ChatGPT answers, unedited

For a solo developer building portfolio sites, I would optimize for low monthly cost + low maintenance, not raw VPS power. Most portfolio sites are static or lightweight (Next.js, Astro, Hugo, WordPress, etc.), so you can get away with very little.

My recommendations:

Deploy Handbook BuildPilot## My picks by scenario

1. Cheapest professional setup: Cloudflare Pages + GitHub

Cost: $0/month

For a portfolio site, this is usually enough:

• Astro / Next.js static export / Hugo
• Git push → automatic deployment
• Global CDN
• HTTPS included
• No server maintenance

Use this unless you specifically need:

• server-side rendering
• a database
• background jobs
• custom backend APIs

For many portfolio sites, a VPS is unnecessary overhead.

2. Cheapest VPS I would actually use: Hetzner

Cost: roughly $5/month

A small Hetzner instance can comfortably host:

• dozens of static sites
• Nginx/Caddy reverse proxy
• Docker containers
• small APIs
• personal tools

The tradeoff: you manage the machine yourself (updates, backups, security). Hetzner is commonly recommended for price/performance because its VPS plans tend to provide more CPU/RAM/bandwidth than similarly priced developer clouds. OSSAlt CloudMart

A nice solo-dev stack:

• Hetzner VPS
• Docker Compose
• Caddy (automatic HTTPS)
• Coolify or Dokku for deployments

3. Cheapest "I don't want to think about servers": DigitalOcean

Cost: ~$6–12/month

DigitalOcean is more expensive for the hardware, but:

• excellent documentation
• simple dashboard
• easy snapshots
• lots of tutorials
• smoother onboarding

Deploy HandbookFor a freelancer who values saving a few hours of setup time, the extra dollars can be worth it.

What I would personally choose for a solo portfolio business

Option A (simplest):

• Cloudflare Pages
• GitHub
• Cloudflare DNS
• $0/month hosting

Option B (you want to host client sites too):

• Hetzner VPS (~$5–10/mo)
• Caddy
• Docker
• Automated backups
• Host multiple sites on one server

A $5 VPS can realistically replace a lot of small shared hosting accounts if you are comfortable administering it. RemoGrid

I would avoid AWS/GCP/Azure for this use case unless you specifically need their ecosystem; the complexity and billing surface are usually not worth it for portfolio sites.

For a solo developer, my default recommendation would be:

Static portfolios → Cloudflare Pages
Portfolio + client sites + small apps → Hetzner VPS
Want easiest VPS experience → DigitalOcean

For a solo developer hosting portfolio sites, I’d optimize for low monthly cost + low maintenance, not raw VPS specs. My shortlist:

Deploy Handbook RemoGrid## My recommendation

1. Cheapest reliable setup: Hetzner + Coolify

For a portfolio business, I’d probably use:

• 1 Hetzner VPS
• Ubuntu/Debian
• Docker
• Coolify (self-hosted deployment UI)
• Cloudflare DNS + CDN
• Automated backups

A single small VPS can comfortably run:

• 10–50 static portfolio sites
• several Next.js/React sites
• small APIs
• staging environments

Hetzner tends to offer significantly more CPU/RAM/bandwidth per dollar than the mainstream developer clouds. CloudMart

The tradeoff: you are responsible for server updates, security patches, backups, and troubleshooting.

2. If you want "boring and easy": DigitalOcean

Use DigitalOcean if you value:

• excellent documentation
• simple dashboard
• lots of tutorials
• easier client handoff

You’ll usually pay more for the same hardware, but the ecosystem is very friendly. BuildPilot

3. If these are purely portfolio sites, consider not using a VPS

A VPS may actually be overkill.

For mostly:

• HTML/CSS/JS
• Astro
• Hugo
• Next.js static exports

you can often pay $0–5/month using:

• Cloudflare Pages
• Vercel
• Netlify

Then only use a VPS for:

• databases
• APIs
• client dashboards
• custom backend services

A practical solo-dev stack I’d choose

Portfolio sites:

• Cloudflare Pages → free hosting
• Cloudflare DNS → free
• GitHub → source control

Client apps / dynamic sites:

• Hetzner VPS (~$5/mo)
• Docker Compose
• Coolify
• PostgreSQL containers or managed DB when needed

Backups:

• nightly snapshots
• external backup storage

That gives you a professional setup for roughly $5–10/month total while still being able to host many sites. osscostcalc.com

If you’re mainly building static portfolio sites for clients, I would not start with AWS, GCP, or Azure—they add complexity without much benefit at that scale.

For a solo developer hosting multiple portfolio sites, I’d pick Hetzner Cloud if you’re comfortable managing Linux yourself. It generally gives you substantially more RAM/CPU/storage per dollar than DigitalOcean. Deploy Handbook CloudMart

• Hetzner: roughly $4–6/mo for a useful small VPS; excellent price/performance.
• DigitalOcean: $4/mo minimum, but I’d use the $6/mo 1 GB Droplet for actual sites; very easy to manage and excellent docs. DigitalOcean
• Vultr: ~$6/mo entry point; good alternative with lots of locations.
• Linode/Akamai: ~$5/mo; similarly straightforward.

My setup: Hetzner VPS + Docker + Caddy + Cloudflare DNS. You can comfortably host numerous static/low-traffic portfolio sites on one small VPS.

hetzner.com digitalocean.com

For a solo developer building portfolio sites, I’d avoid overpaying for “cloud platforms” and use either a cheap VPS or a static hosting service depending on your stack.

My ranking:

1. Best value: Hetzner Cloud VPS — my default pick

Typical cost: ~€4–8/month Deploy Handbook CloudMart

Why I’d choose it:

• Excellent price/performance
• Enough RAM/CPU to host many small sites
• Great for Docker + Nginx + multiple client sites
• Snapshots and backups are available
• Very low cost as you scale from 1 → 20 small sites

A realistic setup:

• 2–4 vCPU
• 4–8 GB RAM
• Ubuntu/Debian
• Docker Compose
• Nginx reverse proxy
• Cloudflare in front

You could comfortably host:

• 10–50 static portfolio sites
• several small Next.js/React apps
• small WordPress installs (depending on traffic)

Downside:

• More DIY
• Fewer beginner-friendly managed services than some competitors
• Region choice may matter if your clients are far away InfraPilot

2. Easiest VPS experience: DigitalOcean

Typical cost: ~$6+/month for entry plans Deploy Handbook

Pick this if you value:

• excellent documentation
• simple UI
• tutorials
• easy upgrades
• managed add-ons

It costs more than Hetzner for similar resources, but the developer experience is very polished. Mue

3. If you want almost zero server maintenance: static hosts

For pure portfolio sites (Astro, Hugo, Next.js static export, plain HTML):

• pages.cloudflare.com
• vercel.com
• netlify.com

These can be free or nearly free and remove:

• OS updates
• security patches
• server monitoring
• backups

For client portfolios, this is often the most professional option because reliability matters more than having your own server.

What I would do as a solo freelancer

If your sites are mostly brochure/portfolio:

Use:

• Cloudflare Pages for hosting
• Cloudflare DNS
• a VPS only for anything dynamic

Cost: £0–£5/month

If you want one server for everything:

Use:

• Hetzner VPS
• Docker
• Coolify or Dokku as a lightweight deployment platform
• Cloudflare proxy

Cost: ~£5–£10/month

If you expect clients:

I’d avoid putting all client sites on one tiny VPS unless you have:

• automated backups
• monitoring
• staging environments

A £5 VPS is great, but one mistake can affect every client.

My pick for a solo developer in the UK would be:

1. Cloudflare Pages for static portfolio sites
2. Hetzner VPS for apps, APIs, databases, and anything requiring a server
3. DigitalOcean if you prefer convenience over maximum savings

That combination gives you a professional setup without a large monthly bill.

If you're a solo developer hosting portfolio sites and small client sites, I'd optimize for low fixed cost + enough RAM + predictable bandwidth, rather than chasing the absolute cheapest $/month.

My picks

I'd personally choose Hetzner if you're comfortable administering Linux.

Hetzner's entry-level cloud machines give you substantially more resources per dollar than DigitalOcean. Current comparisons put its inexpensive shared instances around 2 vCPU / 4 GB RAM for roughly €4–6/month, depending on the line/region, while DigitalOcean's $4 entry Droplet is only 1 vCPU / 512 MB RAM. SoloDevStack DigitalOcean

For a portfolio-site business, that difference is huge: you could comfortably put several low-traffic sites on one Hetzner VPS using something like Docker + Caddy/Nginx, rather than paying $4–10 per site.

