ChatGPT answers, unedited

If you're a solo developer hosting portfolio sites and small client sites, I'd pick Hetzner Cloud for the best combination of cheap + actually usable.

My ranking

Current 2026 pricing comparisons put Hetzner substantially ahead on compute-per-dollar. Deploy Handbook CloudMart

🥇 I'd choose Hetzner

For your use case, a small Hetzner VPS can comfortably host multiple static sites, WordPress sites, small Next.js apps, APIs, reverse proxies, Docker containers, etc. The important thing is that you're getting enough RAM/CPU to consolidate several sites onto one machine.

The big advantage is that you can get something around the 2–4 GB RAM range for only a few dollars/month, whereas DigitalOcean's 4 GB configuration is currently $24/month. CloudMart DigitalOcean

I'd structure it roughly like:

Hetzner VPS
│
├── Caddy / Nginx
│
├── client1.com
├── client2.com
├── client3.com
├── client4.com
│
├── Docker containers
│   ├── Next.js site
│   ├── API
│   └── etc.
│
└── backups

Caddy + Docker makes this particularly painless: point DNS at the server, Caddy handles HTTPS, and each site can be isolated in its own container.

🥈 DigitalOcean if you value simplicity

digitalocean.com

DigitalOcean is what I'd choose if you don't want to think much about infrastructure. Their current entry Droplets start at $4/month, with a 1 GB configuration around $6/month, and they have an extremely polished interface/documentation ecosystem. DigitalOcean DigitalOcean

You're essentially paying a few extra dollars for a smoother experience.

One important distinction

If these are mostly static portfolio sites, I actually wouldn't use a VPS at all.

Something like:

GitHub → Cloudflare Pages/Vercel/Netlify → $0–few dollars/month

can be dramatically cheaper and requires essentially zero server maintenance.

I'd use a VPS when you specifically want to host lots of sites from one machine, run Docker/Node/PHP, databases, custom services, or have full control.

For a solo dev building many small sites, my sweet spot would be:

Hetzner VPS + Docker + Caddy + Cloudflare DNS

You can potentially put 10+ very lightweight portfolio sites on a small VPS before resource usage becomes interesting, making the hosting cost per client almost negligible.

One caveat: if your clients are predominantly in the US, choose a US Hetzner location rather than assuming the cheapest European region is automatically best. Also keep off-server backups—a $5 VPS isn't a backup strategy.

For a solo developer hosting portfolio sites / small brochure sites, I’d pick Hetzner Cloud.

My ranking

Current 2026 pricing comparisons put Hetzner's low-end machines around the $4-ish range, with substantially more RAM and bandwidth than similarly priced DigitalOcean/Vultr instances. Deploy Handbook VPS Compare

Why I'd choose Hetzner

For your particular workload, 2 vCPU + 4 GB RAM is massive overkill for one portfolio site. You could comfortably put a bunch of sites on one VPS.

For example, you could run:

• 10–30 static/Next.js/Node portfolio sites
• Nginx or Caddy as the reverse proxy
• Docker Compose
• automatic HTTPS
• a small Postgres database if necessary
• Git-based deployments

…and still have plenty of headroom.

The particularly attractive part is the bandwidth allocation: Hetzner's inexpensive plans have historically included around 20 TB/month, vastly more than the typical 1–2 TB included with competing entry-level VPSes. PikVue - Smart Tech Tool Reviews Selfhostr

The one caveat: US location

Since you're in the US, I'd specifically choose Hetzner's Ashburn, Virginia region if it's available for the plan you want. If your clients/audience are primarily US-based, that's preferable to putting everything in Germany.

If you want a VPS with more US region choices, I'd go with Vultr instead. Its advantage isn't price/performance so much as geographic flexibility. PikVue - Smart Tech Tool Reviews

What I would actually deploy

For a solo dev, I'd keep it extremely simple:

Hetzner → Ubuntu → Docker → Caddy → your sites

Something like:

                    Hetzner VPS
                  ~$5/month
                       │
                     Caddy
              ┌────────┼────────┐
              │        │        │
           site1     site2    site3
           Docker    Docker   Docker

Caddy handles HTTPS automatically, and each client/site can be isolated in its own container.

