Best VPS hosting services in 2024

VPS hosting, or Virtual Private Server hosting, is a type of solution that provides you with dedicated resources on a shared physical server. It’s almost like having a completely private server without the huge costs that come with dedicated hosting.

Compared to shared hosting, VPS hosting offers improved performance, scalability, and better security. And compared to dedicated hosting, the greatest benefit of VPS is cost-effectiveness. Due to scalability opportunities and lower costs, VPS hosting is perfect for small to medium-scale businesses, website developers, and eCommerce websites. You just need to pick a reliable provider.

In a hurry? Here's our best VPS hosting provider

Bluehost is a top choice for VPS hosting due to its reliable performance, flexibility, and user-friendly management tools. With robust security features, full root access, and scalable resources, it's an ideal option for both beginners and advanced users.

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• Full root access
• Scalable resources
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We tested 53 hosting providers and compared their pricing, resource availability, performance, and many other factors to determine which ones offer the best price-to-value deals. Here are our 8 best VPS hosting services in 2024.

Best VPS hosting providers in 2024

1. Bluehost – best VPS hosting service overall
2. Hostinger – best for small-medium size projects
3. Liquid Web – top fully managed VPS hosting
4. A2 Hosting – budget-friendly VPS hosting service
5. DreamHost – VPS hosting service with easy navigation
6. ScalaHosting – best cloud-based VPS hosting
7. InterServer – flexible month-to-month VPS option
8. InMotion Hosting – unmanaged cloud VPS hosting

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How do I choose a VPS provider?

Choosing a VPS provider is a huge responsibility because it can determine your website’s performance and success. Here are our top tips on how to choose a VPS provider:

1. Managed vs unmanaged. If you want to take full control of your server, choose unmanaged VPS hosting. And if you want the provider to configure and manage everything for you – go for fully managed VPS.
2. Root access. Choose if you want unrestricted administrative privileges and the flexibility to customize the server to your preferences with full root access, or if you do not need the added responsibility and can do without root access.
3. Resources. Carefully assess what kinds of resources (CPU cores, RAM, SSD storage, or bandwidth) you need to run your project and check if the chosen provider can support you.
4. Server performance. Refer to third-party tests to check if the chosen provider can guarantee high uptime and quick response times.
5. Pricing. Finally, do not forget to assess the overall price-to-value ratio to make sure the offered services are worth the asking price.

Best VPS hosting – our detailed list

To introduce you to the best VPS hosting providers, we tested 53 top hosting services in terms of performance, usability, features, and more. Continue reading to find detailed information about the best VPS hosts we’ve picked.

1. Bluehost – our top pick for best VPS hosting in 2024

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Bluehost takes the top spot for VPS hosting in 2024 due to its reliable infrastructure, flexibility, and ease of use. Though not the cheapest option, Bluehost offers a powerful combination of features that cater to a wide variety of projects. Its VPS hosting plans come with full root access, allowing users to have complete control over server configurations—a critical feature for those running resource-intensive or custom applications.

VPS support, management and configuration. Bluehost provides both managed and unmanaged VPS hosting options, ensuring that developers have the flexibility to manage their server environments or opt for Bluehost to handle maintenance tasks. Its VPS hosting uses KVM virtualization for superior isolation and performance. Additionally, Bluehost offers free SSD storage, dedicated IP addresses, and an easy-to-use cPanel for managing your VPS, making it a solid choice for both beginners and experienced users. The provider also supports multiple Linux distributions, such as CentOS and Ubuntu, giving users flexibility in terms of software.

Resources and performance. The entry-level plan includes 2 vCPU cores, 4GB of RAM, and 100GB of NVMe storage, making it suitable for small websites or apps. For larger projects, you can scale up to 4 vCPU cores, 8GB of RAM, and 200GB of NVMe storage. During extensive tests, Bluehost showed an uptime of 99.9%, ensuring consistent performance even under heavy traffic. This, combined with high-performance NVMe storage, means fast load times and minimal downtime for your website.

