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Cloud & Infrastructure · head to head

Hetzner Cloud vs Prometheus

Hetzner Cloud logo

Hetzner Cloud

Cloud & Infrastructure

Affordable cloud servers in Europe

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Prometheus logo

Prometheus

Network & Connectivity

Open source monitoring and alerting toolkit for cloud native environments

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Each has a real cost: Hetzner Cloud cost-Optimized plans are shown as currently unavailable; Prometheus not suitable for per-request billing as collected data lacks 100% accuracy
  • They diverge on capability: Hetzner Cloud covers Cloud servers, Prometheus covers Multi-dimensional Data Model.

Where they differ

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

Attributes where Hetzner Cloud and Prometheus differ
AttributeHetzner CloudPrometheus
Pricing modelusage-basedopen-source
PlatformsWeb, Api, CliLinux, macOS, Windows
CategoryCloud & InfrastructureNetwork & Connectivity
Founded19972015

Identical on both: starting price (Free), free tier (Yes), 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 Hetzner Cloud

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

Only in Prometheus

  • Multi-dimensional Data Model
  • PromQL Query Language
  • Pull-based Collection
  • Service Discovery
  • Alerting Rules
  • Federation
  • Local Storage
  • Grafana

Both cover

  • Kubernetes

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 Prometheus
  • European hosting with data held in Germany or Finlandnot Prometheus
  • Workloads with heavy egress, where included traffic mattersnot Prometheus
  • Self-hosting applications away from the hyperscalersnot Prometheus

Prometheus

  • Cloud-native monitoring and alertingnot Hetzner Cloud
  • Time-series metrics collectionnot Hetzner Cloud
  • Infrastructure monitoringnot 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

Prometheus

  • Not suitable for per-request billing as collected data lacks 100% accuracy
  • Hard limit on scrape body size; large responses cause scrape failure
  • Per-scrape sample limit enforced; exceeding limit marks targets as failed
  • Not designed for long-term durable storage; optimised for metrics collection

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

Prometheus

Free

No published plan breakdown. See the Prometheus review.

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.
Hetzner Cloud review

Choose Prometheus if

  • You need multi-dimensional data model.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Linux, macOS, Windows.
  • You also want promql query language.
Prometheus review

Questions people ask

Is Hetzner Cloud or Prometheus better?
Neither clearly leads. Hetzner Cloud starts at Free and Prometheus at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Hetzner Cloud or Prometheus?
Hetzner Cloud starts at Free and Prometheus at Free.
Does Hetzner Cloud or Prometheus run on more platforms?
Hetzner Cloud runs on Web, Api, Cli. Prometheus runs on Linux, macOS, Windows.
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 Prometheus is typically brought in for.
What can Hetzner Cloud do that Prometheus cannot?
Hetzner Cloud covers Cloud servers, Block storage, Object storage, Load balancers. Prometheus covers Multi-dimensional Data Model, PromQL Query Language, Pull-based Collection, Service Discovery. Both handle Kubernetes.
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