The Best Windows Hosting Services of 2022

Compare Windows Hosting

Windows hosting has a variety of advantages, especially for users who prefer certain programming languages, need more control, and dislike cPanel. While Windows hosting is available at all levels, there are fewer overall web hosts that offer Windows hosting services. Therefore, it can be challenging to find Windows hosting with all the features you need. It also comes with a higher price tag, so you want to make sure you’re getting the most for your money. This article delves into the pros and cons of Windows hosting, and gives our top picks for the best Windows hosting services available.

The Best Windows Hosting Services

• Bluehost: Best Overall Hosting
• DreamHost: Best Shared Hosting
• A2 Hosting: Best Hosting for Speed
• Siteground: Best Hosting for Customer Support
• WP Engine: Best Managed WordPress Hosting
• Hostinger: Best Budget Hosting
• HostGator: Best VPS Hosting
• GreenGeeks: Best Eco-Friendly Hosting
• Inmotion: Best Uptime
• GoDaddy: Best Bundle Offer

How Did We Pick the Best Hosts for Windows?

We gathered all the Windows hosting plans from the more than 1,500 hosting plans we’ve reviewed over the last decade. We then combined them with our thousands of customer reviews to determined the top-10 Windows hosts.

Bluehost: Best Overall Hosting

Bluehost is a large website host well-known in the industry for its WordPress expertise. It is also popular for its variety of “one-stop-shop” solutions and services, as well as bargain prices. Bluehost currently powers over 2 million sites worldwide, mainly out of its huge data center in Utah. Also, the company offers almost every website hosting service that you might possibly need, such as advanced hosting like VPS, managed WordPress hosting and dedicated server. Besides offering a complete range of website hosting services, the company provides SEO services, marketing training, social media marketing, graphic design services, and content creation.

Bluehost also has an advanced and reliable WordPress hosting category called WP Pro. Note that WP Pro is available in 3 tiers. It is an excellent managed WordPress offering that gives your website back end the coveted white-glove treatment and also includes amazing social media, SEO, and email marketing tools. And WP Pro’s 3 plans (Grow, Build, and Scale) all feature unlimited website hosting, domains, monthly data transfers, and storage, which is great.

Pros and Cons of Bluehost Managed Hosting Services

Bluehost is an incredibly reliable hosting provider that has strong customer service, offers uptime, and great value for money. So, if you are looking to host your WordPress website, this is one of the best providers for you.

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DreamHost: Best Shared Hosting

DreamHost is one of the biggest names in the business, notable for their WordPress hosting plans and 97-day money-back guarantee. If you’re looking for shared hosting, then you can choose from either the Shared Starter plan or Shared Unlimited, both of which come with a free domain, free SSL certificate, and website builder. The Starter plan costs $2.59 per month and supports one website, with email costing an extra $1.67 per month. The Unlimited plan offers unlimited websites and unlimited email at your domain for $4.95 per month. With either plan, you’ll get unlimited bandwidth and storage, automated backups, and an easy-to-use control panel. As for support, DreamHost promises 24/7 availability, although live chat is only available between 5:30 a.m. and 9:30 p.m. PST. There’s also an online knowledge base where you can find detailed guides and answers to frequently asked questions. If you’re in the market for something other than shared hosting, you can also choose cloud hosting, VPS hosting, dedicated hosting, or standalone email hosting.

Pros & Cons of DreamHost Web Hosting

With a 97-day money-back guarantee and unlimited bandwidth and storage, DreamHost is a cost-effective hosting provider with a range of different services. However, not all of their offerings are available on Windows servers, so you’ll need to confirm its suitability before settling on a plan. For example, their cloud servers come preloaded with Linux, but can be configured to run Windows or another operating system of your choice.

What Customers Are Saying

DreamHost gets positive reviews for its technical capabilities and customer support: “I have never had an issue that was not resolved quickly, and in some cases DreamHost proactively dealt with the issue before I was aware of it.” Another customer says that “I’ve rarely had a problem with their service and when there is a glitch, they are on it, helping a not-particularly-computer-literate person fix the problem quickly.”

