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Confluent Cloud vs Hetzner Cloud

Confluent Cloud logo

Confluent Cloud

Cloud

The data streaming platform built on Apache Kafka, delivered as a fully managed cloud service

From
Free
Free plan
Yes
Visit Confluent CloudFull review
Hetzner Cloud logo

Hetzner Cloud

Cloud

Affordable cloud servers in Europe

From
Free
Free plan
Yes
Visit Hetzner CloudFull review

The short version

  • Confluent Cloud is a managed Apache Kafka service billed; Hetzner Cloud is a European cloud infrastructure provider.
  • Free plans on both; paid from $385/mo and €3.29/mo.
  • Where Confluent Cloud falls short: requires understanding of eCKU (Elastic Confluent Unit) billing.
  • Where Hetzner Cloud falls short: Cost-Optimized plans are shown as currently unavailable.
  • Prices and features on this page were last checked on 13 November 2026.

Where they differ

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

Attributes where Confluent Cloud and Hetzner Cloud differ
AttributeConfluent CloudHetzner Cloud
PlatformsWebWeb, API

Identical on both: starting price (Free), pricing model (Usage-based), free tier (Yes), category (Cloud).

Not yet recorded: founded for Confluent Cloud.

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 Confluent Cloud

Nothing recorded that Hetzner Cloud does not also cover.

Only in Hetzner Cloud

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

What people use each for

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

Confluent Cloud

  • Apache Kafka event streaming and processingnot Hetzner Cloud
  • Real-time data pipeline architecturenot Hetzner Cloud
  • Multi-cloud event broker deploymentnot Hetzner Cloud
  • Stream processing and analyticsnot Hetzner Cloud
  • Microservices data synchronizationnot Hetzner Cloud

Hetzner Cloud

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

Where each one falls short

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

Confluent Cloud

  • Requires understanding of eCKU (Elastic Confluent Unit) billing
  • Data in/egress costs add $0.014-$0.050 per GB
  • Storage costs of $0.03-$0.08 per GB-month
  • Minimum commitment recommended for cost optimization

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

Confluent Cloud

Free
  • BasicFree
    • Free first eCKU
    • Then $0.14 per eCKU-hour
    • 99.5% uptime
  • Standard$385/mo
    • $0.75 per eCKU-hour
    • 99.99% uptime with 2+ eCKUs
    • Infinite storage
  • Enterprise$895/mo
    • $1.75-$2.25 per eCKU-hour
    • Private networking
    • GBps+ scaling
  • Freight$2,300/mo
    • $2.25 per eCKU-hour
    • Specialty logging tier
    • Highest throughput requirements

Hetzner Cloud

Free
  • CX11€3.29/mo
    • 1 vCPU
    • 1GB RAM
    • 25GB SSD
  • CX21€6.59/mo
    • 2 vCPU
    • 4GB RAM
    • 40GB SSD

Which should you pick?

Choose Confluent Cloud if

  • You want to start without paying.
Confluent Cloud review

Choose Hetzner Cloud if

  • You need cloud servers.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Web, API.
  • You also want block storage.
Hetzner Cloud review

Questions people ask

Is Confluent Cloud or Hetzner Cloud better?
Neither clearly leads. Confluent 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, Confluent Cloud or Hetzner Cloud?
Confluent Cloud starts at Free and Hetzner Cloud at Free.
Does Confluent Cloud or Hetzner Cloud run on more platforms?
Confluent Cloud runs on Web. Hetzner Cloud runs on Web, API.
Can I use Confluent Cloud for free?
Both have a free tier, so you can try either at no cost before committing.
What is Confluent Cloud best used for?
Confluent Cloud is most often used for apache kafka event streaming and processing, real-time data pipeline architecture, multi-cloud event broker deployment, stream processing and analytics. Of those, apache kafka event streaming and processing and real-time data pipeline architecture are not what Hetzner Cloud is typically brought in for.
What can Confluent Cloud do that Hetzner Cloud cannot?
Hetzner Cloud covers Cloud servers, Block storage, Object storage, Load balancers.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Confluent Cloud: How much does Confluent Cloud cost?

Confluent Cloud pricing starts free on Basic tier with $0.14 per eCKU-hour, Standard at $0.75 per eCKU-hour (~$385/month base), Enterprise at $1.75-$2.25 per eCKU-hour (~$895/month base), and Freight specialty tier at $2.25 per eCKU-hour (~$2300/month).

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
Confluent Cloud: Is there a free tier for Confluent Cloud?

Yes, the Basic tier is free with one eCKU credit included. Additional usage is billed at $0.14 per eCKU-hour, plus data transfer and storage fees apply.

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
Confluent Cloud: What additional fees does Confluent Cloud charge?

Beyond eCKU hours, Confluent charges data in/egress at $0.014-$0.050 per GB and storage at $0.03-$0.08 per GB-month. Costs vary by tier and region.

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
Confluent Cloud: Does Confluent offer discounts for higher usage?

Yes, volume discounts are negotiated upfront based on annual consumption estimates. Annual commitments allow flexible cross-product allocation with guaranteed cost savings.

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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