Short answer
As of October 23, 2026, Hetzner Cloud wins more of the head-to-head checks (5 vs 2), while netcup ranks higher overall. netcup is cheaper to start ($2.07 vs $6.71 a month) and Hetzner Cloud has more locations (6 vs 5).
Verdict
netcup is cheaper to start: VPS piko G11s costs $2.07 per month against $6.71 at Hetzner Cloud, but Hetzner Cloud gives more RAM for the money ($1.75 vs $2.01 per GB, median).
Hetzner Cloud has the wider footprint with 6 locations in 4 countries, against 5 in 5 at netcup; both offer Ashburn, Nuremberg and Singapore.
Customers rate netcup higher on Trustpilot: 3.8 from 3,022 reviews versus 3.0 from 3,001.
Overall netcup ranks #2 and Hetzner Cloud #38 of 160 providers we track. Choose netcup if price matters most or customer ratings weigh heavily for you; choose Hetzner Cloud if you need a wider choice of locations.
netcup and Hetzner side by side
| netcup | Hetzner Cloud | |
|---|---|---|
| Cheapest plan | VPS piko G11s: $2.07/mo | CX23: $6.71/mo |
| Entry plan specs | 1 vCPU, 1 GB RAM, 30 GB SSD, unmetered traffic | 2 vCPU, 4 GB RAM, 40 GB NVMe, 20 TB traffic |
| Cheapest Windows plan | No Windows | No Windows |
| Median price per GB RAM | $2.01 | $1.75 |
| Data-center locations | 5 in 5 countries | 6 in 4 countries |
| Regions | Asia, Europe, North America | Asia, Europe, North America |
| Virtualisation | KVM | KVM |
| Hourly billing | Yes | Yes |
| NVMe storage | Yes | Yes |
| DDoS protection | Yes | Yes |
| Backups | — | Paid |
| Managed option | No | No |
| Payment methods | card, paypal, sepa, wire | card, paypal, sepa, wire |
| Money-back | Not published | 14 days |
| Uptime SLA | 99.6% annual average per GTC (99.9% guaranteed for Root Servers; not included with VPS) | 99.9% |
| Trustpilot | 3.8 (3,022 reviews) | 3.0 (3,001 reviews) |
| Founded / HQ | 2008, Karlsruhe DE | 1997, Gunzenhausen DE |
Highlighted cells mark the better value where the comparison is objective (lower price, more locations, higher rating).
Plans at the same size
The closest matching plans by RAM from each provider.
| RAM | netcup | $/month | Hetzner | $/month |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 GB | VPS piko G11s (1 vCPU, 30 GB) | $2.07 | no plan | — |
| 4 GB | VPS 500 G12.5 (2 vCPU, 64 GB) | $8.94 | CX23 (2 vCPU, 40 GB) | $6.71 |
| 8 GB | VPS 1000 G12.5 (4 vCPU, 128 GB) | $15.69 | CX33 (4 vCPU, 80 GB) | $10.07 |
| 16 GB | VPS 2000 G12.5 (8 vCPU, 256 GB) | $29.13 | CX43 (8 vCPU, 160 GB) | $18.47 |
| 32 GB | VPS 4000 G12.5 (12 vCPU, 512 GB) | $49.09 | no plan | — |
Locations
netcup operates 5 locations (Asia, Europe, North America); Hetzner Cloud operates 6 (Asia, Europe, North America).
Cities both offer: Ashburn, Nuremberg and Singapore.
Only netcup: Amsterdam and Vienna.
Only Hetzner: Falkenstein, Helsinki and Portland.
Frequently asked questions
Is netcup or Hetzner Cloud better?
As of October 23, 2026, Hetzner Cloud wins more of the head-to-head checks (5 vs 2), while netcup ranks higher overall. netcup is cheaper to start ($2.07 vs $6.71 a month) and Hetzner Cloud has more locations (6 vs 5).
Is netcup cheaper than Hetzner Cloud?
netcup has the lower entry price: $2.07 against $6.71 per month. The plans-at-equal-RAM table compares them size by size.
Which has more data centers, netcup or Hetzner Cloud?
Hetzner Cloud, with 6 locations in 4 countries versus 5 at netcup. Both operate in Ashburn, Nuremberg and Singapore.
Do netcup and Hetzner Cloud offer Windows VPS?
Neither offers Windows Server.
Sources
Prices, plans and locations were read from these pages; last checked October 23, 2026. Prices change, so confirm on the provider's site before you buy.