Best Cheap Dedicated Server Feature Overview
Provider | CPU (Cores) | RAM (GB) | Storage (GB) | Bandwidth (TB) | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
4-64 | 16-1000 | 480-8,000 | Unlimited | Visit Ultahost | |
1-32 | 1-128 | 20-4,000 | 5 | Visit Kamatera | |
4-6 | 16 | 1000-2000 | 8 | Visit Liquid Web | |
6-32 | 16-128 | 2,000 | 6-15 | Visit A2 Hosting | |
2-52 | 32-256 | 4,000 – 20,000 | Unmetered | Visit InterServer | |
4-16 | 8-32 | 160-640 | 5-7 | Visit HostArmada |
Dedicated server hosting gives your website the power of a whole server. It means you are not sharing the server with anyone else, unlike shared hosting. Your site can better manage a surge in traffic and added functionality. Dedicated hosting is ideal for high-traffic websites and eCommerce stores with over 30 products.
Many dedicated hosting plans cost about $500 and above. Most website owners might not be able to shell out that amount monthly. Fortunately, you can get reliable dedicated hosting plans without a tearing hole in your pocket.
Our in-house hosting reviewers conducted extensive research into the cheapest dedicated hosting plans with the best features, support, and server performance. The result is this list of the top cheap dedicated server hosting providers. Depending on your hosting needs, we have curated a list with $50-100 dedicated hosting plans.
Key Considerations When Choosing a Dedicated Server
We evaluated hundreds of dedicated server hosting service providers to create this review based on relevant data points. We then distilled our findings into a 5-point system based on a five-star rating.
- Pricing: This article is about the cheapest dedicated hosting plans, so pricing is a significant consideration. We considered the plan’s starting prices, renewal fees, and add-on costs for upgrades and services not provided.
- Performance: We assessed each provider’s server speed, reputation for uptime reliability, and overall performance.
- Features: Our experts reviewed the essential features in the hosting plans to see if they offer value for money. We looked for storage, RAM, CPU, and bandwidth specifications. We also considered other features such as automatic backups, CDN, SSL certification, and multiple IP addresses.
- Customer support: Even advanced web experts encounter issues when managing dedicated servers. We checked the types and level of support each provider offers and their reputation for responsiveness and SLA-backed response guarantee.
- User-friendliness: To be honest, dedicated hosting is not beginner friendly. However, it doesn’t have to be overly complicated. We included providers that offer managed dedicated hosting plans. It usually costs extra, though. For those who are up to the task, we also noted providers that offer semi-managed or self-managed dedicated hosting solutions.
The Best Cheap Dedicated Server Hosting Services of 2024 (Bought and Tested)
If security is your biggest priority while looking for a dedicated server hosting provider, then you should definitely check out UltaHost. With UltaHost, you’ll get top-notch security features, such as DDoS protection, built-in security updates, free SSL certificates, BitNinja security, free backups, dedicated firewalls, regular security patching, and more.
- Overall Score: 4.9
- Pricing: 4.9
- Features: 4.8
- Performance: 4.9
- Support: 4.9
- User Friendly: 4.9
Pricing: You can purchase UltaHost’s dedicated server hosting on a monthly or yearly basis. You can choose your plan based on the control panel you want to use, and the cheapest ones are Hestia & CyberPanel. The entry-level plan costs $129.90/month (on a monthly billing period) and includes a 6C/12T, 2.80-3.20GHz CPU, 2x 960GB SSD storage, 64GB of RAM, 1 IPv4 address, and managed services.
Features: Some of the features you’ll get with UltaHost include DDoS protection, built-in security updates, free SSL certificates, unlimited bandwidth, BitNinja security, free backups, dedicated firewalls, auto-healing, regular security patching, automated backups, SSH and SFTP access, IPMI and KVM access, and more.
Performance: This web host offers top-notch performance and speeds backed by fast-paced NVMe and SSD storage, powerful AMD EPYC/Intel Xeon Gold processors, a 99.99% uptime guarantee, advanced caches, a CDN addon, and HTTP/2-enabled servers.
