8 Best VPS hosting services in 2023

VPS hosting is a middleman between shared and dedicated hosting services. It’s a perfect match for anyone whose website traffic has grown out of the starting point, and the need for more control and resources has increased.

Getting a Virtual Private Server means that you are getting an individual virtual server with the complete freedom to control the OS and install the apps or add-ons you like. Yet, physical servers are still shared, as well as essential resources, like storage space or CPU.

And since you are still partially subordinated with other users, it’s important to choose a truly reputable VPS provider. To help you, we have put to the test over a dozen of services and selected the best 8 VPS hosting services that offer easy server management, retain excellent performance, and fulfill a good price-to-quality ratio. See them right below and pick the one that suits your needs.

8 Best VPS hosting providers 2023

1. Hostinger – best VPS hosting service overall
2. Liquid Web – top fully managed VPS hosting
3. A2 Hosting – fastest VPS hosting service
4. DreamHost – cheapest VPS hosting service provider
5. ScalaHosting – beginner-friendly VPS solution
6. InterServer – flexible month-to-month VPS option
7. InMotion Hosting – business-focused VPS hosting
8. Nexcess – simplistic managed VPS hosting

Why do you need a VPS provider?

VPS hosting may be a first hosting pick for already effective companies that can expect moderate website traffic or for those users who have used shared hosting and their website traffic has become too big for it. However, you may still question why you should choose a VPS provider over any other. Well, let’s put all the highlights right below:

• Private virtual server. An individual virtual server ensures better website performance and gives you a dedicated part of resources that you can also increase according to your needs. Overall, you gain more control.
• Enhanced performance. VPS hosting is known for much better performance compared to shared hosting. Effective distribution and full control of resources, as well as top-notch server hardware, are what you receive.
• Dedicated operating system. VPS services give each provider its private operating system, allowing them to install preferred applications and extensions.
• Affordability. Indeed, only dedicated hosting can offer the fullest hosting freedom. Nevertheless, the one is expensive and also technically challenging. Whereas VPS hosting can cost as low as $3.99 per month.

Best VPS hosting providers 2023 – our detailed list:

To gather a list of the best VPS hosting providers, we tested multiple services in terms of performance, usability, features, and more. Keep on reading to find detailed information about the hosts we’ve picked.

1. Hostinger – our top pick for VPS hosting

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Hostinger is the best VPS hosting provider because of its high-quality services at incredibly low prices. The provider’s semi-managed VPS hosting 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.

Interface: Hostinger’s VPS hosting is semi-managed. This means you get full root access and a pre-installed VPS control panel. So, if you’re a pro developer, there’s enough space for custom configurations. And if you’re a beginner and VPS sounds scary – Hostinger is easy enough to figure out.

Features: All of Hostinger’s VPS plans come with a dedicated IP, full root access, a 100Mb/s network, and support. Yet, the resources vary from 1 to 8 cores, 1 to 16 GB RAM, 20 to 250 GB SSD storage, and 1 to 12 TB bandwidth.

Performance: With this provider, you can select from 8 data center locations: the US, UK, Netherlands, France, Lithuania, India, Singapore, and Brazil. And during the 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.

Customer support: Hostinger has plenty of support options to help you out. There’s a 24/7 live chat, email support, and ticketing. And if you want to learn more about VPS hosting, you can visit their extensive knowledge base.

Pricing: Hostinger has 8 VPS plans, with prices starting from $3.99/mo. There’s also a 30-day money-back guarantee, letting you test the service out before committing.

For more information, visit our Hostinger review.

2. Liquid Web – leading managed VPS hosting

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If you’re looking for the best managed VPS hosting, Liquid Web is the one to cater to large-scale projects and businesses. It’s a powerful option for mission-critical projects.

Interface: Liquid Web offers fully managed services with its own InterWorx control panel. It also guarantees simplicity and even sets up the server for you. Yet, full configuration possibilities are also there. Additionally, you can choose from three control panel types that are also free – InterWorx (pre-installed), cPanel, and Plesk.

