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Compare MS SQL Hosting Services

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HostGator

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Best MS SQL hosting

Why it’s best: Inexpensive but reliable, 24/7 support

$2.75 per month

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  • Inexpensive and trustworthy hosting packages
  • Windows hosting includes Plesk control panel, IIS, and ASP.NET
  • 24/7 phone, email, chat support
Liquid Web

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Best fully managed MS SQL hosting

Why it’s best: Specializes in fully managed hosting plans

$25 per month

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  • MS SQL database available as a cloud service
  • Use MS SQL services from either a Linux or a Windows platform
  • High availability and multiple hardware nodes, backup included

 

How Did We Choose the Best MS SQL Hosts?

We short-listed web hosts that offer Windows hosting, provide an ideal server environment, provide expert support, SSDs for speed, and daily backups. Then we cross-referenced these hosts with our database of thousands of expert and user reviews.

What Is MS SQL?

Microsoft SQL Server (or MS SQL) is Microsoft’s database management application. It is a relational database management system (RDBMS) built using the structured query language (SQL). Applications using Windows technologies — such as .NET — are ideally suited for pairing with an MS SQL database. Only a minority of web hosts offer Windows hosting, and not all of these are good choices.

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MS SQL home page screenshot via Digital

Whether your hosting provider offers Linux or Windows servers, chances are you’re going to need access to a database of some sort if you’re building a website.

Creating and managing databases is an essential part of many Web applications, including e-commerce, interactive games, and content management systems (CMS) like WordPress.

How to Choose an MS SQL Web Host

What are you going to be doing with your website? That will determine if MS SQL is right for you.

When you’re planning a website, the first step is to decide what software will run on the site. You need to choose database management software that works with the site software. Most hosts do not support MS SQL. In a sense, this makes finding a host easier because there aren’t as many of them. But you still want to get the best host for your purposes.

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You should ask several questions before you commit to an MS SQL host:

  1. What version of Windows and MS SQL are they running?
  2. What kind of management tools do they have? Are they running the SQL Server Management Studio?
  3. Do they have the SQL Server Analysis Services available?
  4. Are Windows servers part of their core business or are they an afterthought?
  5. How knowledgeable are staff about Microsoft products?

Microsoft points out that a virtual machine with MS SQL Server installed is a perfectly valid alternative to Azure SQL, particularly if you want a fast and easy move to the cloud without the worry of per-hour billing.

SQL Server on Azure is licensed rather than being charged as a service, but you have to pay for Azure storage costs.

Best MS SQL Hosting Providers

HostGator Logo

HostGator

Most affordable MS SQL hosting

  • Inexpensive and trustworthy hosting packages
  • Windows hosting includes Plesk control panel, IIS, and ASP.NET
  • 24/7 phone, email, chat support
Visit HostGator

Summary

  • Starting price
    • $2.75 per month
  • Why it’s best
    Inexpensive but reliable, 24/7 support
HostGator-hero-banner

HostGator lies on the inexpensive but reliable end. Its Windows web site hosting plans include the Plesk control panel, IIS, and ASP.NET. Plus, you get unlimited subdomains and email accounts. Support is available by phone, email, or chat 24 hours a day.

Pros and cons of HostGator

Pros

  • Inexpensive and reliable hosting
  • 24/7 customer support
  • unlimited subdomains and email accounts

Cons

  • Servers still run SQL Server 2008 R2

What customers are saying about HostGator

HostGator is a good fit for beginners seeking a web host with various features. The customer service and prices are favorable but avoid paying for unnecessary extras. Note there are limitations to the SEO capabilities.
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Liquid Web

Best fully managed MS SQL hosting

  • MS SQL database available
  • Use MS SQL services from either a Linux or a Windows platform
  • high availability and multiple hardware nodes, backup included
Visit Liquid Web

Summary

  • Starting price
    • $25 per month
  • Why it’s best
    Specializes in fully managed hosting plans
Liquid-Web-private-cloud-by-VMware

Liquid Web specializes in fully managed hosting plans, but the cost is substantial. The host makes the MS SQL database available as a separate service, so you can use it from either a Linux or a Windows platform. The service is designed for high availability, with multiple hardware nodes, and backup is included. Windows or Linux is available on dedicated, cloud VPS, and cloud dedicated host plans.

Pros and cons of Liquid Web

Pros

  • Use from Linux or Windows
  • Designed for high availability

Cons

  • Fully managed service is more costly

What customers are saying about Liquid Web

Liquid Web allows you to easily host many websites. The tech support is open every day of the year, but there are some billing and customer service issues.
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Frequently Asked Questions About MS SQL

What is MS SQL?

MS SQL is Microsoft SQL Server. It’s a database technology produced by Microsoft.

What is an RDBMS?

MS SQL is a relational database management system (RDBMS). An RDBMS is a software application that creates and manages data that is saved in a table format, where all tables are related to other tables – hence the word ‘relational’. The table structure is sometimes referred to as a relational model. MySQL and MariaDB are also relational databases.

Is Microsoft SQL Server open source?

No. It is closed source, proprietary software that is developed and sold by Microsoft.

Is there a free version of Microsoft SQL Server?

Yes, the Express version is free. However, it’s designed for very small projects. In a business or hosting situation, the free version is not powerful enough to run a website.

Why would I use MS SQL instead of another database?

If you’re developing applications on Windows servers, using Windows technologies, MS SQL is probably the most logical database to use. It is the best option if you need to tightly integrate an application with Windows authentication, and the easiest choice for developing .NET applications.

What are the most popular alternatives to MS SQL?

There are many alternatives to MS SQL, and if you don’t need Windows, a Linux-compatible database server will be cheaper to obtain on a hosting environment. The most commonly deployed database servers are MySQL, Postgres, and MariaDB, which are all open source. The vast majority of hosting providers include at least one MySQL database with every hosting account, as part of the LAMP stack (Linux, Apache, MySQL, PHP). Some developers prefer to use MariaDB, which was created in reaction to Oracle, which builds their own closed-source database of the same name, purchasing MySQL.

What development tools are available for MS SQL?

Microsoft Visual Studio has built-in support for MS SQL Server. Developers can use it to write queries and debug code. It also includes a visual interface for data designers to graphically create a database schema. Microsoft also develops an application called the Business Intelligence Development Studio, which is an IDE used for developing data analysis.

Is MS SQL a good choice for a new CMS?

Probably not. Content management systems are relatively easy to create, and MS SQL could be overkill in that situation. Additionally, if you are hoping that other people will use your CMS, it is probably better to use something that has more cross-platform support, like MySQL.

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