Virtual private servers (VPS) comprise an invaluable web hosting tier that sits between low-cost (and low-powered) shared servers and expensive dedicated servers. However, navigating the many common VPS plans to find the optimal one for your needs can be a frustrating process. PCMag can help pare down your search. We’ve been testing web hosting services for more than a decade and frequently update our reviews as services add and remove features. For instance, HostGator has terrific VPS plans featuring flexible, highly scalable plans. Read on for our top selections, followed by the key factors to consider before reaching for the plastic.
Deeper Dive: Our Top Tested Picks
EDITORS’ NOTE
October 10, 2025: With this update, our lineup of recommended VPS web hosting services remains unchanged. The existing picks have been vetted for currency and availability.
- Excellent cloud hosting offerings
- Extensive domain-management tools
- Unlimited data transfers per month with many plans
- Generous shared hosting money-back guarantee
- You must pay for email with the Shared Starter plan
- No telephone support
- Not all plans have Windows-based servers
DreamHost has numerous novice-friendly VPS tools that make the site-building experience easy and accessible. Yet, it delivers impressive shared, WordPress, dedicated, cloud, and VPS options to help your site grow according to your needs. This makes DreamHost a web host we can easily recommend as an Editors’ Choice-worthy service.
Companies looking to expand their traffic. After all, hosting your website on a VPS server gives you more resources and computing power to work with than inexpensive shared hosting. DreamHost notably offers unlimited monthly data transfers with all of its plans, which is a fantastic perk.
Maximum RAM – VPS
8 GB
Maximum Storage – VPS
240 GB
Learn More
DreamHost Web Hosting Review
- Numerous feature-rich hosting plans
- Excellent shared hosting offerings
- Useful site-building software and e-commerce tools
- Helpful 24/7 customer service
- Outstanding uptime
- Not all plans have a Windows Server option
- No longer offers cloud hosting
HostGator’s excellent shared hosting earned the company a PCMag Editors’ Choice award, but don’t sleep on its VPS offerings. HostGator’s VPS plans come in several affordable price tiers, and while they lack Windows server options, they make up for it with top-notch flexibility and scalability.
As businesses grow and thrive, their website traffic typically increases in tandem. If you are expecting a traffic surge or simply want more control over your server environment, HostGator is an ideal host, as you can easily select the options you need to expand your plan.
Maximum RAM – VPS
8 GB
Maximum Storage – VPS
240 GB
Learn More
HostGator Web Hosting Review
- Terrific uptime
- Excellent reseller and VPS hosting plans
- Good customer service
- Minecraft server hosting
- Not every plan has a Windows server option
- Short money-back guarantee window
If you’re new to web hosting and website building, shared hosting is generally a great starting point for a fledgling website. As your traffic grows and you become more familiar with your site’s needs, your hosting requirements also grow. Hostwinds offers excellent VPS packages, earning it our Editors’ Choice award for the category. The plans allow you to select between managed and unmanaged servers, with options for both Linux and Windows operating systems.
Hostwinds is an appealing choice for a wide range of clients due to its high VPS RAM totals that top out at 9TB. As a result, your server can support heavy website traffic and operate much more efficiently than it would with lower RAM amounts.
Maximum RAM – VPS
96 GB
Maximum Storage – VPS
750 GB
Learn More
Hostwinds Web Hosting Review
- Wide variety of feature-packed plans
- Unlimited data transfers with all dedicated, shared, and WordPress tiers
- Easy-to-use website-building software
- Lengthy money-back guarantee
InMotion offers a rich feature set and reasonable pricing for its shared, dedicated, reseller, and VPS plans, catering to a wide range of hosting needs. Additionally, the company provides excellent customer service. As a result, InMotion stands strong as a well-rounded web host, and a PCMag Editors’ Choice winner.
InMotion’s VPS plans come packed with several excellent features, including unlimited monthly data transfers for all but the basic tier. Even better, InMotion’s VPS plans let you build an unlimited number of websites. This makes InMotion an excellent choice if you have several projects in the pipeline that require web hosting.
Maximum RAM – VPS
32 GB
Maximum Storage – VPS
640 GB
Learn More
InMotion Web Hosting Review
- Excellent cloud hosting packages
- Linux- or Windows-based servers
- Easy-to-use website creation tools
- Many hosting plans for various budgets and needs
- Lacks reseller hosting plans
- Sparse email options
Though Ionos has earned our Editors’ Choice award for its stellar cloud hosting plans, its myriad other hosting options are also outstanding. Its VPS hosting, in particular, caters to small businesses and enterprises with power Linux- or Windows-based servers.
