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10 cheap Linux VPS hosting services and how to decide which is best for you
If you’re looking for a highly available and secure server, Linux virtual private server (VPS) hosting is a great option. A Linux VPS is reliable, suitable for many businesses, and cost-effective.
Since around 41% of websites use Linux as their operating system, many hosting providers offer Linux VPS services.
To find the best plan for your business, you need to consider your options carefully, especially if you’re looking for a budget-friendly option.
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This guide will get you started with tips on how to choose a provider and a list of the best cheap Linux VPS hosting services.
What is Linux VPS hosting?
A Linux VPS is a virtual private server that runs on the Linux operating system.
A VPS is hosted on a single physical server that’s virtually divided into multiple servers. This helps accommodate different clients while minimizing the use of physical resources.
In general, there are two major VPS types based on their popular operating systems: Windows VPS and Linux VPS. A server can also use a Linux distribution, like Ubuntu or Debian.
However, many businesses choose Linux for their VPS due to its many benefits.
Benefits of using a Linux VPS server
Using a VPS offers several advantages, such as higher speeds and scalability. In addition, the operating system affects the server’s functionality and usability. That’s why it’s crucial to choose the right option for your business’s requirements.
Linux is well-known for its stability and reliability. So, choosing a VPS based on Linux will give you the following benefits:
Security
Security is one of the most important concerns when choosing a server, as it stores key business data.
Compared to a shared server, a VPS keeps your data more secure by giving you an isolated environment instead of sharing resources. However, the security of a server also depends on its operating system.
The Linux operating system has features like restricted admin-level access, trusted repositories, and frequent security patches for high-level data security.
It’s also less prone to cybersecurity attacks. In 2022, 95.6% of new malware threats were aimed at Windows, while only 2.8% were aimed at Linux.
Customization and flexibility
A VPS gives you access to your own server environment. This allows for greater flexibility and customization. You can choose the operating system, software, and applications.
Combine this with Linux, and you’ll be able to create a VPS environment built specifically for your website’s requirements.
As Linux is open-source, anyone can access and modify its source code. You can alter the code to suit your business’s needs or even create your personal operating system built on the Linux core.
High performance
Unlike a shared server, a VPS has dedicated bandwidth, which allows it to maintain consistent and fast data transfer speeds.
Not to mention, Linux is generally known for its speed, scalability, and reliability compared to other systems when run on the same hardware.
Cost-effectiveness
Choosing a Linux VPS can be a great option for your business if you don’t want to spend too much on hosting.
A VPS can be more expensive than a shared hosting plan. However, the benefits, like dedicated resources and security, far outweigh the slight increase in price. Plus, it’s often more cost-effective than other options, such as a dedicated server.
Not to mention, Linux is typically cheaper than Windows, which requires a licensing fee, and offers unparalleled benefits that make it one of the best VPS options.
When choosing your cheap Linux server, remember that not all hosting providers are alike. You need to keep your brand’s requirements in mind when selecting your plan.
How to choose the best Linux VPS hosting provider
When choosing a Linux hosting provider, you need to consider several factors, such as hardware, uptime, and security. Here’s how you can assess these factors:
Hardware specifications
Although a VPS is a virtual server, hardware specifications play a crucial role in determining its capacity. If the specs don’t match your needs, you may have unexpected downtime or a slow-loading website.
Check if the service provider uses hardware that’s suitable for your requirements. This includes the central processing unit (CPU) power, memory, and storage devices.
For example, you can choose solid-state drive (SSD) storage instead of a hard disk drive (HDD) for higher data transfer speeds.
If your website is resource-heavy, you might also need higher bandwidth and processing power. Service providers like Liquid Web provide multiple plans with varying CPU, storage, and random access memory (RAM) amounts to accommodate the unique requirements of each client.
Uptime
High uptime is crucial if you want your website to always be up and running. Even a few seconds of downtime can be costly for your business, as more than two-thirds of outages cost over $100,000.
Many service providers boast of high uptime and availability. However, you need to verify their claims by looking at their work history. Check if you can look at how their clients have fared after using their services.
Have any of their clients faced downtime previously? If so, how long were the downtimes? Ideally, clients should have experienced nearly 100% availability, and any downtime should have been resolved quickly.
