The best European alternative to DigitalOcean is UpCloud (Finland): cloud servers from €3 a month, managed Kubernetes with a free development control plane, managed PostgreSQL and MySQL, S3-compatible storage and no egress fees. If you mainly want cheap, fast VMs from a German company, pick Hetzner Cloud; if you want a full French cloud with free Kubernetes control planes, pick Scaleway.
I wrote this ranking for developers and small teams who like DigitalOcean’s simple Droplets, clear prices and managed add-ons, but want their servers and data with a European company. DigitalOcean, LLC is a US company with its legal address in Broomfield, Colorado, listed on the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE: DOCN), and its privacy policy relies on the EU-U.S. Data Privacy Framework for data from Europe. The providers below are registered in the EU or Switzerland. I compared twelve European cloud and VPS providers and kept eight. For each one you get who is behind it, what it costs, what users say and which DigitalOcean products you keep or lose.
What are the best European alternatives to DigitalOcean?
If you only have a minute: these are the European providers I would move to from DigitalOcean, in order. Each one is reviewed below.
- UpCloud (Finland) – servers, managed Kubernetes, databases and object storage with zero egress fees. Best for most DigitalOcean users.
- Scaleway (France) – a full developer cloud with a free Kubernetes control plane. Best for teams that want everything in the EU.
- Exoscale (Switzerland) – hourly instances, managed Kubernetes and DBaaS from a Swiss company. Best for Swiss and Austrian customers.
- Hetzner Cloud (Germany) – cheap, fast VMs with 20 TB of traffic. Best for raw compute on a budget.
- OVHcloud (France) – VPS from €3.81 a month with unlimited traffic. Best for low fixed prices at scale.
- Leaseweb (Netherlands) – big VPS plans with 30 TB of traffic from €4.49. Best for traffic-heavy projects.
- Cyso Cloud (Netherlands) – an OpenStack cloud with managed Kubernetes, formerly Fuga Cloud. Best for OpenStack users.
- STACKIT (Germany) – the Schwarz Group’s cloud for regulated companies. Best for German enterprises.
DigitalOcean alternatives compared
| Tool | HQ | Data hosted in | From | Free plan | Open source | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. UpCloud | Finland · EU | 15 data centres in 12 countries incl. Finland, Germany | €3 / month (excl. tax) | No | No | Predictable bills, zero egress |
| 2. Scaleway | France · EU | France, Netherlands, Poland, Italy · Scaleway | €0.43 / month (excl. VAT) | No | No | Developers and startups |
| 3. Exoscale | Switzerland · EFTA | Switzerland, Austria, Germany, Bulgaria, Croatia | €0.00729 / hour (excl. tax) | No | No | SaaS in Central Europe |
| 4. Hetzner Cloud | Germany · EU | Germany and Finland (also USA, Singapore) · own data centres | €6.49 / month (cheapest orderable plan) | No | No | Cheap compute |
| 5. OVHcloud | France · EU | France, Germany, Italy, Poland, UK · own data centres | €5.71 / month (excl. VAT) | No | No | Broad European cloud platform |
| 6. Leaseweb | Netherlands · EU | Netherlands and other Leaseweb data centres worldwide | €4.49 / month (excl. VAT) | No | No | Big VPS with lots of traffic |
| 7. Cyso Cloud | Netherlands · EU | Netherlands · European regions | €17.50 / month (2 vCPU, 8 GB) | No | Built on OpenStack | OpenStack cloud with Kubernetes |
| 8. STACKIT | Germany · EU | Germany and Austria · own data centres | €2.19 / month (net) | No | No | Regulated German organisations |
| DigitalOcean (for reference) | USA (DigitalOcean, LLC) | – | From $4 / month | No | – | – |
Prices from public pricing pages. Affiliate links and sponsored placements are labelled.
“Data hosted in” shows where each provider runs its servers according to its own pages. The hosting lines in each profile come from a DNS lookup of the provider’s website and an ASN lookup on RIPEstat (25 Oct 2026); the website can sit on a CDN even when your servers do not.
