Virtual Private Server (VPS) hosting can significantly boost your website’s performance. Here’s a best guide to help you choose the right provider.
In today’s digital age, having a website is essential for college students, business owners, and creatives alike. A website not only promotes your work but also reflects your unique personality. My college professor emphasized that having a well-designed site helps you stand out in the competitive job market, offering potential employers or clients a polished glimpse of your skills and character. While building a website might seem intimidating, the first crucial step is selecting the right hosting service that suits your specific needs.
What is VPS hosting?
There are three main types of remote hosting options:
- Shared Hosting: This is the most affordable and basic plan provided by web hosting services, often used by beginners. It’s suitable for personal websites or small businesses but involves sharing server resources with other users. As your website grows, you may need to upgrade due to resource limitations.
- VPS Hosting: A middle ground between shared and dedicated hosting, VPS provides the performance and control of a dedicated server at a lower price. It comes in two forms:
- Managed VPS: Ideal for those without technical expertise, as the hosting provider handles maintenance and updates, though it comes at a higher cost.
- Unmanaged VPS: Offers more control but requires you to manage maintenance, updates, and software installation yourself. It’s less expensive but demands more technical know-how.
- Dedicated Server Hosting: The most expensive option, where your website has an entire server to itself. This eliminates resource sharing, providing superior performance and control, ideal for large websites with high traffic demands.
VPS offers a balance of cost and performance, with the managed option being better for those who need more support, and unmanaged offering flexibility for tech-savvy users.
Best VPS hosting providers
Best Customer Support.
SiteGround
SiteGround boasts an impressive A+ rating from the Better Business Bureau and an excellent 4.8 out of 5 stars on TrustPilot. It serves as a versatile option, catering to both individual consumers and businesses, with cloud-based VPS hosting plans starting at $100 per month.
Every SiteGround plan includes essential features such as SSL certification, daily backups, a content delivery network (CDN), and unlimited email accounts. For VPS hosting, the plans come with at least four CPUs, 8GB of RAM, 40GB of storage, and 5TB of monthly data transfer to ensure optimal performance.
SiteGround’s managed VPS hosting allows you to create Hosting Packages to allocate resources to individual websites. This makes it an excellent choice for businesses with multiple sites or agencies handling various client sites.
Support is available 24/7 via live chat and phone, with ticket responses averaging just 15 minutes. SiteGround has also earned multiple awards for its exceptional customer service.
Pros
- Excellent customer service
- Daily backups
- CDN included
- Tools for providing dedicated resources to multiple sites
Cons
- Base cost is quite high for small websites
Best For Reducing Environmental Impact
GreenGeeks
GreenGeeks boasts an A+ rating from the BBB and a 4.1 out of 5 stars on TrustPilot. Their managed VPS hosting plans start at $40 per month, offering a cost-effective solution. The company is dedicated to environmental sustainability, purchasing three times the energy it consumes in wind energy credits and planting a tree for each hosting plan sold.
Each VPS hosting plan from GreenGeeks is managed and includes a minimum of four vCPUs (virtual central processing units) and 2GB of RAM, ensuring robust performance. Additionally, you’ll receive at least 10GB of data transfer, 50GB of storage space, and benefits like easy server management through cPanel, free SSL certification, free website transfer, and unlimited email addresses.
Customer support is available 24/7 via live chat and email, with a typical response time of 20 minutes for emails. Phone support is offered daily from 9AM to 12AM ET.
Pros
- Environmental offsets
- Fast customer service
- Unlimited email addresses
Cons
- Phone support isn’t 24/7
Best For Small Website
Ionos
Ionos from 1&1 holds an A+ rating from the Better Business Bureau and a TrustPilot score of 4.5 out of 5. It is designed for small and medium-sized businesses, whether you’re just starting out online or looking to scale up.
Ionos offers a unique pricing model for VPS hosting, featuring a variety of plans that cater to users who need server customization but don’t require a large amount of data. As a result, VPS hosting can start as low as $2 per month.
Each Ionos VPS hosting plan includes a firewall, DDoS protection, and email hosting for up to two addresses. Customer support is available 24/7 via live chat and phone, with country-specific phone numbers for 14 different countries.
However, a notable drawback is that backups come at an additional cost, and pricing for most VPS hosting plans increases significantly after the initial six-month period.
Pros
- Pricing structure
Cons
- Backups cost extra
- Pricing can increase significantly after the first six months
Best For Security
HostPapa
HostPapa boasts an A+ rating from the BBB and a 4.8 out of 5 rating on TrustPilot. They offer a diverse range of plans, including unmanaged VPS hosting starting at $20 per month. For full VPS management, an additional $129 per month is required, but these prices are only available with a three-year commitment.
