The Best VPS Hosting Services of 2024
The best VPS hosting providers offer site owners an opportunity to access fantastic scalability and versatility online. Providing an excellent mid-way option between shared and dedicated hosting, virtual private servers are an appealing choice for a wide range of site owners.
Offering space on a shared, physical server, VPS hosting providers are generally more flexible than standard beginner-friendly shared hosting, but they’re also less expensive and complex than dedicated hosting too. The question is, which hosting provider is best?
To find your ideal option, you’ll need to consider everything from uptime to customer service. Fortunately, we’ve done the hard work for you.
What is VPS Web Hosting?
VPS, or “Virtual Private Server” web hosting, provides users with space on a shared, physical server. The best providers are less crowded than shared hosting alternatives, but they’re also less complex and expensive than a dedicated hosting spot.
With VPS, you only pay for the resources used (rather than splashing out on CPUs and RAM). Plus, because you’re dedicated your own specific cores, RAM, storage, and bandwidth, you’re not affected by traffic spikes and issues from other users.
VPS hosting also provides flexibility around software and operating systems, so you can control more of your hosting experience. In some cases, you’ll also be able to choose between managed and unmanaged hosting. With managed hosting, professionals can configure and manage your hosting solutions for you. With unmanaged hosting, you handle the technical work yourself.
The flexible nature of VPS web hosting has made it extremely popular in recent years, as companies strive to do more online. As such, there are dozens of potential hosting providers to choose from. We examined a range of the leading providers and the unique tools they offered to create this list of excellent options for your website.
The Best VPS Hosting
The best VPS hosting providers for your needs will depend on your specific requirements in the digital landscape. Offerings from VPS providers can vary, with some offering higher levels of service, bandwidth, and even security, so it’s important to consider your options carefully. This is particularly true when you consider the amount you can save by signing up for long-term hosting packages.
We’ve tested each of the following 8 VPS hosting providers to give you an insight into what they do best, and how they compare with other solutions in the market.
1. InMotion
Best Overall VPS Hosting Provider
InMotion may not be the cheapest provider of VPS hosting, but it is one of the best. Where other companies have attempted to compete almost entirely on low prices, InMotion takes a different approach, focusing on customer experience.
The basic VPS plan from InMotion will cost you around $24.99 per month for a two-year plan. This includes access to three dedicated IPs, as well as 75 GB of storage, 4GB of RAM, 4TB of bandwidth, a cPanel license, and numerous backups for peace of mind.
Notably, InMotion also offers a 90-day money-back guarantee in case you’re unsatisfied, which is unlikely considering the quality of the service.
Perhaps the most exciting features of InMotion, are the unique capabilities offered with your service. Your unlocked CPU cores will ensure you can spread your processing load easily across multiple locations, rather than being locked down to just one core.
There’s also “Launch Assist”, which gives you a two-hour consultation from a service administrator. Your expert is dedicated to helping you migrate from other hosting solutions, configure cPanel, and even install new applications.
2. A2 Hosting
Best Value for Money
One of the better-known options among the best VPS hosting providers today, A2 hosting is an affordable, easy-to-access solution for beginners. Even fully-managed VPS hosting from this provider will only cost you around $33.99 per month.
With a money-back guarantee for peace of mind, A2 hosting promises an excellent experience for all of its customers and discounts if you’re willing to pay for a 36-month plan. The standard VPS managed hosting package comes with free cPanel access, a free SSL certificate, 2 cores, 2 TB transfer speeds, 150 GB SSD storage, and 4GB RAM.
The VPS hosting from A2 also comes with a free migration, supported by experts, so you can move from one host provider to another with relative simplicity. Just keep in mind the low maximum storage options can make it difficult for larger companies to grow with this host.
On the plus side, A2 Hosting does offer extra “bonus” features, like “Guru crew support”, if you need any assistance and a 99.9% uptime commitment.
3. Bluehost
Best for Additional Features
Bluehost is among the largest hosting companies in the world, serving more than two million domains worldwide. VPS hosting from Bluehost is surprisingly affordable, with excellent features like 2 dedicated cores, 30 GB of SSD storage, and 2GB of RAM on the basic package.