You also need to check if the service provider offers an uptime guarantee. For example, Liquid Web’s service level agreement (SLA) guarantees 100% network uptime.
Security
Since a VPS is an independent environment, your business’s files, programs, and operating system are isolated from other instances on the physical server. As a result, it’s much more secure than a shared hosting environment.
However, any hosting server is at risk of cyberattacks, such as malicious traffic, brute force attacks, and distributed denial-of-service (DDoS) attacks, which can impact the whole server network. In fact, in 2023, Cloudflare stopped a reported 5.2 million Hypertext Transfer Protocol (HTTP) DDoS attacks.
Safeguarding your website against these attacks can prevent you from losing valuable data and even money.
While a Linux VPS is generally secure, your service provider also needs to introduce additional security measures to protect your business.
Check if the web hosting company regularly updates its systems and offers security measures like firewalls and anti-DDoS protection.
Support and maintenance
Providing timely support and maintenance is an integral part of ensuring high availability. Your service provider should be able to provide continuous support whenever you require it.
If your business is spread across various countries or operates across multiple time zones, you’ll need support 24/7. This includes making server upgrades, scaling resources, and providing server-related solutions.
When choosing between service providers, answer these questions about their support and maintenance:
- Do they provide accessible support 24/7? Some service providers open support lines only during specific hours, which may not be feasible for all types of businesses or locations.
- How good is their maintenance? Check customer reviews to understand the quality and timeliness of support.
- What type of support is included in their Linux VPS plans? Many service providers include free support. However, some might charge a nominal fee for a certain number of queries.
Cost
One of the main reasons businesses choose a Linux VPS is its cost-effectiveness. Pricing varies from provider to provider and depends on the type, features, and duration of the plan.
However, a higher-priced plan doesn’t necessarily mean good-quality hosting.
Check with various service providers to find a hosting plan with the required features that fits within your budget.
With these many criteria, looking for a reliable Linux VPS hosting plan can be difficult. To simplify your search, we’ve compiled a list of the best Linux VPS hosting services with budget-friendly plans.
10 best Linux VPS hosting
1. Liquid Web
Liquid Web is the most reliable and budget-friendly VPS hosting provider. It offers three plan categories for different requirements: General Compute, Memory Optimized, and CPU Optimized.
Within each category, you can adjust the RAM, CPU, storage, and bandwidth capacity based on your budget and requirements. Plus, you can self-manage your server, or let Liquid Web’s experts take management tasks off your plate.
In addition to these features, Liquid Web stands out for its support, offering 24/7/365 customer service from Linux/hosting IT (and WordPress, if needed) experts on multiple channels.
In terms of security, every plan comes with server hardening for optimized protection. You also get root access for full control of the server environment. Plus, plans come with all the expected security features, such as anti-DDoS protection and an integrated firewall.
Not to mention, plans are easily scalable without the hassle of long downtimes or data loss.
Best cheap Linux VPS hosting service for: Feature-packed, budget-friendly plans.
2. Hostwinds
Hostwinds is a VPS provider that offers a variety of CPU and RAM capacity options, as well as daily backups. You can choose between 30 and 750 GB of storage, and you can easily scale as your needs change.
Hostwinds also offers Snapshots that allow you to get real-time backups of your Linux servers at any point. In addition to volumes for extra storage, load balancers, and firewalls, the service provider offers a 99.99% server uptime guarantee, ensuring that your website keeps running.
Best cheap Linux VPS hosting service for: Websites with frequent backup requirements.
3. Kamatera
If you want to assess the benefits of VPS before making a permanent switch, Kamatera is a good choice. The service provider offers a free 30-day trial period for Linux VPS cloud servers with all the features.
After the trial, you can also opt for monthly plans or per-usage plans if you don’t want to make a long-term commitment. Kamatera also offers 99.99% uptime, 24/7 customer support, and easy VPS management through its Vesta control panel.
Best cheap Linux VPS hosting service for: Short-term plans.
4. Hostinger
Hostinger is a client-friendly VPS service provider, especially for those with little to no technical knowledge. In addition to round-the-clock support from experts, Hostinger also includes an AI assistant in all VPS plans.
The AI assistant helps with server management, WordPress installation, and security updates. It can help you with all the essential aspects of a virtual server, such as the memory capacity and CPU cores, and guide you if something needs to change.
