Windows web hosting refers to a type of hosting that uses the Windows operating system on its servers. That’s rather self-explanatory, right? Well, it is, but only to an extent.
You see, there are a lot of intricacies and smaller details involved with the entire ordeal. This specific type of hosting is aimed at people who use Windows tools with their websites or projects that they’re working on. Granted that it’s a pretty niche type of a requirement, you can probably imagine that Windows website hosting isn’t really available with many hosting providers, either.
That is why, in this article, we’ll focus on the best Windows hosting solutions of the current year. They are, as follows:
Windows Web Hosting: How is it Different?
In the introductory part of this article, I’ve mentioned that Windows web hosting isn’t an all-that-common service to come across. Why is that the case, though, and how is this specific type of hosting so special?
Well, as we’ve already established earlier, Windows web hosting is mostly aimed at Windows developers. Namely, people who work with various Windows tools on their websites, such as ASP.NET, .NET Core, and others.
Note: a common misconception with even the best Windows hosting is the fact that it’s aimed at people who are using Windows OS on their machines. That’s not the case! Even if you have a Windows-running PC, you don’t need to use Windows web hosting - the opposite is also true, too.
Now, granted that the conditions under which you would need to host a Windows tool-managed server are somewhat specific, the demand for such hosting isn’t necessarily all that high, either. This is why, when picking out the best Windows dedicated server hosting, or the best Windows VPS hosting, your choices will be somewhat limited, too!
That’s actually the core factor, as well - choosing Windows-specific hosting, or going on to pick any type of dedicated or VPS hosting, and launching the OS of your choice there. Still, though, even that has a lot of limitations.
Here is The Best Squarespace Offer I Found:
SAVE 20%
Squarespace Limited-Time Deal
Grab this Squarespace offer code & enjoy a lovely 20% off on any selected Squarespace subscription plan. Create your dream website NOW!
What to Look For
If you’re not at all that familiar with the topic, you might say - what’s there to discuss? You pick a VPS or dedicated hosting server, and you’re golden!
While it is true that many (most?) hosting providers do offer either of the types of hosting mentioned above (or both), not all of them support Windows OS. Even with a virtual private server, it’s completely possible that you won’t be able to install Windows, and run your tools on it.
This is because many hosting companies tend to use Linux as their go-to operating system. It’s much more adaptable and scalable, by comparison. Naturally, this isn’t great news for anyone who’s looking for Windows website hosting.
That’s actually the very first thing that you need to look out for - whether or not a hosting brand even supports Windows hosting, in any way, shape, or form. This way, you’ll be able to sort out quite a few providers that wouldn’t fit you, anyway.
When you have hosting brands that do provide Windows web hosting features to their clients, you can start looking at some of the more-specific things. Naturally, at the top of the list, you have Windows tools, different programming languages, the aforementioned ASP.NET, and so on.
Following that, you’ll need to pay attention to some of the more-general features. These include things like uptime, website loading speed, security features, plans and pricing, and so on.
Naturally, some of these features are going to be more important than others. However, they will also depend heavily on your personal preferences, as well. You’ll need to take the time and consider the nature of your project (website), and what are the core features that it should have.
Lastly, it’s worth mentioning that the actual availability of the Windows web hosting services themselves is going to depend on the host in question. By that, I mean that some hosting brands will support Windows hosting only on VPS servers, or will have dedicated hosting options, while others could have Windows-specific hosting, altogether.
With all of that being said and out of the way, let’s move on to our list of the best Windows hosting services on the current market! The providers aren’t necessarily mentioned in any specific order, unless stated otherwise.
1. HostGator - Easy to Use, Good Uptime and Site Speed
Ranks #1 out of 7 Hosting Providers
- + Great uptime stats
- + Decent site speeds
- + Easy to use
- + An integrated website builder
- + Good customer support
- + 45-day refund
- - Pricey
- - Many features locked behind a paywall
No matter if you’ve been in the hosting scene for quite some time now, or this is day one of you searching for Windows web hosting, chances are that you’ve already come across HostGator, in one way or another.
This is simply due to the fact that HostGator is actually one of the most popular and well-known website hosting services, in general!
Being a veteran in the hosting world, the company knows and understands the needs of its customers. This is why, reading through different user HostGator reviews online, you’ll notice that the general sentiments regarding the brand are very positive - it seems like the host truly does provide many amazing features!
For starters, as you could probably expect, HostGator has no issues when it comes to uptime and site loading speeds. The company rocks a cool uptime of 99,95%, on average, and websites hosted on one of the host’s shared servers will load up in around 0,8 to 1 seconds. That’s awesome!
