For everyone with a website using various Windows tools and languages, Windows hosting is the best hosting solution. In today’s marketplace, numerous popular hosting businesses offer Windows hosting services; all credible providers generally offer Windows hosting or research it. As a result, it’s easy to get lost in the enormous waters of Windows hosting solutions, remarkably if you’ve never evaluated such services previously.
Fortunately, our specialists have indeed finished the process for you. Experts at HostAdvice have completed a credible study that involves in-house testing of major providers’ stability, functionality, and assistance and thousands of customer feedback and opinions. Consequently, you’ll be able to evaluate the accurate and impartial effects purely based on visible or verifiable facts.
We won’t hold you further if you don’t have time to read the full article. So, without further wasting time, here is our list of the best Windows hosting solutions!
Short on Time? Check Our Top Windows Hosting Providers
- Ultahost – Best Windows Hosting for Flexibility and Unlimited Bandwidth
- Kamatera – The Most Scalable Windows Hosting Solution
- IONOS – Best Windows Hosting for Developers
- InterServer – Best Windows Hosting for Versatility and Value
What Is Windows Hosting and Who Is It For?
Windows hosting refers to website hosting that runs on the Microsoft Windows operating system. The Microsoft Windows Server operating system comes on the hardware used for Windows Hosting. If you’re already comfortable with Windows on personal computers and want to remain with what you know, this could be your best option.
Supporters of Windows Hosting will tell you that it is one of the more straightforward hosting services packages to use and that adding features to grow your website is less complex. Microsoft also supports Windows Hosting, providing frequent upgrades to maintain your hosting safe and bug-free. On a more technological level, the only hardware capable of running the Visual Basic or.NET scripting languages is Windows server hosting. It’s also the ideal choice for ASP programming.
Windows web hosting makes sense for companies, most corporations, or other prominent companies operating for a while and building their site and other systems on Windows software.
If your company’s technology is primarily based on Windows, Windows server web hosting is a popular approach. It will run in combination with all of your existing programs, and you will not have to reinstall or start over from scratch. Your company’s tech professionals, responsible for keeping all of your systems up and running, will already be familiar with the Windows hosting Operating System.
It also provides various tools, including SharePoint and Exchange Server, that are essential for increasing productivity. For corporations trying to improve their performance, Windows is the best option.
The Best Windows Hosting Services of 2024 (Bought and Tested):
With its unique offer that includes unlimited bandwidth in all Windows Hosting plans, Ultahost has become one of the top picks for many companies and individuals worldwide. Users also get managed servers, 24/7/365 support, free DDoS protection, and much more benefits with this provider.
- Overall Score: 4.9
- Features: 4.8
- Support: 4.9
- User-Friendly: 4.9
- Pricing: 4.9
- Reliability: 4.9
Ultahost provides excellent flexibility along with unlimited bandwidth with all of its Windows hosting plans and allows users to choose between Windows Server 2019, Windows Server 2016, Windows Server 2012 R2, and Windows 10 for their OS, multiple programming languages, and more!
Research Findings:
Features: Support for multiple Windows versions, vertical scaling that allows you to scale up your server resources in one click, a CDN add-on, free domain transfer, SSH & SFTP access, unlimited bandwidth, unlimited application installation, free migration, HTTP/2 enabled servers, and more.
Support: With Ultahost, you will get 24/7/365 support via live chat, email, & phone, fully-managed services, an extensive knowledge base, a ticketing system, support add-ons, and automated troubleshooting.
User-Friendly: Ultahost is excellent for beginners and offers easy-to-use services and features, like an instant server setup that only takes a minute to complete and an easy-to-use Plesk/Enkompass control panel that its team can install for you for free, Windows Remote Desktop, and more!
Pricing: You can choose from six Windows hosting plans: Basic ($15.90/month), Business ($23.90/month), Professional ($33.90/month), Enterprise ($49.90/month), Premium ($145.90/month), and Ultra ($240.90/month). Ultahost also provides a 30-day money-back guarantee for all its plans.
Reliability: Ultahost offers top-notch performance and stability with a 99.9% uptime guarantee, unlimited bandwidth, advanced cache by Varnis, Redis, and Memcached, enterprise-grade security, and the latest Intel Xeon Gold and Platinum processors.
Pros & Cons
Pros:
- Excellent performance and reliable uptime
- Full RDP access
- It supports multiple Windows operating systems
Cons:
- You will need to pay a one-time transaction fee when purchasing your plan
- Its servers are mostly located in the USA, with one in Europe
Due to providing managed Windows services at reasonable pricing, the company is gaining traction with corporations, organizations, and even families. You have complete control over setting up, expanding, increasing or decreasing, and adding new components only on Kamatera hosting servers.
