The verdict in three sentences
For a corporate website in Europe, the price gap between a European host and a US cloud is small (a few dozen euros a month) compared with the cost of a failed GDPR audit. The IT director must be able to answer in one sentence the question "where is form data stored and who can access it". Reversibility (export, migration, notice period) matters as much as the 99.9% SLA printed on the brochure.
Comparison of hosting options in 2026
The prices below are 2026 orders of magnitude for a corporate or brochure website of 20 to 200 pages, with contact and quote forms, and 10,000 to 100,000 visits a month.
| Option | Monthly cost | Data location | Non-EU exposure | Typical SLA | Reversibility |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| OVHcloud VPS | EUR 15 to 60 | France (Roubaix, Gravelines, Strasbourg) | Low, French company | 99.9% | Excellent, standard server |
| Scaleway VPS or instances | EUR 20 to 80 | France (Paris), Netherlands, Poland | Low, French company | 99.9% | Excellent |
| French managed hosting | EUR 60 to 250 | France | Low | 99.9 to 99.95% | Good, contract dependent |
| Vercel (Pro plan) | EUR 20 to 150 | Selected region, EU functions possible | US company, CLOUD Act | 99.99% (Enterprise) | Medium, framework dependent |
| AWS (Paris eu-west-3) | EUR 40 to 300 | France if configured | US company, CLOUD Act | 99.9 to 99.99% | Medium to good |
| SecNumCloud-qualified offer | EUR 300 and up | France | Very low | 99.95% | Good |
A static or Next.js site can run on a EUR 25 per month VPS with a European CDN. US clouds offer excellent tooling, but their link to US law requires a transfer assessment even when servers sit in Paris or Frankfurt.
What GDPR really requires for a website and its forms
GDPR does not require hosting in any specific EU country. It requires control over transfers outside the European Economic Area, a data processing agreement (Article 28) with the host, and documented security measures. Since 2023, the EU-US Data Privacy Framework allows transfers to certified US companies, but many IT directors prefer to avoid relying on it, since its predecessors (Safe Harbor, Privacy Shield) were struck down twice.
| Checkpoint | European host | US cloud | Evidence to keep |
|---|---|---|---|
| Processing agreement (Art. 28) | Standard | Standard (DPA) | Signed copy |
| Transfer outside the EU | None by default | Possible (support, sub-processors) | Transfer impact assessment |
| Standard contractual clauses | Usually unnecessary | Needed without DPF certification | Contract annex |
| Access by a foreign authority | Unlikely | Possible under the CLOUD Act | Risk note |
| Third-party tools (analytics, fonts, chat) | To audit | To audit | Record of processing |
| Form data retention | To configure | To configure | Purge policy (e.g. 3 years) |
The real risk often comes from third-party services: Google Analytics, fonts loaded from a US CDN, chat widgets. An audit typically finds 4 to 8 calls to non-EU domains on an average site. Replacing them with Matomo or Plausible and self-hosting fonts costs EUR 500 to 1,500 once.
Reversibility: the clause nobody reads
Before signing, check four points: data export format (SQL dump, files), notice period (1 to 3 months), migration assistance (billed EUR 80 to 120 per hour in managed hosting) and certified data deletion at contract end. A site hosted on a proprietary platform without full export can cost EUR 3,000 to 8,000 to rebuild elsewhere.
Mini case study
Need a professional website?
Kolonell builds websites that attract clients, optimized for the Sénégalese market. Free quote in 2 minutes.
Sophie, IT director of an 80-employee services company in Nantes, hosts the website on a US cloud for EUR 140 a month. The site receives 300 quote requests a month. A key account demands proof of EU hosting without transfers. She migrates to a Scaleway VPS in Paris with managed services (EUR 110 a month), replaces Google Analytics with Matomo and self-hosts fonts, for EUR 2,400 of services. She saves EUR 30 a month, or EUR 360 a year, and above all has a compliance file ready for the client's tender, worth EUR 180,000 a year.
FAQ
Is it mandatory to host a corporate website in the EU?
No, GDPR allows regulated transfers outside the EU. But 60 to 70% of public tenders and key-account requests in France now ask for documented European hosting.
What is the price difference between OVHcloud, Scaleway and AWS for a brochure site?
For 10,000 to 50,000 visits a month, plan EUR 15 to 40 at OVHcloud or Scaleway versus EUR 40 to 120 at AWS. The gap widens if the site relies on heavy server functions.
Is AWS hosting in Paris GDPR compliant?
It can be, with the AWS DPA, DPF certification and a documented risk assessment. The CLOUD Act remains a point to record in your processing register.
What does a 99.9% SLA mean?
It allows about 8 hours 45 minutes of downtime a year, or 43 minutes a month. A 99.99% SLA brings that down to 52 minutes a year, often at 3 to 5 times the cost.
How much does a hosting migration cost?
For a 20 to 200 page site, plan EUR 800 to 3,000 depending on technology, database and forms. Schedule a 1 to 2 hour cutover window with DNS TTL lowered the day before.
Let's scope your project. Describe your website, its traffic and your compliance requirements: we will price documented European hosting from EUR 15 to 250 a month, with a migration plan and GDPR file. 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.