You also get 1TB of Bandwidth and 1 IP address on the basic package, or you can upgrade to a higher pricing packaging for more cores, storage, RAM, IP addresses, and bandwidth. All options come with cPanel access and flexible migration to help you get started.
Bluehost supports unlimited email addresses and comprehensive access control, so you can build your network however you choose. You’ll also have root access for unlimited file transfer protocol accounts. Perhaps the most impressive features offered by Bluehost, however, come in the form of add-ons for your hosting.
You can implement extras like domain protection, domain privacy, and automatic malware scans. However, the extra features do come with an extra-high price. Bluehost also offers 24/7 live chat support and a toll-free US support number.
…or check out our Bluehost Review
4. iPage
Best for Customer Service
iPage is a fantastic “all-rounder” VPS hosting service for companies in search of a reliable, affordable, and powerful tool for getting online. The VPS web hosting solutions include a free domain name registration for one year, making them ideal if you’re keen to get up and running as quickly as possible.
The basic plans for iPage are generous, offering 1GB of RM, 40GB of disk spaces, and 1TB of bandwidth. However, you only get one core CPU and 1 IP address. You’ll also have access to cPanel and CentOS7 on all packages. If you’re willing to upgrade to the most expensive VPS plan, you can access up to 4 core CPUS, 8GB of RAM, and 120 GB of disk space, plus 4TB of bandwidth.
One of the most attractive features of iPage as a hosting provider is its commitment to advanced customization options, with optional root access. You can also unlock the benefits of high-speed mirrored SAN storage and guaranteed memory allocation for improving speed.
However, while iPage is excellent for beginners, its uptime is somewhat limited. On the plus side, you do get excellent customer support, with 24/7 live chat and phone guidance, as well as an online knowledge center and email assistance.
5. HostGator
Best for Reliability
HostGator is consistently ranked as one of the best VPS hosting providers, and hosting companies in general. The company stands out for its commitment to reliability, with a powerful 99.99% uptime guarantee, ideal for people who can’t afford to lose their website access for even a minute.
You get SSL certificates included with your hosting service, which is ideal for security and peace of mind. Plus, many of the packages available from HostGator come with a huge initial discount for beginners. You can save over 70% on some of your purchases.
The most affordable package for VPS hosting from HostGator is the Snappy 2000 service, which includes 2GB of RAM, 2 core CPUs and 120 GB of SSD storage. You also get unmetered bandwidth, which is something most hosting providers simply can’t compete with.
Although the renewal costs of HostGator can be quite high depending on the package you choose, you do get excellent value for money. The virtual private servers from HostGator have some of the best uptimes on the market, and you benefit from a complete set of tools, including site development tools, flexible root access, and advanced functionality when it comes to FTP and email accounts.
6. GreenGeeks
Great Server Uptime
GreenGeeks takes a unique approach to VPS hosting solutions, by giving companies an eco-friendly way to get online. GreenGeeks offsets its carbon footprint by 300% to have a more positive impact on the world. With a 99.98% uptime guarantee, the service is one of the most reliable options on the market, leading the way with other companies like HostGator.
Virtual Private Server hosting from GreenGeeks starts with a 2GB plan at around $39.95 per month, which means it’s far from the cheapest product around. However, with this basic plan, you do get 10TB of transfer speed, cPanel access, a free SSL certificate, 4 CPU cores, 2GB of RAM, and 50GB of SSD disk space.
All packages from GreenGeeks also come with a free website transfer, GreenGeeks managed support, and 1 tree planted in your name. Plus, you have a 30-day money-back guarantee for peace of mind, and a free “Softaculous” license.
Lightning-fast storage, dedicated IP support, and some of the best bandwidth on the market means GreenGeeks can provide business owners with exceptional peace of mind without asking them to compromise on ethical guidelines.
7. Hostinger
Best for Dedicated IP Addresses
Hostinger has consistently provided companies around the globe with exceptional hosting services and support. Part of what makes Hostinger solutions so appealing to such a wide range of companies, is the fact that there are so many different pricing packages to choose from – 6 in total.
