Best Dedicated Server Hosting: Compare the Top 8 Providers
This article will compare and contrast the top nine dedicated hosting providers, and help you choose the one that best suits your website.
But first, what exactly is dedicated hosting? And do you even need it at all? Let’s recap.
Hosting is like renting a virtual plot of internet space for your website. At the cheapest end, you have shared hosting. Think of it like having a room in a shared apartment: fine for a while, affordable, and maybe even fun, but it won’t last forever. Soon enough, you’ll crave your own space, and get your own apartment – or maybe, eventually, your very own detached house.
That’s the equivalent of dedicated hosting – a property to call your own, and all the space you could possibly need. It’s just going to cost you a bit more. That’s why it’s not for everyone.
Our site, websitebuilderexpert.com, receives many thousands of visits every week from people just like you. We need a dedicated hosting service to give you all the best possible experience – a site that loads fast, with no error messages. If you’re a smaller site, you’ll be better off on VPS hosting for the time being – you can always upgrade later!
Once you’ve decided you’re ready to make the leap to dedicated server hosting, it’s on to the next question – which provider should you choose?
Best Dedicated Server Hosting Providers
We’ve carried out extensive hosting research to find the top nine dedicated server hosting providers for sites just like yours. We’ve painstakingly cross-referenced uptime stats, CPU cores, bandwidth, RAM, prices, and help and support to find the very best in the hosting business.
The results are in, these are the best dedicated servers:
- HostGator – Best overall for dedicated server hosting.
- Bluehost – Best value for money.
- InMotion – Best for tech-heavy websites.
- A2 Hosting – Best customer service.
- SiteGround – Best for very large sites.
- iPage – Best for nothing, but okay at everything.
- GoDaddy Hosting – Best bandwidth.
- DreamHost – Best storage space.
At the top of our list is HostGator. It’s the best all-around hosting provider and the best choice for dedicated hosting – its scores below speak for themselves. Bluehost is a solid second option, with the best value plans around. InMotion is pricey but powerful, making it ideal for tech-heavy sites.
Let’s take a closer look at each one, then answer your common dedicated server hosting questions.
Further Information
Best Web Hosting Services 2019 — Dedicated hosting aside, find out who the overall best providers are.
Web Hosting Comparison Chart — Check out our detailed chart for a side-by-side view of the top providers.
Best Dedicated Server Hosting
HostGator came out on top in our research. It’s a great all-around hosting provider that excels in many different areas.
HostGator is a safe pair of hands for any website, but other providers still have plenty to offer in their chosen niches.
This is how they compare like-for-like:
Side-By-Side Dedicated Server Hosting Comparison
| Hosting Provider | CPU Cores | RAM | Bandwidth | Server Locations | Price Plans |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| HostGator | 4-8 | 8-30 GB | Unmetered | 2 (USA) | $118.99 – $149.00 |
| Bluehost | 4 | 4-16 GB | 5-15 TB | 1 (USA) | $79.99 – $119.99 |
| InMotion | 4-16 | 4-64 GB | 4-64 TB | 2 (USA) | $105.69 – $519.59 |
| A2 Hosting | 2-8+ | 8-16 GB | 10-20 TB | 4 (USA, Europe, Asia-Pacific) | $141.09 – $290.49 |
| SiteGround | 4-12 | 16-64 GB | 10 TB | 3 (USA, Europe, Asia-Pacific) | $269 – $729 |
| iPage | 2-4 | 4-16 GB | 5-15 TB | 1 (USA) | $119.99 – $191.99 |
| GoDaddy Hosting | 4 | 4-32 GB | Unmetered | 7 (USA, Europe, Asia-Pacific) | $95.98 – $175.98 |
| DreamHost | 4-12 | 4-64 GB | Unmetered | 2 (USA) | $169 – $399 |
* Do bear in mind that except for Siteground and DreamHost, these are all promotional prices for new customers. Hosting providers are fairly generous, though – you can often keep prices this low for a year or more.
