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Hostinger is the best virtual private server (VPS) hosting provider of 2023 based on our testing. For more options, see our other top picks for the best VPS hosting providers.
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For new WordPress sites
Starts at $2.95 per month
- Guided onboarding
- Recommended by WordPress
- 24/7 support
Best security and scalability
Starts at $3.75 per month
- All types of hosting
- Enhanced security tools
- Affordable as you grow
The easiest option
Starts at $2.75 per month
- Great for absolute beginners
- Drag-and-drop website builder
- 150+ free templates
Best VPs Hosting: Our Shortlist
VPS hosting allows you to get the best aspects of both dedicated servers and shared hosting technologies. While you don’t actually have a whole server to yourself, there’s a dedicated spot on the server just for you. You share space with others, but you won’t have as many “neighbors” as with a fully shared hosting service. In addition, the resources on the server that you pay for are used exclusively by your site, which is unlike shared hosting where all the system resources are shared by all the websites.
To find the best VPS hosting providers, we tested various services. Your needs may vary, but we’re confident you’ll find a great provider from the list below for your next website.
Our Top Picks
Best VPS Hosting
Best VPS Hosting Uptime Guarantee
Best VPS Hosting Support
Best VPS Hosting Introductory Rate
Best VPS Hosting Plan Variety
Digital.com dives deep into every topic it covers to offer trusted and reliable recommendations for the best business tools. See how we review VPS hosting.
Tips From an Expert
“While VPS hosting is typically seen as the mid-range option (between shared and dedicated hosting), there are massive differences between what each hosting company offers with this option. When shopping for VPS hosting, make sure you look at the specific features you need whether that be reliability, disk space, customer service, or other things. There will almost certainly be a web hosting company that offers exactly what you need.”
The Best VPS Hosting of 2023
Features
- Dedicated IP address
- Weekly backups
- Full root access
#1 Top Pick for 2023
Why it’s best overall:
Hostinger offers a simple interface for beginners, a dedicated IP address, free domain, weekly backups, and reliable uptime.
Price
$2.99 per month
Managed VPS
No
24-7 Support
Yes
Free Domain
Yes
Read More
Reasons to choose Hostinger
- Very popular
- Affordable hosting options
- 30-day money-back guarantee
- Free domain and SSL certificate for Premium subscribers
Reasons to avoid
- No dedicated servers
- hPanel isn’t as useful as it should be
Hostinger is one of the best hosting companies if you are starting out with a website and seek relatively low prices with an included domain. Its extremely beginner-friendly interface, low hosting rate, and reliable uptime make it the go-to provider for shared hosting.
While Hostinger isn’t the cheapest option on this list (IONOS has them beat on that point), it’s one of the most well rounded overall. Hostinger is one of our favorite hosting providers of 2023 because it performs well. It offers multiple hosting plans, from entry-level ones geared toward beginners to small business hosting.
Most plans even qualify for a free domain name for the first year of service which is a great addition for those just getting started. All hosting packages come with a free shared Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) certificate from Let’s Encrypt SSL that will provide your site with significant security. It also ensures your site is following best practices regarding security, which Google confirms is important for proper SEO.
No matter the plan you pick, Hostinger is a rock solid option for hosting your next project at an affordable rate.
- Who is Hostinger best for?
Hostinger is great for a wide variety of users, though business owners may be particularly drawn to it. Small businesses and entrepreneurs will find a service that has a high level of polish but is affordable, with great options for scaling as your business grows. - Recent upgrades to Hostinger
While Hostinger has been around for over a decade, it is committed to continuous improvement with new technology and features to meet your needs. It added improved WordPress migration, making it easier to import your site from another service as well as updating WordPress security. - Hostinger VPS hosting pricing
There are a few VPS options to choose from, with the lowest priced VPS1 plan starting at $3.99 per month. As your needs grow there are plans you can upgrade to that offer you more server resources such as additional RAM, storage, and bandwidth.
