The verdict in three sentences
For a B2B site, hosting is a matter of sovereignty as much as performance: hosting in the EU removes the non-GDPR transfer risk. In 2026, the cursor runs from shared (EUR 5-20/month) to managed cloud (EUR 100-400/month), via the OVH/Scaleway VPS (EUR 20-90/month). The right question is not "cheapest", but "what does a day of downtime cost me": often EUR 500-5,000 in revenue.
The 2026 options and their prices
The European market offers three main families, from economical shared to elastic cloud. Shared suits a brochure site with moderate traffic; a VPS gives control and solid performance; managed cloud adds elasticity and operations. Here are 2026 orders of magnitude.
| Type | Price/month | Typical uptime | Ideal for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Shared | EUR 5-20 | 99.9% | Brochure, blog, moderate traffic |
| OVH/Scaleway VPS | EUR 20-90 | 99.9% | Site + client area, light API |
| Managed cloud | EUR 100-400 | 99.95% | High traffic, spikes, SaaS |
| Custom cloud | EUR 400+ | 99.99% | Multi-service, high availability |
The OVH or Scaleway VPS is the sweet spot for most B2B sites: EU data, controlled cost, dedicated resources. Managed cloud is justified once you must absorb spikes (campaigns, seasonality) or guarantee contractual high availability.
Sovereignty and GDPR: EU versus US
Hosting with a provider subject to US law theoretically exposes data to extraterritorial requests (Cloud Act), even if servers are physically in Europe. For an IT director, choosing an EU host (OVH, Scaleway) simplifies GDPR compliance and the documentation of sovereign processing. The price gap is often marginal against the legal and reputational risk.
| Criterion | EU host (OVH/Scaleway) | US host |
|---|---|---|
| Data location | Guaranteed EU | Variable, sometimes outside EU |
| Cloud Act exposure | No | Yes (theoretical risk) |
| GDPR compliance | Direct | Standard contractual clauses required |
| Local-language support | Yes | Often English only |
| Latency from EU | Low | Variable |
Mini case study
Elise is IT director of a mid-size digital services firm in Dublin. Her site with a client area generates roughly EUR 3,000 of indirect revenue per day (leads, demos, contractual documents downloaded). On low-end shared hosting she suffers two outages a year of 4 h each — an estimated loss of EUR 2,500 plus reputational damage.
Moving to a managed Scaleway VPS at EUR 70/month (EUR 840/year) with backups and monitoring, she targets 99.9% uptime (under 9 h of downtime a year, scheduled outside business hours). The annual extra cost is absorbed by the first avoided outage, and EU data location closes the GDPR file with her legal team.
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FAQ
What hosting for a B2B brochure site in 2026?
A quality shared plan at EUR 5-20/month is enough while traffic stays moderate and there is no client area. As soon as there are dynamic features or spikes, move to a VPS at EUR 20-90/month.
What does 99.9% uptime mean in practice?
It allows about 8 h 45 of downtime a year. At 99.95%, you drop below 4 h 30. Each extra nine costs more but sharply cuts financial risk for a critical site.
OVH or Scaleway — which to choose?
Both are solid EU hosts. OVH offers a very broad range and international footprint; Scaleway appeals with modern cloud offers and pricing. The choice hinges on the managed services and support you expect.
Is a US host forbidden for an EU B2B site?
No, but it requires standard contractual clauses and complicates GDPR documentation. For processing customer data, the EU remains the easiest choice to defend.
What does a day of downtime cost?
Depending on the site's commercial dependence, EUR 500-5,000 in revenue per day for an SMB/mid-cap, before SEO and image impact. That figure should drive the hosting tier.
Let's scope your project. Tell us your traffic, features and uptime requirement, and we will recommend the right EU hosting and price the migration. Detailed quote within 48 h. WhatsApp +221 77 596 93 33.
Mohamed Bah
Fondateur, Kolonell
Passionate about digital and entrepreneurship in Africa, Mohamed has been helping Sénégalese businesses with their digital transformation since 2020. Founder of Kolonell, he believes every SME deserves a professional and accessible online présence.
