VPS 2026: The Ultimate Comparison
A Virtual Private Server (VPS) – in Germany usually called a “VServer” – is a virtualised server that gives you dedicated resources (RAM, CPU, storage) at a fraction of the cost of a physical server. For website operators, developers and companies, a VPS is the happy medium between cheap shared hosting and an expensive dedicated server.
The 2026 VPS market is shaped by cloud-native providers such as Hetzner and DigitalOcean as well as traditional hosts such as IONOS and netcup. The good news: powerful VPS with a German data centre are available from as little as €2.21 per month. In 2026, however, almost all the big providers raised their prices – Hetzner in June, OVHcloud in April – and netcup charges considerably more for the new VPS G12.5 series than for the previous G12 series.
The key points in brief
Never compare just the advertised price: at IONOS, STRATO and easyname the low prices apply only for the first 3 months, at Hostinger only with 24 months paid in advance. Hetzner, Contabo and Hostinger quote net prices, the US providers bill in dollars. Our comparison therefore converts everything to the regular monthly price in euros incl. 19% VAT.
VPS vs. Dedicated Server vs. Cloud
| Criterion | Shared hosting | VPS | Dedicated | Cloud |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Price | €1–10/mo. | €1–50/mo. | €50–300/mo. | Pay-per-use |
| Performance | Shared | Guaranteed | Maximum | Scalable |
| Root access | No | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Scaling | No | Limited | Hardware swap | Instant |
| Ideal for | Small websites | Medium to large | High traffic | Variable load |
What to look for in a VPS comparison?
The most important criteria when choosing a VPS:
- RAM: at least 2 GB for WordPress, 4 GB for Docker applications, 8 GB+ for databases
- CPU: shared vCPUs for websites, dedicated vCPUs for compute-intensive tasks
- SSD storage: NVMe is faster than SATA SSD – important for databases
- Traffic: “unlimited” is offered by IONOS, netcup, Contabo, STRATO, easyname and OVHcloud (EU locations), among others – Hetzner offers 20 TB in the EU
- Location: a German data centre = GDPR-compliant (DSGVO, the EU data protection regulation) + low latency for visitors in Germany
- Backup: automatic backups are included at IONOS, easyname (daily) and Hostinger (weekly); at Hetzner, DigitalOcean and Vultr they cost a 20% surcharge
Tip: hourly billing
Hetzner, DigitalOcean, Linode and Vultr bill by the hour or second. Perfect for tests and temporary projects – you pay only for what you use, capped at the monthly price. Traditional hosts such as STRATO, IONOS or netcup, by contrast, tie you to fixed terms.
Cost example: a 4 GB VPS in the first year
For a WordPress site or a few Docker containers, 2 vCPU and 4 GB RAM are enough. This is what that costs in the first contract year, including the promotional phase and set-up (all amounts incl. 19% VAT, as of October 2026):
| Plan | vCPU / RAM / storage | Commitment | Billing | Year 1 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hetzner Cloud CX23 | 2 / 4 GB / 40 GB NVMe | none, billed hourly | 12 × €7.13 | €85.54 |
| OVHcloud VPS-1 | 2 / 4 GB / 40 GB NVMe | 12 months paid in advance | 12 × €4.53 | €54.36 |
| netcup VPS Lite 1 G12.5s | 2 / 4 GB / 80 GB SSD | 6 months | 12 × €5.86 | €70.32 |
| netcup VPS 500 G12.5 | 2 / 4 GB / 64 GB SSD | 12 months | 12 × €8.26 | €99.12 |
| STRATO VPS M | 2 / 4 GB / 120 GB NVMe | 12 months | 3 × €3 + 9 × €10 | €99.00 |
| IONOS VPS M+ | 2 / 4 GB / 120 GB NVMe | 12 months | 3 × €4 + 9 × €12 | €120.00 |
| Contabo Cloud VPS 4 | 4 / 8 GB / 100 GB SSD | 1 month | 12 × €5.50 net + 19% VAT | €78.54 |
Sources: pricing pages and pricing APIs of Hetzner, OVHcloud, netcup, STRATO, IONOS and Contabo, retrieved on 30 October 2026. Hetzner and Contabo quote net prices (grossed up here with 19% VAT). IONOS’s set-up fee is currently waived, and at STRATO it does not apply on a 12-month term. Contabo is listed with 8 GB RAM for comparison.
The example shows that in the first year the offers are close together; from the second year only the regular price counts. Then IONOS VPS M+ costs €144 per year, STRATO VPS M €120, Hetzner CX23 still €85.54 and OVHcloud VPS-1 without prepayment €64.08.
Reading promotional prices and renewals correctly
- Promotion period: IONOS, STRATO and easyname grant the discount only for the first 3 months. At easyname, Cloud Server XS then costs €6.90 instead of €0.49.
- Prepayment: Hostinger charges the promotional price only when you pay in advance; for KVM 1 that is €131.76 net for 24 months. The plan then renews at €11.99 net per month.
- Term discount: netcup gives around 15% off on a 24-month instead of a 12-month term (VPS 500 G12.5: €7.03 instead of €8.26), Contabo 15% on 12 and 20% on 24 months.
- Net or gross: Hetzner, Contabo and Hostinger show prices excluding VAT, netcup, IONOS, STRATO and OVHcloud including VAT. For private customers, 19% is added to net prices.
- IPv4 address: at Hetzner the IPv4 address is a separate item (€0.50 net per month, included in the comparison price). netcup deducts €0.60 if you use IPv6 only, and the cheapest Vultr plan has no IPv4 address at all.
Server location: Germany, the EU or worldwide?
For websites with a German audience, a German data centre offers decisive advantages: latency under 20 ms, full GDPR compliance (DSGVO) without a third-country transfer, and German law for your data. 10 of the 11 providers in the comparison operate German data centres; easyname hosts exclusively in Vienna.
As soon as your users are outside Europe, latency decides. With the location filter above you choose countries such as the USA, Singapore, Japan, Australia, Brazil or India – the list then shows only providers that actually operate a data centre there. Vultr and Linode have the widest choice with ten regions each, followed by Contabo with eight. OVHcloud offers no US location for VPS, Hostinger has no locations in Singapore or Japan, and STRATO serves exclusively from Germany.
A non-EU location means a third-country transfer
Anyone processing personal data on a server in the USA, Singapore or India needs a sound legal basis under Chapter V GDPR – usually standard contractual clauses plus a transfer impact assessment. For pure test, gaming or edge workloads without personal data this is uncritical.
The best VPS for every purpose
WordPress / websites
→ Hetzner CX23 (€7.13/mo.) or OVHcloud VPS-1 (€5.34/mo.). With 4 GB RAM, WordPress runs smoothly.
Development & CI/CD
→ Hetzner or DigitalOcean: API-first, Terraform, hourly billing.
Databases
→ netcup or Contabo: lots of RAM per euro. netcup uses ECC RAM in the VPS G12.5 series, Contabo offers NVMe storage in its Performance line (Cloud VPS Plus).
Game servers
→ Contabo: 8 GB RAM + 4 vCPUs from €6.55 gross. Or Hetzner with hourly billing for event servers.
Last updated: October 2026 | Sources: providers’ pricing pages and public pricing APIs (retrieved on 30 October 2026)