Short answer
As of October 23, 2026, Hetzner Cloud wins more of the head-to-head checks (5 vs 1) and ranks higher overall (#38 of 160). Scaleway is cheaper to start ($0.48 vs $6.71 a month) and Hetzner Cloud has more locations (6 vs 4).
Verdict
Scaleway is cheaper to start: STARDUST1-S costs $0.48 per month against $6.71 at Hetzner Cloud, but Hetzner Cloud gives more RAM for the money ($1.75 vs $5.78 per GB, median).
Hetzner Cloud has the wider footprint with 6 locations in 4 countries, against 4 in 4 at Scaleway; they share no cities.
On features, only Scaleway offers Windows Server and only Hetzner Cloud offers DDoS protection.
Customers rate Hetzner Cloud higher on Trustpilot: 3.0 from 3,001 reviews versus 1.5 from 358.
Overall Scaleway ranks #53 and Hetzner Cloud #38 of 160 providers we track. Choose Scaleway if price matters most or you need Windows Server; choose Hetzner Cloud if you need a wider choice of locations or DDoS protection must be included.
Scaleway and Hetzner side by side
| Scaleway | Hetzner Cloud | |
|---|---|---|
| Cheapest plan | STARDUST1-S: $0.48/mo | CX23: $6.71/mo |
| Entry plan specs | 1 vCPU, 1 GB RAM, 10 GB SSD, unmetered traffic | 2 vCPU, 4 GB RAM, 40 GB NVMe, 20 TB traffic |
| Cheapest Windows plan | POP2-2C-8G-WIN: $149.05/mo | No Windows |
| Median price per GB RAM | $5.78 | $1.75 |
| Data-center locations | 4 in 4 countries | 6 in 4 countries |
| Regions | Europe | Asia, Europe, North America |
| Virtualisation | KVM | KVM |
| Hourly billing | Yes | Yes |
| NVMe storage | No | Yes |
| DDoS protection | — | Yes |
| Backups | Paid | Paid |
| Managed option | No | No |
| Payment methods | card, sepa | card, paypal, sepa, wire |
| Money-back | Not published | 14 days |
| Uptime SLA | 99% (shared BASIC ranges) / 99.5% (dedicated, specialized, GPU); no SLO on Development ranges | 99.9% |
| Trustpilot | 1.5 (358 reviews) | 3.0 (3,001 reviews) |
| Founded / HQ | 1999, Paris FR | 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 | Scaleway | $/month | Hetzner | $/month |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 GB | STARDUST1-S (1 vCPU, 10 GB) | $0.48 | no plan | — |
| 2 GB | DEV1-S (2 vCPU, 20 GB) | $7.34 | no plan | — |
| 4 GB | PLAY2-NANO (2 vCPU, ? GB) | $22.51 | CX23 (2 vCPU, 40 GB) | $6.71 |
| 8 GB | PRO2-XXS (2 vCPU, ? GB) | $45.86 | CX33 (4 vCPU, 80 GB) | $10.07 |
| 16 GB | no plan | — | CX43 (8 vCPU, 160 GB) | $18.47 |
Locations
Scaleway operates 4 locations (Europe); Hetzner Cloud operates 6 (Asia, Europe, North America).
Only Scaleway: Amsterdam, Milan, Paris and Warsaw.
Only Hetzner: Ashburn, Falkenstein, Helsinki, Nuremberg, Portland and Singapore.
Frequently asked questions
Is Scaleway or Hetzner Cloud better?
As of October 23, 2026, Hetzner Cloud wins more of the head-to-head checks (5 vs 1) and ranks higher overall (#38 of 160). Scaleway is cheaper to start ($0.48 vs $6.71 a month) and Hetzner Cloud has more locations (6 vs 4).
Is Scaleway cheaper than Hetzner Cloud?
Scaleway has the lower entry price: $0.48 against $6.71 per month. The plans-at-equal-RAM table compares them size by size.
Which has more data centers, Scaleway or Hetzner Cloud?
Hetzner Cloud, with 6 locations in 4 countries versus 4 at Scaleway.
Do Scaleway and Hetzner Cloud offer Windows VPS?
Only Scaleway 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.