Earns.io

SIDE BY SIDE

Put two or three platforms side by side

Pick the ones you are actually choosing between. The same questions get asked of each, the answers come off the company's own pages, and every figure carries the day we read it.

Places that pay youThings you build on

Eight questions about what it costs and who owns the result, asked of each one.

2 PLATFORMS · 8 QUESTIONS · 4 ANSWERED BY ALL

DigitalOcean
Hetzner

What it costs you

What it really costs to startAll in, not the first-year promotional price.
DigitalOceanFree: 3 static sites, 1 GiB eachFree tier is capped at 3 static-site apps with a 1 GiB transfer allowance each; paid App Platform starts at $5/month.source · checked 2026-09-07
HetznerDedicated server setup feeGoing dedicated costs more up front: AX42-1 is EUR 97.30 a month plus a one-off EUR 49.00 setup fee, excluding VAT.source · checked 2026-09-07
What it costs to keep alivePer year, once the introductory pricing is over.
DigitalOceanWe have not checked this one yet
HetznerVAT on topEvery listed price is net: German customers pay 19% VAT on top of the monthly figure.source · checked 2026-09-07

The gate before the first cent

The gate before it pays anythingThe traffic, sales or balance you must reach before a single cent moves.
DigitalOceanWe have not checked this one yet
HetznerWe have not checked this one yet
How long before the first paymentThe gap you have to fund out of your own pocket.
DigitalOceanWe have not checked this one yet
HetznerWe have not checked this one yet

Is it yours or theirs

Who owns what you buildYours, or a room you are allowed to sit in until the rules change?
DigitalOceanYou keep ownershipYou keep copyright and ownership of your Services Content. DigitalOcean takes only an operational licence to host, store and display it in order to run the service.source · checked 2026-09-07
HetznerData ownership clauseCustomer data stays the customer's. The terms grant Hetzner no content licence beyond running the service or complying with law.source · checked 2026-09-07
Can you take it with youThe domain, the list, the content. What actually leaves with you.
DigitalOceanSnapshots cannot be downloadedSnapshots and backups cannot be downloaded off the platform. Getting data out means copying it yourself with third-party tools such as rsync or SFTP.source · checked 2026-09-07
HetznerIP address is not yoursThe IP address does not travel with you: no claim to a specific IP, and Hetzner may reassign it with prior written notice.source · checked 2026-09-07
Can it be soldIs there a resale market, and what does it pay?
DigitalOceanWe have not checked this one yet
HetznerServer transfer between customersDedicated root servers can be sold customer to customer: Hetzner documents a Robot transfer-token procedure, usually without support help.source · checked 2026-09-07
What takes it all awayThe single rule, ban or dependency that ends it overnight.
DigitalOceanCut off with no notice, content deletedDigitalOcean can terminate access at any time, with or without notice, effective immediately, and owes you nothing back: it deletes Services Content on termination under its standard closure practice.source · checked 2026-09-07
HetznerBackups are the customer's jobNo safety net on their side: backups are the customer's duty and are meant to be stored off the Hetzner server.source · checked 2026-09-07

There is no winner at the bottom of this table

Nothing here gets added up. A score would have to decide that these questions weigh the same for everyone, and they do not. A lower cash-out bar is better if you need the money this month and worse if it arrives as a gift card you cannot spend on rent. One payout method is fine right up until it is the one that does not work where you live.

The rows worth your attention are usually the ones where the columns disagree about whether to answer at all. A platform that publishes its fee and a platform that does not are not two platforms with different fees. One of them has told you, and you can hold them to it.

Rows marked as not checked are about us, not about them. They mean nobody here has gone looking yet, and they stay visible for that reason. Found a figure that has moved? Tell us, and it gets a new source and a new date rather than a quiet edit.

ALL PLATFORMS