The Bottom Line
Customers praise Hostinger’s ease of use, particularly if you’re just getting started, saying that it’s reliable and has a lot of great features. WordPress support was a high point. Some users are critical of the technical support, but those voices are almost always countered by those who have had a great experience with the support team.
Features
- 1 website
- SSD storage
- Unlimited traffic
- Free domain for 1 year
- No-cost SSL certificate
Price
$10 per month
Managed VPS
Yes
24-7 Support
Yes
Free Domain
Yes
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Reasons to choose DreamHost
- Excellent privacy
- 97-day money-back guarantee
- 100% uptime guarantee
- Eco-hosting
Reasons to avoid
- Extra costs for certain features
- You may pay for some levels of support
DreamHost is one of the oldest and most reliable hosting services. Offering top-class hosting packages at reasonable prices, DreamHost has a particularly great uptime guarantee, ensuring that your website will always be up.
While other providers on this list offer a 100% uptime guarantee, claims like this usually carry some significant caveats. DreamHost doesn’t guarantee your site will never go down, but it offers significant compensation for any downtime which may occur — you’ll receive credit for a free day of service on your next renewal for each hour your site is down.
It offers a lot of hosting options, including shared, VPS, cloud, and dedicated servers, allowing you to choose what best fits your needs. Basic VPS hosting includes 1GB of RAM, 30GB of solid-state drive (SSD) storage, unlimited websites, unlimited bandwidth, and a free SSL certificate.
DreamHost provides its customers with top-of-the-line hosting plans at bargain prices. Regardless of the plan you choose from DreamHost, you will get access to excellent features, including pre-installed WordPress and a free domain for one year.
- Who is DreamHost best for?
I think DreamHost is a great choice for clients from small businesses to large e-commerce websites. Its hosting plans fit personal website builders’ needs. In particular, it is good if you are just starting with shared hosting, as you’ll have a full 97-day money-back guarantee. - Recent upgrades to DreamHost
DreamHost continuously works on upgrading all its services. Many changes were made to the websites section of DreamHost, including a new tech stack, the ability to change domains, WordPress Migrations feature, and DNS Propagation Check to check DNS status. DreamHost also revamped its user interface (UI) and redesigned the control panel. - DreamHost VPS pricing
DreamHost’s lowest priced VPS plan is its “VPS Basic” plan, which has an introductory rate of $10 per month. If you outgrow this plan there are plenty of ways to up your service at a reasonable rate of increase.
The Bottom Line
Customers find DreamHost to be a reliable and affordable hosting provider. DreamHost offers great customer service and a variety of plans. It is easy to use, though there are some complaints that the speed and webmail could be improved.
Features
- Incredible support
- Choice of control panel
- Email hosting included
Price
$15 per month
Managed VPS
Yes
24-7 Support
Yes
Free Domain
Yes
Read More
Reasons to choose Liquid Web
- Choice of control panel
- Incredible support
- Softaculous installer
Reasons to avoid
- Confusing pricing descriptions
- Two Liquid Web portals
Liquid Web is a web hosting provider specializing in VPS and dedicated hosting solutions. The company has second-to-none support and many additional custom options to help you set up your website.
Liquid Web’s dedicated and VPS hosting services are impressive, its support structure is helpful and fast, and there are a ton of options for those looking to customize their experience or needing specific tool integrations.
Liquid Web’s “24/7/365 Human” support was stellar. Every time I reached out to live chat, I got a quick response from a real person, and my issue was resolved — even at odd times and on the weekend. This is especially useful for beginners feeling a little lost in getting started.
Liquid Web partnered with Nexcess in 2019 to add managed hosting services to its portfolio. If you’re less interested in purchasing a whole server and instead want to jump straight to a content or commerce app like WordPress, this may be a good option.
- Who is Liquid Web best for?
