Netcup vs Hetzner 2026: Dedicated Cores vs Polish (After the Price Hikes)

Q: Netcup or Hetzner, which is better?

Depends on what you value. Netcup's Root Server line gives dedicated CPU cores, so performance stays consistent under load, for less than Hetzner charges for shared vCPU. Hetzner's CX/CPX vCPU is explicitly shared and throttles on sustained use, but Hetzner wins decisively on console quality, hourly billing, flexibility, and support. Pick Netcup for guaranteed performance per euro; Hetzner for ease, flexibility, and polish.

Q: Is Netcup faster than Hetzner?

For sustained CPU work, generally yes, because Netcup RS cores are dedicated while Hetzner's shared vCPU throttles under continuous load. A Netcup RS 1000 G12 (EPYC 9645) benchmarks around Geekbench 6 2,200 single / 7,150 multi. But Hetzner's hardware is also strong and its cloud platform is smoother to use; the difference is consistency under load, not raw peak in a quick benchmark.

Q: Did both raise prices in 2026?

Yes, both repriced in spring 2026 due to the memory-supply crisis. Netcup: existing contracts +18.51% (from May 1), new orders +24.33% (from March 19), storage +21.52%. Hetzner: increases effective April 1, 2026, with cloud plans up roughly 30%+ and dedicated up single digits to low double digits. So compare current live prices, the gap shifted but Netcup's per-dedicated-core value still generally undercuts Hetzner's shared vCPU.

By Marcus Tran · Updated 2026 · tracking the low-end market since 2018

Affiliate disclosure: some links below are affiliate links. This comparison is built from public benchmark data (VPSBenchmarks), each provider's published terms, and community reporting; the caveats stay in regardless.

These two German hosts get pitted against each other constantly, and the comparison usually collapses into "which is cheaper." That misses the actual difference, which is architectural: Netcup sells dedicated CPU cores, Hetzner sells shared vCPU. That one distinction drives almost everything that follows, performance consistency, who each is for, and whether the price gap even matters. Both raised prices in 2026, so the numbers below are post-hike. This is how to choose.

30-second answer: Netcup if you want guaranteed, consistent CPU per euro, its RS line gives dedicated cores (G12 = EPYC 9645) where Hetzner's CX/CPX is shared vCPU that throttles under sustained load. Hetzner if you value the best cloud console in the budget tier, hourly billing, easy scaling, and smoother support. It's dedicated-performance-per-euro vs flexibility-and-polish, not a simple price contest. Netcup plans →

Head-to-head at a glance

	Netcup (RS line)	Hetzner (CX/CPX)
CPU model	Dedicated cores; EPYC 9645 (Zen 5c) on G12	Shared vCPU (AMD/Intel)
Under sustained load	Consistent (dedicated)	Throttles (~20-33% sustained per vCPU)
Geekbench 6 (entry)	~2,200 single / ~7,150 multi (RS 1000 G12)	Strong, but shared/throttled
Billing	12-month minimum term	Hourly + monthly (cancel anytime)
Console	SCP, functional, dated	Best-in-class cloud console
Support	Mixed; abuse-shutdown complaints	Broadly smoother
Setup fee	None (12-mo RS)	None
Best for	Guaranteed CPU per euro	Flexibility, ease, scaling

The core difference: dedicated vs shared

This is the whole comparison in one paragraph. Netcup's Root Server (RS) line gives you dedicated CPU cores, no neighbor can steal your cycles. Hetzner's standard CX/CPX plans are explicitly shared vCPU, and Hetzner itself documents that sustained use is throttled (community measurements put it around 20-33% sustained per vCPU). For bursty workloads that idle most of the time, Hetzner's shared model is fine and you'll rarely notice. For anything under continuous load, a busy database, steady traffic, a long compute job, Netcup's dedicated cores hold performance where Hetzner's sag.

The current Netcup RS 1000 G12 (EPYC 9645, Zen 5c) benchmarks around Geekbench 6 2,200 single / 7,150 multi, on dedicated cores, and at a price per core that undercuts Hetzner's shared vCPU. That's the value argument in a nutshell. (One honest caveat: Netcup oversold its previous-gen G11 RS line in 2024-2025, so "dedicated" has been strained before; the current G12 is what resolved it. See our Netcup review for that saga.)

Where Hetzner wins: polish and flexibility

If Netcup wins on raw dedicated performance, Hetzner wins on everything around the server, and for many people that matters more:

The cloud console is widely considered the best in the budget tier, clean, fast, pleasant to use. Netcup's SCP is functional but dated by comparison.
Hourly billing and instant scaling. Spin a Hetzner box up for an afternoon and destroy it; you pay cents. Netcup's 12-month minimum term makes that impossible, it's a commitment, not a sandbox.
Support is broadly smoother. Netcup draws recurring complaints about abuse-related account shutdowns; Hetzner's reputation here is calmer.

So Hetzner is the better choice if you want to experiment, scale up and down, or just have a low-friction experience, even though you're on shared vCPU.

Price & the 2026 hikes

Both repriced in spring 2026 because of the memory-supply crisis, so use current live quotes. Netcup (per its official notice): existing contracts +18.51% (from May 1, 2026), new orders +24.33% (from March 19), storage +21.52%. The RS 1000 G12 runs about €8.74/mo annual EU / ~€12.79 incl. VAT monthly. Hetzner: increases effective April 1, 2026, with cloud plans up roughly 30%+ and dedicated up single-digit to low-double-digit percentages.

The net effect: both got more expensive, and the relative gap moved, but the structural value argument holds, Netcup's dedicated core per euro still generally undercuts Hetzner's shared vCPU. Just don't quote pre-hike numbers; pull the live prices when you decide.

Which to pick

Busy database, steady-traffic site, continuous compute, anything that needs consistent CPU: Netcup RS. Dedicated cores are exactly what shared vCPU can't guarantee. Netcup RS plans →
Experimenting, scaling up/down, want hourly billing or the best console, bursty workloads that idle a lot: Hetzner. The shared vCPU is fine for bursty use and the platform is a joy. Hetzner Cloud →
You want to avoid commitment: Hetzner, full stop, Netcup's 12-month term is a dealbreaker for anything short-lived.

Bottom line: this isn't a price fight, it's dedicated-vs-shared. Netcup gives you guaranteed CPU per euro but with a year's commitment, a dated panel, and patchier support. Hetzner gives you shared (throttled-under-load) vCPU but the best console, hourly flexibility, and smoother support. Match it to your workload: consistent heavy load → Netcup; flexible or bursty → Hetzner.

FAQ

Netcup or Hetzner, which is better?

Netcup RS gives dedicated cores (consistent performance) for less than Hetzner's shared vCPU; Hetzner wins on console, hourly billing, flexibility, and support. Guaranteed performance per euro vs ease and polish.

Is Netcup faster than Hetzner?

For sustained load, generally yes, dedicated cores don't throttle like Hetzner's shared vCPU does under continuous use. Netcup RS 1000 G12 (EPYC 9645) hits ~2,200 GB6 single / 7,150 multi. The edge is consistency under load, not a quick-benchmark peak.

Did both raise prices in 2026?

Yes. Netcup: +18.51% existing (May 1), +24.33% new (Mar 19), +21.52% storage. Hetzner: effective April 1, cloud ~30%+, dedicated single-to-low-double digits. Compare live prices; Netcup's per-dedicated-core value still generally undercuts Hetzner's shared vCPU.

Can I run a short-term project on Netcup?

Not really, the RS line has a 12-month minimum term. For anything short-lived or that you want to scale up and down, Hetzner's hourly billing is the right tool.