The verdict in three sentences
Sovereign hosting (OVHcloud, Scaleway) puts your data beyond the reach of the US Cloud Act while guaranteeing GDPR (DSGVO) compliance. The premium over AWS or GCP is marginal, sometimes nil, on typical B2B configurations. The real differentiator is not price but the SecNumCloud and ISO 27001 certifications, required the moment you handle sensitive or public-sector data.
Cost per sovereign hosting tier in 2026
The European sovereign market is mature and competitive, with Gaia-X gaining traction. Here are 2026 ballpark figures by service level.
| Tier | Configuration | Monthly cost 2026 | Target |
|---|---|---|---|
| Shared VPS | 4 vCPU / 8 GB | 25-50 EUR | B2B brochure site |
| Cloud instance | 8 vCPU / 16 GB | 70-180 EUR | Mid-size business app |
| Cloud + CDN + backup | HA cluster | 200-450 EUR | E-commerce, extranet |
| Managed 24/7 | Cluster + monitoring | 450-800 EUR | Corporate site |
| Dedicated SecNumCloud | Qualified env. | 800-2,500 EUR | Public/health sector |
At equal configuration, the price gap versus AWS or GCP is roughly -10 % to +15 %, largely offset by the absence of egress fees that US hyperscalers routinely charge.
Compliance: what each certification covers
Not all sovereign offers are equal. Data location alone is not enough; it's the certification that carries legal weight.
| Criterion | Standard hosting | ISO 27001 | SecNumCloud |
|---|---|---|---|
| Data in EU | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Cloud Act immunity | Partial | Good | Full |
| Annual security audit | No | Yes | Yes (national) |
| Uptime SLA | 99.5 % | 99.9 % | 99.9 %+ |
| Public-sector eligible | No | Case by case | Yes |
| Premium vs standard | — | +15-30 % | +80-150 % |
Mini case study
Sophie, IT director of a 120-person consultancy in Berlin, hosts her client extranet on AWS Frankfurt for 220 EUR/month. A public tender requires her to prove Cloud Act immunity. She migrates to a managed Scaleway cluster at 320 EUR/month: a 1,200 EUR/year premium, but it unlocks public contracts worth 180,000 EUR in annual revenue. The migration (redirects, DNS, testing) is priced at 4,500 EUR, paid back in under two months.
FAQ
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Does GDPR require hosting in France?
No, GDPR requires data to stay in the EU or an adequate country. But to escape the Cloud Act you need a provider under European law (OVHcloud, Scaleway), not merely a datacenter in Europe.
Is a sovereign host slower?
No. OVHcloud and Scaleway offer performance and CDN comparable to hyperscalers, with datacenters in France, Germany and Poland. Latency for a European audience is equivalent.
When does SecNumCloud become mandatory?
For health data, critical operators and many sensitive public tenders. For a standard B2B site, ISO 27001 is usually sufficient.
What does migrating to a sovereign host cost?
From 2,500 to 8,000 EUR depending on complexity (DNS, database, redirects, testing). Plan a night cut-over window and a rollback plan.
Can I keep AWS for some components?
Yes, a hybrid architecture is possible: sensitive data sovereign, non-critical services elsewhere. Document the data map to stay compliant.
Let's scope your project. Describe your current setup and compliance constraints (GDPR, sector, target public tenders) and we will price a fitting sovereign architecture. 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.