What I'd actually deploy

For example:

Hetzner

• 2 vCPU
• 4 GB RAM
• 40 GB+ SSD
• Ubuntu/Debian
• Caddy or Nginx
• Docker
• Cloudflare DNS/CDN
• ~$5/month-ish

Then host:

client-a.com
client-b.com
client-c.com
client-d.com
yourportfolio.com

on the same server.

For mostly static Next.js/Astro/React sites, you could potentially host quite a lot before needing to upgrade.

When I'd pick something else

Vultr is worth considering if your priority is literally the lowest possible bill. Current pricing comparisons show an entry Cloud Compute instance around $2.50/month, versus $4 for DigitalOcean. OfficialCost

DigitalOcean is what I'd choose if you value simplicity more than squeezing every dollar out of infrastructure. Its $4 Droplet is very straightforward, and DigitalOcean explicitly positions its Basic Droplets for low-traffic websites, blogs, CMSs, and small applications. DigitalOcean DigitalOcean

Hostinger becomes interesting if you want something more managed. Its cheapest VPS has recently been advertised around $4.99/month on a two-year term, with 1 vCPU/4 GB RAM/50 GB storage, but the renewal price is considerably higher. TechRadar

One important caveat

If these are client sites, I wouldn't necessarily optimize for the absolute cheapest VPS. Your time is worth more than $2/month.

I'd rank them:

1. Hetzner — best cost/performance for a developer who can manage Linux.
2. DigitalOcean — best "I don't want infrastructure surprises" experience.
3. Vultr — excellent if minimizing the monthly bill is the priority.
4. Hostinger — attractive if you want more hand-holding.

If you tell me roughly how many sites you expect to host (5, 20, 50, 100+) and whether they're static, WordPress, or Next.js, I can give you a dirt-cheap architecture and estimate the $/site/month.

For mostly static Next.js/Astro/React sites, you could potentially host quite a lot before needing to upgrade.

When I'd pick something else

Vultr is worth considering if your priority is literally the lowest possible bill. Current pricing comparisons show an entry Cloud Compute instance around $2.50/month, versus $4 for DigitalOcean. OfficialCost

DigitalOcean is what I'd choose if you value simplicity more than squeezing every dollar out of infrastructure. Its $4 Droplet is very straightforward, and DigitalOcean explicitly positions its Basic Droplets for low-traffic websites, blogs, CMSs, and small applications. DigitalOcean DigitalOcean

Hostinger becomes interesting if you want something more managed. Its cheapest VPS has recently been advertised around $4.99/month on a two-year term, with 1 vCPU/4 GB RAM/50 GB storage, but the renewal price is considerably higher.

One important caveat

If these are client sites, I wouldn't necessarily optimize for the absolute cheapest VPS. Your time is worth more than $2/month.

I'd rank them:

on the same server.

If you're a solo developer hosting portfolio / brochure sites, I'd optimize for low monthly cost + enough RAM + predictable networking + minimal babysitting.

My picks

Current pricing puts Vultr's entry cloud instance around $2.50/mo, Hetzner around $3.79–$4/mo, and DigitalOcean at $4/mo for its smallest Droplet. officialcost.comwww.digitalocean.com

🥇 I'd personally choose Hetzner

For a portfolio-site business, I'd get a small Hetzner Cloud VM and put multiple sites on the same machine using:

• Ubuntu/Debian
• Caddy or Nginx
• Docker Compose
• Cloudflare DNS/CDN
• automatic HTTPS
• GitHub Actions → deploy
• a small backup strategy

The important thing isn't the absolute cheapest VM. It's cost per site.

For example, a ~$4 VPS hosting 10 low-traffic static/Next.js sites is effectively ~40¢/site/month before backups/domains. Hetzner's inexpensive plans also give considerably more RAM/storage/transfer than the ultra-cheap 512MB offerings from some competitors. solodevstack.com

When I'd pick Vultr instead

If you literally want the cheapest possible VPS that isn't sketchy, Vultr is worth considering. Current comparisons put its entry Cloud Compute plan around $2.50/month. officialcost.com

I'd use it for very lightweight static sites, landing pages, reverse proxies, etc.

The catch is that once you're running several applications, RAM becomes more important than saving $1–2/month. I'd rather have 2–4 GB available and not constantly worry about memory pressure.

DigitalOcean is the "I don't want surprises" option

DigitalOcean's smallest Basic Droplet is currently $4/month for 512 MB RAM, while its 1 GB plan is $6/month. officialcost.comwww.digitalocean.com

I wouldn't actually choose the 512 MB machine for a modern multi-site setup. 1 GB minimum, and preferably 2 GB if you're running Node/Next.js applications.

DigitalOcean's documentation and ecosystem are excellent, so the extra few dollars can be worthwhile if you're optimizing for developer convenience rather than absolute cost.

One important alternative: don't use a VPS

If your portfolio sites are mostly static Astro/Next.js/React sites, I'd seriously consider a serverless/static platform instead of maintaining a VPS.

For a solo developer, the cheapest infrastructure is often the infrastructure you don't have to administer.

My rough hierarchy would be:

Static sites → static/serverless hosting

Several small dynamic sites → Hetzner VPS

Tiny experimental project → Vultr

Want the easiest conventional VPS experience → DigitalOcean

Want managed VPS-ish experience → Hostinger

Hostinger is currently advertising VPS plans starting around $4.99/month on a long-term term, with 4 GB RAM on the entry plan, although the renewal price is substantially higher. www.techradar.com

For your specific use case, I'd probably spend ~$5/month on a Hetzner box and put every small client/portfolio site behind Caddy + Cloudflare. That's an unusually good cost/reliability sweet spot for a solo developer.

If you tell me what stack you're using (Astro/Next.js/WordPress/plain HTML/etc.) and roughly how many sites you expect per VPS, I can give you a concrete <$10/month architecture.

For a solo developer hosting portfolio sites / small brochure sites, I’d optimize for $/month + reliability + how little server babysitting you have to do.

My picks

For your particular use case, I would probably choose Hetzner Cloud.

A single small Hetzner VPS can comfortably host dozens of low-traffic static/SSR portfolio sites, assuming you're using something like Nginx/Caddy + Docker and aren't running heavyweight databases or applications. The main tradeoff is that you're responsible for the server.

Why I'd pick Hetzner

If you're already a developer, the economics are hard to beat. You can run:

• Ubuntu/Debian
• Docker
• Caddy or Nginx
• multiple domains
• automatic HTTPS
• Git-based deployments
• Node/Next/Astro/etc.
• basic monitoring

on one inexpensive VPS.

I'd rather spend $5–10/month on one decent VPS than pay $5–10 per website for managed hosting.

The important distinction is that you're buying infrastructure, not a managed website-hosting service. You'll need to handle updates, SSH security, backups, deployment, etc.

DigitalOcean is my "I don't want headaches" choice

DigitalOcean is what I'd recommend if the extra few dollars are worth having a very polished developer experience.

Their current documentation explicitly positions their inexpensive shared-CPU Droplets for things like low-traffic web servers, blogs, CMSs, small databases, and microservices. DigitalOcean Docs DigitalOcean Docs

Their current pricing also supports per-second billing on the newer configurations, and they provide cloud firewalls, IPv6, monitoring, etc. DigitalOcean Docs DigitalOcean Docs

docs.digitalocean.com

What I'd actually build

For a portfolio-site business, I'd use:

                    Cloudflare
                       │
             ┌─────────┴─────────┐
             │                   │
        client1.com         client2.com
             │                   │
             └─────────┬─────────┘
                       │
                 Caddy / Nginx
                       │
              ┌────────┴────────┐
              │      Docker      │
              ├─────────────────┤
              │ Site 1           │
              │ Site 2           │
              │ Site 3           │
              │ ...              │
              └─────────────────┘
                    VPS

Then have GitHub Actions deploy each site automatically.

For static Astro/Next/etc. sites, this is especially cheap because the server requirements are tiny.

One important caveat

Don't optimize for the absolute cheapest VPS.

A $2 VPS that randomly runs out of RAM or has poor disk/network performance isn't actually cheaper when you're responsible for client sites.

I'd target roughly $5–10/month for the server, put Cloudflare in front of it, automate deployments, and maintain off-server backups. That gives you an extremely inexpensive platform for a small portfolio-site operation.

