With the overwhelming number of web hosting services available, it can be quite hard to know who offers the best dedicated Windows server hosting. Most reviews mainly cover Linux web hosting as it is popular.
But this review covers the best Windows dedicated server providers. We were very particular and included only those providers who have the best support for Microsoft Windows server OS, modules, and technologies.
Unlike Linux, Windows is not open source; you may have to buy separate licenses for Microsoft software to use them on your Windows server. We’ve included prices of such software, the resources you get and the pros and cons of each provide.
On top of that, we’ve also covered ease of use of the different hosting platforms reviewed, the tools they give you to make management more comfortable as well as their customer support.
If you’re committed to Microsoft web products, you run large Windows-based online projects or want to create the best ASP.NET based websites, below are the Windows dedicated server hosts you should consider
Table of Contents
Let’s dive in.
Top 6 Windows Dedicated Server Hosting Providers in 2020
#1 HostGator
When it comes to sheer popularity in web hosting services, HostGator comes on top, they’ve earned their status. HostGator provide well-featured Windows dedicated server solutions for small and mid-sized companies looking for a great balance of price and features.
But, do they have reliable Windows dedicated server hosting that can support multiple ASP.NET sites or even enterprise-level projects?
I’ll walk you through what you get.
Pros
Cons
Features
HostGator gives you three plans with a Windows dedicated servers. All of them get three dedicated IPv4 IPs, have RAID-1 mirrored storage configuration, unmetered bandwidth*(within terms) and you get unlimited databases
If you’re on a tight budget, get their Value Server Plan that’s powered by a quad-core (4 Cores) Intel Xeon-D CPU with 8 threads, 8 GB of RAM and 1 TB HDD storage.
Their most powerful plan gets you an 8 core 16 thread Intel Xeon-D CPU, 30 GB of memory, and 1 TB fast SSD storage.
Tip
If the above server specifications aren’t enough for you, there is a custom configuration service available
Windows Software Support
Out of the gate, you get support for ASP.NET 4.6.2, Python 3.4.3, Perl 5.20.2, MVC6, and Silverlight.
Windows-specific software you access include;
- Microsoft IIS (Internet Information Services) 10.0 Web Server
- Windows DNS Server
- Microsoft FTP Service 10.0
- Mail server – SmarterMail Server 16 (Limit of 250 Users) or MailEnable 10.12(request)
- MySQL Server 5.7, Microsoft SQL Server 2014 Express and Microsoft Access Database Support,
Every new server comes with Windows Server 2016 OS and a free Plesk Onyx control panel.
You get RDP (remote desktop protocol) access to your server. You can remotely access it through your desktop by Whitelisting your IP. Up to 2 concurrent RDP connections are supported.
Note
Note: No Windows Server 2019 support yet
Simplicity and Ease of Use
HostGator provides you with a free, flexible, and straightforward Plesk Onyx control panel. With it, you get to
- Make 1-click installations of apps and popular scripts
- Create automated replies for your email address
- Manage your hosting account
- Control your FTP accounts and unlimited subdomains.
To make site development easier for you, HostGator gives you access to free site templates and Windows site building tools such as WebMatrix to quickly and easily create sites.
They also provide managed Windows dedicated server service to help you maintain full functionality of your server. Alternatively, you can stick with a semi-managed plan and still get some free but limited help.
Performance
HostGator has a fully redundant network to make your Windows dedicated server more stable; they give a 99.9% uptime guarantee. Their loading speeds are excellent though not the best in the industry.
Security
With HostGator, you’ll get access to free cutting-edge security features such as
- DDoS protection,
- Advanced Windows Firewall
- Custom IPsec Security Policy
- File monitoring that creates notifications for file changes
For your site back-up, you have access to the Windows Backup Service. Alternatively, you can set a Plesk scheduled back-up.
Customer Support
HostGator support team offers 24/7/365 support through phone and live chat channels. In addition, there is an online support portal with lots of video tutorials and help articles
Note
Their live chat gets outsourced, its not very fast and very technical questions don’t get straight answers.