How I compared the DigitalOcean alternatives
I looked at twelve cloud and VPS providers registered in the EU or Switzerland and kept eight. The order is driven by how much of DigitalOcean you keep after switching, then by sovereignty, then by price. Concretely, I weighed five things:
- Product match – Droplet-style VMs plus managed Kubernetes, managed databases, object storage and load balancers, all in one console and API.
- Billing model – hourly or per-second billing without contracts, like DigitalOcean, versus monthly or yearly terms.
- Jurisdiction and ownership – where the company is registered, who owns it and where its data centres are.
- Price – the cheapest server, included traffic and egress fees.
- What users say – Trustpilot ratings, read together with the number of reviews.
I left out netcup, Contabo, IONOS VPS and Infomaniak VPS here: they are good VPS hosts, but they sell servers on monthly or longer terms without managed Kubernetes or databases, so they replace a Droplet and little else. You find all of them in my ranking of European VPS hosting. All data comes from the providers’ own pricing, product, about and legal pages and from Trustpilot, checked on 25 October 2026.
The best European alternatives to DigitalOcean, reviewed
Every provider gets the same treatment: who is behind it, what users say, what it replaces from DigitalOcean and what it doesn’t, its pros and cons, and my opinion on who should switch to it.
1. UpCloud
The closest European match for DigitalOcean – simple servers, managed services and zero egress fees
UpCloud Ltd is based in Helsinki, Finland. It was formed in 2011 and is led by its founder and CEO, Joel Pihlajamaa; it says it has more than 10,000 customers. UpCloud runs 15 data centres in 12 countries: ten in Europe (Helsinki, Stockholm, Copenhagen, Stavanger, Frankfurt, Amsterdam, London, Warsaw, Madrid) plus the USA, Singapore and Sydney. It is ISO 27001 certified. Its website runs behind Cloudflare.
What users say. On Trustpilot UpCloud has 3.0/5 from 170 reviews. Reviewers like the transparent pricing, the clean control panel and the Kubernetes documentation; the complaints are about accounts suspended by automated security checks, document requests and slow answers when locked out.
What it replaces from DigitalOcean – and what it doesn’t. UpCloud covers the DigitalOcean core: cloud servers, block and file storage, managed Kubernetes, managed MySQL, PostgreSQL and Valkey, S3-compatible object storage, managed load balancers, private networks, NAT and VPN gateways, a container registry and a REST API. Every plan has zero-cost egress, which DigitalOcean does not offer. What you lose: there is no App Platform-style PaaS and no serverless functions, and a CDN is listed as coming soon.
Facts: HQ Finland (Helsinki) · founded 2011 · Starter server €3/month (1 vCPU, 1 GB, 10 GB) · Premium from €5/month · managed MySQL/PostgreSQL from €9/month · Kubernetes control plane €0 (development) or €60/month (production) · object storage €5/month for 250 GB · prices exclude local taxes · free 30-day trial.
Switching from DigitalOcean: moderate – the services map one to one, but you rebuild servers from images or snapshots and move databases with a dump or replication.
Pros of UpCloud
- Complete DigitalOcean-style stack – servers, Kubernetes, databases, object storage and load balancers
- Generous network – zero egress fees on every plan
- Cheap entry at €3 a month
- Simple monthly caps with hourly billing
Cons of UpCloud
- No PaaS like App Platform and no serverless functions
- Weak account handling – Trustpilot complaints about sudden suspensions
- Not fully US-free – website runs on Cloudflare
My take: UpCloud is the provider that feels most like DigitalOcean: predictable prices, a clean console and the managed services most apps need. Zero egress fees are a real advantage for anything that serves files or media. It comes first because you keep the most of your DigitalOcean setup without giving up European jurisdiction. Best for: DigitalOcean users who want the same building blocks in Europe. Not for: teams that rely on App Platform or Functions.
2. Scaleway
A full French developer cloud with a free Kubernetes control plane
Scaleway is a subsidiary of the French iliad Group. It runs four multi-AZ cloud regions in Europe – Paris, Amsterdam, Warsaw and Milan – and says it plans deployments in Sweden and Germany. Its website runs behind Cloudflare.