My ranking for you:

1. 🥇 Hetzner Cloud — cheapest serious option; best value.
2. 🥈 DigitalOcean — best overall developer experience.
3. 🥉 Vultr — solid alternative.
4. Hostinger VPS — attractive if you want more hand-holding.
5. Shared hosting — only if you want zero server administration.

If you tell me whether your sites are static Astro/HTML, Next.js, WordPress, or a mix, I can give you a specific <$10/month architecture and tell you roughly how many client sites I'd comfortably put on one VPS.

DigitalOcean is my "I don't want headaches" choice

DigitalOcean is what I'd recommend if the extra few dollars are worth having a very polished developer experience.

Their current documentation explicitly positions their inexpensive shared-CPU Droplets for things like low-traffic web servers, blogs, CMSs, small databases, and microservices. DigitalOcean Docs DigitalOcean Docs

Their current pricing also supports per-second billing on the newer configurations, and they provide cloud firewalls, IPv6, monitoring, etc. DigitalOcean Docs DigitalOcean Docs

docs.digitalocean.com

What I'd actually build

For a portfolio-site business, I'd use:

                    Cloudflare
                       │
             ┌─────────┴─────────┐
             │                   │
        client1.com         client2.com
             │                   │
             └─────────┬─────────┘
                       │
                 Caddy / Nginx
                       │
              ┌────────┴────────┐
              │      Docker      │
              ├─────────────────┤
              │ Site 1           │
              │ Site 2           │
              │ Site 3           │
              │ ...              │
              └─────────────────┘
                    VPS

Then have GitHub Actions deploy each site automatically.

For static Astro/Next/etc. sites, this is especially cheap because the server requirements are tiny.

One important caveat

Don't optimize for the absolute cheapest VPS.

A $2 VPS that randomly runs out of RAM or has poor disk/network performance isn't actually cheaper when you're responsible for client sites.

I'd target roughly $5–10/month for the server, put Cloudflare in front of it, automate deployments, and maintain off-server backups. That gives you an extremely inexpensive platform for a small portfolio-site operation.

My ranking for you:

1. 🥇 Hetzner Cloud — cheapest serious option; best value.
2. 🥈 DigitalOcean — best overall developer experience.
3. 🥉 Vultr — solid alternative.
4. Hostinger VPS — attractive if you want more hand-holding.
5. Shared hosting — only if you want zero server administration.

If you tell me whether your sites are static Astro/HTML, Next.js, WordPress, or a mix, I can give you a specific <$10/month architecture and tell you roughly how many client sites I'd comfortably put on one VPS.

If you're a solo developer hosting portfolio sites and small client sites, I'd optimize for low monthly cost + enough RAM + predictable networking, rather than chasing the absolute cheapest VPS.

My pick: Hetzner

hetzner.com is probably the best price/performance choice.

• ~$4–6/month gets you into the useful range, depending on region/plan.
• Excellent price-to-RAM/CPU ratio.
• Generous bandwidth, particularly in European locations.
• Very good for running multiple small sites on one VPS.
• You get a normal Linux VM, so you can use Docker, Caddy/Nginx, Node, PHP, etc.
• The tradeoff is that it's more "DIY" than managed hosting.

For example, I'd happily put 10–30 low-traffic portfolio/business sites on a single 4–8 GB Hetzner VPS, assuming they're mostly static/SSR sites and aren't doing anything resource-intensive.

The alternatives

Current DigitalOcean pricing starts at $4/month, but that's only 512 MB RAM / 1 vCPU / 10 GB SSD. Their much more comfortable 1 GB option is $6/month. DigitalOcean DigitalOcean

Vultr can technically start around $2.50/month, but that's a 512 MB IPv6-only configuration, so I wouldn't make that my default production server. OfficialCost

Hetzner's current pricing/value remains particularly attractive, with considerably more resources and bandwidth than the similarly priced mainstream alternatives. OfficialCost Mue

What I'd actually build

For your use case, I'd do:

1 VPS → Docker → Caddy → multiple sites

Something like:

                Cloudflare
                    │
                    ▼
              Hetzner VPS
              4 GB RAM
                    │
             ┌──────┴──────┐
             │    Caddy    │
             └──────┬──────┘
          ┌──────────┼──────────┐
          ▼          ▼          ▼
       site-a      site-b     site-c
       Docker      Docker     Docker

Caddy handles automatic HTTPS and reverse proxying, and you can give every client their own domain/subdomain.

I'd start with ~4 GB RAM rather than the absolute cheapest 512 MB/1 GB VPS. The extra few dollars buys you considerably more breathing room, especially if you're running Node/Next.js, Docker, build processes, databases, monitoring, etc.

One important caveat: don't use the VPS as your backup. Keep backups/snapshots somewhere separate.

If your sites are mostly static Next.js/Astro/React/Vite sites, there's actually an even cheaper architecture I'd consider: Cloudflare Pages/R2 + a tiny VPS only for the handful of dynamic sites. That can get your effective hosting cost extremely close to $0 for a portfolio-site business.

For a solo developer building portfolio sites, I’d optimize for low monthly cost + low maintenance, not raw VPS power. The best choice depends on whether you want to manage Linux yourself.

My ranking:

1. Hetzner Cloud — best value VPS

Recommendation: start here if you’re comfortable with Docker/Linux. Deploy Handbook CloudMart

Typical use:

• 5–50 portfolio sites
• Static sites + small APIs
• WordPress/headless CMS
• Next.js/Nuxt apps
• Client demos

Why:

• Extremely cheap CPU/RAM compared with competitors
• Great bandwidth allowance
• Good performance
• Simple API

A small server can comfortably run:

• Nginx/Caddy reverse proxy
• Docker Compose
• Several static sites
• A few small Node/Python apps

Downsides:

• More DIY
• You handle updates, backups, security
• Fewer beginner-friendly managed features

My setup for a solo dev:

• One small Hetzner VPS
• Docker Compose
• Caddy for automatic HTTPS
• Cloudflare DNS/CDN
• Automated backups

Cost: roughly a few euros/month for a starter box. AI Biz Hub Webbynode

2. DigitalOcean — easiest developer experience

Deploy HandbookPick this if you value your time more than saving every dollar.

Pros:

• Excellent documentation
• Very easy dashboard
• Good tutorials
• Simple networking/storage setup
• Good managed database options

Cons:

• You pay noticeably more for the same hardware compared with Hetzner. Mue

Good if you want:

"I want to deploy a client site in 10 minutes and not think about servers."

3. Vultr — good middle ground

Deploy HandbookSimilar idea to DigitalOcean:

• More locations
• Simple VPS workflow
• Good performance

I’d choose it over DigitalOcean mainly if you need a specific region.

4. Consider skipping VPS entirely for pure portfolio sites

If the sites are mostly:

• React/Vite static builds
• Astro
• Hugo
• Next.js static export

then a VPS may actually be unnecessary.

Cheap/free options:

• pages.cloudflare.com
• vercel.com
• netlify.com

You can host many portfolio sites for $0 and only pay for domains.

My practical recommendation

For a solo developer portfolio business:

Cheapest professional setup

• Cloudflare Pages → static sites
• Hetzner VPS → anything dynamic
• Cloudflare DNS/CDN
• Backups to object storage

If you want one box hosting everything:

• Hetzner VPS
• Docker
• Caddy
• GitHub Actions deploys

If you hate server administration:

• DigitalOcean App Platform or managed hosting

For most solo devs, I’d pick Hetzner + Docker. It gives you enough power to host dozens of small portfolio sites while keeping the bill around the price of a coffee. Deploy Handbook CloudMart

One question changes the answer a lot: are these static portfolio sites for clients, or are you planning to host WordPress/CMS/database-backed sites too?

For a solo developer hosting portfolio sites and small client sites, I’d pick Hetzner Cloud almost without hesitation if you’re comfortable managing a Linux server.

My ranking

Current 2026 comparisons put Hetzner's low-end machines around €4–6/month, with substantially more RAM/bandwidth than similarly priced DigitalOcean/Linode/Vultr instances. Deploy Handbook Mue

What I'd actually do

Get a Hetzner Cloud VPS with 2–4 GB RAM, then put several portfolio sites on the same machine:

             Hetzner VPS ~$5/mo
                    │
          ┌─────────┼─────────┐
          │         │         │
       site A    site B    site C
          │         │         │
       Next.js    Astro     WordPress

For mostly static sites, one small VPS can comfortably host dozens of sites. You don't need a separate $5–10 server for every client.

