Amazon Web Services vs Hetzner Cloud
Two sides of the hosting decision: hyperscaler cloud and your own server. When each fits, what it costs, who moves from one to the other, and what makers who chose it say.
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Which fits you
Choose Amazon Web Services if- The widest catalog of building blocks — Lambda, containers, managed databases, queues — to assemble your own infrastructure.
Use it whenYou need a specific AWS service, enterprise customers ask for it, or you have credits to spend.
Trade-offYou wire up networking, permissions and deploys yourself; billing is per service and hard to predict.
Choose Hetzner Cloud if- You want a flat monthly bill and full control, and don't mind running one server
Use it whenCost per CPU and RAM matters more than a long list of managed services.
Trade-offFewer managed services than big clouds, and account verification can be strict.
At a glance
| Amazon Web Services | Hetzner Cloud | |
|---|---|---|
| Used by | 386 makers' products · 17 open-source projects | 100 makers' products |
| Cost at default usagerequests 5 million requests, data transfer out 100 GB, serverless function compute 100 GB-hours | $17/mo Pay as you go (Lambda + EC2 t4g.small) | $13/mo CPX12 |
| Moved to it on GitHubpull requests since Oct 2024 | 8 from Hetzner Cloud | 8 from Amazon Web Services |
| Downloads | 4.2M/wk−39% vs npm | |
| Pricing | Pay-as-you-go per service; new accounts get up to $200 in Free Tier credits over 6 months. · paid from Pay as you go | Pay-as-you-go hourly or monthly billing per server; no free tier. |
| Free tier | Yes | No |
| Open source | No | No |
Cost as you grow
At 100k requests Hetzner Cloud costs less ($13 vs $16); and still does at 500M requests ($13 vs $1,600). They're different kinds of tool — hyperscaler cloud and your own server — so the prices don't buy the same thing.
The numbers, plan by plan
| Requests per month | Amazon Web Services | Hetzner Cloud |
|---|---|---|
| 0.1 | $16 Pay as you go (Lambda + EC2 t4g.small) | $13 CPX12 |
| 0.5 | $16 Pay as you go (Lambda + EC2 t4g.small) | $13 CPX12 |
| 1 | $16 Pay as you go (Lambda + EC2 t4g.small) | $13 CPX12 |
| 5 | $17 Pay as you go (Lambda + EC2 t4g.small) | $13 CPX12 |
| 10 | $32 Pay as you go (Lambda + EC2 t4g.small) | $13 CPX12 |
| 50 | $160 Pay as you go (Lambda + EC2 t4g.small) | $13 CPX12 |
| 100 | $320 Pay as you go (Lambda + EC2 t4g.small) | $13 CPX12 |
| 500 | $1,600 Pay as you go (Lambda + EC2 t4g.small) | $13 CPX12 |
From each vendor's pricing page: Amazon Web Services, Hetzner Cloud.
Who moves from one to the other
Public pull requests on GitHub since Oct 2024 whose title says "Amazon Web Services to Hetzner Cloud" or the reverse — real code changes, by developers in general rather than makers only.
Hetzner Cloud → Amazon Web Services8 PRs- [release/v2.30] switch dashboard api-e2e cluster-create test from Hetzner to AWSkubermatic/dashboard · 2026-07-23
- switch dashboard api-e2e cluster-create test from Hetzner to AWSkubermatic/dashboard · 2026-07-06
- feat: migrate infrastructure from Hetzner to AWSharoon-code-hub/resume-live · 2026-06-17
- PS-11179: Wire pipeline-parallel-mtr to resolveArmWorker (Hetzner to AWS Graviton fallback)Percona-Lab/ps-build · 2026-05-28
- fix(infra/hetzner): add skip_region_validation to aws provider for Hetzner regions (#135)openova-io/openova · 2026-05-11
- fix: prevent S3 token expiry on Hetzner by adding TTL + retry to AWS client (SKY-8743)Skyvern-AI/skyvern · 2026-04-03
- Add AWS CDK infrastructure for migration from Hetzner VPS to AWSterijaki/vcmuellheim · 2025-07-18
- Move some perf benchmarks from hetzner to aws arm github runnersneondatabase/neon · 2025-06-30
Amazon Web Services → Hetzner Cloud8 PRs- Move the serving stack from AWS to a single Hetzner hostambarshukla/parvum · 2026-09-21
- fix: migrate prod from AWS to Hetznera2f0/tearleads · 2026-06-11
- Move production deployment from AWS EC2 to Hetzner (red-dragon)autarchy-ai/Ground-Control · 2026-05-04
- Migrate from AWS to single-VM Hetzner deploymentsynnottd/sruth · 2026-04-15
- ci: Migrate CI runner from AWS to Hetznerfastxyz/evm-semantics · 2026-03-24
- ci: migrate ARM64 wheel builds from AWS Lambda to Hetzner Incusquestdb/py-questdb-client · 2026-03-24
- Migrate infrastructure from AWS to single Hetzner CX22Comm4nd0/p4td · 2026-03-05
- chore(ci): migrate AWS services to Hetzner (GHCR + SOPS + K3s deploy)stoa-platform/stoa · 2026-02-10
What makers say
Makers on using it for hosting, from Product Hunt and Starter Story interviews, each linked to the source. Products with a page of their own and fuller notes first.
