The best Windows hosting services make it simple and easy to host your Windows website and applications with the leading Windows hosting providers.
1. Best overall
2. Best basic
3. Best mid-range
4. Best for features
5. Best for support
6. FAQs
7. How we test
This is especially important because most third-party web hosting services run on Linux servers, and it's easy to see why: the operating system is fast, reliable, secure and free. Plus, it has an impressive software ecosystem that includes some of the best web applications around.
For all these benefits, Linux won't be the right setup for everyone. If your site is based on Microsoft technologies like ASP.NET or .NET, or you're intending to run Exchange, Microsoft SQL Server or some other Microsoft stack product, you'll need to choose a Windows plan. Opting for Windows hosting doesn't restrict you to Microsoft products. Most plans offer easy one-click installation of popular apps like WordPress, Joomla, Drupal, PrestaShop, phpBB and more.
There's no cPanel, but something similar (like Plesk) will make it easy to view your website status, create email accounts, tweak settings and generally manage your plan. Select a VPS or dedicated hosting plan and you'll also be able to use Remote Desktop to manage the server from its own desktop.
Windows hosting has some issues. You won't get the same choice of applications as with Linux, and there's less help available for troubleshooting apps like WordPress on the Windows platform. Furthermore, there are Microsoft license fees to pay, so it's a little more expensive than Linux plans.
Overall, though, if you need to take advantage of Microsoft technologies, Windows hosting can deliver a great service for a surprisingly low price.
We've tested and compared these hosting providers across various aspects, from their uptime and technical features to their storage, bandwidth, and overall performance. We evaluated the quality of their customer support, pricing plans, and flexibility of the contracts, among other things.
Below we list what we think are the best Windows hosting services currently available.
We've also reviewed the best ecommerce hosting.
The best Windows hosting services of 2024 in full:
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Best overall
Windows hosting has a reputation for being costly, but the shared Windows range from IONOS shows that it doesn't have to be that way.
Prices start at $5 a month for the first year and $10 afterwards, yet even the most basic plan is better specified than some of the Linux competition. You get 1 website, 100GB web space and unlimited bandwidth, plus daily backups, 24/7 phone and email support, a free domain and a free wildcard SSL certificate thrown in.
Windows-specific features include support for 25 Microsoft SQL databases of up to 2GB each, ASP.NET 4.8, ASP.NET Ajax and MVC 3, 4 and 5. There's support for SQL import, SSI and dedicated app pools, and your site runs on Windows Server 2022 (many hosts are still using Server 2019.)
Ramping up to the top-of-the-range Expert Windows plan gets you 500MB storage, ten times the RAM (2GB vs. 200MB) and up to 500 databases. Again, this is good value at $10 a month for the first year, $20 thereafter.
There's one potential catch in email support; all three plans only come with a single email account, although it is a decent one (2GB inbox, anti-spam and anti-phishing thrown in.)
These are shared plans and don't give you full control over the server, but more flexible VPS and dedicated plans are also available, priced from $12 a month for a 2 core, 2GB and 80GB setup.
Factor in the one-month trial and IONOS could be a sensible choice for novices looking to try out Windows hosting with the minimum of risk.
Read the full IONOS review.
Best basic
GoDaddy stands out amongst web hosts because it doesn't charge extra for Windows plans; whether you're opting for standard Linux or Windows hosting, GoDaddy offers very similar plans at the same price points.
The entry-level Economy plan starts from $5.99 monthly (on a 3-year contract – it renews at $9.99), which gets you one website, unmetered bandwidth, 100GB storage, 10 MySQL databases (1GB each) and one MSSQL database (200MB in size).
Extras include a free domain (with an annual subscription), and a year’s worth of usage of an Office 365 Outlook mailbox thrown in to boot.
Stepping up to the Deluxe plan brings support for unlimited websites and storage, plus you get 25 MySQL databases and two MSSQL databases. This plan starts from $7.99/month (renewing at $13.99/month).
The Ultimate plan gives you unlimited everything (databases too), as well as GoDaddy’s Premium DNS service and an SSL certificate, from $12.99/month (renewing at $17.99/month).
GoDaddy’s hosting experience and quality customer support have a lot of appeal, but restrictions on the lower-end plans - one site, 100GB storage - could be a fly in the ointment. The lack of free SSL with all but the top-tier offering could mean a price penalty later, too; while other hosts typically throw in a Let's Encrypt certificate for free, GoDaddy's renewal fee is an annual $99.99.
You can save on your GoDaddy subscription with our GoDaddy promo codes.
Read the full GoDaddy review.
