A Windows VPS is a web hosting environment to host websites, apps, databases, and other services (media streaming, file storage, etc.) with Windows Servers or desktop clients (ex., Windows 11).
Windows hosting offers the simplest way to set up and run Microsoft technologies, such as ASP.Net, Visual Studio, MSSQL, and Office 365 apps, among others.
The Geekflare team has researched and identified the best Windows VPS hosting platforms based on factors such as server coverage, networking, cost, and business size.
- Kamatera – Servers in USA, Middle East, Europe, and China
- Liquid Web – Best for Small to Medium Business
- ScalaHosting – SPanel Included for Server Management
- Serverspace – Ideal to Host CMS
- MonoVM – Best Cost-Effective VPS Solution
- Google Cloud – Best for Scalability and GCP Integration
- Cloudzy – Offers Dedicated Static IP
- AWS – Best for Big Business and AWS Integration
- Vultr – Best for Beginners
- Alibaba Cloud – Best for Chinese Market
- Azure – Best for Enterprise and Microsoft Integration
- Hostwinds – Best for Fully Managed Windows Server
- Interserver – Best for Customer Support
- Accuweb – Good for Forex Trading
- Ultahost – Best for Medium Business
- IONOS – ISO 27001 Certified Data Centers
- Contabo – Best for Small Business
- Show less
You can trust Geekflare
At Geekflare, trust and transparency are paramount. Our team of experts, with over 185 years of combined experience in business and technology, tests and reviews software, ensuring our ratings and awards are unbiased and reliable. Learn how we test.
Kamatera
Servers in USA, Middle East, Europe, and China
- DatacentersUS, Europe, Middle East, Asia, and Canada
- StorageUp to 4,000 GB
- Control PanelPlesk
Kamatera Description
Kamatera is a veteran cloud service provider with products ranging from servers, firewalls, web hosting, storage, and more for individuals to enterprise customers.
This cloud service provider has data centers in 21 locations covering the US, Europe, the Middle East, and Asia.
Kamatera has flexible Windows VPS plans that offer hourly and monthly billing. One of Kamatera’s standout features is that users can customize everything, including server type, number of vCPUs, RAM, data centers, etc., to get exactly the hosting they need.
Founded in 1995, Kamatera is headquartered in New York, US.
Kamatera Features
Offers desktop and server Windows versions
Provides $100 worth of free 30-day trial
Deploys 2.7GHz+ Intel Xeon Gold/Ice Lake processors with promised 99.95% uptime
Features pay-as-you-go and hourly pricing with highly customizable hosting plans
Enables scaling of resources, including CPU, RAM, and storage
Uses SSD storage for better I/O throughputs
Provides 24/7 call, chat, and email support
Kamatera Pros/Cons
Subscription customization for every need
24/7 Multi-channel tech support praised by several Trustpilot users
Managed server (optional)
No data centers in South America and Africa
Stringent security measures are cumbersome
Liquid Web
Best for Small to Medium Business
- DatacentersUS and Europe
- StorageUp to 200 GB
- Control PanelPlesk
Liquid Web Description
Active since 1997, Liquid Web has products ranging from VPS, shared hosting, cloud hosting, bare metal servers, and client-customized web hosts. The platform is best suited for high-stakes businesses seeking a performant and highly responsive web server with straightforward subscriptions.
Liquid Web’s premier features are its excellent uptime, 24/7 support, effortless migrations, and hosting security. Additionally, users get 3 levels of server management to pick from, including fully managed, core managed, and unmanaged.
Notably, Liquid Web offerings are limited to Windows Server, lacking any option to choose Windows desktop versions.
Liquid Web Features
Offers free server migration with fully managed VPS hosting
Includes Cloudflare CDN for global delivery and redundancy
Provides firewall and DDoS attack protection
Allows custom user creation and granular permissions
Ensures round-the-clock chat, call, and email assistance
Guarantees 100% network uptime
Provides 50 GB Acronis cyber backups
Liquid Web Pros/Cons
Off-site backups availability
Built-in security protocols
Easy scalability
Limited datacenter locations for Windows VPS
Poor customer service according to some Trustpilot users
ScalaHosting
SPanel Included for Server Management
- DatecentersUS and Europe
- StorageUp to 2,000 GB
- Control PanelcPanel
ScalaHosting Description
ScalaHosting offers many hosting services, such as cloud hosting, shared hosting, self-managed and fully managed cloud VPS, and email hosting.