Features: All 4 of Liquid Web’s plans include unlimited sites, dedicated IP, monitoring, Cloudflare CDN, an integrated firewall, SecureServer plus, 10TB bandwidth, and DDoS protection. The only differences are variations from 2 to 12GB RAM, 2 to 12 CPUs, and 40 to 200GB SSD storage.

Performance: 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.

Customer support: The host provides you with various 24/7 support options, including live chat, phone, and tickets. An extensive knowledge base together with tutorials is also available.

Pricing: Liquid Web VPS hosting prices start from $25.00/mo. And in case you change your mind, there’s a standard 30-day money-back guarantee.

To learn more, read our Liquid Web review.

3. A2 Hosting – speediest VPS hosting

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A2 Hosting provides both managed and unmanaged VPS hosting. The unmanaged plans are very developer-friendly and come with full root access. Meanwhile, the managed option is designed for regular folks, though it comes at a significantly higher price.

Interface: With its unmanaged VPS services, you get a butt-naked server – no interface and no 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.

Features: With unmanaged A2 Hosting, you get full root access and can choose the plan depending on the resources you need. Managed VPS plans are also flexible in terms of resources. Plus, all of them come with a free SSL certificate.

Performance: This host operates its data centers in 4 locations – 2 US locations, the Netherlands (Amsterdam), and Singapore. Regarding performance, A2 Hosting delivers – the average response time was 253ms, and A2 Hosting had 1 outage that lasted 5 minutes. That’s 99.98% uptime over around 2 weeks.

Customer support: A2 Hosting provides you with 24/7 tickets, live chat, and phone support. And if you’re a DIY-type of person, its knowledge base will help you out.

Pricing: With this host, you’ll get one of the best unmanaged VPS deals out there – starting at $2.99/mo. Beginners should opt for managed VPS, though, starting at $39.99/mo. A 30-day money-back guarantee is also available, plus the host has an “any time” refund policy for unused services.

To learn more about this provider, visit our A2 Hosting review.

4. DreamHost – most affordable VPS hosting service

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DreamHost comes with easy navigation, affordable prices, and decent performance, which makes it a good VPS hosting solution.

Interface: DreamHost is a managed VPS with updates, performance, and security 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 won’t get root access with this solution – it’s designed with beginners in mind.

Features: Whichever hosting package you choose, you get access to DreamHost’s control panel, unlimited bandwidth and domains, an SSL certificate, and unlimited email accounts.

Performance: 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 our server. The average response time of 710ms, though, could have been better.

Customer support: You name it, DreamHost offers it all – live chat, phone support, knowledge base, and 24/7 email tickets. It’s worth noting that their live chat option is available 5:30 AM – 9:30 PM PT.

Pricing: DreamHost keeps things affordable. There are 4 plans, and the prices start at $10.00/mo. Plus, if you find that the service is not for you, you can make use of the 30-day money-back guarantee.

If you want to find out more, visit our DreamHost review.

5. ScalaHosting – most beginner-friendly VPS solution

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With managed VPS and its very own SPanel control panel, ScalaHosting is among the easiest-to-use VPS hosting services. The prices are affordable too. In fact, the provider aims to make VPS an option not only for big projects but smaller websites and beginner users too.

Interface: With full server management and a straightforward control panel called SPanel, ScalaHosting is a great transition into the powerful world of VPS. We had 0 issues with setup and the server was already pre-configured.

Features: All VPS plans include a free domain, SSL certificates, the SPanel, daily automated backups, and unmetered bandwidth. The provider allows you to build your own managed VPS according to your needs. You can choose from 1 to 24 cores, from 2GB to 128GB of RAM, and from 50GB to 200GB of SSD storage.

Performance: First of all, this provider has data centers in the US (Dallas and New York) and Europe only. However, ScalaHosting’s performance is competitive. In 2 weeks of monitoring, there were 0 outages – the perfect 100% uptime score. As for response time, its average is 443ms.

Customer support: 24/7 via live chat, email, tickets, and phone support – that’s what you get with ScalaHosting. And if you wish to figure everything out yourself, there’s a huge knowledge base.

Pricing: ScalaHosting managed VPS starts at $29.95/mo with a monthly or 3-year subscription. And like most hosting providers, it has a 30-day refund policy.

