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How Much Does a Hetzner VPS Cost for an Always-On YouTube Stream with FFmpeg?

A Hetzner EU CX23 plus Primary IPv4 is an estimated €5.99/month before VAT, but outbound traffic and the FFmpeg workload affect the real cost and fit.
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A practical Hetzner EU example starts at €5.99 per month before VAT for a CX23 plus the Primary IPv4 needed for a public network interface. At Hetzner’s listed dollar rates, the same combination is $7.09 per month before tax. Those totals use Hetzner’s prices effective 15 June 2026; your final cost depends on region, taxes and the options shown at checkout.

That is the server-and-IP cost, not a guarantee that the instance can encode every video in real time or that network traffic will be free. FFmpeg’s workload, outgoing data allowance and overage charges can materially change the practical cost.

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Hetzner VPS costs for an always-on stream

Hetzner’s 15 June 2026 adjustment table lists the following EU cloud server prices. The totals below add a Primary IPv4 at Hetzner’s listed monthly rate; they exclude VAT or other applicable tax.

EU instance Server per month Primary IPv4 per month Estimated total before tax
CX23 €5.49 or $6.49 €0.50 or $0.60 €5.99 or $7.09
CPX22 €19.49 or $22.99 €0.50 or $0.60 €19.99 or $23.59

These are monthly price calculations, not FFmpeg performance recommendations. Hetzner says its adjusted rates apply to new orders and cloud server rescales from 15 June 2026. Check the order screen for the current price in your selected location and applicable taxes. Hetzner’s 15 June 2026 price adjustment and cloud server overview provide the provider details.

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Why the public IP is an extra line item

Hetzner’s cloud documentation says cloud servers do not include a public IP address. A Primary IPv4 costs €0.50 or $0.60 per month before VAT; a Primary IPv6 is free. A public network interface needs a Primary IP, so include the address in your estimate if your setup requires public connectivity. See Hetzner’s Primary IP overview.

What an always-on server costs beyond its plan

Billing continues while the server is powered off

Hetzner bills a created cloud server until it is deleted, even if you shut it down. For an always-on stream, that means the monthly server charge is ongoing; stopping the instance is not a way to pause billing while preserving it. Hetzner bills only outgoing traffic; incoming and internal traffic are free. The included outbound allowance and any overage price vary by plan and location, so check the terms for the exact instance and region before estimating a full month. Hetzner’s cloud billing FAQ explains the billing rules.

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Estimate outgoing traffic from bitrate

A constant bitrate gives a useful first estimate of how much data the stream sends. Over a 30-day month, 5 Mbps works out to about 1.62 decimal TB, and 12 Mbps to about 3.89 decimal TB. This arithmetic uses 2,592,000 seconds in 30 days and divides bits by eight to get bytes; it excludes protocol overhead and is not a Hetzner traffic statistic.

Compare that estimate with the included outbound data and overage terms for your chosen location and instance. YouTube’s recommended encoder bitrate is not a prediction of Hetzner’s traffic allowance or final billed traffic.

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How FFmpeg workload affects the right instance

The server price alone cannot tell you whether a VPS will keep your particular stream going smoothly. First establish what FFmpeg will do:

  • Encode or transcode: FFmpeg converts the video to a different codec, resolution, frame rate or bitrate. The CPU requirement depends on the source and output settings, and the cited Hetzner documentation does not provide benchmarks for these workloads.
  • Copy or remux: FFmpeg passes through already-encoded video, or changes the container without re-encoding. This is a different workload from real-time video encoding, but the available sources do not establish how a specific instance will perform.

Before committing to a server size, test the actual video, codec, resolution and frame rate on the intended instance, and confirm that FFmpeg can sustain the required real-time output. Hetzner identifies shared-resource and dedicated-resource cloud server categories, but the cited material does not provide a like-for-like FFmpeg performance comparison or a guaranteed fit for a particular stream. Do not assume the cheaper plan will handle a specific encoding job without testing.

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Set YouTube ingest settings to match the stream

YouTube’s live encoder guidance lists RTMP and RTMPS protocols and supports H.264, H.265 (HEVC) and AV1; YouTube recommends RTMPS. Its bitrate recommendations vary with codec, resolution and frame rate. For H.264, the published ranges include 5–14 Mbps for 1080p30 and 6–17 Mbps for 1080p60. Those figures are specific to the listed format, not universal settings; consult YouTube’s current table for your chosen output. YouTube also transcodes live streams into viewer output formats. See YouTube’s live encoder settings, bitrates and resolutions.

Use the bitrate to estimate network transfer, but not to infer the CPU needed by FFmpeg. Choose settings for the actual stream and test the encoding workload separately.

Cost-check checklist before ordering

  • Confirm the current monthly instance price for the selected region and server at checkout.
  • Add a Primary IPv4 if your setup needs a public network interface; account for tax.
  • Look up the included outbound traffic and overage price for that plan and location.
  • Estimate monthly transfer from the continuous stream bitrate, allowing for protocol overhead.
  • Determine whether FFmpeg will encode, transcode, copy or remux, then test the real workload rather than relying on the instance price.
  • Remember that a powered-off server remains billable until deleted.

Or let it run in the cloud

If the goal is an always-on YouTube stream from uploaded video, StreamNeo is an alternative to managing a VPS and FFmpeg process: upload a recording or build a playlist, add your YouTube stream key once, and go live. It keeps the stream running in the cloud, so nothing has to stay on at home. Uploaded video streams as made, up to 4K 60fps, at one flat price per slot; there are no quality tiers or re-encoding. StreamNeo automatically recovers if YouTube drops the stream. The first day is free with no card. Monthly billing is $9.99 per month. The service streams to YouTube only and plays uploaded videos; it does not stream from a camera. Start your free first day on StreamNeo.

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