Security. Bluehost provides robust security measures for VPS hosting, including DDoS protection and an integrated firewall to help mitigate threats. The hosting environment benefits from regular security patches, ensuring your server remains updated with the latest protections. While automatic backups aren’t activated by default, they are available for users who prefer to set up scheduled backups for added safety. Additionally, Bluehost includes SSL certificates with their plans, which are necessary for securing data exchanges between the server and users, especially for sensitive information like personal data or payment details​.

Pricing. Bluehost offers three main VPS plans: Standard, Enhanced, and Ultimate. The lowest-tier plan, Standard, starts at $46.99/month. Each plan includes a 30-day money-back guarantee, allowing you to test the service before committing to the long-term.

2. Hostinger – best VPS hosting for smaller projects

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Hostinger is one of the best VPS hosting providers in 2024 because of its high-quality services at incredibly low prices. You can get Hostinger’s VPS hosting services for as low as $4.24/month. The provider offers semi-managed VPS hosting, which can be used for anything from online stores to web-based apps. The performance is great, and the provider ensures ease of use. Plus, full server control is in your hands.

VPS support, management and configuration. Hostinger VPS hosting is semi-managed – you get full root access and pre-installed VPS control panels, which enables you to configure and manage servers independently. You can choose from a variety of control panel options, including cPanel, which requires a separate paid license, CyberPanel, DirectAdmin, Plesk, Virtualmin, and Webuzo. I found the pre-installed control panels very easy to set up – all you have to do is go to a drop-down menu and select the preferred option. With Hostinger, you get to use KVM (Kernel-based virtual machine), and you get a dedicated IP address with every server, which further guarantees enhanced performance and security. Automatic backups can be set up to make sure all data is protected and ready for recovery. And if you ever need to scale the available resources, the process is quick and straightforward. Hostinger VPS supports Ubuntu, CentOS, Debian, Fedora, and openSUSE Linux distributions.

Resources and performance. The starter Hostinger VPS hosting plan – KVM 1 – comes with 1 vCPU core, 4GB of RAM, and 50GB of NVMe SSD storage. This is enough to power small websites that are not yet receiving a lot of traffic. However, resources are scalable, and you can go up to 8 vCPU cores, 32GB of RAM, and 400GB of SSD storage. VPS hosting clients are promised 300Mb/s network speed, and Hostinger delivers using high-performance servers in 5 data center locations: the US, France, Lithuania, India, and Brazil. During a 2-week test, our Hostinger server had 0 outages. The response time was also very stable, averaging 540ms. This means that VPS is well-balanced and maintained.

Security. Hostinger VPS hosting clients have numerous security benefits available to them, including DDoS filtering, an easy-to-use firewall, automatic backups, and regular security updates. VPS clients can also protect their domains with SSL certificates for free. Note, however, that you must install them manually. If you have any concerns about security, you can always reach Hostinger support agents via 24/7 live chat, email, and a ticket system.

Pricing. Hostinger has 4 VPS plans – KVM 1, KVM 2, KVM 4, and KVM 8. The lowest-tier plan costs $4.24/month, and you can use a 30-day money-back guarantee to test the service out before committing full-time.

3. Liquid Web – leading managed VPS hosting

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If you’re looking for the best fully managed VPS hosting provider, Liquid Web is your answer. Because of its high-performance infrastructure and advanced management tools, this provider can cater to large-scale projects and businesses, and it’s a powerful option for mission-critical projects. The starting price of Liquid Web managed VPS hosting is $5.00/month.

VPS support, management and configuration. Just like Bluehost, Liquid Web utilizes KVM technology on all its VPS plans, and you have full root access. The provider offers fully managed VPS services with its own InterWorx control panel – it guarantees simplicity and sets up the server for you. Yet, full configuration possibilities are also there. In total, there are three free control panels to choose from – InterWorx (pre-installed), cPanel, and Plesk. Liquid Web supports various Linux distributions (such as CentOS, Ubuntu, and Debian) and Windows Server editions.

