The best web hosting services usually offered services including shared hosting, virtual private server (VPS) hosting, and dedicated servers. However, with the advent of cloud and virtualisation technology, the best VPS cloud hosting is becoming increasingly popular.
Thanks to its redundancy, versatility, and ease of deployment, VPS cloud hosting combines VPS and cloud hosting strengths in one advanced package, offering users near-unlimited web hosting, high performance, and industry-leading features and tools.
For a business website, shared hosting is still cheap and simple, but it's better suited to small personal websites, is often associated with poor performance, and can be difficult to scale. Upgrading to cloud VPS hosting offers a more reliable, stable, and scalable service, and you can then deliver users the optimum UX on your website.
Below, we've reviewed and ranked the best VPS cloud hosting options available, having tested countless options to give us confidence that one or more of the hosts here will suit your requirements.
The 3 best VPS cloud hosting providers right now
Hostinger: the best budget VPS cloud hosting
Hostinger offers the best low-priced cloud VPS hosting around, with its cheapest plan just £3.95 a month. All its cloud VPS plans include full root access, a dedicated IP, and its native hPanel control panel, plus excellent performance and quick SSD storage.
InMotion Hosting: reliable, high-performance plans
InMotion Hosting's cloud VPS solutions are excellent thanks to included management services, optional root access, and highly redundant network. Plans start at £24.59 a month, with unlimited bandwidth, top-notch customer service, and reliable managed hosting.
InterServer: scalable, unique approach to cloud VPS
InterServer's unique “slice-based” cloud VPS hosting means customisable resource purchases, from $6 each for Linux with 2GB RAM, 30GB SSD, and 1TB bandwidth. It offers unmanaged and managed plans, and is a top option for scalability.
What are the best VPS cloud hosting platforms?
Hostinger is the best all-around VPS cloud hosting platform, especially if you’re looking for a budget option, as its highly affordable plans are among the best on the market. It's top of many of our lists of web hosting providers, particularly VPS and cloud hosting, so it's a top choice for anyone looking for VPS cloud hosting.
InMotion Hosting offers some of the best managed cloud VPS solutions that we’ve seen, while InterServer is a great choice for those looking for a no-frills platform that’s easy to scale across managed and unmanaged hosting plans.
Kamatera offers advanced, highly scalable hosting solutions backed by full root access, global data centres, and hourly billing options, and last but certainly not least, FastComet’s plans are among the most advanced in the world, if somewhat expensive.
The best VPS cloud hosting providers, compared
| Web hosting provider | Entry price | Root access? | 24/7 support? | Managed hosting? |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hostinger | £3.95 a month (VPS 1) | ✔ | ✔ (live chat) | ✖ |
| InMotion Hosting | £24.59 a month (4GB RAM plan) | ✔ (if required) | ✔ (live chat and phone) | ✔ |
| Interserver | £5.02 a month (1 CPU core plan) | ✔ | ✔ (live chat and phone) | ✔ (with certain plans) |
| Kamatera | £4 a month (approx, based on hourly rate) | ✔ | ✔ (phone) | ✔ (if required) |
| FastComet | £50.11 a month (Cloud 1) | ✔ | ✔ (priority technical support) | ✔ |
The best VPS cloud hosting you can buy today
Hostinger
Best budget VPS cloud hosting
SPECIFICATIONS
- Entry price: £3.95 a month
- Root access: Yes
- 24/7 support: Yes, live chat
- Managed hosting: No
REASONS TO BUY
- Affordable cloud VPS hosting
- Great introductory discounts
- Full root access with all plans
REASONS TO AVOID
- No managed VPS hosting options
- No phone support options
Score: 4.5/5
Hostinger offers some of the best budget cloud VPS hosting on the market, and we found it to offer the best web hosting as well as the best VPS hosting and the best cloud hosting, so it's more than well-equipped to provide top VPS cloud hosting already.