The lowest-tier VPS pricing package comes with a single CPU, 1GB of Ram, 1TB of bandwidth, and 20GB of storage, which is pretty basic for a VPS hosting solution – but might also be ideal for a smaller company. The higher tier plans can provide up to 8GB of RAM, eight CPU cores, and 160GB of storage, as well as 8TB of bandwidth.
The best way to save cash on a Hostinger plan is to commit to several years at once. You can get the single CPU plan for as little as $3.95 per month when you’re paying for a few years at once. The pricing can quickly skyrocket if you’re going on a year-to-year basis, however.
Hostinger VPS solutions come with full root access, so you have more control over your website, as well as dedicated IP support. It’s also worth noting all packages come with high-performance SSD technology for a faster, more efficient website experience.
Every VPS plan is fully packed with dedicated IPv6 and IPv4 Internet protocols for sensational security and performance regardless of how much traffic you’re dealing with too.
8. DreamHost
Best Bandwidth
VPS hosting from DreamHost starts at an extremely low price of $10 per month, making it more accessible to a wider range of smaller and mid-sized companies. Although the hosting solution has some limitations, like smaller SSD storage options than some alternatives, it does offer unlimited bandwidth and traffic on every package.
Even the most basic VPS hosting package from DreamHost is extremely generous, with managed performance insights, security support, and updates. You can also access unlimited bandwidth and traffic, as mentioned, expandable storage and RAM, and unlimited domains.
Free SSL certificates are included with every package, and you can set up unlimited email addresses linked to your domain name. The higher-priced packages will also give you access to higher levels of RAM and storage. The most expensive “Enterprise” package promises 8GB of RAM, 240 GB of SSD storage, and the standard free unlimited bandwidth.
While you don’t get as much flexibility or customer support from DreamHost as you do with other market-leading VPS hosting providers, you do get a decent level of performance and flexibility for an affordable price.
How to Choose the Best VPS Hosting Providers
So far, we’ve covered a wide selection of potential VPS hosting providers you can consider when you’re implementing your own hosting solutions online. Notably, there’s no one-size-fits-all here. You’ll need to consider a number of different factors before you can make the right decision.
If you’re still struggling to pick the hosting service right for you, here are just some of the most important factors worth looking at:
High uptime
Downtime for your website means downtime for your business in most cases. This means you need the guaranteed uptime for your site to be as high as possible when choosing your hosting provider. Although a 0.01% difference between contenders might not seem like much at first, they can actually amount to a couple of hours of lost business. Think about how much downtime could cost your company before choosing.
Generous Bandwidth
Exceptional bandwidth is a must-have for an excellent hosting experience. Your bandwidth levels dictate how much traffic your website can handle, while still ensuring you can maintain good loading speeds for SEO and customer experience. If you experience sudden spikes in traffic caused by sales and other events, you’ll need to ensure your bandwidth can handle the change in demand. Make sure you have more than you need so you can cope with anything.
Sufficient storage
Just because your website and its associated files are small to begin with doesn’t mean they’re going to stay that way forever. Running your site through a web page size checker tool will give you an insight into how much storage space you need right now. However, it’s worth going a little over the minimum requirements, just in case. Remember, high-res images and self-hosted images can quickly consume any storage space you have available. It’s best to keep your site compact if you’re on a budget.
Reliable customer support
Even with excellent uptime and fantastic bandwidth, there’s always a chance something could go wrong with your website and hosting experience. Having access to reliable customer support will give you additional peace of mind when you need it most. There are plenty of ways to get support in today’s world, including instant chat and online knowledge bases, as well as email and phone support. Make sure the host you choose offers something suitable for your needs.
Migration services
To ensure you continue to get the best level of service and support for your money from one year to the next, you may need to migrate between various different hosting providers. Access to specialist migration services will ensure you don’t have to worry about dealing with the technology, security, and other complex parts of migration yourself. Many hosting providers will offer specialist migration guidance.
Don’t forget to consider your specific needs too. For instance, you might want access to a free domain name as part of your package, or support for extensive security and protection features. If you’re worried about things like IP addresses, looking for a host provider who can excel in this area is crucial.