Pricing
Here’s the deal
HostGator charges the same price, whether you go for a Linux or Windows plan. It makes them a great option if you don’t want to pay for a Windows or MSSQL License and get a free Plesk panel
- Value Server costs $119.00/month
- Power Server costs $139.99
- Enterprise Server costs $149.00/month.
These are introductory prices (low), prices rise after you renew
Your upgrade options for database server’s
- MSSQL 2017 Web Edition – $25/month
- MSSQL 2017 Standard Edition – $325/month
- MSSQL 2017 Enterprise Edition – $1025/month
#2 InterServer
InterServer – with 20 years of experience in the industry- have very reliable and affordable Windows server hosting. Their site loading speeds are astonishing because of their use of fast & secure networks with upto 10gbps ports.
Let’s take a more in-depth look at what you get.
Pros
Cons
Features
All their Windows dedicated servers get provisioned within 4 hours, have 100mb to 1Gbps ports as standard network speed and get over 5 IPs. They get built in house to extract maximum performance from the hardware. Their different types of servers, include home, storage, GPU dedicated, 10Gbs dedicated and collocation servers. You can also configure your server according to your unique needs
Their low-cost plan gets you a server with a Xeon E3-1230 processor with 4 cores clocked at 3.2 GHz, 8 GB of RAM, and storage space of 2TB SATA HDD.
Note
RAID storage – offered free by most hosts – attracts an extra charge on most of InterServer’s plans.
Windows Software Support
Included with your Windows dedicated server plan, is support for all the standard Microsoft modules and technologies. They include .NET Core, ASP.NET (even Classic ASP), MVC, Silverlight, MSSQL server, ODBC, MS Access (Microsoft Access), Visual Basic Development and support for C#.
You can access your server via a secure Remote Desktop Protocol (RDP) with multiple concurrent connections from the same user supported.
Server OS licenses supported include
- Windows 2012, 2016, and 2019 Standard.
- Windows 2016, 2019 Datacenter
Simplicity and Ease of Use
A Plesk control panel – bought separately during server provisioning – is available. Designed with a very intuitive user interface, it helps to simplify operations such
- Domain, website and accounts management,
- Changing the .NET framework.
- Installing updates
- Building and managing different sites
- Deploying apps to your server and more
Within Plesk, there are Joomla!, WordPress, and SEO toolkits. Joomla and WordPress toolkits help you install both CMS with a 1-click installer. Besides, you get extra security features with the Joomla toolkit.
InterServer provides free support for Windows updates and OS re-installation.
On top of that;
You also get a 24/7 monitoring agent called Zabbix.
Performance
With the Zabbix agent, your Windows server uptime gets monitored round the clock ensuring they can track and maintain their 99.9% network and uptime guarantee. If you have a Windows colocation server plan, you get assured of 100% power uptime.
Their server’s loading speeds are quite fast; they use the best routing and switching equipment to reduce latency. Also, they have 10Gbps Ethernet connections to different Tier 1 IP backbone providers which contributes to the excellent speeds.
Security
InterServer takes security seriously. You get free 20Gb/s DDoS protection to prevent downtime attacks. They also offer Windows Firewall guides to help you improve security from your end.
Tip
Hardware-based firewalls can also get added, but it mainly depends on the types of server you’ve chosen.
Customer Support
You get 24/7 phone and ticket system support from their on-site US-based staff. They provide quick responses and resolution to your issues.
Main downside? No live chat.
InterServer also has an extensive Knowledgebase with well-written articles grouped in various topics. What’s more, you can also network with other users on their Community forum.
Pricing
The pricing for their Windows dedicated servers starts at 70.00/Month up to $1200/month for more robust configurations. With longer-term plans (3-year commitment), you get lower pricing
Windows Server Licenses get sold separately with the following costs per month
- Windows Server 2012,2016 or 2019 Standard $20
- Windows 2016 and 2019 datacenter $200
Note
Your Plesk control panel gets invoiced separately during server provisioning.
