CheapServ vs Hetzner
Hetzner is the benchmark for cheap, well-run European infrastructure. It also takes no cryptocurrency and asks new customers to verify who they are. Here is how the two compare, and when each is the right choice.
- Crypto at HetznerNo
- KYC at HetznerYes for new customers
- Crypto at CheapServYes, crypto only
- KYC at CheapServNone
Hetzner Online has been running data centers in Germany since 1997 and now also in Finland, the United States and Singapore. Its cloud line starts around €4 a month for a 2 vCPU, 4 GB instance, its dedicated server auction is famous, and its object storage, load balancers and storage boxes make it a complete platform. For anyone who can pay by card, PayPal or SEPA and is comfortable with identity verification, it is hard to beat on price per gigabyte.
The two things it does not do are exactly what CheapServ is built around: it accepts no cryptocurrency, and since 2026 new accounts go through an identity check with a government ID and a selfie. CheapServ takes only crypto, asks for no identity at any point, and prices everything monthly in USD with the same price at every renewal, including GPUs and Windows RDP.
Prices and policies for Hetzner are its public list values as read in September 2026; they may have changed. Check Hetzner’s site before deciding. CheapServ figures are live from our catalogue.
Hetzner and CheapServ, criterion by criterion
| Criterion | Hetzner | CheapServ |
|---|---|---|
| Cryptocurrency accepted | No. Cards, PayPal, SEPA and bank transfer | Yes, crypto only: BTC, ETH, XMR, USDT (TRC-20/ERC-20) |
| Identity verification | Yes for new customers: government ID and selfie via an identity provider; card name must match | None. E-mail address and password only |
| Entry VPS | CX23: 2 shared vCPU, 4 GB RAM, 40 GB NVMe, 20 TB traffic, about €4/mo plus VAT (list price varies by region) | VPS-1: 1 vCPU, 2 GB RAM, 40 GB NVMe, 4 TB traffic, $3.29/mo |
| Billing | Hourly for cloud, monthly for dedicated; invoices in EUR/USD | Monthly, from a prepaid USD balance; same price at every renewal |
| Locations | Germany (Falkenstein, Nuremberg), Finland (Helsinki), USA (Ashburn, Hillsboro), Singapore | 6: Frankfurt, Amsterdam, Helsinki, New York, Los Angeles, Singapore |
| Dedicated servers | Yes, large range plus a server auction; setup fees on many models | Yes, Ryzen 9 / EPYC / Xeon from $159/mo, in-stock servers online in under 60 s |
| GPU servers | A small line of dedicated GPU servers | Yes, RTX 5090 to 8× H100, monthly, from $259/mo |
| Windows | Bring your own licence on dedicated; no managed RDP product | Windows RDP with licence included from $7.99/mo |
| DDoS protection | Included | Included, always-on, up to 3 Tbps |
| Extras | Object storage, storage boxes, load balancers, managed DNS, firewall | Snapshots, private VLAN, floating IPs, looking glass, API |
Pick Hetzner if
- You can verify your identity and pay by card or SEPA without a second thought.
- You want the broadest catalogue: object storage, storage boxes, load balancers, a dedicated server auction.
- You bill in euros and want hourly cloud servers you can create and destroy all day.
Pick CheapServ if
- You want to pay in Bitcoin, Ethereum, Monero or USDT, with no card and no ID.
- You want a fixed monthly price in USD that does not change at renewal, in six locations on three continents.
- You need a GPU or a Windows RDP by the month, or a dedicated server online in a minute without a review queue.
Hetzner vs CheapServ: common questions
Does Hetzner accept Bitcoin or any crypto?
No. Hetzner accepts cards, PayPal and SEPA/bank transfers. Third parties resell Hetzner servers for crypto, at a markup and with their own terms; CheapServ runs its own hardware and takes crypto directly.
Does Hetzner require ID verification?
New Hetzner customers go through an identity verification step (government ID plus a selfie, through an identity-verification provider). CheapServ never asks for identity documents.
Is CheapServ cheaper than Hetzner?
On the smallest VPS the prices are close: about €4 for Hetzner’s 2 vCPU/4 GB CX23 against $3.29 for our 1 vCPU/2 GB VPS-1 and $6.99 for the 4 vCPU/8 GB VPS-4. Hetzner is often cheaper per gigabyte on large cloud instances; CheapServ is cheaper on GPUs by the month and has no card, VAT or verification friction.
Can I migrate from Hetzner to CheapServ?
Yes. Both are KVM with standard Linux images; rsync or a disk image works. Order the new server, copy, switch DNS, then cancel the old one.
How we compare with other hosts
What paying CheapServ in crypto looks like
Bitcoin, Ethereum, Monero or Tether fund one USD balance. Each coin has its own page with confirmation times, fees and pitfalls.
Deploy your first server in under a minute.
Top up from $25 in BTC, ETH, XMR or USDT. Your balance never expires and unused funds are refundable.