Merge pull request #850 from threefoldtech/fix/841-update-cloud-comparison

fix: update cloud pricing comparison with Hetzner data

Author: mik-tf

labs/docs/knowledge_base/cloud_toc/pricing_toc/cloud_pricing_compare.md

@@ -3,50 +3,63 @@ title: "Cloud Pricing Compare"
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+> **Last updated:** February 2026. Cloud pricing changes frequently — refer to provider websites for the latest rates. Hetzner prices converted using 1 EUR ≈ 1.18 USD.
 
 ## Introduction
 
-We compare cloud pricing with Cloudorado. Note that the information here can be subject to change and might not reflect current market prices.
-
-## Compute
+We compare ThreeFold cloud pricing with major cloud providers. The information here can be subject to change and might not reflect current market prices at the time of reading. Always check the provider links for up-to-date pricing.
 
-A ThreeFold Compute Unit is (CU)
+For details on ThreeFold pricing tiers and staking discounts, see the [Pricing Overview](./pricing.mdx) page.
 
-- 4 GB memory
-- 2 virtual CPU cores
+## ThreeFold Cloud Units
 
-A good site to compare is Cloudorado: https://www.cloudorado.com/
+| Cloud Unit | Description | USD/month (no discount) | USD/month (Gold 60% discount) |
+| --- | --- | --- | --- |
+| Compute Unit (CU) | 2 vCPU, 4 GB memory, 50 GB storage | $22.00 | $8.80 |
+| Storage Unit (SU) | 1 TB of net usable storage | $14.00 | $5.60 |
 
-![](./img/cloudorado_compute_choices.jpg)
+## Compute Comparison
 
-| Compute                           | Compute                           |
-| --------------------------------- | --------------------------------- |
-| ![](./img/cloudorado_compute_1.jpg) | ![](./img/cloudorado_compute_2.jpg) |
+The following table compares the cost of resources equivalent to **1 CU** (2 vCPU, 4 GB RAM) across providers. ThreeFold pricing shown with Gold staking discount (60%).
 
+| Provider | Instance | vCPU | RAM | Monthly Price | Source |
+| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
+| **Hetzner Cloud** | CX22 | 2 (shared) | 4 GB | ~$4.47 | [Hetzner Cloud](https://www.hetzner.com/cloud/) |
+| **ThreeFold** | 1 CU (Gold) | 2 | 4 GB | ~$8.80 | [TF Pricing](./pricing.mdx) |
+| **DigitalOcean** | Basic Droplet | 2 (shared) | 4 GB | ~$20.00 | [DigitalOcean Pricing](https://www.digitalocean.com/pricing/droplets) |
+| **Google Cloud** | e2-medium | 2 (shared) | 4 GB | ~$24.46 | [GCP Pricing](https://cloud.google.com/compute/all-pricing) |
+| **AWS** | t3.medium | 2 (burstable) | 4 GB | ~$30.37 | [AWS EC2 Pricing](https://aws.amazon.com/ec2/pricing/on-demand/) |
+| **Microsoft Azure** | Standard B2s | 2 (burstable) | 4 GB | ~$30.37 | [Azure Pricing](https://azure.microsoft.com/en-us/pricing/details/virtual-machines/) |
 
-### Compute Conclusion
+> **Note:** Major cloud providers charge additional fees for egress (data transfer out), storage, and public IP addresses. ThreeFold pricing includes 50 GB of storage per CU. Hetzner Cloud CX22 includes 20 TB of traffic. These are on-demand prices — reserved instances and committed-use discounts from major providers can lower costs.
 
-> Our price can easily be < 10 USD for 1 compute unit (CU) <br />
-> In market, this is between 36 and 202 USD
+## Storage Comparison
 
-## Storage
+The following table compares the cost of **1 TB of storage** (equivalent to 1 SU) across providers. ThreeFold pricing shown with Gold staking discount (60%).
 
-A ThreeFold Storage Unit is (SU)
+| Provider | Product | 1 TB/month | Source |
+| --- | --- | --- | --- |
+| **ThreeFold** | 1 SU (Gold) | ~$5.60 | [TF Pricing](./pricing.mdx) |
+| **Microsoft Azure** | Blob Storage (Hot) | ~$18.43 | [Azure Blob Pricing](https://azure.microsoft.com/en-us/pricing/details/storage/blobs/) |
+| **DigitalOcean** | Spaces | ~$20.48 | [DO Spaces Pricing](https://www.digitalocean.com/pricing/spaces-object-storage) |
+| **Google Cloud** | Cloud Storage (Standard) | ~$20.48 | [GCP Storage Pricing](https://cloud.google.com/storage/pricing) |
+| **AWS** | S3 (Standard) | ~$23.55 | [S3 Pricing](https://aws.amazon.com/s3/pricing/) |
 
-- 1 TB of storage
+> **Note:** Cloud storage providers charge additional fees for API requests and egress. Cheaper archival tiers are available from all providers but have retrieval delays or fees. ThreeFold storage is net usable capacity with built-in redundancy.
 
-Again, a good site to compare is Cloudorado: https://www.cloudorado.com/
+## Hetzner Dedicated Server Comparison
 
-![](./img/cloudorado_storage_choices.jpg)
+[Hetzner](https://www.hetzner.com/) dedicated servers are commonly used for ThreeFold farming. The table below shows current AX-line pricing for context.
 
-![](./img/cloudorado_storage_1.jpg)
+| Model | CPU | RAM | NVMe Storage | USD/month (excl. VAT) |
+| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
+| AX41-NVMe | AMD Ryzen 5 3600 (6-core) | 64 GB DDR4 | 2 x 512 GB | ~$44 |
+| AX42 | AMD Ryzen 7 PRO 8700GE (8-core) | 64 GB DDR5 | 2 x 512 GB | ~$54 |
+| AX52 | AMD Ryzen 7 7700 (8-core) | 64 GB DDR5 | 2 x 1 TB | ~$76 |
+| AX102 | AMD Ryzen 9 7950X3D (16-core) | 128 GB DDR5 | 2 x 1.92 TB | ~$123 |
 
-### Storage Conclusion
+All models include unlimited traffic and a 1 Gbit/s connection. For the latest prices, see the [Hetzner AX Server Matrix](https://www.hetzner.com/dedicated-rootserver/matrix-ax/) and [Hetzner Server Auction](https://www.hetzner.com/sb/).
 
-> Our price can easily be < 8 USD for 1 storage unit (CU) <br />
-> In market, this is between 19 and 154 USD
+> **Note:** When comparing, keep in mind that ThreeFold pricing is for decentralized, peer-to-peer cloud capacity. Traditional providers like Hetzner offer managed infrastructure with different trade-offs (centralization, SLAs, locations).
 
-<!-- TODO: Update with current market and add generated_on -->
+For more information about running a ThreeFold node on Hetzner, see the [Cloud Provider Farming](../../../documentation/farmers/farming_optimization/cloud_provider_farming) guide.