HostPapa’s VPS hosting plans feature at least four CPU cores, 2GB of memory, 60GB of storage, and 1TB of data transfer. All plans also come with comprehensive security features, including a firewall, site monitoring, DDoS protection, SSL certification, and brute force detection, making it a top choice for built-in security.
Customer support is available 24/7 via live chat, email, and phone in multiple languages. Having used HostPapa’s shared hosting for years, I’ve consistently had excellent experiences with both live chat and email support.
Pros
- Top-notch security
- Excellent live chat and email support
Cons
- Managed plans are hidden and can only be accessed during checkout process
Best AI Integration
Hostingar
Hostinger, headquartered in Lithuania, doesn’t have a BBB page as this organization only covers US-based businesses. However, it boasts a solid TrustPilot rating of 4.6 out of 5 from over 28,000 reviews. Their unmanaged VPS hosting plans start at $5 per month for the basic tier and go up to $20 per month for the top tier. These introductory rates apply when you commit to a two-year plan. Upon renewal, the basic plan increases to $8 per month, while the highest-tier plan rises to $45 per month.
Hostinger employs NVMe storage to deliver exceptional server performance and fast loading speeds. You can select a data center near your target audience to enhance load times further. The service includes automated weekly backups, a firewall, and DDoS protection. Additionally, Hostinger provides an AI assistant to assist with various server and site management tasks.
In terms of specifications, Hostinger’s VPS plans feature at least one vCPU, 4GB of RAM, 50GB of storage, and 4TB of bandwidth.
For customer support, Hostinger offers 24/7 live chat and email assistance.
Pros
- AI integration
- Excellent security features
Cons
- No managed plans
- Introductory pricing requires two-year signup
- Renewal pricing is much higher than introductory pricing
Best Uptime Guarantee
Hostwinds
Hostwinds holds an A+ rating from the BBB and has earned 4 out of 5 stars on TrustPilot. It is particularly well-suited for business owners, offering specialized business and reseller hosting plans. For unmanaged VPS hosting, Hostwinds starts at $5 per month, providing one CPU, 1GB of RAM, 30GB of storage, and 1TB of bandwidth. Their managed VPS hosting plans begin at $8.24 per month, offering the same storage, bandwidth, and processing power as the unmanaged plans, but with full server support included.
All Hostwinds VPS plans come with a robust 99.99% uptime guarantee, exceeding the usual 99.9%, and include 24/7 monitoring that automatically opens a support ticket if any issues arise. Additionally, you’ll benefit from free website transfers and an enterprise-level firewall.
Be aware that the listed prices are only applicable for the initial term. Upon renewal, your plan will switch to the “then-current” pricing, which tends to be significantly higher and may vary between your sign-up and renewal dates.
Hostwinds offers customer support through 24/7 live chat, support tickets, and phone assistance.
Pros
- Wide variety of managed and unmanaged plans
- 99.99% uptime guarantee
- 24/7 monitoring
Cons
- Lack of DDoS protection
- Pricing increases after first term and the renewal pricing is unclear
How we chose the best VPS hosting service
Key Factors to Consider When Choosing VPS Hosting
Server Resources
When choosing a VPS hosting plan, ensure it provides enough dedicated resources to meet your needs. Here are four critical aspects to consider:
- vCPUs/CPU Cores: Virtual central processing units (vCPUs) determine your server’s ability to handle resource-intensive tasks. More vCPUs generally indicate higher performance capabilities. The type of CPU also affects performance.
- RAM: Random Access Memory (RAM) affects your server’s capacity to perform multiple tasks simultaneously and maintain smooth operation.
- Storage: Storage capacity defines how much data, such as images and text, you can keep on your server. Most hosts use solid-state drives (SSD) for reliable performance, while some offer non-volatile memory express (NVMe) storage for even faster and more dependable service.
- Bandwidth: Bandwidth, also known as data transfer, indicates the amount of data your server can transmit within a specific time frame.
Most web hosting providers offer easy plan upgrades, so you can scale your resources as needed.
Managed vs. Unmanaged
- Managed Hosting: The web host handles essential server maintenance, including software updates and configurations. This option is generally more expensive but less hands-on for you.
- Unmanaged Hosting: You, or a hired system administrator, manage server maintenance. This is usually more cost-effective but requires more involvement from you.
Uptime Guarantee
Choose a host that offers at least a 99.9% uptime guarantee, ensuring your website is online almost continuously with minimal downtime. Some hosts provide a 99.99% uptime guarantee, meaning less than two minutes of downtime per week.
Operating System Options
Check if the VPS plan allows you to choose between Linux and Windows operating systems. This is crucial if you need specific software that only works with a particular OS.
