The verdict in three sentences
For a Berlin company, the right hosting combines data inside the European Union, tested backups and controlled running costs, not the lowest monthly price. An OVHcloud VPS (7 to 40 EUR a month) or a Scaleway instance (10 to 60 EUR) keep everything in the EU but need administration; Vercel Pro (20 USD per member per month) is very fast with no server to manage, but involves a transfer outside the EU that must be framed. The choice comes down to three questions: who administers it, what data flows through the site and what availability you require.
2026 cost comparison
| Option | Public price 2026 (ballpark) | Data location | Administration | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Shared hosting (IONOS, Strato, OVHcloud) | 5 to 15 EUR/month | Germany or EU | Low | Simple WordPress brochure site |
| OVHcloud VPS | 7 to 40 EUR/month | France, Germany (Frankfurt, Limburg) | High (OS, updates) | Companies with a managed service provider |
| Scaleway instance | 10 to 60 EUR/month | France, Netherlands, Poland | High | Node, PHP, container apps |
| Scaleway Serverless Containers | 5 to 30 EUR/month depending on traffic | EU | Medium | Next.js sites or light APIs |
| Vercel Pro | 20 USD per member/month plus overages | Global network, US company | Very low | Next.js sites, product teams |
| Agency-managed hosting | 25,000 to 75,000 FCFA/month with Kolonell (40 to 110 EUR) | Depends on provider chosen | Included | Companies without a tech team |
The sticker price is only part of the cost. A 15 EUR VPS needing 2 hours of admin a month at 90 EUR an hour really costs 195 EUR a month.
GDPR: what changes by provider
GDPR does not ban US providers, but it requires a transfer mechanism. Since Schrems II (2020) and the EU-US Data Privacy Framework adopted in 2023, German data protection authorities expect you to check the provider's certification or the standard contractual clauses (SCCs) in its data processing agreement (DPA). For public tenders and regulated sectors, buyers increasingly ask whether the provider meets the BSI C5 cloud criteria.
| Criterion | OVHcloud | Scaleway | Vercel |
|---|---|---|---|
| Headquarters | France | France | United States |
| EU data by default | Yes | Yes | Functions configurable in EU, global CDN |
| CLOUD Act exposure | Low | Low | Yes |
| DPA and SCCs available | Yes | Yes | Yes (check the current DPA) |
| Backups | Paid option (snapshots, Backup) | Snapshots billed per GB | Immutable deployments, external database |
| Latency from Berlin (indicative) | 10 to 20 ms | 15 to 25 ms | 10 to 30 ms via CDN |
For a brochure site that only collects a contact form, risk is limited as long as forms are processed by an EU-hosted tool. For a site handling customer accounts, health data or HR data, EU hosting greatly simplifies your record of processing and your answers to public tenders.
Backups and availability: the checklist
- Daily backup kept at least 14 to 30 days, stored in another data centre.
- Restore test at least twice a year, timed.
- Uptime monitoring with SMS or email alerts within 5 minutes.
- Security updates for the OS and CMS within 72 hours for critical flaws.
- Access in the company's name: hosting account, domain, DNS.
Mini case study
Jonas, managing director of an 18-person company in Berlin (illustrative example), sees his 9 EUR shared hosting discontinued. He compares three scenarios over 12 months. An OVHcloud VPS at 20 EUR a month, with 2 hours of managed service at 90 EUR, comes to 2,400 EUR. Vercel Pro for 2 members (40 USD, about 37 EUR) plus an EU-hosted form tool at 10 EUR a month comes to about 560 EUR, but his quote data passes through a US provider. Scaleway Serverless Containers at 15 EUR a month with agency maintenance at 75 EUR a month comes to 1,080 EUR. He picks Scaleway: EU data and a mid-range cost.
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FAQ
Can a company host on Vercel and stay GDPR compliant?
Yes, if you check Vercel's DPA, the transfer basis (DPF certification or SCCs) and disclose it in your privacy policy. For sensitive data, an EU provider remains simpler.
OVHcloud or Scaleway: which is faster from Berlin?
Both show latencies of roughly 10 to 25 ms from Berlin. The real difference comes from site optimisation, caching and images, which often account for 70% of load time.
Is shared hosting still enough in 2026?
For a brochure site under 20 pages and under 5,000 visits a month, yes, at 5 to 15 EUR a month. Beyond that, or for a Next.js application, a VPS or serverless hosting fits better.
Who should administer a VPS?
A provider or a competent employee. Without monthly updates, a VPS becomes vulnerable within months.
How much does agency-managed hosting cost?
With Kolonell, 25,000 to 75,000 FCFA a month (40 to 110 EUR), backups and monitoring included, plus maintenance of 35,000 to 120,000 FCFA a month (50 to 180 EUR) depending on the level.
Let's scope your project. Tell us which site you host and what data it processes: we recommend the right hosting, with a complete monthly cost and a migration plan. 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.