Support: As an UltaHost user, you’ll enjoy round-the-clock customer support via live chat, phone, email, and a ticketing system. In addition, you’ll get access to an extensive Knowledge Base filled with guides, tutorials, and articles.
User Friendly: UltaHost is compatible with a wide range of beginner-friendly control panels such as Hestia, CyberPanel, Plesk, and cPanel. Also, all of its dedicated hosting plans are managed, which means that UltaHost will take care of updates, maintenance, and other similar technical tasks.
Pros & Cons
- All dedicated server plans renew at the same rate.
- You’ll get excellent performance with high-end hardware.
- It provides enterprise-grade security features at affordable prices.
- The prices are a bit higher compared to other web hosts (but they make up for it with the performance and security they include).
Rating Overview:
- Overall Score: 4.7
- Features: 4.8
- Reliability: 4.9
- User-Friendly: 4.7
- Support: 4.8
- Pricing: 4.9
SIM-Networks offers budget-friendly dedicated server hosting designed for businesses and individuals who require dedicated resources without a hefty price tag. This service focuses on delivering the essential features of dedicated hosting while maintaining high performance and security standards.
Detailed Analysis:
Features: SIM-Networks’ cheap dedicated servers are equipped with essential hardware suitable for a variety of basic and moderately demanding applications. Options typically include configurable CPU types, adequate RAM, and HDD or SSD storage. While the focus is on cost reduction, these servers still offer full root access, allowing users complete control over their server environment.
Reliability: Despite the lower cost, SIM-Networks ensures reliable performance using quality hardware and robust infrastructure. Their data centers are designed to provide high uptime and stability, ensuring that even budget servers perform optimally for their intended tasks.
User-Friendly: SIM-Networks provides an easy-to-use control panel with all dedicated servers, making it straightforward for users to manage their server, install applications, and maintain their system. This user-friendly approach is particularly beneficial for those new to dedicated server management.
Support: SIM-Networks does not compromise on customer support; users of their cheap dedicated server plans have access to 24/7 support through multiple channels. The support team is knowledgeable and ready to assist with any technical issues, ensuring that all clients receive the assistance they need.
Pricing: The pricing of SIM-Networks’ cheap dedicated servers is highly competitive, designed to fit the budgets of small businesses, startups, or individuals looking to step up from shared or VPS hosting. The transparent pricing model details the hardware and service features included in each plan, helping customers make informed decisions based on their specific needs.
Pros and Cons:
- Cost-effective solutions that provide dedicated resources at a lower price point
- Reliable hardware and data center infrastructure ensure stable performance
- Comprehensive customer support enhances the value proposition for budget-conscious users
- Lower-cost options may have limitations in terms of processing power, memory, and storage compared to higher-end dedicated servers
- Some advanced features and customizations might be limited or available at additional costs
- Overall score: 5
- Features: 5
- Support: 5
- User Friendly: 5
- Pricing: 5
- Reliability: 5
Overall score – 5: Kamatera is where dedicated server hosting meets affordable pricing without marketing gimmicks. However, you should note that Kamatera doesn’t offer a traditional dedicated server infrastructure. It offers cloud server infrastructure. This infrastructure offers many benefits, such as infinite scalability, an unbeatable price, performance, and availability.
Features – 5: Kamatera offers many enterprise-grade services, including a user-configured hosting environment, customizable cloud solutions, proactive firewall management, and load balancers.
Support – 5: Kamatera’s support is available weekly via live chat and phone. You can get personalized customer support. You can also request managed support if you require help with your server.
User Friendly – 5: The server management interface has a custom look, but it is straightforward to grasp. You can also get managed support to ensure you never have to worry about the technical aspects of your server. In addition, you can contact customer support to upgrade your package based on your needs.
Pricing – 5: Kamatera allows you to pay hourly or monthly. You also get 30 days to use the hosting solution for free. The most budget-friendly cloud hosting configuration comes with one CPU, 1 GB RAM, 20 GB storage, 5,000 GB bandwidth, and 1 Public IP, costing only $4/mo. But we recommend you go for higher configurations. You can cancel anytime if you are not satisfied.
