Hetzner and Raff serve overlapping self-managed VM workloads, but the fair comparison depends on the deployment region, CPU allocation, actual disk size, IP option and recovery costs. For Germany/Finland, Hetzner Regular Performance CPX22 (2 shared vCPU / 4 GB / 80 GB) lists €19.49/month excluding Primary IPv4 and VAT; an optional Primary IPv4 adds €0.50/month. Hetzner separately lists a $22.99/month USD-account tariff for the same CPX22 plan before IPv4. Raff General Purpose lists $17.99/month for a numerically similar 2 vCPU / 4 GB / 80 GB configuration; the services, currencies and locations are not fully equivalent.
Hetzner VPS and Raff at a glance
Hetzner Cloud sells three tiers, and the names are misleading if you read them quickly:
- Cost-Optimized (CX) — shared; exact plan and region availability must be checked in the live Hetzner Console
- Regular Performance (CPX) — shared vCPU on AMD; price and stock depend on the location and selected CPX shape (CPX12 can be unavailable)
- General Purpose (CCX) — dedicated vCPU, from €42.99/month for CCX13 in Germany/Finland, excluding Primary IPv4 and VAT
That third name is the trap. Hetzner's "General Purpose" is its dedicated line, while Raff's General Purpose is shared. Matching the two by name would compare Raff's shared vCPU against Hetzner's dedicated vCPU and get the answer badly wrong. The like-for-like pairing is Raff General Purpose against Hetzner Regular Performance, and Raff CPU-Optimized against Hetzner General Purpose.
Hetzner runs from eu-central (Falkenstein, Nuremberg, Helsinki), us-east (Ashburn), us-west (Hillsboro) and ap-southeast (Singapore). Provider tariffs are quoted excluding VAT; the applicable tax and currency depend on the customer's billing context. Hetzner's EU EUR and USD schedules are separately published prices, not same-day FX conversions. Hetzner Cloud Backups cost 20% of the server's monthly price and provide seven backup slots.
Raff Technologies runs 15,000+ VMs for 3,000+ customers from us-east, with a 99.90% monthly uptime SLA for eligible services (excluding Cost-Optimized VMs), backed by service credits, rated 4.5/5 on Trustpilot and 4.6/5 on G2. Raff offers three Linux VM classes: Cost-Optimized (Linux only) from $9.99/month for 2 vCPU / 4 GB / 40 GB, using previous-generation DDR4 hardware, local NVMe, a 1 Gbps public port and no uptime SLA; General Purpose (shared vCPU) from $4.99/month; and CPU-Optimized (dedicated vCPU) from $15.99/month. General Purpose and CPU-Optimized use newer DDR5 hardware and 3 Gbps public ports. The contractual 99.90% monthly uptime SLA covers eligible VM families but not Cost-Optimized. VM transfer is unmetered, but hardware, public-port performance, local storage and SLA should be compared separately. Check backup and snapshot settings and costs for the selected plan.
Raff's catalog covers managed PostgreSQL, MySQL, Valkey, ClickHouse and Kafka from $7.99/month, S3-compatible object storage at $7/month for 100 GB with 1 TB of egress, managed Kubernetes with a free control plane and workers from $9.99/month, Functions with a free monthly tier, block volumes at $0.08/GiB-month, and Raff Apps from $3/month.
Hetzner VPS pricing vs Raff pricing
Raff General Purpose against Hetzner Regular Performance — both shared-vCPU classes, but exact hardware, region, included disk and SLA can vary. Raff Cost-Optimized is a separate lower-cost DDR4/1 Gbps/no-SLA category and must not be substituted into this performance-equivalence table.
| VM shape | Raff General Purpose (USD/month) | Hetzner CPX Germany/Finland (EUR/month; official USD-account price) |
|---|---|---|
| 1 vCPU / 2 GB (different disk) | $8.99 — 50 GB NVMe | CPX12 — 40 GB; verify current local price and stock in Hetzner Console |
| 2 vCPU / 4 GB / 80 GB | $17.99 | CPX22 — €19.49 ($22.99 USD-account tariff) |
| 4 vCPU / 8 GB / 160 GB | $33.99 | CPX32 — €35.49 ($41.99 USD-account tariff) |
| 8 vCPU / 16 GB (disk differs) | $71.99 — 240 GB | CPX42 — €69.49 ($81.99 USD-account tariff), 320 GB |
| 12 vCPU / 24 GB (disk differs) | $109.99 — 320 GB | CPX52 — €100.49 ($118.99 USD-account tariff), 480 GB |
| 16 vCPU / 32 GB (disk differs) | $139.99 — 320 GB | CPX62 — €129.99 ($152.99 USD-account tariff), 640 GB |
Tariff basis: Hetzner's 15 June 2026 price adjustment for Germany/Finland CPXxx2 plans, excluding public Primary IPv4 and VAT. The Primary IPv4 add-on is €0.50/month or $0.60/month. The displayed USD values are Hetzner's own published USD-account tariffs, not spot currency conversions. Price, capacity and CPU family must be checked for the chosen location before ordering.
