Server and operations from a single source: With Managed Proxmox Hosting, WZ-IT provides a dedicated server in Germany and operates Proxmox on it, without a provider account of your own. According to WZ-IT pricing, from EUR 249.90 net per server per month including operations (as of October 2026). Hardware-only rental and managed hosting have different scopes.
You rent a Proxmox server from providers of dedicated bare-metal or root servers. In Germany and the EU these are mainly Hetzner, IONOS, OVHcloud and netcup. Proxmox VE is a Debian-based type-1 hypervisor that runs directly on the hardware and requires the CPU virtualization extensions Intel VT-x or AMD-V (Proxmox system requirements). That is why Proxmox belongs on a dedicated server and does not run usefully on most shared VPS instances, which are already virtualized themselves. The current release is Proxmox VE 9.2 (May 2026, based on Debian 13 "Trixie"). If you do not want to administer the server yourself, you rent the hardware from a host and have setup, operations and backup handled by a managed Proxmox provider such as WZ-IT. For platform fundamentals, see What is Proxmox.
Where can I rent a Proxmox server?
The Austrian company Proxmox Server Solutions GmbH sells only the software and optional subscriptions, not hosting. You rent the hardware from a server host. Suitable options are dedicated servers (bare metal) or dedicated root servers. The most relevant providers in the DACH region and the EU are:
- Hetzner (data centers in Falkenstein and Nuremberg in Germany, and Helsinki in Finland)
- IONOS (German data centers, part of United Internet)
- OVHcloud (French provider with EU data centers, including Frankfurt)
- netcup: virtualized root servers with dedicated resources, not bare metal.
On bare metal you install Proxmox VE yourself or have it installed; for virtual offerings, confirm nested virtualization support first. OVHcloud offers Proxmox VE for preinstallation on compatible dedicated servers through the Control Panel after ordering. Available operating systems vary by server range. Source. On Hetzner you install via the rescue system using the official auto-install ISO, or via Debian. We walk through that step by step in Set up Proxmox on Hetzner.
Why Proxmox needs bare metal and does not run on shared VPS
Proxmox VE is a bare-metal hypervisor: it replaces the operating system on the physical server and divides its CPU, RAM and storage into virtual machines (KVM) and containers (LXC). For that it needs direct access to the CPU's hardware virtualization.
A classic shared VPS is itself already a virtual machine on someone else's hypervisor. In most cases the virtualization extension is not passed through to the guest, so Proxmox cannot start any VMs. Whether nested virtualization is available depends on the product; according to its server FAQ, netcup does not allow activation of the SVM flag (source), and for other virtual server products availability has to be confirmed before ordering. Where it is available, Proxmox runs technically, but with a noticeable performance penalty and without suitability for production load. For labs, training or a test cluster that is fine, for business operations it is not.
The conclusion: for production, Proxmox belongs on a dedicated server. There you have full control over CPU, RAM, NVMe/SSD and networking, and you can use features such as live migration, ZFS or Ceph and build an HA cluster.
Proxmox hosting providers compared: Hetzner, IONOS, OVHcloud, netcup
The table below compares the four providers along the criteria that matter for a Proxmox decision. Price example: Hetzner AX42-1, €97.30 net per month excluding IPv4, setup €49 (Hetzner price list, as of October 2026). Check term, IPv4, setup and location in the actual offer.
| Provider | Data centers | Headquarters / GDPR | Proxmox installation | Network specifics | Price / product scope (18 October 2026) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hetzner | Falkenstein, Nuremberg (DE), Helsinki (FI) | Germany, EU | Rescue system, auto-install ISO | Strict IP/MAC binding, routed setup, vSwitch for clusters | AX42-1: EUR 97.30 net/month excluding IPv4, EUR 49 setup |
| IONOS | Germany, France, Spain, United Kingdom, USA; availability depends on the product. | Germany, EU | Bare metal; check virtualisation capabilities and installation access for the specific model. | Private network with tagged VLAN | Check configuration and contract terms |
| OVHcloud | France, Frankfurt, Warsaw and more | France, EU | Proxmox VE preinstallable on compatible ranges through the Control Panel after ordering | vRack private network | Check model and contract terms |
| netcup | Check location per product | Germany, EU | Virtual root server, verify nested support | Product-dependent | Product-dependent, see product page |
A few practical notes on each:
- Hetzner offers dedicated servers and a Server Auction. The strict IP and MAC binding matters: for VMs with their own public IP you need a routed setup or a vSwitch. Details in Proxmox cluster networking on Hetzner.