You can probably host far more sites than you expect before needing another VPS. When you outgrow it, just add another small server.

What I would NOT do

I wouldn't pay $20–50/month for a managed hosting platform for this use case. You're essentially paying someone else to operate a VPS that is perfectly manageable yourself.

I'd also avoid chasing the absolute cheapest $2–3 VPS. Some of those are technically usable but have compromises around RAM, IPv4, CPU, bandwidth, or reliability. For a client-facing portfolio site, saving $2/month isn't worth introducing weird limitations.

Bottom line:
Hetzner Cloud is my recommendation for the cheapest actually good setup. Budget roughly $5/month for the VPS, put multiple sites on it, and use Caddy + Docker for deployment. Current comparisons continue to put Hetzner well ahead on price/performance. Deploy Handbook bitdoze.com

If you tell me whether your portfolio sites are static HTML, Next.js, Astro, WordPress, or something else, I can recommend the cheapest architecture I'd use for hosting 10–50 of them.

For a solo developer hosting portfolio sites and small client sites, I’d optimize for $/RAM + reliability + ease of deployment, rather than chasing the absolute lowest sticker price.

My picks

Current pricing makes the difference pretty substantial: DigitalOcean's smallest Basic Droplet is $4/mo for 512 MB, while its 1 GB plan is $6/mo. DigitalOcean DigitalOcean Hetzner remains particularly aggressive on price-to-resources, with roughly 2 vCPU/4 GB machines around the $4–5/month range depending on region/plan. AI Biz Hub Webbynode

🏆 I'd choose Hetzner

For your specific use case, one Hetzner VPS running several portfolio sites is probably the sweet spot.

Something in the 4 GB RAM range gives you enough headroom for:

• 5–20+ lightweight static/SSR sites
• Nginx/Caddy
• Docker
• Node/Next.js apps
• WordPress sites if you aren't piling on plugins
• PostgreSQL/MySQL for small projects
• automated deployments

The big advantage is that you're getting substantially more RAM/CPU per dollar than DigitalOcean/Vultr. Independent 2026 comparisons consistently find Hetzner leading on price-to-performance. Selfhostr BitDoze

I'd put Coolify or a similar deployment layer on it and then treat the VPS as your little private hosting platform.

When I'd pick DigitalOcean instead

If you don't want to think much about server administration, I'd happily pay the extra few dollars for DigitalOcean.

Their $6/mo 1 GB Droplet is plenty for a very small static/Node site, and their documentation/ecosystem is excellent. DigitalOcean

For a solo developer, that can be worth more than squeezing another $2/month out of hosting.

One important distinction

If these are actual client portfolio sites, I'd spend the extra money for a VPS with enough resources rather than using a $2–3 "ultra cheap" server.

The cheapest plan isn't necessarily the cheapest reliable plan. You want enough RAM that one traffic spike, build process, or misbehaving Node process doesn't take down everything else.

My personal setup would be:

Hetzner 4 GB VPS → Caddy/Nginx → Docker → each client site as its own container → Cloudflare DNS/CDN → automated Git deployments → nightly off-server backups.

That gets you a surprisingly capable hosting platform for roughly $5/month, rather than paying $5–20 per site.

If you're expecting 10–30 portfolio sites, I'd particularly favor this approach over Vercel/Netlify-style per-project hosting.

For a solo developer hosting portfolio sites / small brochure sites, I’d rank them:

1. Hetzner Cloud — best price/performance
2. DigitalOcean Droplets — best developer experience
3. Vultr Cloud Compute — good middle ground

🥇 Hetzner is my pick

As of August 2026, Hetzner's cheap CX23 is roughly $6.49/mo in the US for:

• 2 vCPU
• 4 GB RAM
• 40 GB storage
• 1 TB included traffic in US locations

The same server is considerably cheaper in Europe, but for US visitors I'd use a US location. Hetzner's June 2026 pricing adjustment lists the US CX23 at $6.49/month excluding IPv4. docs.hetzner.com

For portfolio sites, 4 GB RAM is way more than you need. You could comfortably run multiple sites behind Nginx/Caddy, with Docker, SSL, and a handful of small apps.

