The verdict in three sentences
After a GDPR audit flags a host subject to the US CLOUD Act, an Irish SME can move its website to an EU provider such as OVHcloud or Scaleway for EUR 15 to 80 a month, with a migration billed at EUR 800 to 2,500 and completed in 1 to 3 weeks. The main gain is legal: data hosted and operated by a European company simplifies the record of processing and reduces the risk of a Data Protection Commission fine, capped at 4% of worldwide turnover. The site itself does not change: only the infrastructure moves, provided third-party tools (forms, analytics, fonts, CDN) are handled too.
EU hosting options compared in 2026
2026 orders of magnitude for an SME brochure site or small web app (WordPress, Next.js or Symfony), 5,000 to 50,000 visits a month.
| Offer | Type | Monthly price (ex. VAT) | Location | For whom |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| OVHcloud Web Hosting Pro | Shared | EUR 8 to 15 | France | Simple WordPress site |
| OVHcloud VPS | Virtual server | EUR 15 to 40 | France, Germany | Custom site, medium traffic |
| Scaleway Instances (DEV1, PRO2) | Cloud | EUR 20 to 60 | Paris, Amsterdam | Node.js or Docker site |
| Scaleway Serverless Containers | Serverless | EUR 10 to 50 | Paris | Next.js, spiky traffic |
| OVHcloud Public Cloud + managed database | Cloud | EUR 45 to 80 | France, Germany | Site with client area |
| Sovereign cloud option (Outscale, OVH) | Certified cloud | EUR 300 and up | France | Sensitive data, public sector |
For most SMEs, a budget of EUR 25 to 50 a month covers hosting, database and backups. Sovereign certified clouds are only useful for health data or sensitive public contracts.
Migration budget and timeline
| Step | Effort | Estimated cost (ex. VAT) | Duration |
|---|---|---|---|
| Audit of the current setup (DNS, email, third-party tools) | 1 day | EUR 300 to 600 | Week 1 |
| Preparing the target infrastructure | 1 to 2 days | EUR 300 to 700 | Week 1 |
| Copying files and database, testing | 1 to 2 days | EUR 200 to 600 | Weeks 1 to 2 |
| Replacing non-compliant third-party tools | 0.5 to 2 days | EUR 0 to 400 | Week 2 |
| DNS switchover and 72 h monitoring | 0.5 day | EUR 0 to 200 | Weeks 2 to 3 |
| Total | 3 to 7 days | EUR 800 to 2,500 | 1 to 3 weeks |
The switchover itself causes less than 15 minutes of downtime if the DNS TTL is lowered 48 h beforehand.
What really matters to the regulator
Changing hosts is not enough. A site moved to the EU that still loads Google Fonts from Google's servers, runs a US analytics tool without consent and sends form data to a non-EU SaaS remains exposed. The minimum checklist: self-hosted fonts, privacy-friendly analytics (Matomo configured for consent exemption, or Plausible hosted in the EU), form data stored with the EU host, processors listed in the register, and an Article 28 processing agreement signed with the host. Since the 2023 Data Privacy Framework, transfers to the US are possible again, but the framework is still contested and many IT leads prefer to remove the risk.
Mini case study
Aoife, IT director of a 120-employee manufacturing SME in Dublin (EUR 24 million turnover), hosts the website and customer extranet with a US provider for EUR 95 a month. The GDPR audit rates this as high risk. She moves to a Scaleway instance and managed database for EUR 55 a month, with a migration billed at EUR 1,800 over 2 weeks. The monthly saving of EUR 40 covers the migration in 45 months, but the real calculation lies elsewhere: a fine of just 0.1% of turnover would be EUR 24,000, more than 13 times the project cost.
Need a professional website?
Kolonell builds websites that attract clients, optimized for the Sénégalese market. Free quote in 2 minutes.
FAQ
How much does EU hosting for an SME website cost?
Between EUR 15 and 80 a month in 2026 for a brochure site or small web app with OVHcloud or Scaleway. Shared plans start around EUR 8 a month but reach their limits above 30,000 monthly visits.
Is an EU host enough to be GDPR compliant?
No, it helps but is not sufficient. You also need a processing agreement, an up-to-date record of processing and compliant third-party tools; these three workstreams add 1 to 3 days of work to the migration.
What is the real fine risk for an SME?
The cap is EUR 20 million or 4% of worldwide turnover. In practice, fines against SMEs often range from a few thousand to a few hundred thousand euros, and the Irish DPC has fined organisations of every size since 2020.
Will the migration hurt our search rankings?
No, if URLs stay the same and the DNS switchover is prepared. Downtime is under 15 minutes and Google only sees an IP address change.
OVHcloud or Scaleway?
OVHcloud is cheaper for WordPress sites and standard VPS, from EUR 8 a month. Scaleway is more comfortable for modern container or serverless sites, around EUR 20 to 60 a month.
Let's scope your project. Send us your current host and the list of connected tools: we will price the migration between EUR 800 and 2,500, the target hosting and a 1 to 3 week 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.
