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Hetzner vs SiteGround
Hetzner
SiteGround
Side-by-side comparison of features, pricing, and performance to help you choose the right hosting provider.
Feature Comparison
| Feature | Hetzner | SiteGround |
|---|---|---|
| Rating | N/A | N/A |
| Price | N/A | $2.99/mo |
| Renewal Price | N/A | $17.99/mo |
| Storage | 10 GB SSD | N/A |
| Bandwidth | Unlimited | N/A |
| Websites | 1 | N/A |
| Free Domain | ||
| Free SSL | ||
| Server Locations | ||
| Regions | 5 | 5 |
| Locations | US East, Ashburn, Virginia US West, Hillsboro, Oregon Central Europe, Nuremberg, Falkenstein Northern Europe, Helsinki Southeast Asia, Singapore | US East, Iowa, Virginia Western Europe, Eemshaven Central Europe, Frankfurt Southeast Asia, Singapore Australia & Oceania, Sydney |
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 Hetzner | Visit SiteGround | |
Pricing & Plans
Hetzner Plans
SiteGround Plans
Pros & Cons
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
SiteGround
Pros
- Excellent 24/7 support — phone, live chat, and tickets
- Google Cloud infrastructure with SSD storage
- Free SSL, CDN, and daily backups on all plans
- AI anti-bot protection and DDoS mitigation
- Staging environments and Git integration on all plans
- Priority support on GoGeek plan
- 30-day money-back guarantee
Cons
- Significant price increase on renewal (StartUp: $2.99 → $17.99, up to 6x)
- Limited storage across all plans (10–100 GB)
- Only shared and cloud hosting — no VPS or dedicated servers
- Cloud hosting is expensive (starts at $100/mo)
- No monthly billing at promotional prices
Frequently Asked Questions
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.
SiteGround
Advanced anti-bot & DDoS protection
Malicious bots and DDoS attacks can overwhelm websites and drive away visitors. Our smart AI recognizes and blocks fake traffic, so only real customers get through. We stop over 1 million attacks per day, automatically.
Free SSL certificate included
An SSL tells customers your website is a safe place and their data is secure with you. We set up an SSL automatically for each site launched on our platform and keep it renewed.
Automatic Daily Backups
We back up your entire site every day automatically and keep 30 days of backup history. Made a mistake? Got hacked? Deleted something? Restore everything with one click.
Proactive monitoring & instant fixes
On top of automatic monitoring, real human experts watch over our infrastructure around the clock, catching and resolving issues before they affect your site.
Extra WordPress protection
WordPress powers nearly half the web which also makes it a prime target for hackers. Our automatic security updates and multiple protection layers defend your site against the most common attacks, so you can focus on your content, not vulnerabilities.
What is web hosting?
Web hosting provides the technologies and infrastructure needed to store, manage, and deliver your website files (like code, images, and other files) to users over the internet. Your website content is like the furniture and products in a store, your domain name is the street address, and web hosting is the building itself - without it, there's nowhere for your site to exist. Web hosting includes:
Why is your web hosting provider important for your business?
Web hosting directly impacts your site's speed, uptime, and security. Slow website loading speed significantly affects your website visitors' experience, trust, and SEO rankings. Poor uptime can mean your site goes offline during critical moments - like a Black Friday sale or when a social media post drives traffic - potentially costing you sales. Weak security creates vulnerabilities that could lead to data breaches, malware infections, or site defacement, which can
What are the benefits of choosing managed web hosting services?
The main benefit of managed web hosting is that you don’t need technical staff or expertise - the provider handles everything related to server and infrastructure management. This includes maintenance, security (SSL, malware protection, automatic updates), and performance optimizations like built-in caching. With SiteGround’s managed hosting, all technical aspects are taken care of for you. SiteGround runs on Google Cloud for speed and reliability, with multi-level ca
Can I host WordPress and other websites on SiteGround?
Yes, SiteGround's web hosting technology supports most popular CMS platforms (including WordPress and WooCommerce), as well as custom static sites and dynamic websites built with PHP, HTML, or JavaScript. WordPress users get one-click installation, automatic core updates, and staging environments for testing changes safely. SiteGround also includes integrated tools that make website creation easy for beginners and experienced users alike, i
Are SSL certificates, free domain, backups, and CDN included in SiteGround hosting plans?
Yes, every SiteGround web hosting plan includes: Free SSL certificates — SiteGround installs and renews SSL certificates automatically, keeping your site secure and maintaining visitor trust without manual certificate management. When your domain uses SiteGround's DNS, you get wildcard SSL certificates that cover your main domain and all subdomains. Automatic daily backups — B
Do SiteGround plans include professional business email?
Yes - every SiteGround web hosting plan includes professional/business email with unlimited accounts using your domain name at no additional cost. Create email accounts like [email protected] and manage them through Site Tools. Access your email via webmail, mail clients like Outlook, or mobile devices. Professional email addresses (like [email protected]) build credibility with customers and strengthen your brand identity in every message you send. A business e
Can I migrate my website to SiteGround from another host?
Yes, you can migrate your website from another host to SiteGround. Your first migration is free, and our team handles the technical transfer to minimize disruption to your site. For a WordPress site, you can use the free SiteGround Migrator plugin - it transfers your content, themes, plugins, and databases through an encrypted connection without requiring technical knowledge. For other platforms or a custom site, request professional migrat
What security and performance optimizations come with SiteGround hosting?
SiteGround includes performance and security optimizations like free SSL certificates, daily malware scanning, AI-powered anti-bot protection, DDoS defense, Google Cloud infrastructure, SuperCacher technology, and free CDN across 170+ locations Security: SSL certificates auto-renew, daily malware scans with free removal, AI systems blocking 99.99% of malicious traffic, DDoS protection, and proactive 24/7 monitoring that catches vulnerabilities early.
What kind of support do I get with SiteGround hosting?
SiteGround provides 24/7 support via live chat, ticketing system, and phone. Our in-house experts, available via live chat and tickets, are extensively trained in website hosting, WordPress, WooCommerce, and website management. They assist with complex technical and website-specific issues, not just basic hosting concerns. In addition to personalized support, our comprehensive knowledge base and tutorials offer 1.8K published resources to equip you with the knowledge
How much traffic can SiteGround web hosting handle?
SiteGround web hosting handles from 10,000 to 400,000+ monthly visits depending on your plan: StartUp supports around 10,000 visits, GrowBig handles approximately 100,000, and GoGeek manages 400,000+ monthly. SiteGround offers multiple plan tiers to match your growth, from small sites to high-traffic stores. All crucial features - including automatic backups, free SSL, CDN, and security tools - are available on every plan, so you're not locked out of core functionalit
Ready to Choose?
Both providers offer great features. Visit their websites to see the latest deals and pricing.
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US East, Ashburn, Virginia
Central Europe, Nuremberg, Falkenstein
Northern Europe, Helsinki
Southeast Asia, Singapore
Western Europe, Eemshaven
Australia & Oceania, Sydney