Their cost-optimized line is specifically marketed for smaller projects, blogs, and web hosting. www.hetzner.com

🥈 DigitalOcean if you value simplicity

DigitalOcean is a little more expensive but extremely straightforward.

Their cheapest Basic Droplet is currently $4/mo for 512 MB RAM, while the much more sensible 1 GB / 1 vCPU / 25 GB instance is $6/mo. www.digitalocean.com

I'd actually choose the $6 instance over the $4 one for hosting client sites. DigitalOcean also includes at least 500 GiB/month outbound transfer and has a very polished developer experience. www.digitalocean.com

What I'd actually do

If you're building a little portfolio-hosting business, I'd start with:

Hetzner CX23 → Ubuntu → Caddy → Docker

Then put all your sites on the same VPS:

VPS ($6.49/mo)
│
├── site-a.com
├── site-b.com
├── site-c.com
├── site-d.com
└── site-e.com

Caddy handles HTTPS automatically, and you can isolate each site in its own container.

At that point you're potentially paying ~$1/site/month or less for infrastructure before domains/email/etc., rather than paying $10–20 per site to a managed platform.

One caveat: don't interpret "cheap VPS" as "no maintenance." You're responsible for OS updates, backups, security, monitoring, etc. For client sites, I'd spend a few extra dollars/month on automated backups rather than relying solely on the VPS disk.

If you tell me what stack you're using (Next.js, Astro, WordPress, plain HTML, etc.) and roughly how many sites you expect, I can suggest the cheapest architecture I'd actually trust for production.

For a solo developer hosting portfolio sites / small client sites, I’d optimize for $/month + reliability + how much server you get, rather than raw cheapest price.

My picks

If you want one VPS to host many sites, I'd choose Hetzner. Its current CX23 is about $6.49/month in its U.S. locations after the June 2026 pricing adjustment, with 2 vCPU and 4 GB RAM. docs.hetzner.com

That's a lot of headroom for portfolio sites. You could comfortably run something like:

Hetzner VPS
├── nginx / Caddy
├── site-a.com
├── site-b.com
├── site-c.com
├── site-d.com
├── site-e.com
└── ...

with Docker/Compose or a simple reverse-proxy setup.

If you want the least hassle: DigitalOcean

DigitalOcean Droplets is probably the easiest VPS I'd recommend to a solo developer.

Their current cheapest Droplet is $4/mo, but it's only 512 MB RAM. The $6/mo plan gives you 1 GB RAM, 1 vCPU, 25 GB SSD and 1 TB transfer, which I'd consider the practical minimum for a small production server. www.digitalocean.com

DigitalOcean also has unusually good documentation and predictable billing, and specifically positions its Basic Droplets for low-traffic websites, blogs, CMSs, and small applications. www.digitalocean.com

But if these are static portfolio sites...

I'd actually not use a VPS at all.

Put the sites on Cloudflare Pages or similar static hosting and pay $0 for the hosting. Then use your VPS only when you actually need server-side functionality.

For example:

GitHub
   ↓
Cloudflare Pages
   ↓
client1.com
client2.com
client3.com
...

That's dramatically less maintenance than:

VPS
├── Linux updates
├── firewall
├── SSH
├── nginx
├── TLS
├── backups
├── monitoring
└── Docker

For a portfolio-site business, maintenance time is often more expensive than the VPS itself.

