Linode vs Hetzner in 2026: Pricing, Locations, Latency, and Benchmarks
Linode and Hetzner are both strong VPS choices, but they optimize for different buyers. Use this guide to shortlist by location/latency first, then compare pricing and performance signals.
- Dataset size: 1,257 plans across 12 providers. Last checked: 2026-01-28.
- Change log updated: 2026-02-16 ( see updates).
- Latency snapshot: 2026-01-23 ( how tiers work).
- Benchmarks: 60 run(s) (retrieved: 2026-01-23). Benchmark your own VPS .
- Found an issue? Send a correction .
Linode vs Hetzner in 2026: Pricing, Locations, Latency, and Benchmarks
Linode and Hetzner are both popular for developers and small teams, but they’re different products in practice:
- Choose by location first (latency to users dominates many workloads)
- Then compare pricing, resource ratios (RAM/vCPU), and performance signals (benchmarks, storage type)
- Finally, verify policies (refund/termination, billing cycle, traffic)
Quick decision guide
Pick Linode if you care about:
- A wide set of global locations
- Measured latency tiers for specific cities
- A simple “it just works” cloud experience
Pick Hetzner if you care about:
- Strong price/performance in key regions
- Predictable plan lineup and simple pricing
- Measured latency tiers on their main cloud locations
How to compare (recommended workflow)
- Decide where your users are (US East/West, EU, Asia, etc)
- Open VPS Finder and filter by measured latency + budget/specs
- Pick 1–2 candidates from each provider and validate:
- latency + routing
- disk performance (especially for DB workloads)
- bandwidth/traffic caps
What “measured latency” means here
For plans marked as measured, we run reproducible ping measurements from a fixed set of probe regions and convert median RTT into tier labels. It’s still a snapshot, so always validate from your real audience.
Next steps
- If you’re choosing mainly by cost: Best VPS under $10
- If you’re choosing mainly by routing/latency: Best low latency VPS
- If you want performance-per-dollar signals: Best benchmarked VPS
Live shortlists
These tables are generated from the dataset (not hand-picked static lists). Use them as a starting point, then verify price and terms at checkout.
Best Linode picks (measured latency)
Location-specific variants with measured latency tiers.
Showing 0 indexable plan(s). Prices and specs can change; always confirm at checkout.
Best Hetzner picks (measured latency)
Hetzner locations with measured latency tiers.
Showing 6 indexable plan(s). Prices and specs can change; always confirm at checkout.
| Plan | Specs | Price | Why it ranks | Updated | Buy |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hetzner CX53 (DE) | 16 vCPU | 32 GB RAM
320 GB NVME | IPv6 | $20.51/mo | NVMe storage IPv6 available Value for money | 2026-01-21 | Checkout |
| Hetzner CX53 (FI) | 16 vCPU | 32 GB RAM
320 GB NVME | IPv6 | $20.51/mo | NVMe storage IPv6 available Value for money | 2026-01-21 | Checkout |
| Hetzner CX43 (DE) | 8 vCPU | 16 GB RAM
160 GB NVME | IPv6 | $11.13/mo | NVMe storage IPv6 available Value for money | 2026-01-21 | Checkout |
| Hetzner CX43 (FI) | 8 vCPU | 16 GB RAM
160 GB NVME | IPv6 | $11.13/mo | NVMe storage IPv6 available Value for money | 2026-01-21 | Checkout |
| Hetzner CAX41 (DE) | 16 vCPU | 32 GB RAM
320 GB NVME | IPv6 | $28.72/mo | NVMe storage IPv6 available Value for money | 2026-01-21 | Checkout |
| Hetzner CAX41 (FI) | 16 vCPU | 32 GB RAM
320 GB NVME | IPv6 | $28.72/mo | NVMe storage IPv6 available Value for money | 2026-01-21 | Checkout |
More shortlist paths
Open these in VPS Finder for the full filtered results and deeper tuning.