What users say. On Trustpilot Scaleway has 1.5/5 from 358 reviews. A few reviewers praise the documentation and quick quota increases; most complaints are about billing, refunds, accounts blocked during identity checks and generic support answers.
What it replaces from DigitalOcean – and what it doesn’t. Scaleway covers more of DigitalOcean than anyone else in this list: instances, Kubernetes Kapsule (the control plane is free), managed PostgreSQL and MySQL and object storage, all in EU regions. What you lose: the instance price excludes storage and public IPv4, so the cheapest machine costs more than it looks, and users rate the company poorly.
Facts: HQ France · owner iliad Group · STARDUST1-S €0.0006/hour (about €0.43/month, 1 vCPU, 1 GB) · DEV1-S €6.55/month (2 vCPU, 2 GB) · managed PostgreSQL/MySQL from €0.0156/hour · Kapsule control plane free · prices before tax · storage and IPv4 extra.
Switching from DigitalOcean: moderate – similar building blocks, but more products and options to learn.
Pros of Scaleway
- Huge EU product range – instances, Kubernetes, databases and storage
- Free Kubernetes control plane
- Cheap development instances from €0.43 a month
- Safe EU-only regions
Cons of Scaleway
- Hidden extras – storage and IPv4 are not in the instance price
- Very low user rating – 1.5/5 on Trustpilot
- Confusing number of instance types
My take: Scaleway has the broadest European product range for developers and keeps everything in EU regions. It sits second only because billing is less predictable than UpCloud’s and its user reviews are weak. Read the full Scaleway review for the details. Best for: teams that want managed services without leaving the EU. Not for: anyone who wants a simple, flat monthly bill.
3. Exoscale
A Swiss cloud with hourly instances, managed Kubernetes and DBaaS
Exoscale is a trademark of Akenes SA, a private company founded in 2011 and headquartered in Switzerland. It is a member of A1 Digital International GmbH & Co KG, part of A1 Telekom Austria Group. Its website runs on Exoscale’s own network (AS61098) in Switzerland.
What users say. Exoscale has only 2 reviews on Trustpilot, too few to mean anything.
What it replaces from DigitalOcean – and what it doesn’t. Exoscale offers compute instances in many sizes including GPUs, SKS (its managed Kubernetes), DBaaS, object storage, DNS and a CDN. Every instance gets a free public IPv4 and IPv6 address. What you lose: prices are listed per hour only, so you have to do the monthly maths yourself, and there is no PaaS.
Facts: HQ Switzerland · founded 2011 · owner A1 Telekom Austria Group · Micro instance €0.00729/hour (512 MB, 1 core) · Small €0.02333/hour (2 GB, 2 cores) · prices exclude tax · free IPv4 and IPv6 per instance.
Switching from DigitalOcean: moderate – similar services, different tooling and naming.
Pros of Exoscale
- Strong ownership – part of a large European telecom group
- Complete stack with Kubernetes, DBaaS and object storage
- Fair extras – IPv4 and IPv6 included with every instance
Cons of Exoscale
- Not in the EU – Switzerland, though in the EFTA
- No meaningful user reviews
- Confusing hourly-only price list
My take: Exoscale is the most complete alternative outside the EU’s big names, backed by a telecom group rather than investors. I put it third because its prices are harder to read and there is almost no user feedback to judge support by. Best for: Swiss and Austrian teams that want a managed stack. Not for: hobby projects that want the cheapest VM.
4. Hetzner Cloud
Cheap, fast German VMs with 20 TB of traffic included
Hetzner Online GmbH was founded in 1997 and is based in Gunzenhausen, Germany. It runs data centre parks in Nuremberg and Falkenstein (Germany) and Helsinki (Finland), and its cloud is also available in the USA and Singapore. The website and console run on Hetzner’s own network (AS24940) in Germany.
What users say. On Trustpilot Hetzner has 3.0/5 from 3,011 reviews, covering all Hetzner products. Users praise the prices, performance and API; complaints are about slow support, price increases and accounts closed without warning.
