VPS or virtual private server hosting is great if you want hosting with more resources (like storage and bandwidth) and security than you can get from shared hosting. There are lots of options, though, and the companies selling them use a lot of technical terms you might not understand. I’ve spent the past year researching VPS hosting plans offered by popular hosting companies — and reviewing many of those companies — and distilled what I’ve learned into this list of the best VPS hosting companies, using beginner-friendly terminology where I can and explaining the lingo when I can’t.
Managed vs unmanaged hosting
Before you start comparing VPS hosting companies, you need to understand the difference between managed and unmanaged VPS hosting:
- Managed VPS hosting is typically more expensive upfront and is best for those with less technical backgrounds, as the company installs, updates and maintains server software for you. This includes things like the operating system and essential security protocols.
- Unmanaged VPS hosting costs less upfront because the hosting provider is responsible only for the physical server. You’ll need to take care of software installation, maintenance and upgrades. This maintenance can be complex, sometimes even requiring you to hire a system administrator, which can make unmanaged hosting more expensive than managed hosting in the long run.
I recommend managed VPS hosting for most users because of its technical simplicity, but you may want unmanaged VPS hosting if you need to customize your server and have the skills (or an employee with the skills) to do it. I’ve included both types of VPS hosting in this list.
What is the best VPS hosting for 2025?
Hostinger offers the best unmanaged VPS hosting. Our hands-on tests of Hostinger focused on shared hosting, but you can expect many of the same benefits from Hostinger’s VPS hosting: easy-to-use site-building and server management tools, plus excellent server performance and great security. Hostinger’s VPS hosting plans are also highly affordable, with the lowest-tier plan starting at just $5 a month and rising to just under $8.50 a month on renewal.
A2 Hosting offers the best managed VPS hosting. You’ll get the full range of A2 Hosting WordPress tools, including a guided WordPress installation process, site assistant and auto-updates. The lowest-tier managed VPS hosting plan from A2 Hosting costs $37 to start (based on a three-year contract) and renews at $78 a month.
Best VPS hosting providers
Best Overall
Pros
- Comprehensive security
- NVMe storage for faster performance
- Excellent server management tools
Cons
- No managed plans
- Introductory pricing requires two-year signup
- No phone or email support
Hostinger is our top-ranking web host, offering excellent server management tools and server performance for highly affordable prices. Our hands-on Hostinger review focused on shared hosting, you can experience many of these benefits with Hostinger’s VPS hosting plans, including the affordability: unmanaged VPS hosting from Hostinger starts at just $5 a month (renews at$8.50 a month) when you choose a two-year contract.
Hostinger’s basic VPS hosting plan includes enough storage for at least 500 pages and enough bandwidth (sometimes referred to as data transfer) for four million monthly visitors, plus enough processing power to run several complex apps or other processes at once. The most expensive plan, which starts at $20 a month (based on a two-year contract) and renews at $48 per month, includes enough storage for at least 4,000 pages and enough bandwidth for 32 million monthly visitors.
What we like
Hostinger uses nonvolatile memory express storage to provide faster server performance than standard solid state drive storage. You can also choose a data center near your target audience’s geographical location (for example, choosing a US data center if your audience is largely American) to improve loading times for them.
Hostinger also offers great security, including secure socket layer certification to keep visitors’ data safe, firewall protection to prevent malware from infiltrating your site and distributed denial of service protection to prevent your site from being overwhelmed by malicious traffic.
Who it’s for
You should choose Hostinger if you want unmanaged VPS hosting with great server performance and affordable long-term prices.
Best for experts
Pros
- Good security
- Excellent customer service
- Wide variety of plans to suit sites of all shapes and sizes
Cons
- Backups cost extra
- No managed VPS options
- Pricing structure can be difficult to navigate
Ionos is our second-highest ranking web host, performing well in our hands-on Ionos review thanks to its good server performance and excellent customer service. Ionos offers unmanaged VPS hosting with an unusual pricing model featuring many different plans for users who want the server customization options of VPS but don’t need much data. This allows Ionos to offer VPS hosting starting at $2 per month — but the options are difficult to navigate if you’re not well-versed in server specs.
The most basic Ionos VPS hosting plan includes 10GB of storage space — enough for at least 100 pages — and unlimited bandwidth/data transfer.
What we like
Ionos provides a wide variety of plans, allowing you to choose VPS hosting that meets your site’s exact needs — and to upgrade as your site grows without facing a major price hike.
Ionos also offers top-notch security including SSL certification, firewall protection and DDoS protection.
The biggest benefit of Ionos is its fast, reliable customer service. You can reach them any time via live chat or phone and there are 14 international numbers for users in different countries. During testing, Ionos customer service never took more than a few minutes to provide answers and solutions.
Who it’s best for
Ionos is a great choice if you’re an expert in server technology and you want flexible, affordable unmanaged VPS hosting.