Its cheapest plan starts at just £3.95 a month, and all cloud VPS solutions include full root access, a dedicated IP address, and Hostinger’s native hPanel control panel. You will also benefit from excellent performance through a 100Mb/s network and SSD storage.
On the downside, Hostinger doesn’t offer any managed cloud VPS hosting. Its support is excellent, but the lack of phone service will concern some users. Overall, though, it’s our number-one choice for those who need a cheap option, and it’s right up there as one of the best cloud VPS hosts in the world.
Read our full Hostinger review.
InMotion Hosting
Best managed cloud VPS hosting
SPECIFICATIONS
- Entry price: £24.59 a month
- Root access: If required
- 24/7 support: Yes, live chat and phone
- Managed hosting: Yes
REASONS TO BUY
- Advanced managed hosting solutions
- Highly redundant cloud network
- Friendly 24/7 US-based support services
REASONS TO AVOID
- Customisation and scaling options are limited
- The native control panel is somewhat confusing
Score: 3/5
InMotion Hosting is a US-based host offering a selection of shared, VPS, cloud, and dedicated server hosting options. Its cloud-based VPS solutions stand out as excellent due to the included management services, optional root access, and highly redundant cloud network.
You do pay for this, though. The cheapest plan starts at £24.59 for a three-year subscription, and it only includes 4GB of RAM and 90GB of storage. On the plus side, bandwidth is unlimited. InMotion Hosting’s customer service is also excellent, which is great to see.
The main downsides are the slightly confusing native control panel and the limited scaling options. However, these are quite minor, and you should find InMotion Hosting to be a great option if you’re looking for high-end, reliable managed cloud VPS hosting.
Read our full InMotion Hosting review.
InterServer
Best for simple scalability
SPECIFICATIONS
- Entry price: £5.02 a month
- Root access: Yes
- 24/7 support: Yes, phone and live chat
- Managed hosting: With some plans
REASONS TO BUY
- Wide selection of different cloud VPS options
- Choice of managed and unmanaged solutions
- Simple scalability
REASONS TO AVOID
- Performance could be better
- Only US-based data centers
Score: 3/5
InterServer offers unique “slice-based” cloud VPS hosting. This basically means that you can select the number of slices you would like to purchase, ensuring that you get the resources you require for your site when you need them.
When it comes to pricing, the most basic Linux slices come in at £5.02 each and include 2GB of memory, 30GB of SSD storage, and 1TB of bandwidth each. Windows slices start at £8.36 each, and plans with three slices or fewer are fully unmanaged, but managed support is added with four or more slices.
InterServer’s performance and lack of data center locations do pose slight concerns. But if these don’t worry you, it’s an excellent option for those who are likely to need to scale their website at some point in the future.
Read our full InterServer review.
Kamatera
Best overall cloud VPS hosting
SPECIFICATIONS
- Entry price: £4 a month
- Root access: Yes
- 24/7 support: Yes, phone
- Managed hosting: If required
REASONS TO BUY
- Risk-free 30-day trial
- Data centers spread across the world
- Hourly billing, so you only pay for what you use
REASONS TO AVOID
- Live chat support is absent
- Server management is quite expensive
Score: 3/5
Kamatera has been a well-known name in the web hosting industry for more than 20 years, and it’s easy to see why. It offers a great selection of highly configurable cloud hosting products. The base products are fully self-managed, with root access and excellent configurability. Full management is available if required, but do note that it can become a little expensive.
Kamatera’s prices start from just £0.0042 an hour (approximately £4 a month). This gets you 1GB of RAM, 20GB of SSD storage, and 5TB of bandwidth a month through a 10Gbps port. You can add and remove server resources as required, and there are various other options for configuring your servers.
On the downside, customer support is a little limited, and live chat is entirely absent. However, if you’re looking for a high-quality VPS cloud hosting provider for your next web project, Kamatera is one of the best options on the market.