I'd run:

• Caddy or Nginx — reverse proxy + automatic HTTPS
• Docker Compose — isolate each project
• GitHub Actions — deploy on push
• Cloudflare — DNS/CDN/DDoS protection
• Hetzner backups — if the sites matter
• Uptime monitoring — UptimeRobot, Better Stack, etc.

The really attractive thing about Hetzner is that you're getting far more machine for the money: current comparisons show 4 GB instances around $8-ish while comparable DigitalOcean/Vultr/Linode machines are around $24. CloudMart

One important caveat for you

You're in the US, so I'd pay attention to which Hetzner region you choose. Hetzner's European servers have particularly generous bandwidth, while US-region pricing/bandwidth differs. AI Biz Hub Mue

For ordinary portfolio sites, though, bandwidth probably isn't remotely your bottleneck.

If you don't want to manage servers

Then I'd actually choose DigitalOcean over Hetzner.

You're paying more for a nicer developer experience and managed services. That's worthwhile if your goal is:

"I want to deploy the site and never think about Linux."

But if your goal is:

"I want to host 10–30 small sites for the absolute lowest reasonable cost."

Hetzner is my recommendation.

One other option worth considering is Cloudflare Pages/Workers for purely static/Next/Astro sites—you can potentially get the hosting cost down to essentially $0, while reserving your VPS for sites that actually need a server.

If you’re a solo developer hosting portfolio sites for yourself or clients, I’d optimize for low monthly cost + boring reliability + easy deployment, rather than chasing the absolute cheapest VPS.

My picks

1. 🏆 Hetzner — my recommendation

hetzner.com

For a developer comfortable with Linux/Docker/Nginx, Hetzner is probably the sweet spot.

Their inexpensive shared-vCPU machines are specifically intended for things like blogs, CMSs, small databases, development environments, and web hosting. Hetzner Hetzner

One caveat: Hetzner raised prices in 2026, so old recommendations you'll see online are often outdated. Their current US pricing is substantially higher than their European pricing; for example, the US CPX11 is now $20.49/mo, whereas European cost-optimized options are considerably cheaper. Hetzner Docs

So if your sites can comfortably live in Germany/Finland, Hetzner becomes particularly attractive.

2. 🥈 DigitalOcean — easiest recommendation

digitalocean.com

DigitalOcean currently has a $4/month 512 MB / 1 vCPU Droplet, with 10 GB SSD and 500 GiB transfer. Their $6/month plan gives you 1 GB RAM, 1 vCPU, 25 GB SSD and 1 TB transfer. DigitalOcean

For portfolio sites, I'd actually choose the $6/month machine rather than the $4 one.

You could comfortably run something like:

Ubuntu
├── Caddy / Nginx
├── Docker
├── Site A
├── Site B
├── Site C
├── Site D
└── Site E

For low-traffic static/SSR sites, a $6 VPS can go surprisingly far.

DigitalOcean also has NYC infrastructure, which is nice if your audience is primarily US-based. DigitalOcean

3. Don't overlook $0 hosting

If these portfolio sites are static or can be statically generated, I'd actually avoid a VPS entirely.

Use Cloudflare Pages, GitHub Pages, or a similar static host. You get rid of:

• OS updates
• SSH/security maintenance
• Docker maintenance
• server monitoring
• backups
• nginx configuration
• VPS outages

For something like Astro/Next.js static export/Hugo/Eleventy/etc., $0 + CDN is hard to beat.

What I'd personally do

For a solo developer:

Static sites → Cloudflare Pages ($0)

Several Dockerized/SSR sites → $6 DigitalOcean Droplet

If willing to use a European datacenter → Hetzner

And I'd put Caddy + Docker Compose on the VPS. Caddy makes automatic HTTPS and routing multiple domains ridiculously easy.

The important distinction is that "cheapest VPS" isn't necessarily "cheapest hosting." If you're hosting 10 tiny portfolio sites, a single $6–10 VPS can be much cheaper than paying for 10 separate managed hosting accounts.

If you tell me what stack you're using (Next.js, Astro, WordPress, plain HTML, etc.) and roughly how many sites, I can give you a very specific setup—including the cheapest sensible VPS size and how many sites I'd put on it.

For portfolio sites, I'd actually choose the $6/month machine rather than the $4 one.

You could comfortably run something like:

Ubuntu
├── Caddy / Nginx
├── Docker
├── Site A
├── Site B
├── Site C
├── Site D
└── Site E

For low-traffic static/SSR sites, a $6 VPS can go surprisingly far.

DigitalOcean also has NYC infrastructure, which is nice if your audience is primarily US-based. DigitalOcean

3. Don't overlook $0 hosting

If these portfolio sites are static or can be statically generated, I'd actually avoid a VPS entirely.

Use Cloudflare Pages, GitHub Pages, or a similar static host. You get rid of:

• OS updates
• SSH/security maintenance
• Docker maintenance
• server monitoring
• backups
• nginx configuration
• VPS outages

For something like Astro/Next.js static export/Hugo/Eleventy/etc., $0 + CDN is hard to beat.

What I'd personally do

For a solo developer:

Static sites → Cloudflare Pages ($0)

Several Dockerized/SSR sites → $6 DigitalOcean Droplet

If willing to use a European datacenter → Hetzner

And I'd put Caddy + Docker Compose on the VPS. Caddy makes automatic HTTPS and routing multiple domains ridiculously easy.

The important distinction is that "cheapest VPS" isn't necessarily "cheapest hosting." If you're hosting 10 tiny portfolio sites, a single $6–10 VPS can be much cheaper than paying for 10 separate managed hosting accounts.

If you tell me what stack you're using (Next.js, Astro, WordPress, plain HTML, etc.) and roughly how many sites, I can give you a very specific setup—including the cheapest sensible VPS size and how many sites I'd put on it.

For a solo developer hosting portfolio sites and small client sites, I’d optimize for “cheap enough that I never think about the bill, but not so cheap that reliability becomes the project.”

My pick: Hetzner Cloud

Hetzner is probably the best fit if you're comfortable managing a Linux server yourself.

• ~$4–9/month gets you a surprisingly capable VPS depending on the current plan/region.
• Excellent price/performance.
• Lots of bandwidth included, particularly in European locations.
• You can comfortably host dozens of static/low-traffic portfolio sites on one modest VPS.
• Docker + Caddy/Nginx makes deploying multiple sites straightforward.
• You aren't paying extra for a bunch of managed services you don't need.

Current 2026 comparisons continue to put Hetzner substantially ahead of DigitalOcean/Vultr on compute-per-dollar. Deploy Handbook CloudMart

What I'd actually run

For your use case, I'd start with something around:

2 vCPU / 4 GB RAM / ~40–80 GB SSD

Then:

Internet
   │
   ▼
Cloudflare
   │
   ▼
Hetzner VPS
   │
   ├── Caddy
   │    ├── client1.com
   │    ├── client2.com
   │    ├── client3.com
   │    └── yourportfolio.com
   │
   └── Docker containers

For mostly static sites, this is massive overkill in terms of compute. Your bottleneck is much more likely to be your time/operational setup than CPU.

The alternatives

DigitalOcean is particularly attractive if you value a polished dashboard, documentation, managed databases, and easier onboarding over absolute price/performance. Mue WikiWalls

One important distinction

If these are literally static portfolio sites—Astro, Next.js static export, Hugo, plain HTML, etc.—I'd actually consider not using a VPS at all.

A setup such as:

Cloudflare Pages → custom domains → GitHub

can get your hosting cost effectively to $0 for a lot of portfolio workloads, while eliminating server maintenance entirely.

But if you want a single server where you can throw up arbitrary client projects, run Docker, Node apps, databases, staging environments, etc., I'd take Hetzner.

My personal ranking for a solo dev:

1. 🥇 Hetzner — cheapest serious VPS I'd trust for this
2. 🥈 DigitalOcean — pay a little more for convenience
3. 🥉 Vultr — good if you need a particular geographic region
4. Cloudflare Pages — best if the sites are genuinely static and you want zero server maintenance

One caveat: don't put client databases and everything else on the absolute cheapest 1 GB VPS just to save $2/month. The sweet spot is usually spending ~$5–10/month and having enough RAM that one badly behaved build doesn't take down everything.

