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Ready for more computing power without the costs and pressures of running and overseeing a dedicated server? A virtual private server, or VPS, is a happy middle ground between mass-market shared servers and high-end dedicated servers.
VPS hosting plans give users more control and computing resources by dividing the server among a small group of customers. While a shared server might host hundreds or thousands of websites, a VPS is typically reserved for roughly a dozen clients. A VPS runs its own operating system copy and acts as an independent dedicated server, even though the physical server might contain several virtual environments.
Most VPS providers, however, default to offering only Linux-based plans. You’d usually have to do some extra digging to find Windows packages to host your ASP.NET application, but, fortunately for you, we’ve gathered a list of our favorite hosts for the service. These providers will help you scale your traffic without breaking the bank.
Best Value in Windows VPS Hosting
Instead of just highlighting the bargain-basement prices some hosting providers offer, we prefer to balance cost with attributes such as performance, reliability, security, and customer support, among other factors. Our top recommendations are geared to help you get the most bang for your hosting buck — meaning your website or application has the best chance of appealing to your end users.
VPS hosting tends to be more expensive with Windows than Linux, but deals can be found with our top hosts.
Just looking at monthly costs, Liquid Web is among the more expensive hosting options — but you wouldn’t be comparing apples to apples. Several competitors appeal to entry-level customers by starting VPS plans with one core, less than 1GB of RAM, and 50GB or less in storage — configurations the customer will likely outgrow quickly.
Geared toward experienced hosting connoisseurs, Liquid Web offers a luxurious array of features and flavors of VPS hosting. In addition to instant provisioning, easy scalability, and real-time monitoring, the company is known across the hosting world for unparalleled technical expertise, customer support, and managed services.
1.
LiquidWeb.com
- Top-rated virtual servers with Windows OS option
- Ideal for highly trafficked websites and apps
- FREE site migration service and FREE SSDs
- Get total peace of mind with Liquid Web managed servers
- Up to 5,000GB of bandwidth
- Get started on Liquid Web now.
Liquid Web: Our Expert's Review
| Money Back Guarantee | Disk Space | Domain Name | Windows VPS Hosting Plans |
|---|---|---|---|
| N/A | 50 GB - 1.6 TB SSD | FREE (1 year) | www.liquidweb.com/windows-vps |
See other top Windows VPS hosts »
Cheapest Windows VPS Overall
Fancy features aside, we really do understand the need to stick to a budget. Unlike shared hosting plans, VPS packages typically ask customers to pay per month based on actual computing resources used. While shared hosting customers can save money by paying in advance for a year of services, VPS customers can sometimes have a hard time understanding how fluctuating monthly prices will fit into their financial plans.
Even though being designated “the cheapest” of something might connote outdated infrastructure or subpar service, we wouldn’t dare lead you astray. Several hosts start their VPS offerings very small to make sure customers are only paying for the resources needed to power their website or application. As traffic scales, customers can add more resources and customized configurations.
InterServer caters to customers by starting Windows VPS hosting plans at a very affordable $10.00 per month for basic computing needs and will help customers scale as needed. However, 1&1 remains the king of VPS affordability by offering top-notch hardware for a hard-to-believe $4.99 each month.
2.
1and1.com
- Virtual cloud server with choice of Linux or Windows OS
- 100% SSD storage and 99.9% uptime guaranteed
- Full root access and Plesk control panel
- High performance meets high security
- Unlimited traffic
- Get started on 1&1 now.
1&1: Our Expert's Review
| Money Back Guarantee | Disk Space | Domain Name | Windows VPS Hosting Plans |
|---|---|---|---|
| 30 days | 20 GB SSD Minimum | FREE for life! | www.1and1.com/windows-vps |
See other top Windows VPS hosts »
Cheapest Managed Virtual Server for Windows
Upgrading from a shared hosting plan to a VPS can come with increased technical responsibilities. Custom hardware and software configurations mean specialized management processes to make sure everything is running smoothly and securely. For those customers who lack the experience or time for server administration, several hosts offer managed services and experienced technical support for time-consuming server maintenance tasks, ranging from the mundane to the complex.
Several hosts keep IT professionals on hand to take care of services such as updating and patching software.
At the more expensive end of the spectrum, Liquid Web offers worry-free server management that gives customers the power and control of a dedicated server matched with the affordability of VPS. In addition to a free firewall, control panel, and real-time monitoring services, Liquid Web’s managed services include nearly immediate access to on-site support engineers — the company guarantees a response time of 59 seconds or less.
However, if affordability is what you seek, InterServer is hard to beat. Not only does the team offer Windows VPS plans starting at $10.00 per month, but the hardware hosting your website or application is located within company headquarters, in Secaucus, New Jersey. Co-Founders Mike Lavrik and John Quaglieri are even on hand to respond to support tickets and run the datacenter.
3.
InterServer.net
- Affordable Windows VPS with a flexible pricing model
- Choice of Windows 2008 or 2012 servers
- Instant setup lets you deploy your slice within 20 minutes
- Plenty of RAM and data transfer
- Cloud backups and snapshots included
- Get started on Interserver now.
