Render vs Hetzner for Solo Developers

Quick Comparison

Render Overview

Render is a managed PaaS that gets you from code to production with minimal friction. Connect your GitHub repository, choose your service type, and Render builds, deploys, and manages your application. The dashboard handles everything: custom domains, SSL, auto-deploys, environment variables, and scaling.

The platform supports web services, static sites, background workers, cron jobs, managed Postgres, and Redis. The render.yaml Blueprint feature lets you define your entire infrastructure as code for reproducible deployments.

Pricing starts at $7/month for a web service with 512MB RAM. Managed Postgres starts at $7/month. The free tier includes static site hosting and a limited web service that spins down after 15 minutes of inactivity.

Hetzner Overview

Hetzner is a German infrastructure provider known for offering the best price-to-performance ratio in the hosting industry. Their cloud VPS (called Cloud Servers) starts at $3.79/month for 2GB RAM, 1 vCPU, and 20GB SSD. Dedicated servers start around $40/month with hardware that would cost $200+ on AWS or DigitalOcean.

Hetzner gives you raw infrastructure. A Linux server, an IP address, and SSH access. Everything else, Docker, web servers, databases, deployment pipelines, SSL, you configure yourself. For developers who know their way around Linux, this is a feature. For those who don't, it's a steep learning curve.

Data centers are located in Germany (Falkenstein, Nuremberg), Finland (Helsinki), and the US (Ashburn, Hillsboro). The European locations are particularly well-connected and offer excellent performance for EU-based users.

Key Differences

Managed vs. unmanaged. Render manages your entire deployment pipeline. Push code, it's live. Hetzner gives you a server and says good luck. The gap between these two approaches is measured in hours of setup time. With Render, you deploy in minutes. With Hetzner, you might spend a day setting up Docker, Nginx, SSL, and a deploy script before you push your first line of code.

Price per resource. Hetzner wins this by a wide margin. A $3.79/month Hetzner server gives you 2GB RAM. A $7/month Render service gives you 512MB. For the same $14/month, you could get a Hetzner box with 4GB RAM and 40GB SSD, running multiple projects. On Render, that's two basic services with tight memory limits.

Operational overhead. Render patches, updates, and monitors your services. Hetzner patches, updates, and monitors the hardware. Everything at the OS level and above is your responsibility on Hetzner. Security updates, firewall configuration, log rotation, backups. If you enjoy this work, great. If you don't, Render saves you from it.

Multi-project hosting. This is where Hetzner's value really shows. A single $10/month Hetzner server can comfortably host 5-10 small projects using Docker Compose or a tool like Coolify. On Render, each project needs its own paid service. For solo developers with multiple side projects, Hetzner's per-server pricing dramatically beats Render's per-service pricing.

Database hosting. Render's managed Postgres includes automatic backups, connection pooling, and one-click provisioning. On Hetzner, you run Postgres in Docker or install it directly. You handle backups, security, and monitoring. Render's database experience is easier. Hetzner's is cheaper and gives you more resources.

Deployment workflow. Render is git-push-to-deploy. Hetzner requires you to build your own deployment pipeline. You can use tools like Kamal, Coolify, or Dokku to get a Render-like experience on Hetzner, but there's an upfront investment to set things up.

Support and community. Render has documentation and responsive support for paid plans. Hetzner has solid documentation for their infrastructure and an active community forum, but you're on your own for anything application-level. If your Docker Postgres container won't start at midnight, Hetzner's support won't help.

When to Choose Render

• You want zero server management and fast deployment
• Your time is worth more than the price difference
• You're hosting 1-2 projects and the budget works
• Managed databases with automatic backups matter
• You don't want to learn server administration right now

When to Choose Hetzner

• You're running multiple projects and cost matters
• You enjoy or are willing to learn server administration
• Maximum RAM, CPU, and storage per dollar is important
• You want to use tools like Coolify or Kamal on your own hardware
• You prefer owning your infrastructure stack completely

The Verdict

Render and Hetzner represent two fundamentally different philosophies. Render sells convenience. Hetzner sells raw compute power. Your choice depends on what you value more: your time or your money.

For solo developers deploying their first project who want to focus entirely on code, Render is the right pick. The deployment experience is seamless, and the managed database removes an entire category of work. You're paying a premium for not having to think about infrastructure, and for many solo devs, that's worth every dollar.

For solo developers who are comfortable with servers, or willing to learn, Hetzner paired with a deployment tool like Coolify is the budget king. You get 4-10x more compute resources for the same money. If you're running multiple projects, the math becomes undeniable. A $10/month Hetzner box replaces $50-70/month of Render services.

My recommendation: if you're early in a project and need to move fast, start with Render. If you're looking to reduce hosting costs across multiple projects and you don't mind a weekend of setup, migrate to Hetzner with Coolify. The long-term savings are real and significant.