Smelt Cloud vs Hetzner
Hetzner sets the price floor for dedicated servers — its AX102 lists around €124 per month for a 16-core box. Smelt is not trying to undercut Hetzner on small servers; it targets larger nodes, US deployment, petabyte storage, and AI inference, with free egress instead of metered overage.
Hetzner figures verified Jun 15, 2026
| Dimension | Hetzner | Smelt Cloud |
|---|---|---|
| Entry node | AX102 — 16 cores / 128 GB / 2x 1.92 TB NVMe, ~€124/mo | Compute — ~64 cores / 512 GB and up |
| Node scale | Mid-range dedicated servers | Up to 128 dedicated cores, multi-TB RAM, multi-GPU |
| Location | Primarily EU, plus US | US (South Florida), more on the roadmap |
| Bandwidth | Included allowance, then metered overage | Free egress on the included allowance |
| Beyond compute | Compute and basic storage | Compute, petabyte storage, and AI inference on one stack |
Comparisons match the closest Hetzner configuration by cores and memory (compute) or by cost per terabyte (storage), and normalize for included storage and egress. Specs for both sides are shown so you can judge the fit.
Smelt Cloud as a Hetzner alternative
Smelt Cloud as a Hetzner alternative is about scale, location, and breadth, not undercutting Hetzner on a small box. Hetzner is unbeatable value for small-to-mid dedicated servers in the EU. Smelt deploys in the US, scales nodes to 64 to 128 dedicated cores with terabytes of RAM, adds petabyte storage and mixture-of-experts AI inference on the same platform, and includes free egress rather than metered bandwidth overage. If you have outgrown a single Hetzner box or need US presence, storage, or inference, Smelt is the step up.
Built for larger nodes
Hetzner excels at small and mid dedicated servers. Smelt targets large nodes — 64 to 128 dedicated cores and terabytes of RAM — for workloads that have outgrown a single budget box.
Storage and inference too
Beyond compute, Smelt adds petabyte-scale storage (all-flash Molten and HDD Vault) and mixture-of-experts AI inference (Forge MoE) on the same platform.
Free egress, US presence
Smelt includes free egress rather than metered bandwidth overage, and deploys in the US for teams that need domestic infrastructure.
Where Hetzner is the better fit
Hetzner is the price leader for small and mid-range dedicated servers, with instant provisioning and a long track record. If you need an affordable single box, especially in the EU, Hetzner is excellent and very likely lower-cost. Smelt is the better fit when you need larger nodes, US deployment, petabyte storage, AI inference, or free egress in one platform.
Questions, answered.
Does Smelt cost less than Hetzner?
Not on small servers — Hetzner is the budget leader there, and we say so plainly. Smelt competes on larger node scale, US location, free egress, and breadth across storage and AI inference, not on undercutting a small Hetzner box.
Why choose Smelt over Hetzner?
When you need larger dedicated nodes (64 to 128 cores), US deployment, petabyte storage, mixture-of-experts AI inference, or free egress rather than metered bandwidth overage — on a single platform.
Where is Smelt located?
Smelt launches from South Florida (US), with additional sites on the roadmap. Hetzner is primarily EU with some US capacity.
- Hetzner dedicated server pricing — verified Jun 15, 2026
Hetzner and other names are trademarks of their respective owners. Smelt Cloud is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or sponsored by Hetzner. Figures shown are the competitor's public list prices as of the dates above and may change; Smelt figures are effective rates described in our documentation. This comparison is provided for informational purposes.
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