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A2 Hosting: Best Hosting for Speed

While A2 Hosting is known for its Linux hosting plans, as of this writing, its website says that Windows hosting plans will be coming soon, and “our engineers are still perfecting our Windows platform.” So if you’re interested in this hosting provider, you can sign up to be notified by email and get “special deals when we launch.” If their other pricing plans are anything to go by, you can expect to pay $2.99 per month for a Startup plan, which comes with one website and 100 GB storage, or $4.99 per month for a Drive plan, which includes unlimited websites and storage. Their Turbo Boost and Turbo Max plans cost a bit more, but provide up to 20 times faster server speeds. A2 Hosting plans come with a free SSL certificate, 24/7/365 customer support, and free site migration, and automatic backup options. Their data centers are located in the U.S., Europe, and Asia, and you can choose which one you want to use. You’ll also get the benefit of a 30-day money-back guarantee, and prorated refunds after that.

Pros & Cons of A2 Hosting Web Hosting

Windows hosting plans are still in the works, so if you’re trying to get started right away, then A2 Hosting may not be an option. But with their impressive uptime, 24/7 customer support, and generous refund policy, they may be worth the wait. In the meantime, you can explore their other hosting options, including dedicated servers and VPS hosting.

What Customers Are Saying Customers speak highly of their pricing plans and customer support. One reviewer says, “A2 Hosting is a cost-effective deal for both companies and Small-Medium Businesses,” while another says, “I am very pleased and impressed with the level of support from A2 Hosting — that’s in addition to their excellent documentation.”

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Siteground: Best Hosting for Customer Support

SiteGround is one of the more popular shared hosting providers and the company provides multiple server types like shared, WordPress, WooCommerce, and cloud hosting services. When it comes to the performance of their servers, SiteGround beats out most of their competition. These servers have an average page loading speed of 534ms and an uptime of 99.99%.

SiteGround also excels at customer service and tech support. They are available to help with any issues that develop with your site 24/7. Their reps are very knowledgeable about their systems and resolve most issues promptly.

SiteGround’s hosting services come with a variety of bonuses like a free SSL certificate, email accounts, and CDN. Their plans also offer free website migrations for customers who already have websites hosted by a different provider. Other noteworthy features that come with SiteGround hosting include:

• Integrations with popular apps like Weebly, WordPress, and Drupal
• Reseller and collaboration tools
• Unmetered SSD storage and bandwidth
• 24/7 customer service with Live Chat support system for quick access

Pros and Cons of SiteGround Managed Hosting Services

What Customers Are Saying

SiteGround doesn’t offer much storage compared to other shared web hosting providers. However, it receives nearly universal praise for its customer service, with customers reporting near-instantaneous responses. That response time adds a significant element of peace of mind for users who need some extra help setting up the platform or working through any unexpected issues.

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WP Engine: Best Managed WordPress Hosting

WP Engine doesn’t offer standard web hosting, so they aren’t the right provider for you if you’re looking for Windows servers. What they offer is managed WordPress hosting, and they can help you create everything from blogs to enterprise-level websites. They also offer a free WordPress development environment called Local, which you can install on Windows, Mac, and Linux devices to build, test, and deploy WordPress sites. When you’re ready to go, you can connect it to WP Engine and deploy your sites.

WP Engine’s Startup plan costs $25 per month, and supports a single website, with 10 GB storage, 50 GB bandwidth, and up to 25,000 visits per month. Growth starts at $95 per month, and includes 20 GB storage, 200 GB bandwidth, and up to 10 websites. If you need more than that, you can choose from the Scale or Custom plans. All plans include a global CDN, automated SSL certificates, and an SSH gateway.

Pros & Cons of WP Engine Web Hosting

WP Engine is for individuals or businesses who want to design a professional website using WordPress. Although it isn’t an alternative to Windows web hosting, WP Engine offers some tools for Windows users, including Local, a development environment for building and testing WordPress sites. Support is available 24/7, but customers on the Starter plan are limited to phone support during CST business hours.

What Customers Are Saying

One customer speaks highly of their experience with the support team: “I’ve needed help with technical questions and troubleshooting several times … and the chat tech support specialists are always excellent. I get really clear answers in a very timely manner and they often think of things I haven’t even thought of yet.”