InterServer: Our Expert's Review
| Money Back Guarantee | Disk Space | Domain Name | Windows VPS Hosting Plans |
|---|---|---|---|
| N/A | 25 GB - 400 GB | $1.99 | www.interserver.net/windows-vps |
See other top Windows VPS hosts »
Best Windows VPS with Free SSDs
Whether it’s for your laptop or your virtual private server, solid-state hard drives are a must-have piece of hardware to me. Once you experience the added speed and stability of SSDs, which have no moving parts and operate much faster than traditional hard-disk drives, you won’t want to turn back.
Solid-state drives, on the right, are smaller, faster, and more reliable than hard-disk drives.
The availability of SSDs is a good sign that a host wants to appeal to knowledgeable hosting customers who care about infrastructure and performance, as opposed to purely profiting off the masses. InterServer doubles down on infrastructure expertise by owning and operating its own datacenters, while 1&1 boasts some of the fastest data transfer rates on top of SSD storage.
The performance boost from SSDs typically comes with a slightly higher price tag since the newer storage devices are more expensive and typically have smaller capacities, but a premier host like Liquid Web adds even more value to its Windows VPS hosting plans by including bonus features such as CloudFlare CDN, built-in backups, proprietary security tools, and DDoS protection.
4.
LiquidWeb.com
- Top-rated virtual servers with Windows OS option
- Ideal for highly trafficked websites and apps
- FREE site migration service and FREE SSDs
- Get total peace of mind with Liquid Web managed servers
- Up to 5,000GB of bandwidth
- Get started on Liquid Web now.
Liquid Web: Our Expert's Review
| Money Back Guarantee | Disk Space | Domain Name | Windows VPS Hosting Plans |
|---|---|---|---|
| N/A | 50 GB - 1.6 TB SSD | FREE (1 year) | www.liquidweb.com/windows-vps |
See other top Windows VPS hosts »
Cheap Windows VPS with cPanel Control Panel
No matter what level of web hosting you’re using, a control panel is a helpful tool in your arsenal. A control panel is a graphical interface hosts provide that allows customers to intuitively manage various services, including FTP and email accounts, databases, and DNS settings, from a single place without using the command line.
Unfortunately, cPanel is only compatible with Linux-based operating systems. If you don’t have CentOS, CloudLinux, Red Hat Enterprise Linux, or Amazon Linux, you won’t be able to use cPanel. Although Plesk is the most common control panel offered with Windows servers and hosting plans, you’re not limited to the one option.
We appreciate that InterServer enables customers to tailor configurations to exactly meet their needs. In addition to offering the 2008, 2012, and 2016 editions of the Windows operating system, the company includes one of the more diverse control panel portfolios you will find in your hosting search. Customers can choose between Plesk or an in-house control panel for their Windows VPS servers. If you’re considering a Linux VPS plan, InterServer also offers DirectAdmin as an alternative to cPanel.
5.
InterServer.net
- Affordable Windows VPS with a flexible pricing model
- Choice of Windows 2008 or 2012 servers
- Instant setup lets you deploy your slice within 20 minutes
- Plenty of RAM and data transfer
- Cloud backups and snapshots included
- Get started on Interserver now.
InterServer: Our Expert's Review
| Money Back Guarantee | Disk Space | Domain Name | Windows VPS Hosting Plans |
|---|---|---|---|
| N/A | 25 GB - 400 GB | $1.99 | www.interserver.net/windows-vps |
See other top Windows VPS hosts »
Cheap Windows VPS with Plesk Control Panel
Unlike cPanel, Plesk supports both Linux and Windows operating systems. This is the option you’ll most frequently find included with Windows VPS hosting plans, and most agree Plesk holds the edge when it comes to security, stability, and adding new features and integrations.
The Plesk control panel helps Windows hosting customers manage various accounts and services.
If you want to loosen the purse strings, Liquid Web includes Plesk among the company’s managed services, unrivaled support, free migrations, and 100% uptime guarantee. A prime example of a host that caters to customers’ specific needs, InterServer is a bit more affordable and even created its own control panel for users who want to explore a different option.
Our favorite host, however, for an affordable Plesk/Windows VPS pairing is 1&1, which deploys the latest Intel Xeon processors and SSD drives at a very affordable rate. The top-rated infrastructure brings peace of mind to customers looking for a bargain but wanting to skip cut-rate services.
6.
1and1.com
- Virtual cloud server with choice of Linux or Windows OS
- 100% SSD storage and 99.9% uptime guaranteed
- Full root access and Plesk control panel
- High performance meets high security
- Unlimited traffic
- Get started on 1&1 now.
1&1: Our Expert's Review
| Money Back Guarantee | Disk Space | Domain Name | Windows VPS Hosting Plans |
|---|---|---|---|
| 30 days | 20 GB SSD Minimum | FREE for life! | www.1and1.com/windows-vps |
See other top Windows VPS hosts »
Get Great Rates on Virtual Servers with Windows Operating System Now
Even though affordable Windows VPS hosting plans might be harder to find than the Linux counterparts, these providers make the extra work worthwhile. When developing a highly scalable and available ASP.NET website or application, Windows compatibility is key.
Once that box is checked, hosting providers can distinguish themselves by managed services, modern hardware, and user-friendly tools that turn your hosting bargain into a steal. For more information or other hosting options, be sure to take a look at our Windows VPS hosting reviews.
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