If you wish to find out more, read our ScalaHosting review.

6. 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 and scalable option. The catch is that it’s an unmanaged service mainly catering to professionals.

Interface: 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 is paid, but free alternatives, such as DirectAdmin, can be pre-installed for you. This makes this host slightly easier to use but not entirely beginner-friendly.

Features: With InterServer, you get full root access to configure everything the way you want to. Also, you choose how many resources you need – from 1 to 16 cores, 2 to 32GB RAM, 30 to 480GB SSD storage, and 2 to 32TB transfer.

Performance: InterServer has data centers in the US only. And as for performance, this is where things get a bit tricky. When we tested InterServer, the performance was reliable with 100% uptime. The average response time, however, was a complete bust – 1.1s.

Customer support: You can reach InterServer agents through live chat, email, phone support, and even through the mail. You can also find tons of tutorials and guides in their knowledge base.

Pricing: InterServer pricing structure is very simple – it’s $6.00/mo for 1 slice. One slice is 1 CPU, 2GB RAM, 30GB SSD, and 1TB of bandwidth. You can multiply the resources as needed.

To learn more about this host, read our InterServer review.

7. InMotion Hosting – VPS hosting for businesses

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InMotion Hosting is a business-level VPS provider focusing on larger projects and websites. It takes care of server management and gives you an easy way to manage the website. At the same time, prices are on the steeper side.

Interface: A major selling point of InMotion is that it uses cPanel – it’s easy, functional, and fast. There’s also Web Host Manager that you can use to slice your VPS even more and provide hosting for your clients yourself.

Features: All VPS plans include a free SSL certificate, dedicated IPs, 5 cPanel licenses, free website transfers, security configurations, and server setup.

Performance: InMotion's data centers are based in the US exclusively. Nevertheless, there’s not much to complain about when it comes to its performance. It delivered 100% uptime for more than 2 weeks. As for the response time, it averaged 585ms, which is on par with other hosts on this list.

Customer support: InMotion 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 a bunch of resources in its knowledge base and blog.

Pricing: InMotion Hosting has 4 plans, and they start at $14.99/mo. And the best part? Plans with 6-month or longer billing terms get a generous 90-day money-back guarantee.

You can read more in our InMotion Hosting review.

8. Nexcess – fully managed VPS for anyone

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Nexcess offers a fully managed cloud environment that suits both individual and business needs. The host prides itself on being highly flexible and allowing you and your project all the freedom you need.

Interface: Nexcess comes with a native website management panel, guaranteeing ease of use. The host takes care of all the technicalities for you. Plus, features like a web application firewall (WAF), security hardening, 24/7 remote monitoring, and advanced asset caching ensure your site is secure at all times.

Features: All plans include automated daily backups, caching tools, a web application firewall (WAF), a Client Portal, managed DNS, and email accounts. The number of sites you can host and the amount of storage and bandwidth will vary depending on the plan.

Performance: This host has even 8 data centers – 4 in the US, 2 in the UK, 1 in the Netherlands, and 1 in Australia. Apart from that, Nexcess showed some really impressive results, keeping a 100% uptime for over 4 months. The average response time of 443ms was just as impressive too.

Customer support: The main support option of Nexcess is their round-the-clock live chat. But bob-the-builder users can make use of the extensive knowledge base.

Pricing: Nexcess has 6 plans, and they start at $15.83/month with monthly billing. That also seems to be the only available billing term. The 30-day refund policy still applies though.

If you wish to find out more, visit our Nexcess review.