- Overall Score: 4.9
- Features: 4.8
- Support: 4.9
- User-Friendly: 4.9
- Pricing: 4.8
- Reliability: 5.0
Kamatera provides a wide range of Cloud Services to its customers, including cheap windows VPS Hosting, Cloud Servers with Web Hosting Panel, WordPress and Control Panel Server Hosting, Cloud Servers, Cloud Private networks, Cloud Firewall, Managed Cloud Services, and more.
Research Findings:
Features: Kamatera is a platform that provides a range of products, alternatives, and offerings, such as CPU monitoring, data migration and synchronization, permissions, access control, and credential management, scheduled and continuous backup, and management support.
Support: Unmanaged support is free. The second choice is managed support, which means Kamatera’s team will set it up and update the server setup for you. It costs an additional $50 per month and includes all of the standard features of managed hosting.
User-Friendly: The Kamatera panel makes it simple to manage your server. Its simple, basic design speaks to everyone. When preparing this Kamatera review, the user management options jumped out. You may add additional sub-users to your hands and give them different roles. It’s ideal for organizations and people working in groups.
Pricing: Unmanaged cloud servers cost $4.00 per month, managed cloud basic costs $50.00 per month, and managed cloud extended costs $120.00 per month, as Kamatera. This company has no return policy, but a 30-day free trial is available.
Reliability: In terms of uptime, Kamatera takes pride in its “exceptionally elevated reliability and performance†and so assures this at all times at 99.95 percent.
Pros & Cons
Pros:
- Kamatera servers are simple to scale (an entirely cloud-based network)
- With Kamatera’s firewall for web applications (WAF), you get protection against attacks on your servers
- Dedicated resources are ensured on all Kamatera servers
Cons:
- There is no money-back guarantee
- You need technical knowledge to operate
- Add-ons are available for purchase individually
IONOS offers the best performance hosting for Windows developers. You’ll benefit from Windows Server 2022, ASP.NET 4.8 and .NET 6.0, geo-redundancy, and guaranteed availability. Many tools and features are also a part of the offer!
- Overall Score: 1.5
- Features: 1.8
- Support: 1.3
- User-Friendly: 1.2
- Pricing: 1.7
- Reliability: 1.7
IONOS might not have the best reputation. Yet, it’s one of the best Windows hosting providers with a whole variety of tools, including PHP 7.4, ASP MVC 3,4 and 5, MS SQL 2019 databases, MariaDB or MySQL, dedicated app pools, LINQ, ASP.NET AJAX, SSI, Cron Manager, and web apps.
Research Findings:
Features: All IONOS Windows hosting plans include a free domain, one free Wildcard SSL certificate, and free professional email with 2GB of email storage and a state-of-the-art spam filter. You’ll also get site scans, daily backups, DDoS protection, free CDN, and a few useful marketing features.
Support: As an IONOS customer, you can rely on its expert customer service teams available 24/7 via phone and email to assist you with your Windows hosting.
User-Friendly: You can easily start your Windows hosting journey with the help of IONOS’s helpful technical community open for collaboration and further assistance.
Pricing: IONOS offers three Windows hosting plans, starting at $5 per month for 100GB storage, unlimited traffic, unlimited FTPS accounts, and 25 MS MQL database (2GB SSD). The starter plan is suitable for a single website.
Reliability: IONOS utilizes data centers accredited for the highest levels of data safety. It also runs the latest versions of Windows Server, ASP.NET, and .NET, ensuring top levels of speed and performance.
Pros & Cons
Pros:
- Excellent speed and security (SiteLock and SSL, DDoS protection, HTTP/2 protocol, CDN)
- A variety of tools specifically designed for Windows developers (PHP 7.4, ASP.NET, LINQ, ASP.NET AJAX, .NET, SSI)
- 24/7 customer support, help center, and community
Cons:
- You must redeem the free domain offer on the initial purchase of a 12-month contract term
- Registration is available from a limited amount of countries
- Prices double on renewal (from $5 to $10 per month)
Rating Based on Expert Review:
- Overall Score: 4.6
- Features: 4.5
- Reliability: 4.7
- User-Friendly: 4.4
- Support: 4.6
- Pricing: 4.7
InterServer stands out in the Windows hosting market with its versatile hosting solutions that offer exceptional value. It’s an excellent choice for businesses, developers, and individuals who require a Windows-based hosting environment that combines performance, scalability, and affordability. Known for its balance of advanced features and competitive pricing, InterServer caters to a wide range of Windows hosting needs, from basic websites to complex web applications.
Features: InterServer’s Windows hosting plans come equipped with essential features like ASP.NET support, MSSQL databases, Plesk control panel, and unlimited storage and bandwidth, accommodating a variety of hosting requirements.
