The best VPS hosting (opens in new tab) (virtual private servers) provides the benefits of shared and dedicated hosting, at either end of the complexity andranges. Available from the best web hosting (opens in new tab) services, VPS hosting offers versatility and scalability compared to cheap, beginner-friendly shared hosting; and less complexity andthan dedicated hosting
Via shared allocated virtual space on a physical server, the best VPS hosting services offer less-crowded servers than shared hosting, providing your site with its own resources (cores, bandwidth, RAM, and storage) so you aren't affected by other users' resource use or overuse
It also offers flexibility as regards software and OSs, for more power and more freedom of choice. Plans vary in price terms from a few dollars a month to hundreds, but remember that each will depend on your web hosting (opens in new tab) needs
Main features of VPS web hosting services (opens in new tab) include management tools like cPanel (opens in new tab) or native control panels, which simplify the set-up process and server administration (should you have the experience to manage it yourself. Managed VPS hosting plans meanwhile take care of configurations, maintenance, and updates, allowing you to focus on customers, sales, and your site
With so many VPS hosts available, finding and choosing the right provider (opens in new tab) can be tough, and making the wrong choice can impact on site performance. Read on and see who we've outlined as the best VPS hosting services available, on price, resources, support, and more
## The 3 best VPS hosting providers right now
**Bluehost: competitive VPS plans from the leading host** (opens in new tab)
Bluehost offers three VPS plans that include SSL certification, cPanel management panels, and a domain for one year, while you can set up unlimited email accounts and sub-domains. Plans start from
17.99 a year offering 24/7 live chat support, and optional add-ons including domain privacy protection available
**Hostinger: low-priced, highly secure VPS hosting** (opens in new tab) **Hostinger's VPS solutions offer low prices and a no-frills, highly-secure service, alongside a highly redundant server network and excellent scalability, for when your website needs to. More powerful plans offer wider amounts of bandwidth and other tools, making it a clear leader.
** **InMotion Hosting: top performance and great features** (opens in new tab)
Across its VPS packages, InMotion Hosting includes a large amount of top tools not found elsewhere, like unlocked CPU cores or its Launch Assist migration consultation. With plans starting at
17.99 a month it's more expensive than competitors, but comes with an industry-leading 90-day money-back guarantee
What is the best VPS hosting service?
**Our choice for the best VPS hosting is Bluehost A time-tested provider and industry heavyweight, Bluehost is one of the few hosting providers specifically recommended by WordPress. It has above-average load times and uptimes, relatively low fees, and 24/7 live chat support
Close behind is Hostinger's VPS plans, which are fantastic value for money, with one of the best resource-to-price ratios. The computing power, bandwidth allocation, and storage space you get are all great, and you can choose from 10 hosting plans.
Getting the best price requires paying for 48 months in advance, so if youâÃÂÃÂre not willing to make such a long commitment, we recommend InMotion Hosting instead. Though itâÃÂÃÂs more expensive, the pricing plans are straightforward and well specified.
For managed VPS hosting, we recommend Liquid Web. Again, it's not the cheapest, but itâÃÂÃÂs known for its outstanding server speed and stability. Liquid Web is one of the few hosts around with a 100% uptime guarantee, and it has three state-of-the-art data centers in Arizona, Lansing, and Michigan.