Resources and performance. With the lowest-tier plan (Essential), you get 2 vCPU cores, 2GB of RAM, and 20GB of storage. On the other hand, the top-tier plan (Elite) offers 12GB of RAM, 200GB of storage, and 12 vCPU cores – not even Hostinger’s top-tier plan can offer that many. With 3 data centers in the US and 1 in Europe, Liquid Web doesn’t lack in terms of performance either. The host has a 100% SLA uptime guarantee. Our 2-week test proved it – there were 0 outages. Meanwhile, the average response time was 521ms and very stable – no higher peaks at all.

Security. All 4 of Liquid Web’s plans are guarded by an integrated firewall, DDoS protection, and SecureServer protection. This feature is set up to protect all fully managed Windows and Linux servers. In case anything goes awry, Liquid Web provides decent customer support that allows you to solve problems via live chat, phone, and tickets.

Pricing. Liquid Web VPS hosting prices start from $5.00/month. And in case you change your mind, there’s a standard 30-day money-back guarantee. Overall, this isn’t the cheapest option, and you will find that even upper-tier Hostinger VPS plans are cheaper than the starter Liquid Web plan. Of course, this is to be expected, given that Liquid Web supports fully managed VPS services.

4. A2 Hosting – budget-friendly managed and unmanaged VPS hosting

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A2 Hosting provides both managed and unmanaged VPS hosting. While the provider offers great solutions, it’s best known for low-budget unmanaged VPS hosting – unmanaged VPS hosting prices start from $2.99/month, while managed VPS hosting – $35.99/month.

VPS support, management and configuration. With unmanaged A2 Hosting VPS services, you get a server without an interface and professional maintenance. That’s why beginners should opt for managed VPS services, which include the easy-to-use cPanel. In this case, A2 Hosting handles the maintenance, security, and network performance for you. As is the standard, the provider supports Linux distributions, but it stands out for Turbo Boost servers, which are available with some VPS plans (both managed and unmanaged). According to A2 Hosting, Turbo Boost servers can increase CPU performance by 40%, increase the storage speed three times, and ensure pages load up to 20 times faster. So, if performance is your #1 concern, A2 Hosting is definitely worth the consideration.

Resources and performance. The starter A2 Hosting unmanaged VPS hosting plan (Launch 1) comes with 1 CPU core, 1GB of RAM, and 25GB of SSD storage – not a lot compared to what Bluehost offers with its lowest-tier plan. Of course, if you need more, you can opt for other plans, and the final one (Ascent 32) gives you 10 CPU cores, 32GB of RAM, and 450GB of storage. As for managed VPS hosting, the starter plan (Takeoff 4) provides you with 2 cores, 4GB of RAM, and 150GB of storage. The most expansive plan (Soar 32) gives you 8 cores, 32GB of RAM, and 500GB of storage. A2 Hosting operates its data centers in 4 locations – 2 US locations, the Netherlands (Amsterdam), and Singapore. Regarding performance, A2 Hosting is pretty impressive – the average response time was 253ms (the best result), and during our tests, the provider had just 1 outage that lasted 5 minutes. That’s 99.98% uptime over 2 weeks.

Security. A2 Hosting offers pretty much the standard package when it comes to security features – DDoS protection, firewall, server monitoring, server hardening, and frequent security patches. However, don’t expect free SSL certificates with all plans. While SSL certificates are included in managed VPS hosting plans, unmanaged VPS hosting clients will have to pay extra. As for support, A2 Hosting provides you with 24/7 ticket, live chat, and phone support.

Pricing. With A2 Hosting, you get one of the best unmanaged VPS deals out there – starting at just $2.99/month. Beginners should opt for managed VPS, though, starting at $39.99/month. A 30-day money-back guarantee is also available, plus the host has a fuss-free refund policy for unused services.

5. DreamHost – VPS hosting service with easy navigation

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DreamHost’s managed VPS services come with easy navigation, affordable prices, and decent performance, which makes it another great VPS hosting solution. While the starter plan (VPS Basic) is cheaper than Liquid Web’s and A2 Hosting’s managed VPS hosting starter plans – pricing starts at just $10.00/month – when it comes to resources, this provider falls short.