Best for beginners
Pros
- Options for both managed and unmanaged VPS hosting
- Managed hosting includes excellent WordPress tools for beginners
- Full security suite for managed hosting users
Cons
- Customer support via phone and support ticket can be slow
- High renewal prices for managed plans
- Must buy a three-year plan for the best discount
A2 Hosting is a popular independent web host that performed well in our hands-on A2 Hosting review thanks to its great WordPress tools, good server performance and high overall value. A2 Hosting offers both managed and unmanaged hosting for VPS users, with managed plans starting at $37 a month ($78 a month on renewal) when you choose a three-year contract.
Managed VPS plans give you access to all of A2 Hosting’s best server and site management tools, maintained by A2 Hosting. The lowest-tier managed VPS plan includes enough storage for at least 1,500 web pages and enough bandwidth for two million monthly visitors.
Unmanaged VPS plans require you to configure the server’s security, operating system and other software yourself (or hire someone to do it) using the full root access. The lowest-tier unmanaged VPS plan includes enough storage for at least 250 web pages and enough bandwidth for 500,000 monthly visitors. Unmanaged plans start at $3 a month ($9 a month on renewal) with a three-year contract.
What we like
A2 Hosting’s managed VPS hosting plans include all of A2 Hosting’s best tools, including guided WordPress installation complete with a site assistant, LiteSpeed-enhanced servers for fast, reliable server performance. You’ll also get the full A2 Hosting security suite, including firewall protection, advanced DDoS protection, brute force protection, virus scanning and 24/7 security monitoring.
Both managed and unmanaged VPS hosting plans from A2 Hosting include SSL certification. Unmanaged VPS hosting plans don’t include the other benefits listed above, but they are highly affordable, and you’ll still get fast, reliable server performance.
Who it’s best for
A2 Hosting is an ideal choice if you’re completely new to web hosting and you want both the benefits of VPS hosting and a guided setup process to help you get your site started quickly.
You can also choose A2 Hosting for affordable unmanaged VPS hosting plans if you’re comfortable setting up all of the security — including firewall and DDoS protections — and other server software yourself (or you have a system administrator to do it for you).
Best for reducing environmental impact
Pros
- Environmental offsets
- Fast customer service
- Unlimited email addresses
Cons
- Phone support isn’t 24/7
GreenGeeks has an A+ rating from the BBB and 4.1 out of 5 stars on Trustpilot, plus relatively affordable managed VPS hosting plans starting at $70 a month. The «green» in the company’s name reflects GreenGeeks’ commitment to the environment. It buys three times the energy it uses in wind energy credits and plants one tree for every hosting plan purchased.
All of GreenGeeks’ VPS hosting plans are managed and include at least four vCPUs — virtual central processing units — and at least 4GB of random access memory or RAM to provide a high baseline of performance. The lowest-tier plan also includes enough storage for at least 750 pages and enough bandwidth for 10 million monthly visitors.
What we like
The main benefit of GreenGeeks hosting is the work they put into offsetting the environmental impact of their data centers. However, there are some other benefits, including SSL certification, firewall protection, DDoS protection and 24/7 security monitoring. GreenGeeks’ VPS hosting plans also include unlimited email hosting, making it easy to create email accounts for everyone on your team.
GreenGeeks also offers 24/7 support via live chat, claiming to provide instant responses to live chat and email responses within 20 minutes. Phone support is also available from 9 a.m. to 12 a.m. ET, seven days a week. This phone support doesn’t have the full 24/7 availability offered by companies like Ionos, it is better than the complete lack of phone support from Hostinger.
Who it’s best for
GreenGeeks is the ideal choice if you want to build a website without worrying about your environmental impact.
Best built-in security
Pros
- NVMe storage
- Top-notch security
- Excellent live chat and email support
Cons
- Managed plans are hidden and can be accessed only during the checkout process
- Lack of transparency around contract length required to receive the lowest prices
HostPapa has an A+ BBB rating and a 4.8 out of 5 TrustPilot rating. HostPapa offers a wide variety of plan types, including unmanaged VPS hosting starting at $20 per month with a three-year contract (renews at the same price). You can add full VPS management for an additional $129 a month. These prices are available only if you purchase a three-year plan.
The most affordable VPS hosting plan from HostPapa includes four CPU cores, 2GB of memory, enough storage for at least 600 pages and enough bandwidth for one million monthly visitors.
What we like
HostPapa VPS hosting uses NVMe storage for faster, more reliable performance. HostPapa’s servers are also highly secure, with firewall protection, SSL certification, DDoS protection, brute force detection and 24/7 network monitoring.
HostPapa offers 24/7 customer support via live chat, email and phone. I’ve used HostPapa’s shared hosting for years and always had an excellent experience with both live chat and email support.
Who it’s best for
HostPapa is a great choice if you want unmanaged VPS hosting that comes with top-notch security so you can focus on other aspects of server management.
