Cloud servers (VPS) · Comparison
Akamai Cloud (Linode) vs DigitalOcean Droplets vs Hetzner Cloud
3 products compared side by side: what you pay for with each one first, then the five access facts, entry prices, recorded plan limits and the bottom line of each review. The evidence note under the table says how each product was checked.
Side by side
| Metric | Akamai Cloud (Linode) | DigitalOcean Droplets | Hetzner Cloud |
|---|---|---|---|
| What you're paying for | Worth the priceA 2 vCPU, 4 GB Linode for $24 a month with 4 TB of pooled transfer, overage at $0.005 per GB and ISO 27001 coverage for compute. | Worth the priceA 2 vCPU, 4 GiB server with 4,000 GiB of pooled transfer and a public IPv4 address for $24 a month, billed per second and capped at 672 hours. | Worth the priceEU servers with 20 TB of transfer, overage at $1.20 per TB and a DPA accepted in the account, from a German provider with ISO 27001 and BSI C5. |
| Overall score | 6.7Best | 6.6 | 4.7 |
| Free option | Free trial | Free trial | Paid only |
| Card to start | Card required | Card required | –Not measured |
| Getting access | Self-serve | Self-serve | Self-serve |
| Starter priceCheapest paid plan | $5/mo | $4/mo | $7.49/mo |
| Pricing model | Usage-based | Usage-based | Usage-based |
| Pricing page | Public prices | Public prices | Public prices |
| Reference server | Linode 4 GB: 2 vCPU (shared), 4 GB, 80 GB SSD, 4 TB transfer, $24/mo | Basic Regular: 2 vCPU (shared), 4 GiB, 80 GiB SSD, 4,000 GiB transfer, $24/mo | US CPX21: 3 vCPU (shared), 4 GB, 80 GB NVMe, 2 TB transfer, $37.49/mo plus $0.60 IPv4 |
| Reference scenario (US, monthly) | $29: $24 plan + $5 Backups add-on, computed | $28.80: $24 plan + $4.80 weekly backups, computed | $45.59: $37.49 plan + $0.60 IPv4 + $7.50 backups (20%), computed |
| Billing | Hourly, rounded up, capped at the monthly price; G8 plans and extra IPv4 uncapped | Per second, 60-second minimum, capped at 672 hours a month | Hourly, rounded up, capped at the monthly price |
| Transfer overage | $0.005/GB (North America, Europe, Asia-Pacific); pooled; inbound free | $0.01/GiB in every region; pooled across the team; inbound free | $1.20/TB in the EU and US ($8.30 in Singapore); inbound free |
| Public IPv4 | One per Linode included; extra addresses need justification, price not listed | Included on bundled plans; reserved IPv4 $5/mo when unassigned | $0.60/mo per primary IPv4; IPv6 free |
| Backups | Priced per plan ($2 to $5/mo at small sizes); daily, weekly and biweekly copies | Weekly 20% or daily 30% of the Droplet price; usage-based from $0.01/GiB | 20% of the server price; 7 daily slots |
| Snapshots | One manual snapshot in Backups; captured images $0.10/GB-month | $0.06/GB-month | $0.0199/GB-month of compressed size |
| Free credit | $100 for new customers via promo page or referral, payment method required | $5 for 90 days, payment method required | None |
| Dedicated vCPU from | $36/mo (G6 Dedicated 4 GB) or $43 (G7) | $42/mo (CPU-Optimized, 2 vCPU, 4 GiB, 25 GiB) | $50.49/mo EU, $50.99 US (CCX13, 2 vCPU, 8 GB) |
| Image export | No backup download; raw .img image upload up to 6 GB | No snapshot download; custom image import (raw, qcow2, VHDX, VDI, VMDK) | Snapshot download not described; custom ISOs added by support from a link |
| SOC 2 / ISO 27001 | SOC 2 Type 1 for compute; ISO 27001:2022 covers compute | SOC 2 Type II; own ISO 27001 not stated | No SOC 2; ISO 27001:2022 (German and Finnish sites) and BSI C5 Type 2 |
| HIPAA BAA | On request; compute listed in HIPAA scope | Through sales or support | Not stated |
| EU regions | Frankfurt, Amsterdam, Paris, Milan, Madrid, Stockholm | Amsterdam, Frankfurt (London in the UK) | Falkenstein, Nuremberg, Helsinki |
| Spend cap | None; transfer emails at 80, 90 and 100% | Spend alerts only | Cost alerts only |
| Bottom line | From its public pages, Akamai Cloud keeps Linode's clear plan list and adds low-cost pooled transfer ($0.005 per GB over the allowance), ISO 27001 for compute and free support. Compute has a SOC 2 Type 1 report, and G8 plans are billed without a cap. | From its public pages, DigitalOcean is a predictable choice for small servers: IPv4 included, a monthly cap, pooled transfer at $0.01 per GiB and backups at a flat share of the price. Images cannot be downloaded, and new accounts start with limits. | From its public pages, Hetzner Cloud is strongest in Europe: 20 TB of transfer, $1.20 per extra TB and a DPA in the account. In the US the reference server costs the most of the five we compare, and SOC 2, HIPAA and SSO are not described. |
Evidence: Akamai Cloud (Linode): facts checked 2026-10-16 from its public sign-up and pricing pages, no completed hands-on run; DigitalOcean Droplets: facts checked 2026-10-16 from its public sign-up and pricing pages, no completed hands-on run; Hetzner Cloud: facts checked 2026-10-16 from its public sign-up and pricing pages, no completed hands-on run. Prices in USD as listed, excluding tax. "–" means not recorded.
