Kamatera has been providing users with top-tier hosting services since 1995 and has been improving and upgrading every step of the way. It is a part of a global network of IT service providers called OMC Computers. The company offers a wide array of scalable plans suitable for all users – big and small.
With Kamatera, you can create a custom server and deploy it in under 60 seconds. You can use its services for many purposes, including hosting small, medium, and large websites, gaming, VoIP, and IoT. In addition, the provider offers unlimited scale-up and scale-down options, premium customer support available 24/7, and guaranteed dedicated resources for each user.
In this brand review, we will examine Kamatera in detail. That way, you will learn more about its services, features, support, reliability, advantages, and disadvantages and decide whether it is suitable for your website.
Getting Started with Kamatera VPS Plans
Kamatera’s website is super easy to navigate. If you scroll down once, you can find its VPS plan on the website’s homepage.
You can also change the website’s language if it’s more convenient. You can choose from five languages other than English: French, Russian, German, Spanish, and Hebrew.
You can choose from three self-managed VPS plans with Kamatera or create your own customized server.
Self-managed VPS plans imply that you will be responsible for setting up and managing your server. If you go for one of the three VPS plans available, you can choose the location of the data center and the type of OS you want.
Self-managed or unmanaged services are excellent for experienced users with the technical know-how required to set up and manage a server. With a self-managed VPS, you will have full control over your server and will be able to customize it as much as you want. They are also cheaper, while managed services are more expensive.
But can beginners also handle self-managed servers? Not really.
Since you have full control over your server, you need to know how to use it, set it up, manage it, upgrade it, and maintain it. If you don’t, you won’t be able to use your server to its full potential and set it up properly, leading to bad performance and security threats. Thus, the best course for beginners, in this case, is to either get managed services or hire IT experts to take charge of all the technical aspects.
If you go with the customized option, you will be able to determine the type of server, the number of processors (vCPUs), amount of RAM, SSD Storage, Internet traffic, public IPs, the location of your data center, type of operating system, and operating system add-ons.
You can add services like extended daily backups and fully-managed service to your custom VPS plan and choose to pay per hour or month.
Uses for your custom server can include a web hosting server, app server, development server, database server, WordPress server, email server, remote desktop server, ERP server, CRM server, backup server, VoIP server, IOT server, or anything else you need.
You can choose from many OS templates, including RockyLinux, AlmaLinux, CentOS, CloudLinux, Debian, FreeBSD, TrueNAS, FreeNAS, OpenSUSE, Ubuntu, Windows Server, and Windows. You can also use a custom OS or bring your own licensed OS.
Entry-level resources with which you can create your server include 1024MB RAM, 20GB SSD Storage, 5000GB/month of Internet traffic connected at 10Gbit/sec, one public IP, and one vCPU (2667MHz). You can upgrade your resources on demand and get up to 512GB RAM, 4000GB SSD Storage, four public IPs, and 104 vCPUs (85333MHz). You can also add even more storage and traffic if you want.
You can upgrade or downgrade your resources via your management console. And if you still need more power, you can always upgrade your server to a dedicated one. You can also get different variations of cPanel and Plesk and use them as your control panel.
All Kamatera VPS plans include premium customer support available 24/7, full root access, 40 Gbit public & private networking, and fast-paced SSD Storage. In addition, you can get started for free with Kamatera and enjoy a 30-day free trial.
And now, it’s time for testing. To review Kamatera in the best way possible, I will create my server and test it firsthand. For the sake of the test, I will create a server with entry-level resources because that will be enough for me to show you how everything works.
You can create your server right on the homepage of Kamatera’s website. All you have to do is select the resources you want and click on “Create Server.” Once you do, you will be redirected to the following page.
You must provide Kamatera with your email and create a password to sign up. Once you do that, you will get the following screen.
To validate your email, you need to open your inbox, click on the email you received from Kamatera, and click on the validation link. Once you do, a new page will pop up.
Now you need to click “Continue” to open your management console.
Now that you have successfully logged into your account, you need to add a billing profile. You need to click on the “Add Billing Profile” button.
Once you fill out the necessary information and click “Next,” you need to set up Two-Factor Authentication for your account. 2FA is an excellent security measure, so props to Kamatera for making it a requirement.
Once you insert your phone number, you need to click on “Send” to receive a code and authenticate your number. After doing so, you will be redirected to a page where you need to add your billing information.
Kamatera provides you with a promo code right off the bat, which offers 30 days of free usage, one cloud server of up to $100, 1,000GB of Cloud Block Storage, and 1,000GB of Outgoing Internet Traffic. This promo is an excellent opportunity for me to test out the provider.
Once you fill out your credit card information, you can click on “Finish.” And, you’re done. Your account is ready to go; it only takes a couple of minutes!
Kamatera
Setting Up a Kamatera VPS Plan
Now that your account is ready let’s set up your VPS plan. To do that, you need to click on the “Servers” sub-menu, which you can find on the left side of your screen.
