Virtual Private Server (VPS) is an excellent option for businesses, hobbyists, or programs who need more resources than a shared server hosting can offer. When hosting through shared hosting, your website’s performance or uptime can be affected by other sites on the same server. VPS gives you full root access to the server, so you have complete control over the server environment.
Because VPS is more advanced, it does get more costly than a shared hosting plan. However, if you are trying to cut costs or testing out a new idea or application, you might wonder if it is possible to find a free VPS hosting plan. While it is possible, it can be more difficult. Before you get swept away by promises of “free,” here are the pros and cons of free VPS vs paid VPS.
Free VPS vs Paid VPS: Pricing
It might seem obvious, but free VPS hosting means you don’t have to pay anything. While it is easier to find free shared web hosting plans, it can be harder to find cloud or VPS hosting plans.
Choose a reputable free VPS hosting service – Many of the companies that offer free VPS companies are headquartered overseas and will collect your private information to sell it to others. Unfortunately, many of these scammers will say they are processing your account, but you might find that you are that you never actually receive your free VPS hosting site.
Read user reviews – Before choosing a VPS hosting site, take time to read reviews on whether or not the sites are secure first is paramount. Host Advice can help you with your decisions and find the right host for you.
There are few ways you can get reputable free VPS hosting for a few months if you are simply testing out an idea and want to make sure it works:
- Use the money-back guarantee – Some companies will offer a 60-90 day refund period where you get fully reimbursed for anything you spent. So while you do have to pay some money upfront, you can get it for free as long as you take advantage of the money-back guarantees.
- Sign up for a free trial – Hosting companies like Amazon Web Services, Microsoft Azure, or Google Cloud Platform can offer good free options. While you might get fewer resources than with a paid VPS service, it is a great way to get a feel for whether or not VPS is best for your company.
For paid VPS, you can find affordable options that cost just a few dollars a month. With paid VPS hosting, you are still sharing the server and the costs of running maintaining that server between multiple users. So while it is more expensive than shared hosting, it is much cheaper than dedicated hosting, where you have a server all to yourself.
Check our Cheap VPS page for more on Paid but affordable VPS solutions,
Paid VPS can be a cost-effective way to get more resources along with additional hardware and software hosting infrastructures.
Free VPS vs Paid VPS: Features and Resources
Most free VPS will still give you storage and resources, but you often won’t be a priority. Because you are getting the VPS hosting service for free, you often will receive less storage space. You might often find that you might suffer data loss because the VPS hosting provider will make sure that their paid customers have all their necessary resources.
With free hosting, you can also expect a limited selection of tools, software, and plugins. That is because the hosting company will focus more on their paying customers.
Luckily, with paid VPS, you have your own allotment of resources, meaning your site visitors will experience faster load times. You also have more dedicated resources like disk space, CPU, and RAM at your disposal.
Free VPS vs Paid VPS: Multiple Domain Hosting
While a good paid VPS will offer you multiple domain hosting, you might not be able to find a free VPS host that will provide you with enough resources to host numerous domains without sacrificing performance. With paid VPS hosting, you can set up multiple email accounts and choose how many resources go to each site.
Free VPS vs Paid VPS: Data Backups
A paid VPS hosting plan will give you a way to back up your data. Because you never know what is going to happen with your site, it is smart to have a way to back up your website manually. However, a free VPS hosting plan won’t give you this option for free, but you might be able to pay an additional fee to have access to backups.
Free VPS vs Paid VPS: Security
Free VPS hosting is best only for test or trials, and if you want to build a business, it might not be the best option. Free VPS hosting might not be secure or stable, and there is no guarantee that the company won’t go under, causing you to lose all your hard work. In addition, you do have to be careful about picking a reputable host that won’t steal the data you collect for your business or any credit card information.
On the other hand, paid VPS hosting plans can be extremely secure if they are configured properly. If you choose an unmanaged hosting service, you will have to have a higher level of technical skills or pay someone to ensure that your site has a high level of security. Or, you can choose managed VPS hosting, which should take care of the security of your website for you.
Free VPS vs Paid VPS: Which one is right for me?
As they say, there is no such thing as free lunch, and most free VPS hosting services do come with some additional fees, bandwidth or storage limitations, and ads. A free VPS hosting service can be a good way to get started, as long as you read the fine print of the contract carefully. Otherwise, if you think your site will continue to grow or will have high levels of traffic, then it might be better to opt for a paid VPS plan.
Check the recommendations for the best VPS and get a suitable one.
