Thursday, September 12, 2019

The Best Dedicated Hosting Plans

Choosing a web hosting provider is a crucial step for website owners. Your hosting service and plan will have a major impact on the performance of your website.

But with so many options to choose from, this process can feel like an extremely daunting task.

The first thing you need to do is determine the type of hosting service that you’re looking for. Since you’ve landed on this page, I think it’s safe to assume that you’ve already taken care of this first step.

You decided that you want a dedicated server, instead of a shared, VPS, or cloud hosting plan.

That’s great! But now what?

All dedicated server plans are not created equally. But with that said, every website has unique needs as well. The best dedicated server plan for one website, might not be the best option for you. That was my inspiration for creating this guide.

The truth is, there are lots of amazing dedicated server plans out there. It would be irresponsible and impractical for me to name just one as the best.

Instead, I’ve narrowed down the best dedicated servers with every type of website in mind. So no matter what you’re looking for, I’m confident you can find it on this list.

What is dedicated hosting?

As the name implies, dedicated hosting plans provide a dedicated server to a single client. This means that you won’t be sharing your server resources with other websites.

Best Dedicated Hosting Plans

You don’t get this benefit with a shared, VPS, or cloud hosting plan.

Dedicated servers are essentially the top of the line in web hosting. Since you won’t be sharing resources like RAM, CPU output, and bandwidth, you can expect superior performance on your website.

Who is dedicated hosting for?

Dedicated servers are not for everyone. So before you proceed and buy one of these plans, make sure that you’re in the right place.

A dedicated hosting plan is ideal for larger organizations or websites with high volumes of traffic.

If you own a local restaurant or small business with just a few thousand visitors per month, you don’t need a dedicated server.

However, if your website has upwards of 50,000 or 100,000+ visitors per month, you should consider a dedicated hosting plan. Dedicated servers make it easy for you to scale your website as well.

Traffic alone isn’t the only factor that should be taken into consideration. There are other types of services, such as cloud hosting, that can accommodate scalable site traffic.

Dedicated hosting plans are for businesses that want complete customization and flexibility of their server functions. That’s why large ecommerce businesses and enterprises typically choose a dedicated server.

Websites that require strict security, such as ones that involve medical data or financial information should be using a dedicated server.

Finally, dedicated servers are for websites that can afford it. While most of you can find some great cost-effective options, there are dedicated plans out there starting at $1,000 or $2,000 per month.

Best dedicated server providers and hosting plans

Now that you have a better understanding of dedicated hosting, it’s time to dive into the best plans on the market today. We always keep this list refreshed, so you can be sure that the information is accurate and up to date.

Bluehost

BlueHost

Bluehost is an industry leader in web hosting. Their dedicated hosting plans are some of the most cost-effective options that you’ll find.

Other providers may offer cheaper hosting, but Bluehost gives you the best value while still providing exceptional service.

There are three dedicated server plans for you to choose from. Here are some of the highlights of each one:

Standard Plan

  • Pricing starts at $79.99 per month (renews at $119.99).
  • 500 GB of storage.
  • 4 GB of RAM.
  • 5 TB of bandwidth.
  • 3 IP addresses.

Enhanced Plan

  • Pricing starts at $99.99 per month (renews at $159.99).
  • 1 TB of storage.
  • 8 GB of RAM.
  • 10 TB of bandwidth.
  • 4 IP addresses.

Premium Plan

  • Pricing starts at $119.99 per month (renews at $209).
  • 1 TB of storage.
  • 16 GB of RAM.
  • 15 TB of bandwidth.
  • 5 IP addresses.

The best plan for your website will depend on the resources that you’re looking for. I think that the standard or enhanced plan will be more than enough for most websites that need a cost-effective dedicated server.

All dedicated hosting plans from Bluehost come with a free SSL certificate, free domain for one year, and 24/7 customer support.

For those of you who are more advanced and want to make custom installations to your server, Bluehost gives you full root access as well.

I doubt you’ll need it, but Bluehost offers a 30-day money-back guarantee. So you can always back out in the first month if you change your mind.

SiteGround

SiteGround

In addition to the quality and reliability of their server features, SiteGround makes our list because they have exceptional customer support.

Not only is their customer support quick to respond to inquiries, but they are also highly knowledgeable. This makes it ideal for relatively smaller sites that want to transition to a dedicated server. Easy access to friendly support is crucial during this process.

There are three dedicated server plans for you to choose from:

Entry Server

  • $269 per month.
  • 8 MB of CPU cache.
  • 16 GB of DDR3 RAM.
  • 480 GB of SSD.
  • 10 TB of bandwidth.

Power Server

  • $349 per month.
  • 8 MB of CPU cache.
  • 32 GB of DDR3 RAM.
  • 960 GB of SSD.
  • 10 TB of Bandwidth.

