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Amazon Lightsail vs Hetzner
Amazon Lightsail
Hetzner
Side-by-side comparison of features, pricing, and performance to help you choose the right hosting provider.
Feature Comparison
| Feature | Amazon Lightsail | Hetzner |
|---|---|---|
| Rating | N/A | N/A |
| Price | Not offered | Not offered |
| Storage | 20 GB SSD | 10 GB SSD |
| Bandwidth | 1 TB | Unlimited |
| Websites | Unlimited | 1 |
| CPU | 2 vCPUs | N/A |
| RAM | 0.5 GB | N/A |
| Free Domain | ||
| Free SSL | ||
| Server Locations | ||
| Regions | 12 ★ | 5 |
| Locations | US East, Virginia, Ohio US West, Oregon, California Western Europe, London, Paris, Ireland Central Europe, Frankfurt, Zurich Northern Europe, Stockholm Southeast Asia, Singapore, Jakarta East Asia, Tokyo, Seoul, Hong Kong India, Mumbai, Hyderabad Australia & Oceania, Sydney, Melbourne South America, Sao Paulo Middle East, Bahrain, UAE Africa, Cape Town | US East, Ashburn, Virginia US West, Hillsboro, Oregon Central Europe, Nuremberg, Falkenstein Northern Europe, Helsinki Southeast Asia, Singapore |
Features | ||
CMS & Platforms (7) | ||
Languages & Frameworks (9) | ||
Databases (4) | ||
Developer Tools (8) | ||
Performance & CDN (4) | ||
| Caching | ||
| CDN | ||
| LiteSpeed | ||
| SSD Storage | ||
Security (6) | ||
| 2FA | ||
| Backups | ||
| DDoS Protection | ||
| Malware Scan | ||
| SSL | ||
| WAF | ||
Support (4) | ||
Extras & Guarantees (5) | ||
| Slight discrepancies are possible. We recommend verifying details on the provider's website. | ||
| Visit Amazon Lightsail | Visit Hetzner | |
Pricing & Plans
Amazon Lightsail Plans
Hetzner Plans
Pros & Cons
Amazon Lightsail
Pros
- Backed by AWS infrastructure — world's largest cloud platform
- Predictable flat monthly pricing with no surprises
- 3 months free on select Linux bundles ($5-$12/mo plans)
- Pre-configured stacks: WordPress, LAMP, Node.js, MEAN, Django
- Easy scaling to full AWS services (EC2, RDS, etc.)
- Automatic snapshots with 7-day retention
- Static IPs, DNS management, and load balancers included
- SSD storage on all instances
- Global availability across 22+ AWS regions
- Managed databases and container services available
Cons
- No managed shared hosting — VPS only, requires server knowledge
- No cPanel or traditional control panel
- Backups (snapshots) cost extra beyond automatic 7-day retention
- No free domain registration
- No phone support on basic plans — forums and documentation only
- Windows instances cost significantly more than Linux
- Memory Optimized plans are expensive compared to competitors
- No email hosting included
- Burstable CPU on General Purpose instances (not dedicated)
Hetzner
Pros
- Exceptional price-to-performance ratio across all products
- Transparent hourly billing with monthly price cap on cloud servers
- 20 TB included traffic on EU cloud servers
- NVMe SSD storage on all cloud and web hosting plans
- ARM-based (Ampere) cloud servers for cost-efficient workloads
- Dedicated vCPU options (CCX) for consistent performance
- Free DDoS protection on all servers
- No contract lock-in -- cancel anytime
- Comprehensive API and CLI tools (hcloud)
- European data centers with strong privacy (GDPR compliant)
Cons
- No managed shared hosting with cPanel -- web hosting uses konsoleH
- Web hosting plans do not include a free domain
- Setup fee required on web hosting plans
- Prices shown in EUR -- may vary for non-EU customers
- Limited US and Asia presence (Germany and Finland primary)
- No phone support on cloud plans -- tickets and community only
- No managed WordPress hosting product
- Windows not officially supported on cloud servers
Frequently Asked Questions
Amazon Lightsail
What is Amazon Lightsail?
