Vultr Review: We Grilled Their SSD Cloud Hosting So You Don’t Have To. Here’s What We Found Out

Vultr Features

The team behind Vultr were also the brains behind both Choopla and GameServers.com. With over 15 years of experience, they are one of the most trusted brands in the field.

Try Vultr. 100% SSD server plans available in 14 cities worldwide

So before we get in and break down each feature in further detail, let’s see what Vultr offers for your future or current business:

• Worldwide network
• Custom control panel
• Outstanding speed
• Dedicated IP Addresses
• Ultra-fast Intel Core
• Great value for money
• Huge variety of data centers
• Three powerful hosting plan types
• Top-of-the-range security

Worldwide Network

Vultr’s biggest boast is that it has 14 city locations to its name. This makes it the largest worldwide network, which is a huge selling point for developers.

Custom Control Panel

The control panel is a key aspect of any cloud service, and Vultr’s control panel is built with the customer in mind. Many features can be installed with just one click. This saved time allows the developer to concentrate on more important issues. Vultr’s cloud control panel has useful features which can benefit you in a variety of ways:

Furthermore, Vultr also supports CentOS control panel.

Outstanding Speed

That speed is evident from the very start too, as the initial activation process takes just minutes. Furthermore, the deployment system will usually complete spins in under one minute.

Dedicated IP Addresses

Another fantastic feature is the dedicated IP addresses, which can be altered. This gives the illusion of a dedicated server while the ultra-fast Intel cores offer fantastic reliability.

Value for Money

The most appealing aspect, though, is the value for money. Vultr stands out head and shoulders above the competition.

Vultr Data Centers

Vultr boasts that it offers 15 data centers around the world to serve you. You might be wondering why this is important.

There are two reasons why you should care: performance and security.

Why Worry About Performance and Security?

First, location matters. Just as driving to a distant location takes longer than driving to somewhere close, serving data from a faraway data center means that it takes longer for data to reach the intended recipient.

By strategically choosing a data center near your users, you will improve the performance of your website (something that is especially important if you are in e-commerce).

Secondly, an expanded network allows the host to back up your data in multiple locations, ensuring that problems with one center do not mean catastrophe for your data. Furthermore, issues with one part of the network are less likely to cause downtime on your website.

Datacenter Security Pre-Cautions

Additionally, there are a number of precautionary measures to take when evaluating a datacenter’s security.

Having said that, which measures are we referring to here exactly? Here are 9 of our top questions to ask when determining the query at hand:

1. Is the datacenter in a discrete location?
2. Is the physical access restricted enough for relevant personnel?
3. Is the physical environment of the datacenter secure?
4. Are there human security measures in place in forms of a security guard?
5. Are there appropriate testing procedures in place?
6. Are there frequent risk assessments scheduled?
7. Is there a form of backup in case of failure?
8. How reliable is the team behind your chosen datacenter?
9. Is the datacenter directly controlled by your host?

While these questions may seem off the charts, especially for someone looking at basic hosting, it’s worth doing your research in the long run. This is especially a case if you’re in charge of a large business operation.

Vultr Hosting Options

Currently, Vultr offers three different types of hosting options. Here’s a high-level overview of what benefits each type offers, as well as information on who should choose that plan type.

Cloud Compute (VC2)

Cloud Computer (VC2) is a cloud-based hosting that does not require a long-term commitment. With this option, you can deploy from any of the fifteen locations around the world almost instantaneously.

As the user, you will get root access to your server instance, API access, your choice of operating system, and a feature-rich control panel to manage everything related to your website and hosting.

Cloud Compute 2 is a great option for those getting started with advanced hosting.

Bare Metal Simplified

For those with resource-intensive web applications and websites, Vultr offers the Bare Metal Simplified option. You can think of this as a dedicated server, but with the customization that makes it easy for you to get up and running with as little hassle as possible. In addition to being able to spin up additional resources using automation, you can deploy in just minutes.

As we previously stated, this is akin to dedicated hosting, so you get full control of your environment, as well as unrestricted access to everything offered by the physical hardware supporting your website.

If you want the most powerful option for your site, but you don’t necessarily want to spend all of your time on system administration, this is the option for you.

Dedicated Instances

As an alternative to the Bare Metal Simplified option, Vultr offers Dedicated Resources, where you can rent fractions of (as well as all of) a dedicated server.

For example, you might want to rent 50% of a dedicated server using hourly billing. You can think of it as a more flexible dedicated server option — you might find the Cloud Compute option too little, but the Bare Metal Simplified to be too much.

Block Storage

Vultr offers a Block Storage option. This is not web hosting, strictly speaking — it is a highly-available (99.99999% availability) storage solution that is replicated three times to ensure that you never lose your data.

If you have lots of data — think product images, descriptions, transaction records — and you aren’t sure how best to ensure that you never lose it, consider the Block Storage option.

Free Trial, Pricing Method, and Support

If reading about the above features doesn’t impress you, then perhaps trying them out for yourself will. Right now, Vultr is offering new customers a $5 free bonus.

User Plans

Vultr’s pricing plans are conducted on an hourly basis, meaning you’ll only pay for what you use. However, with monthly limits capped at 28 days, you’ll never have to pay more than 672 hours in any month.

With a varied selection of eight plans available, the platform is ready to cater to all needs. The most popular plan offers 1 CPU, but users can have up to 24 CPUs.

Meanwhile, the 2000 GB bandwidth and 1024 MB memory is more than enough for most. However, the largest packages see those rates raised to 15000 GB and 65536 MB respectively.

Vultr also offers storage (VLS) and dedicated cloud (VDS) services. Again, there is a high degree of flexibility making it possible to tailor a package to suit individual needs.

Customer Support

With a worldwide presence to boast, Vultr also offers great customer care advice. You can find many FAQs and helpful guides on their website.

It’s also possible to contact the customer care team directly through email, ticketing or social media.

In addition to the internal support, there’s also a vibrant online community. This can be found at discuss.vultr.com and can be very useful for developers of all experience levels.

What are the Pros of Vultr?

Is Vultr a good cloud web host?

Vultr offers 8 public cloud server and 4 dedicated cloud server plans at very affordable prices. This is one of their most appealing aspects, as cloud hosting from Vultr is the value for money.

You get the option of choosing between monthly or hourly billing. Their quick account activation is good, in most cases, they spin up your server within 60 seconds.

The Few Cons of Vultr

As with any server, there are a few minor downsides. Payments are made on the 1st of the month, which can feel a little restricting. Thankfully, the value for money is great.

Meanwhile, some developers may encounter issues such as blocked SMTP. However, this can be rectified by contacting the support team.

Try Vultr. 100% SSD server plans available in 14 cities worldwide

Vultr Plans & Prices

Vultr offers 8 public cloud server and 4 dedicated cloud server plans and you get the option of paying monthly or hourly. Here below is an overview of their plans and current price list (using monthly pricing). For latest and most up to date prices visit Vultr’s website.

Try Vultr. 100% SSD plans starting at $5 per month

Best Vultr alternatives

If you’re still uncertain if Vultr is right for you, check out our sister site, WhoIsHostingThis.com. It will give you a different perspective that should help you make the right choice.