8 Best VPS Hosting Providers For 2024 (Comparison)

Have you outgrown your shared hosting server but aren’t quite ready to move onto cloud or dedicated hosting?

A virtual private server, or VPS hosting, is the perfect gateway between these differing hosting environments.

In this post, we cover the best VPS hosting providers well suited for your more sophisticated projects.

A comparison of the best VPS web hosts

Now, let’s take a look at each VPS web host in full:

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1. DreamHost

DreamHost is a popular WordPress host and one of three hosts recommended by WordPress themselves. Along with VPS hosting, they offer shared, managed WordPress, cloud and dedicated hosting services.

DreamHost offers four different VPS hosting tiers that differ in the amount of RAM and SSD storage available for each. These resources range from 1 to 8GB for RAM and 30 to 240GB for SSD storage.

This service is suitable for all users, developer or not. The servers are managed, which means security and updates are performed by DreamHost. Plus, the user interface of the host’s control panel is well designed and easy to use. If you start pushing the limits of your current resources, you can upgrade to the next RAM and storage tiers in just a few clicks.

This same UI allows you to install applications like WordPress and enable free SSL certificates from Let’s Encrypt in a single click.

Developers looking for root access will need to use DreamHost’s cloud hosting service. However, you can choose between Apache and Nginx-based servers (only Linux is available as an operating system) and use PHP, Perl, Python, Node.js, Ruby and cron. SSH access, OPcache and Phusion Passenger are also included.

Plus, developers can create an unlimited number of sub accounts for team, FTP and client purposes with reseller features available.

DreamHost is a domain name registrar, and its email hosting services are included in its VPS hosting service.

Key Features

• Managed VPS servers
• Unlimited websites
• Up to 8GB of RAM
• Up to 240GB of SSD storage
• Unlimited traffic
• Free SSL certificates
• Unlimited emails
• 100% uptime guarantee
• 24/7 support

Pricing

Plans start at $15/month, $165/year ($13.75/month) or $360 for three years ($10/month).

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2. Liquid Web

Liquid Web is a powerful host that offers high-performing web hosting services at affordable rates. This includes managed WordPress, cloud and dedicated hosting.

They also offer cloud-based, managed VPS servers that are “faster than AWS and Rackspace.” This includes four Linux-based pricing tiers and three Windows-based tiers available as is or bundled with a few of Liquid Web’s add-ons.

These add-ons include a threat stack oversight detection system, web protection package, premium business email service and storage for Acronis Cyber backups.

Available resources include 2 to 8 virtual CPU cores, 2 to 16GB of RAM and 40 to 200GB of SSD storage.

With root access, different OS software to choose from and three choices for control panels, Liquid Web is a little more flexible for developers who want more control over their servers.

Even so, the host’s control panel options are intuitive enough for non-technical users to configure their websites, such as adding additional resources when necessary.

Plus, these servers are managed, so security (DDoS protection and an integrated firewall), updates and other maintenance are handled by Liquid Web.

Key Features

• Managed servers
• Linux or Windows-based servers available
• InterWorx, cPanel and Plesk Web Pro available as control panels for Linux
• Plesk Obsidian available for Windows
• Up to 8 vCPU cores
• Up to 16GB of RAM
• Up to 200GB of SSD storage
• 10TB of bandwidth on all plans
• Dedicated IP address
• Unlimited websites with InterWorx
• Cloudflare CDN integration
• 100% uptime guarantee
• 24/7 support

Pricing

Plans for Linux-based servers start at $59/month, $420* for one year ($35/month) or $360* for two years ($15/month).

Windows-based servers are much more expensive despite having identical resources.

They also offer a 30-day money back guarantee.

*These are introductory rates for new customers.

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3. Hostinger

Hostinger offers a variety of different hosting plans, including shared hosting, cloud hosting, dedicated hosting and even Minecraft hosting.

They offer two VPS hosting services: unmanaged, cloud-based VPS and the same service but with the CyberPanel control panel installed and preconfigured. The latter option is optimized for WordPress and non-technical users.

The host’s regular VPS hosting service is ideal for developers who want more control over their servers. These servers are built for Linux with auto installers available for CentOS, Ubuntu, Fedora, Debian and Suse. Plus, you have full root access, so you can install whatever operating system and control panel you want.

While you’ll be in charge of keeping your OS and control panel up to date, you will have server monitoring, server security via BitNinja, advanced DDoS protection and other custom-built tools for server infrastructure handled for you.

The CyberPanel VPS hosting service is essentially the same service with the same set of resources. This includes 1 to 8 vCPU cores, 1 to 16GB of RAM and 20 to 250GB of SSD storage.

The CyberPanel control panel is preconfigured with this hosting service. It allows you to install WordPress and other content management systems in a few clicks, something that’s a lot more complicated to do with the host’s other VPS service.