Following that, HostGator is also championed for being quite approachable, and easy to get into. If you’ve never hosted a website before, it can be really confusing, when you’re just starting out. HostGator aims to mitigate all of these difficulties to the largest extent, and provide all customers with smooth and user-friendly hosting services.
Windows web hosting-wise, HostGator guarantees an uptime of at least 99,9%, instant backups, up to 5 different domains, and unmetered bandwidth & disk space. The latter two features are very notable, since it basically means that you won’t have to worry about the longevity of your project, scalability-wise. With unmetered resources, you’ll be able to work on your website, and grow it indefinitely!
You will also have access to different admin tools, the Plesk control panel, a variety of Windows programming features, and more. It does not matter whether you’re looking for the best Windows VPS hosting, or the best Windows dedicated server hosting, the point remains the same - HostGator is truly rich with features!
What is the Price of HostGator Windows Hosting?
The Windows web hosting plans available with HostGator are, as follows:
Both plans come with a huge array of additional features, such as 24/7 customer support, web emails, unlimited subdomains, shared SSL certificates, and so, so much more.
While the prices seen above are introductory offers, they are still very approachable! So, if you need Windows website hosting, make sure to check HostGator out!
Visit HostGator Hosting
...or read our HostGator Hosting review
2. Hostinger - VPS Servers for Windows Hosting
Ranks #2 out of 7 Hosting Providers
- + Very affordable
- + 99,9% uptime
- + Very fast hosting service
- + Free plan available
- + Easy to use and navigate
- - Customer support may take somewhat long to answer
- - Inconsistent uptime stats
90% Off
Single Web Hosting + Free SSL
We know it sounds too good to be true but with this Hostinger coupon you can receive amazing 90% off single web hosting + get an SSL certificate for FREE!
Multiple brands on this list of the best Windows hosting providers offer their customers Windows hosting-exclusive servers. Some, however, do not - Hostinger is one of such brands. Instead, if you want to work with Windows tools, and want to host your project on Hostinger, you will need to use their VPS hosting services.
This isn’t an uncommon situation, either. A selection of different hosts that don’t really offer Windows-specific hosting will have a VPS or a dedicated server alternative.
Uptime and site speed-wise, Hostinger is very decent. While the uptime of the shared hosting plans is reported to fluctuate, it never falls below the industry standard (which is 99%). In regards to website loading speeds, they sway at around 1,2 seconds. That’s really good!
Windows web hosting aside, Hostinger does also offer WordPress, and even website builder compatibility, as well. Meaning, if Windows website hosting doesn’t really work out, and you find yourself wanting to try out something else, Hostinger will allow you to do that, in a simple manner!
Simplicity is actually another big factor to consider, as well. Hostinger has a reputation of being extremely user-friendly, and a great web hosting platform for beginners who’ve never dealt with site hosting before. Admittedly, this does only partially apply to people looking for the best Windows VPS hosting, since if you know how to use Windows tools, you’re likely programming-savvy, as well.
Still, a point worth considering, either way!
What is the Price of Hostinger VPS Hosting?
Hostinger’s VPS plans look like so:
- VPS 1 - $3,95 per month
- VPS 2 - $8,95 per month
- VPS 3 - $12,95 per month
- VPS 4 - $15,95 per month
- VPS 5 - $23,95 per month
- VPS 6 - $38,99 per month
- VPS 7 - $27,99 per month
- VPS 8 - $77,99 per month
A wide selection of different VPS plans! Each plan comes with an increasing amount of resources and features for you to use in your Windows web hosting journey. Naturally, all plans include full root access (so that you could play with your Windows project as much as you’d like), a dedicated IP address, SSL certificates, and so on.
The best part? The price tags are very approachable! Even with virtual private server hosting, Hostinger remains one of the most affordable hosting service providers on the entire market. Great news!
3. GoDaddy - Feature-Heavy Windows Hosting
Ranks #3 out of 7 Hosting Providers
- + Great uptime
- + Decent site speed
- + Knowledgeable customer support
- + Over 150 simple-to-install apps
- - Lacks a lot of essential features
- - Plan renewals are quite pricey
GoDaddy is one of the oldest website hosting services that still functions to this day. Well, “functions” might not be the appropriate term to use here - it’s a very well-known and highly-respected web hosting company that is often featured in many “top-tier” lists.
This list of the best Windows hosting services isn’t an exception, either.