VPS support, management and configuration. DreamHost focuses on managed VPS hosting, which means that server updates, performance, and security are in the hands of the provider. You get a custom control panel to manage everything website-related, while DreamHost takes care of the backend. You don’t get root access with this solution because it’s designed with complete beginners in mind. This is why more experienced clients who need more control are likely to pick Bluehost, Hostinger, or another top provider. DreamHost utilizes OpenStack virtualizaton technology, and you can use its proprietary control panel (DHCP) to manage domains, emails, and other data. It’s also possible to employ third-party control panels, like cPanel.

Resources and performance. DreamHost doesn’t specify the number of CPU cores that are available with every plan, which tells me there aren’t many. That said, the Basic plan should have at least 1 CPU core, and it offers 1GB of RAM and 30GB of SSD storage. If you need more, there are three other plans to choose from, with the most expensive one (VPS Enterprise) offering 8GB of RAM and 240GB of SSD storage. Although DreamHost has data centers in the US only, it still delivers good performance. There’s a 100% uptime guarantee, and 2 weeks in, there was 0 downtime on the test server. The average response time of 710ms, though, could have been better.

Security. DreamHost offers free SSL/TLS certificates with all plans, and the provider guarantees full DDoS protection and malware scans. Clients can enjoy free domain privacy, but the Malware Remover tool comes at an additional fee. Backups are fully automated. Should you need assistance with security or other questions, there’s 24/7 live chat support via the control panel, and email support is also available.

Pricing. DreamHost keeps things affordable. There are 4 plans, and the prices start at $10.00/month. If you find that the service is not for you, you can make use of the 30-day money-back guarantee. Overall, to sum up, as far as managed VPS services go, DreamHost isn’t as generous with resources as Liquid Web or A2 Hosting for the asking price.

6. ScalaHosting – best cloud-based VPS solution

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ScalaHosting is one of the top cloud-based VPS solutions. With managed VPS and its very own SPanel control panel, ScalaHosting is among the easiest-to-use VPS hosting services too. Prices start from just $12.71/month, and it’s clear that the provider aims to make VPS an option not only for big projects but smaller websites and beginner users too.

VPS support, management and configuration. With full server management, full root access, and a straightforward control panel called SPanel, ScalaHosting is a great transition into the powerful world of VPS. I had no issues when setting up, as the server was already pre-configured. All VPS plans include a free domain, SSL certificates, the SPanel, daily automated backups, and unmetered bandwidth. ScalaHosting provides cloud-based VPS hosting, which offers more scalability, reliability, and performance benefits compared to traditional VPS hosting. The provider primarily focuses on Linux distributions, and all cloud VPS plans use KVM technology.

Resources and performance. The starting ScalaHosting plan (Entry Cloud) comes with 2 CPU cores, 2GB of RAM, 50GB of SSD storage, unmetered bandwidth, and automatic offsite backups. The top-tier plan (Build #3), on the other hand, offers 8 CPU cores, 16 GB of RAM, and 150GB of SSD storage. While that might be enough for many medium-sized businesses, when it comes to resources, ScalaHosting is relatively limited, and numerous other hosting providers, including Bluehost and A2 Hosting, can offer more storage and RAM. Although ScalaHosting only has data centers in the US (Dallas and New York) and Europe, its performance is competitive. In 2 weeks of monitoring, there were 0 outages, leading to a perfect 100% uptime score. As for response time, its average was 443ms – the second best time after A2 Hosting.

Security. ScalaHosting clients get free SSL certificates for the domains they host on the VPS server. There’s also 24/7 real-time cybersecurity protection with SShield that is meant to block 99.7% of web attacks and notify you about any breaches. Support is available 24/7 via live chat, email, tickets, and phone, and if you wish to figure everything out yourself, there’s a vast knowledge base.

Pricing. ScalaHosting managed VPS starts at $12.71/month with a monthly or 3-year subscription. And like most hosting providers, it has a 30-day refund policy.

7. InterServer – monthly-billing VPS option for advanced users

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InterServer is the most flexible option on the list that allows you to configure the server on your own and pay on a monthly basis. This makes it an affordable (from $3.00/month) and scalable option. The catch is that it’s an unmanaged service mainly catering to professionals.