What it replaces from DigitalOcean – and what it doesn’t. Hetzner Cloud gives you VMs, private networks, free stateful firewalls, load balancers, S3-compatible object storage, a REST API and a CLI. EU servers include 20 TB of traffic. What you lose: there is no managed Kubernetes and no managed database, so you run those yourself. When I checked, the Cost-Optimized plans were marked as currently not available.
Facts: HQ Germany (Gunzenhausen) · founded 1997 · CPX02 €6.49/month (1 vCPU, 1 GB, 20 GB, 20 TB, IPv4 included) · Cost-Optimized from €5.99/month (currently not available) · extra traffic €1 per TB in the EU · prices excl. VAT.
Switching from DigitalOcean: easy for plain Droplets; hard if you depend on managed databases or Kubernetes.
Pros of Hetzner Cloud
- Cheap compute with 20 TB of traffic
- Reliable own data centres in Germany and Finland
- Free firewalls and a simple API
Cons of Hetzner Cloud
- No managed Kubernetes or databases
- Limited availability – Cost-Optimized plans out of stock
- Weak support reputation – 3.0/5 on Trustpilot
My take: Hetzner is the favourite of many developers for good reason: fast servers, generous traffic and German ownership. It is fourth only because you lose DigitalOcean’s managed services – if you manage everything yourself, it could be your first choice. Best for: developers who run their own stack and want cheap, fast servers. Not for: teams that need managed databases.
5. OVHcloud
French VPS from €3.81 a month with unlimited traffic
OVHcloud is a French company founded in 1999 by Octave Klaba, its chairman. It says it runs 46 data centres in 18 locations with 500,000 servers and has more than 1.6 million customers. The ovhcloud.com website runs on OVH’s own network (AS16276).
What users say. On Trustpilot OVHcloud has 3.8/5 from 9,008 reviews, covering the whole company. Reviewers praise low prices; complaints are about unanswered tickets, sudden suspensions and outages.
What it replaces from DigitalOcean – and what it doesn’t. The VPS range is a good Droplet replacement with more resources for the money and unlimited traffic in Europe. OVHcloud also runs a Public Cloud with more managed services, covered in my ranking of European cloud platforms. What you lose: the VPS and the Public Cloud are separate products, so it is less of a single console than DigitalOcean, and the VPS page does not show a no-commitment price.
Facts: HQ France · founded 1999 · VPS-1 from €3.81/month excl. VAT (2 vCores, 4 GB, 40 GB NVMe, 500 Mbit/s) · unlimited traffic outside Asia-Pacific · VPS-2 from €7.21/month.
Switching from DigitalOcean: easy for single servers – rebuild and copy your data.
Pros of OVHcloud
- Cheap VPS with 2 vCores and 4 GB from €3.81
- Generous unlimited traffic in Europe
- Huge infrastructure – 46 data centres
Cons of OVHcloud
- Not one simple console – VPS and Public Cloud are separate
- No price without commitment shown on the VPS page
- Slow support reputation
My take: OVHcloud is the biggest European host and its VPS range is excellent value. It ranks fifth because the DigitalOcean-style experience – one console for servers, databases and Kubernetes – is split across products. Best for: people who want a lot of server for little money. Not for: teams that want managed services in one place.
6. Leaseweb
Big Dutch VPS plans with 30 TB of traffic from €4.49
Leaseweb was founded in the Netherlands in 1997 and has its headquarters in Amsterdam. It sells through several entities, including Leaseweb Netherlands B.V. and Leaseweb USA, Inc. Leaseweb says its European headquarters mean its data is not subject to US laws such as the CLOUD Act – that applies to services from its European entities. Its website is delivered through CacheFly, a US CDN.
What users say. On Trustpilot Leaseweb has 3.4/5 from 322 reviews, covering all its services.
What it replaces from DigitalOcean – and what it doesn’t. Leaseweb’s VPS gives you AMD EPYC servers with local NVMe, a 10 Gbps uplink, 30 TB of outgoing traffic, snapshots, a free firewall, DDoS protection and an API. It also sells managed Kubernetes, public cloud and object storage. What you lose: a first order can wait for KYC checks, and the developer experience is more traditional than DigitalOcean’s.