If you have a specific VPS configuration in mind, Hostwinds may be the best choice. It has 10 VPS plans to choose from, and supports many Linux distributions. Where other hosts typically charge much more for Windows installations, Hostwinds adds a mere
5 a month**
|Web hosting provider||Entry price||Unmetered bandwidthLinux and Windows options|
|Bluehost (opens in new tab17.99 a monthBoth available|
|Hostinger3.95 a monthLinux only|
|InMotion Hosting (opens in new tab24.99 a monthLinux only|
|Liquid Web (opens in new tab15 a monthBoth available|
|Hostwinds10.99 a monthBoth available|
## The best VPS hosting services available
Bluehost is one of the worldâÃÂÃÂs largest web hosting companies, serving over two million domains from its 50,000-square-foot facility in Utah. For VPS hosting, you can choose from three plans, all of which come with SSL certification, cPanel, and a domain for one year. You can set up unlimited email accounts and sub-domains
The cheapest option has an introductory rate of
17.99 a month which becomes 29.99** on renewal. For this, youâÃÂÃÂll get a static IP address, two CPU cores, 2GB RAM, 30GB SSD storage, and 1TB bandwidth. The most expensive Ultimate plan is 57.99** for the first term, rising to 119.99 a month** on renewal. With the Ultimate plan, you get two IP addresses, four CPU cores, 8GB RAM, 120GB SSD storage, and 3TB bandwidth
Optional add-ons like domain privacy, domain protection, and automatic malware scans are relatively expensive, so factor the costs of these extras into your calculations if you need them. Bluehost has 24/7 live chat support and a toll-free US support number
Read our Bluehost review (opens in new tab)
Hostinger has been providing excellent hosting service since 2004, and its VPS hosting is second to none. You can choose from six VPS hosting plans. With the lowest tier plan, you get one CPU, 1GB RAM, 20GB storage, and 1TB bandwidth. Higher-tiers give you moreâÃÂÃÂup to eight CPUs, 8GB RAM, 160GB storage, and 8TB bandwidth
Plans are good value and can be more affordable if youto multiple years of service. You can get the single-CPU plan for the equivalent of
3.95 a month** if you pay for the first 48 months in advance, but after that, the plan renews at 8.16 a month Opt for the most powerful eight-CPU plan, and youâÃÂÃÂll pay the equivalent of 77.99 a month** if you buy 48 months up front. After that, youâÃÂÃÂll pay 131.99 a month**
A Hostinger VPS will have a dedicated IP and IPv6 support, and be hosted on a 100Mb/s network. Linux users can choose between Ubuntu, CentOS, Fedora, Debian, and SUSE. In addition, the company has a 24/7 live chat service if you run into any issues. The lower price of HostingerâÃÂÃÂs long-term VPS plans is what tempts most people to try its service, and with its 30-day full refund policy, you can do so without worry
Read our Hostinger review (opens in new tab)
VPS hosting providers know that a low headline rate attracts potential customers, but they have to use a few tricks to keep costs so low. Sometimes the physical hardware used is underpowered, particularly on entry-level VPS plans
Often, important features such as cPanel administration and backups are add-ons that youâÃÂÃÂll need to buy, raising the price significantly. ItâÃÂÃÂs also common to offer an attractive introductory price if the buyer pays multiple years up front, only to hike the price substantially when the honeymoon period is over
InMotion Hosting takes a different approach. The basic VPS plan from InMotion Hosting costs
24.99 a month** over two years, which is far from the cheapest option around. However, the plan includes three dedicated IPs, 4GB RAM, 75GB storage, 4TB bandwidth, backups, a cPanel license, and a 90-day money-back guarantee. You get much more for your money with InMotion
The host also offers interesting features seldom found elsewhere. Unlocked CPU cores let you spread your processing load across all the server cores, instead of being locked down to one or two cores. This can mean a big performance boost for multi-threaded processing tasks
InMotion Hosting also offers Launch Assist, which is included for free on all managed VPS servers or available for
99** on other plans. You get a two-hour consultation from a server administrator, who will help you move your site to InMotion, migrate the domain name, configure cPanel, and install applications
InMotion Hosting is a professional VPS provider with well-specified plans, great technical support, and a 90-day money-back guarantee
Read our full InMotion Hosting review (opens in new tab)
Liquid Web has been offering managed hosting solutions for over 20 years and now has over 32,000 customers worldwide and over half a million websites
You probably donâÃÂÃÂt want to choose Liquid Web just for the price; itâÃÂÃÂs a more comprehensive product that focuses on quality, performance, and support. The cheapest VPS plan is the equivalent of
35 a month** if you pay annually, but it comes with a generous four CPU cores, 2GB RAM, 100GB SSD storage, 100GB backup, and a massive 10TB bandwidth
You can configure your VPS with Debian 8, CentOS 6, Ubuntu 14.04, or Ubuntu 16.04, and you have a choice of control panels, such as cPanel, Plesk, and InterWorx
More importantly, Liquid WebâÃÂÃÂs VPS are managed products. The hosting company will fully support the base operating system that you install, and it will proactively restore services that have failed for any reason, at no extra cost. Liquid Web also has outstanding customer support, with 24/7, 365 days a year phone and chat support that has a 59-second initial response guarantee
Consider Liquid Web even if youâÃÂÃÂre not bowled over by its headline prices, because it's cheaper than many others when you account for all the extra features. Having arguably the best technical support in the business available to you at any time can make running your VPS a breeze
Read our Liquid Web review (opens in new tab)
Hostwinds has 10 VPS hosting plans for unmanaged and managed Windows and Linux installations that can appeal to everyone, from first-time users to big businesses. The entry-level, unmanaged Windows tier is just
12.74 a month but itâÃÂÃÂs somewhat underpowered (one CPU core, 1GB RAM, 30GB storage, and 1TB bandwidth). You can add extras like cloud backups and basic server monitoring for 6 a month**
Most businesses would need something more like the Tier Four unmanaged Windows plan from Hostwinds. At
42.74 a month it comes with two CPU cores, 6GB RAM, 100GB storage, and 2TB bandwidth. The Tier Ten unmanaged Windows plan initially costs 431.24 a month and includes 16 CPU cores, 96GB RAM, 750GB storage, and 9TB bandwidth. This is overkill for just about everyone, but gives you an idea of how scalable Hostwinds is
All plans have interesting configuration options. For example, you can choose from the usual Linux distributions, such as Fedora, Ubuntu, Debian, and CentOS, but you can also choose Windows Server 2008, 2012, or 2016. Installing Windows only costs an extra
5 a month which is great value
Read our Hostwinds review (opens in new tab)
## VPS hosting FAQs
What is VPS web hosting?