Only the CPX22 and CPX32 comparisons match the same numerical vCPU, RAM and included disk capacities. Disk capacities and other terms differ on the larger examples. These are price illustrations, not benchmark equivalence or a claim that one provider is universally cheaper.
Region-specific CPX plans are not a simple old-to-new upgrade
The CPX21/31/41/51 names are listed under Hetzner's U.S. locations in its 2026 tariff, whereas the CPX22/32/42/52/62 examples above are the Germany/Finland tariff. Comparing a U.S. CPX21 invoice with an EU CPX22 quote as if both were successive generations at the same location can yield fictitious savings. Hetzner's location rules confirm that network zones have different prices and the same service may not be offered in every location.
Before changing a plan, verify the same region, vCPU entitlement, disk size, attached volumes, migration path, Primary IP and VAT/backup settings inside the account. Do not treat a cross-region plan-name comparison as an in-place resize or a guaranteed saving.
Dedicated vCPU
Hetzner's dedicated-vCPU General Purpose line starts at €42.99/month for CCX13 in Germany/Finland ($50.49 in the provider's USD-account tariff), excluding Primary IPv4 and VAT. Raff CPU-Optimized starts at $15.99/month for 1 vCPU, 1 GB and 25 GB, and runs $36.99 at 2 vCPU / 4 GB / 80 GB.
The full Hetzner CCX ladder is not reproduced here because the per-plan figures were not verified in this session — compare the specific shape you need directly rather than relying on entry prices.
Automated backups
Hetzner Cloud Backups cost 20% of the server's monthly server price and provide seven rotating daily backup slots. For an EU CPX42 at €69.49/month excluding IPv4/VAT, that is approximately €13.90/month for the automatic-backup add-on. Manual Snapshots are billed separately by stored compressed GB, and attached Volumes are not included in the server's backup image. See Hetzner's billing FAQ and backup overview.
Raff includes a free backup and snapshot storage pool — 50 GB per account plus 10–15% of each VM's disk — with Daily and Weekly schedules you configure, retention from 1 to 365 days, and uncapped snapshots. Storage above the pool is $0.06/GB-month.
Hetzner VPS performance vs Raff
Methodology
The available head-to-head data is from May 2026 — older than 90 days and no longer a current performance claim. It compared a Raff 2 vCPU / 4 GB benchmark VM against a Hetzner CPX test VM. The iperf3 rows measured different endpoints (NYC against Amsterdam) and are not comparable at all.
Historical results — May 2026
| Metric | Raff | Hetzner CPX | Result in that test |
|---|---|---|---|
| Geekbench 6 single-core | 2,266 | 1,847 | Raff higher |
| Geekbench 6 multi-core | 4,057 | 2,321 | Raff higher |
| fio 4K random-read IOPS | 97,468 | 80,153 | Raff higher |
| fio 64K mixed aggregate | 2,927 MB/s | 3,249 MB/s | Hetzner higher |
| fio 1M sequential aggregate | 3,606 MB/s | 4,013 MB/s | Hetzner higher |
What the results tell us
In that window Raff led CPU by roughly 1.23x single-core and 1.75x multi-core, and 4K random read by 1.22x. Hetzner led both sequential disk measurements, by 11% at 64K and 11% at 1M.
Two reasons to treat this as context rather than a claim: the data is past the 90-day freshness window, and Hetzner has since revised its plan lineup, so the tested configuration may no longer exist under the same name. If performance is your deciding factor, benchmark the specific CPX*2 plan you are considering against the matching Raff plan.
Hetzner vs Raff: features and reliability
Compute
Hetzner Regular Performance runs from 1 to 16 shared vCPU and 2 to 32 GB on AMD, with the dedicated General Purpose line above it. Raff covers the same shared range and stops at 16 vCPU and 32 GB, with CPU-Optimized alongside. Raff resizes on demand: stop the VM, switch plan, restart, with the difference settled to the account balance and a resize API endpoint for CPU, RAM and disk.
Networking
Raff's General Purpose and CPU-Optimized VMs include 3 Gbps public ports, while Cost-Optimized Linux VMs have a 1 Gbps public port; VM bandwidth is unmetered. Raff also offers private networking, VPC, firewall controls and site-to-site VPN gateways. Hetzner includes private networks, stateful firewalls and separately priced load balancers. CPX cloud servers list 20 TB of included monthly outbound traffic in EU locations, 1–5 TB in U.S. locations, and 0.5–5 TB in Singapore, depending on plan. Overage is billed beyond the location's allowance; incoming and qualifying internal traffic is not charged. See Hetzner's traffic policy and check the exact allowance for the selected SKU.
Storage
Hetzner attaches local NVMe to the host and sells Volumes separately. Raff separates storage into VM disk, block volumes at $0.08/GiB-month that resize independently, and S3-compatible object storage at $7/month for 100 GB with 1 TB of egress. In the selected CPX22 and CPX32 rows the numerical included disk capacity matches; at higher sizes Hetzner lists larger disks than the compared Raff General Purpose configuration, so no fleet-wide disk-capacity parity is assumed.
