Contabo vs Hetzner for n8n
Two of the most-mentioned budget hosts for self-hosted n8n. Contabo wins on RAM per dollar; Hetzner wins on flexible billing.
| Plan | Specs | Intro | Renewal |
|---|---|---|---|
| Contabo Cloud VPS 10 (n8n) | 4 vCPU / 8 GB / 100 GB | $5.28 | $6.60 |
| Contabo Cloud VPS 20 (n8n) | 6 vCPU / 12 GB / 200 GB | $7.20 | $9.00 |
| Hetzner CX23 (Cost-Optimized) | 2 vCPU / 4 GB / 40 GB | — | €5.99 excl. VAT not available |
| Hetzner CX33 (Cost-Optimized) | 4 vCPU / 8 GB / 80 GB | — | €8.99 excl. VAT not available |
| Hetzner CPX12 (Regular Performance) | 1 vCPU / 2 GB / 40 GB | — | €11.99 excl. VAT |
| Hetzner CPX22 (Regular Performance) | 2 vCPU / 4 GB / 80 GB | — | €19.99 excl. VAT |
Hetzner: no intro deal (—), EU-location prices, EUR excl. VAT, hourly billing with a monthly cap, no term. US locations use separate, pricier plans. “Not available” = Hetzner’s page said so when we checked. Cost-Optimized · Regular Performance.
Verdict
Contabo. Its Cloud VPS 10 n8n plan (4 vCPU / 8 GB) is $5.28/mo for the first 24 months and lists $6.60/mo regular. Hetzner's 8 GB CX33 is €8.99/mo excl. VAT but was marked not available; its orderable 4 GB CPX22 is €19.99/mo (checked 2026-11-02).
- Pick Contabo for the most RAM per dollar and a one-click n8n install, if a 24-month term is fine.
- Pick Hetzner for no-term hourly billing and NVMe disks, if you can live with fewer GB per euro.
Contabo’s prices are “incl. applicable taxes” per its page; its “renewal” is the struck-through regular price, not explicitly labelled as renewal. Contabo source, checked 2026-11-02.
More comparisons: Hostinger vs Contabo for n8n · Cheapest VPS for n8n · Can n8n Run on 2 GB RAM? · n8n Cloud vs Self-Hosted: Real Cost · Hetzner vs DigitalOcean for n8n · Vultr vs Linode for n8n · How Much RAM Does n8n Need? · Hostinger vs Hetzner for n8n