We can see that Bluehost has the least expensive price range, while GoDaddy offers the most server locations by far. The table also shows variety in bandwidth between hosting providers, and while the low end of most CPU scores is similar, the high end ranges a lot depending on provider.
Okay, that’s great, but RAM? Bandwidth…? CPU cores…? What does it all actually mean for you?
CPU Cores – CPU stands for Central Processing Unit. They’re like the brains behind the physical server your site is hosted on. They are in charge of processing information, and the more there are, the better.
Think of it like trying to check out of a supermarket – the requests have to queue, and the CPUs are the cashiers. The more CPUs, the faster the line moves.
RAM – RAM stands for Random Access Memory, and is your server’s main memory store. As you’d expect, it’s important there’s enough of this to go round!
Bandwidth – Bandwidth basically refers to the amount of data transfer your site can cope with – or in other words, how much traffic it can accommodate. Don’t undersell the amount you need here – the last thing you need is your site crashing after a big marketing campaign sends customers flocking to your site.
Server locations – This is where the physical servers hosting your site are based. The closer they are to your users, the better. They’ll get a faster connection, and your site will rank better in return. Win win.
HostGator
Best Overall for Dedicated Server Hosting
We’ve already been singing HostGator’s praises, and with good reason. Its combination of high bandwidth (unmetered, in fact), copious CPU cores and plentiful RAM means it scored higher than any other provider for dedicated hosted features (4.6 out of 5).
Prices aren’t the cheapest, but you certainly get a lot of bang for your buck. There’s an array of help and support options (including phone and live chat), plus a 99.99% uptime guarantee.
The downside? Both servers are located in the US, so might not be the best option for sites with a largely international audience.
Hostgator: Pros and Cons
| HostGator Pros | HostGator Cons |
|---|---|
|
|
HostGator Dedicated Hosting Prices
With HostGator, you have three dedicated plan options: Value Server, Power Server and Enterprise Server. All come with unmetered bandwidth, which is a huge plus. The Power Server plan is the middle option, and is the one HostGator recommends. But frankly, for the sake of an extra $10 per month, you might as well go with the Enterprise package, and enjoy double the amount of RAM.
Further Information
Hostgator Review – Does HostGator snap up the competition?
Bluehost
Best Value for Dedicated Server Hosting
While Bluehost’s dedicated hosting plans are among the cheapest of all nine providers, this doesn’t mean it has compromised on quality.
In fact, Bluehost offers some of the best help and support of any provider we tested. It also more than holds its own when it comes to features, even offering free backups, which is rare.
The downside of Bluehost? Fewer CPU cores than most providers, and only one server, based in Utah. If you’re a very large website with an international audience, Bluehost might not be for you. Otherwise, it could be just what you’re looking for.
Bluehost: Pros and Cons
| Bluehost Pros | Bluehost Cons |
|---|---|
|
|
Bluehost Dedicated Hosting Prices
Bluehost offers three dedicated server plans: Standard, Enhanced and Premium. There’s a price difference of $20 between each, and they all come with a money back guarantee, 24/7 support, and four CPU cores.
New customers can get dedicated hosting from $79.99/month with Bluehost (normally $119.99)
So what do you get for $79.99/month?
- Free website domain for 1 year
- Free SSL certificate
- 4 CPU cores & 4GB of RAM
- 5TB of bandwidth & 500GB of storage
- 24/7 support via phone & live chat
All of Bluehost’s dedicated hosting plans come with a 30-day money-back guarantee, so if you’re not completely happy with the service you receive, you’ll get a full refund.
The more expensive the plan, the more storage, RAM and bandwidth there is. On balance we’d say the Enhanced plan is the best value, as it offers the same storage as the more expensive Premium plan. Check out our Bluehost Pricing Review for a more detailed breakdown.
Further Information
Bluehost Review – The Steady Eddie of web hosting.
