The new year is almost here, and it's a great time to upgrade your website to a dedicated server. Going with dedicated server hosting gives you the freedom - and the added bandwidth - to keep your virtual visitors satisfied.
You won't have to share resources with other websites or worry about their traffic affecting your own. You'll have your own IP address, better security, and faster performance. For the less tech-savvy, managed dedicated hosting takes care of the technical details but still gives you the high-quality performance.
Web hosting is a billion dollar industry that continues to grow rapidly. With new hosting companies always springing up, it's easy to get lost in the clutter. How do you know if a company is reputable? Or if its product is worth the price?
We've compiled and reviewed seven of the best hosting companies to help you start your new year off right.
Comparison Chart Breakdown
Best Dedicated Hosting Providers
HostGator is another big name in web server hosting. They serve customers across the globe and use servers in both North and South America. The company offers premium hardware and some of the best performance out there.
HostGator has a wide variety of plans and functions for all manner of web hosting. They provide hosting for both Linux and Windows. Their control panels are easy for even beginners to use. For Linux they use the cPanel, while with Windows they use Plesk, which has a slightly cleaner UI. They also offer Virtuozzo and the option to use no control panel for advanced users.
The uptime guarantee is 99.9%, and they offer excellent 24/7 customer support. You can contact them by phone, email, or live chat. If you're unsure about your plan, you can take advantage of HostGator's 45-day money back guarantee.
HostGator is known more for its beginner options and ease of use. They now offer new and improved WordPress hosting plans.
The Downsides
HostGator's plans are on the pricey side, both in their one-year plans and their renewal rates. They use a Weebly website builder that is fairly basic. Moving from Weebly to another content management system (CMS) is a difficult transition.
While the control panels are easy to use, they also feature distracting advertisements and offers.
#2 InMotion
One of the best dedicated server hosting companies is InMotion. Its high performance levels make it an ideal server for business websites. They use CentOS hardware, have 99.999% uptime, rebootless kernel updates and include a WHM/cPanel license. The cPanel is the industry standard and the most used control panel for managing hosting accounts.
Compared to other server hosting companies, InMotion keeps its hardware meticulously up to date. They also boast more storage, RAM, and bandwidth than most of their competitors. To increase response time, they use solid slate drives (SSD), included for free, which makes them one of the fastest web servers available. They also give you access to SSH on any account purchased.
InMotion is well-known and well-respected. During checkout, customers can choose the location of their server. They offer free backup and restoration tools, and stellar customer support. WordPress, Drupal, and Joomla prefer to InMotion hosting.
The Downsides
There isn't much to critique when it comes to InMotion, but some of their business processes could be improved. Their checkout system can get confusing. To signup, you also need to go through the extra hassle of a phone-based verification process. The purpose of the verification is to weed out any spammers, but most hosting companies don't require it.
While InMotion has a website builder, it could be improved. The builder feels an outdated and in need of an upgrade.
#3 Bluehost
Bluehost is under the same company as HostGator: Endurance International Group (EIG). However, they offer different experiences. Bluehost has lower performance than HostGator, but that doesn't mean they don't provide quality dedicated hosting.
This hosting provider is suited for general web purposes and can suit a variety of different needs. They have numerous options for both small and large websites, as well as high variations on their services and prices. A wide range of products allows Bluehost to provide features suitable for both beginners and advanced users.
Bluehost has won awards and is popular with both online businesses and web designers and developers. The hosting service is committed to using open source, an attractive feature for some.
WordPress and Joomla are commonly hosted through Bluehost since it provides additional optimization for those sites. Other add-ons are available too, such as SiteLock and Spam Experts.
The Downsides
Unfortunately, Bluehost also uses a Weebly website builder that doesn't add much value. Renewal rates are also high, and they charge customers to transfer sites to Bluehost. Bluehost doesn't have quite as many features as their competitions, but you can go far with add-ons.
#4 1&1
1&1 uses a dual hosting system, which stores your website in two locations. This feature is intended to increase the performance of your website and improve reliability. Dual hosting adds security and acts as a built-in backup system in case something goes wrong.
All of 1&1's packages offer unlimited bandwidth and reliable security options. They also include a 30-day money-back guarantee. They guarantee a 99.99% network uptime and have server locations around the world. This provider offers some of the highest RAM and space capacities among the best dedicated web hosting services out there.
1&1 hosting is affordable and has strong uptime. It functions well with WordPress hosting. They offer many tools exclusive to 1&1's hosting. The website is intuitive and easy to navigate.
The Downsides
Customer support isn't their strong suit. While 1&1 offers 24/7 email and phone support, they've received many complaints. Many customers have had difficulty getting clear instructions and resolving website issues.
Payment processes can also be unclear, and some customers have received unexpected charges. Be sure to stay up to date on pricing and fees.
The website builder is easy to navigate but requires customers to add a tier to use it.
iPage is a web hosting service based in Boston and owned by EIG. Easy for beginners and those on a tight budget, iPage covers its own distinct niche. They offer fully managed dedicated servers ideal for growing your website without being an expert.
iPage has unlimited bandwidth and storage space, as well as unlimited domains and email addresses in even its basic plan. They also include free features like SiteLock security and a Marketing Suite, perfect for small businesses or anyone looking to start their own promotions and advertisement campaigns.
Unlike most dedicated hosting companies, iPage boasts a cancel anytime money-back guarantee. They stay green by purchasing Renewable Energy Credits, another aspect that sets that apart from the competition.
The Downsides
Customer support is spotty, as it can be difficult to connect with their live support. However, you can also submit an online ticket.
When you first sign-up, the site bombards you with add-ons you can purchase, which can be distracting and frustrating. Although initial costs are low, renewal rates are high.
Each email account has a limit of 250MB. iPage uses the vDeck control panel, so transferring a website from cPanel can be difficult. Their packages also include a Weebly website builder free of charge, but it’s unlikely to be useful to users other than beginners.
iPage does have comparatively slower service than other hosting services, but its service corresponds to its lower prices.
#6 A2 Hosting
A2 Hosting offers both managed and unmanaged servers. Their packages are highly customizable and ideal for developers. Their systems are styled primarily on WordPress, Drupal, and Joomla. To improve performance, A2 includes SSDs free of charge.
Their prices are mid-range compared to the competition. They offer a 99.9% uptime guarantee. Transparency is also a plus, as you can track the performances of their servers over time.
They offer many features, including a rewind tool, as well as unlimited email addresses, domains, and transfers. Customer support is 24/7 via phone, email or live chat.
The Downsides
A2 Hosting isn't the easiest option for beginners to use. It's not the strongest budget pick either, but it's also isn't the most expensive.
They are also missing a few features compared to other companies. There is no support for HTMLDoc, PDFLib, MSSQL, ColdFusion, Plexum, or mod_perl.
Customer support is standard, but there is no toll-free number available for customers outside of the US.
Conclusion
Based on our reviews, we favor InMotion as nearly the best dedicated hosting available for performance. Popular developer hosting companies are A2 Hosting and Bluehost. For beginners, we'd recommend HostGator or iPage.
Your choice should vary based on the personal needs of your website and its purpose. Your budget and level of experience with web hosting are also factors worth considering. Regardless of which you choose, these companies all provide some of the best dedicated web hosting services available.
We hope our best dedicated server hosting reviews help you decide on the service that's best for you.