What it is
Hetzner CX22 is the standard test rig referenced throughout our hardware comparisons and methodology page.
Why we use it
- Best price/performance ratio in EU VPS market
- EU data residency (Falkenstein, Helsinki)
- Strong network performance
- Predictable, transparent pricing
Why we wouldn't
- Customer support is functional but not white-glove
- Regional limitations — primarily EU and US presence
- Account verification can be strict for first-time signups
Best for
- EU-based self-hosted AI agent deployments
- Cost-optimised always-on hosting
- Anyone who doesn't need handholding
Not for
- Asia-Pacific deployments (latency)
- Compliance regimes requiring specific provider certifications
Long review
Hetzner is the VPS provider we use for our own infrastructure and recommend in nearly every self-hosted-AI-on-a-VPS guide we publish. The CX22 plan at €5/month (2 vCPU, 4 GB RAM, 40 GB SSD) is the price/performance benchmark for budget self-hosting. The CCX13 at €38/month for dedicated CPU resources is the upgrade path when shared compute becomes a bottleneck. Network performance is consistently strong from EU origin, transparent pricing means no “your bill tripled because of egress” surprises, and the company's been around long enough to trust with production. The downsides are honest: customer support is competent but not concierge-level, and account verification for first-time customers can be strict (passport scan and phone verification standard). We have an affiliate arrangement with Hetzner — €20 credit per converted signup. Full disclosure at /disclosure.
Alternatives we've tested
- Cloudflare Workers — Edge serverless platform. Free tier covers serious traffic. The reference deployment target for Moltworker.