Netlify vs Hetzner for Solo Developers

Quick Comparison

Netlify Overview

Netlify is the platform that made static site hosting feel effortless. Git push, automatic build, global CDN, preview URLs, SSL included. For frontends and static content, it's hard to find a more streamlined workflow. The free tier handles most solo projects without ever needing to upgrade. Forms, redirects, serverless functions, all included.

I genuinely enjoy deploying to Netlify. There's no server to configure, no SSL to manage, no CDN to set up. The platform handles all of it. When I'm building a blog or a landing page, Netlify is my default choice because it lets me focus entirely on the content and code.

The limitation is always the same. Netlify hosts static content and runs serverless functions. If your project needs a database, a persistent backend, or background processing, you need something else.

Hetzner Overview

Hetzner is a German cloud provider that's become the secret weapon of cost-conscious developers. Their VPS prices are absurdly competitive. You get a dedicated server with 2 vCPUs, 4GB RAM, and 40GB SSD for around EUR 5/month. That same spec on AWS or DigitalOcean costs 3-4x more. The hardware is reliable, the network is fast (especially in Europe), and the bandwidth is generous with 20TB included.

I run production workloads on Hetzner and the value is exceptional. The servers are in Germany and Finland, so latency is great for European users and acceptable for US East Coast. The Cloud Console is no-frills but functional. You create a server, get an IP, SSH in, and you're running.

The catch is that Hetzner is bare infrastructure. There's no managed platform, no Git-based deploys, no dashboard that shows your application status. You get a Linux machine and it's on you to install everything, configure security, set up deploys, and handle maintenance. For developers comfortable with Linux administration, this is fine. For those who want a managed experience, it's a lot of work.

Key Differences

Managed vs bare metal. This is the core difference. Netlify is a fully managed platform. You never touch a server. Hetzner gives you a server and nothing else. Every piece of software, from the web server to the SSL certificate to the deployment pipeline, is your responsibility on Hetzner.

Cost at scale. Netlify's free tier is great for small projects, but bandwidth overages on the Pro plan get expensive. Hetzner includes 20TB of bandwidth with its cheapest VPS. If your project serves a lot of traffic, Hetzner is dramatically cheaper. A site that would cost $50+/month on Netlify Pro with bandwidth overages runs on a EUR 5/month Hetzner VPS.

Time investment. Deploying a site on Netlify takes minutes. Setting up a Hetzner VPS with Nginx, Let's Encrypt, a firewall, automated deploys, and monitoring takes a full day the first time. The ongoing maintenance adds more time. For solo developers, time is the scarcest resource.

What you can run. Netlify runs static sites and serverless functions. Hetzner runs anything. Docker containers, databases, Kubernetes clusters, game servers. A single Hetzner VPS can host your frontend, backend, database, and Redis all on one machine for EUR 5/month.

Performance baseline. Netlify's CDN serves static content fast from edges worldwide. A Hetzner VPS serves everything from one location. For static content, Netlify wins on global latency. For dynamic content like APIs, a well-configured Hetzner VPS in the right region can be faster since there's no serverless cold start.

Reliability. Netlify handles failover, CDN routing, and infrastructure redundancy automatically. On Hetzner, you're responsible for backups, redundancy, and recovery. If your Hetzner VPS goes down at 3 AM, it's on you to fix it.

When to Choose Netlify

• You want zero infrastructure management
• Your project is a static site or JAMstack frontend
• Deploy speed and simplicity matter most
• You don't want to deal with servers, security updates, or SSL configuration
• Free hosting for low-traffic projects is important

When to Choose Hetzner

• You need a full server for your application stack at the lowest possible price
• You're comfortable managing Linux servers and enjoy the control
• Your project has multiple services (backend, database, workers) that you want on one machine
• Bandwidth costs on managed platforms concern you
• You want to learn infrastructure and DevOps as part of your skill set

The Verdict

Netlify and Hetzner couldn't be more different. Netlify abstracts everything away so you never think about infrastructure. Hetzner gives you raw infrastructure at unbeatable prices and lets you build whatever you want.

For static sites and frontends, use Netlify. Paying for Hetzner and spending hours configuring Nginx to serve static files makes zero sense when Netlify does it free with better performance.

For full-stack applications where you want maximum value per dollar, Hetzner is hard to beat. A EUR 5/month VPS can run your entire stack. Pair it with a tool like Coolify or Kamal if you want a nicer deployment experience, and you've got a production environment that costs a fraction of managed platforms.

The common solo developer pattern is Netlify for the frontend and Hetzner for the backend. You get the best of both worlds: zero-friction frontend deploys and an affordable, powerful server for everything else.