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Hostinger: Best Budget Hosting

Hostinger offers a wide variety of hosting plans, including shared, cloud, email, and VPS hosting. Windows users can choose from four Windows VPS options, all of which come with a 30-day money-back guarantee and 24/7 customer support. Windows VPS 1 starts at $26 per month, and includes 2 GB RAM, 50 GB storage, and 4 TB bandwidth. VPS 2 starts at $62 per month, and increases the specs to 4 GB RAM, 100 GB storage, and 5 TB bandwidth. Options 3 and 4 offer even more bandwidth and storage, maxing out at $250 per month.

You’ll also get a dedicated IP address, full root user access with SSH control, and Windows Server 2012 layout. Hostinger supports high-level data backup management, an easy-to-use VPS control panel, and applications in .ASP, .NET, VB, and other programming languages. Other useful tools include a domain name checker to help you find a new domain, and a drag-and-drop website builder with professionally-created templates.

Pros & Cons of Hostinger Web Hosting

Hostinger offers everything from cloud and VPS hosting to Minecraft hosting, so they’re a pretty well-rounded hosting provider. They don’t offer Windows servers for all options, though, so they may not be the right fit for all users. Their Power store makes it easy to add on additional features, such as Cloudflare protection, G Suite, and business email, but customer support is limited to live chat — no phone or ticketing system.

What Customers Are Saying

Users say that Hostinger offers good value for the price: “They are reliable and patient. Even when it is a problem on my end, they help me out.” Another says, “Considering the cheap price, it is a great deal. They offer so many features even on their cheapest plan.”

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HostGator: Best VPS Hosting

HostGator offers several impressive features, including a full migration service, 24/7/365 support, and a 45-day money-back guarantee. They offer dedicated hosting, WordPress hosting, VPS hosting, and more, as well as a drag-and-drop website builder. When it comes to Windows hosting, they offer two plans for your ASP.NET website. The Personal plan starts at $4.76 per month, supports one domain, and includes a free SSL certificate. The Enterprise plan starts at $14.36 per month and supports five domains and a dedicated IP address. Both plans come with unmetered bandwidth and storage.

HostGator’s Windows hosting features include the Parallels Plesk control panel, as well as unlimited subdomains, email addresses, and FTP accounts. You’ll also get access to over 4,000 website templates and one-click script install. In addition, to support via chat and phone, you can view over 500+ video tutorials in the online support portal.

Pros & Cons of HostGator Web Hosting

HostGator is known for its shared hosting, which comes with unmetered bandwidth and storage and plenty of other useful features. HostGator doesn’t currently offer Windows VPS hosting, though, so keep that in mind if you’re thinking of scaling up in the future. All plans are backed by a money-back guarantee and 24/7 customer support.

What Customers Are Saying

One customer says: “We have been with HostGator for over 5 years, and they haven’t given us a reason to switch.” Another says, “I have been with the Gators for the past 7 years … and I have to say their uptime record is remarkable.” A third says it’s “an ideal source for shared web hosting and VPS solutions for bloggers or anyone else.”

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GreenGeeks: Best Eco-Friendly Hosting

GreenGeeks prides itself as an eco-friendly web hosting service. It was started by experts with plenty of experience in the industry, and it offers unlimited bandwidth and an impressive 99.99% uptime. Plans start at $2.49 a month for Lite, which includes one website, 50 GB storage, a free domain name for the first year, and a free wildcard SSL. The Lite plan is for customers who are just getting started with web hosting.

The Pro and Premium are more powerful plans for clients who need the upgrades. These plans run $4.95 or $8.95 per month respectively and come with unlimited websites and additional features, such as a free dedicated IP in the case of Premium. GreenGeeks’ pricing comparison page also notes you’ll get increased RAM access, CPU cores, Inodes, and more with the Pro and Premium plans.

Pros & Cons of GreenGeeks Web Hosting

Pros

1. Solid uptime
2. Generous storage

Cons

1. Prices are above average

What Customers Are Saying

In addition to its low prices and environmentally friendly green match program, customers are highly praised for the GreenGeeks setup process powered by Softaculous. Softaculous makes it easy to install various applications, including WordPress, Drupal, and Joomla, after getting started with your GreenGeeks subscription.