InMotion
Best Dedicated Server for Tech-Heavy Websites
InMotion’s hosting plans look pretty average across the board, except for when it comes to the number of CPU cores on offer. With the most expensive of the InMotion dedicated hosting plans – and at $519 per month, it sure is pricey – you get a massive 16 CPUS.
What does this mean for you? Well, if you have a tech-heavy website, it’ll help keep site speed down, and stop users from bouncing away from your site. What’s more, it’ll encourage Google to rank your site higher. Not to be sneezed at!
InMotion: Pros and Cons
| InMotion Pros | InMotion Cons |
|---|---|
|
|
InMotion Dedicated Hosting Prices
InMotion offers six different dedicated hosting plans. The Essential plan is cheapest at $105.69/month, while the CC-2000 plan comes in at that whopping $519.49/month we mentioned earlier. There’s a pretty even spread of prices in between, so if CPUs are a priority for you or you have a very tech-heavy website, then chances are you’ll find an InMotion plan at a relatively reasonable price.
Further Information
InMotion Review – Feature-rich and business-focused.
A2 Hosting
Best Hosting Provider for Customer Service
What’s the one thing worse than your site going down? Your site going down, and not being able to get hold of your hosting provider. A2 Hosting offers the best customer service of any provider we tested, so you can get hold of them almost any way, at any time.
A2 Hosting: Pros and Cons
| A2 Hosting Pros | A2 Hosting Cons |
|---|---|
|
|
A2 Hosting Dedicated Hosting Prices
A2 Hosting offers three managed dedicated server hosting packages: Sprint, Exceed and Mach.
There’s a hefty jump in price between all three, with Sprint costing $141.09 and Mach costing $290.49 per month. This is reflective of a leap in storage and RAM, but ultimately, A2 Hosting is a pricey option when compared to competitors. That said, with free transfer and a money back guarantee on offer, you’ve got nothing to lose by giving them a go.
Further Information
A2 Hosting Review – Low-risk Windows specialists.
SiteGround
Best Dedicated Server for Large Sites
SiteGround doesn’t offer promotional pricing, which makes its plan seem all the more steep compared to its competitors.
That said, you get a fair bit for your money with SiteGround. It scores well across the board for features, and particularly when it comes to memory. The uptime guarantee is also pretty strong at 99.98%.
SiteGround: Pros and Cons
| SiteGround Pros | SiteGround Cons |
|---|---|
|
|
Siteground Dedicated Hosting Prices
SiteGround offers three different plans: the Entry Server, Power Server and Super Power Server. The first two plans don’t really offer much different to the likes of HostGator and Bluehost, and cost considerably more. The Super Power Server plan offers a huge amount of memory and has plenty of CPUs, which makes it perfect for really large websites. That said, the bandwidth is low across the board, which could impact site load speed.
Further Information
SiteGround Review – Solid service, quality support.
iPage
Best for Nothing, but Okay at Everything
We’ll be honest – it’s hard to know what to say about iPage dedicated server hosting. The truth is, iPage is okay at everything, but doesn’t really excel in one particular area.
Features are fairly good, but no better than the likes of HostGator and Bluehost. Prices are fairly middle of the road. It’s done well to beat many competitors for sixth place in our research, but ultimately, if you’re considering iPage, you’d be better off with one of the plans featured above.
iPage: Pros and Cons
| iPage Pros | iPage Cons |
|---|---|
|
|
iPage Dedicated Hosting Prices
iPage offers three dedicated hosting plans: Startup, Professional and Enterprise. Each plan is aptly named – Startup offers 4GB of RAM and 5TB of bandwidth (perfect for a small business), while Enterprise offers 16GB of RAM and 15TB of bandwidth (ideal for large operations).
Further Information
iPage Hosting Review – Cheap and somewhat cheerful.