Keep in mind that some of the hosting providers will offer freebies, like free SSL certificates, site migration, and domain names, which can make it a little more affordable to get started online as a beginner. Many will also offer specific pricing packages for people who are signing up for hosting for the first time, so keep your eye out for a great deal.
Finding The Best VPS Hosting Providers
As countless companies continue to compete in the hosting market, there’s no doubt the balance of power among brands will shift in the years ahead. Right now, the best thing you can do is consider all of your options carefully, looking at the factors which matter most to you and your business.
InMotion was our choice for the top VPS hosting provider when considering factors like uptime, value, features, and support. However, there are some companies which offer better services for specific needs. For instance, if you’re low on cash and not particularly technical, you can benefit from the ease-of-use and excellent prices of A2 Hosting. For those who need a lot of hand-holding throughout the hosting process, iPage is also excellent for customer service.
HostGator offers the highest uptime guarantees and reliability, though GreenGeeks isn’t far behind with their uptime support. It’s worth noting GreenGeeks has the added benefit of an environmentally-friendly set of processes too. DreamHost offers the best bandwidth, and Hostinger is ideal for dedicated IP addresses.
Keep in mind, with all of the hosting providers mentioned above, you’ll be able to save money on signing up for long-term packages with the provider. This means it’s particularly important to make sure you know exactly what you’re signing up for before you jump in.
VPS Hosting FAQs
Q: Is VPS hosting good for web hosting?
Virtual private server web hosting is a popular choice among a number of businesses because it offers a middle ground between power and affordability. You can get the dedicated resources you need to grow and scale your business, without paying the high costs of a dedicated server hosting package.
Q: What’s the difference between VPS and shared hosting?
With VPS hosting you’re still technically sharing a physical server, but your resources are reserved specifically for you. With VPS hosting, you’re sharing given hardware with multiple customers, but fewer accounts will be making demands on the resources. Because each VPS customer gets their own dedicated CPU cores and bandwidth, the behavior of other people won’t influence your service.
Q: What is the difference between VPS and dedicated servers?
While a VPS hosting solution gives you access to your own distinct resources, it’s worth noting that you don’t get a dedicated server or hardware all to yourself. Dedicated servers will give you access to your own hardware, but this means you’ll also have to pay a much higher price for your hosting overall. Dedicated servers are often suitable for the largest companies with the biggest resource demands, while VPS servers are a little more flexible and affordable.
Q: What can you use VPS hosting for?
You can run multiple websites, or a single website on a VPS server. However, it’s also possible to use a virtual private server for unlocking anything which requires access to the internet, such as a web application, or to create your own virtual private network.
Q: What are the disadvantages of VPS hosting?
Compared to other options like shared hosting, virtual private server hosting is generally a lot more expensive, because you’re leveraging dedicated resources, instead of sharing them with a group of people. While the expense is higher with this kind of hosting, you generally get more value for each dollar because you’re not fighting for resources.
If you’re on a tight budget we suggest you to look at our ranking of the best cheap hosting providers.
Q: Where can you get VPS hosting?
Many of the leading hosting providers on the market today offer virtual private server hosting as a service in between shared and dedicated hosting. You may be able to choose between whether you want your VPS hosting to be managed or unmanaged. Unmanaged is best if you know how to handle things like security and server maintenance on your own. Alternatively, a managed server can save you time and effort on looking after your own hosting accounts.
Q: Which is the best VPS hosting provider?
The best VPS hosting provider in our opinion for overall service is InMotion, thanks to its exceptional bandwidth, strong performance, and excellent pricing packages. However, the right VPS hosting service for you will depend on what you need most from your host.
For instance, DreamHost offers exceptional bandwidth, while Hostinger is great for dedicated IP addresses. GreenGeeks delivers great server uptime with an eco-friendly service.
Q: Which is the most reliable VPS hosting provider?
If reliability is what you’re most worried about when you’re looking for a VPS hosting provider, it’s best to stick with HostGator. While GreenGeeks and InMotion both offer decent server uptime, HostGator is still the number one choice for reliability.
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