GoDaddy brings a lot to the Windows web hosting table. The service provider boasts an uptime of around 99,93% with their shared hosting plans. This is quite above the industry average, and allows you to remain sure that your website will remain up and running for the vast majority of the time.
Also, it would be impossible to discuss the host without mentioning apps. Namely, GoDaddy is known for possessing a lot of different apps, features, and widgets, and allowing users to both install them on their projects in a very simple manner, and also use them easily, too.
These apps can include anything from Windows-specific tools and extensions, all the way to security-enhancing features and business-related widgets.
On top of all of that, GoDaddy offers customers unlimited bandwidth, with all of the hosting plans available on their official website. This is big! Lack of bandwidth limitations guarantees that you won’t have to worry about the scalability factor of your site.
What is the Price of GoDaddy Windows Hosting?
GoDaddy’s Windows web hosting plans look like so:
The Economy plan comes with a single website, 100GB of storage, 10 MySQL databases (and 1 MSSQL database), 50 FTP users, and a free domain. Naturally, unlimited bandwidth is included, as well.
With Deluxe, you’ll be able to create an unlimited number of websites, will have unlimited storage, 25 MySQL databases, 2 MSSQL databases, 50 FTP users, and the same free domain.
Lastly, the Ultimate plan will yield you all of that, plus unlimited MySQL and MSSQL databases, FTP users, plus free DNS and SSL certificate, to top it all off.
All things considered, the pricing is quite fair! Thanks to the fact that there are three plans to pick from, everyone should be able to find the best option for themselves. Definitely a Windows web hosting provider worth checking out!
Visit GoDaddy Web Hosting
...or read our GoDaddy Web Hosting review
Did you know?
Compare Hosting Providers Side by Side With Others
All Hosting Providers may look similar to you but they're NOT all the same!
Yes! Show me the Comparison Chart4. A2 Hosting - Good Uptime, Amazing Site Loading Speeds
Ranks #4 out of 7 Hosting Providers
- + One of the fastest web hosting services
- + Great uptime
- + Helpful customer support
- + Free site migration
- - Slow support response times
- - Basic plan lacks features
A2 Hosting has built itself a name of being one of the fastest website hosting services out there. By that, I mean that A2 offers some amazing website loading speeds, if you account for the website itself being well-managed and taken care of.
On average, a website hosted on one of the A2’s shared hosting plans will load up in around 0,8 seconds. This is truly some of the best loading speeds in the industry! Granted that even with the best Windows dedicated server hosting can slow down your website quite a bit (due to all the code and different addons), it’s an important factor to consider.
That being the case, though, this isn’t the only ace that A2 has up its sleeve. The hosting services provided by the company can boast some great uptime stats (99,96%, which is truly superb!), free features with some plans (SSL certificate, unlimited email accounts, etc.), WordPress support, and so on.
The only notable complaint that some users appear to have regarding the brand doesn’t even directly have to do with Windows web hosting, either - rather, it’s regarding A2’s customer support.
Customers claim that the support can be somewhat slow to respond to inquiries. Now, there is live chat available, and you can phone support agents at any point in time, but if you were to chat with them via a ticket, you might need to wait for a response for an extended period of time.
What is the Price of A2 Dedicated Hosting?
That’s right - with A2, you don’t have Windows-specific hosting. Instead, the company offers some of the best Windows dedicated server hosting plans for its users. Below, you can find the price tags for the unmanaged hosting plans:
- Hyper 1 - $129,99 per month
- Hyper 2 Intel - $199,99 per month
- Hyper 2 AMD - $199,99 per month
- Hyper 2 Turbo intel - $299,99 per month
- Hyper 2 Turbo AMD - $299,99 per month
- Hyper 3 Intel - $519,99 per month
- Hyper 3 AMD - $519,99 per month
- Hyper 3 Turbo Intel - $569,99 per month
- Hyper 3 Turbo AMD - $569,99 per month
All of the prices seen above are for the 2-year-long plans. Shorter periods of time will result in higher prices. On top of that, managed dedicated hosting will be more expensive, as well.
While the prices are surely quite high, do keep in mind that it’s dedicated hosting that we’re talking about, and not one of the best Windows VPS hosting solutions, or a shared hosting plan.
Advancing through the plans, you will receive increasing resources, better clock speeds, different types of CPUs and RAM, root access, and will also be able to pick an operating system for yourself, as well. This is where Windows web hosting comes in.