Liquid Web is a good choice for small businesses or individuals making their first foray into VPS or dedicated hosting. It is also great for beginners who don’t know how to get started — Liquid Web’s support is excellent and will point you in the right direction. - Recent upgrades to Liquid Web
Liquid Web has recently made the following improvements to its services: Control panel updates: Liquid Web’s control panel is split between a legacy panel (manage.liquidweb.com) and a more modern one (my.liquidweb.com). Partnership with Nexcess: It added managed hosting options to its product portfolio by partnering with Nexcess in 2019. Managed hosting options are great if you just want the hosting software (for example, WordPress) without the responsibility of managing an entire server. - Liquid Web VPS pricing
There are a number of hosting options with Liquid Web, though you would probably be most interested in the VPS plans. An introductory, managed VPS plan starts at $15 per month ($360 billed up front for two years of service) and includes 40GB SSD Disk Space, 10TB of bandwidth, Plesk, InterWorx, or cPanel, and 100GB Acronis Cyber backup.
The Bottom Line
Customers find Liquid Web to be a reputable provider offering dedicated and VPS hosting. They find the service to be easy to use, affordable, and with great uptime. Some found billing to be be confusing, but also said that it has solid customer service for any issues.
Features
- Automatic daily backups
- 30-day money-back guarantee
- Free professional email
Price
$2 per month
Managed VPS
No
24-7 Support
Yes
Free Domain
Yes
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Reasons to choose IONOS
- Proven track record
- Automatic daily backups
- 30-day money-back guarantee
Reasons to avoid
- Only one free SSL certificate per plan
- No cPanel or Plesk
IONOS excels in innovation, reliability, and user experience. But the introductory rate will likely spark your interest — $2 per month for a VPS plan is unmatched in the industry.
While other hosting providers on this list offer lower prices than IONOS over the long haul, you can’t beat its $2 per month introductory offer on the VPS Linux XS plan. This plan comes with 1 vCore CPU, 1GB of RAM, and 10GB of SSD storage and you can add on to your plan options such as backup and recovery by Acronis.
Reliability is also excellent with IONOS. My tests revealed the IONOS servers had an average uptime of 99.995% over the previous 30 days, which is higher than what it claims. Assured reliability is just one of the many benefits of hosting with IONOS, making it a good choice for small- and medium-sized businesses (SMBs), Windows developers, and WordPress professionals.
- Who is IONOS best for?
After extensive testing I found that IONOS is ideal for fledgling companies, providing a good balance between cost-effectiveness and dependability. Plus, it’s super easy to scale when ready. - Recent upgrades to IONOS
IONOS has just revamped its WordPress hosting service with a new emphasis on providing an isolated environment for increased speed and security. It is also developing a new feature that will simplify importing pre-existing projects. - IONOS VPS pricing
IONOS offers a wide range of VPS plans which start at $2 per month and up. The more you’re willing to pay, the more RAM, storage space, and bandwidth you’ll be granted.
The Bottom Line
setence or 2Customers feel that IONOS is a low-cost and simple web host ideal for SMBs. It offers a lot of customization options and provides top-notch customer support. Its server speed and uptime also receive good marks.
Features
- Depth of hosting plan customization
- Application-specific hosting
- Fast and knowledgeable live chat
Price
$4.99 per month
Managed VPS
Yes
24-7 Support
Yes
Free Domain
Yes
Read More
Reasons to choose Hostwinds
- Depth and breadth of options
- Free migration
- Application-specific hosting
Reasons to avoid
- Backups are not included
- Some plan options can be confusing
Hostwinds may be one of the lesser-known providers on this list, but its service is still excellent. It caters to a smaller-scale audience, and the no-nonsense plans and pricing mean you’ll know exactly what you’re getting before you pay.
Out of all of the options on this list, none give you the granular control over your hosting plan like Hostwinds. It offers shared, business, or VPS hosting — plus cloud and dedicated servers —with 10 or more scalable plans for each option. There are over 40 VPS plans alone with 10 available for both Windows and Linux hosting and slightly pricier variations of each in the managed category. It’s a variable buffet of options.
Despite the number of options on the table, it’s simple to see the differences. Broadly speaking, the more you pay per month the more server resources you have access to — CPUs, RAM, storage, and bandwidth. Linux VPS plans are cheaper than Windows plans.
