Cloud & Infrastructure · head to head
Alibaba Cloud vs Hetzner Cloud
Alibaba Cloud
Cloud & Infrastructure
Asia's leading cloud computing provider
- From
- Free
- Rated
- -
Hetzner Cloud
Cloud & Infrastructure
Affordable cloud servers in Europe
- From
- Free
- Rated
- -
The short version
- Each has a real cost: Alibaba Cloud technical support is a separate subscription, from $19.99 a month for Developer up to $8,000 a month for Enterprise, with only Basic included; Hetzner Cloud cost-Optimized plans are shown as currently unavailable
- They diverge on capability: Alibaba Cloud covers Elastic Compute Service, Hetzner Cloud covers Cloud servers.
Where they differ
Only the attributes on which Alibaba Cloud and Hetzner Cloud actually diverge.
| Attribute | Alibaba Cloud | Hetzner Cloud |
|---|---|---|
| Platforms | Linux, Windows, Api, Cli | Web, Api, Cli |
| Founded | 2009 | 1997 |
Identical on both: starting price (Free), pricing model (usage-based), free tier (Yes), user rating (Not yet rated), category (Cloud & Infrastructure).
What each one covers
Drawn from each product's published feature list. An absence here means we hold no record of it - not that the product lacks it.
Only in Alibaba Cloud
- Elastic Compute Service
- Object Storage Service
- RDS Database
- MaxCompute
- Function Compute
- CDN
- Load Balancer
- API Gateway
Only in Hetzner Cloud
- Cloud servers
- Block storage
- Object storage
- Load balancers
- Networks
- Firewalls
- Floating IPs
- Backups
Both cover
- Terraform
- Ansible
- Docker
- Kubernetes
- Cloud deployment
- Api support
- Cli support
What people use each for
The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.
Alibaba Cloud
- Cloud compute and storage with a strong footprint in China and Asia Pacificnot Hetzner Cloud
- Pay-as-you-go infrastructure without upfront commitmentnot Hetzner Cloud
- Committed-use discounts through savings plans for steady workloadsnot Hetzner Cloud
- CDN and data transfer packages for content deliverynot Hetzner Cloud
Hetzner Cloud
- Low-cost virtual servers for development and testingnot Alibaba Cloud
- European hosting with data held in Germany or Finlandnot Alibaba Cloud
- Workloads with heavy egress, where included traffic mattersnot Alibaba Cloud
- Self-hosting applications away from the hyperscalersnot Alibaba Cloud
Where each one falls short
Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.
Alibaba Cloud
- Technical support is a separate subscription, from $19.99 a month for Developer up to $8,000 a month for Enterprise, with only Basic included
- Service prices are not shown as a rate card and route through a calculator or sales
- Committed discounts require savings plans, reserved instances or capacity packages rather than being automatic
Hetzner Cloud
- Cost-Optimized plans are shown as currently unavailable
- The shared-resource tiers are positioned for variable usage and development rather than sustained production workloads
- Regions are limited to Germany, Finland, the United States and Singapore, so latency to other markets is a real constraint
- The uptime guarantee is 99.9 percent, below what the large hyperscalers offer on comparable services
- Support is 24/7 by email, without a phone channel
Pricing, plan by plan
Alibaba Cloud
Free- Free TrialFree
- Free tier credits
- ECS instances
- Cloud storage
- Pay-as-You-GoFree
- Flexible billing
- No commitments
- Global reach
Hetzner Cloud
Free- CX11$3.29/month
- 1 vCPU
- 1GB RAM
- 25GB SSD
- CX21$6.59/month
- 2 vCPU
- 4GB RAM
- 40GB SSD
Which should you pick?
Choose Alibaba Cloud if
- You need elastic compute service.
- You want to start without paying.
- You work on Linux, Windows, Api, Cli.
- You also want object storage service.
Choose Hetzner Cloud if
- You need cloud servers.
- You want to start without paying.
- You work on Web, Api, Cli.
- You also want block storage.
Questions people ask
- Is Alibaba Cloud or Hetzner Cloud better?
- Neither clearly leads. Alibaba Cloud starts at Free and Hetzner Cloud at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
- Which is cheaper, Alibaba Cloud or Hetzner Cloud?
- Alibaba Cloud starts at Free and Hetzner Cloud at Free.
- Does Alibaba Cloud or Hetzner Cloud run on more platforms?
- Alibaba Cloud runs on Linux, Windows, Api, Cli. Hetzner Cloud runs on Web, Api, Cli.
- Can I use Alibaba Cloud for free?
- Both have a free tier, so you can try either at no cost before committing.
- What is Alibaba Cloud best used for?
- Alibaba Cloud is most often used for cloud compute and storage with a strong footprint in china and asia pacific, pay-as-you-go infrastructure without upfront commitment, committed-use discounts through savings plans for steady workloads, cdn and data transfer packages for content delivery. Of those, cloud compute and storage with a strong footprint in china and asia pacific and pay-as-you-go infrastructure without upfront commitment are not what Hetzner Cloud is typically brought in for.
- What can Alibaba Cloud do that Hetzner Cloud cannot?
- Alibaba Cloud covers Elastic Compute Service, Object Storage Service, RDS Database, MaxCompute. Hetzner Cloud covers Cloud servers, Block storage, Object storage, Load balancers. Both handle Terraform, Ansible, Docker, Kubernetes.