Best Windows Hosting Services In 2022

February 14, 2022 March 28, 2022

Best Windows Hosting Services In 2022

Best Windows Hosting Service: Most web hosting packages run on Linux servers, and it's easy to see why: the operating system is fast, reliable, secure, and free, with an impressive software ecosystem that includes some of the best web applications around.

For all these benefits, Linux won't be the right setup for everyone. If your site is based on Microsoft technologies such as ASP.NET or .NET, or you intend to run Exchange, Microsoft SQL Server, or some other Microsoft Stack product, you will need to choose a Windows plan.

Opting for Windows hosting doesn't limit you to Microsoft products. Most plans offer easy one-click installation of popular apps such as WordPress, Joomla, Drupal, PrestaShop, PHPBB, and more.

There's no cPanel, but something similar (like Plesk) will make it easier to check your website status, create email accounts, change settings, and generally manage your plan.

Select a VPS or dedicated hosting plan and you will also be able to use Remote Desktop to manage the server from its desktop.

Windows hosting has some problems. You won't find the same choice of apps as Linux, and there's less support available for troubleshooting apps like WordPress on the Windows platform. Also, there are Microsoft license fees to pay, so it's a bit more expensive than the Linux plans.

Overall, however, if you need to take advantage of Microsoft technologies, Windows Hosting can provide a great service for a surprisingly low price. Read on for the five top Windows hosting providers you'll want to check out.

1. 1&1 IONOS - Best Windows Hosting Service

1&1 IONOS High-value plans for the Windows hosting newbie

Pros

Low prices
Feature-packed plans/li>
Dependable uptime in testing
Linux- or Windows-based servers
Offers basic and advanced hosting packages

Cons

Lacks reseller hosting plans
Relatively skimpy storage options

1&1 IONOS Is Best Windows Hosting: Windows hosting has a reputation for being expensive, but the shared Windows range from 1&1 IONOS shows that it doesn't have to be that way.

Prices start at $5 per month for the first year, $10 onwards, yet the most basic plan is better specified than some of the Linux competition. You get 1 website, 100GB of webspace, and unlimited bandwidth, as well as 25 email accounts with 2GB of storage per account, plus daily backups, 24/7 phone and email support, a free domain, and an SSL certificate.

Windows-specific features include five Microsoft SQL databases of up to 1GB each, ASP.NET 4.7, ASP.NET Ajax, and MVC 3, 4, and 5. There is support for SQL import, SSI, and dedicated app pools and your plan. Must be running on Windows Server 2019 (many hosts are still using Server 2012).

The top-of-the-range Expert Windows plan offers 500 databases (1GB SSD), 500 email accounts, a dedicated IP, regular malware scanning, and an integrated Cloudflare-based CDN. Again, it's a good value for $10 a month for the first year, $20 after that.

These are shared plans and don't give you complete control over the server, but more flexible VPS and dedicated plans are also available at much lower prices, and choosing Windows over Linux will cost an additional $20 per month.

Factor in a one-month trial and 1&1 IONOS can be a sensible option for novices who want to try out Windows hosting with minimal risk.

Read 1&1 Ionos Web Hosting Review

2. GoDaddy - Best Windows Hosting Service

GoDaddy Windows hosting at no extra cost with quality support

Pros

Competitively priced
Top-notch uptime
Dependable uptime in testing
Linux- or Windows-based servers
Good customer support

Cons

Lacks cloud hosting
Some limits on lower-tier plans

GoDaddy Is Best Windows Hosting: GoDaddy stands out among web hosts because there's no additional cost if you choose to go the Windows route, offering both standard Linux hosting and Windows. So clearly, that's an impressive advantage, to begin with (as providers will usually charge more in this case).

The entry-level Economy plan starts at $2.99 monthly (on a 3-year contract – it renews at $8.99), and for that outlay, you get one website, unlimited bandwidth, 100GB of storage, 10 MySQL databases (1GB each), And get one. MSSQL database (200MB in size).

There's also unlimited bandwidth, a free domain (with an annual subscription), and you get one year of use of an Office 365 Outlook mailbox thrown in to boot. Backup functionality is also an option (for which you will have to pay extra).

That makes the move up to the Deluxe plan and the websites and storage limits are removed so they are unlimited as well as bandwidth, plus you get 25 MySQL databases and two MSSQL databases. This plan starts at $7.99/month (renews at $11.99/month).

The Ultimate plan gets you unlimited databases from $12.99/month (renews at $16.99/month), with GoDaddy's premium DNS service and an SSL certificate, among other things.

Lastly, the Max plan is similar to the Ultimate plan in terms of features, but it gives you more memory and an SSL certificate that only lasts for the duration of the plan as opposed to the first year. This plan costs $19.99/month (upgrades to $24.99/month).

GoDaddy's hosting experience and quality customer support make compelling arguments, and along with competitive prices -- especially for Windows hosting --, there are few restrictions on fly-in-the-ointment lower tier plans only. This includes limited database size—and you only get one site and 100GB of storage with the basic plan—as well as the fact that you don't get free SSL unless you're up for the top-tier offering (some Hosts also give you this with entry-level products).

Read GoDaddy Web Hosting Review

3. Hostwinds - Best Windows Hosting Service

Flexible mid-range hosting for cash-strapped power users

Pros

Terrific uptime in testing
Minecraft server hosting
Excellent reseller and VPS hosting plans
Excellent tech support

Cons

Short money-back guarantee window
Not every plan has a Windows server option

Hostwinds Is Best Windows Hosting: While there is a lot of low-cost shared Windows hosting packages, they are not the best option for everyone. We suspect that many users who need a Windows website will also need more speed and functionality than the average customer, and budget hosting may not be enough.