5. Hostwinds - Fully-Managed Windows VPS Hosting
Ranks #5 out of 7 Hosting Providers
- + Variety of Services
- + 99,97% uptime
- + Unlimited bandwidth & disk space
- + Helpful customer service
- + Attractive prices
- - Limited server locations
- - Not the best results when it comes to speed
Hostwinds is one of the more-overlooked website hosting brands, at least as far as Windows web hosting is concerned. However, I’m here to tell you - it shouldn’t be!
Hostwinds offers a lot of useful and exciting features to its user base. For starters, while Windows web hosting is niche enough, the company actually deals in a selection of different types of hosting, not just your standard shared hosting. You can own dedicated servers, cloud or WordPress hosting plans, or a virtual private server, as well.
Following that, it would be impossible to talk about Hostwinds without mentioning the fact that it has some of the best uptime stats in the entire industry. The company clocks in an uptime of around 99,97%. That’s amazing!
With the help of our uptime calculator tool, we can determine that this results in around 25 seconds of downtime per day, if you were to calculate the average of a year. It’s practically nothing!
Hostwinds also offers the services of the Weebly website builder, for anyone who’s not too keen on using Windows web hosting. Granted that Weebly’s one of the top-rated builders on the market, it’s a great alternative!
Unlimited disk space, unmetered bandwidth, helpful and knowledgeable customer support - Hostwinds does appear to have it all covered! Now, let’s move on to the actual pricing options of the aforementioned Windows web hosting plans.
What is the Price of Hostwinds VPS Hosting Plans?
As mentioned earlier, Hostwinds offers fully-managed VPS hosting plans to all of the Windows-savvy developers. These plans will look a little something like this:
- 1 CPU - $12,74 per month
- 1 CPU - $20,99 per month
- 2 CPU - $34,49 per month
- 2 CPU - $42,74 per month
- 4 CPU - $68,99 per month
- 4 CPU - $83,99 per month
- 6 CPU - $123,74 per month
- 8 CPU - $186,74 per month
- 12 CPU - $301,49 per month
- 16 CPU - $431,24 per month
There are unmanaged options available, too, and they will cost quite a bit less. However, reading through the various user Hostwinds reviews, it would seem that the sentiment is that the fully-managed Windows web hosting is the way to go with this hosting provider.
The plans offer increasing resources, and come with quite decent price tags, when you count the fact that we’re talking about managed hosting here. Good!
6. DreamHost - Great for Beginners
Ranks #6 out of 7 Hosting Providers
- + Beginner-friendly
- + Good uptime
- + Free SSL certificate + unlimited bandwidth
- + 97-day money-back guarantee
- + Monthly subscriptions - available
- - Poor site speed (in some cases)
- - Lacks some advanced features
100% Free
DreamHost Website Builder
Who said that building your website is expensive? With this DreamHost coupon you can start building a website with a DIY website builder completely free!
DreamHost is surely one of the more-interesting hosting brands on the market. This is due to a couple of reasons, but one of the most notable of them would have to be their uptime guarantee.
Measuring DreamHost’s uptime stats, the company appears to possess an uptime of around 99,91%, on average. That’s not the best result out there, but is still rather decent, nonetheless.
However, DreamHost has an uptime guarantee in place. Put simply, the brand guarantees an uptime of 100%. That’s super-unique, granted that 100% uptime is simply impossible!
Moving away from the number-based stats, DreamHost is often considered to be one of the better Windows web hosting service providers due to the fact that it’s very beginner-friendly. If you’re looking for a hosting service that would allow you to take it slow, and also possess a simple-to-understand user interface, this might just be the right choice for you!
Following that, you then have some of the more-common features included, as well. DreamHost provides users with things like free SSL certificates, unlimited bandwidth, and so on.
Also, there’s a pretty generous money-back guarantee included with the company’s hosting plans, as well. If you’re not satisfied with DreamHost’s Windows web hosting services, you can get your money back for up to 97 days after your initial purchase of the plan. That’s a long period of time to be able to try the hosting service out!
Negative aspect-wise, users of the platform talk about two big factors - some slower website loading speeds, and the fact that DreamHost might lack some advanced-level features. The former still does fall into the industry standard - DreamHost’s sites load up in around 2,8 seconds.
However, the lack of advanced features is quite notable, as well. Most of the time, people who are looking for the best Windows hosting are going to require those same advanced features, since they are going to be proficient enough to use them. So, while this might not be too big of an issue for beginners, it’s still a notable con to some of the more-proficient Windows tool users and developers.
What is the Price of DreamHost VPS Hosting?