Summary
Starting Price	Personal: $4.76/month Enterprise: $14.36/month
Features	24/7 Support Free Domain Website Builder
Money-Back Guarantee	45 Days

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Inmotion: Best Uptime

InMotion Hosting is one of the largest managed hosting providers around. They offer an assortment of server types like shared, VPS, WordPress, dedicated, and cloud servers. InMotion has been around since 2001 and they currently host over 300,000 websites from their data centers in Virginia Beach and Los Angeles. InMotion Hosting also maintains skilled customer service and tech support teams. This makes it possible for users with limited knowledge about web development to use their platform with ease.

InMotion’s servers have an average uptime of 99.84% and their page loading speeds are somewhat slow coming in at only 1168ms. InMotion Hosting is big on open source projects and their platform is integrated with over 300 applications like Joomla and WordPress. WordPress users will appreciate the free premium plugin Sucuri that automatically scans your website searching for security risks. Other noteworthy benefits that come with InMotion Hosting plans include:

• Free migrations
• Google Apps integration
• Smartwall Threat Defense System

Pros and Cons of InMotion Hosting Managed Hosting Services

Pros

1. Great customer service and tech support
2. Simple user interface
3. Two free domains

Cons

1. Slow page load speeds
2. Potential setup delays

What Customers Are Saying

Customer reviews mention the excellent customer support received when logging in to chat or the online portal. They also mention smooth and professional migrations and other services, though consumers have found some delays due to the company’s verification and security processes.

Summary
Starting Price	WordPress Hosting Personal and SMB: plans starting from $6.99 per month VPS: plans starting from $29.99 per month Managed Dedicated: plans starting at $139.99 per month
Features	24/7 Support Money-back Guarantee Free domain
Money-Back Guarantee	90 Days

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GoDaddy: Best Bundle Offer

GoDaddy offers Windows hosting for ASP.NET, .Net Core, and SQL server users, with an easy-to-use Onyx Plesk control panel and one-click install of WordPress, Drupal, and Joomla. You’ll also get 200 MB MSSQL database storage and DDoS protection. The Economy plan starts at $5.99 per month, and includes 100 GB storage for a single website, plus unmetered bandwidth. The Deluxe plan supports unlimited websites and storage for $7.99 per month, while Ultimate includes an SSL certificate and additional features for $12.99 per month. All plans come with a free domain name and a free year of Office 365 email, while website backups cost an extra $2.99 per month. GoDaddy provides 24/7 security monitoring, as well as 24/7 customer support. If you subscribe to an annual plan, you’ll get a 30-day money-back guarantee, but monthly subscribers only have 48 hours to request a full refund. GoDaddy also offers Linux hosting and managed WordPress hosting with an integrated website builder.

Pros & Cons of GoDaddy Web Hosting

GoDaddy’s hosting plans can accommodate everyone from experienced developers to small businesses looking to host their first website. You’ll even get Office 365 Email for free for your first year. Some important features cost extra through, such as automatic backups, and you can expect to pay higher rates when you renew your plan.

What Customers Are Saying One customer was happy with GoDaddy’s “reliable servers, competitive pricing, and excellent customer service, personalized to my business.” Another says, “GoDaddy’s Pro program is a must-have for any web designer/developer, as it makes it incredibly easy to handle all the logistics around clients’ accounts.”

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Windows Hosting – What You Need to Know

A Windows-driven hosting solution can provide significant advantages for those using ASP and .NET scripts or Microsoft Exchange (at a premium price). But before discussing this, let’s get one thing out of the way: You don’t need a Windows server just because you use a Windows PC or laptop. Web hosting is completely independent of your own set-up at home or in the office.

Linux or Windows Hosting Platform?

Choosing a new hosting plan is a complicated process. As well as different capacities and resource allocations, you’ll also come across different platforms: Windows and Linux. There are various versions of both to choose from. Before signing up, you will need to decide whether Linux hosting will be the right option for your site, or whether you should invest in Windows hosting.

Most low-cost hosting is provided on Linux servers, but a Linux set-up isn’t suitable for everyone. If you designed (or plan to design) your site using ASP and .NET, you’ll need a Windows host to properly support it. And there are some other good reasons to reject Linux hosting, too. The top reasons to choose Windows over Linux hosting are:

1. You are using a programming language/database Linux doesn’t support
2. You aren’t looking for the cheapest option, you prefer more control
3. You want to be able to use Remote Desktop to access your server
4. You are using .NET framework
5. You don’t like cPanel

The table below offers a quick break down of which hosting server you should choose, based on your needs. I will go into greater detail below.

