Last Updated on April 11, 2024 by James Wilson

Best VPS Hosting UK Companies of 2024 (On-Going Case Study)

A Virtual Private Server (VPS) hosting is a service whereby the hosting provider offers virtual server space. Hosting is required to own a website on the internet and is a place to store your files.

The virtualized hosting space on a VPS is similar to a dedicated server and also a shared server. However, the key differences are a VPS doesn’t need all the complex management.

With a VPS you’ll share the server with other users, but they won’t have access to any of your files. One of the benefits of using a VPS is that you can run several instances of OS in one server.

Best Web Hosting Companies

BEST VPS HOSTING UK SERVICES COMPARED:

1. Hostinger: (£4.99/Month)

Hostinger has increasingly become a popular provider in the web hosting industry. They are well known for their outrageously cheap shared hosting, from just £2.59 per month, but also provide other affordable hosting services like VPS hosting from just £4.99 per month.

Hostinger’s VPS hosting is ideal for people who have never had a VPS plan before. Its pricing structure is simple and clear, offering great scalability for small and medium-sized businesses. Their cheapest plan offers 1 CPU, 4GB RAM, 50GB storage, and 1TB bandwidth. Whilst this isn’t the most comprehensive or high-spec VPS plan we’ve seen, it’s barely going to cost you the price of a sandwich.

When you’re ready to upgrade your VPS plan, you can increase your CPU up to 8 cores, RAM up to 32GB, up to 400GB NVMe disk space, and bandwidth up to 8TB. Their most expensive plan comes in at £17.99.

Hostinger offers a wealth of operating systems for you to choose. They are all Linux based, including CentOS, Ubuntu, Fedora, Open Suse, and Debian. On top of this, you’ll have access to a custom control panel, 24/7 support, and a generous 30-day money-back guarantee.

Pros:

• Very affordable pricing
• Good scalability
• Range of Linux based OS
• 30-day money-back guarantee
• Dedicated IP
• VPS AI Assistant
• 1 Free Snapshot
• 50 GB-400 GB NVMe
• Knowledge Base

Cons:

• Features aren’t as comprehensive in comparison to SiteGround

Get an additional 10% for Premium plan by using our code UKWEBHOST.

Cost: £4.99/Month
Space: 50GB NVMe Disk space
RAM: 4GB RAM
CPU Cores: 1 vCPU
30 Day Money Back Guarantee
Visit Hostinger.co.uk(£4.99/Mo)
READ HOSTINGER REVIEW

2. Siteground: Best Overall VPS Host (£48.00/Month)

Their managed hosting starts from £48.00 per month, which admittedly is on the pricier side, however, you do get 4GB RAM, 5TB data transfer, and 40GB SSD. In comparison to the cheaper hosts on this list, SiteGround packs a powerful punch in terms of speed, reliability, and features.

When you sign up for SiteGround’s VPS plans you’ll receive a fully-managed service. That means the IT element is all covered, leaving you to take care of your business and focus your efforts in the right places.

If you’re worried about server resources, SiteGround offers easy scaling so you can add CPU and RAM at any moment, simply with the click of a button. SiteGround’s auto-scale option is also available if you receive any unexpected spikes in traffic; your resources will scale automatically, ensuring you don’t receive any downtime or loss of traffic.

SiteGround’s VPS servers are ideal for webmasters and small to medium-sized businesses. You’ll get a dedicated IP, free CDN, free SSL, and daily backups. If you’re looking for a complete VPS package that is managed for you.

Pros:

• Generous resources
• Free SSL and CDN
• Reliable and high-performing servers
• Great customer service
• 14-day money-back guarantee

Cons:

• Pricing could be considered expensive compared to other hosts

Cost: £48.00/Month
Space: 40GB SSD
RAM: 4GB RAM
CPU Cores: 2
14 Day Money Back Guarantee
Visit SiteGround.co.uk(£48.00/Mo)
READ SITEGROUND REVIEW

3. A2 Hosting: (£4.03/Month)

A2 Hosting states that you should pay only for the resources that you need and their staff are on hand 24/7/365 should you want to discuss your choices in more detail. You can also upgrade your server to a cloud Turbo Server with A2Hosting.

