The verdict in three sentences
Migrating your business web app to a sovereign cloud (OVHcloud, Scaleway, or a German provider) protects you from the US Cloud Act and becomes a decisive argument with public-sector and regulated clients. In 2026, the monthly premium is moderate (EUR 180 to 900 versus EUR 120 to 700 on a hyperscaler), but migration costs EUR 8,000 to 25,000. The real trade-off is sovereignty gained versus loss of some advanced managed services.
Sovereign vs hyperscaler: line by line
Hyperscalers (AWS, Azure, GCP) offer a richer catalog of managed services but remain subject to US law even for European datacenters.
| Line item | Sovereign cloud | Hyperscaler |
|---|---|---|
| Application server (month) | EUR 90–350 | EUR 70–280 |
| Managed database (month) | EUR 60–300 | EUR 50–260 |
| 3-2-1 backup (month) | EUR 30–120 | EUR 25–100 |
| Bandwidth | often included | usage-billed |
| Subject to Cloud Act | no | yes |
| Managed AI services | limited | very rich |
| Typical monthly total | EUR 180–900 | EUR 120–700 |
The monthly premium is real but moderate; OVHcloud often includes bandwidth, narrowing the gap for high-traffic apps.
3-year TCO: the real comparison
Total cost of ownership includes migration, operations and infrastructure maintenance over time.
| Line item | Sovereign (3 yr) | Hyperscaler (3 yr) |
|---|---|---|
| Migration + reconfiguration | EUR 8,000–25,000 | EUR 0 (already in place) |
| Hosting (36 months) | EUR 6,480–32,400 | EUR 4,320–25,200 |
| Encryption + 3-2-1 backup | +10 % infra | +10 % infra |
| Infra maintenance (36 months) | EUR 12,600–28,800 | EUR 12,600–28,800 |
| Contractual reversibility | included | variable |
| Indicative 3-year TCO | EUR 27,000–86,000 | EUR 17,000–54,000 |
Over 3 years, sovereign cloud costs roughly 30 to 60 % more, mostly due to the initial migration. That premium pays off the moment it unlocks a public tender or a regulated client.
Mini case study
Éric, IT director of a digital-services SME in Berlin, must answer a public tender requiring hosting outside the Cloud Act. Migrating his business app to a sovereign provider: EUR 16,000 over 6 weeks. Sovereign hosting: EUR 480/month versus EUR 340 on his hyperscaler, i.e. +EUR 1,680/year. 3-2-1 backup + encryption: +10 %. Over 3 years, total premium ~EUR 22,000. The public tender won is worth EUR 185,000 over 3 years, reserved for sovereign hosts: without this migration, Éric was disqualified at the door.
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FAQ
What does the Cloud Act actually change?
The Cloud Act lets US authorities compel access to data held by a US company, even in a European datacenter. A sovereign host under European law escapes it, which is decisive for public and regulated clients.
Is the migration risky?
It requires reconfiguring infrastructure and sometimes replacing proprietary managed services. A 4-to-8-week timeline and a testing phase de-risk it. Budget: EUR 8,000–25,000.
Do you lose features moving to sovereign cloud?
Potentially on managed AI services and some advanced proprietary tools. For a standard business app (database, storage, compute), the functional gap is small.
What is 3-2-1 backup?
3 copies of the data, on 2 different media, with 1 off-site. It is the resilience standard expected for sensitive data; it adds roughly 10 % to infrastructure cost.
Is reversibility guaranteed?
OVHcloud and Scaleway offer contractual reversibility clauses to retrieve your data on exit, a point often unclear with hyperscalers.
Let's scope your project. Describe your app, current host and sovereignty requirements: we price the migration, sovereign hosting and 3-year infrastructure maintenance. 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.