In addition, all Hostinger VPS plans come with DDoS filtering and firewalls to ensure website safety. They also have multiple control panel options and apps to further simplify server management.
Best cheap Linux VPS hosting service for: Beginner website owners.
5. HostGator
HostGator is a cheap Linux VPS provider that offers fully managed and semi-managed VPS plans. If you want to set up your own VPS environment, HostGator’s semi-managed plans have some great options that include minimal support.
However, many companies might not have the time or resources for unmanaged web servers. For them, HostGator has fully managed VPS hosting. Both types of plans come with 24/7 support, full root access, and weekly backups.
Best cheap Linux VPS hosting service for: Semi-managed plans.
6. InterServer
InterServer boasts of high flexibility and customizability in its VPS plans. The service provider offers scalable resources and multiple control panel options, including cPanel and Plesk.
You can easily track, modify, and manage your VPS environment without requiring permissions from InterServer. It also allows you to manage your content management system (CMS), security applications, and database from within the control panel.
While this gives you complete control of the VPS, InterServer offers managed support for clients who purchase at least four slices in case assistance is required.
Best cheap Linux VPS hosting service for: Independent server management.
7. UltaHost
UltaHost is a user-friendly VPS hosting provider. In addition to fast servers, it also offers complementary services.
UltaHost will migrate your website and set up the operating system for free and keep an eye out for issues that can hurt website traffic. These features help simplify website management, especially for clients who are new to hosting.
The service provider also offers a 30-day money-back guarantee so you can see if the plan’s right for you before committing.
Best cheap Linux VPS hosting service for: Holistic website and server management services.
8. A2 Hosting
A2 Hosting boasts of 20x speed for its Turbo plans and offers managed and unmanaged options.
Along with the standard RAM and CPU offerings, it also provides some freebies with its managed plans. This includes a Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) certificate, Imunify360 Security Suite, and site transfer services.
Unmanaged plans offer full root access and several Linux distribution options.
To encourage customers to try a VPS plan, the service provider also offers a 30-day money-back guarantee.
Best cheap Linux VPS hosting service for: Free add-ons.
9. IONOS
For all plans, IONOS offers fully virtualized private servers. These servers are completely isolated from other virtual servers, and they’re highly flexible, reliable, and secure.
With IONOS, you can get a VPS that handles unlimited traffic and offers high performance. The service provider also has monthly contracts and allows you to choose the data center location to allow greater control over servers from the client end.
However, full virtualization isn’t suitable for all types of websites. You’ll need to assess your requirements before deciding if this is the right plan for your business.
Best cheap Linux VPS hosting service for: Fully virtualized servers.
10. DedicatedCore
DedicatedCore is another reliable Linux VPS hosting company. It offers up to 16 vCPU cores and 8 TB of storage and both managed and unmanaged plans.
DedicatedCore helps clients manage their servers with its extensive knowledge base, which includes articles about common VPS hosting issues. It also provides round-the-clock live chat support and a YouTube channel.
With DedicatedCore, you get complete control of your virtual Linux servers along with adequate support from the service provider.
Best cheap Linux VPS hosting service for: Semi-independent server management.
Getting started with cheap Linux VPS hosting
A number of cheap Linux VPS hosting services are available. However, the lowest price should not be your only criterion.
Choose a service provider who offers the features and support you need to keep your website up and running at peak performance.
Liquid Web provides reliable Linux VPS hosting plans that are suitable for every budget. Each plan comes with high-security features and a 100% uptime guarantee. You also get instant scaling, predictable costing, and 24/7/365 expert support.
Switching to a Linux VPS? Check out Liquid Web’s Linux VPS hosting plans.
Additional resources
VPS: A beginner’s guide →
A complete beginner’s guide to virtual private servers
Protect your VPS from DDoS attack →
9 steps to harden your virtual server
Expert tips for managing your VPS →
A complete guide to help you run your VPS with confidence
Luke Cavanagh, Strategic Support & Accelerant at Liquid Web, is one of the company’s most seasoned subject matter experts, focusing on web hosting, digital marketing, and ecommerce. He is dedicated to educating readers on the latest trends and advancements in technology and digital infrastructure.