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Dedicated servers are the top of the line in web hosting. As the name implies, your website won’t be sharing server resources with any other sites—you’ll have a server all to yourself.
For websites with high volumes of traffic, a dedicated hosting plan ensures high uptime rates, fast page loading times, and robust site performance.
But which dedicated hosting plan is the best?
After extensive research and testing, we’ve narrowed down the top seven options on the market today. This guide contains the features, benefits, pricing, and recommended use cases for the top dedicated hosting plans.
A2 Hosting
Best For Performance
Choose an unmanaged or managed dedicated hosting plan. These servers are fast, reliable, and developer-friendly.
The Best Dedicated Hosting Options to Consider:
When it Makes Sense to Invest Into Dedicated Web Hosting
Dedicated servers are for websites that have outgrown other hosting plans. If you’re currently on a shared, VPS, or cloud server that can’t accommodate your traffic, it might be time to consider dedicated hosting.
Brand new websites and small business websites almost never need a dedicated server. But sites with 100,000+ visitors per month would be candidates for a dedicated hosting plan.
With that said, the ability to accommodate lots of traffic is just one component of a dedicated server. These plans are also ideal for anyone who wants complete control and customization of their hosting environment. Since the server is yours, you can do whatever you want with it at the server level. From hardware to software and settings, it’s all in your hands.
Large websites that can’t afford downtime should consider dedicated hosting.
Compared to other hosting types, dedicated hosting plans are typically the most expensive. So just make sure you’ve appropriately weighed your options before investing in a dedicated host.
For many websites, a VPS or cloud hosting plan might still be enough to accommodate traffic spikes. But if those options aren’t giving you the server-level control you need, then it’s time for an upgrade to dedicated hosting.
#1 – A2 Hosting Review — The Best For Performance
A2 Hosting
Best For Performance
Choose an unmanaged or managed dedicated hosting plan. These servers are fast, reliable, and developer-friendly.
A2 Hosting is synonymous with speed. All of the hosting types and hosting plans offered by A2 lead the industry in this category. So it’s no surprise to see the A2 Hosting rank so high on our list.
Another reason why A2 Hosting is a top pick for dedicated hosting is its flexibility. No matter what type of dedicated plan you’re looking for, A2 has an option for you.
You’ll have the option to choose from a managed or unmanaged dedicated hosting plan.
- Unmanaged Server — Starts at $99.59 per month
- Discount SSD Server — Starts at $129.30 per month
- Managed Flex Server — Starts at $141.09 per month
- Core Flex Server — Starts at $141.09 per month
So if you’re super technical or you have an IT team that wants to control your server settings, an unmanaged plan will give you the flexibility to customize your settings. Add custom applications or script installs without any restrictions. The unmanaged plans are developer-friendly, so they come with root access and the ability to choose your Linux OS.
But if you just want high performance while staying hands-off, you can go with a managed plan. A2 will migrate your site to a dedicated server for free, and you’ll have access to reliable Guru support 24/7/365.
All dedicated servers from A2 Hosting are backed by an “anytime money-back guarantee.” This promise comes with some stipulations, but you can try a dedicated plan risk-free.
#2 – Bluehost Review — The Best Dedicated Hosting Features
Bluehost
Best Dedicated Hosting Features
Feature-rich dedicated hosting plans backed by a 30 day money back guarantee. 24/7 dedicated support, free domain, root access, and database management.
Bluehost is one of the most popular and reputable names in the world of web hosting. If you’re looking for the ultimate control, security, and performance, a dedicated hosting plan from Bluehost will be a top choice for you to consider.
All plans come with access to 24/7 support from Bluehost’s elite dedicated server specialists. These agents have been trained specifically to accommodate dedicated hosting inquiries and issues.
Here’s a quick overview of the dedicated server plans and resources offered by Bluehost:
Bluehost really stands out from the crowd in terms of its features. Some of the top basic and advanced dedicated hosting features that come with all plans include:
- Free domain for first year
- Free SSL certificate
- RAID storage
- Root access
- Fast provisioning (24-72 hours)
- cPanel interface
- Multi-server management
- Access control
- Database management
If you want complete control over your Bluehost dedicated server, you can get an unmanaged plan as well.