Best mid-range
Hostwinds' Windows VPS hosting plans could be a great choice for the more experienced user, with no less than 10 plans making it much easier to find the exact level of service you need.
The baseline specification is impressive. Every plan offers free site migrations, SSD storage, and 1Gbps network connectivity (100Mbps is common with other providers). You also get the ability to use Windows Server 2012, 2016 or 2019, along with nightly backups and 99.99999% uptime guaranteed overall.
The starter plan offers relatively limited resources, with one CPU core, 1GB RAM, 30GB disk space and 1TB traffic per month. But it's also good value at $10.99 a month for unmanaged Windows hosting (where you manage the server software), $12.74 for managed hosting (where Hostwinds handles everything.)
Upgrading to a higher plan gets you more power. For example, a four CPU core, 8GB RAM, 150GB disk space and 3TB bandwidth setup is priced at $50.99 a month.
(When you're comparing prices with other providers, keep in mind that these are VPS plans, not more basic shared offerings. They're also billed monthly, with no long-term contract, and unlike some of the rest, the price won't double when the introductory deal runs out.)
Put it all together and these seem well-designed hosting plans which are powerful, configurable, and with excellent support. If basic Windows hosting isn't enough, Hostwinds could be worth a try.
Read the full Hostwinds review.
Best for features
HostGator's rather limited range of two Windows hosting plans mean it can't compete with Hostwinds for flexibility, but take a closer look at the detail and there's a lot to like here.
The starter Plan only supports one website, for instance, but also comes with unlimited emails, MySQL and Microsoft SQL Server databases, unmetered disk space and bandwidth, free SSL, backups and more. It starts cheap, too, at $4.76 a month over three years (though beware, it renews at $12.99.)
There is a potential downside in HostGator's relatively dated software: Windows Server 2016, ASP 4.7 and PHP 7 (IONOS offers 2022, 4.8 and 8.1.) This won't matter to everyone, but check your technical Windows requirements before you sign up.
If you're looking for a dedicated plan, keep in mind that you can set it up with whatever technology you like. Headline prices are reasonable, too, with plans starting at under $90 a month. Be sure to carefully check the small print, though – you might have to sign up for three years to get these prices, and large introductory discounts mean that you could pay more than double on renewal.
Read the full HostGator review.
You could save on HostGator VPS hosting with our HostGator promo codes.
Best for support
Liquid Web is a popular provider of high-end professional web hosting services, and its current range includes some very capable Windows products.
The company's Managed VPS Windows hosting plans, for instance, are stuffed with premium features: unlimited sites, 10TB of monthly bandwidth, at least 100GB of Acronis backups, and a very fast 10Gbps connection.
And yet, starter prices are still very affordable at $65 a month (on the two-year plan) for a 4GB RAM, 4 core, 100GB storage VPS. The closest setup at Hostwinds (8GB RAM, 4 core, 150GB storage, 3TB RAM) is priced at a very similar $68, billed monthly.
That's just the start. Demanding users will love Liquid Web's vast range of more advanced hosting plans, from cloud and dedicated products, to VMware, Microsoft SQL Hosting, Active Directory and more. (Even if you don't need any of those right now, don't dismiss them. It's important to know there's an upgrade path available if your site grows and you need something more powerful.)
Whatever product you choose can be fully managed by Liquid Web's excellent support team. The firm doesn’t just promise to keep your site up and running, there’s a commitment with a 100% uptime SLA (service level agreement), a strong sign of confidence in its services that you rarely see elsewhere.
Read the full Liquid Web review.
Best Windows hosting FAQs
How to choose the best Windows hosting services for you?
To find the best Windows hosting services for you, consider the size of your business and your needs, like your website's uptime, the daily and monthly traffic it receives, and overall scalability and performance.
If your site is media-heavy, it's best to opt for hosting services that provide plenty of storage. Look out for the security features, the frequency of the data backups, and the quality of the customer support.
You'll also want to check the provider's pricing plans, free trial options, money-back guarantees, and flexibility of the contracts.
The best Windows hosting services: How we test
Testing and choosing the best Windows hosting is not too different from how we test the best web hosting services. Because Windows hosting is website hosting that uses a Windows operating system, we round up those hosting providers that offer the service and then began to test its performance, features and add-ons.
Because only a small number of providers offer Windows hosting, comparing its strengths and weaknesses is relatively easy.
We evaluate each feature provided, from 24/7 security monitoring to DDoS protection using a test website that also uses other Windows tools and languages, like Microsoft Exchange or ASP.NET.
We also compare prices to make sure the Windows hosting service is good value for money.
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