DigitalOcean Kubernetes vs Hetzner Web Hosting

DigitalOcean Kubernetes7.9Visit Hetzner Web Hosting7.9Visit

DigitalOcean Kubernetes #5 in Self-Hosted App Hosting 7.9/10 Paid ✓ 0 of 2 features Visit DigitalOcean

vs

Hetzner Web Hosting #6 in Self-Hosted App Hosting 7.9/10 Paid ✓ 0 of 2 features Visit Hetzner

• DigitalOcean Kubernetes fits best

  Teams specifically needing managed Kubernetes

• Hetzner Web Hosting fits best

  Traditional websites and online shops

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Side by side

Feature	DigitalOcean Kubernetes 7.9/10 Visit ↗	Hetzner Web Hosting 7.9/10 Visit ↗
At a glance
Editor score	7.9	7.9
Ranking	#5 in Self-Hosted App Hosting	#6 in Self-Hosted App Hosting
Best for	Teams specifically needing managed Kubernetes	Traditional websites and online shops
Pricing model	Paid	Paid
Starting price	$12/unit/mo	—
Free plan	—	—
Free trial	—	—
Deployment	Cloud	Cloud
Platforms	Web	Web
Support	Email, Live chat, Tickets, Community, Docs	Docs, Phone
Compliance	SOC 2, GDPR	GDPR
Integrations	8 integrations	5 integrations
Built for	Small business, Mid-market	Solo, Small business, Mid-market
Features DigitalOcean Kubernetes 0/2 · Hetzner Web Hosting 0/2
Managed app updates	Not checked yet	Not checked yet
Automated backups	Not checked yet	Not checked yet
Specs
App catalog size	Not checked yet	Not checked yet
App deployment	Not checked yet	Not checked yet
Backup retention	Not checked yet	Not checked yet
Server regions	Not checked yet	Not checked yet
Our review
Pros	Managed control plane with node pool autoscaling and scale-to-zero support Rolling updates, role-based access control, and OIDC single sign-on Connects with DigitalOcean load balancers, volumes, and container registry	Daily backups retained for up to 14 days, plus free SSL options Unlimited mailboxes and increasing database limits across all plans Higher tiers add Redis, SSH, Node.js, or telephone support
Cons	Requires Kubernetes API and cluster administration rather than turnkey app hosting Worker nodes are billed separately from the managed control plane No free plan; Basic worker nodes start at $12 per node per month	The plans focus on shared website hosting, not general app deployment SSH and Node.js are listed only for Webhosting L Migration covers up to three qualifying internal Hetzner accounts
Our verdict	DigitalOcean Kubernetes (DOKS) is a managed Kubernetes service for developers, startups, and small-to-medium-sized businesses that need Kubernetes clusters in DigitalOcean's cloud. DigitalOcean manages the control plane and underlying… Read the review →	Hetzner Web Hosting offers shared hosting for websites, email, databases, online shops, and business applications. It suits site owners who want a conventional hosting package with familiar web technologies rather than a general-purpose… Read the review →

Strengths and trade-offs

• DigitalOcean Kubernetes — where it wins

  • Managed control plane with node pool autoscaling and scale-to-zero support
  • Rolling updates, role-based access control, and OIDC single sign-on
  • Connects with DigitalOcean load balancers, volumes, and container registry

  Where it doesn't

  • Requires Kubernetes API and cluster administration rather than turnkey app hosting
  • Worker nodes are billed separately from the managed control plane
  • No free plan; Basic worker nodes start at $12 per node per month

• Hetzner Web Hosting — where it wins

  • Daily backups retained for up to 14 days, plus free SSL options
  • Unlimited mailboxes and increasing database limits across all plans
  • Higher tiers add Redis, SSH, Node.js, or telephone support

  Where it doesn't

  • The plans focus on shared website hosting, not general app deployment
  • SSH and Node.js are listed only for Webhosting L
  • Migration covers up to three qualifying internal Hetzner accounts

• DigitalOcean Kubernetes7.9/10 · Paid

  A managed Kubernetes service for teams that want cluster control on DigitalOcean.

  Visit DigitalOceanFull verdict →
• Hetzner Web Hosting7.9/10 · Paid

  A conventional shared host for websites and shops, with storage and database capacity that scales by plan.

  Visit HetznerFull verdict →