If you need OS flexibility from your web host, consider Ionos. You can choose between Linux or Windows servers with the company’s VPS plans, which are fantastic options that not all hosts offer. Better still, Ionos’ VPS tiers aren’t expensive and include unlimited monthly data transfers.
Maximum RAM – VPS
12 GB
Maximum Storage – VPS
240 GB
Learn More
Ionos Web Hosting Review
Best for Unlimited Email Accounts
AccuWeb Hosting
- Great budget-friendly shared hosting options
- Excellent dedicated hosting plans
- Offers a choice of Linux or Windows servers
- Helpful customer service
- Limited email accounts with some plans
There are many worthwhile web hosting services vying for your dollar, and AccuWeb ranks highly among them due to its many feature-rich hosting plans. The company’s VPS plans are particularly stacked, and they come with unlimited email accounts at each tier.
AccuWeb’s unlimited email accounts are especially valuable for businesses with a large number of employees, or webmasters managing multiple sites at once. If you are an entrepreneur hunting for a host that works well with your communication tools (say, email newsletters), AccuWeb’s unlimited email accounts are well worth considering.
Maximum RAM – VPS
8 GB
Maximum Storage – VPS
100 GB
Learn More
AccuWeb Hosting Review
- Robust cloud, dedicated, reseller, and VPS packages
- Prorated VPS plans
- Powerful, high-end server specs
- Excellent uptime
- Terrific customer service
- Lacks shared hosting plans
- Expensive
If your online business requires juggernaut hosting, Liquid Web has the brawn to keep it operational. Liquid Web offers a diverse selection of cloud, dedicated, WordPress, and VPS packages, although these services come at a premium price point. It lacks lower-cost, shared web hosting, but makes up for it with superb enterprise-level plans.
Liquid Web offers excellent, fully managed VPS plans, making it a recommended solution for new businesses that need extra support or experience with back-end server issues. With Liquid Web’s managed VPS plans, you receive server setup, administration, OS updates, hardware management, and basic security.
Maximum RAM – VPS
16 GB
Maximum Storage – VPS
200 GB
Learn More
Liquid Web Hosting Review
- Top-notch uptime
- Linux- and Windows-based servers
- Email tightly integrated into Microsoft apps
- Helpful, 24/7 customer support
- Useful website-builder software
- Lacks cloud hosting
- Doesn’t offer much default email
GoDaddy is one of the most recognizable domain sellers around and provides dependable web hosting. It’s a great one-stop shop and deftly integrates Microsoft Office features and security options into many plans.
If your business manages customer transactions and information, security is a must. GoDaddy lets you set up automated weekly backups, recovery console fixes, and offers advanced DDoS protection. This gives your server around-the-clock monitoring so you can sleep easy at night. A free SSL certificate for your plan’s first year is a welcome bonus.
Maximum RAM – VPS
16 GB
Maximum Storage – VPS
400 GB
Learn More
GoDaddy Web Hosting Review
- Unlimited data transfers with the cloud, shared, and WordPress plans
- AI tools
- Gaming servers
- Includes the Hostinger Website Builder
- Helpful customer service
- Lacks dedicated web hosting
- Not every plan has a Windows option
- No phone support
When it comes to support and customer service, Hostinger is a top-notch web host. Its plans may lack a few enterprise-level features, such as dedicated servers or telephone support, but they make up for it with robust VPS plans and a high degree of customization. Hostinger even offers pre-configured server options for gaming, supporting CS:GO and Minecraft.
Hostinger is ideal for hands-on webmasters who want complete control over their VPS environments. Hostinger’s VPS plans are all self-managed, meaning you must configure and manage your server partition. You also have full root access to customize the server as needed. This requires some technical know-how, but Hostinger has its support team on standby at all times to offer a helping hand.
Maximum RAM – VPS
32 GB
Maximum Storage – VPS
400 GB
Learn More
Hostinger Web Hosting Review
Get Our Best Stories!
All the Latest Tech, Tested by Our Experts
By clicking Sign Me Up, you confirm you are 16+ and agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.
Thanks for signing up!
Your subscription has been confirmed. Keep an eye on your inbox!
The Best VPS Web Hosting Services for 2025
Compare Specs
Buying Guide: The Best VPS Web Hosting Services for 2025
What Is VPS Hosting?