2 vCPU / 4 GB RAM / ~40–80 GB SSD

Then:

Internet
   │
   ▼
Cloudflare
   │
   ▼
Hetzner VPS
   │
   ├── Caddy
   │    ├── client1.com
   │    ├── client2.com
   │    ├── client3.com
   │    └── yourportfolio.com
   │
   └── Docker containers

For mostly static sites, this is massive overkill in terms of compute. Your bottleneck is much more likely to be your time/operational setup than CPU.

The alternatives

DigitalOcean is particularly attractive if you value a polished dashboard, documentation, managed databases, and easier onboarding over absolute price/performance. Mue wikiwalls.com

One important distinction

If these are literally static portfolio sites—Astro, Next.js static export, Hugo, plain HTML, etc.—I'd actually consider not using a VPS at all.

A setup such as:

Cloudflare Pages → custom domains → GitHub

can get your hosting cost effectively to $0 for a lot of portfolio workloads, while eliminating server maintenance entirely.

But if you want a single server where you can throw up arbitrary client projects, run Docker, Node apps, databases, staging environments, etc., I'd take Hetzner.

My personal ranking for a solo dev:

For a solo developer building portfolio sites, I’d optimize for low monthly cost + low maintenance, not maximum VPS specs. A lot depends on whether you want to manage Linux yourself.

My shortlist:

Deploy Handbook HelpWithWeb## My recommendation

Cheapest "serious" setup: Hetzner

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

• 2–4 vCPU
• 4 GB RAM
• 40+ GB NVMe
• enough capacity for dozens of static sites or small Next.js/WordPress sites

You can run:

• Docker Compose
• Caddy or Nginx reverse proxy
• automatic HTTPS
• multiple client sites on one server

The price/performance is hard to beat. Deploy Handbook AI Biz Hub

A realistic solo-dev stack:

Hetzner VPS        ~$5/mo
Cloudflare DNS     $0
Backups            optional ~$1-2/mo
Domains            ~$10/year each

Total: ~$5-10/mo

If you don't want server maintenance: use a PaaS

For portfolio sites, you might actually spend less time and money using:

• vercel.com — excellent for Next.js/static sites
• netlify.com — great for static/Jamstack sites
• pages.cloudflare.com — extremely cheap for static sites

A VPS only wins if you are hosting many sites or need backend services.

What I would do as a solo portfolio-site freelancer

1–5 sites:

• Cloudflare Pages/Vercel
• no VPS
• lowest hassle

5–50 small client sites:

• Hetzner VPS
• Docker + Caddy
• one server hosting many sites

Client sites with WordPress:

• Hetzner + Docker or managed WordPress hosting (depending on client expectations)

For your use case, I’d probably start with one Hetzner VPS around the $5/mo range, install Docker + Caddy, and host all your portfolio/demo projects there. Move client production sites elsewhere only when they need their own account, backups, or support expectations. Deploy Handbook

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

My picks

DigitalOcean is probably what I'd choose for you. Its $4 Basic Droplet is 512 MB RAM, 1 vCPU, 10 GB SSD and 500 GiB transfer; the $6 plan gives you 1 GB RAM, 25 GB SSD and 1,000 GiB transfer. DigitalOcean DigitalOcean

digitalocean.com

For multiple small portfolio sites, though, I'd spend the $6/month rather than $4. 1 GB RAM gives you considerably more breathing room for Nginx/Caddy, Docker, a few static/Next.js sites, SSL, monitoring, etc.

If you want maximum sites per dollar

I'd look hard at Hetzner Cloud. Their inexpensive shared-CPU instances tend to give you substantially more RAM/CPU/storage for the money than the big US hyperscalers.

The catch is that region matters. If your clients are primarily in the US, I'd verify current US-region pricing/availability before committing, because Hetzner's cheapest offerings have historically been strongest in Europe.

The setup I'd actually use

For a portfolio-site business, I'd probably do:

One $6-ish VPS → Caddy/Nginx → multiple sites → Cloudflare DNS/CDN

For example:

VPS
├── client1.com
├── client2.com
├── client3.com
├── client4.com
└── client5.com

Static sites consume almost nothing. You can host many small sites on one modest VPS rather than paying $5–20/month per site.

I'd use Docker Compose + Caddy if you want clean isolation and easy HTTPS. Caddy automatically handles Let's Encrypt certificates, which makes adding a client's domain extremely painless.

One important distinction

If these are purely static portfolio sites, I actually wouldn't use a VPS unless you specifically want the control.

DigitalOcean's App Platform currently offers 3 static sites for free, according to their hosting page. DigitalOcean

Cloudflare Pages/Vercel/Netlify can also make static hosting essentially free.

But if your goal is:

"I want one cheap server where I can put 10–30 client sites and have complete control"

then a $5–7 VPS is the sweet spot.

My ranking for your use case:

1. 🥇 Hetzner Cloud — best price/performance
2. 🥈 DigitalOcean $6 Droplet — easiest/most predictable
3. 🥉 Vultr $5 VPS — good alternative
4. Akamai/Linode — reliable but less compelling on price
5. AWS Lightsail — only if you're already invested in AWS

If you tell me roughly how many sites you expect to host (e.g. 5, 20, 50) and whether they're static / WordPress / Next.js / full-stack, I can give you the cheapest architecture I'd use, including what I'd put on the VPS and what I'd offload to Cloudflare.

DigitalOcean is probably what I'd choose for you. Its $4 Basic Droplet is 512 MB RAM, 1 vCPU, 10 GB SSD and 500 GiB transfer; the $6 plan gives you 1 GB RAM, 25 GB SSD and 1,000 GiB transfer. DigitalOcean DigitalOcean

digitalocean.com

For multiple small portfolio sites, though, I'd spend the $6/month rather than $4. 1 GB RAM gives you considerably more breathing room for Nginx/Caddy, Docker, a few static/Next.js sites, SSL, monitoring, etc.

If you want maximum sites per dollar

I'd look hard at Hetzner Cloud. Their inexpensive shared-CPU instances tend to give you substantially more RAM/CPU/storage for the money than the big US hyperscalers.

The catch is that region matters. If your clients are primarily in the US, I'd verify current US-region pricing/availability before committing, because Hetzner's cheapest offerings have historically been strongest in Europe.

The setup I'd actually use

For a portfolio-site business, I'd probably do:

One $6-ish VPS → Caddy/Nginx → multiple sites → Cloudflare DNS/CDN

For example:

VPS
├── client1.com
├── client2.com
├── client3.com
├── client4.com
└── client5.com

Static sites consume almost nothing. You can host many small sites on one modest VPS rather than paying $5–20/month per site.

I'd use Docker Compose + Caddy if you want clean isolation and easy HTTPS. Caddy automatically handles Let's Encrypt certificates, which makes adding a client's domain extremely painless.

One important distinction

If these are purely static portfolio sites, I actually wouldn't use a VPS unless you specifically want the control.

DigitalOcean's App Platform currently offers 3 static sites for free, according to their hosting page.

Cloudflare Pages/Vercel/Netlify can also make static hosting essentially free.

But if your goal is:

"I want one cheap server where I can put 10–30 client sites and have complete control"

For a solo developer hosting portfolio sites, I would optimize for low monthly cost + low maintenance, not raw VPS power. My ranking:

1. Best overall value: Hetzner Cloud — ~$4–6/month

hetzner.com

My default recommendation for a solo dev.

Typical use:

• 10–50 static portfolio sites
• Several small WordPress sites
• Next.js/React SSR sites
• Small APIs
• Docker containers

Why:

• Excellent CPU/RAM per dollar
• Very generous bandwidth compared with many competitors
• Simple Linux VPS workflow
• Plenty of room to grow before upgrading

The main downside:

• Fewer locations than the big US clouds, so if most visitors are in the US you may want to choose their US region or use a CDN. Hetzner is frequently ranked as the best price/performance option among budget VPS providers. Deploy Handbook SpeedTestHQ

A sensible setup:

• 2–4 vCPU
• 4 GB RAM
• Ubuntu
• Docker + Caddy/Nginx
• Cloudflare DNS/CDN

You can comfortably host many portfolio sites on this.

2. Easiest experience: DigitalOcean Droplet — ~$6/month+

digitalocean.com

Pick this if you value:

• Excellent tutorials
• Very beginner-friendly UI
• Lots of community guides
• Easy managed add-ons

The tradeoff is you pay more for less hardware compared with Hetzner. Deploy Handbook

Good choice if your time is worth more than saving a few dollars.

3. Cheapest "I don't want to manage a server": static hosting

For pure portfolio sites, a VPS may actually be overkill.