What I'd personally do

If you're building sites with something like Astro / Next.js static export / Hugo / plain HTML:

Cloudflare Pages → $0

If you need Node/Python/PHP/server-side apps:

Hetzner CX23 → ~$6.50/mo

If you value simplicity enough to pay a little more:

DigitalOcean 1 GB → $6/mo

DigitalOcean's current pricing is particularly compelling because the $6 instance includes 1 TB transfer, while the $4 instance is rather constrained at 512 MB RAM. www.digitalocean.com

My overall recommendation for a solo dev: Hetzner for VPS, Cloudflare Pages for static sites. I'd avoid AWS/GCP/Azure unless you actually need their ecosystem—their complexity doesn't buy you much for ordinary portfolio hosting.

For a solo developer hosting portfolio sites, I’d optimize for $/RAM + reliability + simplicity, rather than chasing the absolute cheapest VPS.

My picks

Current pricing comparisons put Hetzner's low-end machines around €4–6/month with substantially more RAM than the $4–6 entry-level machines from DigitalOcean/Vultr. picknpare.com

🥇 I'd personally use Hetzner

For your use case, 2 vCPU + 4 GB RAM is a fantastic little server. You could comfortably run something like:

• 10–30 small portfolio sites
• Nginx/Caddy
• Node/Next.js apps
• Static sites
• A few small PostgreSQL databases
• Docker containers
• automated deployments
• monitoring

The important distinction is that you're not really buying "hosting for one website." You're buying a small shared web server and putting multiple sites on it.

That's where Hetzner becomes particularly attractive: you get considerably more resources for roughly the same money. Independent 2026 comparisons also continue to put Hetzner at the top for price/performance. selfhostr.com

If you want the least hassle: DigitalOcean

I'd choose DigitalOcean's $6/month 1 GB Droplet if you're willing to sacrifice some value for a nicer developer experience.

Their current Basic tier is:

$6/mo → 1 vCPU, 1 GB RAM, 25 GB SSD, 1 TB transfer

and DigitalOcean advertises a 99.99% uptime SLA for Droplets. www.digitalocean.com

It's a very comfortable choice if you don't want to spend your time thinking about infrastructure.

DigitalOcean Droplet pricing

What I'd do in your shoes

If you're comfortable with Linux:

Hetzner → 4 GB VPS → Debian/Ubuntu → Caddy → Docker → Cloudflare

Then put all your portfolio clients on that one machine.

For example:

VPS (~€5/mo)
│
├── client-a.com
├── client-b.com
├── client-c.com
├── client-d.com
├── yourportfolio.com
└── ...

Use Cloudflare DNS/proxy in front, HTTPS through Caddy, and keep automated off-server backups. That gives you a very inexpensive setup without feeling like you're running on a toy server.

One caveat: don't make the VPS itself your only copy of anything important. The cheap VPS is the compute layer; backups should live somewhere else.

If your sites are mostly static Astro/Next/React portfolios, there's actually an even cheaper architecture I'd consider than a VPS: Cloudflare Pages / Vercel / Netlify + a tiny VPS only for the things that genuinely need a server. But if you specifically want one cheap box where you control everything, Hetzner is my recommendation.

For a solo developer hosting portfolio sites and small client sites, I’d optimize for $/RAM + reliability + ease of deployment, rather than chasing the absolute cheapest VPS.

My picks

My recommendation: DigitalOcean $4/month if you want something you can deploy and then mostly forget about.

Their current smallest Basic Droplet is 1 vCPU, 512 MB RAM, 10 GB SSD, 500 GB transfer for $4/mo. Their next step, 1 GB RAM / 25 GB / 1 TB transfer, is $6/mo. DigitalOcean also advertises a 99.99% uptime SLA, free firewall/monitoring, and straightforward scaling. www.digitalocean.com DigitalOcean Droplet pricing

For what you're describing, though, I'd actually spend the extra $2 and get the $6 1-GB instance. You can comfortably put several static/SSR portfolio sites behind Caddy/Nginx, with Docker if desired.

The interesting ultra-cheap option: Vultr

Vultr currently advertises Cloud Compute starting at $2.50/month, with locations including Chicago, Atlanta, Dallas, etc. vultr.space

If you're comfortable administering Linux and want to squeeze the bill, this is probably what I'd test first. The catch is that at this price point you're dealing with a very small instance, so I'd use it for static sites / lightweight Node apps, not databases or anything memory hungry.