Once you click on “Servers,” you will see the following.
Now you need to click on the “Create New Server” button. Once you do, you will be redirected to a page where you need to choose a location for your server. Here, it would be best if you tried to find a server that is nearest to you and your target audience. For me, Frankfurt, Germany, is a good pick.
Now you need to choose an operating system. With Kamatera, you can choose from various Server OS Images, Desktop OS Images, Apps Images, Service Images, or add your own private OS. For this test, I will go with Ubuntu.
After you choose your operating system, you will need to choose a version and then configure your server specs. For the server specs, you need to choose the type of server, the number of CPUs, RAM, and SSD, and whether you want daily backups or management services.
Now you need to choose networking and finalize your settings. That encompasses choosing whether you want to use a public or a private Internet network. You can also choose both. After that, you need to create a password, select the number of servers, and create a name for your server.
Before you finalize your settings, you can install scripts and create an SSH Key. That is optional; you do not have to do it if you don’t want to.
After you complete those steps, you need to choose a billing cycle. You can choose to pay on a monthly or hourly basis.
Now you can click on “Create Server.” After you click on “Create Server,” Kamatera will deploy in less than a minute, and it will be ready to use!
You can manage all of your servers via Kamatera’s intuitive dashboard. The dashboard contains seven menus which we will go over now.
On the homepage of your dashboard, you can add different modules and have a quick shortcut to useful information. You can add the following modules: a billing overview, cloud overview, “Resources Pie” by Zone, server overview, and server statistics.
You can add the module of your choosing by clicking on the “Add Module” button in the top right corner. After you click on the “Add Module” button, you will get the following screen.
Below the “Dashboard” menu is the “My Cloud” menu, which allows you to access your servers, networks, hard disk library, and pricing. Also, here you have the option to create a new server, a new desktop, a new app, and a new service.
In the “Servers” sub-menu, you get an overview of all of your servers. To access each server individually, you can click on the server you want to open and will be able to do so. 
After you click on the server, you can find all the details divided into different groups, including an overview, info, connect, snapshots, networks, configure, reports, statistics, and history.
“Overview” shows you the power state of your server, the guest OS, zone, public Internet IP (WAN), server ID, and the configuration of your server, which includes the number of CPUs, RAM, and disk space you have.
“Info” shows your OS version, tags/projects, and server notes.
“Connect” includes your connection credentials – connection type, username, password, and the status of your remote console. Here you can also reset your server password, update data, and open your remote console.
“Snapshots” allows you to create a snapshot of your server and view the ones you have already created.
“Networks” shows you an overview of your network interfaces and allows you to add a network interface, disconnect a network interface, change the network, add an IP address, view network info, and change interface type.
“Configure” allows you to view your server configuration, pricing, and information about the billing cycles. In server configuration, you can see and change the type of your server, the number of CPUs you have, your RAM, disk space, management services, daily backups, billing cycle, and WAN traffic. You can also access and change advanced configurations, which include CPU Hot Add, RAM Hot Add, video card memory, and disk adapter type.
Here, you can easily increase and decrease your resources while your server is running.
“Reports” lets you see your CPU, IOPS, bandwidth, and traffic usage for each month.
“Statistics” shows you your CPU usage, RAM activity, Network usage, Disk IOPS, and Disk Transfer. You can see reports that range from as low as one hour to three months.
“History” shows you a full report on all your activities.
The “My Cloud” menu contains a sub-menu called “Networks,” which lets you manage your networks and create new ones.
The “Hard Disk Library” sub-menu allows you to view OS images and your private images according to a certain zone.
In the “Pricing” sub-menu, you can find more information on the monthly and hourly billing cycles, Cloud Server CPU types, storage, network, and management services.
Lastly, in the “My Cloud” menu, you can create a new server, desktop, app, and service. The setup process for all of those services is similar to what we showed above.
“Add-on Services” includes a service that Kamatera offers called Cloud File Server. The “Cloud File Server” sub-menu allows you to manage users, learn how to configure your cloud file server, and provides you with information on Cloud File Server pricing.
The “API” menu includes Keys, Documentation, CLI, and Developers Tools.
“Keys” allows you to create new API keys and view your existing ones.
In “Documentation,” you can find numerous useful articles and guides on key generation and API.
“CLI” allows you to download the latest binary for your OS/architecture, extract the downloaded archive and place the binary in your PATH, and find documentation on server management, task queue management, and network management.
In “Developers Tools,” you can access Kamatera Cloud 3rd party tools and integrations, Apache Libcloud, Ansible, Salt, Terraform, and contact the support team if needed.
The “Permissions” menu allows you to manage users & groups and add new users or create new groups.
“Support” consists of “My Tickets,” “Create New Ticket,” and “More Information.”
In “My Tickets,” you can view your open and closed tickets and create new ones.
“Create New Ticket” allows you to create a ticket and send it directly to the suitable department.