The A2 Hosting Turbo Servers are 20x faster, which is great if you are looking for maximum speed. I’d like to applaud the website developer, even the VPS page in on point – the prices are right there in front of you.

Unless you go for the Unmanaged VPS, A2 Hosting provides cPanel Control Panel to manage your server. This is the leading server management tool and will let you do everything from setting up an SSL certificate (which are free on the two higher-tier plans) to setting up an email address.

For the complete beginner who is looking to upgrade from a shared server, A2 offers a completely managed solution that offers more support. 

A2 Hosting owns all of their servers, meaning that they can make sure that every server is operating smoothly. They have data centres in the USA, Europe, and Asia, which is great for upload and download speed in those locations.

Pros

• Excellent Value For Money & Transparent Pricing
• Free SSL Certificate & SSD
• Free cPanel – The Industry Leading Control Panel
• Free & Easy Site Transfer
• Anytime Money Back Guarantee
• 99.9% Uptime Commitment

Cons

• Bottom tier package is very basic
• Payment is done triannually – so you need to pay for 3 years up front

IONOS Logo
Cost: £4.03/Month
Space: 20GB SSD
RAM: 512MB RAM
CPU Cores: 1
30 Day Money Back Guarantee
Visit A2Hosting.co.uk (£4.03/Mo)
READ A2 HOSTING REVIEW

4. 1&1 IONOS: (£1/Month)

Founded way back in 1988, before the internet was even a big thing, 1&1 IONOS is the largest hosting provider in Europe. They offer a great deal on VPS hosting where you can get a VPS for just £1 per month for the first 6 months. For this, you’ll be on their VPS XL package, which means you’ll get pretty decent resources, like 8 GB RAM and 16 GB SSD.

1&1 offers a wide range of Linux and Windows OS, including the most recent Windows Server 2019. You get root access – so that puts you firmly in the drivers seat. You can do what you want with your server. Install apps, change files, reboot, etc.

They also supply Plesk Onyx management software for ease of use. So either way, you have full control of your server and an easy-to-use management area.

With 1&1 you can have as much traffic as you want coming to your VPS, which is pretty impressive. They also use VMware virtualisation and redundant SAN storage to ensure maximum uptime.

Additionally, their cloud-based Intel® Xeon® E5 processors offer the best level of performance. If you want to save time by remotely administering your VPS, IONOS provides a well-documented API.

Pros:

• The cheapest VPS deals around
• Fantastic spec
• Unlimited bandwidth/ traffic
• One of the most experienced web hosts
• Get up and running in as little as 55 seconds

Cons:

• You have to pay extra for backup storage
• The price jumps in 6 months – set a reminder on your phone

IONOS Logo
Cost: £1.00/Month
Space: 160GB SSD
RAM: 8GB RAM
CPU Cores: 4
30 Day Money Back Guarantee
Visit IONOS.co.uk(£1.00/Mo)
READ IONOS REVIEW

5. Fasthosts: (£15/Month)

With Fasthosts, you can be up and running in as little as 55 seconds. Even with the lowest tier VPS package from Fasthosts, you’ll have access to a world-class infrastructure built with next-gen technologies. They use lightning-fast SSD storage on all of their servers. Additionally, Fasthosts is a great option if you are looking for a secure server as they offer monitoring, firewalls, and VPN features on their VPS packages.

Right now they are offering an awesome deal, where you get £100 cashback.

Here are a few things to consider prior to signing up:

• You can pay monthly or hourly
• Claim £100 free credit to use in your first 2 months
• 30-Day money-back guarantee

Fasthosts has a tight SLA (Service Level Agreement) that ensures a 99.9% uptime on their VPS. Depending on the number of resources you need you might need to scale up your server. That is totally possible as the servers are all flexible and easy to scale as and when you need to.

Pros

• No contracts
• Flexibility to upgrade or downgrade
• Secure UK data centers
• 24/7 technical support
• 99.9% Uptime Guarantee

Cons

• Starter package doesn’t offer root access
• Too many choices

Fasthosts Logo
Cost: £15/Month
Storage: 40GB SSD
RAM: 1GB RAM
CPU Cores: 1
No Money Back Guarantee
Visit Fasthosts.com (£15/Mo)

6. DreamHost: (£11.08/Month)

DreamHost VPS offers a powerful VPS solution that works for both large and growing online projects. They offer the flexibility to upgrade within seconds, which is great if you are suddenly experiencing a successful online launch with a tonne of traffic. They also offer unlimited bandwidth and unlimited SQL databases.