Developers and advanced users will enjoy Git deployment, WordPress staging, one-click backup and restore, WP-CLI, and SSH access with this service.

Plus, CyberPanel uses LiteSpeed Cache, which comes with its own Web Access Firewall (WAF) for advanced server security.

Hostinger also offers domains and email hosting.

Key Features

• Unmanaged VPS servers
• Auto installers for OSs and web scripts
• Up to 8 vCPU cores
• Up to 16GB of RAM
• Up to 250GB of SSD storage
• Up to 12TB of bandwidth
• Weekly backups + manual backups
• Free SSL certificates (CyberPanel)
• Dedicated IP address
• 24/7 support

Pricing

Introductory rates for the cheapest plan are $9.95/month, $59.40 for one year ($4.95/month), $102.00 for two years ($4.25/month) and $189.60 for four years ($3.95/month).

One-year, two-year and four-year plans renew at prices that are 50-60% higher than their introductory rates.

They also offer a 30-day money back guarantee.

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4. A2 Hosting

A2 Hosting is a popular cheap yet powerful shared host for WordPress and other CMSs. They offer dedicated hosting and reseller hosting for more-demanding projects and development agencies.

Their VPS hosting service is divided into managed and unmanaged servers. Unmanaged VPS servers have full root access, so you can install any Linux-based OS you want.

This type of server is designed to be controlled via command line management, but quick installation of cPanel is also available for easier server management.

A2 Hosting’s more popular VPS hosting solution lies in their managed servers. Root access is still available for advanced users, but the server is preconfigured with an OS, cPanel and full server maintenance. You can also scale your resources easily when needed.

Resources are the same for both types of servers. These are 1 to 8 CPU cores, 150 to 450GB of SSD or NVMe storage, and 1 to 32GB of RAM.

Key Features

• Managed and unmanaged VPS servers
• Up to 8 CPU cores
• Up to 32GB of RAM
• Up to 450GB of SSD or NVMe storage
• cPanel available for unmanaged servers (preinstalled on managed)
• Free SSL certificates (managed)
• Dedicated IP address
• 24/7 support

Pricing

Pricing for unmanaged VPS hosting plans starts at introductory rates of $6.99/month, $79.08 for one year ($6.59/month) and $179.64 for three years ($4.99/month).

Pricing for managed VPS hosting plans starts at introductory rates of $59.99/month, $599.88 for one year ($49.99/month) and $1,439.64 for three years ($39.99/month).

They also offer a money back guarantee.

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5. GreenGeeks

GreenGeeks is a web host whose infrastructure is powered by 300% renewable “green” energy. They offer shared hosting, WordPress hosting, dedicated servers and reseller hosting.

The host’s VPS hosting service is fully managed. They maintain the physical server and server infrastructure and provide security in the form of 24/7 server monitoring, WAF protection, custom security rules and DDoS protection.

A Linux-based OS and cPanel are also preinstalled and configured, so you can get right to work on installing the CMS of your choice, such as WordPress. It also allows you to manage domains and business email via tools available within cPanel.

Even so, root access is available, so developers do have the ability to install their own software and be more in control of their servers.

Available resources include 4 to 6 vCPU cores, 2 to 8GB of RAM, and 50 to 150GB of SSD storage.

Key Features

• Managed VPS servers
• CentOS preinstalled
• Up to 6 vCPU cores
• Up to 8GB of RAM
• Up to 150GB of SSD storage
• 10TB of bandwidth
• cPanel included
• Free SSL certificate
• Dedicated IP address

Pricing

Plans start at $39.95/month or $479.40/year (no discount for paying annually).

You can try risk-free with a 30-day money back guarantee.

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6. InMotion Hosting

InMotion Hosting is a multi-service web host. They offer two VPS hosting solutions: a managed version and unmanaged, cloud-based VPS servers.

The managed VPS service is a great choice for non-technical users. It comes with a Linux-based OS and control panel software preconfigured. All you need to do is choose which CMS you want to use, then install it in one click with cPanel’s Softaculous tool.

It’s also easy to scale your resources, such as by switching to a higher capacity of RAM, when needed.

Server security, including DDoS protection, is available with all VPS services. This is true of live-state snapshots (full server image backups) and resource monitoring as well. The latter feature allows you to predict when you’ll need to scale. SSH access is also included on all plans.

The unmanaged VPS service is best suited for developers. Server management is done via command line rather than a control panel, and you’re given full root access.

Key Features

• Managed and unmanaged VPS servers
• Linux-based servers
• CentOS, Ubuntu and Debian available (unmanaged)
• Unlimited websites (managed)
• Up to 8 CPU cores
• Up to 8GB of RAM (managed); Up to 32GB of RAM (unmanaged)
• Up to 140GB of SSD storage (managed); Up to 640GB of SSD storage (unmanaged)
• Unlimited bandwidth (managed)
• Up to 7TB of bandwidth (unmanaged)
• cPanel and WHM included (managed)
• Free SSL certificate (managed)
• Unlimited emails (managed)
• Dedicated IP address
• 24/7 support

Pricing

Plans for managed VPS hosting start at $71.99/month after an introductory rate of $29.99/month. Discounts are available for six-month, one-year, two-year and three-year plans.

