Lightsail
• AWS EC2
• AWS EBS
• Amazon RDS
• Hetzner price adjustment
• Hetzner server and IPv4 overview
• Hetzner billing
• Hetzner locations
• Hetzner resource model
• Hetzner Regular Performance