The verdict in three sentences
Hosting a corporate site outside the US cloud is no longer a whim: data sovereignty, immunity to the Cloud Act and enterprise-client requirements make it a standard CISO criterion in 2026. In Europe, OVHcloud, Scaleway and Clever Cloud cover every need, from 15 EUR/month shared to 250 EUR/month managed infrastructure, with EU data location and HDS (health data) and ISO 27001 certifications. The right choice depends on traffic, criticality and data type, not the brand.
Sovereign European hosting comparison in 2026
A CISO wanting to exit the US cloud must compare on three axes: real data location, certifications, and level of managed service. Here are the three reference players.
| Host | Positioning | Certifications | 2026 entry level |
|---|---|---|---|
| OVHcloud | Generalist, broad range | HDS, ISO 27001, SecNumCloud (dedicated offer) | 15 EUR/month (pro shared) |
| Scaleway | Developer cloud, IaaS | ISO 27001, HDS | 18 EUR/month (dev instance) |
| Clever Cloud | Managed European PaaS | ISO 27001, HDS, SecNumCloud | 30 EUR/month (managed app) |
All guarantee EU data location (mostly French datacenters). For health data, demand explicit HDS certification; for government/critical-operator use, aim for the French ANSSI SecNumCloud qualification.
Which plan by traffic and criticality
Hosting budget is calibrated on traffic and expected service level. A low-traffic brochure site does not have the same needs as a high-traffic corporate site or a critical application.
| Site profile | Monthly traffic | Hosting type | 2026 cost |
|---|---|---|---|
| SME brochure | < 20,000 visits | Pro shared | 15-35 EUR/month |
| Standard corporate site | 20,000-100,000 | VPS / dedicated instance | 40-90 EUR/month |
| High-traffic corporate | 100,000-500,000 | Dedicated server + CDN | 100-180 EUR/month |
| Critical application | Variable | Managed infra + SLA | 180-250 EUR/month |
| Health data | Variable | HDS-certified hosting | 120-250 EUR/month |
Add common extras: CDN (10-40 EUR/month), off-site backups (10-30 EUR/month), EV SSL certificate if needed (60-150 EUR/year). Managed operations (OS patches, monitoring) often cost an extra 50-150 EUR/month if not handled in-house.
Mini case study
Karim, CISO of a 400-employee industrial group in Rotterdam, must repatriate the corporate site and supplier extranet from a US cloud — a client tender requirement. Choice: Clever Cloud managed at 140 EUR/month for the application, plus CDN 30 EUR/month and backups 20 EUR/month, i.e. 190 EUR/month = 2,280 EUR/year. The migration (audit, redeploy, testing) is priced at 6,500 EUR one-off. Against the risk of losing a 1.2M EUR tender conditioned on data sovereignty, the 2,280 EUR annual overhead is negligible. Bonus: the host's HDS certification also reassures his medical-sector clients.
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FAQ
How much does sovereign hosting cost in Europe in 2026?
From 15 EUR/month shared for a brochure site to 250 EUR/month managed infrastructure for a critical application. A standard corporate site sits between 40 and 90 EUR/month, excluding CDN and off-site backups.
OVHcloud, Scaleway or Clever Cloud: which to choose?
OVHcloud for range breadth and price/performance, Scaleway for technical teams (developer IaaS), Clever Cloud for managed PaaS without handling the OS. All locate data in the EU with ISO 27001.
What is SecNumCloud certification?
It is the French ANSSI qualification guaranteeing a trusted cloud immune to US extraterritorial laws. It is required for government and critical operators, and reassures enterprises. OVHcloud and Clever Cloud offer qualified plans.
Do I need HDS hosting for a standard site?
No, HDS is only mandatory if you host personal health data. A brochure or standard corporate site does not need it, but the certification remains a mark of a serious host (120-250 EUR/month for an HDS offer).
How much does migrating to a sovereign host cost?
Expect 1,500 to 8,000 EUR one-off depending on complexity (audit, redeploy, testing, DNS switch). A simple brochure migrates for 1,500-2,500 EUR; an application with databases and integrations climbs to 6,000-8,000 EUR.
Let's scope your project. Tell us your traffic, site criticality and data type (including health): we'll recommend the right sovereign host and price the migration. 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.