All Bluehost dedicated servers are backed by a 30-day money-back guarantee.
#3 – GoDaddy Review — The Best For Flexibility and Control
GoDaddy
Best For Flexibility and Control
GoDaddy offers three different management levels to accommodate a wide range of hosting needs. Self-managed plans come with full root access and no resource restrictions.
GoDaddy is best known for its provocative marketing campaigns and domain registration. But this service provider also has a wide range of hosting plans, including dedicated servers.
These plans are designed for those of you who want full root access with no resource restrictions.
In addition to websites, GoDaddy’s dedicated servers are a popular choice for resource-intensive web applications.
GoDaddy offers three different management levels, depending on your technical needs—unmanaged, managed, and fully managed.
If you choose one of the managed options, you’ll benefit from site and database migrations, premier-level support, three dedicated IPs, automated app installs and updates, control panel, patching, backups, and proactive monitoring.
The unmanaged plans don’t come with nearly as many features and services, but you’ll have complete control over your server settings.
#4 – HostGator Review — The Best Customer Support
HostGator
Best Customer Support
24/7/365 server monitoring and tech support. HostGator offers full root access, managed plans, and semi-managed hosting plans for all dedicated servers.
HostGator is another well-known name in the hosting industry. While the provider is best known for its shared and cloud hosting plans, they offer some great options for dedicated servers that shouldn’t be overlooked.
For those of you who want the ultimate experience in power and control, HostGator will be a top option to consider.
My favorite part of HostGator is its world-class support. Their customer service team is second to none. You’ll benefit 24/7/365 server monitoring and tech support over the phone and via live chat.
HostGator also gives you access to 500+ video tutorials and roughly 700 knowledge base articles related to dedicated hosting.
All of the dedicated hosting plans come with unlimited databases, DDoS protection, a fully redundant network, full root access, and RAID-1 configuration.
Choose between a semi-managed or managed solution, depending on how hands-on you want to be at the server level with customization. Considering how great HostGator’s support is, I’d personally lean towards the managed plans with this provider.
#5 – TMDHosting Review — Best For Rapid Deployment
TMDHosting
Best For Rapid Deployment
Get started in 20 minutes with immediate activation. Free site transfers, database transfers, domain registration, and premium support with a fully managed hosting service.
TMDHosting isn’t as well-known as some of the other web hosting providers on our list. But don’t underestimate their dedicated hosting plans.
These plans are built for speed and power. If your website is getting tons of traffic and you need to get a dedicated server up and running immediately, TMDHosting is the best choice.
All of TMDHosting’s dedicated servers are fully managed. So you can focus on your website and business without having to worry about the technical management.
TMDHosting also offers free website transfers. They also claim to have you up and running in 20 minutes. Other providers take 24-72 hours to get your site deployed on a dedicated server.
Here’s a look at the dedicated server plans and price points:
- Starter — Starts at $79.97
- Original — Starts at $99.97
- Smart — Starts at $124.97
- Super Powerful — Starts at $149.97
Between the immediate activation with zero downtime, free domain registration, free installations, and 24/7/365 fully managed support, TMDHosting deserves a top spot on our list.
All plans are backed by a 30-day money-back guarantee. For a limited time, get 50% off your first month with a TMDHosting dedicated server.
#6 – DreamHost Review — Best Fully Managed Dedicated Hosting
DreamHost
Best Fully Managed Servers
Managed plans with 24/7 server monitoring and 100% uptime guarantee. Dedicated plans come with root access, DDoS protection, RAID 1 storage, and a custom control panel.
If you want the benefits of dedicated hosting without having to manage the servers on your own, DreamHost should be at the top of your list.
With DreamHost, you’ll get a fully managed dedicated server at an affordable price. Their professional hosting experts provide 24/7 tech support and server monitoring.
Fully managed doesn’t mean lack of control. Even though the dedicated plans are managed, you’ll still have full root access for complete control of your settings.
