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Neither host wins outright. Hetzner is the better fit if you need higher-tier developer tools such as SSH and documented 14-day backup retention, and you are comfortable registering your domain separately. STRATO is the better fit if you want a German storefront plan that bundles domains and SSL and shows its monthly prices and setup fees up front. Neither source establishes which host is faster or more reliable under real workloads, so the choice should rest on plan limits, included services and total checkout cost.
What each provider includes
Hetzner: S, M, L and XL shared plans
Hetzner’s current shared web hosting range is S, M, L and XL. Its official overview lists storage of 10, 50, 100 and 300 GB across the four plans, with PHP memory limits of 192, 256, 384 and 512 MB and increasing execution-time limits. The documentation says CMS use is supported on all plans. It rates web-shop suitability as limited on L and suitable on XL. SSH login is available on L and XL only. Varnish, Redis and Node.js also appear among the plan features, but availability varies by tier, so check the current feature table before assuming a feature is included at a given level. Hetzner Docs: web hosting overview is the primary reference for these values; it was last changed on 2026-07-28.
Hetzner: backups, access and infrastructure
Hetzner states that it makes automatic nightly backups and keeps them for 14 days in a separate data center. Individual files or folders can be restored through konsoleH, Hetzner’s control panel. Other documented features include unlimited mailboxes and FTP users, SFTP and FTPS access, free SSL certificate options, DDoS protection and 24/7 system monitoring. The web hosting servers are located in Germany. Hetzner also states 99.9% network availability. That is a provider specification for the network, not a measured uptime figure for your site.
Hetzner: pricing and contract terms
The plans have no minimum contract term and carry an immediate notice period. Domains are not included and must be booked separately. Hetzner’s live product page shows plan details and order controls, but we could not verify current numeric monthly prices for S, M, L and XL from the sources reviewed. Read those figures from the order page for your market before comparing.
STRATO: Starter, Basic, Plus and Pro
STRATO’s German storefront lists four plans with a one-month minimum contract term. The figures below were shown on its German hosting page when accessed on 2026-10-07. Standard prices and setup fees can change, and the page does not make clear whether the figures are net or gross of VAT, so confirm them at checkout.
| Plan | Monthly price (shown) | Setup fee (shown) | Webspace | SSD databases | Included domains | Included SSL certificates |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Starter | €6 | €10 | 50 GB | 2 | 1 | 1 |
| Basic | €10 | €10 | 100 GB | 25 | 3 | 3 |
| Plus | €14 | €10 | 150 GB | 50 | 5 | 5 |
| Pro | €24 | €10 | 200 GB | 75 | 10 | 10 |
STRATO also lists unlimited traffic and a backup function, but the page does not describe retention periods or restore granularity. It names two high-security data centers in Germany and says its data center information management system is ISO/IEC 27001 certified. The page lists PHP 8.4 and shows SFTP access that varies by tier. Read the tier table at checkout to see which level includes it.
Side-by-side on the decisions that matter
| Decision factor | Hetzner | STRATO |
|---|---|---|
| Domains | Not included; booked separately | 1, 3, 5 or 10 included, depending on plan |
| SSL | Free SSL certificate options | 1, 3, 5 or 10 included, matching the domain count |
| Minimum term | None; immediate notice period | One month minimum |
| Backups | Nightly, kept 14 days, file or folder restore via konsoleH | A backup function is listed; retention and restore detail not stated |
| SSH access | L and XL | Not stated as a plan feature; SFTP varies by tier |
| Storage | 10, 50, 100 and 300 GB across S, M, L and XL | 50, 100, 150 and 200 GB across Starter, Basic, Plus and Pro |
| Hosting location | Germany | Two high-security data centers in Germany |
| Provider-stated availability | 99.9% network availability | Not stated |
How to compare the real checkout total
Headline prices rarely decide the cost of a site. Work through the total for your own market and term before deciding:
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- Open the Hetzner web hosting order page and the STRATO hosting page for your country, and select the plan you actually need.
- Record the recurring monthly price and any introductory price, including how long it lasts.
- Add setup fees. STRATO shows €10 for each plan; Hetzner’s setup fee was not captured in the sources reviewed, so check it at checkout.
- For Hetzner, add the cost of registering or transferring your domain, since domains are not included. For STRATO, check whether your domain count already covers the project.
- Check whether the totals shown are net or gross of VAT, and whether the renewal price differs from the first-term price.
Which host fits which site
- Choose Hetzner if you need SSH on the plan you select, want to keep the option to scale from S to XL, value a documented 14-day nightly backup window, and already manage your domains elsewhere.
- Choose STRATO if you want domains and SSL bundled into a plan, prefer a German provider with published monthly prices and setup fees, and need a one-month rather than open-ended term.
- Check tier limits first if you run WordPress or an online shop. Hetzner describes web-shop suitability as limited on L and suitable on XL, so a shop should be compared at XL. For STRATO, compare the database, webspace and SFTP limits of each tier against your installation.
What the sources do not show
No independent head-to-head test of load speed, response times or observed uptime was available for these current plans. Hetzner’s 99.9% figure is a stated network specification, and its press release describes the new packages in promotional terms, such as “flexibility, performance, and clear pricing structures”, as Christian Fitz, Hetzner press spokesperson, put it in the Hetzner announcement of 9 October 2025. Treat that as the company’s own positioning rather than independent evidence. If speed matters to your project, run a trial on both platforms and measure the pages your visitors will actually load.
Plan limits and prices can change. The Hetzner figures come from documentation last changed on 2026-07-28, and the STRATO figures were accessed on 2026-10-07 for the German market.
Quick Recap
Rank #4
Product prices and availability are accurate as of the date/time indicated and are subject to change. Any price and availability information displayed on Amazon at the time of purchase will apply.