#3 Liquid Web
You can’t talk about dedicated servers without mentioning Liquid Web. They’ve excelled in this niche, and have very impressive dedicated Windows hosting. If you’ve been looking to go the Microsoft route, Liquid Web have you covered with rich- featured plans which ensure you get what you’ve paid for.
Here’s more on their Windows dedicated server hosting
Pros
Cons
Features
Liquid Web offers single and dual processor dedicated servers with dedicated IP addresses. All plans have fast NVMe SSD storage (primary) with RAID redundancy support, Cloudflare CDN integration, and a free SSL.
The cheapest plan gets provisioned with a 4 core single-socket processor at 3.9 GHz Max, 32 GB of RAM, 2 x 240 GB SSD primary disk, a 1 TB SATA Backup Disk and 5 TB in bandwidth.
On the high end, you get 32 cores (dual processor) at 3.7 GHz Max, 64 GB of memory, 2 x 480 GB SSD primary disk, 2 TB SATA back-up disk, 8 TB of bandwidth and an additional 250 GB of Acronis Cyber Back-up.
Windows Software Support
Their Windows-specific features include
- An IIS server for your Windows Server OS.
- Support for the latest ASP.NET, and .NET frameworks
- Plesk Onyx control panel
- 64-bit versions of both Windows Server Standard(2016 and 2019) as well as Windows Server Datacenter(2016 and 2019)
- SQL Server Express Edition (2019,2017,2016) free
- SQL Server Web Edition, Standard Edition, and Enterprise Edition
All Windows updates get provided via Group Policy only
Pro Tip
With the MSSQL Enterprise edition, you get the ability to host unlimited Windows-based virtual servers on a single Windows dedicated server.
Simplicity and Ease of Use
Liquid Web supports a Plesk panel for Windows servers. Designed with an easy-to-use interface, any intermediate user or beginner can easily manage their web server using it.
You get IPMI Access and full root access with access to easy installers for the latest versions of CMS, such as WordPress, Joomla, Drupal, and more.
There are unmanaged, core managed, or fully managed server plans. With fully managed plans.
Note
Full management does not cover any customizations performed outside of Plesk
Performance
Liquid Web guarantees 100% Network and Power Uptime and has SLAs to compensate you if they don’t deliver on their promise. You can choose between their USA (Arizona, Michigan) and the EU (Amsterdam (data centers) to get better performance and lower latency..
To ensure your sites load fast, they’ve implemented Cloudflare CDN integration, which caches your site in multiple global data center locations.
Pro Tip
You can get Nginx Server optimization,its fast, but experts don’t recommend it on a Windows Server.
Security
Security features free for every plan are standard DDoS protection (up to 2gbps) and ServerSecure Advanced Security.
Every plan gets a free additional back-up drive. On top of that, the high-end plan gets 250 GB of Acronis Cyber Backups space.
Customer Support
Liquid Web provides support through their team trademarked as “The Most Helpful Humans In Hosting.” True to their name, you’ll get terrific support through phone, live chat , and email from Tier 3 technicians that are on-site monitoring the servers.
Liquid Web guarantees a 59-second answer period for phone calls and live chat. A 59-minute response when using their Help Desk contact center. Alternative sources of support information include a frequently updated Knowledgebase and a blog.
Pricing
Their plans get priced as indicated in the image below
To get discounted prices, you’ve got to go with an annual or 2 year’s upfront payment
Windows licenses get sold separately with the following prices
- Windows 2016 or 2019 Standard $30.00 /month
- Windows 206 or 2019 Datacenter $200.00 /month
The Plesk Onyx panels costs $20/month. If you want to upgrade your database server from the free SQL Server Express Edition (2019, 2017, 2016), below are your options and their monthly prices
- SQL Server Web Edition (2019, 2017, 2016) $35
- SQL Server Standard Edition (2019, 2017, 2016) $330
- SQL Server Enterprise Edition (2019, 2017, 2016) $1320
#4 HostWinds
HostWinds are the perfect candidate if you are looking for low-cost dedicated Windows hosting.