Amazon Lightsail is a virtual private server (VPS) provider and is the easiest way to get started with AWS for developers, small businesses, students, and other users who need a solution to build and host their applications on cloud. Lightsail provides developers compute, storage, and networking capacity and capabilities to deploy and manage websites and web applications in the cloud. Lightsail includes everything you need to launch your project quickly – virtual machines, containers, databases,
What is a Virtual Private Server?
A virtual private server, also known as an "instance", allows users to run websites and web applications in a highly secure and available environment, while being cost effective.
What are the benefits of a VPS?
There are many benefits to using a virtual private server, including affordability, scalability, security, and customizable resources.
What can I do with Lightsail?
You can choose among several preconfigured VPS plans that include everything you need to easily deploy and manage your application. Lightsail is best suited for projects that require a few virtual private servers and users who prefer a simple management interface. Common use cases for Lightsail include running websites, web applications, blogs, e-commerce sites, simple software, and more.
What is a Lightsail instance plan?
Also referred to as a bundle, a Lightsail plan includes a virtual private server with a fixed amount of memory (RAM) and compute (vCPUs), SSD-based storage (disks), and a data transfer allowance. Lightsail plans also offer static IP addresses (5 per account) and DNS management (6 domain zones per account). Lightsail plans are charged on an hourly, on-demand basis, so you only pay for a plan when you're using it.
Are Lightsail plans the same across AWS Regions?
As Lightsail expands its availability across more Regions, we’re evolving our infrastructure to provide a better overall customer experience. As a result, plans in certain Regions will have different specifications, such as an additional vCPU, compared to plans in other Regions.
What is a Lightsail instance?
A Lightsail instance is a virtual private server (VPS) that lives in the AWS Cloud. Use your Lightsail instances to store your data, run your code, and build web-based applications or websites. Your instances can connect to each other and to other AWS resources through both public (Internet) and private (VPC) networking. You can create, manage, and connect easily to instances right from the Lightsail console.
What software can I run on my instance?
Lightsail offers a range of operating system and application templates that are automatically installed when you create a new Lightsail instance. Application templates include WordPress, Drupal, Joomla!, Ghost, Magento, Redmine, LAMP, Nginx (LEMP), MEAN, Node.js, Django, and more. You can install additional software on your instances by using the in-browser SSH or your own SSH client.
How do I create a Lightsail instance?
After logging in to Lightsail, you can use the Lightsail console, command line interface (CLI), or API to create and manage instances. The first time you log in to the console, choose Create Instance. The create instance page is where you can choose the software, location, and name for your instance. Once you choose Create, your new instance will spin up automatically within minutes.
Does Lightsail offer an API?
Yes. Everything you do in the Lightsail console is backed by a publicly available API. Learn how to install and use the Lightsail CLI and API.
How do I sign up for Lightsail?
To start using Lightsail, choose Get Started and log in. You use your Amazon Web Services account to access Lightsail; if you don't already have one, you'll be prompted to create one.
How do Lightsail instances perform?
Lightsail instances are specifically engineered by AWS for web servers, developer environments, and small database use cases. Such workloads don't use the full CPU often or consistently, but occasionally need a performance burst. Lightsail uses burstable performance instances that provide a baseline level of CPU performance with the additional ability to burst above the baseline. This design enables you to get the performance you need, when you need it, while protecting you from the variable per
How do I connect to a Lightsail instance?
Lightsail offers a 1-click secure connection to your instance's terminal right from your browser, supporting SSH access for Linux/Unix-based instances and RDP access for Windows-based instances. To use 1-click connections, launch your instance management screens, click Connect using SSH or Connect using RDP, and a new browser window opens and automatically connects to your instance. If you prefer to connect to your Linux/Unix-based instance using your own client, Lightsai
How do I use IPs in Lightsail?
Each Lightsail instance automatically gets a private IP address and a public IP address. You can use the private IP to transmit data between Lightsail instances and AWS resources privately, for free. You can use the public IP to connect to your instance from the Internet, such as through a registered domain name or through an SSH or RDP connection from your local computer. You can also attach a static IP to the instance, which substitutes the public IP with an IP address that doesn't change even
What is a static IP?
A static IP is a fixed, public IP that is dedicated to your Lightsail account. You can assign a static IP to an instance, replacing its public IP. If you decide to replace your instance with another one, you can reassign the static IP to the new instance. In this way, you don't have to reconfigure any external systems (like DNS records) to point to a new IP every time you want to replace your instance.