How we tested and picked the best VPS hosting

Picking the top VPS hosting providers requires evaluating possible users’ project needs, skills, and budget. So, here are the main factors we considered when testing and choosing the best VPS hosting services:

• Performance. It’s a must for hosts to have a high uptime guarantee (ideally close to 100%). This helps ensure that your server is always up and running. To test the provider, we did uptime, speed, and stress tests and continued monitoring them for around 2 weeks, looking if they ever exceeded 600ms or failed when 50 bots were sent to the page.
• Ease of use. Considering beginning 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 testes unmanaged VPS. This required us to go through the setup and management processes in detail.
• Storage space. While smaller sites can take up to 5GB, huge online stores can easily reach 200GB and more. Therefore, we looked for options that offered larger storage space and allowed your website to grow.
• Bandwidth. The amount of bandwidth a user needs depends on the project and visitors they have. Ideally, we looked for providers with unlimited bandwidth. Yet, in case your selected provider doesn’t allow that, you can count how much bandwidth need and if the offered amount will be enough like this: 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.
• CPU. Enough CPU is crucial to handle your project’s traffic. Hence, we chose those providers that have at least 2 CPUs when it comes to VPS – it should be able to handle 100-200 visitors on the site alongside running all the processes smoothly.
• RAM. This piece of hardware stores bits and pieces of data temporarily, so it can be delivered quickly. When testing VPS providers, we noticed those that offer at least 2GB RAM storage, from which you are allowed to scale as needed.

Best VPS providers 2023 compared

	Hostinger	Liquid Web	A2 Hosting	DreamHost	ScalaHosting	InterServer	InMotion	Nexcess
Brand
CPU core	1	2	1	N/A	1	1	2	N/A
RAM	1GB	2GB	1GB	1GB	2GB	2GB	2GB	N/A
Storage	20GB	40GB	150GB	30GB	50GB	30GB	45GB	50GB
Bandwidth	1TB	10TB	2TB	Unlimited	Unlimited	1TB	4TB	1000GB
Managed VPS	Yes	Yes	No	Yes	Yes	No	Yes	Yes
Free SSL	No	Yes	No	Yes	Yes	No	Yes	Yes
Price	$3.99/mo	$15.00/mo	$2.99/mo	$10.00/mo	$29.95/mo	$6.00/mo	$14.99/mo	$15.83/mo
Review	Hostinger review	Liquid Web review	A2 Hosting review	DreamHost review	ScalaHosting review	InterServer review	InMotion review	Nexcess review

Winner

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How does VPS hosting work?

Using virtualization technology, a server, and its resources are split into virtual private units. It means that with VPS hosting, you get private resources and don’t share them or any of your data with other accounts. VPS hosting is basically a dedicated server experience, except you’re using a physical server shared by multiple users.

Having a private server can increase your project’s performance and handle loads of traffic. That’s because you have dedicated resources, and other users on the server can’t hog them when they have a traffic spike.

Another benefit of having a private server is extra security. You get a dedicated IP address, which means that if your server neighbor experiences a DDoS attack, you won’t be affected by it. VPS hosting also protects you from malicious traffic attacks by allowing you to create custom firewall settings. You can block certain IP addresses and stop brute-force and port scanning attacks, which can lead to outages or even your server being taken over. And these are just some of the many reasons to upgrade to VPS hosting.

That said, VPS hosting technology is great for online stores or websites that get a lot of traffic or for developers working on custom software. Less experienced users can opt for managed services, while those with developer knowledge can go for unmanaged or semi-managed services.

Managed vs unmanaged VPS services

VPS hosting is already an upgrade of shared hosting in terms of the control level you get. It also outrivals shared hosting regarding performance by efficiently distributing resources and using higher-end server hardware.

However, what’s also important is that there are two types of VPS hosting – it’s managed and unmanaged. If you have transferred to VPS following your desire for more control over your hosted site, then unmanaged VPS is the option for you. You get a full access to the control panel, get the possibility to add desired apps or extensions, plus, it’s a cheaper VPS solution.

In the meantime, managed VPS still leaves a good amount of control to feel the individuality of a server, but, at the same time, some management tasks are taken off of your shoulders. For instance, you may not need to worry about security or software updates. Additionally, some features, like backups, are already pre-installed.

Yet, let’s not ignore that both VPS types have some downsides to consider. In terms of unmanaged VPS, note that it 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.

Video review

Check out our comprehensive video review of the best VPS hosting services and pick your favorite:

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, as well as your experience in hosting.

And we were pleasantly surprised by how many good VPS hosting options there are. Our top recommendation is Hostinger – it guarantees great performance and beginner-friendly navigation at very low prices.

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!

Best VPS FAQs