Hostwinds' Windows VPS hosting offers at least 10 plan configurations, making it very easy to find and purchase the exact level of service you need.

The baseline specification is impressive. Every plan offers free site migration, SSD storage, and 1Gbps network connectivity (100Mbps is common with other providers). Fast response times (30 seconds for chat or phone, 5 minutes for tickets) and guaranteed overall 99.999% uptime as well as the ability to use Windows Server 2008, 2012, or 2016 for any support issues you may have Also available.

The Starter Tier 1 plan offers relatively limited resources, with one CPU core, 1GB of RAM, 30GB of disk space, and 1TB of traffic per month. But it's also a good value of $10.99 per month. Those prices are for a monthly billing cycle as well - no lengthy contracts required.

Upgrading to a higher level gives you more power. The mid-range Tier 5 plan offers four CPU cores, 8GB of RAM, 150GB of disk space, and 3TB of bandwidth, for example, and costs $50.99 per month.

Optional extras are reasonably priced. For example, you can add a cloud backup for $1 per month, while spending $5 on basic server monitoring, Hostwinds will watch your system and automatically raise a support ticket if it goes down.

Put it all together and these seem to be well-designed hosting plans that are powerful, configurable, with excellent support and a generous 60-day money-back guarantee. If basic Windows hosting isn't enough, Hostwinds might be worth a try.

Read Hostwinds Web Hosting Review

4. HostGator - Best Windows Hosting Service

From simple shared plans to full-on dedicated servers

Pros

Excellent shared hosting offering
Good for novice webmasters
Numerous, feature-rich hosting plans
Useful site-building software and e-commerce tools
Outstanding uptime

Cons

Shared plans have outdated software
Not all plans have a Windows Server option

HostGator Is Best Windows Hosting: Many web hosts provide some level of Windows support, but this is often limited to a specific set of products, such as dedicated servers. This can become a problem if you decide you want to upgrade or downgrade your hosting at a later date, so it is prudent to look for hosts that offer more flexibility.

HostGator has a range of Windows plans covering personal and business-friendly shared hosting, and up to a highly specified dedicated server with the power to run anything.

Most of these products are short on limits and restrictions. The initial Personal plan can support only one website, but you're allowed unlimited subdomains, email, MySQL and Microsoft SQL Server databases, and unmetered bandwidth and disk space. It costs $2.64 per month if you sign up for a three-year plan, then $6.95 upon renewal, which is cheaper than similar Linux plans from some providers.

One potential downside to HostGator's relatively dated software is Windows Server 2008 R2, IIS 7.5, MSSQL Server 2008 R2 Web Edition, Access Database 2007, 2010, ASP.NET up to 4.5, PHP 5.2.17, and PHP 5.3. It may not matter to everyone, but check your technical Windows requirements before signing up.

HostGator's dedicated plans are a bit more up-to-date, though still lagging some of the competition, from Windows Server 2012 R2, IIS 8.5, SQL Server 2014 Express, and ASP.NET 2.0 to 4.6.

Headline prices are reasonable, with value server plans starting at $89.98 per month, and sometimes special deals as low as $79.99 for legacy servers. Be sure to check the small print carefully, though—you may have to sign up for three years to get these prices, and the big introductory discount means you could pay more than double at renewal.

Read HostGator Web Hosting Review

5. Liquid Web - Best Windows Hosting Service

Top-quality professional hosting

Pros

Excellent uptime
Robust dedicated, VPS, cloud, and reseller packages
Terrific customer service
Powerful, high-end server specs
Prorated VPS plans

Cons

Lacks shared hosting plans

Liquid Web Is Best Windows Hosting: Liquid Web is a popular provider of high-end professional web hosting services, and its current range includes some very capable Windows products.

The company's Cloud VPS range improves performance and scalability by hosting your webspace across multiple devices, which LiquidWeb claims is "the fastest managed VPS Hosting on the planet." All plans include features that may be chargeable extras elsewhere – unlimited sites, gigabit transfers, Cloudflare CDN, DDoS attack protection, US or EU hosting – and run Windows Server 2012 or 2016, yet you can still earn $ 59 per month ($15 per month if you go for the two-year plan).

Unusual touches include a choice of SQL Server versions. 2014 or 2016 Express come by default and you can add a web version for $35 per month, but Standard and Enterprise editions are also available if you need them.

For even more control, you can opt for one of Liquid Web's private cloud servers, though these are primarily built for organizations considering the price. These give you all the power of a cloud-dedicated server, but also allow you to create, manage, and use custom VPS instances (separate virtual servers). For example, you can set up a Windows VPS to run your ASP.NET site, but also create a Linux VPS instance to run WordPress, another one for PrestaShop, maybe a third one as a Windows development environment – this depends on you.

Private cloud servers start at $1,599 per month, with no long-term contract requirements, and no jump in cost once the initial discount expires.

Liquid Web may charge a Windows license fee on top of that, but you'll only pay once per cloud server. This allows you to create as many Windows-based VPS instances as you want at no extra cost.

Interestingly, if you remove all Windows instances the license fee will not be charged, a handy money-saver for users who need Windows support only occasionally.

Read Liquid Web Hosting Review

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