Reliability: With a strong commitment to uptime and server performance, InterServer ensures that its Windows hosting services are reliable and stable, crucial for the smooth operation of Windows-based websites and applications.
User-Friendly: The hosting service is designed to be user-friendly, offering easy-to-use tools and a control panel that make managing a Windows server accessible for users of all skill levels.
Support: InterServer is known for its excellent customer support, providing helpful and responsive assistance, which is a significant advantage for users requiring additional guidance in managing their Windows hosting environment.
Pros & Cons:
- Comprehensive feature set ideal for a range of Windows hosting needs
- High reliability and performance for Windows-based applications
- Competitive pricing, offering great value for money
- Advanced features might require some technical understanding
- Resource allocations on entry-level plans may be limited for larger projects
Ranking comparison between the Top Providers
How Do We Rank and How Should You Choose Your Windows Hosting?
- Server Performance25%
- Security Features and Elements10%
- Customer Service and Support10%
- Responsive Times and Uptimes15%
- Pricing Plans10%
- User Reviews30%
Our HostAdvice ranking is based on objective, calculated ratings for each sector. Our experts conduct impartial examinations of any hosting firm using recent technological breakthroughs. Most significantly, our experts are committed to continuous improvement, including releasing technologies and analyzing practices to portray the industry better and analyze cloud hosting leaders. Experts at HostAdvice, for example, have recently built new availability and productivity measurement processes that rely exclusively on real-time data.
The specialists at HostAdvice have compiled a list of particular characteristics for the Windows hosting category. Each element is given a percentage value that reflects its relative importance to those other elements in the same area. The more significant the factor, the higher the weight.
Windows hosting has numerous areas where it excels, making it an ideal partner for a hosting business. Some online programming languages and scripts, such as ASP, Visual Basic, and C#, demand it function correctly. It also supports widely used databases such as SQL and MS Access, so you won’t have problems maintaining your database. If you have a massive company with many daily visitors, Windows hosting is the right approach for you. Your IT team may have an easier time maintaining your website.
All of the following parameters were considered by our specialists when evaluating and ranking the best Windows hosting servers:
- Server Performance (25%): When looking for the best Windows hosting service, you should first look at the storage space and connection needs. You’ll need a lot of storage space if your website has many graphics and a lot of guests. In your haste to discover the best Windows website hosting company, one may overlook one crucial detail: the operating systems supported. You don’t want to switch operating systems, so check twice before signing a service contract with a company. Finally, the importance of a powerful server is more than most people realize. When a quicker, more potent server is used for web hosting, we’ve seen a clear link between more traffic, a longer user engagement duration, and better SEO results.
- Security Features and Elements (10%): The best Windows hosting server security has built-in levels of protection to defend against cybersecurity incidents, thwart malicious activity, and increase the safety of your virtual servers, programs, and data. Security systems, data backup, and authentication processes should all be part of the package. Best Windows server hosting firms use many servers, and they are frequently placed in high-security and remote places. Moreover, if a dedicated server in your Windows hosting system fails, gets attacked, or becomes overburdened, your site will continue to function normally without interruption. Despite this, you may want to double-check for extra protection, backup, and data retrieval tools. The best Windows hosting services usually feature frequent backups and software updates.
- Customer Service and Support (10%): Ensure the Windows hosting provider you choose has 24/7 support and various ways to approach them. The most reputable organizations will provide email, phone, and instant messaging help, letting you choose the most convenient model for you. Customer liberty is a critical component of excellent service. Evaluate the providers’ policies to ensure that there is a defined money-back guarantee if you are dissatisfied with the product. Customer service is required regardless of the kind of business. However, because of its technical nature, its utility in Windows web hosting is critical, as numerous clients may battle with difficulties and unfamiliarity. Furthermore, Windows web hosting is a critical component for the efficient operation of several businesses.
- Responsive Times and Uptimes (15%): You’ll hear “uptime guarantee†frequently if you’re researching Windows web hosting. Numerous organizations will guarantee uptime, which is the proportion of duration that a hosting service is online and functioning for a given duration. That doesn’t guarantee they won’t go down for the remaining proportion of the period, but they can guarantee they’ll remain up for nearly that long. This is critical if you don’t want your site to be inaccessible to your clients all of the time. The amount of time it takes for a file to load is also essential. If a page on your website takes too long to load, your business is doomed before it ever gets started. Ensure that your Windows hosting service has a quick response time. Slow server responsiveness, from my perspective, has one of the most significant effects on the capacity to acquire and retain consumers. It’s also the simplest and most basic means of determining how quickly your website loads for visitors. When selecting the best Windows hosting company, you should be cautious.
