Head-to-head · CDN / DNS / Security
Cloudflare vs Hetzner DNS
Which one to pick in 2026 — comparing 🇺🇸 Cloudflare with the European alternative 🇪🇺 Hetzner DNS on the things that actually decide who can read your data.
🇺🇸 Cloudflarevs🇪🇺 Hetzner DNS
Verdict
Who has stronger privacy guarantees by law?
Hetzner DNS — GDPR-native and outside the US CLOUD Act / FISA 702 reach.
Which one encrypts your data end-to-end by default?
Neither ships full E2E by default — check the table for nuance.
Which one tracks you for ads?
Neither monetises through ad tracking.
Which one is open source?
Hetzner DNS is not fully open source — check details.
Side-by-side
Cloudflare vs Hetzner DNS — full comparison
Criteria
🇪🇺 Hetzner DNS
🇺🇸 Cloudflare
Headquarters
Gunzenhausen, Germany
San Francisco, CA, USA
Jurisdiction
Germany (GDPR)
USA (CLOUD Act, FISA 702)
Data location
Germany, Finland
Global, US-controlled
GDPR-native
Yes
No
CLOUD Act / FISA exposed
No
Yes
Ad tracking
No
No
End-to-end encryption
No
No
Open source
No
No
Ownership
Hetzner Online GmbH (private, family-owned)
Cloudflare Inc. (NYSE:NET)
Founded
1997
2009
Make the switch
Try Hetzner DNS instead of Cloudflare
Free German DNS from Europe's most privacy-respecting infrastructure company.
Other European alternatives to Cloudflare