The verdict in three sentences
Hosting a B2B site with a sovereign European provider (OVHcloud or Scaleway) costs 35 to 45 EUR/month, roughly fifteen euros more than a low-end shared plan. In return you get EU data residency, a 99.9 % SLA and GDPR compliance with no out-of-zone transfer. Against the risk of a data-protection fine (up to 4 % of global turnover), that premium is trivial insurance.
OVH vs Scaleway: the 2026 comparison
Both French providers offer certified infrastructure and datacenters in France. Here are the plans relevant to a B2B corporate or headless site in 2026.
| Criterion | OVHcloud Performance | Scaleway Pro |
|---|---|---|
| Monthly price | 39 EUR | 35 EUR |
| Datacenter location | Roubaix / Gravelines | Paris (DC5) |
| Uptime SLA | 99.9 % | 99.9 % |
| CDN included | Yes | Yes (Edge) |
| Backups | Daily, 7-day retention | Daily, 7-day retention |
| Certification | ISO 27001, HDS | ISO 27001, SecNumCloud* |
| Out-of-EU transfer | None | None |
| Priority support | 24/7 | 24/7 |
*SecNumCloud on dedicated plans. Both providers stay outside the scope of the US Cloud Act, unlike AWS, Azure or Google Cloud, whose parent companies are subject to US law even for data stored in Europe.
The real calculation: sovereign premium vs GDPR fine risk
The question is not "how much does hosting cost" but "how much does non-compliance cost". Regulators have tightened scrutiny of data transfers since the Privacy Shield invalidation.
| Scenario | Annual cost |
|---|---|
| Sovereign hosting (Scaleway) | 420 EUR |
| Low-end US cloud hosting | 240 EUR |
| Sovereign premium / year | 180 EUR |
| Minor GDPR fine (SME) | 10,000 - 50,000 EUR |
| Major GDPR fine | up to 4 % of global turnover |
| Post-audit remediation cost | 5,000 - 15,000 EUR |
A 180 EUR/year premium covers a risk measured in tens of thousands of euros. For a CIO the trade-off is obvious: sovereignty is not a luxury, it is legal-risk reduction.
Mini case study
Marc, CIO of a B2B consultancy in Rotterdam (60 staff), hosted the corporate site and a lead form on a US cloud at 20 EUR/month. An internal GDPR audit reveals an unframed transfer of personal data outside the EU. Two options: negotiate complex standard contractual clauses, or migrate to Scaleway at 35 EUR/month.
Marc chooses migration. Premium: 15 EUR/month, i.e. 180 EUR/year. One-off migration cost: 900 EUR. Against that, the low estimate of a formal notice followed by remediation exceeded 12,000 EUR. The decision takes one meeting: the risk-to-cost ratio is over 60 to 1 in favour of sovereignty.
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FAQ
Is hosting in the EU enough to be GDPR compliant?
It is a major condition but not the only one. You also need a processing register, a privacy policy, cookie consent management and processor contracts. EU residency removes the heaviest risk: out-of-zone transfer.
Are AWS or Azure with an EU datacenter compliant?
Data can reside in the EU, but the parent company remains subject to the US Cloud Act, which authorizes data access. For a B2B site with sensitive data, a European host removes that legal ambiguity.
What is the practical difference between OVH and Scaleway?
OVH has a broader catalogue and international presence; Scaleway offers SecNumCloud on some plans and a modern developer console. For a standard B2B site, they are equivalent within 4 EUR/month.
What does a 99.9 % SLA mean?
A maximum downtime of about 8.7 hours per year. Beyond that, the host owes contractual compensation. For a lead-generating site, every hour of downtime is a loss of commercial contacts.
Does changing hosts break SEO?
No, if DNS is switched cleanly and response times are maintained. Faster hosting can even improve Core Web Vitals and therefore Google ranking.
Let's scope your project. Tell us your traffic volume, your compliance constraints and your monthly budget: we recommend the right sovereign plan and run the DNS migration with zero downtime. 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.