Super Power Server

  • $729 per month.
  • 15 MB of CPU cache.
  • 64 GB of DDR3 RAM.
  • 2 x 960 GB of SSD in RAID1.
  • 10 TB of Bandwidth.

All dedicated hosting plans from SiteGround are fully managed. They set up your server, keep its software up to date, and monitor the server 24/7. If any issues arise, they’ll be able to react instantly.

While the Entry Server isn’t cheap, it still offers a good amount of bandwidth, RAM, and speed for an entry-level plan. The storage is a bit on the low side, which makes the Power Server my top pick of the three.

With the Super Power Server priced at more than double the monthly rate of the Power Server, it’s not likely that most websites will need that much storage.

HostGator

HostGator

HostGator is arguably the most well-known web hosting provider on the market today. They have exceptional uptime rates, also making them one of the most reliable web hosts you can choose.

However, their loading speeds fall a bit short of industry averages.

With that said, the dedicated server plans offered by HostGator are definitely ones that you should take into consideration, especially if you’re looking for a more affordable option.

  • Value Server — $118.99 per month
  • Power Server — $138.99 per month
  • Enterprise Server — $148.99 per month

If you compare that to the other plans we’ve looked at so far, HostGator is priced just slightly above Bluehost, but significantly lower than SiteGround.

So for those of you who are looking for a dedicated server in that low-to-mid price range, HostGator fits the bill.

The HostGator dedicated server plans offer 8 GB, 16 GB, and 30 GB of RAM, respectively. If you compare that to the other plans we’ve reviewed, it’s a great value for the price.

HostGator has unmetered bandwidth for all dedicated servers, which is another added bonus.

Overall, if you want a dedicated server that’s a step above the lower pricing tiers while still delivering exceptional uptime and quality customer support, HostGator has you covered.

A2 Hosting

A2 Hosting isn’t as well known as some of the other web hosting providers on our list. But they still offer some of the best dedicated servers on the market today.

If you want blazing fast speed, look no further than A2 Hosting.

In addition to the great performance of their hardware, A2 Hosting has a wide range of hosting options for you to choose from. This can’t be said for every other provider out there.

Here’s an overview of the pricing, features, and benefits of their dedicated hosting plans.

A2 Hosting

As you can see, A2 Hosting has a dedicated server plan for everyone. They offer unmanaged hosting and fully managed hosting options at an affordable rate.

Their Core Flex Server is fully managed and still provides root access to website owners who want that added level of customization.

I always like to recommend products and services from companies that stand behind what they’re selling. That’s why it’s always nice to see a web hosting providers offer something like a 30-day money-back guarantee.

A2 Hosting takes that promise to an entirely new level with their anytime money-back guarantee.

Now, there are definitely some stipulations here. I’m sure you can’t use the service for a year and then call and ask for a refund. According to their site, accounts canceled within 30 days of use will get a full refund.

Accounts canceled after 30 days will be refunded a prorated amount of the unused service. There are even stipulations about how refunds will be issued for requests after 120 days.

While I’m not anticipating that you’ll want to cancel your plan, it’s nice to know that it’s an option and you’re not locked in if you’re unhappy.

Overall, A2 Hosting offers competitive pricing, service, support, and performance for their dedicated servers.

Media Temple

Media Temple

As I said earlier, dedicated hosting plans are not for everyone. With that said, Media Temple is not even for everyone who knows they want a dedicated server.

With plans starting at $2,000 per month, Media Temple dedicated hosting plans are made specifically for enterprise-level hosting.

So even if your small business website generates tons of monthly traffic, you should look elsewhere for a dedicated server.

Media Temple offers both managed hosting and self-managed hosting plans, depending on how much control you want over your servers.

With a whopping 128 GB of RAM, you’ll be able to run complex tasks on your site. Dynamic content, CMS, and high volumes of traffic won’t slow you down.

These dedicated server plans are best for enterprises who plan on reselling. You’ll have enough power and control to rent space your clients on one server.

If you want to save some money, Media Temple offers discounted rates for long-term contracts.

Annual plans start at $20,000, which is essentially two months free compared to the month-to-month rate. Two-year contacts and three-year contracts are priced at $38,000 and $54,000, respectively.

Again, these dedicated servers are not for everyone. But for those of you who have agencies and plan to resell your server space, this will be your best choice.

Liquid Web

Liquid Web

Liquid Web is another lesser-known web hosting provider. But their servers, performance, and support earn them a top spot on our list.

Pricing for these hosting plans falls within the same range as SiteGround. So it’s a great choice for those of you who are looking for a higher-end plan, without breaking the bank on unnecessary features.

Here’s an overview of the dedicated hosting plans offered by Liquid Web.