Consider:

• pages.cloudflare.com — great for static React/Astro/Next exports
• vercel.com — excellent for Next.js
• netlify.com — simple static deployments

Cost:

• Often $0 for small portfolios

The downside:

• Less control
• Dynamic apps/database workloads may require another service

4. Good alternatives

• Vultr — good if you need many geographic regions; usually around the same price tier as DigitalOcean. Deploy Handbook
• Linode (Akamai Cloud) — reliable, developer-friendly, but usually not the cheapest. Deploy Handbook

What I would build as a solo portfolio-hosting stack

Option A: cheapest professional setup

• Hetzner VPS (~$5/mo)
• Cloudflare DNS/CDN (free)
• Caddy reverse proxy (free SSL)
• Docker Compose
• GitHub Actions deployment

Result:

• Host dozens of small sites
• Automatic HTTPS
• Easy backups
• Very low cost

Option B: zero maintenance

• Static sites on Cloudflare Pages/Vercel
• Managed database only when needed

My pick:

• Mostly static portfolio sites: Cloudflare Pages/Vercel
• Multiple client sites + some apps: Hetzner
• Learning cloud/devops: DigitalOcean

For a freelance/solo developer portfolio business, I would probably start with Hetzner + Cloudflare and only move to a bigger platform when you actually need managed services.

For a solo developer hosting multiple portfolio/client sites, I’d optimize for cost per site + simplicity, not raw VPS specs.

My picks

DigitalOcean currently starts at $4/month for a basic Droplet, with predictable billing. DigitalOcean DigitalOcean

Hetzner is particularly compelling on price/performance. Its current US pricing after the June 2026 adjustment puts the entry-level CX23 around $6.49/mo, while some European locations are cheaper. Hetzner Docs

What I'd actually do

If you're comfortable with Linux/Docker:

One $4–7 VPS → Docker → Caddy/Nginx → all your portfolio sites

For example:

VPS ($5-7/mo)
│
├── site-a.com
├── site-b.com
├── site-c.com
├── site-d.com
└── site-e.com

For mostly static/Next.js/React portfolio sites, a small VPS can comfortably host many low-traffic sites. The limiting factor won't usually be CPU; it'll be things like databases, builds, traffic spikes, or badly behaved applications.

I'd use Caddy for automatic HTTPS and reverse proxying. You can have:

foo.com       → container:3001
bar.com       → container:3002
client.com    → container:3003

and Caddy handles the TLS certificates.

My ranking

If you want cheapest without making life miserable:
→ DigitalOcean $4 VPS

If you're comfortable administering Linux and want maximum bang-for-buck:
→ Hetzner

If you want the VPS to be more managed/friendly:
→ Hostinger

If you don't actually need a VPS:
→ I'd seriously consider Cloudflare Pages / Vercel / Netlify-style static hosting instead. For genuinely static portfolio sites, paying $5–7/month for a server can be unnecessary when you can host them essentially for free.

For a solo developer, my sweet spot would be one small VPS + Docker + Caddy + Git-based deployments. You can get surprisingly far with that setup for <$10/month total infrastructure.

For a solo developer hosting portfolio sites, I would avoid overpaying for AWS/GCP/Azure. You usually need very little: a web server, HTTPS, maybe a small database, and enough RAM for builds/CMS.

My ranking:

Deploy Handbook OfficialCost## My recommendation for your use case

Option 1 — Cheapest reliable VPS: Hetzner

A small Hetzner Cloud instance is usually the sweet spot. You can comfortably run:

• 10–50 static portfolio sites
• a few Next.js apps
• a reverse proxy (Caddy/Nginx)
• Docker containers
• small databases

The main tradeoff is that it is more "you manage the server" than DigitalOcean. CloudMart

A typical stack:

Hetzner VPS
 ├── Caddy (automatic HTTPS)
 ├── Docker
 │    ├── portfolio-site-1
 │    ├── portfolio-site-2
 │    └── client-site
 └── backups

Cost: roughly $5–10/month total.

Option 2 — Least hassle: DigitalOcean

If you want to spend less time on infrastructure:

• excellent docs
• simple dashboard
• easy snapshots
• lots of tutorials

You pay more for the convenience. SpeedTestHQ

I would choose this if you are selling client sites and your time is worth more than the ~$3–5/month difference.

Option 3 — Consider not using a VPS at all

For pure portfolio sites (Astro, Hugo, Next static export, React static builds), a VPS may actually be unnecessary.

Very cheap/free options:

• pages.cloudflare.com
• netlify.com
• vercel.com

You can host many static sites and only pay when traffic grows.

What I would do as a solo freelancer

Early stage:

• Static sites → Cloudflare Pages
• Dynamic/client apps → one Hetzner VPS
• DNS → Cloudflare
• Deploy → GitHub Actions or Docker

When you have paying clients:

• Put each client on its own container
• Charge hosting/maintenance monthly
• Keep backups automated

A realistic setup:

• Hetzner VPS: $5–10/mo
• Domain: ~$10/year
• Cloudflare DNS/CDN: free
• Automated backups: a few dollars

You could host dozens of small portfolio sites for less than the price of one typical managed hosting plan.

For a solo developer, my default choice would be Hetzner + Docker + Caddy unless you strongly prefer a managed dashboard.

For a solo developer building portfolio sites, I would optimize for low monthly cost + low maintenance, not raw VPS power. A portfolio site is usually a very light workload.

My ranking:

1. Hetzner — best value VPS

Recommendation: start here if you are comfortable with Linux/Docker. Deploy Handbook SpeedTestHQ

Typical use:

• Static sites
• Next.js apps
• Astro sites
• Small Node/Python apps
• A few client demos on one server

Why:

• Excellent CPU/RAM per dollar
• Enough capacity to host many small sites on one VPS
• Very cheap compared with US-focused clouds CloudMart

A small instance is often enough:

• 2–4 vCPU
• 4 GB RAM
• 40–80 GB storage

You could comfortably run:

• 5–20 low-traffic portfolio sites
• Nginx reverse proxy
• Docker containers
• Automatic SSL via Let's Encrypt

Downside:

• Less beginner-friendly than DigitalOcean
• Fewer regions

2. DigitalOcean — easiest developer experience

Deploy HandbookPick this if you value:

• Great documentation
• Simple UI
• Tutorials
• Less friction when deploying

A small Droplet is enough for a portfolio stack, but you pay more for the same hardware compared with Hetzner. CloudMart

Good choice if:

• You are learning deployment
• You want client handoff documentation
• You don't want to spend time managing servers

3. Vultr — good middle ground

SpeedTestHQUseful if you need:

• More geographic locations
• Flexible deployments
• Similar workflow to DigitalOcean

Usually not the cheapest, but solid.

4. Cloudflare Pages / Workers — possibly $0 for many portfolios

For pure portfolio sites, I would seriously consider not using a VPS at all.

A modern setup:

• Static frontend: Cloudflare Pages
• DNS: Cloudflare
• Forms: serverless function or form provider
• Images: Cloudflare Images/R2 or another CDN

Cost:

• Often $0/month until traffic grows

This is probably the best architecture if your sites are:

• React/Vite
• Astro
• Hugo
• Next.js static exports

What I would do as a solo portfolio-site developer

Option A — cheapest professional setup

• Cloudflare Pages for static sites
• One small VPS only for dynamic projects

Cost:

• $0–5/month

Option B — "one server hosts everything"

• Hetzner VPS
• Docker Compose
• Nginx/Caddy reverse proxy
• One container per client site

Cost:

• ~$5–10/month

This is probably the sweet spot if you want to host many client demos.

Option C — maximum simplicity

• DigitalOcean
• Managed services only when needed

Cost:

• ~$6–20/month

My pick: Hetzner + Docker + Cloudflare DNS for a solo developer. It gives you a cheap "mini hosting company" setup. If you don't want server administration, use Cloudflare Pages for most portfolio sites and skip VPS costs entirely. SpeedTestHQ

A couple questions would change the recommendation:

1. Are these your own portfolio sites, or are you hosting client sites for paying customers?
2. Are they mostly static (HTML/Astro/Next export) or full apps with databases/logins?

For a solo developer hosting portfolio sites, I’d pick Hetzner.

My ranking

Current 2026 comparisons consistently put Hetzner at the top for raw price/performance; its inexpensive plans provide substantially more CPU/RAM and bandwidth than similarly priced DigitalOcean/Vultr offerings. officialcost.com

What I'd actually do

If your portfolio sites are static Next.js/Astro/React sites, I wouldn't use a VPS at all. I'd use Cloudflare Pages or similar static hosting and pay $0 for the hosting in many cases.