Everything with DreamHost is straight forward, making them a good option for a complete novice. Setup can be done within minutes and they offer an easy to use control panel. Possibly the best thing about DreamHost is that they offer a 100% Up-time Guarantee.

Does the Enterprise edition offer a cut-price version of the mammoth “Higher Demand” plans from Fasthosts? I hear you ask. Dreamhosts do offer unlimited traffic, unlimited websites, free SSL certificates, and unlimited email all inside that great price.

Unfortunately, even their top tier product is nothing like the top tier product offered by Fasthosts. However, the only thing you’d be missing out on would be the Ram which is significantly higher. You’d only feel the difference in performance if you were running some BIG programs.

Pros

• Unlimited bandwidth
• Custom control panel
• Unlimited domains, SSL and emails
• 100% uptime guarantee
• 24/7 customer support

Cons

• No root access on VPS

Dreamhost Logo
Cost: £12.08/Month
Storage: 30GB SSD
RAM: 1GB
CPU Cores: 1
97 Day Money Back Guarantee
Visit Dreamhost.com (£11.08/Mo)

7. InMotion: (£23.98/Month)

InMotion is an award-winning host with a wide range of hosting packages. The VPS packages offered by InMotion are powered by leading-edge Linux SSD VPS hosting servers. They have three VPS plans on offer from their VPS-1000HA-S for the complete beginner, to the VPS-3000HA-S for those looking for something with a bit more power.

InMotion also offers both cloud and managed VPS hosting services for those who are looking for more of a hands-off approach to server management.

InMotion has a feature called Premier Support™ which states that they will go the extra mile with their customer service, be available for communicating through 5 channels, they won’t overwhelm you with jargon – all available 24/7/365.

You get access to 400+ applications that you can install on your server with one click, which makes their servers really user friendly, even for those who are not so technically minded. You can also quickly install developer tools easily – like Git and Node.js, which are popular with advanced developers.

InMotion has invested in next-gen SSD drives to improve speed and performance. They also use Xeon chips which are the leading edge in server CPUs.

Pros:

• Free cPanel and Web Hosting Manager (WHM)
• Easy to scale up with the WHM
• Premier Support™ offered for free with all packages
• Committed to eco-friendly policies.
• FREE daily automatic backups
• Unlocked CPU cores
• Live state snapshots
• SSD servers
• DDoS attack protection

Cons:

• Quite Expensive
• No cheaper, low resource packages for people just starting out

InMotion Logo
Cost: £23.98/Month
Storage: 75GB
RAM: 4GB
CPU Cores: 1
90 Day Money Back Guarantee
Visit SiteGround.com (£23.98/Mo)
READ INMOTION REVIEW

8. BlueHost: (£15.34/Month)

Bluehost doesn’t outsource any of their servers – so Bluehost is in complete control and able to help. Additionally, Bluehost offers a 30-day money-back guarantee, on their VPS hosting but not on the domain names. Watch out for the price hike after your “first term”. The prices stated on the site are promotional prices and will rise after the first month.

Even with their top tier plan, you get just 3TB of data transfer. That is half the amount offered by InMotion in their top tier product. Again, unlimited bandwidth would be nice. If you want to upgrade then Bluehost suggests that you add another VPS.

I like the fact that you can grant access to sections of your VPS to other members of your team – which can be useful for multiple users. To upload and download files on your server you’ll need to use FTP. Some servers don’t allow FTP, so this is a nice touch.

Bluehost has invested in leading-edge tech to offer OpenStack, KVM hypervisor, Access Control, and Multi-Server Management. Just about everything that you’d want from a high-quality VPS provider. The only thing I’d say is that the resources that you get are not particularly high.

Pros:

• High-Speed Next-Gen Technologies
• Instant Server Activation
• Guaranteed Resources & Up-time
• 30-Day Money-Back Guarantee

Cons:

• Quite Expensive
• No Refund For Domain Names

BlueHost Logo
Cost: £15.34/Month
Storage: 30GB SSD
RAM: 2GB RAM
CPU Cores: 2
30 Day Money Back Guarantee
Visit BlueHost.com (£15.34/Mo)
READ BLUEHOST REVIEW

9. iPage: (£19.99/Month)

iPage was founded back in 1998 and they host over 1 million websites. They have super-friendly customer service and offer a nice 30-day money-back guarantee for your peace of mind. You’ll get root access to your VPS which can come in handy if you need to configure your server. Additionally iPage give you SSL certificates and a free domain name with their VPS packages.

