European Alternatives to Amazon Web Services
AWS is the world's largest cloud provider, offering 200+ services. However, it's a US company subject to the CLOUD Act, meaning US authorities can compel access to data stored on AWS servers — even those physically located in the EU.
Why switch from AWS?
- The US CLOUD Act allows American authorities to demand data from AWS regardless of where it's stored
- EU data protection authorities have flagged US cloud transfers as high-risk under GDPR
- European cloud providers often cost 3-5x less for equivalent compute resources
- NIS2 Directive and upcoming EUCS certification favour EU-based infrastructure providers
Best European Alternatives to AWS
OVHcloud
🇫🇷 France, RoubaixEurope's largest cloud provider with 43+ company-owned data centers
- 43+ data centers across 9 countries, all company-owned
- Full IaaS stack: bare metal, VPS, public cloud, private cloud, Kubernetes
- Competitive pricing (up to 60% cheaper than hyperscalers)
Scaleway
🇫🇷 France, ParisFull-stack European cloud with AI-native services, powered by Iliad Group
- 10 data centers exclusively in Europe (France and Netherlands)
- Full cloud stack: compute, storage, Kubernetes, serverless, managed databases
- GPU instances (H100, L4) for AI/ML workloads
Hetzner Cloud
🇩🇪 Germany, GunzenhausenUnbeatable price-to-performance cloud infrastructure from Germany
- Extremely competitive pricing (often 3-5x cheaper than AWS)
- Data centers in Germany and Finland
- Cloud servers, dedicated servers, managed Kubernetes, load balancers
IONOS Cloud
🇩🇪 Germany, MontabaurEnterprise IaaS with 100% renewable energy and strong compliance certifications
- Enterprise IaaS with compute, storage, Kubernetes, and managed databases
- 100% renewable energy for European data centers
- Strong compliance: ISO 27001, SOC 2, C5 attestation
STACKIT
🇩🇪 Germany, NeckarsulmSovereign German cloud backed by Schwarz Group (Lidl/Kaufland)
- Backed by Schwarz Group (largest European retailer)
- Sovereign German cloud with data centers in Germany and Austria
- BSI C5 certified; designed for regulated industries
Aruba Cloud
🇮🇹 Italy, Ponte San PietroItaly's leading cloud provider with budget-friendly pricing
- Italy's leading cloud provider with privately-owned data centers
- Cloud VPS from EUR 1/month; competitive entry-level pricing
- Full stack: cloud servers, object storage, managed databases
UpCloud
🇫🇮 Finland, HelsinkiHigh-performance cloud with MaxIOPS storage and 100% uptime SLA
- MaxIOPS storage technology for industry-leading I/O performance
- 100% SLA uptime guarantee with financial backing
- Data centers across Europe: Finland, Germany, Netherlands, Spain, Poland
Elastx
🇸🇪 Sweden, StockholmOpenStack-based Swedish cloud for compliance-sensitive workloads
- Built on OpenStack for full transparency and no vendor lock-in
- Managed Kubernetes (CNCF certified), object storage, WAF
- Data centers in Sweden powered by renewable energy
How They Compare to AWS
| Product | Country | Open Source | Free Tier | Founded |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| AWS | US | No | Varies | — |
| OVHcloud | 🇫🇷 France | No | Yes | 1999 |
| Scaleway | 🇫🇷 France | No | Yes | 1999 |
| Hetzner Cloud | 🇩🇪 Germany | No | No | 1997 |
| IONOS Cloud | 🇩🇪 Germany | No | Yes | 1988 |
| STACKIT | 🇩🇪 Germany | No | No | 2018 |
| Aruba Cloud | 🇮🇹 Italy | No | Yes | 1994 |
| UpCloud | 🇫🇮 Finland | No | Yes | 2011 |
| Elastx | 🇸🇪 Sweden | No | No | 2012 |
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the best European alternative to AWS?
OVHcloud and Hetzner Cloud are the most popular alternatives. OVHcloud offers the broadest range of services (closest to AWS feature parity), while Hetzner is known for exceptional price-to-performance ratios.
Can I migrate my workloads from AWS to a European cloud?
Yes. Most EU providers support Kubernetes, Terraform, and standard APIs, making migration feasible. Containerised workloads are especially portable. We'll publish detailed migration guides in Phase 2.
Is AWS GDPR compliant?
AWS offers GDPR tools but remains subject to the US CLOUD Act, creating a legal conflict. European Data Protection Authorities have repeatedly flagged this as a compliance risk.
Are European clouds as reliable as AWS?
Leading EU providers like OVHcloud, Hetzner, and UpCloud offer 99.9-100% SLA uptime guarantees with financial backing. They may have fewer global regions but offer excellent European coverage.
Migration guide coming soon
We're building a step-by-step guide for migrating from Amazon Web Services to European alternatives. Sign up to be notified when it's ready.
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