But don’t get intimidated by their low pricing, HostWinds is a superb all-round performer, very reliable, and they provide free managed hosting.
Here are the features and services that compel companies to consider them when looking for cheap Windows dedicated server hosting
Pros
Cons
Features
Their most affordable dedicated Windows servers hosting plan gets you a processor with 4 cores 8 threads clocking at 3.5 GHz (4 GHz boost), 8GB of RAM, 10tb in bandwidth, 8 IPs and 1 TB HDD storage.
On the high end, you can choose their most valuable configuration. You get a Dual CPU with 6 cores 12 threads clocking at 2.40 GHz (3 GHz boost), 10TB in bandwidth, 8 IPs, 1 TB HDD storage, and 96 GB of memory.
All plans get a 1 Gbps port.
You’re provided with the option to increase or decrease any server resources. Optional configurable options include getting unlimited bandwidth, up to 128 IPs, and upgrading storage (more HDD space, or SSD) with a few clicks.
Windows Software Support
HostWinds are committed to providing their clients with an excellent Windows environment. The following Microsoft and Windows Server technologies get support.
- Microsoft SQL Server Web, 2012, 2014, and 2016.
- Windows 2008 R2, 2012 R2,2016 standard license
- Windows 2012 R2, 2016 datacenter license
If you want to upgrade your Microsoft Windows Servers, it can get done at any time.
With your Windows server, you can use both Virtual Network Computing (VNC) and Remote Desktop (RDP) to access your server.
Simplicity and Ease of Use
To make their hosting platform very friendly for beginners and get you up and running fast, they provide managed dedicated hosting at no extra cost. They take care of
- OS updates reinstall and package installations
- Security by performing virus scans and firewall setup & troubleshooting
- Solving network problems and hardware issues,
- DNS Configuration
- Performing Crontab Setup
They have a server Monitoring add-on that costs only $1.50/month.- almost free– that creates automatic tickets whenever it detects any problem.
Performing CMS and apps install is a breeze with their Softaculous 1-click installer. It’s available as a paid add- on.
Note
HostWinds do not provide you with full root access, but they give full IPMI access
Performance
HostWinds have top-notch server uptime because of their highly redundant high-quality servers. That’s why they give you a 99.9999% server guarantee. If a hardware component fails, it gets replaced in under 1-hour.
To ensure you get low latency with their hosting, you can select a server closest server to your site’s visitors with options, including Seattle, Dallas, or Amsterdam based data centers.
They have implemented fast SSDs, used route optimized networking, and 1 Gbps network links to ensure you get fast loading speeds.
Security
There are options to add RAID configuration (RAID 0 through RAID 60) to mirror your data and protect data (optional feature). Furthermore, you get free automated nightly back-ups to ensure your data gets secured.
Their leading free security feature is a Virtual Private Network (VPN) network for protecting your identity information. All other security features like Enterprise DDOS Protection and WindShield service (Firewall setup and server hardening) attract an extra cost.
Customer Support
HostWinds have expert teams available round the clock all year for support. You can reach them through phone, Live chat, or create a support ticket. There’s also a Knowledgebase, community forum, and blog with more guides.
Pricing
HostWinds Windows dedicated servers cost between $79.50 and $200. Additional resources attract extra fees.
Note: renewals get done with hiked prices
Windows Server licenses costs
- Server 2008 R2, 2012 R2, 2016 Standard $25
- Server 2008 R2, 2012 R2, 2016 Datacenter $135
You can order Microsoft SQL Server (MSSQL) Web Edition, and Plesk control panel (15/month) only after your server gets deployed.
