Best VPS for Web Scraping 2026: Liquid Web, Hetzner, Vultr Compared
The best VPS for web scraping in 2026 depends on your budget, target volume, and support needs. Hetzner and Vultr offer the lowest cost per GB RAM. Liquid Web wins on support and IP reputation. DigitalOcean suits teams that want strong docs and predictable billing.
If you need managed scraping without running your own infrastructure, Apify handles scaling, proxies, and anti-bot handling for you.
Quick Comparison: Top VPS for Web Scraping (2026)
| Provider | Entry Price | vCPU | RAM | Storage | Bandwidth | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hetzner | ~€3.49/mo | 2 | 4 GB | 20 GB SSD | 20 TB | Budget scraping, EU targets |
| Vultr | $2.50–$6/mo | 1–2 | 1–2 GB | 25–55 GB | 2–3 TB | Global locations, quick tests |
| DigitalOcean | $4–6/mo | 1 | 512 MB–2 GB | 25 GB | 2–4 TB | Docs, stability, teams |
| Liquid Web | $5–$22.50/mo | 1–4 | 1–8 GB | 30–240 GB | 1–5 TB | Support, US IPs, managed |
| AWS Lightsail | $3.50–$10/mo | 1–2 | 512 MB–2 GB | 20–60 GB | 1–3 TB | AWS ecosystem integration |
Prices reflect published 2026 plans. Hetzner raised prices 25–40% in April 2026; Liquid Web often runs 50% off promos for new accounts.
When Each Provider Wins
Hetzner — Cheapest for serious scraping in Europe. CX22 (2 vCPU, 4 GB RAM) at ~€3.49/mo and 20 TB bandwidth is hard to beat. Good if you don’t need hand-holding.
Vultr — Many locations (US, EU, Asia, LatAm) for geo-targeted scraping. High-frequency Intel plans perform well. Check ToS; some providers restrict automated requests.
DigitalOcean — Best for teams that value docs, tutorials, and per-second billing. Droplets are stable. Often 2–3× more than Hetzner at comparable specs.
Liquid Web — Best when you want US IPs, 24/7 support, and managed options. Self-managed VPS from $5/mo (1 GB RAM). Fully managed for teams that don’t want to manage servers. See Liquid Web VPS setup for a step-by-step guide.
AWS Lightsail — Use when you’re already on AWS and want simple, predictable pricing. Cheaper than EC2 for small workloads.
Scraping-Friendly Policies
| Provider | Acceptable Use Policy | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Hetzner | Generally permissive | Avoid abuse; no explicit anti-scraping language |
| Vultr | Varies by region | Check local ToS; some targets may violate policy |
| DigitalOcean | Fair use | Automated traffic allowed if within limits |
| Liquid Web | Fair use | DDoS protection; 24/7 support for edge cases |
| AWS | AWS ToS applies | Respect robots.txt; avoid aggressive crawls |
If you scrape aggressive targets (e.g. LinkedIn, Google), use residential proxies or a managed platform like Apify.
Minimum Specs for Web Scraping
- Simple HTTP scraping (requests/Cheerio): 1 vCPU, 1 GB RAM, 25 GB SSD
- Playwright/Puppeteer (headless browser): 2 vCPU, 2 GB RAM minimum; 4 GB preferred for stability
- Crawlee, Firecrawl, or multi-instance: 4 vCPU, 8 GB RAM, 50+ GB SSD
Liquid Web’s 4 GB plan ($8.50/mo promo) fits most Playwright workloads. See run Playwright on a VPS for setup details.
When to Use Cloud Scraping Instead
Self-hosted VPS makes sense when you control the stack and can maintain it. For production pipelines, anti-bot targets, or scaling:
- Apify — Managed actors, proxy rotation, scheduling, no server ops
- Firecrawl — Crawl-to-markdown API; cloud or self-hosted
Start with the cheapest option that meets your RAM needs. Hetzner for EU, Vultr for global, Liquid Web for support-heavy use cases.
Hetzner offers the best value (€3.49/mo for 4GB RAM). Vultr and DigitalOcean are solid alternatives. Liquid Web wins for support and US-focused scraping.
VPS is cheaper for steady, moderate-volume scraping. Cloud platforms like Apify are better for anti-bot targets, scaling, and zero server maintenance.
Entry: $2.50–6/mo (1–2GB RAM). Playwright: $8–25/mo (4–8GB). High-volume: $45+/mo. Hetzner and Vultr undercut Liquid Web and DigitalOcean at comparable specs.
Most allow it within fair use. Aggressive crawling or ToS-violating targets can trigger suspension. Use residential proxies or managed scrapers for risky targets.