Customer Support
Look for a provider offering 24/7 customer support through live chat and email, and ideally phone support as well. However, not all 24/7 support is equal—read reviews to assess the quality and effectiveness of their customer service.
How we chose the best VPS hosting service
It’s important to clarify that we haven’t explicitly “tested” the VPS hosting providers listed here. Instead, we have compiled a competitive overview based on various factors, including third-party ratings and features offered by each hosting company. Our rankings are influenced by ratings from the Better Business Bureau (BBB) and TrustPilot. We are in the process of testing different web hosts, focusing on shared hosting, and have included relevant insights from our tests on those we’ve reviewed so far. For more details on our testing process, refer to our article on how we evaluate web hosting services.
All the VPS hosting vendors featured here have received a rating of A or higher from the BBB and a TrustPilot rating of 3.8 or higher out of 5. With the exception of three vendors with 300 to 400 user reviews, all TrustPilot ratings are based on at least 1,000 reviews. Each vendor listed in our top picks claims to offer 24/7 support and an uptime guarantee of 99% or better.
Important Caveats:
- The BBB does not rate companies outside North America, and accreditation requires a fee.
- TrustPilot offers a paid tier that allows companies to engage more with their user ratings. In 2020, it removed 2.2 million fake reviews.
Pricing Note:
We have endeavored to ensure that the prices listed were accurate as of the last update. Pricing in this category can fluctuate frequently and may be influenced by special offers and limited-time deals. Many VPS provider prices reflect monthly rates if you prepay for 12 months or more. Please visit the vendors’ websites to confirm current pricing.
GoDaddy Web Hosting
GoDaddy holds an A+ rating from the BBB and boasts a 4.7 out of 5 stars on TrustPilot. Its unmanaged VPS hosting plans start at $9 per month, while managed VPS hosting plans begin at $99 per month. These rates are available only with a three-year commitment, and renewal costs will be considerably higher.
GoDaddy’s VPS hosting plans come with at least 1 vCPU and 2GB of RAM. All plans use non-volatile memory express (NVMe) storage for optimal performance. Additional features include firewall protection, distributed denial-of-service (DDoS) protection, and SSL certification. VPS users also have the capability to create their own email servers with unlimited email addresses.
Customer support is available 24/7 via phone and live chat. I tested GoDaddy’s services in June 2024 and had a positive experience, receiving prompt and effective help through live chat, text, and phone call. My only issue was that the live chat agent tried to upsell me to a more expensive plan than I required.
Pros
- Offers both managed and unmanaged plans
- Pricing suitable for sites of all sizes
- Fast customer service
Cons
- Customer service can be pushy about upgrading
- Must buy three-year plan for introductory pricing
- Renewal costs are high
A2 Hosting
A2 Hosting boasts an A+ rating from the BBB and a 4.6 out of 5 stars on TrustPilot. Its unmanaged VPS hosting plans start at $3 per month, and managed VPS hosting plans begin at $27 per month. These introductory rates require a one-year commitment, with costs increasing significantly upon renewal.
A2 Hosting’s VPS plans come with at least one CPU core, 1GB of RAM, 0.5TB of data transfer, and 25GB of storage. Note that essential features like cPanel and SSL certification are available as add-ons for unmanaged VPS plans.
Customer support is available 24/7 through phone, online chat, or support ticket. In June 2024, I tested all three support methods and found A2 Hosting’s chat support to be excellent, though phone and ticket support were slower.
Pros
- Wide range of unmanaged and managed plans
Cons
- High renewal costs
- Lack of firewall, SSL and cPanel in unmanaged plans
- Customer support can be inconsistent
VPS Hosting FAQ
Do I really need VPS hosting?
If your website has outgrown the highest-tier shared hosting plan offered by your host, or if you require more customization and control over your server, VPS hosting might be the right choice. It’s also suitable if your site has complex data needs or if you need more server resources than shared hosting can provide.
How much does VPS hosting cost?
VPS hosting prices vary significantly. Unmanaged plans typically range from $2 to $400 per month, while managed plans usually cost between $10 and $500 per month.
Why is VPS hosting so expensive?
VPS hosting tends to be pricier than shared hosting due to the dedicated resources and enhanced security it offers. VPS plans provide more server customization options and may include advanced developer tools, which contribute to the higher cost.
What are the disadvantages of VPS hosting?
The main drawback of VPS hosting depends on whether you opt for managed or unmanaged hosting:
- Managed VPS Hosting: The primary disadvantage is the higher cost, often $30 or more per month.
- Unmanaged VPS Hosting: The main issue is that you are responsible for server maintenance, including software updates and troubleshooting. This can be time-consuming and complex, and you may need to hire someone to manage it, adding to the overall expense.