Plans for unmanaged cloud VPS hosting start at $5/month and are configurable, so you may wind up paying more depending on the options you choose.

On most plans they offer a 90-day money back guarantee.

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7. HostGator

HostGator is a popular shared hosting company that offers a variety of different hosting services. Their VPS hosting service is configurable and may be unsuitable for users who don’t have at least a little bit of technical knowledge.

That’s because the servers are semi-managed. HostGator offers weekly backups, server monitoring and remediation, and DDoS protection. However, you’ll be required to maintain software updates on your own.

Full root access and developer tools are available if you want freedom to build your project in the way you want. Otherwise, the Linux-based OS CentOS and control panel software cPanel are available for easy server management.

Key Features

• Semi-managed servers
• CentOS available
• Up to 4 vCPU cores
• Up to 8GB of RAM
• Up to 240GB of SSD storage
• Unmetered bandwidth
• Unlimited websites
• cPanel and WHM available
• Free SSL certificate
• Unlimited email accounts
• Dedicated IP address
• 24/7 support

Pricing

Plans start at $79.95/month and are configurable. For instance, cPanel is an additional $10/month. Introductory discounts as high as 75% are available. Discounts also apply to six-month, one-year, two-year and three-year plans whether you’re new or returning.

Hostgator offers a 45-day money back guarantee.

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8. Bluehost

Bluehost, one of three hosts recommended by WordPress, offers a simple yet powerful VPS hosting solution.

Full root access is available, which puts you in total control over the management of your server and all of the software you install on it. cPanel is also available if you’d like to make things a little easier on yourself.

Bluehost doesn’t offer as many resources as some of the other options on this list, but its VPS servers are definitely quite a few steps above your current shared hosting solution if you’re ready to upgrade to a more sophisticated server.

Bluehost also registers domains and offers email hosting.

Key Features

• Semi-managed servers
• Unlimited websites
• Up to 4 CPU cores
• Up to 8GB of RAM
• Up to 120GB of SSD storage
• Up to 3TB of bandwidth
• cPanel preinstalled
• Dedicated IP address
• 24/7 support

Pricing

Plans start at $29.99/month. Discounts are available on one-year, two-year and three-year plans. Introductory rates are also included.

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The pros & cons of having a virtual private server

The biggest benefit of hosting your site with this type of hosting is in the service’s name itself: virtual private server. This is a physical dedicated server, except its resources shared privately by different hosting accounts.

It’s the best of both worlds. You get private access to your own set of resources on what’s technically a shared dedicated server without having to pay for an entire dedicated server yourself.

So, while VPS hosting is more expensive than shared hosting, it’s a much cheaper way to improve your site’s performance without worrying about your server mates eating away at what little resources you have and compromising your site’s security in the process.

VPS hosting is also a suitable hosting option for those who wish to use certain scripts, software and server configurations not allowed in shared hosting environments. This is because VPS hosts typically give you full root access to your server, which puts you in complete control.

This herein lies what some may consider to be a disadvantage of VPS hosting. Full root access and unmanaged servers may be suitable for developers and users who aren’t afraid to get technical, but they leave non-technical users in the dark.

With unmanaged servers, VPS hosts put you in charge of software updates and other crucial server maintenance. This is by design since unexpected updates may break your site or server configuration due to all of the custom-built scripts and third-party software you may have installed on your server.

Still, VPS hosting is one of the best and most powerful solutions for those looking to move away from shared hosting and developers who want more flexibility in server configurations for new projects.

Final thoughts

Choosing a web host is never easy. Fortunately, the hosting companies in our list vary in the way they operate their VPS hosting services. This means the best way to narrow down your list of options is to decide what you need in a VPS host.

Cost is typically one of the biggest factors you should consider when it comes to choosing a web host. Unfortunately, this may not help with VPS hosting.

This is because many VPS hosts offer unmanaged servers. These are cheaper by nature since the purpose of unmanaged servers is to receive little maintenance from the hosts themselves.

If you’re ill-equipped to deal with the technical knowledge required to set up and maintain an unmanaged server, you won’t have much luck chasing the cheapest prices.

Your best bet is to consider whether you need an unmanaged or managed server, whether or not you need your server to come preconfigured with a control panel, and the number of resources you think you’ll need in the future.

Many of these hosts offer the same basic resources, but they differ in the amount of maximum resources they offer.

Figure out what your biggest factors for VPS hosting are, and use them to decide on a single host and hosting plan. And if you do change your mind, use the hosts’ money back guarantee offer.

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