- Pricing Plans (10%): Some people pick a Windows hosting company exclusively based on price. While that isn’t a fantastic plan, you should think about pricing. The finest providers have plans to suit any budget, and in some instances, joining up for very long contracts will result in additional savings. It’s fantastic to find a Windows hosting plan to suit your website’s current requirements. However, your site will extend and flourish with time, and your requirements will change with any luck. If you choose Windows hosting services for the company, you will be able to acquire precisely what you need for your company at a shallow rate.
- User Reviews (30%): Do your research at all costs. Regardless of how wonderful a Windows hosting service appears, you should always check the internet for client/customer evaluations to see if others are happy with the hosting provider’s ability to run business websites.
Try to uncover reviews from people who are using the same services you are, reviews with security concerns, and any reviews with info about outage and loading speed – but consider all reviews before making a decision. The best Windows hosting services are sorted using AI methods based on customer interactions worldwide, from first-time users to seasoned professionals and everyone in between. Users add valuable, reliable, and authentic feedback to the operation and support of a Windows hosting company.
Types of Windows Hosting and Which Is Appropriate for You?
The more sophisticated or extensive a website is, the more comprehensive a customization package it will demand. The most significant are stated below:
Shared Windows hosting
The most basic option offered by providers is shared Windows hosting. Your website is shared with many other websites on the same server. Therefore, you’re sharing the server and any other resources like memory or CPU. These are suitable for essential website functions like emailing, document sharing, and simple e-commerce solutions. Small and startup organizations should consider shared hosting because it is the lowest and most cost-effective alternative.
Windows VPS
Unlike a shared server, a Windows VPS is dedicated to your specific needs. Although you are still sharing a physical server, the service generates a virtual server. That means you have complete control over all resources, from memory capacity to processor power. This safer and more reliable alternative separates your site from the competition while remaining affordable.
Dedicated Windows hosting
Dedicated Windows hosting takes things to a whole new level. Dedicated hosting allows you to have total control over your server and have your own. This means you have complete administrative control over your account and may customize it to your liking. This package includes a regal range of applications that may or may not be required for all kinds of firms.
WordPress
WordPress is a customized shared hosting provider that appeals to a new market. The servers themselves are built differently and include features that are especially beneficial to WordPress performance, such as quick loading times, pre-installation, safety protections tailored to WordPress, and WordPress updates. Although it is open-source software, it may be hosted on either an open-source or a Windows-based Web platform to create unique sites. This is good for organizations with WordPress-based websites.
Factors to Consider When Choosing a Windows Hosting Plan
The selection of a Windows hosting service can be divided into two steps:
To begin, you must determine what you require from your hosting provider. This considers technology and system to ensure your company’s future needs, the encryption model they provide, and the performance of their servers compared to the firm’s region.
The hosting firm itself is the second source of concern. This contains their customer service history, what customers have to say about their quality, the cost of packages, and the worth of each plan. Finally, you must compare your requirements to the services provided by the firm to determine whether it is a good fit or whether you should carry on to the next hosting provider.
Among the numerous requirements for a professional site, just a few key add-ons are essential. These include the following:
Return policy: You may become dissatisfied with a hosting provider’s service after registering. It should be simple to obtain a replacement and find another provider in these cases. Clients should be especially suspicious of companies that do not give money-back guarantees.
Site backups: Your provider must provide a backup plan and ensure that your site is functional. However, it’s possible that this qualification only applies to managed hosting. If you choose an unmanaged option, you may need to establish your backup schedule. In this instance, the provider should have a solid knowledge base to help you do so. Regular backups are strongly recommended for the maximum level of security.
Server features: include the ability to apply for an SSL certificate and the amount of access to the server that the provider grants you. Some programs may require more access from the server than others. Because managed servers rarely provide full admin access, you may need to look at unmanaged choices if you want complete control over your server.
Server location options: Different geographical regions are available for hosting your project with some providers. This is advantageous since you may choose a server location close to your target audience, access speed, and load times.
Best Windows Hosting Services: Final Recommendations
Windows hosting is required for some programs and programming languages to function correctly. Most Windows hosting systems support ASP and ASP.net, which is a significant benefit in terms of Windows hosting specs. In a Windows hosting environment, the MS Database server and MS Access database are part of the supporting databases. Other developer languages accepted by Windows hosting include VB and C#. If these technological qualities are essential to you when picking a hosting web service, Windows hosting is the way to go.
The reviews of the finest Windows hosting companies are now complete. We now realize whoever the most outstanding services are, which Windows is most remarkable for, and how it matches up against its main rival. If you want to use Windows Hosting, check the leading companies, and the outcomes will speak for themselves.