- OVHcloud offers Proxmox VE for preinstallation on compatible dedicated servers through the Control Panel after ordering. Available operating systems vary by server range. Source. The network configuration differs from Hetzner, see Cluster networking on OVH.
- IONOS offers a private network with tagged VLANs, so you can cleanly separate cluster, storage and management traffic. More in Cluster networking on IONOS.
- netcup: virtualized root servers with dedicated resources, not bare metal.
On GDPR, the same applies to all four: as long as the server sits in an EU data center and a data processing agreement (DPA) is in place, the basis is there. Hetzner, IONOS and netcup are companies based in Germany or the EU, OVHcloud is French. Final compliance depends on your configuration, such as encryption, backups and access control.
netcup: virtual or dedicated server for Proxmox?
Despite the name “Dedicated Server”, the netcup product page lists virtualized root servers with dedicated resources. These are not bare metal. Running Proxmox VMs therefore depends on whether the provider enables nested virtualization for the specific product. Without nested virtualization, Proxmox on a virtual root server runs LXC containers only, not KVM VMs. kvm-ok or the vmx or svm flag in /proc/cpuinfo shows whether nesting is active.
See Install Proxmox for the general procedure. Verify virtualization support and operating requirements before booking.
Self-managed or managed Proxmox?
Server and operations together or Managed Proxmox on your hardware: choose according to ownership and operating responsibility.
The hardware is only half the job. What matters is who operates the platform.
| Aspect | Self-managed | Managed (e.g. WZ-IT) |
|---|---|---|
| Renting hardware | you, from the host | you, or via us |
| Installation and networking | you | the provider |
| Updates and patch management | you | the provider |
| Monitoring and alerting | you | the provider |
| Backup and disaster recovery | you | the provider |
| Responsibility during incidents | with you | with the provider (with response times) |
Self-managed makes sense if you have in-house expertise and capacity for virtualization. Managed makes sense when Proxmox runs business-critical workloads but you do not want a team working on it around the clock. In practice the host is replaceable, reliable operations are not. What Proxmox really costs beyond the rent is covered in How much does Proxmox cost.
Support: vendor subscription or service provider
You buy vendor support through a Proxmox subscription directly from Proxmox Server Solutions (Proxmox pricing overview). That covers the software, but not your specific environment, your network at the host or your backup strategy. This is where WZ-IT comes in: we are a German managed service provider running Proxmox in production for customers, from selecting the right host through installation, cluster setup and networking to updates, monitoring and encrypted offsite backups with Proxmox Backup Server.
Unlike a pure host, we are vendor-neutral and tied to the open-source platform rather than to specific hardware. You remain the owner of your servers and your data, while we take care of reliable operations with defined response times.
Operations and support
Managed Proxmox Hosting includes server and operations. Managed Proxmox operates your existing hardware. Maintenance services: maintenance and support. Book an initial consultation.
Proxmox subscriptions through WZ-IT · Vendor plans and Community scope.
Provider sources
As of October 2026.
- Hetzner: AVV / DPA
- Hetzner: Rechenzentren / data centers
- IONOS: AVV
- IONOS: Dedicated Server
- OVHcloud: Datenschutz / data protection
- OVHcloud: Rise
- netcup: AVV
- netcup: Root Server
Assess location and operator control using the sovereign virtualization checklist.
For an external backup destination, PBS hosting describes the individually agreed offsite option.