Intel Xeon 1230 v6

  • Starting at $199 per month.
  • 16 GB of RAM.
  • 5 TB of Bandwidth.
  • 2 x 240 GB of SSD primary disk.

Intel Xeon Silver 4108

  • Starting at $299 per month ($359 per month for dual CPU).
  • 32 GB of RAM.
  • 8 TB of Bandwidth.
  • 2 x 480 GB of SSD primary disk.

Intel Xeon Gold 6130

  • Starting at $499 per month ($699 per month for dual CPU).
  • 32 GB of RAM.
  • 8 TB of Bandwidth
  • 2 x 480 GB of SSD primary disk.

As you can see, there isn’t an upgrade in terms of storage or bandwidth from the Silver to Gold server plans. The biggest difference is that the Gold server has 16 cores, while the Silver server only has 8.

The Gold server can be used for big databases, large SaaS companies, and virtualization on your website.

If you’re going to use Liquid Web for dedicated hosting, I strongly recommend that you take advantage of their bundle pricing. Take a look at the value bundles and compare it to the specs that I’ve listed above.

As you can see, you get significant upgrades without spending too much more money. The value packs include all of the recommended add-ons at a more reasonable price than purchasing them individually.

Liquid Web Plans

So if you were willing to spend the $499 on the Gold package, you can double the RAM and bandwidth for just another $50 per month. It’s well worth it.

All Liquid Web dedicated servers include:

  • CloudFlare CDN
  • Root access
  • Dedicated IP address
  • Standard DDoS protection
  • IPMI access
  • Business-grade SSD storage

Another great benefit of Liquid Web is their transparency. Plans are month-to-month and rates won’t increase upon renewal.

Best Cheap Dedicated Hosting Plans

There are a few more cost-effective hosting plans that are worth considering if you’re looking for a great rate. While these options are suitable, they each fall short in certain areas, which is why I grouped them in a category of their own.

AccuWeb Hosting

The dedicated hosting plans offered by AccuWeb start at just $90 per month, which is a great rate for a quality service.

You’ll get a server in a location that’s close to where you are based. AccuWeb has servers located in the US, Canada, Australia, Singapore, the UK, and other areas throughout the globe.

Accuweb

For those of you who like lots of options, AccuWeb has the most dedicated server choices on our list, by far.

There are six different single-processor dedicated servers that you can configure, and nine dual-processor dedicated servers. That’s 15 different options!

While pricing for some of these configurations starts at more than $300 per month, the entry-level server pricing at just $90 per month is best for those of you looking at low-cost options in this category.

I consider AccuWeb Hosting a “cheap” dedicated server because their uptimes and loading speeds are inconsistent. So you’ll have to weigh the cost compared to the performance when making your decision.

Hostwinds

HostWinds

Founded in 2010, Hostwinds is another lesser-known option on the market. They have dedicated server plans starting at just $79.50 per month as an introductory offer.

I like Hostwinds because their dedicated server plans are super easy to customize. Directly on their website, you can configure things like:

  • Server drives
  • RAM
  • RAID
  • Operating system
  • Bandwidth
  • IP Addresses

All dedicated servers are fully managed, have nightly backups, and 24/7 server monitoring.

Similar to AccuWeb, Hostwinds doesn’t have the best uptime and loading speeds. But with that said, it’s still a suitable option to consider for low-cost dedicated hosting.

GoDaddy

Some of you might be surprised to see GoDaddy in the cheap dedicated hosting section of this guide. They are one of the most well-known and reputable companies in web-hosting.

I should clarify — GoDaddy is only “cheap” when you take advantage of their introductory offers. Their entry-level economy plan starts at just $89.99 per month, but nearly doubles when it’s time to renew.

Here’s a snapshot view of GoDaddy’s dedicated hosting plans.

Godaddy Plans

GoDaddy has great features for the price, high uptime rates, and fast loading times. When it comes to performance, GoDaddy is right up there with the best in the business.

However, I found that GoDaddy falls short when it comes to customer support. It’s a bit inconsistent, which isn’t what you want if you need help in a pinch.

There have been instances where it’s taken me 15-30 minutes to get in touch with a support agent, which is long considering that some of their competitors respond in less than 2 minutes.

But if that’s not a deal-breaker for you, GoDaddy is definitely a top choice for a cost-effective dedicating hosting plan.

Conclusion

When it comes to dedicated servers, there is no shortage of options to choose from. But rather than scouring the web and searching through dozens of hosting providers, I’m confident that you can find what you’re looking for in this guide.

So what’s the best dedicated hosting plan? It depends on what you’re looking for.

My guide has something for everyone. What’s best for you might not be best for everyone else.

Here’s a quick summary of the best plans to point you in the right direction.

At the end of the day, the decision is yours. You’ll need to compare the plans to determine what’s the best value for the features your website needs.



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