Hosting a Custom Business App in the EU: Monthly Cost Comparison (Berlin, 2026)

The verdict in three sentences

For an SME business app processing personal data, OVHcloud and Scaleway cost roughly EUR 60 to 250 a month, versus EUR 150 to 600 for an equivalent setup on AWS in an EU region (Paris or Frankfurt). Price is not the only difference: the two French providers are not subject to the US CLOUD Act, which simplifies the GDPR analysis. AWS remains relevant if you need advanced managed services or already have trained teams.

The comparison across three usage sizes

We modelled three typical business app profiles: an internal tool for 50 users, a customer portal with 1,000 active users, and a 10,000 user app with traffic peaks. Each scenario includes app servers, a managed PostgreSQL database, object storage, daily backups and outbound traffic.

These are 2026 estimates for a lean architecture replicated across two zones. The AWS gap comes mainly from outbound traffic, managed database instances and add-on services (logs, monitoring, NAT).

GDPR and the CLOUD Act: what the CIO must document

All three providers offer EU data centres and a processing agreement compliant with GDPR Article 28. The difference is jurisdiction: AWS, a US company, can be compelled under the CLOUD Act to disclose data to US authorities, even when stored in the EU. OVHcloud and Scaleway, French companies, are not subject to it.

For sensitive data (health, HR, financial), record this choice in your processing register and, if needed, in a data protection impact assessment (DPIA).

Managed services: the often forgotten cost

Hosting does not run itself: security updates, monitoring, restore tests, incident handling. Outsourced managed services cost roughly EUR 200 to 600 a month depending on the commitment (business hours or on-call). Without them, plan 2 to 6 internal hours a month, and make sure at least one full restore is tested every quarter.

Mini case study

Nathalie, CIO of a 120 employee services SME in Berlin, hosts a customer portal with 1,000 active users and personal data. Her AWS quote comes to EUR 360 a month, or EUR 4,320 a year. On Scaleway, the equivalent setup costs EUR 160 a month, or EUR 1,920 a year. Annual saving: EUR 2,400.

She adds managed services at EUR 350 a month (EUR 4,200 a year) in both cases. Total three-year cost: EUR 25,560 on AWS versus EUR 18,360 on Scaleway, a EUR 7,200 gap, plus a simpler GDPR analysis on the CLOUD Act.

FAQ

OVHcloud or Scaleway: which one for a business app?

Prices are close, between EUR 60 and 250 a month depending on usage. Choose based on the services you need (managed database, Kubernetes, object storage) and the support quality on your plan.

Is AWS in the EU GDPR compliant?

AWS offers a compliant processing agreement and EU data storage. CLOUD Act exposure remains a point to document, especially for sensitive data.

How much do backups cost?

Plan EUR 5 to 40 a month depending on volume and retention (7 to 30 days). A 30 day retention with a copy in a second region is recommended for critical data.

Does an SME need managed services?

Without an in-house sysadmin, yes: EUR 200 to 600 a month covers updates, monitoring and restores. That is often cheaper than half a day of production downtime.

Can we migrate from AWS to OVHcloud or Scaleway?

Yes, a containerised app with PostgreSQL usually migrates in 2 to 6 weeks. The longest part is the data cutover and testing.

Let's scope your project. Describe your app, its user count and the type of data: we will price hosting and migration across all three providers with a precise monthly budget. Detailed quote within 48 h. WhatsApp +221 77 596 93 33.