Vercel vs Hetzner in 2026: Which Is Actually Worth It for Solo Developers?

Originally published at devtoolpicks.com A tweet blew up this week asking a simple question: why do developers still pay for Vercel when a €3.79/month Hetzner VPS exists? Nine thousand developers had opinions. Most of them missed the point entirely. The answer isn't "Vercel is a scam" or "self-hosting always wins." The honest answer is: it depends on what you're building, how much your time is worth, and what stage your project is at. I've deployed on all four of these platforms. Here's the actual breakdown. Quick verdict: If you're shipping a Next.js frontend or a simple SaaS MVP, Vercel is genuinely worth the money. If you're running a full Laravel or Node backend past early validation, Hetzner with Coolify makes you look silly for not switching. Railway and Render sit in between and serve a specific type of developer well. Quick Comparison Platform Starting Price Best For Free Tier Vercel Free / $20/month Next.js, frontend, JAMstack Yes (non-commercial only) Railway $5/month Full-st