But even if you’re looking for a fully managed Windows plan, the lowest priced option is still only $12.74 per month. Granted, you’re not getting as much storage, processing power, or bandwidth as some of the other providers, but if you’re just starting out you probably won’t need all that extra power anyway.
- Who is Hostwinds best for?
After putting it through its paces, I think Hostwinds will work well for those in the market for small-scale focused hosting. This includes SMBs, individuals, or entrepreneurs. - Recent upgrades to Hostwinds
Hostwinds is constantly working to improve its services. Recently it has made some quality of life improvement to the cPanel. It has also updated its CPSs and removed a lot of outdated legacy equipment, making room for better and more reliable systems. - Hostwinds VPS pricing
There are many plan options with Hostwinds — which can be great if you’re looking for something incredibly specific, but can also be a little overwhelming. The lowest priced VPS hosting plan starts at $4.99 per month, but is an unmanaged Linux hosting plan. A Windows hosting plan will run you almost double at $10.99 per month.
The Bottom Line
Customers give Hostwinds top marks for its customer service and fast loading speeds. It backs its affordable offerings with a 99.9999% uptime guarantee. They find the UI is easy to use, and the Hostwinds include free SSL with its web hosting.
Compare VPS Hosting Providers
Hostinger offers a simple interface for beginners, a dedicated IP address, free domain, weekly backups, and reliable uptime.
VPS Host
Best Features
Pricing
Best Overall VPS
- Very popular
- Affordable hosting options
- 30-day money-back guarantee
- Free domain and SSL certificate for Premium subscribers
$3.99 per month
Best VPS Uptime Guarantee
- 1 website
- SSD storage
- Unlimited traffic
- Free domain for 1 year
- No-cost SSL certificate
$10 per month
Best VPS Hosting Support
- Incredible support
- Choice of control panel
- Email hosting included
$15 per month
Best Introductory Rate
- Automatic daily backups
- 30-day money-back guarantee
- Free professional email
$2 per month
Best VPS Plan Variety
- Depth of hosting plan customization
- Application-specific hosting
- Fast and knowledgeable live chat
$4.99 per month
What You Need to Know
What is VPS hosting?
VPS stands for Virtual Private Server. It’s a type of hosting that bridges the gap between shared hosting and dedicated hosting. It’s technically still a form of shared hosting. But VPS will reserve a certain amount of the server’s resources to your website no matter the amount of traffic to your “neighbors” on the server. It gives you the reliability and consistency of a dedicated server without the much higher cost.
Is VPS hosting better than shared hosting?
It depends on your needs. Shared hosting is a great way to start a website. Consider it a starter home. VPS hosting is the next step when your website has outgrown that starter space and needs more room to stretch out its legs.
Is VPS hosting better than dedicated hosting?
Again, it depends on your needs. If your website is growing and needs more physical resources to keep up with site traffic, upgrading to your dedicated server may be time. However, if your website is holding up well on your plan, there’s no real reason to make that jump. You should only be paying for the amount of service that you need.
What is managed VPS hosting?
“Managed” plans mean that your hosting provider handles some of the backend upkeep of your website. These plans are typically a little pricier, but it can help you focus on aspects of your website that are more important to you. It’s a more convenient and stress-free option. If you don’t consider yourself tech-savvy, you may want to consider managed hosting.
What should I be looking for in a VPS hosting provider?
Beyond your budgetary needs, look up the bandwidth, RAM, CPU capacity, and storage provided by the hosting site. For all of these, more is better. The provider should also allow you to upgrade the plan as your website grows.
How We Review VPS Hosting Providers
I rated web hosts on specific plans and prices, what features are offered, the performance of a hosting company, what type of security is included, and whether the hosting provider is engaging in ongoing improvements.
I signed up for a plan with each provider to test:
I uploaded a basic static site to my web space, including HTML and CSS files and images, and configured Uptime.com to check my site’s availability and server response time at five-minute intervals. This test gave me a general indication of the speed and uptime you will likely experience when you decide on the best web hosting provider for you.
Learn more about our review methodology.