Pro Tip
HostWinds have the cheapest Windows Datacenter licenses in this review
#5 AccuWeb
AccuWeb is a company that doesn’t shy from investing in cutting-edge technology to give their customers the best Windows dedicated server hosting experience. They’ve been only in the industry for 15 years but have managed to grow tremendously because of their enticing features and very budget-friendly prices.
Pros
Cons
Features
AccuWeb provides both Intel Xeon CPUs & AMD processors scalable servers.
Every plan gets 1 free static IP address (IPV6.support),1 Gbps network speed , 5 IPs and 20TB bandwidth.
The cheapest plan comes with a Xeon CPU with 4cores 8threads (3.5 GHz),8 GB RAM and 1 TB SATA storage. Their most expensive plan gets you a Dual Intel Gold CPU with 12cores 24threads (2.3 GHz), 512 GB memory and a 4×2 TB SSD (with Hardware RAID 10)
Pro Tip
You can a get /29-5 IP blocks at no extra charge with a Denver USA data center based server
Windows Software Support
AccuWeb state-of-the-art Windows dedicated servers have software integration that works seamlessly with Microsoft applications and is perfect for IIS and ASP.NET websites.
They provide and support
- The latest ASP, MVC and .Net tools
- Windows Server 2012 R2,2016 Standard
- Windows Server 2012 R2,2016 Datacenter
- MSSQL server 2008,2012,206,2017 Standard
- MSSQL server 2008,2012,206,2017 Enterprise
- SQL Server Management Studio
For your email needs, you get free MailEnable Standard Edition.
Simplicity and Ease of Use
With AccuWeb, you can select software that you want to get preinstalled with your server (free service). You get a free Solid CP panel for server and site management functions. For database management, there is a powerful SQL Server Management Studio
Power features for developers include full root access, remote access through KVM over IP as well as IPMI access to help you manage and monitor your server.
They also have monitoring tools that create live alerts when errors get detected. Even with their unmanaged plans, you still get regular OS updates and security patches.
Pro Tip
There is 2 free hours of free admin work per month wher you can request help if you’ve had any server or Windows problems
Performance
AccuWeb gives a 99.9% uptime and a 100% Network and Power Uptime guarantee backed by SLAs. Such uptime assurances are made possible by having dedicated redundant networks.
Their website loading speeds are super-fast, they’ve implemented speed up technologies and features such as
- Use of fast NVMe SSDs
- 500 Mbps to 1Gbps external network ports
- CDN integration for web objects caching
- HTTP/2 acceleration.
Security
For data security, there are free automated daily back-ups. Different plans get either Software or Hardware RAID (free RAID 0 to RAID 10). Denver-based servers get extra 500 GB backup space on a separate storage network.
There is unlimited free anti-DDoS technology to prevent downtime. Email protection gets provided through Anti-Spam Email Protectors.
Customer Support
Accuweb support technicians provide services 24/7/365 through email, live chat and phone. They have a 1-hour response guarantee for email tickets.
They also have a Knowledgebase that acts as a self-support portal or you can interact and get help in their Discussion forum
Pricing
AccuWeb dedicated servers cost between $80 and $1120/month.
Software licenses
- Windows Server 2016,2012 R2 Standard Single CPU $30 Month, Dual CPU $60/month.
- Windows Server 2016,2012 R2 Datacenter Single CPU $180/Month, Dual CPU $360/month.
Database server’s costs
#6 IONOS
IONOS 1 & 1 provide you with high-performance hardware to make sure your Windows dedicated server runs optimally. If you are a mid-sized or massive company looking to run large Microsoft software-based projects. You can’t go wrong with IONOS.
Here’s all about their Windows dedicated hosting
Pros
Cons
Features
IONOS have feature-packed Windows plans with cutting-edge technologies. Each Windows servers comes with unique API & cloud integration.
Pro Tip
With this unique API & cloud integration, you can share your server’s access loads and connect with other virtual machines.