When to pick each
In the words of each review, with the date its facts were checked.
From our Akamai Cloud (Linode) review
Checked Oct 16, 2026- Pick Akamai Cloud (Linode) when
- You want lower overage ($0.005 per GB), a $100 credit and ISO 27001 that covers compute.
- Pick DigitalOcean Droplets when
- You want a SOC 2 Type II report, backups as often as every 4 hours and a $28.80 scenario price (computed).
From our Akamai Cloud (Linode) review
Checked Oct 16, 2026- Pick Akamai Cloud (Linode) when
- You want 4 TB of transfer on a $24 US server, a HIPAA BAA and SAML single sign-on.
- Pick Hetzner Cloud when
- You run servers in the EU, where plans include 20 TB of transfer, and want overage at $1.20 per TB.
From our DigitalOcean Droplets review
Checked Oct 16, 2026- Pick DigitalOcean Droplets when
- You want a SOC 2 Type II report for the servers, spend alerts and backups as often as every 4 hours.
- Pick Akamai Cloud (Linode) when
- You want lower transfer overage ($0.005 per GB), a $100 credit and ISO 27001 for compute, at $29 a month for the scenario (computed).
From our Hetzner Cloud review
Checked Oct 16, 2026- Pick Hetzner Cloud when
- Your servers are in the EU, where 20 TB of transfer is included, and you want overage at $1.20 per TB.
- Pick DigitalOcean Droplets when
- You need US servers at a lower price, a SOC 2 Type II report or team SSO.
From our Hetzner Cloud review
Checked Oct 16, 2026- Pick Hetzner Cloud when
- You want EU servers with 20 TB of transfer and a German contracting party.
- Pick Akamai Cloud (Linode) when
- You need a HIPAA BAA, SAML single sign-on or 4 TB of transfer on a $24 US server.
Entry price
Baseline: each product's cheapest paid plan, per month. Included usage differs, so read the line under each price.
- Akamai Cloud (Linode)Nanode 1 GB$5/mo$0.0075/hour, capped at the monthly price
- 1 shared vCPU, 1 GB, 25 GB SSD
- 1 TB of transfer
- One IPv4 address included
- Backups $2/mo
- DigitalOcean DropletsLowest priceBasic Regular 512 MiB$4/mo$0.00595/hour, billed per second up to 672 hours
- 1 shared vCPU, 512 MiB, 10 GiB SSD
- 500 GiB of outbound transfer
- Public IPv4 included
- Hetzner CloudCPX02 (EU)$7.49/mo$0.0120/hour; plus $0.60/mo for a primary IPv4
- 1 shared AMD vCPU, 1 GB, 20 GB NVMe
- 20 TB of transfer
- Falkenstein, Nuremberg, Helsinki
Prices as listed on each pricing page, in USD per month, excluding tax. Observed: Akamai Cloud (Linode) 2026-10-16, DigitalOcean Droplets 2026-10-16, Hetzner Cloud 2026-10-16.
Which one fits
- If you need to start today without a sales call
- Akamai Cloud (Linode)Self-serve sign-up, card required; the highest score of the 3 self-serve products here (6.7/10).
- Lowest starter price
- DigitalOcean Droplets$4/mo for the Basic Regular 512 MiB plan.
- Highest overall score
- Akamai Cloud (Linode)6.7/10 (Good). The review shows the score breakdown and the run behind it.
Picked by fixed rules from the table above, not by hand. How we score
Full reviews
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