remote-backups.com vs Hetzner Storage Box for Proxmox Backups
Hetzner Storage Boxes are cheap, well-known, and tempting as a Proxmox Backup Server target. But a Storage Box isn't a PBS instance. Here's what actually works, what doesn't, and what it really costs when you factor in the workarounds.
At a Glance
| Feature | remote-backups.com | Hetzner Storage Box |
|---|---|---|
| Price per TB/month | €8.50 flat | €3.20 net (BX11, 1 TB) |
| PBS native | Yes, full sync job support | No (storage only, no PBS process) |
| Protocols | PBS API, SFTP, Borg, S3 | CIFS/Samba, SFTP, rsync, BorgBackup, Restic, rclone, WebDAV |
| Deduplication | Server-side (PBS native) | None (raw filesystem) |
| Verification | Server-side, zero transfer | Not applicable (no PBS process) |
| Maintenance | Fully managed | Self-managed (or VPS required) |
| Data location | Germany (EU) | Germany or Finland (EU) |
| Immutable backups | Yes (€3/TB/mo add-on) | No |
| Geo-replication | Yes (€4/TB/copy/mo) | No |
| Autoscaling | Yes (included) | No (fixed plans) |
| Free tier | 100 GB | None |
Comparison based on publicly available information as of August 2026.
Why Storage Box Doesn't Work Directly with PBS
A Hetzner Storage Box is remote storage accessible over CIFS, SFTP, or rsync. It is not a Proxmox Backup Server instance. PBS requires a running proxmox-backup-proxy process to handle API calls, chunk management, deduplication, and verification.
You cannot point a PBS sync job at a Storage Box. PBS sync jobs talk the PBS API protocol, and a Storage Box doesn't speak it. You also can't mount a Storage Box via CIFS/NFS and use it as a PBS datastore path. The latency and I/O patterns of a network mount cause performance problems with PBS's chunk-based storage, and the locking semantics don't translate well over network filesystems. Since Proxmox Backup Server 4.2, PBS does support S3-compatible object storage as a datastore backend, which makes Hetzner Object Storage (a separate product, €4.99/TB/month with 1 TB of egress included) a workable Hetzner route. A Storage Box still isn't one.
The VPS + Storage Box Workaround
The usual workaround is renting a Hetzner VPS, installing PBS on it, and mounting the Storage Box as the datastore backend via CIFS or using it as local storage after attaching a volume. This works, but you're now managing:
- A VPS (€5.49-8.49/month for a CX23 or CX33)
- A Storage Box (€3.20-40.60/month, BX11 to BX41)
- PBS installation and updates
- ZFS or ext4 tuning for the storage backend
- Security hardening (firewall, SSH keys, fail2ban)
- Monitoring and alerting for disk space, PBS health, and sync job failures
- Backup of the backup server itself
You also need to decide how to connect the Storage Box to the VPS. CIFS mounts add latency. Local VPS storage is limited and expensive. Hetzner Volumes are an option but add another cost layer.
Total Cost of Ownership
The sticker price on a Storage Box is attractive. But the real cost of a working PBS offsite setup on Hetzner includes more than just the box.
Hetzner DIY (2 TB example)
- Storage Box BX21 (5 TB): €10.90/mo
- VPS CX23 (2 vCPU, 4 GB): €5.49/mo
- Your time: setup, updates, monitoring
Total: ~€16.39/mo + your time
Plus risk of misconfiguration, unmonitored failures, and security incidents you handle yourself.
remote-backups.com (2 TB)
- 2 TB managed PBS: €17.00/mo
- Setup, updates, monitoring: included
- Your time: 5 minutes initial config
Total: €17.00/mo, fully managed
Includes server-side verification, pruning, and datastore management.
At small scale, the Hetzner DIY path is a couple of euros cheaper in raw cash. Factor in an hour of maintenance per month at any reasonable hourly rate and managed PBS is less expensive overall. At larger scale (5+ TB), managed PBS pricing stays linear while VPS and volume costs scale less predictably, and Hetzner raised both cloud server and volume prices in 2026.
When Hetzner Storage Box Fits
A Storage Box is a good choice when you're not using it as a PBS target:
- File-level backups via rsync or BorgBackup (Storage Box has native Borg support)
- Storing archives, ISOs, or media files over SFTP
- Syncing non-Proxmox data from multiple sources
- You want the cheapest per-TB storage in Germany and don't need PBS features
For Borg-based backups specifically, a Storage Box is solid. If you're backing up individual Linux servers (not Proxmox VMs via PBS), check out our guide on backing up any Linux server.
When Managed PBS Is Simpler
If your goal is offsite replication for Proxmox Backup Server, managed PBS removes the complexity entirely:
- Native PBS sync jobs with --encrypted-only
- Server-side deduplication and verification at no extra cost
- No VPS to maintain, no network mounts, no security hardening
- Follows the 3-2-1 strategy without building infrastructure
- Estimate your storage needs with the backup storage estimator
Protection a Storage Box Can't Provide
A Storage Box stores files. remote-backups.com adds active protection layers that a raw storage target can't offer.
Immutable Backups
A read-only copy of your backups that survives credential compromise, ransomware, and accidental deletion. Even if an attacker gets your PBS credentials, they can't touch the immutable copy. Protected by credential separation and a configurable change timeout up to 90 days.
€3/TB/mo. How immutable backups work
Geo-Replication
Automatic replication to separate datacenters every 15 minutes. Your offsite copy itself gets an offsite copy. A Storage Box exists in one Hetzner datacenter. If that DC has a problem, your offsite backup is gone.
€4/TB per copy/mo. How geo-replication works
Autoscaling
Your datastore grows and shrinks with actual usage. Storage Boxes come in fixed sizes. Outgrow your plan and you're re-provisioning. remote-backups.com scales in 100 GB increments automatically.
Included at no extra cost. How autoscaling works
Frequently Asked Questions
Skip the VPS and Get a Managed PBS Target
100 GB free to start. Native PBS sync jobs, server-side verification, no infrastructure to manage. Set up in 5 minutes.