And Hetzner?

Historically I'd have said Hetzner without hesitation for "cheapest good VPS." It's still excellent value, but its June 2026 pricing changes made the comparison less straightforward, particularly in the US. For example, Hetzner's current US pricing has its CPX11 at $20.49/mo, while its cheaper shared plans are not offered in the US catalog shown in the current pricing table. docs.hetzner.com

If you're happy putting your sites in Germany/Finland, however, Hetzner remains extremely compelling.

What I'd do for a portfolio-site business

I'd probably build this:

$6 DigitalOcean VPS → Caddy → Docker → multiple sites

For example:

                    Internet
                       │
                    Cloudflare
                       │
                 DigitalOcean
                   $6/mo VPS
                       │
                    Caddy
              ┌────────┼────────┐
              │        │        │
           site A    site B   site C
           Docker    Docker   Docker

You can host 10+ very lightweight sites on one VPS before you need to think seriously about splitting things up. The $6 plan gives you 1 GB RAM, which is much more comfortable than trying to squeeze everything into 512 MB. www.digitalocean.com

One important alternative: if these portfolio sites are purely static/Next.js-exported sites, I wouldn't use a VPS at all. Cloudflare Pages, Vercel, Netlify, etc. can make the infrastructure cost essentially $0, and you only need a VPS when you want server-side apps, databases, background jobs, Docker, or centralized hosting/control.

If you tell me what stack you're using (Astro/Next.js/React/plain HTML/etc.) and roughly how many sites you expect to host, I can give you a much more specific cheapest architecture.

For a solo developer hosting mostly portfolio sites / brochure sites, my pick would be Hetzner Cloud.

My ranking

Hetzner's pricing is particularly aggressive: its entry ARM CAX11 is currently listed around $6.99/mo, while its CX23 is about $6.49/mo after the June 2026 price adjustment. docs.hetzner.com Other current comparisons put Hetzner's small instances around the $4–8 range depending on CPU architecture and location. cloudmart.devdeployhandbook.com

What I'd actually run

For a portfolio-hosting business, I'd probably get a Hetzner Cloud 2–4 GB instance, then put:

• Ubuntu
• Docker
• Caddy or Traefik
• One container per client/site
• Cloudflare DNS/CDN
• automatic HTTPS
• automated backups

on it.

You can comfortably put dozens of low-traffic static/SSR portfolio sites on a small VPS. Your bottleneck is much more likely to be RAM/CPU from your framework or build processes than bandwidth.

The economics are excellent: current comparisons show Hetzner giving substantially more RAM/CPU and bandwidth at the low end than DigitalOcean/Vultr/Linode. cloudmart.devdeployhandbook.com

One important distinction

If by "portfolio sites" you mean static sites (Astro, Next static export, Hugo, plain HTML, etc.), I wouldn't even start with a VPS.

I'd use Cloudflare Pages / GitHub Pages / Netlify / Vercel where appropriate and potentially pay $0 for hosting.

But if you specifically want one cheap server where you control everything and can host arbitrary sites, I'd choose Hetzner.

My sweet spot: ~$7–10/month VPS + Cloudflare DNS/CDN + Docker/Caddy. That's enough infrastructure to make hosting a bunch of small client sites extremely cheap.

DigitalOcean is the alternative I'd choose if you value a smoother onboarding experience more than squeezing the absolute most compute out of every dollar; its official docs currently list CPU Droplet pricing and straightforward hourly billing, and its Basic Droplets start at $4/month. docs.digitalocean.com

If you tell me how many sites you expect (e.g. 5, 20, 100) and whether they're Next.js/Astro/static/WordPress, I can give you a concrete <$10/mo architecture and estimate how many sites it should handle.

For a solo developer hosting portfolio sites and small client sites, my pick is Hetzner Cloud if you're comfortable managing Linux yourself.

