What Is Hetzner and What Services Does It Offer?

Updated

Hetzner is a hosting provider that runs its own data centers in Germany and Finland, offering dedicated servers, cloud servers, managed servers, web hosting, and storage products on monthly terms. It suits users ranging from individuals launching a first website to businesses running AI/GPU workloads, with entry prices that start low and scale up by product line.

Product Overview

Hetzner groups its offerings into distinct lines, each with its own starting price (all figures exclude VAT, per the site):

Product What it is Starting price (excl. VAT)
Server Auction Bid on used/configured hardware; prices fluctuate €65.70/month
Dedicated Server Dedicated root servers with full hardware access €59.00/month
Cloud Flexible cloud servers on high-end hardware €5.99/month
Managed Servers Servers where Hetzner handles the technical side €34.00/month
Web Hosting Homepage hosting for beginners and businesses €1.60/month
Storage Share File storage and sharing, accessible anywhere €4.29/month
Storage Boxes Storage accessible from PC, smartphone, tablet €3.20/month
Custom Solutions Tailored setups and hardware On demand

There is also a GPU line. The GEX430 multi-GPU server carries four NVIDIA RTX PRO 6000 GPUs with 384 GB of total VRAM, positioned for demanding AI workloads. Newer entries include the GEX63 (one NVIDIA RTX PRO 6000 Blackwell Max-Q with 96 GB GDDR7 ECC VRAM) and the GEX45, described as entry-level GPU power.

How the Server Auction Works

The auction is the least conventional part of the lineup, and the site lays out four steps:

  1. Enter your desired hardware specification.
  2. Compare the available offers.
  3. Watch for price changes (prices drop over time).
  4. Claim the offer before someone else does.

The trade-off is explicit: waiting for a lower price risks losing the server to another bidder. If you need a guaranteed configuration on a fixed timeline, a standard dedicated or cloud plan is the safer route; the auction rewards patience and flexibility.

Who Each Product Fits

  • First website or small project: Web Hosting at €1.60/month is the lowest entry point; Cloud at €5.99/month adds server-level flexibility.
  • Full control over hardware: Dedicated Server or the Server Auction, depending on whether you want a fixed configuration or are willing to bid.
  • No interest in server administration: Managed Servers, where Hetzner covers the technical operation.
  • File storage and sharing rather than compute: Storage Share or Storage Boxes.
  • AI and GPU workloads: The GPU line (GEX430, GEX63, GEX45), with the GEX430 aimed at multi-GPU, high-VRAM tasks.
  • Non-standard requirements: Custom Solutions, quoted on demand.

What to Check Before Choosing

Prices above are starting points and exclude VAT, so the actual monthly cost depends on the configuration you select. The auction's dynamic pricing means the listed starting figure is not a fixed rate. For workloads where GPU memory or multi-GPU capacity matters, compare the VRAM figures (384 GB across four GPUs on the GEX430 versus 96 GB on a single GPU in the GEX63) against your actual requirement rather than the headline price alone.