The platform provides great flexibility in choosing server resources, including RAM, CPU cores, and SSD storage. By default, users get only one OS option: Windows Server 2019. However, Scalahosting allows users to customize servers based on their needs. In addition, users must add the required number of cPanel and LiteSpeed server licenses, raising the base cost a few notches.
Windows VPS hosting plans are unmanaged, requiring some degree of technical expertise to set up and perform regular maintenance. However, every subscription comes with a 30-day money-back guarantee, providing a risk-free trial.
ScalaHosting began operations in 2007 and is headquartered in Texas, USA.
ScalaHosting Features
Uses industry-leading NVMe SSD storage
Provides 10Gbps redundant network for high-speed connectivity and excellent uptime
Enables server provisioning in under a minute
Offers 50GB backup space as an addon
Ensures 24/7 tech support via email
ScalaHosting Pros/Cons
Flexible subscription models
Great customer support per G2 reviews
Unavailability of managed plans
Absence of live phone call support
Serverspace
Ideal to Host CMS
- DatacentersAmerica, Asia, and Europe
- StorageUp to 5,000 GB
- Control PanelProprietary
Serverspace Description
Serverspace is a cloud technology company with a product line spanning across virtual machines, cloud computing, storage, web and application hosting, among others. Its Windows VPS servers are optimized for multiple CMS, such as OpenCart, Joomla, Drupal, Bitrix, and WordPress.
It boasts an infrastructure based on 3.1 GHz Intel Xeon Gold Scalable processors to provide top-tier performance. The integrated CDN service helps users deploy their websites from all 7 Serverspace data centers for speedy global delivery and to provide redundancy.
Server management is also easier with their own Serverspace control panel, where one can monitor services and costs in a single space. This service started in 2008 and has its head office in Amsterdam, North Holland.
Serverspace Features
Guarantees 99.9% uptime SLA
Offers pay-as-you-go pricing
Allows adding NAT and custom firewall rules
Provides flexibility to choose desired CPU cores, RAM, SSD storage, and bandwidth
Includes 1 Gbps bandwidth private network among cloud servers at no extra cost
Serverspace Pros/Cons
Custom subscriptions suit various needs
Powerful CPUs and inbuilt CDN
Easy to use and manage
Limited global presence
Support is limited to ticket-based system
MonoVM
Best Cost-Effective VPS Solution
- DatacentersNorth America, Europe, and Asia
- StorageUp to 200 GB
- Control PanelPlesk (addon)
MonoVM Description
MonoVM is a powerful Windows VPS host that offers the latest Windows servers across North America, Europe, and Asia.
The platform comes with a RAID 10 setup using enterprise RAID controllers and integrated SSD caching for fast and reliable data storage. It also allows choosing operating systems from Windows Servers (2012 to 2022) to Windows desktop OS (10 & 11).
MonoVM was founded in 2012 and is based in Lithuania.
MonoVM Features
Guarantees 99.99% uptime
Ensures comprehensive global coverage with servers in 15 countries
Uses RAID controllers with integrated SSD caching for data redundancy and good performance
Offers unlimited bandwidth for European servers and 1 TB for other locations
MonoVM Pros/Cons
Excellent global presence
No bandwidth limits for servers in Europe
Latest Windows servers and desktop OS
Multiple Trustpilot users have reported issues with MonoVM support
No mention of security features like DDoS protection, firewalls, etc.
Google Cloud
Best for Scalability and GCP Integration
- DatacentersAmerica, Europe, Asia, Australia, and Africa
- Storageup to 9,000 GB
- Control PanelProprietary
Google Cloud Description
Google Cloud is a leader in the cloud hosting industry, offering unmatched reliability worldwide. Users can choose the desired Windows server and configure every aspect of the hosting before opting for its flexible pay-as-you-go subscription.
It supports up to the latest Windows Server 2022. However, users have to bring their own client for using desktop versions, including Windows 11 and Windows 10.