My ranking

Hetzner CX23 currently gives you 2 vCPU, 4 GB RAM, 40 GB storage for $6.49/month in its Germany/Finland locations. Hetzner's June 2026 pricing adjustment raised it from the old $4.99 price. docs.hetzner.com

That's an unusually good amount of RAM for the money. You could comfortably put multiple static/SSR portfolio sites on one box using something like:

• Ubuntu/Debian
• Caddy or Nginx
• Docker
• your preferred Node/Next.js apps
• automatic HTTPS
• Cloudflare DNS/proxy
• one small VPS hosting perhaps 5–20 low-traffic sites, depending on the stack

But there's an important distinction

If by "least expensive reliably usable" you mean I don't want to spend my weekend administering a server, I'd actually choose DigitalOcean.

Their smallest Droplet is only $4/month, and DigitalOcean explicitly documents it as a standard Linux VM with predictable hourly/monthly billing. docs.digitalocean.com

The catch is that $4 gets you only 512 MB RAM / 1 vCPU, so I'd probably spend $6/month for the 1 GB tier for real client sites. DigitalOcean also provides free ticket-based support to every customer. docs.digitalocean.com

What I'd personally do

For a solo developer:

$6.49 Hetzner VPS → Cloudflare → Caddy → Docker → multiple sites

That's the sweet spot.

You get enough resources that you don't have to obsess over memory, while keeping the entire hosting bill around $6–10/month for a surprisingly large portfolio of small sites.

If you want zero-ish server administration, though, I'd skip VPS entirely and use a platform like Cloudflare Pages/Vercel/Netlify for static sites. For portfolio sites that are primarily static, a VPS can actually be more work than necessary.

Hetzner Cloud pricing
DigitalOcean Droplet pricing

If you tell me what stack you're using (plain HTML, Astro, Next.js, WordPress, etc.) and roughly how many sites, I can give you the cheapest architecture I'd actually deploy in production.

For a solo developer hosting portfolio sites, I’d optimize for low monthly cost + boring reliability + easy deployment, rather than chasing the absolute cheapest VM.

My pick: Hetzner

Hetzner Cloud is probably the best value right now.

As of mid-2026, Hetzner's small cloud instances offer substantially more RAM/CPU per dollar than the usual developer-cloud providers. Their current pricing was adjusted in June 2026, so some older recommendations online are stale. docs.hetzner.com

For your use case, I'd roughly rank them:

What I'd actually deploy

For multiple static/SSR portfolio sites:

Hetzner VPS → Ubuntu → Docker → Caddy → your sites

Caddy can automatically handle HTTPS certificates, and you can put several domains on the same $5–10-ish VPS.

You could comfortably host things like:

• client1.com
• client2.com
• client3.com
• your own portfolio
• a small Next.js/Astro app
• a couple of tiny APIs

on one machine.

The nice thing is that you're paying for one server rather than one hosting bill per site.

If you want the absolute least hassle

I'd actually choose DigitalOcean instead:

DigitalOcean Droplets

Their entry-level Droplets are extremely straightforward, and their documentation/ecosystem is excellent. DigitalOcean's billing is also nicely predictable; their current documentation was verified July 22, 2026. docs.digitalocean.com

You're basically paying a few extra dollars for a smoother developer experience.

One important distinction

If these are literally static portfolio sites, I wouldn't necessarily use a VPS at all.

I'd consider:

Cloudflare Pages / Vercel / Netlify → $0 for many small sites

and only use a VPS when you need:

• a persistent server
• Docker
• databases
• custom backend processes
• cron jobs/workers
• full filesystem/server control
• hosting many sites under your own infrastructure

If you're doing client work and want one cheap box where you control everything, though, Hetzner is my first choice.

My personal setup for a solo developer: Hetzner + Ubuntu + Docker Compose + Caddy + Cloudflare DNS. It's about as cheap and uncomplicated as I would want for small production sites.