GoDaddy Hosting
Best Dedicated Server for Bandwidth
As well as a website builder platform, GoDaddy is one of the leading domain name vendors in the world. But as for their hosting plans? To be honest, they’re kind of neither here nor there.
So, why go for GoDaddy? For the complete business experience. GoDaddy offers online marketing and web security tools, and there’s definitely something to be said for keeping these all under one roof.
GoDaddy Hosting: Pros and Cons
| GoDaddy Pros | GoDaddy Cons |
|---|---|
|
|
GoDaddy Dedicated Hosting Prices
Let’s take a closer look at GoDaddy’s hosting plans: the cheapest is the Economy, coming in at $169.99 per month, followed by the Ultimate at $349.99 per month. All plans come with three dedicated IP addresses and unmetered bandwidth, while the storage and memory increases as you move up the plans.
Further Information
GoDaddy Hosting Review – Solid all-in-one web hosting.
DreamHost
Best Hosting Provider for Storage Space
DreamHost isn’t a bad hosting provider – there are just a lot of better ones out there. It does excel at storage space, though, with plans of up to 64GB RAM.
The help and support is lacking, with no phone or live chat facilities. That, coupled with a relatively low uptime guarantee of 99.95%, doesn’t inspire huge amounts of confidence.
DreamHost: Pros and Cons
| GoDaddy Pros | GoDaddy Cons |
|---|---|
|
|
DreamHost Dedicated Hosting Prices
There’s little information about DreamHost’s plans online, but we can confirm they offer two plans; one for $169 per month, and one for $399.
How Do You Choose a Dedicated Server Hosting Provider?
As you’ve seen from this article, there’s plenty to consider when you’re choosing a hosting provider. This includes:
- Memory
- Bandwidth
- Location of servers
- Number of CPUs
- Value for money
- Guaranteed uptime
- Help and support
It’s worth noting here that value for money doesn’t mean the lowest prices – the best value dedicated hosting provider is Bluehost, as they pack the most into their plans.
Best Dedicated Server Hosting: Summary
This article has taken you on a whistle-stop tour of the best dedicated hosting providers, as determined by our extensive independent research. Now let’s recap.
Best dedicated servers:
-
- HostGator – Best overall for dedicated server hosting.
- Bluehost – Best value for money.
- InMotion – Best for tech-heavy websites.
- A2 Hosting – Best for customer service.
- SiteGround – Best for very large sites.
- iPage – Best for nothing, but okay at everything.
- GoDaddy Hosting – Best bandwidth.
- DreamHost – Best storage space.
At the end of the day, it’s about deciding what’s most important to you and making this your priority. And remember, our independent research found HostGator to be the best all-around provider, making it a safe choice for anyone looking for a dedicated hosting provider for their website.
Best Dedicated Hosting Providers: FAQs
Who needs dedicated hosting?
Dedicated hosting has its benefits, but it’s not for everyone. If your website gets thousands of hits every week, or you have an ecommerce store with over 30 products, you really should invest in dedicated hosting. Otherwise, you’ll probably be fine with a VPS hosting or cloud hosting plan instead.
How much does dedicated hosting cost?
Dedicated hosting plans cost anywhere between $50 and $500+ per month. If price is a major concern, check out our roundup of the cheapest web hosting providers.
What other kinds of hosting are there?
Apart from dedicated hosting, your main hosting options are shared and VPS. Check out our guide to the difference between the two.
Website Builder Chart aims to provide you with honest data. That’s why we conduct our own research and obtain direct, personal insight. Analyses and graphics in this article are based on authentic sources cross-validated by our in-house experts.
We take great care to ensure the information we publish is reliable and accurate. However, WBE takes no responsibility for any inaccuracy in information supplied to us by users, research participants, or other entities.
Please note the insight contained within this article is for general information purposes only. We’re glad to answer any questions you may have about this article and its supporting research. For further information, please contact Website Builder Chart directly via email at info@websitebuilderexpert.com.
Leave a comment