The verdict in three sentences
For a corporate site, the trade-off between EU sovereign hosting (Hetzner, OVH, Scaleway) and US cloud (AWS, Vercel, Cloudflare) turns on three axes: GDPR compliance, performance and cost. In 2026, EU hosting ranges from EUR 25 to 150 per month and offers stronger legal certainty on data transfers, even though the Data Privacy Framework now frames the US cloud. For a corporate site handling sensitive data, sovereignty often outweighs technical convenience.
Sovereignty, price, performance: the comparison
The US cloud offers a mature ecosystem and a global CDN but exposes you to legal uncertainty (Cloud Act). EU hosting reduces that risk.
| Criterion | Hetzner / OVH (EU) | US cloud (AWS/Vercel) |
|---|---|---|
| Monthly cost (corporate site) | EUR 25-150 | EUR 30-180 |
| GDPR compliance | Native, no transfer | DPF required, Cloud Act risk |
| Data location | Guaranteed EU | Global, must be configured |
| CDN / global performance | Good (EU CDN) | Excellent (global edge) |
| Uptime SLA | 99.9 % | 99.9-99.99 % |
| Support | EU, responsive | EN, standardized |
| Best for | Corporate, public sector | Global SaaS, US traffic |
Data-protection implications and annual cost items
Beyond the monthly price, compliance (records, impact assessment) and CDN weigh on the total budget.
| Item | EU hosting | US cloud | Comment |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hosting / year | EUR 300-1,800 | EUR 360-2,160 | By traffic |
| Compliance analysis (DPIA) | EUR 0-1,500 | EUR 1,500-4,000 | If transfers |
| Premium CDN / year | EUR 0-600 | EUR 0-1,200 | Often included |
| Backups / year | EUR 120-600 | EUR 150-720 | Variable retention |
| SSL certificate | Included | Included | Let's Encrypt |
Mini case study
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Marc, CIO of a regional insurer in Berlin, must host a corporate site processing member data (indirect health data). The US cloud would require a data protection impact assessment (DPIA) and contractual transfer safeguards, roughly EUR 3,200 in legal advice. Chosen option: Hetzner (Frankfurt), EUR 90/month, EU CDN, 99.9 % SLA. Compliance saving: EUR 3,200 in year one, and above all a legal risk averted in a future data-protection audit. Load time in Europe stays excellent (LCP 1.3 s) thanks to server proximity.
FAQ
Does the Data Privacy Framework make the US cloud fully safe? It eases transfers to certified US companies but remains legally fragile (the Cloud Act allows access by US authorities). For sensitive or public-sector data, EU hosting stays more prudent.
Are Hetzner or OVH as fast as the US cloud? For a European audience, yes: latency is even better thanks to proximity. The US cloud keeps the edge for globally distributed traffic via its denser edge network.
How much does sovereign hosting cost in 2026? Between EUR 25/month for a brochure site and EUR 150/month for a high-traffic corporate site with redundancy. Add a CDN if your audience extends beyond the EU.
What SLA level should a corporate site target? A 99.9 % SLA (under 9 hours of downtime per year) is the corporate standard. 99.99 % exists but costs significantly more and is only justified for critical services.
Can we host in the EU while keeping a global CDN? Yes. You host the origin in the EU and serve via a CDN (Cloudflare, Bunny) that caches static content worldwide without storing personal data outside the EU.
Let's scope your project. Tell us your sovereignty constraints, geographic audience and traffic: we'll recommend hosting and quote the compliance work. 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.