For a solo developer hosting portfolio sites, I would avoid overpaying for managed platforms and run a small VPS unless you specifically want zero server maintenance.

My ranking:

deployhandbook.com

My pick: Hetzner

For portfolio sites, a tiny Hetzner VPS is usually plenty:

• 2–4 vCPU
• 2–4 GB RAM
• 40–80 GB storage
• Linux + Docker + Nginx/Caddy
• Host dozens of static sites or many small Next.js/React sites

Hetzner is often dramatically cheaper per resource than DigitalOcean/Vultr/Linode. cloudmart.dev

A typical setup:

• Ubuntu/Debian VPS
• Docker Compose
• Caddy (automatic HTTPS)
• Cloudflare DNS/proxy
• GitHub Actions for deployment

That gives you a mini “platform” for all your client demos and personal sites.

If you want the least hassle

Pick DigitalOcean.

You pay more, but:

• excellent docs
• easy snapshots
• beginner-friendly dashboard
• lots of guides when something breaks

For someone billing clients, saving 20 minutes of troubleshooting may be worth the extra few dollars. cloudmart.dev

What I would not do

• AWS/GCP/Azure for simple portfolios → too much complexity and billing risk.
• Shared hosting → cheap, but annoying for modern frameworks.
• Kubernetes → unnecessary for portfolio sites.

Even cheaper options

If the sites are mostly static:

• Cloudflare Pages
• Vercel
• Netlify

can host many portfolios free or nearly free. A VPS makes more sense when you need:

• custom backend apps
• databases
• Docker services
• client staging environments

For a solo freelancer, I’d probably run one ~$5–8/month Hetzner VPS and put all portfolio/client demo sites behind Docker + Caddy. That is the best cost-to-maintenance balance. deployhandbook.com

For a solo developer hosting portfolio sites and small client sites, my default recommendation in 2026 is Hetzner if you're comfortable administering Linux yourself.

My ranking

Why Hetzner: you get substantially more machine for the money. Current entry-level Hetzner cloud instances are around 2 vCPU / 4 GB RAM / 40 GB storage, whereas DigitalOcean's $6 plan is 1 vCPU / 1 GB RAM / 25 GB storage. solodevstack.com

For a portfolio-site server, that 4 GB RAM gives you a lot of headroom. You could comfortably run something like:

• Caddy or Nginx
• 10–30 small static/Next.js sites
• Docker
• A few Node processes
• PostgreSQL for small projects
• automated deployments
• basic monitoring

I'd probably start with one Hetzner VPS and Docker Compose, then put Cloudflare in front of it.

The one caveat

Hetzner is cheap partly because you're responsible for the server. You're getting a VPS, not managed hosting. You'll need to handle OS updates, firewalling, SSH keys, backups, Docker, etc.

If you want the least mental overhead rather than the lowest cost, I'd pick DigitalOcean. Its $6/month Basic Droplet is explicitly positioned for low-traffic web servers and small applications, and DigitalOcean has a particularly polished provisioning experience. www.digitalocean.com

What I'd personally do

For your use case:

$5-ish/month VPS → Cloudflare → Caddy → Docker → multiple sites

That's probably the sweet spot. You don't need Kubernetes, managed databases, or fancy cloud infrastructure for portfolio sites.

If you're willing to spend ~$10/month, I'd actually prefer a 4 GB Hetzner box + automated backups over a $5 ultra-tiny VPS. The extra RAM makes the server much less annoying as you accumulate sites.

Hetzner Cloud pricing
DigitalOcean Droplet pricing

If you tell me what stack you're using (static HTML, Astro, Next.js, WordPress, etc.) and roughly how many sites, I can give you the cheapest setup I'd actually trust for production.

