Hetzner is one of Europe's most popular VPS providers. You can install OpenClaw on a Hetzner server yourself. fluado takes a different approach - we provision a dedicated European VPS with OpenClaw pre-installed and managed. Both are European, both are affordable. The difference is what you do (or don't) have to manage yourself.
TL;DR: fluado gives you everything a Hetzner VPS does - plus pre-installed OpenClaw and managed TLS - for just €5.51 more per month. If your time is worth anything, fluado is the smarter choice.
What is fluado?
fluado, the European OpenClaw hosting provider, offers managed OpenClaw hosting. We provision a dedicated VPS in Germany, install OpenClaw, configure mTLS and TLS, and keep it running. You get SSH and root access. You bring your own API key.
Pricing: €9/month. Cancel anytime.
What is Hetzner?
Hetzner is a German cloud and hosting provider, known for excellent price-to-performance ratios. VPS plans start from €3.49/month. Hetzner provides the infrastructure - you handle everything else: OS setup, OpenClaw installation, TLS configuration, and ongoing maintenance.
Pricing: VPS from €3.49/month.
Comparison
| Feature | fluado | Hetzner (self-hosted) |
|---|---|---|
| Monthly cost | €9 | From €3.49 |
| OpenClaw pre-installed | Yes | No (manual install) |
| Setup time | Under 1 minute | 30 min – 2 hours |
| TLS / SSL | Included and managed | You configure (Let's Encrypt) |
| mTLS gateway | Included | You configure |
| SSH / root access | Yes | Yes |
| Server location | Germany | Germany, Finland, USA, Singapore |
| Hosting location | EU (Germany) | Your responsibility |
| Hourly billing | No (monthly) | Yes |
Key differences
Managed vs unmanaged
This is the fundamental difference. Hetzner gives you a virtual machine. That's it. You install the OS, install OpenClaw, configure TLS, set up mTLS, and monitor availability. fluado does all of that for you.
The €5.51/month difference (€9 vs €3.49) is the cost of managed infrastructure. Whether that's worth it depends on your time and expertise.
Flexibility
Hetzner gives you more flexibility. You can choose from multiple server types, regions, and operating systems. You can install anything alongside OpenClaw. fluado provides a purpose-built OpenClaw environment.
European roots
Both are excellent from a data sovereignty perspective. Hetzner is headquartered in Gunzenhausen, Germany, with datacenters in Germany and Finland. fluado hosts in Germany. Both are GDPR-compliant at the infrastructure level.
Who should choose what?
Choose fluado if:
- You want OpenClaw running without manual server setup
- You don't want to manage TLS, updates, or monitoring
- Your time is worth more than €5.51/month
- You want managed TLS and OpenClaw configured out of the box
Choose Hetzner if:
- You're comfortable with Linux server administration
- You want maximum cost efficiency
- You want more server type options
- You need servers in Finland, USA, or Singapore
Frequently asked questions
Is Hetzner really that much cheaper?
At the infrastructure level, yes. But you need to factor in your time for setup, maintenance, and troubleshooting. If you spend 2 hours setting up and 30 minutes per month maintaining, the cost difference narrows quickly.
Skip the setup. Get fluado - €9/month, cancel anytime.