The term virtual private server (VPS) might sound intimidating but it’s really pretty straightforward. Many businesses start out hosting their websites with an affordable shared hosting plan. However, when their website grows in popularity, performance issues can become an issue.
When this happens, it’s time to move on to a better hosting plan. A cheap VPS hosting option is the next step to growing your business.
There are plenty of cheap VPS hosting services available, but choosing the best one can be challenging. This article outlines the 7 best VPS hosting options.
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What is VPS Hosting?
A website server is a computer that stores all of the data and files that make up your website. When someone enters your website name into their web browser, that computer “serves up” your website to the searcher’s screen.
Virtual private servers use virtualization technology to split that one server into multiple virtual servers.
The word private means that the virtual server is reserved for you, so you won’t have to share it with other users.
VPS technology separates your files from other users, meaning your website lives within a secure container with guaranteed resources such as memory, disk space and CPU. You don’t have to share any of it with others.
Factors Affecting VPS Hosting
Most companies prefer using VPS hosting because it ensures high performance and security. Using the services of a reliable and reputable VPS hosting provider is vital to enjoying the whole spectrum of benefits offered by this service.
When choosing a cheap VPS hosting option, there are some important factors to consider so you are guaranteed the best performance:
Your requirements
Understand what your hosting needs are before choosing a VPS hosting plan. If you are unsure how to identify your critical and basic hosting requirements, ask an IT professional who can guide you.
Linux or Windows?
Decide if your VPS will run on a Linux or Windows environment. They are two different hosting environments and have their pros and cons. If your site is performing on ASP or ASP.net, you will need a Windows environment.
Managed or unmanaged?
Managed VPS hosting means your server is taken care of by a VPS provider, while unmanaged hosting means you are responsible for the VPS server’s complete care. Unmanaged hosting is best suited for developers, designers or system administrators with experience managing a server.
Scalability and redundancy
The collaboration of redundancy and scalability results in consistent performance and higher uptime.
Customer support
Good customer support is an important factor to consider that can affect your VPS hosting. If website issues take too long to resolve, it may hamper your website traffic. Before choosing a hosting provider, make sure you will receive reliable customer service.
Why is VPS so Expensive?
VPS is expensive because it requires robust and high-quality hardware resources. These resources include CPU, storage and software or hardware firewalls. A powerful and dedicated VPS server has more security and provides more features. Gathering these resources together can be costly.
Cheap VPS Hosting Providers
Cheap VPS hosting providers are an effective way to keep costs down when you’re trying to grow and scale your business. While you won’t get the same features and tools, you would get on pricier plans, but the right provider can get what you need to make it work.
Here are our top 7 VPS hosting options.
1. Best Overall: Hostinger
Hostinger is a popular and cheap VPS hosting service that offers options for both Linux and Windows users. It is best suited for those running a business and has plans to expand it in the future.
Even the cheapest Hostinger VPS hosting plan offers dedicated IPv4 and IPv6 internet protocols. This means that all your scripts and extensions will work as fast as possible. Hostinger has customer support that includes a live chat option, which is available 24/7. There is no phone support.
Pricing for Hostinger Cloud VPS plans starts at just $3.95 per month. This includes 1 vCPU, 20 GB of storage, and 1 GB of RAM. There are 6 plans to choose from, with the most expensive plan starting at $38.99 per month.
This provider also offers Windows VPS plans, which are a bit more expensive (starting at $26 per month). There is a 30-day money-back guarantee on all plans.
2. Best for Linux Operating Systems: A2 Hosting
A2 Hosting offers cheap VPS hosting plans, including both unmanaged and managed options. It is best suited for those using a Linux operating system — it does not support others.
A2 Hosting is fast — sites load up to 20x faster, which means better SEO rankings, lower bounce rates and higher conversion rates.
Unmanaged VPS hosting plans start at $4.99 per month. This includes 1 CPU, 512 MB of RAM, and 20 GB of storage. If you want a managed VPS plan, pricing starts at $39.99 per month. A2 Hosting also offers a 30-day money-back guarantee.
3. Best for Easy Maintenance: InMotion Hosting
InMotion Hosting is a cheap way for webpreneurs, startups and bloggers to gain more power than a shared hosting site without a dedicated server’s price.
InMotion is one of the best cheap VPS hosting options for unmanaged plans because it is set up, and maintenance is easy through its control panel. It offers an exclusive Ansible Control Node, which is an open-source automation framework that you can set up for free on your first server.
Unmanaged VPS hosting plans range from $5 per month and to $160 per month for premium plans. InMotion has a comprehensive support center, chat and phone support.
4. Best for Small-Scale Websites: DreamHost
DreamHost is one of the best cheap VPS hosting options. It’s best for those looking for a low-price hosting solution for a small-scale website.
DreamHost is one of the best cheap options because of its feature-rich basic plans. Included are unlimited websites, unlimited email and bandwidth and free SSL certification, which provides peace of mind for visitors to your website.
The basic plan is only $10 per month. In addition to the features listed above, it includes free one-click installation of the leading CMS solutions, including WordPress and Joomla. That makes it easy for anyone to sign up and set up their website even if they have little or no technical or coding expertise.
5. Best for Highly Trafficked Sites: BlueHost
BlueHost is not the cheapest VPS hosting option but it is one of the best known and does offer a standard plan for $18.99 per month. It is best for mid-sized to large businesses with websites that plan to generate a lot of traffic.
We recommend BlueHost because the basic plan provides a free IP address. You don’t have to worry about buying a domain name and hosting solution separately from each other, which is a great value.
The standard plan includes 2 Cores, 30 GB SSD storage, 2 GB RAM, 1 TB bandwidth and 1 IP address. One year of domain registration is included with each new VPS. After the initial year, the domain can be renewed at market price. BlueHost also offers a 30-day money-back guarantee.
6. Best for Small Businesses: Vultr
Vultr is best suited for individual entrepreneurs and small businesses because of its flexible options at cheap prices.
What we love about Vultr is its user-friendly control panel. One-click installation is available on many features. This saves time and allows the developer to concentrate on more critical issues.
Vultr’s cheapest cloud hosting plan is only $5 per month. It is running a special that adds $5 to your account for trying its cloud hosting platform.
Best for Developers: GoDaddy
GoDaddy is a cheap VPS hosting option that is ideal for developers, designers and system administrators with experience managing a server. It is the world’s No. 1 hosting provider. With that recognition comes a great deal of credibility and stability.
GoDaddy VPS hosting is currently $4.99 per month. That price continues upon renewal — highly unusual as prices usually increase considerably after 1 year. The price includes 1 CPU, 1 GB RAM and 20 GB SSD storage.
Overall Best Cheap VPS Hosting Option
Our pick is Hostinger for the best cheap VPS hosting service in 2021. The $3.95 per month price tag is exceptional, and the Hostinger control panel makes managing your virtual server relatively easy if you are upgrading from a shared hosting plan.
When your website starts to grow to the point that it requires more resources, you’ll need to upgrade to VPS hosting, and Hostinger will keep your site performing at its best.
Remember that cheap VPS hosting does not translate into less service. VPS hosting generally delivers a strong performance compared to other types of hosting, especially shared hosting.