Reliability – 5: Thanks to its dedicated hosting solution built on cloud infrastructure, you can expect round-the-clock excellent server performance. The provider offers consistent 99.95% guaranteed uptime and data center locations in America, Europe, Asia, and the Middle East.
Additional parameter – Instant scalability: Kamatera has the best options for instant scalability. You can add or remove resources based on your website needs. This host provides you the option to get the exact CPU, RAM, storage, and bandwidth for your hosting needs. When you upgrade your resources, the extra resources become available instantly for your website without downtime.
Kamatera has the best server-level customization and scalability options for all websites.
Pros and Cons:
- High level of flexibility, scalability, and customization
- Full cloud-based infrastructure
- Flexible plans and customization
- High-end dedicated cloud hosting
- 15 data centers worldwide
- Highly effective security services
- Pay-as-you-go solution
- 99.95% uptime guarantee
- Exceptionally high-end hosting is available
- 3-day free trial with all cloud-based products
- Aimed at more experienced users
- Daily backups aren’t free
Rating Overview:
- Overall Score: 4.7
- Features: 4.8
- Reliability: 4.9
- User-Friendly: 4.7
- Support: 4.8
- Pricing: 5.0
Hostround offers affordable dedicated server hosting, ideal for small businesses, startups, and individuals who need the exclusivity of a dedicated server without the high costs typically associated. This service provides essential features and dependable performance, making it a great entry point for those upgrading from shared or VPS hosting.
Detailed Analysis:
Features: Hostround’s cheap dedicated servers come with a range of hardware options tailored to budget-conscious users, including choices between various CPU types, sufficient RAM, and HDD or SSD storage capacities. Each server includes full root access, enabling complete control over the server environment and customization according to specific needs.
Reliability: Despite their affordability, Hostround’s dedicated servers are hosted in well-maintained data centers with robust infrastructure to ensure high uptime and stable performance. This commitment to reliability ensures that even budget servers deliver adequate performance for most business applications.
User-Friendly: Hostround simplifies server management with an easy-to-use control panel that allows users to manage their servers efficiently. This includes tools for software installation, system updates, and routine maintenance tasks, making it accessible for users with varying levels of technical expertise.
Support: Hostround provides excellent customer support for all its hosting plans, including its affordable dedicated server options. Support is available 24/7 through live chat, email, and phone, staffed by knowledgeable professionals ready to assist with any issues or queries.
Pricing: Hostround’s pricing for its cheap dedicated servers is highly competitive, designed to attract and retain customers who require dedicated resources at a lower cost. The transparent pricing structure clearly outlines what each plan includes, helping customers choose the best option based on their budget and requirements.
Pros and Cons:
- Provides dedicated resources at a lower price point, making it accessible to a wider range of customers
- Reliable hardware and data center infrastructure ensure consistent server performance
- Extensive customer support enhances the overall value of the hosting service
- Resource limitations compared to higher-priced dedicated servers might restrict high-demand applications
- Some advanced configuration options and upgrades may incur additional costs
Rating Based on Expert Review:
- Overall Score: 4.3
- Features: 4.2
- Reliability: 4.4
- User-Friendly: 4.3
- Support: 4.5
- Pricing: 4.6
is*hosting provides cost-effective Dedicated Servers designed to deliver solid performance while keeping affordability in focus. These servers are ideal for businesses looking for reliable hosting solutions without the premium price tag.
Detailed Analysis:
Features: is*hosting’s Cheap Dedicated Servers come with essential features including decent processor speeds, adequate RAM, and standard HDD or SSD storage options. While not the most advanced, these servers provide the necessary functionality for everyday business operations. Basic security features and customization options are also available.
Reliability: Despite being budget-friendly, is*hosting ensures a respectable level of reliability with a commitment to 99.9% uptime. The servers are hosted in well-maintained data centers with redundant systems to minimize downtime and maintain stable performance.
User-Friendly: The management of is*hosting’s dedicated servers is facilitated by a straightforward control panel. This user-friendly interface allows clients to manage their server settings, monitor performance, and handle basic tasks with ease, making it accessible even for those with limited technical expertise.
