Azure bandwidth costs too high? We compare traffic allowances, overage charges and the current invoice before quantifying savings potential. Cloud exit assessment for a full move · Free initial consultation
Price basis: Hetzner values checked on 3 August 2026, net and excluding VAT. Hyperscaler plans, regions and exchange rates can change; validate every example against current calculators and the actual invoice before making a decision.
Microsoft Azure charges for outgoing internet traffic under the name "Bandwidth" – and costs can add up quickly. In this article, we analyze the Azure egress pricing structure and compare it with Hetzner.
Table of Contents
- What Counts as Azure Egress?
- Azure Bandwidth Pricing Structure
- Hetzner Traffic Comparison
- Calculation Examples
- How to Reduce Azure Egress?
- Conclusion
What Counts as Azure Egress?
Azure distinguishes several traffic types. Here we focus on Internet Egress:
What counts:
- Virtual Machines to Internet
- Azure Blob Storage to Internet
- Azure SQL to external clients
- App Service to Internet
- Azure CDN Origin Pulls
What does NOT count (here):
- Intra-Region Traffic
- Traffic to ExpressRoute
- VNet Peering (separate pricing)
- Azure internal services
Azure Bandwidth Pricing Structure
Azure offers a clear price table with 100 GB/month free worldwide.
Internet Egress (Zone 1: North America, Europe)
| Volume per Month | Price per GB |
|---|---|
| First 100 GB | Free |
| Up to 10 TB | $0.087 |
| 10 TB – 50 TB | $0.083 |
| 50 TB – 150 TB | $0.07 |
| 150 TB – 500 TB | $0.05 |
| From 500 TB | Individual |
Source: Azure Bandwidth Pricing
Routing Preference
Azure offers two network options:
- Microsoft Global Network (Premium): Traffic via Microsoft's backbone – higher quality, standard prices
- ISP Network (Routing Preference): Traffic via local ISPs – slightly cheaper, variable quality
The prices above apply to the Premium Global Network.
Hetzner Traffic Comparison
The Azure-Hetzner price comparison covers the full cost framework including compute, storage and operational tasks.
Hetzner Cloud Server (EU)
| Volume | Price |
|---|---|
| At least 20 TB included (EU locations) | €0 |
| Each additional TB | €1.00/TB net |
The Hetzner Principle
"We calculate monthly traffic only using outgoing traffic. We do not count incoming and internal traffic." – Hetzner Docs
Calculation Examples
Scenario 1: Small Web App (500 GB/month)
| Provider | Calculation | Cost/Month |
|---|---|---|
| Azure | 400 GB × $0.087 | $35 |
| Hetzner | Included | €0 |
Hetzner egress line item in this example: €0
Scenario 2: E-Commerce (5 TB/month)
| Provider | Calculation | Cost/Month |
|---|---|---|
| Azure | 100 GB free + 4,900 GB × $0.087 | $426 |
| Hetzner | Included | €0 |
Hetzner egress line item in this example: €0
Scenario 3: SaaS Platform (25 TB/month)
| Provider | Calculation | Cost/Month |
|---|---|---|
| Azure | 100 GB free + 10 TB × $0.087 + 15 TB × $0.083 | ~$2,110 |
| Hetzner | 5 TB overage × €1.00 | ~€5 |
Savings: 99.7%
Scenario 4: Video Streaming (100 TB/month)
| Provider | Calculation | Cost/Month |
|---|---|---|
| Azure | Tiered up to 100 TB | ~$7,700 |
| Hetzner | 80 TB overage × €1.00 | ~€80 |
Savings: 98.7%
How to Reduce Azure Egress?
If migration isn't (yet) possible:
1. Use Azure Front Door as CDN
For static content, Azure Front Door Standard or Premium is the current CDN offering. Azure CDN Standard from Microsoft (classic) has not accepted new profiles since 15 August 2025 and retires on 30 September 2027 (Microsoft Learn).
2. Check Routing Preference
Routing via the internet (ISP network) costs $0.08 instead of $0.087 per GB up to 10 TB and $0.065 instead of $0.083 per GB between 10 and 50 TB in Germany West Central, i.e. roughly 8 to 22% less (Azure Bandwidth Pricing).
3. Enable Compression
gzip/brotli for App Service and API Management.
4. Blob Storage Tiers
Cool/Archive tiers have different egress costs – check your workload.
5. Azure Front Door
For global applications, Front Door can be more efficient than direct VM access.
6. Migrate to Hetzner
For traffic-intensive workloads, the most effective solution.
Azure vs AWS Egress
Interestingly, Azure is marginally cheaper than AWS:
| Volume | AWS | Azure | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10 TB | ~$890 | ~$860 | -3% |
| 50 TB | ~$4,290 | ~$4,180 | -3% |
| 100 TB | ~$7,810 | ~$7,700 | -1% |
Calculated with 1 TB = 1,000 GB after the free allowance, prices as of October 2026.
Both remain 80-100x more expensive than Hetzner.
When is Migration Worth It?
Migration to Hetzner is particularly worthwhile for:
- >1 TB egress/month: Savings become significant from here
- No Azure-specific services: If primarily using VMs/SQL/Blob
- EU-focused users: Latency to DE data centers acceptable
- Predictable traffic: No extreme burst peaks
For the move itself, Azure waives egress charges on request if all subscriptions are cancelled afterwards. The EU Data Act has also applied since 12 September 2025, and switching charges are prohibited from 12 January 2027. Details are in the guide Cloud exit for SMEs.
Still unsure which route fits? The orientation workshop sorts out your requirements and delivers a prioritised topic list with a recommendation per topic. From €1,490 excl. VAT, remote.
Conclusion
Azure bandwidth costs are comparable to AWS – both charge approximately $0.08-0.09/GB for internet egress. Hetzner offers an alternative that can be substantially cheaper depending on the traffic profile with 20 TB included and €1.00/TB net overage.
For companies with significant outbound traffic, switching from Azure to Hetzner can materially change traffic costs in the stated scenario; total savings must be calculated from the current invoice.
Next Steps
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