Your Hetzner server, working like Vercel.
Push to GitHub and your app builds and deploys on the Hetzner server you already rent, with HTTPS, a preview for every pull request and one-click Postgres. Works on Hetzner Cloud and on dedicated and auction servers.
Same RAM, four bills.
On Hetzner in Europe, 8 GB of RAM costs $10.59 a month (a CX33 with its IPv4 address). The same 8 GB is $80 on Railway before any CPU, and $100 on Render as 2 GB instances. Add $9 for custom domains on Ployz Cloud and your own platform costs $19.59. Pick how much RAM your apps and databases need. The full price list, both 2026 rises included, is in Hetzner Cloud pricing in 2026.
- Hetzner plan (Europe)
- CX33, 8 GB, 20 TB traffic included
- Netcup plan
- VPS 1000, 8 GB
- Railway, same RAM$80/mo
$10 per GB-month of RAM. CPU ($20 per vCPU), egress ($0.05/GB) and volumes ($0.15/GB) come on top.
- Render, same RAM$100/mo
Compute at $25 per 1 CPU / 2 GB instance ($7 per 512 MB below that). Render Postgres runs $19 for 1 GB to $160 for 16 GB, about the same per GB.
- Netcup VPS$16/mo
VPS 500 to 8000, €8.26 to €67.11 a month incl. VAT, 12-month term, traffic included. Europe, Manassas (US) and Singapore.
- Hetzner server + Ployz$20/mo
Smallest Hetzner CX with that RAM, $0.60 IPv4 each, $9 for Ployz custom domains. Shared vCPUs. Europe only.
These prices are for Germany and Finland. The CX line isn't sold anywhere else, and since June 2026 Hetzner's US servers cost more than DigitalOcean's at every size: 4 GB is about $38 in Ashburn against $24 for a Droplet. For US users, take Netcup's Manassas datacenter or DigitalOcean; see Hetzner vs DigitalOcean.
What Hetzner gives you, and what Ployz adds.
Hetzner sells you a good, cheap Linux box. Everything a platform does on top of it, you'd otherwise script yourself.
| What you need | A bare Hetzner server | Ployz on your server |
|---|---|---|
| Getting a server | Order in Hetzner's console: Cloud, dedicated or auction | Same. Ployz doesn't create servers; you point it at the one you ordered |
| Deploy on push | Your own scripts, or ssh and docker compose | Connect GitHub; every push builds on your server or in your own GitHub Actions |
| Builds | Write a Dockerfile | No Dockerfile needed for Node, Python, Ruby, PHP, Go, Rust, Java and Elixir, or bring your own |
| HTTPS and domains | Set up Caddy or nginx and certificates | Every app gets an HTTPS address; custom domains are $9 a month on Ployz Cloud |
| Previews | None | A preview environment for every pull request, with its own HTTPS address, on your server |
| Databases | Install and run them yourself | One-click Postgres, Redis, MySQL and MongoDB (plain services with a volume) |
| Load balancing | Load Balancer LB11 at €6.99 a month | Every server serves HTTPS itself and hands each request to a healthy replica. Nothing to rent |
| More servers | Hetzner private networks, wired up by hand | Add a server with one command; it joins an encrypted private network, and services reach each other at `NAME.internal` |
| Backups | 20% of the server price, and volumes aren't included | None. Keep Hetzner's backups and run your own pg_dump |
It works the same on a dedicated or server auction box: install Ubuntu LTS with installimage (Ployz needs it for managed volumes), then run ployz up against it. On 1 October 2026 the cheapest auction server had 64 GB of RAM for €57 a month, no setup fee, in Germany or Finland.
What you give up.
A server you rent is a server you look after. A managed platform does these for you; Ployz doesn't, yet:
- Backups. Ployz doesn't back up databases. Hetzner's backups don't cover attached volumes, so schedule a
pg_dumpto object storage. The Postgres hosting guide has the script. - Scheduled jobs. No built-in cron. Use your framework's scheduler as a worker, or a crontab.
- Failover. One server is one server. Ployz runs replicas across servers, but a database volume lives on one machine.
- OS updates. Patching the server is your job, on Cloud and dedicated alike.
- Team roles and GitLab. Ployz is built for one operator today, and deploys from GitHub or any Docker image.
If those are dealbreakers, a hosted platform is the honest answer. Railway alternatives, ranked by price compares them.
From Hetzner order to deployed app.
Order a server in the Hetzner console (a CX23 is enough to start), add your SSH key, and note its IP address. Pick Ubuntu LTS: any Linux with systemd works, amd64 or arm64, but Ubuntu is where volumes get size limits. The Arm CAX line is fine too.
$ curl -fsSL https://ployz.sh | sh
Installs the ployz CLI on macOS or Linux.
$ ployz login
Signs in to Ployz Cloud in your browser.
$ ployz up --server root@your-server
Installs Ployz on the Hetzner server, builds this directory and gives it an HTTPS address.
Then connect your GitHub repository, add Postgres from the dashboard, and point your domain at the server. When one box is full, order a second one and add it with one command. If you put a Hetzner Cloud Firewall in front, Add a server lists the ports to open.
Questions
Can I run a PaaS on Hetzner?
Yes. Install a self-hosted platform on the server and you get git push deploys, HTTPS and databases on Hetzner's prices. Ployz, Coolify, Dokploy and Dokku all run on Hetzner; Ployz adds a preview environment per pull request, a private network across servers, and https served from every server, so there's no load balancer to rent.
Should I use Coolify on Hetzner?
It's the most common pairing: Hetzner offers a Coolify app image, and Coolify can create Hetzner servers for you, which Ployz doesn't. Pick Coolify if you want that, Docker Compose files, scheduled S3 backups, GitLab or team roles. Pick Ployz for previews per pull request and several servers on one private network.
Is there anything cheaper than Hetzner?
Yes, on a 12-month term. OVHcloud's VPS-1 has 4 GB for €3.81 before VAT in Europe and $4.54 in the US. Netcup's VPS 500 is €8.26 incl. VAT with more disk and a US datacenter. Hetzner's edge is hourly billing with no contract.
Is Hetzner good in the US?
Not on price any more. The CX line is Europe only, and after the 15 June 2026 rise the cheapest 4 GB US server is a CPX21 at $37.49. Netcup in Manassas (about €9.30 incl. VAT) or a $24 DigitalOcean Droplet is cheaper.
Did Hetzner raise prices in 2026?
Twice. On 1 April prices rose about a third, existing servers included. On 15 June new orders and rescales rose again: CX about 30%, CPX and CCX 113% to 175% in Europe. A CX23 went from €2.99 to €5.49 over the year.
Do I need Kubernetes on Hetzner?
Not for a few apps across a few servers. Ployz has no Kubernetes and no control plane to run: servers join an encrypted private network, and every server serves https itself.
What does Ployz cost?
Ployz is free on your own servers, with unlimited servers, projects and preview environments. Custom domains on Ployz Cloud are $9 a month. Hetzner bills you for the servers.
What happens if Ployz Cloud goes down?
Your Hetzner servers keep serving your apps. You can't deploy until Ployz Cloud is back. The CLI and the software on your servers are open source (Apache-2.0).
Your servers. The whole platform. Free on your own servers.
Deploy your appFacts checked 2026-10-02.