Support: is*hosting offers robust 24/7 customer support for their dedicated server clients. The support team is available to assist with technical issues, provide guidance, and resolve any concerns promptly, ensuring a smooth hosting experience.
Pricing: The pricing for is*hosting’s Cheap Dedicated Servers is highly competitive, making it an attractive option for businesses on a budget. The cost-effectiveness of these servers makes them a good choice for those who need dedicated resources without a high investment.
Pros and Cons:
- Affordable pricing suitable for budget-conscious businesses
- Reliable uptime with basic security and redundancy
- Accessible control panel and solid customer support
- Limited advanced features and customization options
- Performance may not match higher-end dedicated servers
Rating Overview:
- Overall Score: 4.8
- Features: 4.9
- Reliability: 5.0
- User-Friendly: 4.8
- Support: 5.0
- Pricing: 4.7
LiquidWeb offers economically priced dedicated server hosting, targeting small to medium-sized businesses, startups, and developers who require the power of a dedicated server without a high cost. This service balances essential features with superior performance, making it an ideal choice for those needing a dependable but cost-effective hosting solution.
Detailed Analysis:
Features: LiquidWeb’s affordable dedicated servers come equipped with powerful hardware options, including various processor types, ample RAM, and both HDD and SSD storage solutions. Each server grants full root access, providing users with the flexibility to install and manage software tailored to their specific needs. Servers also include built-in security measures like DDoS protection and SSL certificates.
Reliability: Hosted in state-of-the-art data centers, LiquidWeb’s dedicated servers are built to ensure high uptime and consistent performance. Their robust network infrastructure is designed to handle significant traffic volumes and deliver fast connectivity, ensuring optimal server operation.
User-Friendly: LiquidWeb offers an intuitive control panel and server management tools that make it easier for users to deploy, manage, and maintain their dedicated servers. These tools are designed to be user-friendly, catering to both tech-savvy clients and those with limited technical background.
Support: Known for its exceptional customer support, LiquidWeb provides 24/7/365 access to highly knowledgeable support teams. Support is available via phone, live chat, and email, ensuring that clients can receive quick and effective help whenever needed.
Pricing: LiquidWeb’s pricing for their cheap dedicated servers is transparent and competitive, designed to appeal to those looking for quality hosting on a budget. The company often includes value-added services like server monitoring and data backups at no additional cost, enhancing the overall value of their offerings.
Pros and Cons:
- High-performance hardware at competitive prices offers great value
- Comprehensive customer support enhances the hosting experience
- Reliable infrastructure guarantees high uptime and server stability
- While more affordable than some competitors, pricing may still be a stretch for very small businesses or individuals
- Some advanced features and customizations might require additional investment
Rating Overview:
- Overall Score: 4.8
- Features: 4.9
- Reliability: 5.0
- User-Friendly: 4.8
- Support: 5.0
- Pricing: 4.9
FastComet offers affordable dedicated server hosting, ideal for small to medium-sized businesses, startups, and individuals who need the exclusivity and control of a dedicated server without the typically high costs. This service provides essential features with excellent performance, ensuring a balance between cost and quality.
Detailed Analysis:
Features: FastComet’s cheap dedicated servers include customizable configurations with various CPU options, adequate RAM, and either HDD or SSD storage to suit different performance needs. Each server offers full root access, which allows complete control over the server environment, from software installations to security settings. Security features like DDoS protection and SSL certificates are standard, ensuring a safe hosting environment.
Reliability: FastComet guarantees high uptime thanks to its use of reliable, enterprise-grade hardware and multiple data center locations. The infrastructure is designed to support consistent performance, which is crucial for businesses relying on their online presence for operations and revenue.
User-Friendly: FastComet provides a user-friendly management dashboard that makes it simple for users to oversee their dedicated server. Tools for performance monitoring, security management, and easy updates are available directly through the control panel, making server administration accessible for users with varying levels of technical expertise.