Other top features and benefits of DreamHost dedicated servers include:
- DDoS protection
- 100% network uptime guarantee
- Ruby Version Manager (RVM)
- RAID 1 storage
- Uncapped bandwidth
- Local MySQL server
- Ubuntu Linux
- Reseller and sub account features
The Standard servers start at $149 per month. This is great for those of you who are just getting started with dedicated hosting. For advanced needs, the DreamHost Enhanced servers start at $279 per month.
#7 – IONS by 1&1 Review — Best For Simple Management
IONS by 1&1
Best For Simple Management
Intuitive control panel that’s easy for anyone to use. All plans come with a personal consultant for dedicated support.
If you’re not super technical but still want complete control of your dedicated server, IONS by 1&1 will be a top choice for you to consider.
All dedicated plans can be managed without a server admin. You’ll get the benefits of dedicated hardware while also having access to an intuitive control panel that’s easy for anyone to use.
I like IONS by 1&1 because they give you free access to a dedicated support agent. So you’ll only be dealing with one person whenever you have questions, concerns, or need assistance.
The pricing structure for your contract varies depending on the dedicated server you select. Here’s a quick overview of those starting rates:
- A8i SSD — Starts $45 per month
- L-16 SSD — Starts at $70 per month
- XL-32 SSD — Starts at $110 per month
- XL-64 SSD — Starts at $140 per month
The rates above are promotional rates that apply to the first three or six months of your plan. Then you’ll have a price jump from there. All servers (except for the A8i SSD) also have a $50 setup fee.
All plans accommodate unlimited traffic, come with a free domain, free site scan, DDoS protection, and exceptional performance.
For high traffic volumes and large web projects, IONS by 1&1 has your hosting needs covered.
Methodology For Choosing The Best Dedicated Hosting Plan
With so many dedicated servers to choose from, finding the best hosting plan for your needs can be tough. To ease the buying process, we’ve narrowed down the top features that should be taken into consideration as you’re shopping around.
This is the methodology that you should be using to find the best dedicated hosting plan according to your unique situation.
Management Level
The first thing you need to do is determine how hands-on you want to be at the server level. For those of you who want complete control and customization, choose a self-managed or unmanaged plan.
Most of you will be better off with a fully managed or semi-managed dedicated server. Your hosting provider will handle all of the maintenance, migrations, backups, security, and more for you. This gives you the ability to spend more time on your website and business, without having to worry about the backend tech of your server.
Server Resources
Dedicated servers come in all different shapes and sizes. Depending on what you’re using it for, make sure you evaluate its capacity.
Consider the disk space, RAM, CPUs, bandwidth, and server locations as you’re comparing different plans. While you don’t want to overpay for resources that you’ll never use, you definitely don’t want to exceed your limits either.
Uptime and Performance
Dedicated servers will perform better than other types of web hosting. But with that said, some servers are definitely better than others.
You want to make sure that your site performs well at all times, especially during the initial migration from your existing plan to your dedicated server. Downtime and poor loading speeds will have an adverse effect on your business. So always choose a reputable hosting provider. If you try to cut corners and go the cheapest possible route, don’t expect to have the best performance.
Support
Customer support is crucial for dedicated servers.
Go with a provider that’s going to give you 24/7/365 support. Whether you need help, have a serious problem, or just need a simple question answered, the best dedicated hosting plans come with exceptional support.
Just be aware that self-managed plans don’t always have the same support levels as a managed plan.
A2 Hosting
Best For Performance
Choose an unmanaged or managed dedicated hosting plan. These servers are fast, reliable, and developer-friendly.
Summary
What’s the best dedicated hosting plan?
With thousands of options to choose from, naming just one as the best isn’t very realistic. But the seven options reviewed in this guide will accommodate the needs of every website or business type in search of a dedicated server.
Just follow our recommended use cases and methodology to find the best dedicated hosting plan for your specific circumstances.
This article was written by today’s Daily Eggspert.
Source: https://www.crazyegg.com/blog/best-dedicated-hosting-plans/