If you specifically want a VPS because you're going to run Docker, Node apps, APIs, a reverse proxy, small databases, etc., go with Hetzner Cloud. A roughly €4–6/month instance is plenty for several low-traffic portfolio sites, assuming you're comfortable managing Linux yourself. solodevstack.com

The important distinction:

Cheapest overall: Cloudflare Pages → $0-ish
Cheapest useful VPS: Hetzner → roughly $4–6/mo
Cheapest with a nicer beginner experience: DigitalOcean → roughly $4–6/mo for the smallest instance
Best if you want lots of geographic locations: Vultr

For your use case, I'd probably set up one small Hetzner VPS + Caddy + Docker Compose, put multiple domains/sites on it, and let Caddy handle HTTPS automatically. That gives you an extremely cheap little "portfolio hosting platform" you control.

Hetzner Cloud

Cloudflare Pages

If you tell me what stack you're using (Astro/Next.js/plain HTML/etc.) and roughly how many sites, I can recommend the specific cheapest setup I'd use, including backups, DNS, SSL, and deployment.

If you're a solo developer hosting portfolio sites and small client sites, I'd optimize for $/month + reliability + low operational hassle, rather than raw VPS specs.

My picks

🥇 Hetzner: best cheap VPS

hetzner.com

For a conventional VPS, I'd probably choose Hetzner.

Their current US pricing has the CX23 at $6.49/month, with 2 vCPU and 4 GB RAM. Hetzner Docs

That's a lot of machine for portfolio sites. You could comfortably put several low-traffic sites on one VPS using something like:

• Ubuntu
• Docker
• Caddy or Nginx
• automatic HTTPS
• one container per site
• Cloudflare DNS/CDN

The downside is that you are the sysadmin. Backups, updates, security, monitoring, etc. are your responsibility.

🥈 DigitalOcean: easiest VPS

digitalocean.com

DigitalOcean currently starts at $4/month for 512 MB RAM, or $6/month for 1 GB RAM, 1 vCPU, 25 GB SSD and 1 TB transfer. DigitalOcean DigitalOcean

I'd take the $6/month 1 GB machine rather than trying to squeeze client sites onto 512 MB.

DigitalOcean's big advantage isn't price; it's developer experience. Documentation, UI, snapshots, networking, deployment tooling, etc. are all straightforward.

For a solo developer who values their time, paying an extra few dollars can be worth it.

🏆 But if they're actually portfolio sites: don't use a VPS

If these are mostly:

• Next.js/static sites
• Astro
• Hugo
• plain HTML/CSS/JS
• React static builds
• marketing sites
• small brochure sites

I'd seriously consider Cloudflare Pages or DigitalOcean App Platform instead.

DigitalOcean's App Platform has a free tier for static sites, including custom domains, automatic HTTPS, CDN, and GitHub/GitLab deployment. DigitalOcean

That's much more attractive than maintaining a VPS for a bunch of static sites.

What I'd personally do

For a solo dev building a portfolio of client sites:

Static sites → Cloudflare Pages

Dynamic Node/Python/PHP sites → one Hetzner VPS

Want maximum simplicity → DigitalOcean $6 VPS

I'd avoid paying $20–50/month per site on managed hosting when you're capable of consolidating several small sites onto a $6–10 VPS.

A single inexpensive VPS can become your little "hosting platform": each client gets their own domain/container, Cloudflare handles DNS/CDN, Caddy handles TLS, and you keep the infrastructure standardized.

If you tell me what stack you're using (Next.js/Astro/WordPress/etc.) and roughly how many sites you expect to host, I can give you a concrete setup that minimizes the monthly cost while still being production-safe.

For a solo developer building portfolio sites, I would avoid overpaying for a managed platform. A tiny VPS can comfortably host many static sites and several small SSR apps if you set it up well.

My recommendations, ranked by value:

1. Hetzner Cloud — best cheap VPS overall

Best choice if you are comfortable with Linux/Docker.

• Typical entry plans are around $4–8/month depending on region and plan.
• Much better CPU/RAM per dollar than most developer clouds. Deploy Handbook CloudMart
• Great for: - Nginx reverse proxy
• Docker Compose
• Multiple React/Vite static sites
• Next.js apps
• Small databases
• Personal APIs

A realistic setup:

• 2–4 vCPU
• 4 GB RAM
• 40–80 GB SSD/NVMe

That is enough for dozens of low-traffic portfolio sites.

Downside: less beginner-friendly than DigitalOcean; fewer managed services. SpeedTestHQ

My pick for you: Hetzner + Docker + Caddy/Nginx + Cloudflare DNS/CDN.

2. DigitalOcean — easiest developer experience

Best if you value simplicity over absolute cost.

Pros:

• Excellent documentation
• Easy dashboards
• Tons of tutorials
• Smooth setup

Cons:

• You pay more for similar resources compared with Hetzner. Deploy Handbook

A $6/month droplet is plenty for:

• static portfolio sites
• small Node apps
• simple APIs

I would choose this if you want to spend your time building sites, not maintaining servers.

3. Vultr — good middle ground

Good if you care about having many geographic locations.

• Similar pricing tier to DigitalOcean.
• More region flexibility. SpeedTestHQ

4. Oracle Cloud Free Tier — cheapest if you tolerate friction

You can sometimes run small workloads for free, but:

• account approval can be annoying
• capacity availability varies
• support experience is not aimed at hobby developers

I would not use it for client-facing portfolio hosting unless you already know the platform.

What I would actually deploy for portfolio sites

Option A: Maximum cheapness

• Hetzner VPS (~$5/mo)
• Cloudflare DNS + CDN (free)
• Caddy automatic HTTPS
• Docker Compose
• GitHub Actions deploys

You can host:

• client1.com
• client2.com
• yourportfolio.com
• demo apps

on one box.

Option B: Lowest maintenance

Use static hosting:

• Cloudflare Pages
• Netlify
• Vercel

For pure portfolio sites, these often beat a VPS because there is almost nothing to maintain.

My recommendation for a solo freelancer

If 90% of your sites are static:
→ Cloudflare Pages/Vercel + custom domains.

If you build client sites with WordPress, Next.js, APIs, databases, etc.:
→ Hetzner VPS around $5–10/month.

If you want the least headache:
→ DigitalOcean $6/month.

For a solo developer, I would probably start with one Hetzner VPS and Cloudflare in front of it. It gives you the best cost-to-capability ratio and leaves room to grow. Deploy Handbook SpeedTestHQ

If you're a solo developer hosting portfolio sites and small client sites, I'd optimize for $/month + enough RAM + predictable networking, rather than raw CPU.

My picks

Current pricing comparisons put Vultr's entry tier around $2.50/mo, Hetzner around $3.79/mo, and DigitalOcean around $4/mo. OfficialCost OfficialCost

🥇 I'd choose Hetzner

For your use case, Hetzner Cloud is probably the sweet spot.

Its entry-level cloud instance is currently around €3.99/month before VAT, with roughly 2 vCPU, 4 GB RAM, 40 GB SSD, and 20 TB traffic according to a current 2026 comparison. SoloDevStack

That's way more machine than a portfolio site needs. You could comfortably run:

• 10–30+ static sites
• Nginx/Caddy
• Docker containers
• a small Node/Next.js app
• PostgreSQL for lightweight projects
• automatic HTTPS
• basic monitoring
• CI/CD deployments

The big advantage is that you can consolidate a bunch of sites onto one ~$4–8/month server rather than paying $5–20/month per site.

hetzner.com

🥈 Vultr if absolute minimum price matters

Vultr is interesting if you're trying to get the monthly bill as low as possible. Current comparisons put its entry Cloud Compute plan at about $2.50/month. OfficialCost

I'd choose it if you're comfortable managing Linux yourself and the workload is extremely small.

vultr.com

🥉 DigitalOcean if you value simplicity

DigitalOcean's cheapest Droplet is currently $4/month for 512 MiB RAM, 1 vCPU, 10 GB SSD, and 500 GiB transfer. DigitalOcean

That's actually a pretty good tiny-server option, but 512 MB is noticeably more restrictive than Hetzner's ~$4 class of machines.