Facts: HQ Netherlands (Amsterdam) · founded 1997 · VPS 1 €4.49/month excl. VAT (4 vCPU, 6 GB, 100 GB NVMe, 30 TB) · VPS 2 €8.09/month (6 vCPU, 16 GB) · 1 snapshot free.
Switching from DigitalOcean: easy for servers; plan for KYC before your first order.
Pros of Leaseweb
- Huge resources for the price – 4 vCPU and 6 GB for €4.49
- Generous 30 TB of traffic per VPS
- Trustworthy long track record since 1997
Cons of Leaseweb
- Slow first order because of KYC checks
- Limited self-service compared with DigitalOcean
- Not fully US-free – website runs on a US CDN
My take: Leaseweb offers more server and more traffic per euro than DigitalOcean. It sits sixth because its managed services are sold as separate products and onboarding is slower. Best for: traffic-heavy apps and big servers on a budget. Not for: developers who want a slick all-in-one console.
7. Cyso Cloud
A Dutch OpenStack cloud with managed Kubernetes – formerly Fuga Cloud
Cyso Cloud is run by Cyso Group B.V. in the Netherlands; the former fuga.cloud website now redirects to cyso.com. Its website runs on Cyso’s own network (AS25151) in the Netherlands.
What users say. Cyso Cloud has no reviews on Trustpilot yet.
What it replaces from DigitalOcean – and what it doesn’t. Cyso bills VMs, containers, databases and storage per hour. You get compute flavours, persistent volumes, S3-style object storage, load balancers, DNS, transactional email and a managed Kubernetes control plane. What you lose: there is no small, cheap instance – the smallest costs €17.50 a month – and the Kubernetes control plane is not free.
Facts: HQ Netherlands · s5.small €17.50/month (2 vCPU, 8 GB, 50 GB) · Kubernetes control plane €29.99/month · load balancer from €10.95/month · IPv4 €1.99/month · object storage €0.055 per GB · egress from object storage €0.055 per GB.
Switching from DigitalOcean: moderate – OpenStack APIs and Terraform providers differ from DigitalOcean’s.
Pros of Cyso Cloud
- Flexible OpenStack platform with standard APIs
- Complete stack with Kubernetes, databases and object storage
- Simple hourly billing
Cons of Cyso Cloud
- High entry price – €17.50 for the smallest VM
- No free Kubernetes control plane
- No user reviews on Trustpilot
My take: Cyso Cloud is a sound Dutch platform with the managed pieces you need, but it is priced for business workloads, not for a €4 Droplet. That is why it sits seventh. Best for: teams that already know OpenStack. Not for: hobby projects.
8. STACKIT
The Schwarz Group’s cloud for German enterprises
STACKIT is the cloud of Schwarz Digits, part of the Schwarz Group, and is run by Schwarz Digits Cloud GmbH & Co. KG. It describes itself as a European hyperscaler. Its website runs in Germany on the network of SOPRADO GmbH (AS20546).
What users say. STACKIT has no Trustpilot profile.
What it replaces from DigitalOcean – and what it doesn’t. STACKIT Compute Engine gives you VMs billed by the hour or month, with GPU, Windows and Red Hat options, and its product menu includes managed databases such as SQL Server Flex. What you lose: it is built for companies, not individual developers, and small servers cost more than on DigitalOcean.
Facts: HQ Germany · owner Schwarz Group · Tiny server t1.2 €0.0153/hour (1 vCPU, 1 GB) · compute-optimised c1.1 €0.0365/hour (1 vCPU, 2 GB) · hourly or monthly billing.
Switching from DigitalOcean: hard for small teams – onboarding and pricing are aimed at enterprises.
Pros of STACKIT
- Strong German ownership – Schwarz Group
- Trustworthy choice for regulated companies
- Flexible hourly or monthly billing
Cons of STACKIT
- High price for small servers
- No user reviews to judge support
- Not built for hobby developers
My take: STACKIT is the choice when sovereignty and enterprise contracts matter more than price. For most DigitalOcean users it is too heavy, which is why it closes the list. Best for: German companies with compliance requirements. Not for: individual developers.
