Build
Short answer: For a 4 GB VPS to run n8n, OpenClaw or another AI agent, the cheapest sticker price is Hetzner CX23 at €5.99 a month (2 vCPU, 4 GB, Germany or Finland, before VAT), but Hetzner showed its shared plans as "currently unavailable" when we checked (November 11, 2026) and has no n8n one-click app. DigitalOcean charges $24 a month for 4 GB (2 vCPU) with an n8n 1-Click app. Hostinger KVM 1 gives 4 GB for $6.49 a month on 24 months, with templates for n8n, OpenClaw, Hermes Agent and Ollama, and US, EU and Asia locations. Our winner is Hostinger: the lowest price you can actually order today with a ready template, data centers on three continents, and less than a third of DigitalOcean's price.
🏆 Easiest 4 GB VPS for AI agents: Hostinger KVM 1
$6.49 a month (24 months), about $5.84 with code LEARN2EARN. Pick the n8n or OpenClaw template and it installs itself.
4 GB VPS prices compared (November 2026)
| Provider and plan | vCPU / RAM / disk | Price | One-click AI apps |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hostinger KVM 1 | 1 / 4 GB / 50 GB NVMe | $6.49/mo on 24 months ($155.76), renews $11.99 | n8n, OpenClaw, Hermes Agent, Ollama templates |
| Hetzner CX23 (cost-optimized) | 2 / 4 GB / 40 GB NVMe | €5.99/mo, hourly billing, excl. VAT | Docker CE, Coolify and others; no n8n app listed |
| Hetzner CPX22 (regular) | 2 / 4 GB / 80 GB | €16.99–€19.99/mo in EU, excl. VAT | Same |
| DigitalOcean Basic Droplet | 2 / 4 GB / 80 GB SSD | $24/mo ($0.03571/hour) | n8n 1-Click app (marketplace) |
Sources: hostinger.com VPS and n8n pages (November 10, 2026); hetzner.com/cloud cost-optimized and regular-performance pages (November 11, 2026, EUR, excluding VAT); digitalocean.com/pricing/droplets (November 11, 2026). Hetzner's cost-optimized line is only in Germany and Finland, and both Hetzner shared lines showed "currently unavailable" on the day we checked.
Hostinger vs Hetzner
- Price: Hetzner's CX23 sticker price (€5.99 a month) is close to Hostinger's, but VAT is added on top, the cheap line is EU-only, and for a US server Hetzner starts at €17.99 for just 2 GB. Hostinger's $6.49 includes 4 GB in the US, EU or Asia.
- Availability: on November 11, 2026 Hetzner's cost-optimized and regular shared plans both said "This product is currently unavailable." You may not be able to order today.
- Ease: Hetzner is a developer cloud: you get a server, SSH and Docker. Hostinger gives you hPanel, a browser terminal, snapshots and ready templates, so a non-developer can launch n8n or OpenClaw in minutes (see the templates).
- Locations: Hostinger has US, EU and Asia data centers on the cheap plans; Hetzner's US servers start at €17.99 (CPX11, 2 GB).
Hostinger vs DigitalOcean
- Price: for 4 GB, DigitalOcean is $24 a month vs Hostinger's $6.49 (24-month term) or $11.99 renewal. Even after renewal Hostinger is half the price.
- Billing: DigitalOcean bills per second (from January 2026) and you can delete the droplet any time; Hostinger's low price needs a longer term (with a 30-day refund window).
- Backups: DigitalOcean backups cost 20% (weekly) or 30% (daily) of the droplet price extra.
- Ecosystem: DigitalOcean has managed databases, Kubernetes and an n8n 1-Click app, which developers like.
What does an AI agent actually need?
Agents that call a model through an API (OpenClaw, Hermes Agent or n8n talking to ChatGPT, Gemini or Claude) are light: 4 GB of RAM is enough for one person or a few small clients. Running the model on your own server with Ollama is different and needs far more RAM. We explain the difference, and which Hostinger plan fits each, in how to host AI agents on a VPS.
Cost over 2 years for a 4 GB VPS
| Option | 2 years |
|---|---|
| Hostinger KVM 1 (24-month term) | $155.76 |
| Hetzner CX23 (€5.99 × 24, before VAT) | ≈ €143.76 + VAT |
| DigitalOcean 4 GB droplet ($24 × 24) | $576 |
💡 Want n8n or OpenClaw running today?
Hostinger KVM 1 with a template: no Docker commands, a fixed price and a 30-day money-back window. Get KVM 1
FAQ
Is Hetzner cheaper than Hostinger?
Only on paper, and only in Europe: CX23 is €5.99 a month plus VAT, EU-only, and was listed as unavailable when we checked. Hostinger KVM 1 is $6.49 a month on 24 months with 4 GB in the US, EU or Asia and ready AI templates, so for most people Hostinger is the better buy.
Is DigitalOcean worth it for n8n?
It works well and has an n8n 1-Click app, but a 4 GB droplet is $24 a month, about 4x Hostinger KVM 1's 24-month price.
Which VPS is best for OpenClaw?
For an API-based agent, any 4 GB VPS. Hostinger is the only one of the three with an OpenClaw template in its setup.
Do I need a GPU to run an AI agent?
No, not if the agent calls an API model. You only need lots of RAM (or a GPU) to run the model itself on your server.
More: best VPS for n8n, Hostinger vs Railway for n8n, install n8n on Hostinger and our Hostinger review.
Sources: hostinger.com (November 10, 2026), hetzner.com/cloud (November 11, 2026), digitalocean.com/pricing/droplets and marketplace.digitalocean.com/apps/n8n (November 11, 2026), our own Hostinger KVM 1 tests (October 2026).