Hetzner
How do you bill your servers?
Servers have both a monthly price cap and a price per hour. Your server's bill will never exceed its monthly price cap. If you delete your Cloud Server before the end of the billing month, you will only be billed the hourly rate. We will bill you for each cloud server until you choose to delete them. Even if you aren't actively using your server, we will bill you for it.
Do you bill servers that are off?
Yes. All servers that have finished their creation process will be billed until they are deleted, regardless of their state. This is because, internally, we allocate full resources to servers regardless of their power state. And it enables rapid startup and boot times for you, the customer.
What are the Hetzner Cloud Volumes?
It is a feature for fast, flexible, and cost-effective (SSD based) block storage which you can attach to your Hetzner Cloud Server.
How does Hetzner Online store the data in Volumes?
Every block of data is stored on three different physical servers (triple replication).
How many servers can I create?
Each customer has a default limit for the number of Cloud resources that we simultaneously provide. If you would like to increase your limit, you can send a request to our support team by opening a support ticket via Hetzner Console. Our team will quickly review your request and, if everything is in order, they will increase your limit.
Do you plan to add x feature?/Will you add more features?
We want to keep adding new features and services and are always interested in hearing from you on how we can improve our product! There are several ways you can provide us with product feedback or feature requests: Via our forum: please post your request in the Hetzner Cloud Board Via email: send us your ideas to [email protected] Unfortunately, we cannot give you a detailed roadmap of what we are working on. However, you can keep up to date by following us on our social media chann
Will you add additional locations in different geographic regions?
We have continuously expanded our cloud locations in recent years. In addition to Germany and Finland, we now also have international locations in Ashburn, Virginia; Hillsboro, Oregon (USA) and Singapore. We are constantly examining possible future locations. If you don’t want to miss the opening of a new location, subscribe to our newsletter or follow us on our social media channels.
Can I create email addresses for a subdomain?
Yes, if the subdomain is created as a separate domain in web hosting, email addresses can also be configured for it.
How much storage space do I have for emails, databases, and websites?
You can flexibly use all of the storage space in your web hosting plan for your emails, website, and databases.
What happens if I exceed my storage space?
If you exceed your storage space, you will be charged €1.09 (including 19% VAT) per GB per month. If your storage space requirements have increased significantly, you can either switch to a larger web hosting package or purchase a storage space add-on (for €1.00 per 10GB).
What is a PHP process? Why do I need PHP processes?
PHP is the programming language used by many websites (e.g., WordPress). Normally, every visitor who accesses a page requires a short-term “PHP process” to generate dynamic content. The more simultaneous visitors there are, the more PHP processes are needed. Two processes are often sufficient for small websites with little traffic, while heavily visited sites require more PHP processes.
What is the PHP memory limit?
The memory_limit in PHP determines the maximum amount of memory that a single script can use. For example, if the value is set to 192 MB, each script can use up to 192 MB of RAM during its execution. The memory limit therefore applies per process and not as a total budget for all processes. If the set limit is exceeded, PHP terminates execution and reports an error (“Allowed memory size exhausted”). This setting protects the server from excessive memory consumption.
What is Varnish and what advantages does it offer?
Varnish is a cache that can be used with CMS systems (e.g., WordPress, Drupal, TYPO3). Frequently requested content is stored in the cache and can thus be delivered directly without having to query PHP or the database again. This significantly reduces the server load and results in much faster loading times. Previously, Varnish could only be activated on managed servers. Now you can use it starting with Webhosting S.
Do the web hosting packages include a domain?
No, the web hosting packages do not include a domain. This must be booked separately. Domain registration is available from Hetzner starting at /year. Without a domain, many web hosting features, such as HTTP access for publicly hosting websites, mailboxes, Varnish, and much more, cannot be used.
Ready to Choose?
Both providers offer great features. Visit their websites to see the latest deals and pricing.
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US East, Virginia, Ohio
Western Europe, London, Paris, Ireland
Northern Europe, Stockholm
Southeast Asia, Singapore, Jakarta
India, Mumbai, Hyderabad
Australia & Oceania, Sydney, Melbourne
South America, Sao Paulo
Middle East, Bahrain, UAE
Africa, Cape Town
Central Europe, Nuremberg, Falkenstein
Northern Europe, Helsinki