Other standard features for all plans include DDR4 ECC memory, 1 Gbit/s in network speeds and free RAID support. Their plans get classified according to storage type where you have
HDD SATA servers
- Cheapest- 4 cores at 3.5 GHz (3.9GHz boost) 16GB memory and 1TB HDD with Software RAID 1.
- Max specifications – 20 Intel Xeon Gold cores at 2.5GHz (3.7 GHz boost), 192 GB RAM and 4TB HDD with Hardware RAID 1.
SSD SATA servers
- The entry-level plan has the same entry-level CPU and RAM as HDD SATA cheapest plan with the difference being a 480GB SSD with Software RAID 1.
- Best specifications for SATA SSDs gets you 4 cores at 3.8 GHz (4.2 GHz boost), 64 GB memory and an 800GB SSD with Hardware RAID 1.
SSD NVMe servers
All plans have Hardware RAID 1.
- Cheapest – 4 Intel Xeon cores clocking at 3.8 GHz (4.2 GHz boost), 32GB RAM and 1TB Intel SSD storage.
- High end – 20 Intel Xeon Gold cores at 2.5GHz (3.9 GHz boost), 192 GB RAM and 1TB SDD with Hardware RAID 1.
Windows Software Support
Support for Windows Server Software includes
- MSSQL Database server
- Windows Server® 2012 R2,2016 and 2019.
- Latest versions of ASP.NET and .NET core.
- ASP Mail installed by default
- Information Services (IIS) webserver
For those looking to install WordPress on their Windows server, there’s a guide on how to use Microsoft’s free Web Platform Installer (Web PI) tool.
Pro Tip
You can reset your password for Windows Server easily using the Windows Rescue System.
Simplicity and Ease of Use
You get a user-friendly Plesk Onyx panel and also a Cloud Panel administration tool. Another additional alternate management tool you can use is the IONOS Hosting Manager app.
There is a Monitoring Center, to help you keep up to date with the performance of your servers and also set up warnings
All the servers give you full root access (Encrypted), and you can also easily connect to your server through a Remote Desktop Connection.
Performance
You get a user-friendly Plesk Onyx panel and also a Cloud Panel administration tool. Another additional alternate management tool you can use is the IONOS Hosting Manager app.
You can reset your password for Windows Server easily using the Windows Rescue System.
There is a Monitoring Center, to help you keep up to date with the performance of your servers and also set up warnings
All the servers give you full root access (Encrypted), and you can also easily connect through a Remote Desktop Connection.
Security
For back-ups, you can get Acronis solution for only 6.5 cents per GB/month. There are also administrative logs help you track any data changes.
Server Security features
- Wildcard SSL Certificate. Alternatively, you can create a VPN SSL
- IPS and IDS protection
- Advanced firewall for tracking IPs and preventing DDoS attacks
Customer Support
IONOs support staff provide exceptional service 24/7 via phone, email and live chat. You get a personal contact who will provide technical support for your specific Windows server. There is also a Community and extensive Help Center with lots of useful articles and guides
Pricing
IONOS use Per-minute billing for their dedicated servers.
- HDD SATA- 0.0972/hr. with a maximum $70/month charge
- SSD SATA-0 0.0972/hr. with an $80/month maximum charge
- SSD NVMe- 0.1806/hr. with an $80/month maximum charge
IONOS Windows dedicated servers use per core Windows Server software licensing model.
- 4/8 cores – $35/month
- 12 cores – $51/month
- 20 cores – $85/month
There is an additional $5 cost for Plesk Onyx
Database Server costs
- MS SQL 2016/2017 – web license $40/month for 4 CPUs
- MS SQL 2016/2017 – standard license $300/month for 4 CPUs
- Only the MS SQL Express 2016/2017 is free.
Conclusion
Windows dedicated server hosting is great if you’re looking for a familiar platform and OS environment that enables you to manage your website easily. Despite getting charged for licenses, there are important factors and perks you get that shouldn’t get overlooked such as
- You get very reliable servers
- Better support, regular updates, and patches from Microsoft that improve your server
- Remote desktop access.