Again the prices rise after the first term, which will vary in length depending on how long you pay for – just something to look out for. iPage manages data transfer with semi-private resources. This means that they can offer reliability at the best price. This works by using high-speed mirrored SAN storage to guarantee memory allocation – ensuring maximum server speed and reliability.

With iPage you’ll be up and running instantly. They also have seamless migration options and the flexibility to add on additional resources with the click of a button. Semi-private resources are used by iPage to optimise performance. They don’t say much about the technologies used however they do offer a 99.9% uptime guarantee.

Pros:

• 24/7 Support
• vDeck Control Panel
• Pre-Installed Scripts Like PHP5/Perl/Python
• Optional Root Access
• Semi-Private Resources
• Free domain registration (for one year)

Cons:

• Expensive for what you’re getting
• Quite basic packages

iPage Logo
Cost: £19.99/Month
Storage:40GB
RAM: 1GB RAM
CPU Cores: 1
30 Day Money Back Guarantee
Visit iPage.com (£19.99/Mo)
READ IPAGE REVIEW

10. HostGator: (£15.95/Month)

Hostgator offers three price ranges for their VPS hosting, all of which are well above average. Hostgator offers full root access and control to configure your server the way you want it.

With HostGator, you can easily upgrade or downgrade as your business changes. I like the fact that they carry out a courtesy off-site back up of your VPS each week, this could come in handy in a hacking event where data can get lost.

Hostgator offers decent packages for a mid-tier provider, but nothing at the bottom or top of the scale. It’s also important to note that these packages and prices are for a fully managed VPS service.

Hostgator’s VPS packages are managed or semi-managed, so you get full support and don’t need to be an expert at server management if you decide to purchase from Hostgator. You also get cPanel with your server, which makes working with your server so much easier.

Hostgator has invested in fault-tolerant RAID disk arrays, that mitigate disk failure being an issue for your server. Additionally, they use Intel processors for speed. With Hostgator, I think you are paying for their state-of-the-art data center which has backup power generators that further ensure optimal uptime. A fully redundant network is also in place to keep your websites online.

Pros:

• Award-winning support
• Great up-time
• Weekly off-site backups
• Free web dev tools
• Award-winning around the clock 24/7/365 support
• cPanel
• 99.9% up-time guarantee

Cons:

• Very expensive
• Don’t offer smaller packages for beginners or any massive bundles for the more advanced user.

HostGator Logo
Cost: £15.95/Month
Storage:80GB
RAM: 2GB RAM
CPU Cores: 2
45 Day Money Back Guarantee
Visit iPage.com (£19.99/Mo)
READ HOSTGATOR REVIEW

11. HostPapa: (£29.99/Month)

Hostpapa has a nice streamlined process for setting up your VPS. They are quite expensive, even at their lower-tier VPS packages. However, they also offer a “Jupiter Package” for £249.99 that is super-powered, extremely secure, and will fit even the most exuberant project.

Therefore, you can start at quite a reasonable rate, and upgrade to their mega “Jupiter Package” if you ever require such a high amount of resources. HostPapa also has powerful security features like a server firewall, monitoring tools, brute force detection, Let’s Encrypt SSL, and DDoS protection.

The HostPapa VPS packages are ideal for those looking to resell hosting. They also offer a free domain name reseller account and access to multiple apps and many great features that would suit a web developer looking to resell HostPapa hosting.

If you’re the kind of person that likes to sort everything out yourself, then HostPapa is perfect. In addition to their award-winning customer support, they also provide a wealth of valuable articles to help you every step of the way.

Hostpapa’s VPS is easy to use, and they also have a lot of literature for you to read. If you get stuck you can always get in touch with their support team. They offer the ability to install hundreds of apps in one click, which is becoming an industry standard for web hosts.

ou are not restricted to any package with Hostpapa, it is really easy to upgrade your CPU at any time. They also guarantee that your resources are dedicated to you. Hostpapa offers VPS up to the most advanced resource-heavy usage.

