European Alternatives to DigitalOcean
Looking for a European alternative to DigitalOcean? DigitalOcean is popular for its simplicity and developer-friendly approach, but it's a US company subject to American data laws. For developers and businesses who value privacy, GDPR compliance, and data sovereignty, European cloud providers offer excellent alternatives.
We've curated the best developer-focused cloud platforms built in Europe. These alternatives provide similar ease of use while keeping your data protected under European law - often at better prices.
Why Choose a European Alternative to DigitalOcean?
GDPR Protection
Your data stays in Europe, protected by the world's strongest privacy laws.
Better Value
European providers often offer 40-60% better pricing than DigitalOcean.
No US Surveillance
Free from CLOUD Act and other US data access laws.
Developer Friendly
Modern APIs, CLIs, and infrastructure-as-code support.
Best European Alternatives to DigitalOcean
We've curated the best developer-focused cloud platforms from European companies. Each alternative has been evaluated for features, ease of use, and GDPR compliance.
Hetzner Cloud
High-performance cloud with exceptional value from Germany
Scaleway
Developer-friendly European cloud with innovative services
UpCloud
Finnish cloud provider with MaxIOPS storage technology
Frequently Asked Questions
Hetzner Cloud is widely considered the best European alternative to DigitalOcean. It offers a similar developer-friendly experience with an intuitive interface, straightforward pricing, and excellent API support - but at significantly lower prices. For users who prioritize maximum privacy, Exoscale (Swiss) is another excellent choice.
Yes, Hetzner typically offers 40-60% lower prices than DigitalOcean. For example, a server with 2 vCPU, 4GB RAM, and 80GB SSD costs around €24/month on DigitalOcean, while a comparable Hetzner server costs about 7-8 EUR/month. This makes Hetzner one of the best value cloud providers globally.
Some do. Hetzner offers apps for popular software, and Scaleway has InstantApps. While the selection may not be as extensive as DigitalOcean's marketplace, the most popular applications like Docker, Kubernetes, and WordPress are typically available. Many users prefer using tools like Ansible or Terraform anyway.
Yes, all major European cloud providers have Terraform providers. Hetzner, Scaleway, UpCloud, and OVHcloud all offer official or well-maintained community Terraform providers. This makes migrating infrastructure as code from DigitalOcean relatively straightforward.
Yes, several European providers offer managed database services. Scaleway offers Managed Databases for PostgreSQL, MySQL, and Redis. UpCloud has Managed Databases. Exoscale offers DBaaS. While the offerings may be less extensive than DigitalOcean's, the core databases are well supported.
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