On Amazon Web ServicesWe are so excited to integrate with AWS Lambda. Look for our upcoming co-authored blog about how Fleak and AWS Lambda bring goodness to data teams and help them win their time back!
AWS provides the global infrastructure we need to deliver low-latency voice translation to users worldwide. Their reliable services ensure our calls connect seamlessly across regions.
AWS Lambda's scalability is definitely a game-changer, especially for handling the traffic spikes from a Product Hunt launch. Shoutout to AWS Lambda for making it possible! 🚀
On Hetzner Cloud"mb-3">· Brooce I procure servers from: · Servers.com · SoYouStart · Gorilla Servers · Hetzner What have been the most influential books, podcasts, or other resources? If you want to l…
Tech Stack - Bunny, Hertzner , TinyBird , Vercel , SupaBase , Business messaging platform - Crisp Affiliate
Shout out for being cheap and reliable! My classic setup with a Caddy reverse proxy and Docker worked perfectly.
Loved and watch-outs
Themes that recur in makers' words and Hacker News comments, each linked to what it summarises.
Amazon Web ServicesMost loved
Watch-outs
On Product Hunt: 5.0★, 282 reviews · mentioned most: reliable cloud services, scalable infrastructure, extensive service offeringsHetzner CloudMost loved
On Product Hunt: 5.0★, 11 reviews · mentioned most: affordable pricingWho uses each
Amazon Web Services386 makers' products
AgentR
Antiquoted
Beatoven.ai
Swipeart
AI Santa Claus
Bubbl Widget
CotypistUsed by both — often one replacing the other, or each for a different part of the product
Blacksmith
Featurebase
StreamWhat makers pair each with
With Amazon Web ServicesTransactional Email
Amazon Web Services + SendGrid:
Bricks
ConnectMachine
D-IDEmailFlow.AI Agentic Newsletter Platform
FetchSandbox
GoMarble
Hello Inbox
MailTock
OptimizeGEO.aiSeven24.ai
Sider
Signadotand 66 more
BricksConnectMachineD-IDEmailFlow.AI Agentic Newsletter PlatformFetchSandboxGoMarbleHello InboxMailTockOptimizeGEO.aiSeven24.aiSiderSignadotand 66 moreAmazon Web Services + Resend:
Anything
CodeAnt AIConnectMachine
Dopamine.chat
Edgee
Hyring
iArt.ai
JotMe
JustPaidMaillayer
Migma AI
Modelence App Builderand 60 more
AnythingCodeAnt AIConnectMachineDopamine.chatEdgeeHyringiArt.aiJotMeJustPaidMaillayerMigma AIModelence App Builderand 60 moreAmazon Web Services + Postmark:
Bond
ClarityUXCodeAnt AI
ComputerX
Coso.ai
FluencyHello InboxMailTockQAClan
Skyvern
SpreadSimple
Talo by Palabra.aiand 52 more
BondClarityUXCodeAnt AIComputerXCoso.aiFluencyHello InboxMailTockQAClanSkyvernSpreadSimpleTalo by Palabra.aiand 52 moreLLM API
Amazon Web Services + OpenAI API:
Agentplace.io
AI Context FlowAnything
BetterClaw
BooleanMaths PulseConnectMachine
Cynative Security Research AgentD-ID
EspaFetchSandboxGoMarbleHireHunchand 121 more
Agentplace.ioAI Context FlowAnythingBetterClawBooleanMaths PulseConnectMachineCynative Security Research AgentD-IDEspaFetchSandboxGoMarbleHireHunchand 121 moreAmazon Web Services + Claude:Agentplace.ioAnything
AstridBetterClawFetchSandbox
FlootGoMarbleHello InboxHyringModelence App Builder
Naoma
Nautisand 70 more
Agentplace.ioAnythingAstridBetterClawFetchSandboxFlootGoMarbleHello InboxHyringModelence App BuilderNaomaNautisand 70 more
Kipps AI
Minicule
Notte
SlashyFrontend Framework
Amazon Web Services + Next.js:
Ada.imAgentMailAnythingAstridBond
buzzaboutClarityUXClawTeamsEspaFetchSandboxFleakFlootand 112 more
Ada.imAgentMailAnythingAstridBondbuzzaboutClarityUXClawTeamsEspaFetchSandboxFleakFlootand 112 moreAmazon Web Services + React:
DatazipMailTockMigma AI
MIOSN
NeuralAgentNotiSpriteOptimizeGEO.ai
QualGent
Quorini
Smart Chrome Tabs
Sukha
The Swarmand 27 more
DatazipMailTockMigma AIMIOSNNeuralAgentNotiSpriteOptimizeGEO.aiQualGentQuoriniSmart Chrome TabsSukhaThe Swarmand 27 more
Tilores entity resolution
Vamah.ai
Chatwoot
CypressPayments
Amazon Web Services + Stripe:Ada.imAstrioBetterClawBricks
ByteNiteClusyEngine Room Media
Firecoach AIGoMarble
GroHello InboxHireHunchand 103 more
Ada.imAstrioBetterClawBricksByteNiteClusyEngine Room MediaFirecoach AIGoMarbleGroHello InboxHireHunchand 103 moreAmazon Web Services + Paddle:
AmplooClarityUXMailTockSpreadSimpleTalo by Palabra.aiMorningscore
Openchangelog
AnnounceKit
Keywords Everywhere
AmplooClarityUXMailTockSpreadSimpleTalo by Palabra.aiMorningscoreOpenchangelogAnnounceKitKeywords EverywhereAmazon Web Services + PayPal:
KukyMaildroppaPDFShiftTxtCart®
Crisp
UptimeRobot
KukyMaildroppaPDFShiftTxtCart®CrispUptimeRobotWith Hetzner CloudTransactional Email
Hetzner Cloud + Resend:Beam Analyticsviral.app
Brand.devbuilder
Builder's Bid BookCrewCue
IndieMerger
ManyPI
Open Analyticspolygonjs
Refgrow
Rybbitand 9 more
Brand.devbuilderBuilder's Bid BookCrewCueIndieMergerManyPIOpen AnalyticspolygonjsRefgrowRybbitand 9 more
Tiptap
Eternity AC
MariaDBFrontend Framework
Hetzner Cloud + Next.js:viral.appbuilderBuilder's Bid BookCrewCueJustBackendMaildroppaManyPIOpen AnalyticsRefgrowRybbitSEO Kickstarter
serenitiesand 14 more
Builder's Bid BookCrewCueJustBackendMaildroppaManyPIOpen AnalyticsRefgrowRybbitSEO Kickstarterserenitiesand 14 moreHetzner Cloud + React:builderMaildroppaMorningscoreserenitiesSmart Chrome Tabssupoclipbetterlyticscompass-calendarduck-uilightspeedlistenbrainz-servermediacmsand 4 more
serenitiesSmart Chrome Tabssupoclipbetterlyticscompass-calendarduck-uilightspeedlistenbrainz-servermediacmsand 4 moreHetzner Cloud + Astro:Openchangelog
UXAudit.NowArtDecklightspeedUptimeRobot
OpenchangelogUXAudit.NowArtDecklightspeedUptimeRobotPayments
Hetzner Cloud + Stripe:Beam AnalyticsIndifferent BroccoliBrand.devCrewCue
EasyStaff PayrollFoodDocsIndieMergerJustBackendMaildroppaManyPIMorningscore
Motion Minuteand 20 more
Brand.devCrewCueEasyStaff PayrollFoodDocsIndieMergerJustBackendMaildroppaManyPIMorningscoreMotion Minuteand 20 moreDatabase
Hetzner Cloud + PostgreSQL:supoclipMonsterWriterbetterlyticscompass-calendarfeeds.funisms-builderlightspeedlistenbrainz-servermediacmsMIRIXnextjs-firebase-authenticationSveltyCMS
Context.devNeither quite right?
See the whole hosting decision →
Vercel
NetlifyFrontend cloudStatic sites and JAMstack apps on any framework.
CloudflareEdge platformCheap global hosting with Workers, plus database (D1) and storage (R2) on the same platform.vs Amazon Web Services →
RailwayPaaSServers, workers and databases deployed together, with almost no configuration.vs Amazon Web Services →vs Hetzner Cloud →
Render
Fly.ioContainer platformDocker apps that should run close to users in many regions.vs Amazon Web Services →vs Hetzner Cloud →
CoolifyYour own serverA Heroku- or Vercel-style dashboard on your own server, with many one-click services.