Users can also adjust parameters such as RAM, storage, datacenter, and the number and type of CPUs, making Google Cloud one of the most customizable hosting providers available today. Additionally, users can either go with the default pay-per-use billing or commit time to get discounts.
Google Cloud is headquartered in California, the US. It started operations in 2008.
Google Cloud Features
Provides highly customizable Windows VPS hosting
Ensures worldwide presence covering over 20 countries
Implements industry-leading security best practices, including data encryption and redundancy, physical safety, and integrity checks
Offers usage-based billing with optional, discounted annual commitments
Guarantees a minimum of 99.9% uptime SLA based on the number of instances
Provides technical support package add-ons in addition to free, basic support
Google Cloud Pros/Cons
Global network for excellent redundancy and speedy delivery
Great flexibility in choosing resources
Effortless scalability and good customer support
Can be overwhelming for beginners
SSH is rather slow
Support packages can be expensive
Cloudzy
Offers Dedicated Static IP
- DatacenterUS, Asia, Europe
- StorageUp to 1,500 GB
- Control PanelProprietary
Cloudzy Description
Cloudzy offers Windows VPS based on performant hardware, including NVMe SSD storage, 3.2+ Ghz CPUs, DDR4 RAM, and up to 10 Gbps connections.
Users can install Windows Server versions from 2012 R2 to the latest 2022, with a 99.95% uptime guarantee. There are multiple tiers available, and users can also choose customized plans by requesting the support team.
Cloudzy has limited global datacenter locations. However, the options are decent with 9 locations spanned across Europe, Asia, and the US. Based in Dubai, UAE, Cloudzy has been in the business since 2008.
Cloudzy Features
Uses 3.2+ GHz CPUs with NVMe SSD
Provides 10 Gbps connectivity
Offers custom subscriptions
Guarantees 99.95% uptime SLA
Allows choice between Windows Servers 2012 to 2022
Cloudzy Pros/Cons
Top-notch infrastructure, including DDR4 RAM and high-performance connectivity
Custom VPS plans for power users
A few Trustpilot reviews have mentioned networking problems
Absence of live phone call support
AWS
Best for Big Business and AWS Integration
- DatacentersAmerica, Asia, Europe, Africa
- StorageUp to 64TB
- Control PanelProprietary
AWS Description
Amazon Web Services (AWS) EC2 offers excellent flexibility in choosing every aspect of the hosting package, such as CPUs, RAM, storage, networking, and datacenters.
The interface and pricing can be challenging to get hold of, but once someone surpasses that barrier, AWS provides unrivaled performance and freedom.
AWS, with its per-second pricing, allows users to focus on the core business rather than maximizing hourly usage. However, one can commit to yearly usage, with the option to pay nothing, partial, or all the amount upfront for varied levels of discounts.
One can also host Windows desktop clients with Amazon Workspaces, which is offered as DAAS (desktop-as-a-service).
Since 2006, AWS has been operating globally, with its base in Seattle, USA.
AWS Features
Offers excellent customization options for hosting Windows servers in 20+ countries
Provides per-second billing with multiple discounted plans
Ensures region and instance level uptime SLAs
Enables auto-scaling based on user-defined conditions
Allows pausing and resuming instances
Implements industry-best security, including data encryption, network, and instance isolation
Provides custom support packages
AWS Pros/Cons
Per-second pricing makes it affordable
99.99% Uptime SLA
Up to 100 Gbps connections
Excellent scalability
Interface can be complicated for beginners
Support packages cost extra
Vultr
Best for Beginners
- DatacentersAmerica, Asia, Europe, Africa, and Australia
- StorageUp to 1600 GB
- Control PanelProprietary
Vultr Description
Vultr hosts Windows VPS servers (2016, 2019, & 2022) in the cloud and comes with a massive global footprint.
One of the major upsides of using Vultr is its simplified control panel and API, which allow for the easy creation and maintenance of Windows server instances, and this makes Vultr the best hosting option for beginners.
Additionally, Vultr uses multiple service providers for good reliability and network redundancy. Its network is an all-SSD infrastructure, offering high throughput. Users also get a remarkable 100% uptime SLA, which is extremely rare in the hosting industry.
Vultr has been in the web hosting business since 2014, with its base in Florida, US.
