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Best VPS 2012

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Best VPS 2012

This review for the best VPS host is the result of a lot of my own research, which occurred before I made a switch from a dedicated host to a VPS. In this review, you'll get to know the top VPS contenders on the market, and see a comparison of their offerings and pricing.

The point of this review is to give you the info you'll need to make your own informed decision as an upcoming VPS user.

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Tthis guide outlines the best VPS web hosts and compares their features and pricing. Use the guide with a grain of salt; each of these companies has their own strengths and weaknesses!

For the Aspiring VPS Hosting Customer

VPSSwitching to VPS hosting was one of the smartest decisions I've made in my online career. If you've had it with slow and unpredictable shared servers, or can't hack the cost of owning a dedicated server, a VPS is the ultimate alternative (personally, I've had both of those issues).

Since you're here, I'm assuming you've already done an internet search to find out what a few of today's best VPS hosts are, and that's where the research starts getting very time consuming and confusing. I've compiled everything here based on the lengthy process of finding a great VPS host -- with all of the information you'll need to figure out what kind of package would be best for whatever it is you're looking to achieve.
If you're truly new to the web hosting realm and need some elementary server information first, I wrote up a brief overview of the basic kinds of web hosting with their pros and cons:
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VPS Resources and You

Of all resources offered in a VPS account, it's up to you to determine which will take priority for the work you plan to do. In other words, if you're going to be using heavy amounts of bandwidth, or if you're storing huge files, your choice should be made accordingly:
  • 1RAM: For the most part, running sites that are very server-intensive will use up a lot of memory. Sites run by Wordpress with standard plugins typically don't require a lot of resources, though. Also, if you plan on running extraneous server-side software, it might require more memory than usual.
  • 2HDD: Disk space depends entirely on what kinds of files you're planning to upload. Use your computer's hard drive as a rule of thumb. How much space does it currently use on the backups of your websites? Most VPS web hosts give you more space than you'll probably ever use, just on hosting websites.
  • 3Bandwidth: The amount of bandwidth you'll need is very subjective. For most common websites, whatever you'd get with a standard VPS is almost always more than enough. However, if you're hosting thousands of videos that thousands of people watch daily, you'll need a higher bandwidth limit.

The Best VPS Hosts for 2012

The following list of VPS web hosts have gotten a lot of buzz on web hosting forums and blogs, in one way or another. They're considered the "narrowed down" choice when looking for a VPS host, but the real choice depends on you and what you're looking for.

Prices and services tend to change over time: be sure to check each VPS service provider's website to verify. All VPS plans include managed hosting and cPanel. Please keep in mind, the charts below do not factor in additional features, software or services. All figures listed were taken directly from the providers' pricing girds.

Tier 1 VPS Pricing Plans

Best VPS - Tier 1

Above: The tier-1 pricing (the lowest plan) for the top 6 most sought-after VPS hosts. In this category, these VPS hosts rank as follows:

Summary: WiredTree is clearly the best choice for a VPS host in the lowest cost category: for a fair $49/month price, you'll receive the highest bandwidth, disk space and bandwidth offerings in the industry. Both LiquidWeb and WiredTree are great candidates for webmasters that need to host resource-intensive sites, like video sites. Although FutureHosting has the lowest price of the group, its low memory figure is enough to scare off most.

Tier 2 VPS Pricing Plans

Best VPS - Tier 2

Above: The tier-2 pricing. In this category, these VPS hosts rank as follows:

Summary: The story changes in this second tier, and WiredTree's pricing jumps for its additional bandwidth & memory. LiquidWeb, however, comes up on top for most disk space and memory. FutureHosting and KnownHost are the most economical options, except with KnownHost offering far more resources. ServInt's middle-of-the-line pricing also offers a good median of resources in each category, compared to the price and offerings of its counterparts.

Tier 3 VPS Pricing Plans

Best VPS - Tier 3

Above: The tier-3 pricing. In this category, these VPS hosts rank as follows:

  • Lowest price: Future Hosting, $39.95/mo
  • Most Bandwidth: KnownHost, 4.5 TB
  • Most Hard Disk Space: LiquidWeb, 300 GB
  • Most Memory: LiquidWeb, 3.5 GB

Summary: For $60 more per month than its 2nd tier plan, LiquidWeb doubles its disk space and memory. ServInt and WiredTree match at their pricing, with WiredTree offering more than double the amount of bandwidth, but ServInt offering more memory. At this tier, HostGator starts to show more promise: with more than ample bandwidth, the service offers plenty of disk space and memory.

Other Important Considerations

Before choosing a VPS package, keep the following information in mind:
  • Learn from a mistake I've made: Start off with a small VPS package. If you outgrow it, you can simply upgrade to the next tier package, and your host should more than likely be understanding enough to warn you before that is absolutely necessary. Having "overkill" in terms of resources is simply wasteful on your budget.
  • Don't let huge numbers fool you: In respect to the web hosts that offer monumental amounts of bandwidth (such as 3 TB), note that even half a TB (about 500 GB) is more than likely overkill for the average webmaster or small business' monthly consumption. So, don't let those big bandwidth numbers be a big determinant on who you choose.
  • Some things can't be put into numbers: When going for a VPS host, customer service means a lot. It's also something that can't be put into numerical format and stuck on a data table. For instance, companies like ServInt are heralded for their outstanding customer service being such an asset, that it gives them more customers than competing brands that offer more resources. Get to know each VPS host's stand on customer service, and make sure your plan is managed instead of self-managed.
  • How costs can rise: Additional services can drastically increase your monthly bottom line. If you want add-on features like Fantastico (an application installer script that installs things like Wordpress.org software), additional IP addresses or other premium features, it will cost you...so, the numbers you see above will become a bit more bloated if you add such features.

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Pixelrage

Hi, I'm Mark, and I go by the screenname "Pixelrage" - thanks so much for checking out my work here on Squidoo! If you need to get in touch with me,... more »

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