Cloud & Hosting
European alternatives to AWS, Google Cloud and Azure – affordable, reliable and GDPR-compliant.
Why European cloud hosting matters
The CLOUD Act requires US companies like Amazon, Google and Microsoft to share data with US authorities. Under GDPR, anyone processing personal data is obligated to minimize this risk. European providers are subject to EU law only.
Quick Switch
From US cloud to European infrastructure
All Providers in Detail
Hand-picked European cloud and hosting providers – verified and compared.
Hetzner
German cloud infrastructure and hosting services
- VPS from 3.29 €/month – highly competitive price-to-performance ratio
- Data centers in Germany and Finland
- Cloud, bare metal, web hosting and storage
- ISO 27001 certified
IONOS
European cloud and hosting provider for businesses
- Over 12 million customers – established European provider
- Low entry price from 1 €/month
- Domains, web hosting, email and cloud in one platform
- 24/7 German customer support
OVHcloud
Cloud infrastructure with European data centers
- Europe's largest cloud provider with 400,000+ servers
- Bare metal, VPS and public cloud
- Proprietary fiber-optic infrastructure
- Data centers in 12 European countries
Scaleway
CO₂-neutral cloud computing infrastructure from Europe
- Developer-first approach with excellent API and documentation
- ARM-based servers for optimal energy efficiency
- CO₂-neutral data center in Paris
- Kubernetes, object storage and serverless
UpCloud
Cloud hosting with MaxIOPS storage technology
- MaxIOPS: up to 3x faster disk I/O than standard SSDs
- SLA: 100% network availability guaranteed
- Data centers in 14 cities (EU focus)
- Straightforward management via UI and full API
Quick Compare
| Provider | Country | Top Feature | Alternative To | Price (From) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hetzner | 🇩🇪 Germany | VPS from 3.29 €/month – highly competitive price-to-performance ratio | instead of AWS / Google Cloud | VPS from 3.29 €/month · Dedicated Server from 39 €/month · Object Storage from 0.023 €/GB |
| IONOS | 🇩🇪 Germany | Over 12 million customers – established European provider | instead of AWS / GoDaddy | Web hosting from 1 €/month · VPS from 2 €/month · Cloud from 0.0028 €/hour |
| OVHcloud | 🇫🇷 France | Europe's largest cloud provider with 400,000+ servers | instead of AWS / Azure | VPS from 3.99 €/month · Bare Metal from 49 €/month · Public Cloud pay-as-you-go |
| Scaleway | 🇫🇷 France | Developer-first approach with excellent API and documentation | instead of AWS / Google Cloud | VPS (PLAY2) from 0.0033 €/hour · Object Storage from 0.015 €/GB/month · Free trial available |
| UpCloud | 🇫🇮 Finland | MaxIOPS: up to 3x faster disk I/O than standard SSDs | instead of AWS / DigitalOcean | VPS from $7/month · High-Memory from $24/month · Object Storage from $0.02/GB/month |
Frequently Asked Questions
Why is Hetzner so much cheaper than AWS?
Hetzner operates its own data centers in Germany and Finland and has no investor return expectations like Amazon. This enables prices that are 3-5x lower than AWS. Performance and reliability are comparable.
Are European cloud providers suitable for large enterprises?
Yes – OVHcloud and IONOS offer enterprise solutions, private cloud and SLAs for the largest companies. OVHcloud is the largest European cloud provider with over 400,000 servers. Hetzner is also suitable for regulated industries thanks to ISO 27001.
What is the CLOUD Act and why does it affect me as a website operator?
The CLOUD Act allows US authorities to demand access to stored data from US companies (Amazon, Google, Microsoft) – regardless of whether servers are located in Europe. If you process personal data of your users, you are obligated under GDPR to protect it.