**A virtual private server (VPS) carves out a dedicated space on an existing shared server Via the virtualization process, you have your own resources for hosting without having to pay for CPUs and RAM, and providers can thus host multiple VPSs on one server
With VPS hosting, you only pay for resources used, and it's just a question of choosing between managed vs unmanaged hosting (opens in new tab). The former sees IT professionals maintain, update, and configure hosting for you, including installing security updates and backing up data.
If you manage the VPS yourself, you're responsible for all of this, which requires high levels of technical experience. If you've got that knowledge, a VPS can be extremely customizable and configurable, as you have your own operating system, and completely control your particular server
Which are the best cheap VPS hosting providers?
**The best VPS hosting providers for cheap are Hostinger and** **Hostwinds which offer baseline VPS hosting for 3.95 a month** and 4.99 a month** respectively
Hostinger's VSP 1 plan offers 1GB RAM, 20GB SSD storage, 1TB bandwidth, and a dedicated IP as well as full root access. Hostwinds' single CPU unmanaged Linux plan includes 1GB RAM, 30GB storage, and 1TB bandwidth
## How to choose the best VPS hosting
Due to its more technical nature, VPS hosting can seem complex. It's wise to
**think carefully and consider options and make sure you select the right plan for you. We recommend starting with **identifying the operating system you need to work with whether Linux (opens in new tab) or Windows (opens in new tab). Most hosts offer Linux VPS, while Windows VPS is a little less common
Consider as well the level of resources like
**storage **RAM and **bandwidth** you'll require. Make sure you know what you need in terms of hosting management, as VPS hosting is available across managed, semi-managed, and unmanaged options. **Managed VPS hosting** is less flexible and more expensive, but you donâÃÂÃÂt need much technical knowledge
Our top recommendation is to
**set a clear budget and stick with it **Create a shortlist of options and undertake extra research to find the best match: everyoneâÃÂÃÂs VPS hosting needs are different
## How we review the best VPS hosting
In reviewing the best VPS hosting,
**we test** **response times and uptimes over a two-week period to see how the site performs. These metrics are key as should a site be offline or slow to respond, your business can lose revenue and custom
We do this by creating a
**custom-built tester website **with the host, **testing the site creation process as we go If it doesn't have a builder, we'll use another service, import that site, and focus on **a specific or important feature or tool **We study ** **web security** (opens in new tab) ** features and settings and **the responsiveness of customer service and support teams As a user, you don't want to be stuck with a problem you can't solve, or be waiting for help for too long. We also **establish their level of knowledge and competence** at the same time. **Pricing **is examined in-depth as web hosts are known for oft-confusing, ever-changing pricing plans, which begin with large initial discounts but see huge increases after your first term. Additionally, we **compare hosts to competitors **during the review process, and aim to provide as much information to you about how they compare and contrast with one another
## Next steps with web hosting
When planning on getting into web hosting, you should start by learning how to host a website (opens in new tab), and how to avoid common hosting mistakes (opens in new tab). It's worth looking into anonymous website hosting (opens in new tab), and searching for the best website builders (opens in new tab) with which to create your new site
After you've chosen a domain name (opens in new tab) and registered your domain (opens in new tab), it's also worth establishing how hosting can affect SEO (opens in new tab). If you're wondering how VPS servers compare to dedicated server hosting, read our comparison pitting dedicated servers vs VPS (opens in new tab); to learn about the two dedicated hosting types, take a look at our comparison pitting bare metal vs dedicated servers (opens in new tab)
We've also put together a range of buying guides covering other areas of web hosting, including the best unlimited web hosting (opens in new tab); the best cloud hosting (opens in new tab); the best WordPress hosting (opens in new tab); and the best free web hosting (opens in new tab). In turn, we compared web hosting vs WordPress hosting to point out the differences and similarities.