Top 2017 VPS Providers

Oh man, what a difference one company can make. So at the end of 2016 Linode doubled the amount of RAM they offer in their VPS instances. Then a few months later they created a five dollar VPS plan. Previously their lowest offering was a ten dollar a month plan, which was good, but not everyone needed that much power. Linode was not a player in the ultra-low end market. But now they are.

Linode is a leading VPS provider, and their drastic VPS price cut has led others to scramble to compete. Vultr, another leading VPS provider has responded by cutting all their prices and creating a new $2.50 VPS plan for those looking for a 512MB VPS. They also began to offer high memory VPS plans specific to those looking for a VPS high in RAM but less powerful in CPU and disc space.

VirMach is another VPS provider worth mentioning. They are newer on the scene, but they offer very low priced VPS plans, include DDOS protection and unlike the other providers that made this list, they offer Windows VPS plans. The Windows plans are almost as cheap as their Linux plans. This is a company to consider when getting a new VPS, and one to watch as they expand and grow beyond the ten data centers they are already in.

Without further ado, here are the top VPS providers or 2017.

Linode

Linode is the company who started the VPS price war of 2017. They took a huge step and doubled the amount of memory in all their plans. Their plans were already competitive. This has forced the whole VPS industry to take a step back and see how they can compete.

Because of their continuing efforts to bring the best deals to their customers, Linode is first on the list. They might not be the absolute cheapest, but they are reputable, well known, and have great tech support.

Vultr

By now Vultr has become one of the main VPS players. When comparing VPS hosts, Vultr is right there along with the other big-league providers such as Linode and Digital Ocean. They reached this level of recognition and respect by offering solid plans and great customer service. They have a strong vetting process to ensure that spammers, hackers and others do not sign up for their services. This ensures that they are less often a target of DDOS attacks and other service-interrupting occurrences.

Vultr are also the first company to respond to Linodes price cuts. It actually only took them a day or two to cut their own prices in half. This rapid response shows that they are able to stay on top of the curve and always offer their customers the best deals. Keeping up with the latest industry trends has led to their solid growth.

VirMach

VirMach is a newer, less well known VPS provider, but they are starting to get noticed. When I see VPS recommendation and review posts on popular forums, I see VirMach mentioned more and more often. These always end up being positive reviews and recommendations of VirMach to those who are looking for a new VPS provider.

This is a lower end VPS provider. Because they are less known than the others on this list, they have to compete that much harder in terms of price and service. They have offered a 1G VPS for five dollars long before Linode cut their prices. Though they are less known, they are not an unknown start up. They currently have a presence in ten data centers and are expected to continue to expand.

If you are looking for the most affordable VPS, check out VirMach.

They also stand out through their offering of Windows VPS hosting. This is less common, especially for affordable VPS companies.

RamNode

RamNode continues to offer great service at good prices. They have become the default "smaller" VPS provider for those looking for something other than Linode/Vultr/Digital Ocean. I have used them longer than any other VPS provider and continue to be a happy customer.

They offer solid support, great up-time, and good plans. However, as of March 2017, they have yet to respond to Linode and Vultr's price cuts.

Digital Ocean

Digital Ocean is established, well known and respected. They were an industry leader and continue to be a great provider. Like RamNode, they have yet to respond to the more affordable offerings of Linode, Vultr and VirMach. I expect that they will soon cut their prices to match these competitors, but in this instance they have been slow to respond.

Which VPS

All the above VPS hosts are great. I have used all of the above hosts and never had issues with any of them. Their support was always prompt to answer any questions I may have had, and their VPSs were stable and reliable. Please take a look at our VPS comparison page to see the plans for all these providers in a single place. This should help you decide which of these top VPS providers you should use in 2017 and beyond.