Support
Raff provides 24/7 human support through live chat, with a first response typically under 10 minutes. No bots triaging you first, and no support tier to buy: a single $4.99 VM reaches the same engineers as a hundred production machines. Hetzner's support runs on tickets and is well regarded for competence rather than speed.
Platform
Hetzner sells infrastructure: servers, storage boxes, load balancers, networks, and dedicated hardware — with a strong reputation for reliability and an active community. It does not sell managed databases, serverless functions or a PaaS layer.
Raff adds those on the same account: managed PostgreSQL, MySQL, Valkey, ClickHouse and Kafka from $7.99/month, object storage at $7/month, Functions with a free tier of 100,000 GB-seconds and 10,000 vCPU-seconds and runs up to 24 hours, Raff Apps from $3/month, and managed Kubernetes with a free control plane — connected over private networking, on one API and one bill.
The honest counter-argument is that a 32 GB Hetzner box will run Postgres, Redis and your application together perfectly well. It will. What you are then operating is backups, restore testing, failover, point-in-time recovery and version upgrades — and Hetzner's backup add-on costs 20% of the server price on top.
When you should choose Hetzner over Raff
- Users in Europe or Asia — Falkenstein, Nuremberg, Helsinki and Singapore against Raff's single us-east region
- Sequential-disk-heavy workloads — Hetzner measured 11% higher on both 64K mixed and 1M sequential aggregate in May 2026 testing
- Dedicated hardware and storage boxes — Hetzner's dedicated server range and Storage Box products have no Raff equivalent
- Established community and tooling — a large, active user base with extensive third-party guides and automation recipes
- Hourly billing with a monthly cap — pay only for hours used if a server is deleted mid-month
When you should choose Raff over Hetzner
- Competitive pricing at the dated compared shapes — compare disk, region, SLA and current prices rather than assuming hardware equivalence (VPS for application hosting)
- Backups without a 20% surcharge — Daily and Weekly schedules on a free storage pool against 20% of the server's monthly price
- Users in North America — us-east against a European-first footprint, with unmetered transfer on a 3 Gbps port
- Database-backed products — managed PostgreSQL, MySQL, Valkey, ClickHouse and Kafka from $7.99/month, which Hetzner does not offer (VPS for databases)
- Long-running serverless jobs — Raff Functions run up to 24 hours; Hetzner has no serverless product
- 24/7 human support — live chat to the same engineers at any account size, first response typically under 10 minutes
Migrating from Hetzner to Raff
- Check which CPX generation you are on first — if you are on CPX21, CPX31, CPX41 or CPX51, moving to the current CPX*2 line may save more than switching providers. Do that comparison before this one.
- Match the tier, not the name — Hetzner "General Purpose" is dedicated vCPU and maps to Raff CPU-Optimized. Hetzner "Regular Performance" is shared and maps to Raff General Purpose.
- Check your region requirement — Raff serves us-east only. If your users are in Europe, this migration adds latency that the price saving will not offset.
- Account for the backup line — Hetzner backups cost 20% of the server price; on Raff that line goes away, which widens the real saving beyond the plan-price difference.
- Move data in order — files with rsync or SCP, then database dumps into managed Postgres or MySQL, then assets to object storage. Keep the Hetzner server running throughout.
- Cut over and delete, don't power off — lower DNS TTL beforehand, switch, then delete the server. Hetzner bills until a server is deleted, not until it is stopped.
About Hetzner
Hetzner Online GmbH is a German hosting provider founded in 1997 and headquartered in Gunzenhausen, offering cloud servers, dedicated servers, storage boxes, load balancers and colocation from data centers in Germany, Finland, the United States and Singapore. It is known for low prices and a strong engineering reputation in the European developer community. See Hetzner Cloud for current plans and terms.
Conclusion: Hetzner or Raff?
Before comparing plans across currencies and regions, use the VPS provider decision framework to define the evaluation criteria.
The comparison resolves across four axes:
- Price — on the checked June 2026 EU CPX tariff and corresponding published USD-account examples, Raff General Purpose has a lower listed monthly price at the compared shapes; only CPX22 and CPX32 match numerical vCPU/RAM/disk, and IP, region, currency, taxes, backup cost and service terms must be evaluated separately
- Reach — Hetzner publicly documents six cloud sites across Europe, the U.S. and Singapore; check Raff's current orderable/on-request regions rather than assuming an unverified global footprint
- Sequential disk — Hetzner led by about 11% in May 2026 testing, though that data is now stale
- Managed services — Raff wins, with managed databases, Functions and Kubernetes that Hetzner does not sell
If your users are in Europe, you want dedicated hardware or storage boxes, or your workload is dominated by large sequential disk operations, choose Hetzner. If your users are in North America and the specific General Purpose VM price, recovery policy and managed-service bundle are a better fit, consider Raff.
And if you are on an older CPX plan, check the current line first — that saving is available without moving anywhere.
Raff runs 15,000+ VMs for 3,000+ customers and is rated 4.5/5 on Trustpilot, with a 99.90% monthly uptime SLA on eligible VM classes; Cost-Optimized is excluded.