Best uptime guarantee
Pros
- Wide variety of managed and unmanaged plans
- 99.9999% uptime guarantee
- 24/7 server monitoring
- Includes automated nightly backups
Cons
- Lack of DDoS protection
- Pricing increases after the first term and the renewal pricing is unclear
- No SSL certification
Hostwinds has an A+ rating from the BBB and 4 out of 5 stars from TrustPilot. Its web hosting offerings are best suited for business owners, with specific business hosting plans and reseller hosting plans. Hostwinds also offers unmanaged virtual private server hosting starting at $5 a month for one CPU, 1GB RAM, enough storage for at least 300 pages and enough bandwidth for one million monthly visitors.
Hostwinds also offers a variety of managed VPS hosting plans, starting at $8.24 a month and featuring the same storage, bandwidth and processing power as the equivalent unmanaged plan, plus full server support.
What we like
Hostwinds goes above and beyond the industry-standard 99.9% uptime guarantee to offer 99.9999% uptime. You’ll also get 24/7 server monitoring and nightly backups, plus an «enterprise grade» firewall. Best of all, these benefits are available for both managed and unmanaged VPS hosting plans.
Hostwinds’ customer service is also highly accessible, with 24/7 support provided via live chat, support ticket and phone.
Who it’s best for
Choose Hostwinds if you’re looking for highly affordable VPS hosting with one of the best uptime guarantees in the industry and top-notch security.
Factors to consider when choosing VPS hosting
Server resources
You’ll need a plan with enough dedicated resources to accommodate your needs. There are four specific things to pay attention to:
- vCPUs/CPU cores: virtual central processing units — dictate how well your server can handle resource-intensive tasks. More vCPUs generally means more capability. The type of CPU being used can also impact your server’s capability.
- RAM: Random access memory or RAM controls your server’s ability to perform simultaneous tasks and run smoothly.
- Storage: The amount of storage space you have dictates how much data — like images and text — you can store on your server. Most hosting companies use regular solid-state drives or SSD storage to ensure reliable performance. Some hosts use NVMe storage to provide even faster and more reliable service.
- Bandwidth:Sometimes expressed as data transfer in VPS hosting, bandwidth dictates how much data your server can transmit in a specific period.
Most web hosting companies make it easy to upgrade your plan, so if you need more resources than you initially imagined, you’ll be able to accommodate your increased needs with ease.
Managed vs. unmanaged
Managed hosting involves the web host conducting essential server maintenance, including software updates and adjustments, for you. Unmanaged hosting involves you — or a system administrator you hire — handling all of this maintenance. Managed hosting tends to be more expensive than unmanaged hosting.
Uptime guarantee
Your web host should offer at least a 99.9% uptime guarantee. This ensures that your website will be online almost continuously, with no more than 10 minutes of downtime caused by server issues each week. Some hosts go beyond this to offer 99.99% uptime guarantees, meaning that sites hosted through these companies won’t experience more than two minutes of downtime per week due to server issues.
Operating system options
Many VPS plans let you choose between Linux and Windows operating systems. Pay special attention to this if you want to use programs that are only compatible with servers running a specific operating system.
Customer support
Your web host should offer 24/7 customer support via live chat and email. Many offer 24/7 customer support via phone as well.
Remember that 24/7 customer support doesn’t necessarily mean good support. Read reviews of any company you’re considering to determine how effective its customer support actually is.
How we chose the best VPS hosting service
My research process begins with analyzing each VPS hosting company’s features and pricing. If the company offers good value, I evaluate reviews on sites like Trustpilot and examine the company’s Better Business Bureau for complaints. If the company’s reputation is overall positive — with a rating of 3.8 (out of five) stars or higher on Trustpilot and few open complaints on the BBB page — it goes on the list.
I’ve also tested many of the most popular web hosting companies using our process for testing web hosting. This involves purchasing a plan and creating a simple website to evaluate the hosting service’s ease of use, performance and customer service. These tests focus on shared hosting, but the server performance and customer service results are likely to be similar for VPS hosting users. I’ve included notes from these tests in the relevant listings.
Other VPS hosting services we tested
GoDaddy
GoDaddy has an A+ rating from the BBB and 4.7 out of 5 stars on TrustPilot. GoDaddy’s unmanaged VPS hosting plans start at $9 a month and its managed VPS hosting plans start at $99 a month. You must purchase a three-year plan to get these prices and your renewal costs will be significantly higher.
VPS hosting plans from GoDaddy include a minimum of 1 vCPU and 2GB RAM. GoDaddy uses nonvolatile memory express or NVMe storage, on all of its VPS hosting plans for optimal performance. You’ll also get firewall protection, distributed denial of service protection and SSL certification. VPS users can also create their own email servers with unlimited email addresses.
GoDaddy offers 24/7 phone support and live chat support as well. I tested GoDaddy’s services in June 2024 and had a good experience with customer support, receiving competent help within minutes via live chat, text and phone call. My only complaint was that the live chat agent pushed me to purchase a more expensive plan than I needed.
Read our GoDaddy review.
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