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Software · head to head

Hetzner Cloud vs Vagrant

Hetzner Cloud logo

Hetzner Cloud

Software

Affordable cloud servers in Europe

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Vagrant logo

Vagrant

Software

Development environments made easy

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Each has a real cost: Hetzner Cloud cost-Optimized plans are shown as currently unavailable; Vagrant vagrant 2.4.3 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, Vagrant covers Box management.

Where they differ

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

Attributes where Hetzner Cloud and Vagrant differ
AttributeHetzner CloudVagrant
Pricing modelusage-basedopen-source
PlatformsWeb, Api, CliLinux, Windows, Mac
Founded19972010

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 Vagrant

  • Box management
  • Provider support
  • Multi-machine setups
  • Provisioners
  • Networking
  • Synced folders
  • Snapshots
  • Plugins

Both cover

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

Vagrant

  • Reproducible local development environments defined in a Vagrantfilenot Hetzner Cloud
  • Provisioning identical VMs across VirtualBox, VMware and Hyper-V for a teamnot Hetzner Cloud
  • Sandboxing multi-machine setups on a developer laptopnot 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

Vagrant

  • Vagrant 2.4.3 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 Vagrant to third parties on a hosted or embedded basis in a paid product that competes with IBM's paid versions of Vagrant
  • Each version converts to the MPL 2.0 Change License only four years after that version is first published
  • Uses that fall outside the Additional Use Grant require a separately negotiated licence from the licensor

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

Vagrant

Free
  • Open SourceFree
    • Development environment provisioning
    • Multiple providers
    • Provisioner support

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 Vagrant if

  • You need box management.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Linux, Windows, Mac.
  • You also want provider support.
Vagrant review

Questions people ask

Is Hetzner Cloud or Vagrant better?
Neither clearly leads. Hetzner Cloud starts at Free and Vagrant at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Hetzner Cloud or Vagrant?
Hetzner Cloud starts at Free and Vagrant at Free.
Does Hetzner Cloud or Vagrant run on more platforms?
Hetzner Cloud runs on Web, Api, Cli. Vagrant runs on Linux, Windows, Mac.
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 Vagrant is typically brought in for.
What can Hetzner Cloud do that Vagrant cannot?
Hetzner Cloud covers Cloud servers, Block storage, Object storage, Load balancers. Vagrant covers Box management, Provider support, Multi-machine setups, Provisioners. Both handle Ansible, Docker, Cloud deployment.
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