Support: Renowned for exceptional customer support, FastComet offers 24/7 technical assistance via live chat, phone, and email. Their dedicated team can help with everything from server setup to complex troubleshooting, ensuring that users receive the support they need to keep their servers running smoothly.
Pricing: FastComet’s dedicated server plans are competitively priced to cater to budget-conscious users without compromising on the quality of the service. The pricing structure is transparent, with detailed breakdowns of what each plan includes, helping users to make informed decisions based on their specific needs.
Pros and Cons:
- Affordable pricing makes dedicated servers accessible to a broader audience
- Reliable hardware and data centers ensure stable and continuous server performance
- Comprehensive support system enhances user confidence and satisfaction
- Resource limitations might be evident compared to more expensive, high-end dedicated servers
- Some advanced features and services may require additional investment
- Overall score: 4.8
- Features: 5
- Support: 5
- User Friendly: 4.5
- Pricing: 4.5
- Reliability: 5
Overall score – 4.8: A2 Hosting is gradually becoming synonymous with super fast Hosting thanks to their speed-focused hosting plans, regardless of whether it’s a VPS, dedicated or cloud-based solution. The servers are located in data centers in Europe, Asia, and North America and are highly responsive and stable. As a bonus, their dedicated server plans come at affordable prices.
Features – 5: The provider offers powerful yet cheap unmanaged servers. Even with plans starting at just $105.99/month, A2 Hosting offers a variety of features. The front-line features include full root access, NVMe storage, choice of operating systems, DDoS protection, and Webuzo software installer.
Support – 5: A2 Hosting achieves a perfect score for 24/7 help and support. You can contact A2 Hosting’s specialized support team to resolve any issue, answer your questions and assist you with website migration and Cloudflare Integration for free.
User Friendly – 4.5: People who prioritize control and flexibility enjoy using A2 Hosting’s unmanaged dedicated Hosting. The seven different plans allow multiple configuration options – including the choice of the operating system.
Pricing – 4.5: A2 Hosting offers both managed and unmanaged dedicated servers. The unmanaged servers offer the cheapest plans and are ideal for flexibility and control. The cheapest unmanaged plan, Hyper 1 ($105.99/mo) comes with: 4 cores, 16GB RAM, 2 X 1TB SSD storage and 6TB bandwidth. You can also scale up the number of resources to fit your needs.
Reliability – 5: Speed is A2 Hosting’s shining feature, thanks to its powerful servers and average response time of 246 ms. That response time is on a bare metal server. You can get faster response time with optimizations. The company also offers an uptime guarantee of 99.95%. With data centers in Asia, Europe, and North America, you can be sure that your website will always stay reachable and fast.
Additional parameter – High-speed servers: If you are looking for reliable server performance and fast loading time, then A2 Hosting should be on your radar. The cheapest offering offers fast blazing speeds. They also offer a 99.9% uptime guarantee and global data centers. The actual performance of your server depends on its configuration. So unless you are a tech user, we recommend the managed hosting plans as they are fully optimized for speed, security, and overall performance.
A2Hosting is famous for its affordable price and highly responsive and stable servers, regardless of whether it’s a VPS, dedicated or cloud-based solution.
Pros and Cons:
- Good help and support
- Four server locations across the USA, Europe, and Asia-Pacific
- Allows for configuration and considerable control
- Free Webuzo 1-Click Software Installer
- Fast response times
- Best scalability
- Excellent server management
- Anytime Money Back Guarantee
- Turbo Boost for 20x Faster Speeds
- Free SSL certificate
- Only unmanaged dedicated servers are cheap
- No backups included
- Overall score: 4.9
- Features: 4.8
- Support: 5
- User Friendly: 5
- Pricing: 5
- Reliability: 5
Overall score – 4.9: InterServer offers inexpensive hosting packages, plenty of features, Windows dedicated hosting, and allows server customization. There are many reasons for recommending this web host. Still, if you are looking for a cheap yet reliable Windows dedicated hosting solution, then with dedicated hosting plans starting at just $44 a month, InterServer is your best bet.
