Software · head to head
Hetzner Cloud vs Nomad
The short version
- Each has a real cost: Hetzner Cloud cost-Optimized plans are shown as currently unavailable; Nomad nomad 1.7.0 and later is licensed under the Business Source License 1.1 with IBM Corporation as licensor, not an OSI open source licence
- They diverge on capability: Hetzner Cloud covers Cloud servers, Nomad covers Container orchestration.
Where they differ
Only the attributes on which Hetzner Cloud and Nomad actually diverge.
| Attribute | Hetzner Cloud | Nomad |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing model | usage-based | open-source |
| Platforms | Web, Api, Cli | Linux, Windows, Mac, Cloud |
| Founded | 1997 | 2015 |
Identical on both: starting price (Free), free tier (Yes), user rating (Not yet rated), category (Unknown).
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 Hetzner Cloud
- Cloud servers
- Block storage
- Object storage
- Load balancers
- Networks
- Firewalls
- Floating IPs
- Backups
Only in Nomad
- Container orchestration
- Job scheduling
- Multi-cloud support
- Auto-scaling
- Service discovery
- Rolling deployments
- Monitoring integration
- High availability
Both cover
- Terraform
- Docker
- Kubernetes
- Cloud deployment
What people use each for
The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.
Hetzner Cloud
- Low-cost virtual servers for development and testingnot Nomad
- European hosting with data held in Germany or Finlandnot Nomad
- Workloads with heavy egress, where included traffic mattersnot Nomad
- Self-hosting applications away from the hyperscalersnot Nomad
Nomad
- Scheduling containers, binaries, Java and VM workloads on the same clusternot Hetzner Cloud
- Running an orchestrator with a single binary and no external dependenciesnot Hetzner Cloud
- Batch and edge workload scheduling across multiple datacentresnot Hetzner Cloud
Where each one falls short
Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.
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
Nomad
- Nomad 1.7.0 and later is licensed under the Business Source License 1.1 with IBM Corporation as licensor, not an OSI open source licence
- The Additional Use Grant forbids offering Nomad to third parties on a hosted or embedded basis in a paid product that competes with IBM's paid versions
- Each version converts to MPL 2.0 only four years after that version is published
- Resource quotas, Sentinel policies and audit logging sit in a Governance and Policy add-on module that is separate from the Enterprise base platform package
- Multi-region deployments, multiple Vault namespaces and Nomad Autopilot advanced server management require Nomad Enterprise
Pricing, plan by plan
Hetzner Cloud
Free- CX11$3.29/month
- 1 vCPU
- 1GB RAM
- 25GB SSD
- CX21$6.59/month
- 2 vCPU
- 4GB RAM
- 40GB SSD
Nomad
Free- Open SourceFree
- Workload orchestration
- Multi-cloud
- Flexible scheduling
Which should you pick?
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.
Choose Nomad if
- You need container orchestration.
- You want to start without paying.
- You work on Linux, Windows, Mac, Cloud.
- You also want job scheduling.
Questions people ask
- Is Hetzner Cloud or Nomad better?
- Neither clearly leads. Hetzner Cloud starts at Free and Nomad at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
- Which is cheaper, Hetzner Cloud or Nomad?
- Hetzner Cloud starts at Free and Nomad at Free.
- Does Hetzner Cloud or Nomad run on more platforms?
- Hetzner Cloud runs on Web, Api, Cli. Nomad runs on Linux, Windows, Mac, Cloud.
- Can I use Hetzner Cloud for free?
- Both have a free tier, so you can try either at no cost before committing.
- What is Hetzner Cloud best used for?
- Hetzner Cloud is most often used for low-cost virtual servers for development and testing, european hosting with data held in germany or finland, workloads with heavy egress, where included traffic matters, self-hosting applications away from the hyperscalers. Of those, low-cost virtual servers for development and testing and european hosting with data held in germany or finland are not what Nomad is typically brought in for.
- What can Hetzner Cloud do that Nomad cannot?
- Hetzner Cloud covers Cloud servers, Block storage, Object storage, Load balancers. Nomad covers Container orchestration, Job scheduling, Multi-cloud support, Auto-scaling. Both handle Terraform, Docker, Kubernetes, Cloud deployment.
Related pages
More on Hetzner Cloud
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