DigitalOcean is the incumbent, but Hetzner offers a European alternative rooted in EU data laws and stronger digital sovereignty.
Incumbent Solution
DigitalOcean is a US-based cloud hosting platform designed for developers and small businesses, headquartered in New York. It offers simplified cloud infrastructure services and is listed on NYSE.
DigitalOcean ownership profileEU Challenger
Hetzner is a German cloud and dedicated server provider, family-owned and headquartered in Gunzenhausen, Bavaria. It is widely known for its superior price-to-performance ratio and strict GDPR compliance, operating data centers exclusively in Germany and Finland.
Visit HetznerHetzner ownership profile| Metric | DigitalOcean | Hetzner |
|---|---|---|
| Headquarters | New York, US | Gunzenhausen, DE |
| Ownership | public · NYSE | private |
| Tax Domicile | US | DE |
| Ultimate Parent | DigitalOcean Holdings, Inc. | Hetzner Online GmbH |
| Data Hosting | mixed | EU |
| CLOUD Act Exposure | Yes ⚠️ | No ✓ |
| AI Trains on User Data | no | no |
| GDPR | compliant | compliant |
| DSA Designation | na | na |
| Carbon Neutral | claimed | claimed |
| B Corp | No | No |
| Supply Chain | partial | opaque |
| Repair / Recycling | No | No |
Last verified . Sources: DigitalOcean on Wikidata, DigitalOcean website, Hetzner website, How we audit.
Rigorous data for ethical digital consumption.