In “More Information,” you can find contact information for Kamatera’s technical support staff, billing department, and sales & account managers team.
The “Billing” menu includes “Billing Profile,” “Usage Reports,” and “Transaction History.”
“Billing Profile” contains information about your form of payment and allows you to update it. It also contains your billing profile and account quota. You can change your billing information and request a quota increase here.
“Usage Reports” provides a monthly report on your servers, network usage, and promos. You can also download the report or receive it via email or URL.
“Transaction History” shows you all the transactions that you have made with Kamatera.
Lastly, you can view your profile if you click on your email in the top right corner of your dashboard. Here you can change your login settings and tweak your account’s security.
If you scroll down a bit, you can change your password and configure your data format and timezone.
You can also choose which notifications you receive and where you receive them.
Lastly, you can view your account status, disable your account, and view your login activity.
The best part is that everything is in one place, and you only need to scroll up or down to find what you need.
Overall Reliability – Performance and Security
Kamatera offers excellent performance and provides you with guaranteed dedicated resources which you won’t have to share with others. It offers a 99.95% uptime guarantee, meaning your site will experience minimal downtime, usually assigned to maintenance or other server management tasks.
You can choose among multiple data centers worldwide, including locations in the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, the Netherlands, Germany, Italy, Israel, and China. You can add load balancers, firewalls, and private networks and scale out to hundreds of servers within seconds.
Every Kamatera data center utilizes cutting-edge technology and is AICPA – SOC 2 – TYPE II compliant or more. Also, the provider uses the latest Intel Xeon Platinum/Cascade Lake Processors with 2.7GHz+. All its servers use SSD Storage which is faster and more efficient than traditional HDDs.
When it comes to security, Kamatera offers a private cloud network for free to all users. It eliminates many security and privacy concerns and is excellent for those who deal with private information, like financial firms and online sellers. Other security features that Kamatera offers include a cloud firewall and extended daily backups.
Kamatera VPS Customer Support
Whether you are logged into your account or not, the first thing that will pop up for you on Kamatera’s website is a live chat option that lets you communicate with a customer support agent, an option available 24/7.
You can also contact Kamatera’s sales & account managers, tech support, and billing & accounting departments via phone and email. Furthermore, if you are a beginner who needs assistance with setting up and managing a server, you can get Kamatera’s managed services.
There is also a form that you can fill out and send an email to the department that you want directly from Kamatera’s website on the “Support” page. So, you won’t have to open your email app to contact customer support.
On Kamatera’s website, you can find a “Resources” page that contains information about its services, free trial, and terms & conditions. Furthermore, the provider has a blog filled with many how-to articles and guides that you might find useful.
Now, let’s test out Kamatera’s support by seeing how they will help me with canceling my free trial. I chose to seek help for a free trial cancellation since I do not need a refund because I am using the 30-day free trial.
To test the support, I contacted an agent via live chat. I received an instant response telling me how I could cancel my free trial. And when I tell you it was instant, I mean only one or two seconds. Excellent!
I did as instructed, and my server was terminated in less than a minute! The whole ordeal was fast and easy to do.
After you terminate your server, you can also delete your account to remove all your personal details. To do so, contact your personal account manager via am@kamatera.com. But even if you do not delete your account, you won’t be charged for anything since you won’t have any active servers.
Specific Features of Kamatera VPS
Let’s take a quick look into what makes Kamatera one of the most popular solutions for VPS users:
- Server creation and deployment within 60 seconds
- Option to create a custom server tailored to your needs
- 16 high-end data centers worldwide that cover four different continents
- It supports a wide range of operating systems, including Windows
- Ability to install custom software and bring your own licensed OS
- Unlimited scale-up and scale-down on demand
- Excellent flexibility and complete control with full root access for more advanced users
- Option to install various cPanel and Plesk instances
- Unlimited 40 Gbit/s per Server for both public and private networks
- The option to pay per hour
- Premium phone and 24/7 live chat support
- A 30-day free trial with a simple cancellation process
Pros and Cons of Kamatera VPS
Pros:
- Instant server setup and deployment
- Easily scalable services from the management console
- Affordable prices that do not increase on renewal
- Complete control over your server
- Suitable for medium and large projects and businesses
- Compatible with popular services and apps
- Charges hourly only for the services you use
- Intuitive control panel
Cons:
- Extended daily backups cost extra
- Technical knowledge is required
- It does not offer shared hosting
- Mostly focused on tech-savvy enterprise-level users
Summary
Kamatera is a hosting provider that never fails to impress. It provides self-managed and managed services, making it an excellent choice for more experienced users and beginners.
With Kamatera, you will get excellent value because it offers low prices paired with enterprise-grade services. Its services are suitable for different projects, and even though it does not offer shared hosting, you can still use its cheap VPS alternatives for your small site or project.
All in all, Kamatera can accommodate users with all kinds of needs, from small-scale Linux-based projects to enterprise-level businesses that need Windows solutions to operate!
