Hetzner vs gridscale: Kubernetes Cost Comparison (2026)
Hetzner is 69% cheaper than gridscale for a 3-node Kubernetes cluster (€43 vs €138/mo)
The 3-node cost gap is 69% (€96/mo) in Hetzner's favour. Block storage costs ~2.9× less on Hetzner. gridscale offers a managed control plane; Hetzner requires self-managing the control plane, adding operational overhead but giving full configuration control. Choose Hetzner for cost-efficient Kubernetes on a budget; choose gridscale for gridscale's specific capabilities.
 Hetzner | gridscale | |
|---|---|---|
| HQ / Country | Germany | Germany |
| Managed Kubernetes | No (DIY) | Yes |
| Control Plane Cost | Self-managed | Free |
| Cheapest Node | €7.13/mo 2 vCPU, 4 GB RAM | €46.14/mo 2 vCPU, 4 GB RAM |
| 3-Node Cluster* | ~€42.78/mo | ~€138.42/mo |
| 6-Node HA Cluster* | ~€64.17/mo | ~€276.84/mo |
| Egress | 20 TB free | 20 TB free |
| S3 Storage | €0.010/GB | €0.060/GB |
| Certifications | ISO27001, C5, PCI-DSS | ISO27001 |
| CLOUD Act Exposure | No | No |
* Estimated using cheapest available node. DIY providers include 3 additional control plane nodes. Use the calculator for exact pricing with your specs.
Data freshness: Hetzner as of Jun 2026, gridscale as of Jun 2026.
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