Vultr Features
Features datacenters in 32 cities covering 19 countries
Provides low latency network backed with 100% uptime SLA
Includes firewall and 10Gbps DDoS attack protection per instance
Uses 100% SSD and high-performance Intel CPUs for hosting
Enables secure connection of Vultr instances to 3rd-party cloud providers or in-house datacenters
Offers ticket-based support
Vultr Pros/Cons
Worldwide datacenters
High-performing hardware
Easy to use
Auto-backups
Limited tech support channels
Customer support is slow to respond
Alibaba Cloud
Best for Chinese Market
- DatacentersAsia, US, and Europe
- StorageUp to 64 TB
- Control PanelProprietary
Alibaba Cloud Description
Though Alibaba has a few worldwide datacenters, this service is primarily aimed at providing Chinese presence with its coverage of 13 mainland cities. Users can choose from Windows server 2012 R2 to 2022 in English and simplified Chinese language.
The cloud servers are part of Alibaba’s Elastic Compute Service (ECS) module. Users can use this service on a pay-as-you-go basis, monthly subscriptions, or yearly discounted plans.
With its base in Zhejiang, China, Alibaba Cloud started operations in 2009.
Alibaba Cloud Features
Guarantees 99.975% uptime SLA for single instances and 99.995% for multi-zone services
Enables auto-scaling based on user-defined CPU or network utilization metrics
Allows turning off hyperthreading and certain vCPUs to save costs
Utilizes native CDN infrastructure with 3200+ global points of presence
Allows implementing firewall rules per ECS instance
Offers custom support packages in addition to free basic assistance
Provides Layer 3 to Layer 7 DDoS protection
Alibaba Cloud Pros/Cons
Designed for the Chinese market
Can be scaled easily based on requirements
Poor documentation
Some Trustpilot reviews mention bad customer support
Azure
Best for Enterprise and Microsoft Integration
- DatacentersAmerica, Asia, Europe, Australia, and Africa
- StorageUp to 28,000 GB
- Control PanelProprietary
Azure Description
Azure is a decent hosting option if your application stack predominantly consists of Microsoft technologies. Another factor in its favor is the choice of datacenters, which list over 50 global locations.
Creating your perfect Azure Windows Server becomes easy with Microsoft’s Total Cost of Ownership Calculator. The estimator allows users to select the type of machine, vCPU, RAM, storage, disk type, and bandwidth and compares the cost if you install the same resources in-house.
Azure SLAs for virtual machines depend on several factors, such as the type of storage and the number of instances, and swing between 95% and 99.99%.
While this was about Windows servers, you can also opt for Azure Virtual Desktops to host the latest Windows desktop clients.
Microsoft started Azure back in 2008 and is headquartered in Washington, US.
Azure Features
Features 50+ datacenter locations worldwide
Guarantees up to 99.99% uptime SLA
Offers custom support packages with free basic assistance
Provides pay-as-you-go pricing and discounted plans with annual payments
Allows maximum flexibility to choose a custom Windows Server package
Enables easy management of cloud and on-premise infrastructure with Azure auto-manage
Utilizes Microsoft Defender for Cloud to manage security across different cloud providers
Azure Pros/Cons
Very scalable structure
Best for integrating with other Microsoft services, including Azure Arc, Active Directory, Microsoft 365, etc.
Extensive reach with its globally spread datacenters
Expensive compared to other similar services
Difficult to use for novices
Hostwinds
Best for Fully Managed Windows Server
- DatacentersUS and Europe
- StorageUp to 9 TB
- Control PanelProprietary
Hostwinds Description
Hostwinds provides the flexibility to go entirely hands-off with its fully managed Windows server subscriptions or be cost-efficient and get world-class infrastructure with self-managing.
Built on Intel CPUs and SSD drives, Hostwinds provides a redundant network with a 99.9999% uptime guarantee. Its cloud portal allows simplified backup and storage management, firewall configuration, and and provides load balancers among different servers.
Founded in 2010, Hostwinds operates out of its hub in Washington, US.