What European cloud servers cost compared with DigitalOcean
DigitalOcean’s cheapest Droplet costs $4 a month for 512 MiB of RAM. Most European providers give you more memory for a similar price, but check what is included: IPv4, storage and traffic are not always in the headline price.
| Provider | Cheapest server | Specs | Billing |
|---|---|---|---|
| DigitalOcean | $4/month | 1 vCPU, 512 MiB, 10 GiB, 500 GiB transfer | Per second, monthly cap |
| UpCloud | €3/month | 1 vCPU, 1 GB, 10 GB, zero egress fees | Hourly, monthly cap |
| Scaleway | ≈ €0.43/month | 1 vCPU, 1 GB, storage and IPv4 extra | Hourly |
| Exoscale | €0.00729/hour | 1 core, 512 MB | Hourly |
| Hetzner Cloud | €6.49/month | 1 vCPU, 1 GB, 20 GB, 20 TB, IPv4 included | Hourly, monthly cap |
| OVHcloud | from €3.81/month | 2 vCores, 4 GB, 40 GB, unlimited traffic | Monthly |
| Leaseweb | €4.49/month | 4 vCPU, 6 GB, 100 GB, 30 TB | Monthly |
| Cyso Cloud | €17.50/month | 2 vCPU, 8 GB, 50 GB | Hourly |
| STACKIT | €0.0153/hour | 1 vCPU, 1 GB | Hourly or monthly |
Prices as shown on each provider’s pricing page on 25 October 2026, in the currency shown there and excluding VAT where the provider says so. Monthly figures for hourly prices are the providers’ own where given.
How to switch from DigitalOcean to a European cloud
- List what you use. Write down your Droplets, volumes, Spaces buckets, managed databases, Kubernetes clusters, load balancers and DNS records.
- Rebuild servers with code. If you use Terraform, cloud-init or Ansible, point them at the new provider; otherwise create fresh servers and copy data with rsync.
- Move databases and storage. Dump and restore databases, or set up replication for a short cut-over; copy Spaces buckets with an S3 tool such as rclone.
- Switch DNS with a low TTL. Lower the TTL a day before, test the new setup, then point your records at the new IPs.
- Keep DigitalOcean running for a week. Delete Droplets and snapshots only when you are sure nothing still depends on them.
DigitalOcean alternatives: FAQ
Is there a European alternative to DigitalOcean?
Yes. UpCloud (Finland) is the closest match, with servers, managed Kubernetes, managed databases, object storage and load balancers. Scaleway (France) offers the broadest EU product range, and Hetzner Cloud (Germany) is the cheap choice for plain VMs.
Is there a German alternative to DigitalOcean?
Hetzner Cloud is the best-known German option, with VMs from €6.49 a month including IPv4 and 20 TB of traffic. STACKIT is the German enterprise option from the Schwarz Group.
Is Hetzner better than DigitalOcean?
For raw compute and traffic, Hetzner gives you more for the money and is a German company. DigitalOcean has managed Kubernetes, managed databases and App Platform, which Hetzner Cloud does not offer.
Which European cloud has no egress fees?
UpCloud includes zero-cost egress on all plans. Hetzner includes 20 TB per server in the EU, OVHcloud VPS has unlimited traffic outside Asia-Pacific and Leaseweb includes 30 TB per VPS.
Is DigitalOcean GDPR compliant?
DigitalOcean offers a data processing agreement with Standard Contractual Clauses and takes part in the EU-U.S. Data Privacy Framework. It is still a US company, so if you want a provider outside US jurisdiction, choose one of the European providers above.
My verdict: which European cloud to switch to
Most DigitalOcean users should go to UpCloud: it has the same building blocks – servers, Kubernetes, databases, object storage and load balancers – with clear prices and no egress fees. If you want the widest EU product range and EU-only regions, choose Scaleway. If you run your own stack and just want fast, cheap servers, Hetzner Cloud is hard to beat.
Whatever you pick, rebuild with infrastructure-as-code if you can and keep DigitalOcean running until the new setup has served real traffic for a few days.
Was this ranking useful?
Changelog · Oct 2026: first version, 8 tools (netcup, Contabo, IONOS VPS and Infomaniak VPS left out)