For a solo developer building portfolio sites, I’d optimize for cheap + boring + reliable rather than maximum specs. My recommendations:

deployhandbook.commoscocrm.com

My pick: Hetzner

For a portfolio-site business, I’d probably choose Hetzner. You can comfortably host:

• 10–50 static/client portfolio sites
• WordPress sites (with caching)
• Astro/Next.js static builds
• small APIs
• staging environments
• Docker containers

The value is hard to beat: their low-end cloud instances typically provide much more RAM/CPU/bandwidth than similarly priced US-focused VPS providers. deployhandbook.com

A typical setup:

• Ubuntu VPS
• Docker + Docker Compose
• Caddy or Nginx reverse proxy
• Cloudflare DNS/CDN
• automatic SSL
• deploy each client site as a container or static directory

Your monthly hosting cost could stay around $5–10 total until you have a lot of traffic.

When I would choose DigitalOcean instead

Pick DigitalOcean if you value your time more than saving a few dollars:

• better tutorials
• very polished UI
• easier managed services
• lots of developer examples

For a freelancer who bills hours, the extra convenience can be worth it. deployhandbook.commoscocrm.com

Avoid for client work

I’d generally avoid the absolute cheapest bargain VPS sellers for client-facing sites. A $1–3 VPS can be fine for experiments, but unreliable neighbors, weak support, or old hardware can cost more than the savings. bestusavps.com

Also consider: don't use a VPS at all

For many portfolio sites, a VPS is actually overkill. A very cheap/free static hosting stack can be excellent:

• Cloudflare Pages for static sites
• Vercel for Next.js
• Netlify for static/Jamstack sites

Then only pay for a VPS when you need databases, WordPress, custom backends, or centralized management.

For a solo portfolio-site developer, my ranking would be:

1. Hetzner VPS + Cloudflare — cheapest professional setup
2. DigitalOcean — easiest professional setup
3. Vultr — good middle ground
4. Managed hosting (if clients need WordPress and you don't want sysadmin work)

If you’re planning to host client sites for paying customers, I’d lean Hetzner with automated backups and monitoring rather than squeezing down to the absolute cheapest tier.

For a solo developer hosting portfolio sites / small brochure sites, my default recommendation in 2026 is Hetzner.

My ranking

Hetzner's low-end machines are unusually generous: roughly 2 vCPU + 4 GB RAM + 40 GB storage, with substantial included bandwidth, for around €4–6/month depending on the current plan/region. Multiple current comparisons put it substantially ahead of the other mainstream VPS providers on price/performance. webbynode.comaibizhub.io

What I'd actually do

If you're hosting several static/mostly-static portfolio sites, I'd get one Hetzner VPS and put:

• Ubuntu/Debian
• Docker
• Caddy or Nginx for reverse proxy + automatic HTTPS
• One container per site
• Cloudflare in front if appropriate
• Automated backups

A 4 GB VPS is way more than you need for a handful of static sites. You could comfortably host dozens of simple sites before CPU/RAM becomes interesting.

The important distinction is that I'd pay for a VPS rather than chase the absolute cheapest possible hosting. A $2–3 server that is annoying to manage or has questionable reliability isn't worth saving $2/month when you're hosting client work.

When I'd choose something else

DigitalOcean if you value convenience more than absolute cost. Its documentation/ecosystem is excellent, and the extra few dollars can be worthwhile if you're frequently deploying unfamiliar stacks. Current basic pricing starts around $6/month for the traditional 1 GB tier. deployhandbook.com

Vultr if you specifically need a particular geographic region. It's also a reasonable ~$5–6/month option. deployhandbook.com

Oracle Cloud free tier if this is purely personal experimentation. I wouldn't make it the foundation of a portfolio hosting business just to save $5/month.

My pick: Hetzner + Caddy + Docker. For a solo developer, it's probably the sweet spot between "dirt cheap" and "I trust this enough to put client sites on it."

One caveat: Hetzner's pricing and plan lineup changed in 2026, and the very cheapest pricing can depend on region, so I'd check the live pricing before provisioning. webbynode.comaibizhub.io

Hetzner Cloud

If you tell me roughly how many portfolio sites you expect to host (e.g. 5, 20, 100) and whether they're static HTML/Next.js or WordPress, I can give you a dirt-cheap architecture and estimated monthly cost.