FastComet
Best for advanced features and configuration options
SPECIFICATIONS
- Entry price: £50.11
- Root access: Yes
- 24/7 support: Priority 24/7/365 technical support
- Managed hosting: Yes
REASONS TO BUY
- Advanced management with all plans
- Full root access with all plans
- Provisioning in just a few minutes
REASONS TO AVOID
- One of the most expensive options
- Tight server resource limits
Score: 3/5
FastComet offers some of the most advanced cloud VPS hosting that we’ve seen. Its fully managed solutions are backed by root access, great scalability, SSD storage, and automatic backups. The 24/7/365 support is great, and there’s a seven-day money-back guarantee.
Prices are high, with the cheapest plan coming in at £50.11 a month, but you really get what you pay for here. If you’re looking for an advanced VPS hosting solution with great configurability and an array of advanced features, FastComet just begs to be considered.
VPS cloud hosting FAQs
What is VPS cloud hosting?
VPS cloud hosting combines aspects of traditional VPS hosting and modern cloud hosting, to deliver advanced solutions designed to cater to an array of needs.
With the virtual servers of VPS hosting, and the near-unlimited resources and reach of cloud hosting, VPS cloud hosting offers highly-scalable, virtual hosting that often charges you only for what you use. Resources are provided in minutes for near-instant server use.
What are the benefits of VPS cloud hosting?
One of the best things about VPS cloud hosting is its scalability. Most providers enable you to add or remove bandwidth, storage, and RAM as required. This is particularly useful for online stores and websites that have volatile visitor numbers.
For example, stores expecting high visitor numbers on holidays like Black Friday could benefit from temporarily adding more server resources to their cloud server. Another benefit is the option for a quick "resize", meaning scaling up quickly in terms of resources, so you're not left high-and-dry waiting for extra bandwidth or storage space.
VPS cloud hosting also provides you with extensive server access and control (if you choose an unmanaged plan), while managed plans take care of all the technical elements for you.
How to choose the best VPS cloud hosting
There are a few important factors to consider when selecting the best VPS cloud hosting for your needs.
Start by deciding what operating system you require. Most hosts offer Linux by default, but some, including InMotion Hosting, offer Windows options too. Next, decide whether you need managed or unmanaged hosting. Some hosts only offer one or the other, while hosts like Kamatera offer both. Scalability should be considered, and InterServer stands out as a great option for those who value streamlined scaling.
Decide what features and included tools that you require, and make sure the hosts you’re considering offer these. If you can afford its high prices, FastComet comes with one of the largest feature sets that we’ve seen.
Last but not least, ensure that you identify and stick to your budget. If you’re a little tight on money, Hostinger stands out as an excellent choice. However, various other hosts also offer affordable solutions, so make sure to consider them too.
The bottom line: selecting the right VPS cloud host can be difficult. A good place to start is by identifying exactly what you hope to get out of your host and basing your research around this.
How we test and review the best VPS cloud hosting
To test VPS cloud hosting, we begin by creating an account with a provider that we would like to test. We work through the setup process, noting how easy to use and how beginner-friendly the provider is.
Next, we build a simple website with the provider that we’re testing, or use another builder if one isn't available: we'll then test a platform-specific tool or feature instead. Long-term monitoring is set up to track its uptime and server performance at regular intervals over a two-week period. Short-term speed and page load time tests are also performed.
We usually test the customer service of each VPS cloud host, along with any standout tools or features that could be worth mentioning. We tested numerous hosts to bring you the leaders outlined here, and also ensure that we compare hosts against one another to give you the best possible option.
Further reading on web hosting and website builders
Once you've found the best website builder, and are looking for cheaper hosting, look into the best cheap web hosting for your next project, or even the best free web hosting if you're on a tight budget. If you're searching for hosting for a small business website, take a look at the best web hosting for small business.
Do you want your site to focus on European and UK customers? Ensure your chosen host is among the best European web hosting providers. Finally, if you've got a WordPress website or are looking to create one with one of the best WordPress website builders, the best WordPress hosting is ideal and is provided by many of the best web hosts.