Features – 4.8: The key features are managed support, a free Webuzo panel, and DDoS protection. Your plan will also include remote reboots, 24/7 uptime monitoring, remote KVM, IPMI or ILO access, and data migration. The provider provides semi-managed dedicated hosting, web and mail server repair, OS reinstallation, and more. We took some points away because a control panel isn’t included in the plans, but you can get it for an extra fee.
Support – 5: InterServer cares about its customers and shows in its customer support service. You can reach the customer care team via phone, email, and the ticketing system. They also offer a knowledge center, FAQs, and self-service.
User Friendly – 5: InterServer dedicated hosting is not complicated. However, you will need basic hosting knowledge to be able to set up your hosting environment. We give a total score because the web host handles basic activities such as operating system reinstallation and DNS, control panel reinstall, hardware issues, SQL, and FTP server repair for free.
Pricing – 5: InterServer dedicated hosting plans are very cheap, but you have to search to arrive at their cheapest hosting plan – the Xeon E3-1230. This plan costs only $44/month and comes with 4 Core CPUs, (2) HDD or (4) SSD RAM, 32GB SSD, 150TB bandwidth, and DDoS protection. You can scale up the resources to meet your needs and select your preferred OS from CentOS, Linux, Windows, and more.
Reliability – 5: You can expect solid server performance but don’t expect the same performance as you would with a $1000 dedicated server hosting plan. The company offers credits if your uptime falls below 99.9%, so that is something to take comfort in. The average response time is between 513ms- 538ms. You can expect better performance if your target audience is in North America since all of InterServer’s data centers are in the US.
Additional parameter: Budget plan for resource-heavy websites: If your website constantly demands processing power or storage and you are on a budget, you’ll want to look at InterServer dedicated hosting solutions. While its starter plans offer the best value for your money, powerful dedicated hosting performance starts with its higher-tier plans. For instance, you can get up to 50 TB of disk space and 52 CPU cores at affordable pricing. Plus, the provider provides setup and managed support for free.
Interserver deserves the utmost attention for its excellent dedicated hosting services, high processing power, and storage levels, and reasonable pricing.
Pros and Cons:
- Monthly billing
- Fast server provision
- Wide range of customizations and configuration
- 150TB transfer
- Free 24/7 uptime monitoring
- Remote reboots
- Free expert data migration services
- Advanced DDoS Protection
- Four-hour Provisioning
- Free professional Managed Support
- Zero setup fees
- Only two data centers, both in the USA
- Control panel not included
HostArmada is one of the best web hosting providers money can buy. Its dedicated server hosting offers excellent website performance and is based on a redundant cloud SSD platform. Also, the provider comes with super easy-to-use features and tools, which is great for those who don’t have much experience with dedicated servers.
- Overall Score: 5.0
- Pricing: 4.9
- Features: 5.0
- Performance: 5.0
- Support: 5.0
- User Friendly: 5.0
Pricing: HostArmada offers three dedicated server hosting plans, and all of them come with a 7-day money-back guarantee. The entry-level plan, called Lift Off, costs $81.95/month and includes hosting for unlimited websites, 5 free cPanel accounts, 160GB of SSD storage, 8GB of RAM, and 4 CPU cores.
Features: Some of the many features that HostArmada offers include free SSLs for all websites, free website transfers, unlimited email and FTP accounts, a dedicated IP address, malware scans, malware removals, WAF & IP firewall, Imunify360 security, 24/7/365 live server monitoring, and more.
Performance: HostArmada offers excellent performance with a 99.9% uptime guarantee, Nginx web servers, fast-paced SSD storage, enhanced caching, AMD EPYC processors, and Cloudflare CDN.
Support: As a HostArmada user, you’ll get 24/7 customer support via live chat, phone, and a ticketing system. Also, you’ll have access to a Knowledge Base and a Learning Center filled with guides and tutorials.
User Friendly: HostArmada is one of the easiest-to-use web hosts, offering managed dedicated servers, the cPanel control panel, and the Softaculous one-click installer.
Pros & Cons
- Excellent value for money with 7-day money-back guarantees.
- Powerful performance with premium-grade hardware.
- Easy-to-use features and tools and fully managed services.