With VPS hosting, your website resides in a partitioned server area with its own operating system, storage, RAM, and monthly data transfer limits, ensuring smoother and more stable site performance compared with shared hosting. The sites with which you share your server are far less likely to affect your site—or even take it down altogether—than they would be on a shared server. Knowing how VPS setups operate is just the first step, however. You must still familiarize yourself with the essential features for building a rock-solid, VPS-hosted website.
How Much Does VPS Hosting Cost?
Due to VPS hosting’s hybrid nature, its cost isn’t quite as low as shared hosting’s fees, but it’s not nearly as high as dedicated hosting’s fees. Depending on the configuration, you can expect to pay between $20 and $100 per month. On the other hand, shared web hosting is extremely cheap hosting; you can often set up shop for less than $10 per month. Dedicated web hosting typically costs you $100 per month or more.
Most VPS hosts only provide servers running Linux-based operating systems; you’ll need to dig a bit to find Windows-based VPS hosting. This is important if you plan to run software that requires a Microsoft-compatible environment. Linux-based VPS hosting will save you a few bucks; Linux servers usually cost $10 to $20 less than Windows servers.
Should You Use a Linux or Windows Server for VPS?
The right operating system for your website depends on your needs and budget. Linux is generally the more affordable, stable, and customizable all-rounder. Windows is better suited for websites that use Microsoft-specific services, such as ASP.NET or SQL. If you are willing to invest in Windows servers, consider services like Ionos and Liquid Web, which have powerful, business-oriented Windows hosting options.
For more, check out how to pick the best server OS for your website.
What Are the Differences Between Managed and Unmanaged VPS?
During your research, you’ll see web hosting services use the terms “managed” and “unmanaged” (or “self-managed”). To clarify, unmanaged hosting means that the customer is responsible for managing the server, performing maintenance, and ensuring security. The web hosting provider simply hosts your data. You have complete control over how your website is run, but this requires more technical expertise. With managed hosting, the hosting company handles these responsibilities on behalf of the customer. You get optimized performance and excellent support with managed hosting, with the trade-off being less control over the server and a notably higher subscription fee.
If the convenience and comfort of managed hosting sound like a worthwhile investment, consider Hostinger and Liquid Web, which provide high-quality managed VPS plans.
5 Things You Need to Know About Web Hosting
How to Choose a VPS Host
Once you register your website’s domain name, it’s time to start picking the specs for your server. Web hosts typically provide multiple VPS plans that vary in email capability, RAM, storage, CPU power, domain hosting, and monthly data transfer limits. The plans typically include website builders that let you quickly create a face for your site without requiring much—or even any—coding.
A reliable web host should have at least 4GB of RAM, 100GB of storage, and a substantial volume of monthly data transfers. If you expect significant website growth, consider a web host that has as many unlimited features as possible. For example, Hostwinds—the PCMag Editors’ Choice for VPS hosting—has unlimited email, domains, and monthly data transfers. Note, however, that you should read the fine print to understand what the host means by “unlimited,” as it can vary from company to company.
Recommended by Our Editors
Speaking of email and limits, you’ll want the ability to create unlimited accounts. Should your website grow significantly, you’ll appreciate being able to scale your email accounts without spending additional money. Web hosts typically limit the storage space allocated to each email account. In other words, you can create an unlimited number of email accounts, but each one may have a 10GB storage cap. Take time to investigate a potential web host’s email products to avoid being surprised by its messaging limitations. Again, find out what the potential limitations or gotchas might be.
Typically, a web hosting service lets you select either a traditional hard drive or a solid-state drive as your website’s storage medium. Traditional hard drives have large capacities and lower prices, but aren’t quite as resilient as their SSD counterparts. Solid-state drives, on the other hand, are often faster and more reliable than HDDs, but they cost more and have smaller storage capacities. A traditional hard drive should suffice unless you truly require blazing speed.
Do you plan to sell products or services? If so, you’ll want to invest in a web hosting service with Secure Sockets Layer (SSL). An SSL connection encrypts the financial information that travels between users’ web browsers and your website, thereby safeguarding the transmission of purchasing information. Some hosting companies include a free SSL certificate when you sign up for a web hosting plan, while others charge close to $100. You can save money by shopping around for services that have less expensive SSL plans.
You’ll also want to determine how long you’ll need VPS web hosting. If you need hosting for a short period—say, less than a month or two—you’ll typically receive a refund if you cancel your hosting within 60 days. These money-back guarantees vary from web host to web host. For example, Company X may have a 30-day money-back guarantee, while Company Y may have a lengthy 90-day one. As always, it’s best to shop around for the features that best suit your web hosting needs.