DigitalOcean's advantage isn't price; it's the very polished developer experience, documentation, APIs, snapshots, networking, etc.

digitalocean.com

What I'd actually build

For a solo dev doing portfolio/client sites, I'd probably do:

Hetzner ~$4–5 VPS → Caddy → Docker → multiple sites

Something like:

Internet
   │
   ▼
Caddy
   │
   ├── client1.com  → container
   ├── client2.com  → container
   ├── client3.com  → container
   ├── myportfolio.com → container
   └── ...

Caddy handles HTTPS automatically, and Docker keeps each site isolated.

I'd also put Cloudflare in front for DNS/CDN/DDoS protection. Then your VPS can be extremely simple.

One important caveat

Don't interpret "cheap VPS" as "reliable backups included." The VPS itself is still one machine. For client work, I'd have automated off-server backups even if the sites themselves are disposable.

For your particular use case, my ranking would be:

Hetzner > Vultr > DigitalOcean > Linode

If you tell me roughly how many sites you expect to host (e.g. 5, 20, 50) and whether they're static, Next.js, WordPress, etc., I can give you a very specific setup and monthly cost.

For a solo developer hosting portfolio sites and small client sites, my pick is Hetzner Cloud.

My ranking

1. Hetzner — best overall value

• Roughly $5–7/month gets you a surprisingly capable VPS.
• Their entry-level Intel CX plans currently offer around 2 vCPU / 4 GB RAM, depending on region/plan. Hetzner adjusted pricing in June 2026, so older articles quoting $3–4 are often outdated. Hetzner Docs CloudMart
• EU locations are particularly cheap and include enormous bandwidth allowances.
• Excellent if you're comfortable with Linux, Docker, Nginx/Caddy, SSH, backups, etc.
• You can comfortably put many static/Next.js/Astro/WordPress-lite sites on one machine.
• Vultr — best cheap US/global alternative

• Around $5–6/month for the smallest conventional VPS.
• More locations than Hetzner and straightforward to deploy.
• I'd choose it over Hetzner if having a particular US region is more important than maximizing specs per dollar. Deploy Handbook
• Akamai / Linode — boring but solid

• Around $5/month for the smallest instance.
• Good reputation and straightforward VPS experience, but the specs-per-dollar aren't as compelling as Hetzner. Deploy Handbook
• DigitalOcean — easiest developer experience

• Very nice UX and documentation, but you're paying substantially more for equivalent RAM/CPU.
• I'd use it if convenience/managed services matter more than minimizing hosting costs. CloudMart
• Oracle Cloud — potentially $0

• The Always Free tier is genuinely free, which is hard to beat. Oracle
• But I wouldn't use it as my primary client-site host just to save $5/month. Account provisioning, capacity availability, networking quirks, and the overall OCI experience aren't worth the hassle for most solo developers.

What I'd actually do

For your use case, I'd get a small Hetzner VPS, install:

Ubuntu/Debian → Docker → Caddy → your apps

Then have Caddy automatically handle HTTPS and domains.

You could run something like:

VPS ~$6/mo
│
├── client-site-1
├── client-site-2
├── client-site-3
├── your-portfolio
├── staging
└── monitoring

For mostly static portfolio sites, a $6 VPS is massively overprovisioned. CPU/RAM won't be your limiting factor; bandwidth and operational reliability are more relevant.

One important distinction: cheap VPS ≠ cheap managed hosting. A VPS gives you the server, but you're responsible for updates, security, backups, monitoring, etc. If you're already a developer, I think that's a very reasonable tradeoff.

My sweet spot: Hetzner + Docker + Caddy + Cloudflare DNS/CDN. You can get a surprisingly professional multi-client hosting setup for well under $10/month before domain costs/backups.

If you tell me whether your sites are static HTML/Astro/Next.js, WordPress, or full-stack apps, I can recommend the exact cheapest setup I'd use and how many sites I'd comfortably put on one VPS.

For a solo developer building portfolio sites, I’d optimize for low monthly cost + low maintenance, not raw VPS specs. A portfolio site usually needs very little CPU/RAM unless you’re also hosting databases, APIs, image processing, or client apps.

My recommendations:

🥇 Best overall value: Hetzner Cloud

hetzner.com

Typical cost: ~$4–8/month
Best for: Static sites, Next.js apps, small APIs, Docker deployments

Why I’d pick it:

• Excellent price/performance — entry servers often give you much more RAM/CPU than similarly priced competitors. Deploy Handbook CloudMart
• Plenty of bandwidth included compared with many budget VPS providers. OSSAlt
• Great if you’re comfortable with Linux, SSH, Docker, and basic server setup.

A common solo-dev setup:

• Hetzner VPS (~$5/mo)
• Docker Compose
• Nginx or Caddy reverse proxy
• Automatic HTTPS
• GitHub Actions deployment

You can host dozens of low-traffic portfolio sites on one box.

Downside: less beginner-friendly than some US-focused providers, and fewer managed services.

🥈 Easiest developer experience: DigitalOcean

digitalocean.com

Typical cost: ~$6–12/month for small instances
Best for: You want things to "just work"

Pros:

• Excellent documentation
• Simple dashboard
• Good tutorials
• Easy DNS, backups, managed databases, etc.

Cons:

• You pay a premium for the convenience compared with Hetzner. Deploy Handbook osscostcalc.com

For client work where reliability and speed of setup matter, DigitalOcean is a very reasonable choice.

🥉 Cheapest "I don't want to manage servers": static hosting

For pure portfolio sites, I’d actually consider not using a VPS:

• pages.cloudflare.com — free static hosting + CDN
• vercel.com — excellent for Next.js
• netlify.com — easy static deployments

Cost: often $0/month

For a personal portfolio or brochure site, these are usually faster and more reliable than maintaining a VPS.

What I would choose as a solo freelancer

If you host only your own portfolio:

Cloudflare Pages/Vercel → $0/month

If you host multiple client portfolio sites:

Hetzner VPS → ~$5–10/month

• Put each site in Docker
• Use Caddy for automatic SSL
• Use Cloudflare DNS

If clients expect "professional hosting":

DigitalOcean → ~$6–12/month

• Easier to explain
• Easier handoff
• Better ecosystem

A very practical stack for a solo developer:

Domain
  ↓
Cloudflare DNS + CDN
  ↓
Hetzner VPS ($5/mo)
  ↓
Caddy reverse proxy
  ↓
Docker containers
  ↓
Next.js / Astro / static sites

That setup can comfortably handle a small portfolio business without paying the AWS tax. osscostcalc.com

My pick: Hetzner for hosting multiple sites; Cloudflare Pages for anything static.

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

My picks

🥇 I'd probably choose DigitalOcean

Their cheapest current Droplet is $4/month, with 512 MB RAM, 1 vCPU, 10 GB SSD and 500 GiB transfer. The next tier is $6/month for 1 GB RAM, 1 vCPU, 25 GB SSD and 1,000 GiB transfer. www.digitalocean.com

DigitalOcean Droplet pricing

For your use case, I'd actually take the $6/month / 1 GB machine. It gives you considerably more breathing room for Nginx/Caddy + Docker + a few small sites.

You could comfortably run something like:

• Nginx or Caddy
• 5–20 mostly-static portfolio sites
• SSL certificates via Let's Encrypt
• Docker containers
• A tiny Node/PHP app or two
• Cloudflare in front
• Git-based deployments

And DigitalOcean explicitly positions its Basic Droplets for low-traffic websites, blogs, CMSs, small databases and microservices. www.digitalocean.com

🥇 If absolute cost/value matters most: Hetzner

Hetzner is usually where I'd go if you're comfortable administering Linux yourself. Their current low-end cloud pricing remains extremely aggressive; for example, after their June 2026 adjustment, the CX23 is $6.49/month in their listed European locations, with substantially more resources than a $4–6 bargain VM from many mainstream providers. docs.hetzner.com

The catch is that DigitalOcean is the nicer solo-developer experience. Documentation, UI, tutorials, networking, snapshots, etc. are all very approachable.

What I'd do for a portfolio-site business

I'd start with:

$6/mo DigitalOcean Droplet → Cloudflare → Caddy/Nginx → Docker → multiple sites

That gives you a surprisingly capable little hosting platform for $72/year before backups/domain costs.

One important caveat: don't put your only copy of client sites/databases on the VPS. Keep source code in Git and have automated off-server backups for anything stateful.

If you're willing to spend $10–15/month total, I can also give you a setup that lets you host dozens of small client sites with automatic deployment, SSL, isolated containers, backups, and essentially zero manual work after initial setup.

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, 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 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 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.