Hostwinds Features
Provides fully managed and unmanaged Windows servers
Includes automatic nightly backups with custom recovery options (specific files or entire backup)
Allows choice from Windows Server 2012, 2016, & 2019
Implements load balancing among different servers
Offers 24/7/365 technical assistance via live chat and tickets
Hostwinds Pros/Cons
Good customer support
Free website transfer
Real-time server monitoring
Only 3 datacenters worldwide
Lacks subscription customizability
Interserver
Best for Customer Support
- DatacentersUS
- StorageUp to 480 GB
- Control PanelPlesk
Interserver Description
Interserver has a wide range of products, such as shared hosting, cloud VPS, storage, and dedicated servers. It offers the latest Windows Server 2022, with subscriptions best suited for beginners to mid-level users.
The platform’s Windows Server plans are few in number, giving set configurations without any customization. Likewise, there is no scaling option within the user dashboard. However, you can upgrade resources by requesting Interserver tech support.
This hosting service has been operating since 1999, with its base in New Jersey, US.
Interserver Features
Provides 24/7 live chat, phone, and ticket-based support
Guarantees 99.9% network uptime SLA
Offers monthly and yearly payments
Includes server management, including monitoring, updating, and security with Plesk
Features datacenters in New Jersey and California
Interserver Pros/Cons
Predictable and affordable pricing
Helpful customer support
No subscription customization
Extremely limited datacenter coverage
Accuweb
Good for Forex Trading
- DatacentersNorth America, Asia, Europe, Africa, and Australia
- StorageUp to 200 GB
- Control PanelSolidCP and Plesk
Accuweb Description
With 16+ global locations and a cost-effective price tag, Accuweb is a good option for entry to mid-level users. This Windows server hosting comes in two flavors: fully and self-managed. However, there are only 4 hosting plans, and one cannot customize resources.
On the upside, every user gets SolidCP and Plesk at no extra cost. Each subscription also gets weekly backups (with daily backups as a paid add-on), a server firewall, a 99.9% uptime guarantee, and antivirus setup support.
Moreover, every server gets high-speed connections, which is great for gaming servers or forex VPS hosting. Users can also test the servers risk-free with Accuweb’s 7-day money-back policy.
Established in 2003, Accuweb is based in Washington, US.
Accuweb Features
Deploys Intel Xeon E7 series & higher processors
Provides high speed and data redundancy with RAID 6/RAID 10 storage
Ensures at least 1 Gbps connection for each VPS server
Offers MailEnable & Smartermail email server setup assistance
Allows choice between Windows Server 2016 & 2019
Includes integrated load balancing with every plan
Accuweb Pros/Cons
Great features/price ratio
Call, email, and ticked-based support
Lacks resource customization
Limited scalability
Ultahost
Best for Medium Business
- DatacentersNorth America, Europe, Asia, and Africa
- StorageUp to 1024 GB
- Control PanelPlesk addon
Ultahost Description
With its powerful hardware and fully managed Windows servers, Ultahost is an excellent choice for small to medium business owners. It’s based on top-class Intel processors and NVMe SSDs, ensuring excellent performance.
Every user gets migration assistance and Cloudflare CDN integration at no extra cost.
Ultahost has datacenters in 13 global locations. While the number isn’t anything to boast about, the coverage is truly global. Additionally, there are no bandwidth limits for the subscription plans, making Ultahost stand apart from the competition.
Ultahost started in 2019 and is currently headquartered in Delaware, US.
Ultahost Features
Utilizes Intel Xeon Gold and Platinum processors, NVMe SSDs, and DDR5 RAM
Offers unlimited bandwidth with all Windows VPS plans
Provides Windows servers (2019 & 2022) and desktop clients (Windows 10 & 11)
Includes enterprise-grade DDoS protection and BitNinja security coverage
Provides free offsite daily backups with a one-click restore capability
Guarantees 99% uptime
Offers monthly, quarterly, and yearly plans
Ultahost Pros/Cons
Easy to set up and use
Top-of-the-shelf hardware
Offsite backup management
Absence of pay-as-you-go pricing
Rigid subscriptions
IONOS
ISO 27001 Certified Data Centers
- DatacentersUS and Europe
- StorageUp to 640 GB
- Control PanelPlesk (on-request)
IONOS Description
IONOS is a fully-fledged web host with products ranging from domains, website builders, e-commerce hosting, cloud servers, and more.