- Its prices are higher on renewal (but still worth the features and services you’ll get).
Ranking comparison between the Top Providers
Best Cheap Dedicated Server Hosting Services: Final Recommendations
You don’t need to break the bank to enjoy the benefits of hosting your websites on dedicated servers. Some of these dedicated hosting providers offer plans that are almost as cheap as many VPS systems and cloud hosting plans. In addition, they guarantee that you won’t have to share any ounce of resources on the machine with other users.
Kamatera is our top recommendation because it provides unbeatable hosting infrastructure at low prices. You can also configure your server to serve your needs and scale when necessary. However, you can explore other options based on your needs.
For instance, InMotion Hosting offers the best bare metal dedicated hosting plans, while InterServer offers cheap customizable hosting solutions.
Investing in a dedicated server housing plan requires a hefty commitment, but it can be the best option for securing your website and ensuring top performance. Before you choose a plan provider, you should assess what your needs are and the features that are most important to you.
How do we rank, and how should you choose your cheap dedicated server hosting?
Finding a cheap and reliable dedicated hosting provider is a time-consuming process. You have to review each web host and their hosting package. We researched the available providers and ranked them based on critical criteria to save you time. Some of the factors we considered were pricing, performance, customer support, and more.
Here is a quick look at the key points we considered when ranking the cheapest dedicated server hosting providers. Pricing is essential, but it is just one of the many factors we considered.
- Bandwidth and storage: Using a dedicated server means you don’t have to share your server resources with another user. However, you must ensure the resource allocation is enough for your needs. The storage space should be sufficient to store your online files, while the bandwidth should allow seamless data transfer even in periods of high traffic.
- Customer support: We strongly recommend that you don’t overlook customer support. You should ensure the provider offers expert technical support round the clock through channels that are easy for you to access. You can check our expert reviews and reviews from other users to know how reliable a host provider’s customer support is.
- Ease of use: Dedicated server isn’t beginner-friendly, even with fully managed hosting options. However, it doesn’t mean you need to be a techie user to use it. Most providers offer managed support and tools, including an easy-to-use control panel to make your workflow easier. You will also get more ease of use from a fully managed dedicated hosting solution.
- Features: Generally speaking, you want to look for security solutions, developer suites, cPanel licenses, SSL certification, RAM, and CPU. You might be interested in a free domain if you are just starting your website. Free managed web migration might be a dealbreaker if you are switching providers.
- Money-back guarantees: Most providers offer up to 30 days money back guarantees. You will get your money back if you cancel your hosting plan within 30 days. Read the fine print. Some providers offer refunds on their other plans but not for dedicated hosting.
- Performance and reliability: At HostAdvice, we will never sacrifice performance for pricing, and you shouldn’t either. Avoid providers with reliability concerns, even if they offer dirt-cheap hosting plans. We recommend you go for providers with an SLA-backed uptime guarantee. So when you experience extended downtime, the provider compensates you.
- Scaling potential: Websites grow in functionality and traffic as they get famous and valuable. So, you need a provider that will allow your website to grow. We always give more priority to providers that offer seamless scalability of hosting resources and upgrades to higher-tier plans.
- Speed: You need a provider to load your website in less than a second. We look for data center locations, CDN, and NVMe SSDs.
- Starting price: You may be surprised we are discussing pricing after other factors. We only review providers for pricing after we are satisfied that they pass other criteria. This approach ensures that we only recommend the best hosting providers.
- Types of hosting offered: Dedicated hosting comes in three types: managed, unmanaged, and semi-managed. Your ideal choice depends on your skill level, available time, and willingness to manage some or all aspects of your server.
- User reviews: Review experiences from users worldwide on our site to get a complete perspective on hosting providers before we add them to our list of recommendations.
- Other factors: We rate providers based on brand reputation, awards, and establishment date.
What is cheap dedicated server hosting?
The idea behind a dedicated server hosting plan is to get a single machine devoted to your hosting needs. You won’t be sharing resources with other websites or servers as you would with shared hosting. Neither would your server be a partition from a larger resource pool, as with cloud hosting and VPS servers.
