Celesto vs Hetzner
Celesto vs Hetzner: a Hetzner Cloud server costs less per hour if it runs all month, but it is billed until deleted, even when off, and arrives as a bare VM; Celesto bills only while a sandbox runs and ships the agent tooling ready: SDKs, a desktop, a CDP browser, HTTPS preview URLs, and an MCP server.
Pick by how many hours the machine works: past about 216 running hours a month on a 2 vCPU · 4 GB box, a Hetzner server you manage yourself is cheaper; for agents that start, work, and stop, Celesto costs less and needs no setup.
- Stopped machines
- Free
- Celesto stops runtime charges on stop and keeps the disk 30 days. Hetzner bills a server until you delete it.
- Break-even, 2 vCPU · 4 GB
- 216 hours a month
- Below that, Celesto Standard costs less than a $6.49 CX23 that exists all month.
- Agent tooling
- Built in
- Desktop, CDP browser, preview URLs, SDKs, and MCP. On Hetzner you install and run them yourself.
Agent tooling included, and nothing billed while stopped.
A dot marks whoever has the edge on that line.
What you get
- Isolation model
- Its own KVM virtual machine and kernel
- KVM virtual machine
- Product
- Managed sandbox with SDKs, CLI, and MCP(Celesto has the edge)
- General-purpose cloud server you configure
- Shell access
- Browser terminal, or celesto computer ssh with no SSH keys
- Standard SSH with your keys(Hetzner has the edge)
- Desktop and browser
- Live desktop on the browser templates, read-only or with control; CDP URL(Celesto has the edge)
- Install them yourself
- Public HTTPS
- Up to 4 public HTTPS ports per sandbox(Celesto has the edge)
- Public IPv4 for $0.60 a month; run TLS yourself
Billing
- Stopped machines
- Not billed; disk kept free 30 days(Celesto has the edge)
- Billed until deleted, even when off
- Granularity
- Billed while running
- Hourly, at least one hour, capped at the monthly price
- 2 vCPU · 4 GB, per hour
- $0.030
- $0.0104 (CX23, EU only)(Hetzner has the edge)
- Getting started
- $5 one-time credit, no card(Celesto has the edge)
- Verification may be required; new-customer capacity limited since June 2026
State, storage, and network
- Disk
- 20 to 100 GB by size, included
- 40 to 320 GB on CX servers; volumes up to 10 TB(Hetzner has the edge)
- Snapshots
- Stop and start keep disk and packages; processes end
- Disk snapshots at $0.0199 per GB-month
- Egress control
- Internet on or off (TypeScript SDK)
- Free stateful firewalls with outbound rules(Hetzner has the edge)
- MCP
- Hosted MCP server that creates sandboxes and runs commands(Celesto has the edge)
- No official MCP server
- SDKs and API
- Python, TypeScript, CLI, and a REST API
- Go, Python, CLI, REST API, and Terraform
Celesto has the edge Hetzner has the edge
Cheaper than Hetzner below 216 running hours a month.
Each Celesto size next to the same CPU and memory on Hetzner, or its nearest size, per hour.
| Hardware | Hetzner | Celesto |
|---|---|---|
| 1 vCPU · 2 GB | $0.022/hourCPX12 shared AMD, EU and Singapore | $0.015/hourMicro, 20 GB disk included |
| 2 vCPU · 4 GB | $0.010/hourCX23 cost-optimized, EU only, limited availability | $0.030/hourStandard, 30 GB disk included |
| 2 vCPU · 8 GB | $0.016/hourNearest size: CX33, 4 vCPU · 8 GBCost-optimized, EU only | $0.040/hourMemory, 40 GB disk included |
| 4 vCPU · 16 GB | $0.030/hourNearest size: CX43, 8 vCPU · 16 GBCost-optimized, EU only | $0.080/hourLarge, 60 GB disk included |
| 8 vCPU · 32 GB | $0.056/hourNearest size: CX53, 16 vCPU · 32 GBCost-optimized, EU only | $0.160/hourXL, 100 GB disk included |
Hetzner prices are USD hourly rates for EU locations, excluding VAT and the $0.001/hour IPv4 address. Cost-optimized CX servers run on older shared hardware in the EU with limited supply. Hetzner bills a server every hour it exists, running or not; Celesto bills only while a sandbox runs.
Agents that start and stop cost less on Celesto.
Choose Celesto if
- Your agent machines run fewer than about 216 hours a month each
- You want agents to create and stop machines from an SDK or MCP client
- Your agent needs a desktop, CDP browser, and HTTPS preview URLs without setup
- You want to start today without account verification or capacity limits
Choose Hetzner if
- The machine runs all month, every month
- You want standard SSH, your own images, and full control of the server
- You need more vCPU per dollar on shared hardware in the EU
- You manage infrastructure with Terraform
Questions.
Is Hetzner cheaper than Celesto for AI agents?
For a server that runs all month, yes: a Hetzner CX23 with 2 vCPU and 4 GB costs $6.49 a month in the EU, excluding VAT and IPv4. Hetzner bills a server until it is deleted, even when it is powered off. Celesto Standard, with the same CPU and memory, costs $0.030 per running hour and nothing while stopped, so it costs less below about 216 running hours a month.
Does Hetzner bill servers that are turned off?
Yes. Hetzner's billing FAQ says servers are billed until you delete them, regardless of their state, with at least one hour per server and a monthly price cap. Celesto stops runtime charges when a sandbox stops and keeps its disk free for 30 days.
What does Celesto add over a plain Hetzner VM?
Each Celesto sandbox comes with Python and TypeScript SDKs, a CLI, a hosted MCP server, a terminal in the browser, a live desktop view and CDP browser on the browser templates, HTTPS preview URLs for up to four ports, and an internet off switch. On Hetzner you install, secure, and maintain those yourself.
What is a good Hetzner alternative for running AI agents?
Celesto is a Hetzner alternative when agents need machines on demand: each sandbox is its own virtual machine with a terminal, desktop view, CDP browser, public preview URLs, Docker, and a disk that survives stops, from $0.015 per running hour, with nothing billed while stopped. New accounts get a one-time $5 credit with no card.
Start with $5 in credits. No card required.
Hetzner details from its public pricing and documentation, as of October 17, 2026: Cost-optimized servers · Price adjustment · Billing FAQ · Primary IPs · Firewalls · Capacity incident. Celesto details come from the current sandbox catalog and feature list. Prices are list rates, not measured performance. Hetzner is a trademark of its owner; Celesto is not affiliated with it.