Pros:

• Great Upgrade Capacities
• 100% Satisfaction Guarantee With Their VPS Hosting
• Around The Clock Support From “PapaSquad” VPS Experts
• Root Access & cPanel
• Award-Winning 24/7 VPS Support
• Free VPS Migration Assistance & Free Domain Transfer
• Unlimited domains and websites

Cons:

• No unlimited bandwidth options
• No micro packages under £10 for people to try out

HostPapa Logo
Cost: £29.99/Month
Storage: 60GB SSD
RAM: 2GB
CPU Cores: 4
90 Day Money Back Guarantee
Visit HostPapa.co.uk (£29.99/Mo)

12. GoDaddy: (£3.99/Month)

GoDaddy offers self-managed VPS hosting for £3.99 per month. If you’re looking for a fully-managed solution then the lowest price is £75.99 per month. With their managed package you’ll benefit from automated backups, uptime monitoring, and software updates.

Their self- managed package doesn’t have a control panel, so you’ll need to manage your server with command line SSH, which can be time-consuming. On the other hand, both their managed and unmanaged VPS packages have unmetered bandwidth. GoDaddy deploys KVM virtualization for additional agility, offering additional speed.

Both the managed and unmanaged plans are designed for different markets. However, both have root access. So if you need to get in there and configure your server that is always possible. The managed VPS service is obviously a lot easier to use and manage, as you have extra help and additional management tools.

GoDaddy has invested in a great deal of regional servers to ensure that you can have super fast access to your websites. They also use SSD disks which are becoming industry standard with all of the best hosts. They also offer a 99.9% uptime guarantee. They offer instant provisioning, which means that your server will be up in minutes.

Pros

• Set Up Your VPS In Minutes
• Lightning-fast SSD servers
• Regional Data Centres
• 24/7/365 Support

Cons

• Easy-to-use interface only available on managed VPS Plan
• Basic Customer Support Offered On Lower Tier Plans

GoDaddy Logo
Cost: £3.99/Month
Storage: 20GB SSD
RAM: 1GB RAM
CPU Cores: 1
30 Day Money Back Guarantee
Visit GoDaddy.com (£3.99/Mo)
READ GODADDY REVIEW

In Summary

Each hosting provider has its strengths and weaknesses. If you are simply looking for the cheapest VPS on the market then go for 1&1 IONOS, however, if you have other preferences like Award-winning customer support and additional reselling options then HostPapa could be the best VPS provider for you.

Definitely keep your eye out for the price hike when your “term” expires so that you can prepare in advance. The term can be anywhere from one month to three years, depending on how long your plan lasts.

If you’re looking for more control then you’ll want root access to your VPS, so don’t opt for Fasthosts starter pack or DreamHost. However, not everyone is looking for root access, perhaps you’re looking for instant server activation or daily auto backups.

If security is a top priority for you then why not have a look at Fasthosts VPS as they offer a built-in VPN for your server. No matter what you are looking for from your VPS I’m sure you’ll have found it in one of the above hosting providers.

FAQs

Because VPS hosting offers lots of flexibility and control, in comparison to shared hosting, I tend to recommend VPS hosting for business use. Even if you have a small business, if your website receives influxes of traffic, VPS hosting can be a knight in shining armour.

VPS hosting is far more scalable than shared hosting, so if you find that you need to boost your resources, VPS hosting offers the flexibility to do this. You’ll have access to more resources and will often find VPS hosting offers more reliable uptime results.

Not all VPS hosting is expensive, however, it is often more expensive than shared hosting because you get a lot more for your money. Resources are less sparse in comparison to shared hosting, as you hold a greater slice of the pie (server) with VPS hosting.

Server specs also tend to be better, offering more speed and reliability, so VPS hosting is great if you have lots of website visitors.

Most VPS hosts, and even some shared hosting providers, offer SSD storage. Solid State Drives (SSD) are much faster than the traditional mechanical hard drives. For this reason, data can be stored more efficiently and run quicker.

If you plan on hosting a website, particularly a small business or eCommerce site, I’d highly recommend finding a hosting provider who offers SSD storage.

UKWebHostReview.com - Best UK Web Hosting