The verdict in three sentences
For a business website serving European customers, EU hosting costs 5 to 15 EUR per month on shared plans, 20 to 60 EUR per month on a VPS and 80 to 300 EUR per month for managed hosting with monitoring. Moving from a US cloud to OVHcloud or Scaleway takes a migration of 800 to 2,500 EUR and reduces legal exposure to extraterritorial laws such as the Cloud Act. For non-EU companies selling into Europe, EU hosting is not mandatory under GDPR, but it simplifies due diligence by European B2B buyers, and SecNumCloud matters only for sensitive data or French public buyers who require it.
The real GDPR question: where data sits and who can access it
Since the 2023 EU-US data transfer framework, using a US host remains lawful under conditions, but it requires a risk assessment, contractual clauses and documentation in your processing records. Many companies prefer to simplify: an EU-law provider with data centers in France removes part of that paperwork. A brochure site stores little data, but contact forms, customer portals and analytics tools do collect it. Non-EU companies targeting EU customers fall under GDPR whatever their location.
| Criterion | EU shared | EU VPS | EU managed | US cloud (EU region) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Monthly price 2026 | 5 to 15 EUR | 20 to 60 EUR | 80 to 300 EUR | 30 to 400 EUR depending on use |
| Provider's governing law | European | European | European | US and European |
| Cloud Act exposure | No | No | No | Yes |
| Contractual uptime | 99.9% | 99.9% to 99.95% | 99.9% to 99.99% | 99.9% to 99.99% |
| In-house skills needed | Low | High (sysadmin) | Low | Medium to high |
| Monitoring and backups | Basic | Self-configured | Included, 24/7 | Self-configured, paid |
| Best fit | Simple brochure site | In-house tech team | Company without sysadmin | High-load applications |
OVHcloud, Scaleway and others: a practical comparison
The two major French providers cover most business needs. OVHcloud offers a broad range, from shared hosting to private cloud, with some offerings qualified SecNumCloud. Scaleway is popular with technical teams for its instances, object storage and managed services. Other players (Outscale, Cloud Temple, Infomaniak in Switzerland) focus on sovereignty or sensitive data.
| Need | Recommended option | 2026 price range |
|---|---|---|
| WordPress or static brochure site | OVHcloud shared or equivalent | 5 to 15 EUR per month |
| Next.js site or light application | Scaleway or OVHcloud VPS or instance | 20 to 60 EUR per month |
| Critical site without a sysadmin team | Agency-managed hosting on a French cloud | 80 to 300 EUR per month |
| Health data (France) | HDS-certified host | from 150 EUR per month |
| Sensitive public contracts | SecNumCloud-qualified offering | from 300 to 500 EUR per month |
| Fast delivery across Europe | EU CDN (Bunny, OVHcloud CDN) | 1 to 20 EUR per month |
| Migration from a US cloud | Agency service | 800 to 2,500 EUR one-off |
An EU CDN cuts load times without routing through a US provider. For a typical business site, the bill rarely exceeds 20 EUR per month (about 22 USD).
Migrating without downtime
A clean migration follows five steps: inventory (domains, certificates, forms, third-party scripts), copy of the environment to the new host, testing on a temporary URL, DNS cutover with TTL lowered 48 h in advance, then 2 weeks of monitoring. Allow 3 to 10 business days depending on complexity. It is a good time to replace US analytics with an EU solution that can be consent-exempt when configured correctly.
Mini case study
Claire, CIO of a 150-employee manufacturing company in Lyon, pays 210 EUR per month for a website and extranet on a US cloud, plus about 4 days a year of legal work on data transfers, valued at 2,400 EUR. She moves to a French managed offering at 140 EUR per month, with a 1,900 EUR migration. Annual saving: 840 EUR of hosting and about 1,800 EUR of compliance time, i.e. 2,640 EUR. The migration pays back in under 9 months (2026 order of magnitude). A non-EU exporter in the same situation would see a similar ratio.
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FAQ
How much does EU hosting for a business website cost?
5 to 15 EUR per month for shared hosting, 20 to 60 EUR for a VPS and 80 to 300 EUR for managed hosting. The right tier depends mostly on your in-house skills.
Does GDPR ban US hosting providers?
No, but it requires a transfer assessment and stronger documentation. An EU provider reduces that workload, often estimated at several days per year.
Does a mid-sized company need SecNumCloud?
Rarely: it mainly concerns sensitive data and some French public contracts. These offerings usually start around 300 to 500 EUR per month.
How much does a migration cost?
Expect 800 to 2,500 EUR depending on the number of sites, databases and integrations. Cutover happens without downtime if DNS is prepared 48 h in advance.
What uptime should we require?
99.9% is enough for a brochure site, i.e. under 9 hours of downtime per year. For a critical extranet, aim for 99.95% with 24/7 monitoring.
Let's scope your project. Tell us about your site, your data and your current host, and we will price the move to an EU cloud, monthly managed hosting and the cutover schedule. 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.
