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AI · head to head

Banana vs Hetzner Cloud

Banana logo

Banana

AI

ML inference at scale

From
$1200/month
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Hetzner Cloud logo

Hetzner Cloud

Cloud

Affordable cloud servers in Europe

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Only Hetzner Cloud has a free tier, so it costs nothing to try first.
  • Each has a real cost: Banana banana shut down its serverless GPU infrastructure on 31 March 2024 at noon PST and told customers to migrate to another provider by that time; Hetzner Cloud cost-Optimized plans are shown as currently unavailable
  • They diverge on capability: Banana covers GPU inference, Hetzner Cloud covers Cloud servers.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 30 August 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Banana and Hetzner Cloud actually diverge.

Attributes where Banana and Hetzner Cloud differ
AttributeBananaHetzner Cloud
Starting price$1200/monthFree
Pricing modelsubscriptionusage-based
Free tierNoYes
PlatformsCloud, ApiWeb, Api, Cli
CategoryAICloud
Founded20211997

Identical on both: user rating (Not yet rated).

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 Banana

  • GPU inference
  • Auto-scaling
  • Docker deployment
  • Low latency
  • REST API
  • Python SDK
  • Cloud support

Only in Hetzner Cloud

  • Cloud servers
  • Block storage
  • Object storage
  • Load balancers
  • Networks
  • Firewalls
  • Floating IPs
  • Backups

Both cover

  • Api support

What people use each for

The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.

Banana

  • Historically, serverless GPU inference for machine learning modelsnot Hetzner Cloud
  • Migration reference for teams that ran models on Banana before the 2024 shutdownnot Hetzner Cloud

Hetzner Cloud

  • Low-cost virtual servers for development and testingnot Banana
  • European hosting with data held in Germany or Finlandnot Banana
  • Workloads with heavy egress, where included traffic mattersnot Banana
  • Self-hosting applications away from the hyperscalersnot Banana

Where each one falls short

Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.

Banana

  • Banana shut down its serverless GPU infrastructure on 31 March 2024 at noon PST and told customers to migrate to another provider by that time
  • The vendor's own sunset notice names limited runway, retention problems and GPU supply constraints as the reasons for closing
  • The banana.dev site still displays pricing tiers, but every tier links to the sunset notice rather than to a purchase

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

Banana

$1200/month
  • Team$1200/month
    • 10 team members
    • 5 projects
    • 50 max parallel GPUs
  • Enterprise$null/custom
    • Custom seat limit
    • Custom GPU configuration

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 Banana if

  • You need gpu inference.
  • You work on Cloud, Api.
  • You also want auto-scaling.
Banana review

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.
Hetzner Cloud review

Questions people ask

Is Banana or Hetzner Cloud better?
Neither clearly leads. Banana starts at $1200/month and Hetzner Cloud at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Banana or Hetzner Cloud?
Hetzner Cloud has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at $1200/month for Banana and Free for Hetzner Cloud.
Does Banana or Hetzner Cloud run on more platforms?
Banana runs on Cloud, Api. Hetzner Cloud runs on Web, Api, Cli.
Can I use Hetzner Cloud for free?
Yes. Hetzner Cloud has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. Banana starts at $1200/month.
What is Banana best used for?
Banana is most often used for historically, serverless gpu inference for machine learning models, migration reference for teams that ran models on banana before the 2024 shutdown. Of those, historically, serverless gpu inference for machine learning models and migration reference for teams that ran models on banana before the 2024 shutdown are not what Hetzner Cloud is typically brought in for.
What can Banana do that Hetzner Cloud cannot?
Banana covers GPU inference, Auto-scaling, Docker deployment, Low latency. Hetzner Cloud covers Cloud servers, Block storage, Object storage, Load balancers. Both handle Api support.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Banana: How much does Banana's Team plan cost?

The Team plan costs $1,200 per month plus the cost of compute resources at cost with zero markup applied.

Source
Hetzner Cloud: What types of cloud plans does Hetzner Cloud offer?

Hetzner Cloud offers Shared Resource plans (Cost-Optimized and Regular Performance) for development and testing, and Dedicated Resource plans (General Purpose) for business applications. Plans are available with a price calculator on their website.

Source
Banana: What is the maximum team size on Banana's Team plan?

The Team plan includes 10 team members and supports a maximum of 5 projects with up to 50 parallel GPUs.

Source
Hetzner Cloud: What is included with Hetzner Cloud servers?

Every cloud server comes with free one-click apps like Docker, WordPress, Nextcloud, and GitLab. All servers include stateful firewalls at no additional cost, networking capabilities, APIs, and CLI tools.

Source
Banana: Does Banana offer an Enterprise plan with custom pricing?

Banana offers an Enterprise plan with custom pricing plus at-cost compute, including SAML SSO, automation API, and dedicated support.

Source
Hetzner Cloud: Where are Hetzner Cloud servers located?

Hetzner Cloud servers are available in Germany, Finland, Singapore, and the USA, with data centers in Falkenstein, Nuremberg, Helsinki, Hillsboro (Oregon), Ashburn (Virginia), and Singapore.

Source
Hetzner Cloud: What uptime guarantee does Hetzner Cloud provide?

Hetzner Cloud provides an SLA with 99.9% guaranteed uptime and clearly defined credits in case of malfunction. They also offer 24/7 support by email for business-critical workloads.

Source
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