* Windows hosting does support WordPress, but it is easier to use on Linux.

When to Choose Windows Hosting over Linux

The majority of the world’s websites are hosted on Linux servers. While Linux is a great general purpose operating system, you’ll need Windows for specific applications and technologies.

.NET Framework

You’ll need a Windows server for anything that requires the .NET framework. Specifically, Windows is required for anything written in ASP (which stands for Active Server Pages) or ASP.NET.

Visual Basic

You will also need a Windows server if you’re working with Visual Basic (VB). Windows is required if you need to hook into any products in the Microsoft stack, such as Exchange, or if you’re working in SharePoint. This includes designing content in SharePoint Designer.

FrontPage or SQL

It is very difficult (if not impossible) to find a web host that supports FrontPage extensions. Microsoft no longer supports FrontPage Extensions as of July 2015. (More on FrontPage.)

MS Access and MS SQL

If you are using an MS Access database or, if you are an MS SQL Server user, Windows hosting is the right service for you.

When Windows Hosting Won’t Work

If you need to use PHP, CGI, Perl or Python, Linux is a better choice because it’s more of an all-rounder. And while WordPress can be installed on a Windows server, it’s much wiser to go with Linux because of the large amount of support and documentation available to help you resolve problems. Regarding databases, check with your host to see what they offer. Linux tends to use MySQL, while Windows servers usually run MS SQL (and MS Access, to some degree). If you know you’ll need to SSH into your server, you will need to go with Linux hosting.

How Does the Cost of Windows Hosting Compare to Linux Hosting?

If you’re new to web development, you might be reading this page because you’re a little intimidated by Linux. It sounds foreign and technical, and you’ve always used Windows. It likely feels safer and more familiar. When it comes to hosting, however, there really isn’t a big difference because you’re not using a desktop interface anyways, just a control panel. But one big difference that may influence your decision is cost. As a general rule, Windows hosting is always more expensive, just because hosts need to purchase licenses for Windows software.

What About Shared Windows Hosting Prices?

For shared hosting, the cost difference is pretty small between Windows and Linux services. However, if you’re looking for higher performance, like a VPS or dedicated server, many hosts (although not all) charge a significant amount more for Windows hosting. In any case, Linux hosting for a comparable service will rarely be more expensive. With performance and cost being better for Linux hosting, the only clear reason for sticking with Windows hosting is software requirements, which were outlined above.

Control Panels

Hosting control panels vary from host to host, and we recommend sticking with what you know. If you know how to use Plesk, and you find it productive, you’ll find that many Windows hosts support it (as will some Linux hosts). However, if you prefer cPanel and WHM and want to stick with those applications, you must host your site on a Linux machine.

Plesk Control Panel

The Plesk control panel is very good, and some prefer it to cPanel and WHM even when they have the choice. Plesk combines both site and server management into one simple product, versus having to have two separate logins (cPanel for sites, and WHM for servers) to manage your hosting.

There are some other control panels on Windows servers alongside Plesk. DirectAdmin is another option you might see, but it’s nowhere near as common. One handy feature of Windows hosting is the ability to use Remote Desktop direct from your Mac or PC to your server. This is normally only allowed on dedicated server plans.

Pros and Cons of Windows Hosting

All web hosts will allow you to get a simple website online. However, we recommend that you choose Linux hosting unless you have a specific reason to choose Windows. Why?

For those willing to pay a little more and tinker a little less, Windows-based hosting provides a stable platform for building robust Internet applications and websites.

Recommended Reading and Resources

Best ASP.NET Hosting A single-stop reference point for finding the best ASP.NET hosts. Our interactive compare tools will help you make a good choice quickly. Using a MS SQL Database? These Web Hosting Providers Are Your Best Bet Most hosts do not support MS SQL. How do you find a good host? What should you look for? Our veteran software engineer has the answers. ASP Hosting: Which Brand is Best for Your Site in 2018? Support for ASP is expected to continue into 2020. Our guide will save you time and help you find solid hosting options. FrontPage Alternatives Helpful background, history, and details on FrontPage, plus good alternatives to consider. An interesting overview of the history of IIS 7 and the modern .NET framework. Plus technical guidance on hosting. Written by a highly experienced software engineer.  

Frequently Asked Questions About Windows

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