Its Windows VPS is based on NVMe SSD storage, offering quick data transfer speeds. IONOS offers a 99.9% service uptime guarantee, failing which users receive compensatory credits.
Users can pick from the US, the UK, Germany, and Spain datacenters, which meet international standards of data security, risk management, and compliance.
IONOS plans are rather pre-defined, and there is no flexibility to create a server with custom CPUs, RAM, and storage. However, users can still choose the datacenter, Windows Server version (2019 or 2022), and backup add-on storage of their preference.
Founded in 1988, IONOS has its base set up in Montabaur, Rheinland-Pfalz, Germany.
IONOS Features
Provides 24/7 live chat and call support
Includes custom firewall rules, DDoS protection, and intrusion prevention
Offers Acronis cloud backup and recovery addon
Includes two email addresses with every plan, each with 2 GB of storage
Provides Windows Server 2019 & 2022
IONOS Pros/Cons
Robust security protocols
Intuitive interface, even for beginners
Provides consistent performance
Limited customization
Lacks a global presence
Contabo
Best for Small Business
- DatacentersUS, Europe, Asia, and Australia
- StorageUp to 2.4 TB
- Control PanelPlesk (addon)
Contabo Description
Contabo specializes in VPS and dedicated servers and has a presence in over 13 global locations. Users can pick from 6 different server configurations to get started and scale resources later as needed.
Like many providers, Contabo doesn’t let users customize core server resources, including vCPU and RAM. However, users are free to choose their desired datacenters, type of storage (SSD or NVMe SSD), backup storage, and private networking. A few addons allow opting for third-party apps (such as Plesk control panel), server monitoring, server management, and SSL certificates.
Contabo started operations in 2003 with its headquarters in Bavaria, Germany.
Contabo Features
Allows scaling resources such as CPU, RAM, and storage
Provides Windows Server 2016, 2019, & 2022
Offers call (Monday to Friday) and ticket-based support
Provides NVMe SSD storage for high I/O throughput
Includes 2 hours of server management per month for users opting for managed service
Contabo Pros/Cons
GDPR-compliant infrastructure
Option to opt for managed service
Trustpilot reviews praise performance for the given price
Customer service is lacking in query resolution
Cannot fully customize CPU and RAM combinations
Best Windows VPS Comparison
The following table compares the listed Windows VPS providers based on promised uptime, backup, best use case, and base pricing per month.
Difference between Windows VPS vs Linux VPS
Windows VPS and Linux VPS differ on multiple fronts, such as security, ease of use, cost, performance, and more, as summarized below.
Attribute | Windows VPS | Linux VPS |
---|---|---|
Ease of use | Graphical user interface makes it more beginner-friendly | No GUI by default, but can be installed if needed. |
Performance | More resource intensive, making it unsuitable on a resource-scarce VPS | Comparatively better performance for equal underlying resources |
Security | Closed source ecosystem, making it a target for cyberattacks | Since it’s open source and backed by a large community, vulnerabilities are identified and patched quickly |
Compatibility | ASP.NET, MSSQL, .NET, and other Windows-aimed commercial software | PHP, Ruby on Rails, Java, Python, MySQL, and other open-source software stack |
Control Panels | Plesk, SolidCP, WebsitePanel, etc. | cPanel, Plesk, Webmin, etc. |
Cost | Higher cost due to separate license fee from Microsoft | Less expensive, with multiple free licensing options as well |
Benefits of Windows VPS
There are 4 main advantages of using a Windows VPS.
- User Interface: Windows Server inherits similarities from its desktop clients, which is the most popular operating system globally. This makes it easy for users to connect with Windows VPS, with little to no learning curve.
- Software Support: Windows VPS provides unmatched compatibility with Microsoft technologies, including .NET, ASP.NET, SharePoint, Exchange Server, IIS, Microsoft 365 apps, Active Directory, and more.
- Customer Assistance: Windows VPS is eligible for professional support from Microsoft experts. This organized and structured tech support is invaluable for businesses, regardless of scale.
- Remote Access: A Windows VPS offers highly secure server management from anywhere with its Remote Desktop Access (RDP). This does not need any additional configuration or support to get started and is natively built into Windows servers.