A cheap dedicated server hosting solution allows you to enjoy a single machine’s resources without spending too much money. You can expect SSH and root access, greater bandwidth, support from expert sysadmins, excellent website performance, and robust control panel systems like cPanel or Plesk. Depending on the plan and provider, you could get RAID 1 redundant storage, DDoS protection, a high-performance CPU, and a large amount of disk space.
Things to remember when selecting cheap dedicated hosting
You are looking for cheap server hosting to save costs, but you don’t always have to go for the lowest number. You need to consider other factors to ensure you get the best deal. These factors include unmanaged and managed servers, pricing, and resources.
Unmanaged vs. semi-managed vs. managed Dedicated Hosting
The first question you need to ask yourself is whether you want managed, semi-managed, or unmanaged dedicated hosting.
- Managed Dedicated Hosting: The web host will be responsible for server management. Some providers advertise their plans as “fully-managed,” but it pays to go through the fine print to see what services they are offering. It could be a comprehensive list that includes server setup, software updates, backups, performance optimization, and troubleshooting. The added server management support puts this dedicated hosting in a higher pricing bracket. However, the price is worth it if you prefer to devote your time, resources, and staffing to other business-focused aspects. It is also the best choice if you don’t have the know-how or technical skills to run your website on your own.
- Semi-managed Dedicated Hosting: With this type of dedicated hosting, the provider will handle basic server tasks such as security configuration, operating system updates, and troubleshooting hardware and software failures. Every other task is left for you to handle. The upside is that you have considerable freedom in configuring and managing your server, and it is cheaper than a fully managed hosting plan.
- Unmanaged dedicated Hosting: If you go for this type of hosting, be prepared to assume full responsibility for your server. You have complete control over your server configuration, maintenance, security and performance enhancement, operating system updates, and optimization. The provider only has to provide the infrastructure and hardware. Some web hosts advertise it as bare metal dedicated hosting. It is cheaper than other types of dedicated hosting, but it places the most responsibility on your shoulder. We only recommend it for advanced users with administration experience, who are looking for full-range customization, and those on a strict budget.
Pricing
Virtually all providers offer you a lower price if you subscribe for a longer term. The cost saving usually starts on the yearly contract and gets better than when you go for a two or three-year contract.
A year-long subscription is a commitment and going more extended ties you to the provider for a long time. However, you most likely need dedicated hosting for at least a few years, so signing up for a lengthy contract should not hurt.
If unsatisfied with the service delivery, you can ask for a refund. However, you should read the provider’s money-back guarantee terms. Most providers offer a 30-day grace period, after which you are no longer eligible for a refund.
Resources
You should ascertain the server resources your site will need and ensure your dedicated hosting plan provides for those needs. For special needs, you might need to get paid add-ons or request a customized hosting package from the provider. Here are some server resources to be on the lookout for:
- CPU Cores: The more cores your server has, the more powerful it becomes. If you want your server to handle heavier tasks and run faster, you need to get as many cores as possible. You’ll need about 4-8 cores to run heavy and specialized applications—however, the higher your cores, the higher your monthly fees.
- RAM: RAM allocation will determine the server’s efficiency and affect your site’s loading speed. Most providers offer 4GB-8GB RAM on their entry plans which is sufficient for most users. However, if you are running a resource-intensive website, you will need more RAM. For instance, you need more than 32 GB of RAM to run mission-critical applications based on resource-intensive frameworks.
- Storage: The more storage you have, the better. We generally recommend 1 TB or more for storage. However, most websites can get by with 256GB or 512GB storage space. You should also consider the type of storage. The provider could offer a hard disk drive (HDD) or solid-state drive (SSD). Both will get the job done, but SSD offers faster and more reliable performance, albeit at a higher cost.
- Bandwidth: As with other resources, more is better. You’ll need more bandwidth if your website runs scripts, houses HD photos, streams multimedia content, or has high traffic volume. Insufficient bandwidth can cause a bad user experience, high bounce rates, crashes, and loss of revenue.
In summary, when choosing a cheap dedicated hosting plan, you should consider your skills, budget, and resources before deciding.