VPS support, management and configuration. InterServer comes with full root access for full configuration. It’s like having your own server, albeit remote. You can add a control panel – cPanel for Linux is paid, but free alternatives, such as DirectAdmin, can be pre-installed for you. On Windows, InterServer offers Plesk, but the pricing for the same size packages is a bit higher.

Resources and performance. The 1 Cores plan offers, as you can guess, 1 CPU core, 2GB of RAM, and 30GB of SSD storage. The most resource-heavy plan (4 Cores) increases the number of CPU cores to 4, RAM to 8GB, and SSD storage to 120GB. Just like DreamHost, InterServer has data centers in the US only, and it seems that InterServer is suffering because of that. When we tested the provider, the performance was reliable with 100% uptime. The average response time, however, was a major disappointment – 1.1s.

Security. InterServer VPS clients get to enjoy free DDoS protection. The provider’s On-demand protection suite can contain UDP, ICMP, SYN, and HTTP floods, NTP amplification, and other types of attacks. Unfortunately, InterServer doesn’t include free backups, and you have to pay an extra monthly fee to use the service. As for support, the provider offers 24/7 live chat, email, and phone assistance. You can also find tons of tutorials and guides in the knowledge base.

Pricing. InterServer pricing starts at $3.00/month for 1 CPU core on Linux and $10/month for 1 CPU core on Windows. As is the standard, you get a full 30 days to decide if the service is right for you – if it’s not, you can request a full refund.

8. InMotion Hosting – unmanaged cloud VPS hosting solution for businesses

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InMotion Hosting is a business-level VPS provider focused on larger projects and websites. It is known for its unmanaged cloud VPS hosting solution. Although InMotion offers more resources with its starter plan than any other provider on this list, the prices are on the steeper side – from $9.99/month.

VPS support, management and configuration. InMotion Hosting offers both managed and unmanaged solutions. A major selling point is that it uses cPanel, which is functional, fast, and easy enough even for beginners. There’s also Web Host Manager that you can use to slice your VPS even more and provide hosting for your clients yourself. All InMotion Hosting VPS plans include a free SSL certificate, dedicated IPs, 5 cPanel licenses, free website transfers, security configurations, and server setup. As is the standard, it supports Linux.

Resources and performance. InMotion resources are easily scalable, and the provider has the most resource-heavy starter plan out of all hosts on this list. The VPS 4 vCPU plan offers 4 vCPU cores, 8GB of RAM, and 160GB of SSD storage. If you were to opt for Hostinger’s VPS plans, you would find this somewhere between KVM 2 and KVM 4 plans. That said, Hostinger’s upper-tier plans are cheaper than InMotion’s starter plan. The top-tier InMotion plan (VPS 16 vCPU) gives access to 16 vCPU cores, 32GB of RAM, and 460GB of storage – more than Hostinger’s KVM 8 plan. InMotion has 3 data centers in the US and the Netherlands. Despite that, the performance is great – the provider delivered 100% uptime for more than 2 weeks. As for the response time, it averaged 585ms, which is on par with other top hosts on this list.

Security. InMotion offers SSH and DDoS protection, and there’s Monarx – an advanced malware detection and protection system for monitoring and scanning files in real-time, 24/7. The provider has plenty of customer service options on the table. In terms of human support, you get 24/7 live chat, email, ticket, phone support, and even Skype. Plus, there’s an active community forum as well as resources in its knowledge base and blog.

Pricing. InMotion Hosting has 4 plans, and they start at $9.99/month. The best part is that plans with 6-month or longer billing terms get a generous 90-day money-back guarantee.

Best VPS providers compared

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How we tested and picked the best VPS hosting

Picking the top VPS hosting providers requires evaluating users’ needs, server management skills, and potential budget restrictions. Here are the main factors we considered when testing 53 providers and choosing the best VPS hosting services:

1. CPU assessment. Before we even start testing providers, we carefully assess what kind of resources they offer. One metric to evaluate carefully is the central processing unit power. Some providers on this list offer 2 CPU cores with their starter plans, and we made sure that this was the bare minimum even if included in upper-tier plans. 2 CPU cores can support 100-200 visitors on the site while ensuring that all processes run smoothly.
2. RAM assessment. Random access memory is another important resource to assess. This hardware stores bits and pieces of data temporarily, so it can be delivered quickly. When testing VPS providers, we only included those that offer at least 2GB of RAM storage. Some can offer that with starter plans, while others fulfill this demand with upper-tier plans. It was also important for us to check how easy it is to scale this resource as needed.
3. Storage space assessment. We also assessed how much storage each provider offers with both lower and upper-tier plans. While smaller sites can take up to 5GB, bigger online stores can easily reach 200GB and more. Therefore, we looked for options that offered larger storage space and allowed your website to grow.
4. Bandwidth assessment. The amount of bandwidth a user needs depends on the project and visitors they have. Ideally, you can enjoy unlimited bandwidth; however, only a few providers can offer that. In case your chosen provider doesn’t allow unmetered bandwidth, you can calculate how much you need using this formula: Average page size (GB) x Average number of visitors x Average number of pages visited x 30 (number of days in a month) = Bandwidth required in GB.
5. Performance tests. Once we asessed the resources that are available with each provider, we moved on to testing their performance. We only included providers that can ensure high uptime (as close to 100% as possible) to ensure that the server is always running. During a two-week period, we performed uptime, speed, and stress tests. We checked which providers exceeded the 600ms average response time and failed when 50 bots were sent to the page.
6. Ease of use evaluation. Considering beginner users, we prioritized managed VPS hosting. This makes managing easy, as you get a graphical user interface. However, for developers and more experienced users, we tested a few unmanaged VPS options as well. This required us to go through the setup and management processes in detail.
7. Ranking. Once all data was accumulated, we picked the top 8 contenders and then ranked them according to the resources they offer at different pricepoints. If a VPS hosting provider can offer great services, amazing security benefits, and additional extras all at a reasonable price, it moves up to the top. Altogether, all providers on this list have something to offer for everyone.

When should you go for VPS?

VPS hosting is ideal for when you need dedicated resources without paying for a dedicated server. With this solution, you don’t need to compromise on speed and performance while sharing resources with others. This is made possible by virtualization technology that isolates your data from other users on the same server.

VPS hosting is perfect for websites with medium traffic (50-5,000 visitors at the same time) that can no longer be supported by shared web hosting resources. That might include small to medium-sized business websites and eCommerce websites. If your business or personal website hasn’t passed the 50-user threshold yet, the resources available with shared web hosting are likely to suffice.

On the other hand, if your website is growing and already welcomes more than 5,000 visitors at the same time, you should look into dedicated web hosting solutions. In dedicated hosting, you get an entire server just for yourself. While this can improve the security and performance of a website of any size, the costs involved are usually too high to justify the switch if additional resources aren’t required.

Managed vs unmanaged VPS services

Managed VPS is a hosting solution that is fully handled by a hosting provider. That includes configuring, maintaining, and updating the server hardware and the installed software via the control panel.

On the flip side, unmanaged VPS is a solution that gives full control to the hosting client, who is responsible for maintaining and updating the software.

Of course, you get some control even with managed VPS services. For example, while you may not need to worry about security or software updates, you can still use the pre-installed control panel to manage app installation or email account configuaration.

Overall, unmanaged VPS requires more technical knowledge, may be time-consuming, and lead to more frequent failures. On the other hand, managed VPS is pricier and limited regarding add-ons installation, as well as account configuration options.

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Best VPS hosting providers: final recommendations

Good VPS will make your web life easier – with the right configurations, it's a powerful and flexible option at quite affordable prices. Also, it’s a great and even correct upgrade from shared hosting when your website’s traffic has increased, along with your experience in hosting.

I was pleasantly surprised by how many good VPS hosting options there are. The Cybernews team thoroughly tested 53 providers, and our top recommendation is Bluehost. From just $46.99/month, you can access server resources to support your growing business or eCommerce website.

Bluehost introduces semi-managed VPS hosting, which might intimidate complete beginners, but the control panel is easy to use and navigate. So, even if you have little to no experience, you will be able to install and update software like a pro.

Nevertheless, putting the recommendations aside, you must determine what type of hosting is the best for you. If you have any questions along the way, leave them in the comments section below.

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