DreamHost offers virtual private server hosting to its users and customers. The plans themselves look like this:
- VPS Basic - $10 per month
- VPS Business - $20 per month
- VPS Professional - $40 per month
- VPS Enterprise - $80 per month
All of the prices seen above are so if you choose the 3-year-long commitment with DreamHost. Truth be told, while not being the most affordable VPS hosting solution, the price tags attached to the DreamHost plans are still quite decent!
Each one of the plans will provide you with more GB of RAM, and more SSD storage. All plans include unlimited websites, unlimited traffic, free SSL certificates, and unlimited emails with your domain name.
All in all, when you take into account all of the features that you do receive with DreamHost, the company’s services are actually really approachable and alluring! Definitely an option, as far as Windows web hosting is concerned!
7. IONOS (1&1) - Top-Tier Hosting Service, but Has Geographical Restrictions
Ranks #7 out of 7 Hosting Providers
- + Great uptime
- + Fast side loading speeds
- + Multiple hosting options
- + Free SSL, domain name, email
- - Not available in some countries
- - Might not be suitable for beginners
- - No free site transfer
1&1 web hosting service has rebranded - now, it’s known as IONOS. For the sake of remaining consistent, for the rest of this section, I’ll be calling it by the new name - note, though, that it’s the same hosting company.
IONOS isn’t a very popular hosting provider. The main reason for why that’s the case doesn’t have to do with uptime, site speed, or some lack of features, though. No, the actual reason is much simpler, yet stranger than that - it’s only available in a few select countries around the globe.
More specifically, IONOS isn’t available in any of the European countries, Egypt, and China. This does, admittedly, cut a huge portion of the potential customer base out of the equation.
As far as hosting itself is concerned, IONOS doesn’t offer the best Windows dedicated server hosting, or even the best Windows VPS hosting, either. Instead, this is one of those hosts that have a separate, standalone option for Windows web hosting - great!
Uptime- and site loading speed-wise, IONOS is surely at the very top. With an uptime of around 99,97%, and speeds stats lingering at the 0,8 second range, the brand can definitely guarantee its customers server stability and a high quality of services, in general.
There are many free features included, as well. These range from SSL certificates, all the way to domain name registrations and even email accounts.
On the flip side, as mentioned earlier, the main complaints regarding IONOS have to do with geographical hosting limitations, the fact that there are no free website transfers, and also the idea that it’s not the simplest hosting solution around.
What is the Price of IONOS Windows Hosting?
IONOS offers the following plans, and pricing options:
Evidently, the prices are great - it’s one of the most affordable Windows web hosting services available to be purchased and used!
All plans include things such as ASP.NET version 4.8, and .NET Core version 5.0.3. Also, as mentioned earlier, you can expect free domain names and SSL certificates, as well.
The plans also grant you bigger amounts of storage, more MSSQL databases, SiteLock malware protection, CDN, and more. All in all, definitely an option worth considering, if you reside in one of the countries where IONOS is available, that is.
Here is The Best Squarespace Offer I Found:
SAVE 20%
Squarespace Limited-Time Deal
Grab this Squarespace offer code & enjoy a lovely 20% off on any selected Squarespace subscription plan. Create your dream website NOW!
Conclusions
As you might have gathered from the article up to this point, finding a reliable Windows web hosting provider for the long term can be more difficult than it may seem, at first glance. While there are plenty of amazing hosts out there, not all of them even support Windows hosting, in the first place.
However, in today’s list, we’ve mentioned and explored some of the top contenders. All of the hosting providers that we’ve talked about above are surely going to provide their users with the most optimal experience, whether it be with Windows website hosting, or else.
Naturally, though, they are all quite different from one another. This is why, even though all hosts offer great services, they will still suit different individuals, depending on your wants, needs, budget, and even country of residence.
All in all, I’d like to thank you for reading this list of the best Windows web hosting (whether it be dedicated, VPS, or Windows-specific hosting) providers, and I do truly hope that you’ve learned something new, and were able to pick the best host for yourself.
If you were unsuccessful, though, do not fret - you could either check out our list of the best hosting services, in general, or even turn to the world of website builders, too. Perhaps you’ll find the perfect site creation tool there, and won’t even need to use Windows tools in your development process, altogether?
Leave your honest Windows Web Hosting review
Leave your genuine opinion & help thousands of people to choose the best hosting provider. All reviews, either positive or negative, are accepted as long as they’re honest. We do not publish biased reviews or spam. So if you want to share your experience, opinion or give advice - the scene is yours!
Disclosure: To keep our site running & free of charge, we may sometimes receive a small commission if a reader decides to purchase services via some links on site, at no extra cost.
