Dedicated hosting is the highest tier of web hosting – you get a whole server to yourself and don’t need to share the server’s resources with any other website owner. The perks? Exceptional website performance, unlimited bandwidth, exclusive IP address, infinite flexibility, and unmatched security.
However, just one quick Google search will show you just how many hosting providers are on the market claiming to offer the best dedicated hosting plans. Do a little digging and you’ll find some with shady policies, some with VPS plans dressed up as dedicated hosting, and some with plans that are just too pricey. So how do you choose?
We have done the work for you so you don’t have to. In the rest of this piece, we’ll discuss how dedicated hosting works, who dedicated hosting is for, and then give you a roundup of the 10 very best dedicating hosting providers – plus a quick buying guide that shows you how we chose them.
10 Best Dedicated Hosting Providers At A Glance
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BlueHost
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A2Hosting
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UltaHost
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StableHost
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HostGator
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NameCheap
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DreamHost
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IONOS
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Interserver
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InMotion Hosting
What Is Dedicated Hosting and How Does It Work?
As we described, in a dedicated hosting environment, the provider gives you a whole web server all to yourself. The entirety of the server’s resources – storage, memory, CPUs, bandwidth, etc. – are yours and yours alone.
The amount of storage you get with a dedicated hosting plan is usually in the order of terabytes (TBs). Plus, unlike other hosting types that put a cap on the bandwidth or data transfer made to your website, a dedicated hosting plan gives you as much bandwidth as the server can handle.
These translate into a website that’s exceptionally fast, can handle tons of traffic, and secure from server-wide attacks. What’s more? You don’t run the risk of having the same server IP address with another site that’s been flagged by search engines, inheriting the bad rep, and losing your rankings like in a shared environment.
Dedicated hosting plans are usually offered as managed and unmanaged packages.
With a managed dedicated hosting plan, the hosting provider handles most of the technical aspects of your server – choosing the operating system, setting up your server, scheduling backups of your website, security configurations, etc. You then manage your server via a control panel.
An unmanaged hosting plan gives you far more control over the server – while the provider sets up the physical server, you are in charge of configuring the software (operating system and other software) and have full-root access to the command line interface. With an unmanaged hosting plan, you also manage your server’s security and backups.
Who Is Dedicated Hosting For?
So who should go for a dedicated hosting plan?
Dedicated hosting or single-tenancy hosting makes the most sense for websites that either handle insane amounts of traffic, require extreme levels of security, and if SEO is your brand’s core source of customers.
With a dedicated hosting plan, you can store content for a very large website and have unlimited bandwidth (or the capacity to handle unlimited traffic) to match. Only the entirety of the server’s resources are your limit.
A reserved environment also means the best security – you are shielded from attacks on other websites e.g: a DDoS attack or malware that may affect you in a shared hosting environment. This makes dedicated hosting particularly great for websites that handle extremely sensitive data – e.g. banks, large eCommerce sites, government databases, etc.
The amount of control you get with a dedicated hosting plan is unmatched. Large corporations with in-house IT teams usually opt for unmanaged dedicated hosting plans where they can configure the server’s software and make fine tweaks for the best performance.
The 10 Best Dedicated Providers In 2024 Reviewed
Without further ado, let’s dive into a comprehensive list of the best dedicated hosting providers in 2024 and see what makes each provider stand out:
1. BlueHost (Most reputable)
Founded in 2003, BlueHost is one of the well-known hosts on the market and offers excellent dedicated hosting plans. BlueHost offers three dedicated plans STANDARD, ENHANCED and PREMIUM with the standard plan starting at $91.98/month.
On each plan you get a server with 4-8 cores, an Intel Xeon-D CPU, 1-2 terabytes of HDD storage, unmetered bandwidth, a Linux OS, and the traditional cPanel granting you root access.
For clients buying their dedicated plans for the first time, you can chat with a BlueHost agent for recommendations on the best plan. And what’s more? You also get dedicated support for whichever dedicated plan you pick.
Some other perks include the ability to upgrade the amount of storage you need, exceptionally quick server setup by BlueHost’s agents, and their RAID 1 storage that improves your website’s security. I also like that you can also buy hosting plans from other packages – e.g: shared and VPS, and manage them alongside your dedicated plans from the same account.
In my BlueHost review, I tested BlueHost’s performance to see how quickly they responded. The host’s servers had a time-to-first-byte of 400 ms which is decent. And for the uptime, the BlueHost-hosted website I tested was up 100% of the time over the past month, confirming their 99.9% uptime guarantee.
Here’s why you should choose BlueHost:
- BlueHost is recommended directly by WordPress
- They provide hosting plans for every website need
- Their plans are pretty affordable
- Website essentials are provided for free
- They have vast complementary services
- BlueHost is incredibly easy to use for beginners
- Excellent uptime
Overall, BlueHost is an excellent choice if you are looking for straightforward dedicated hosting plans. And more so, if you want to host WordPress websites.
2. A2Hosting (Best high-performance dedicated host)
A2Hosting is another dedicated hosting provider that stands apart from the horde. They offer one of the most comprehensive hosting portfolios on the market with just about any type of hosting and hosting for particular businesses.
A2Hosting provides managed and unmanaged dedicated hosting plans that give you complete server control and excellent security. One unique feature of A2Hosting is they own their own servers, unlike many other hosts who are just resellers.
With their managed plans, you get the CloudLinux OS pre-installed, cPanel, and backups and security managed for you – these plans start at $79.99/month. A2Hosting’s unmanaged dedicated plans allow you to choose from different Linux OSs, gives you full root access, and also allows you configure your security, backup schedules, and choose your own control panel.
On every A2Hosting plan, including their dedicated servers, you can opt for their Turbo plans that feature their AMD Rome servers meshed with NVMe storage, the host claims to offer 20X the operating speed of their regular Intel Xeon CPUs and SSD storage. And on each dedicated plan, you also get a free 1 TB backup drive.
With A2Hosting’s dedicated plans you get between 16-64 GB of RAM, 6-10 TB data transfer, free SSL certificates and the Imunify360 Security Suite installed, and free migration.
In my A2Hosting review, their servers responded in an impressive 100ms and also had 100% uptime, so you know you’re in good hands.
Here’s why you should choose A2Hosting:
- Super impressive server times
- A vast array of hosting types and complementary services
- A2Hosting has a thriving support hub
- They provide a custom control panel for WordPress
- Their Turbo plans promise unrivaled speed
- A2Hosting gives you a plethora of features free
- You can choose your data center locations
Overall, A2Hosting is a great choice if you want a dedicated host that offers plans specifically for different types of businesses.
Founded in 2018, Ultahost is barely 6 years old but they’ve made a name quickly for themselves, especially in the dedicated hosting market. Ultahost’s dedicated hosting plans are tailored to both small and big businesses, and give you the option to customize your resources.
One great thing about UltaHost’s dedicated plans is they come with different control panel options – Hestia & CyberPanel which are free, Plesk panel, and cPanel, with the first starting at $84/month.
And the levels of customizations are boundless!
You can configure your own dedicated plan choosing the number of cores (4 – 64), threads(8 – 128), amount of RAM(16 GB – 1 TB), and disk size (480 GB – 8 TB).
On all of Ultahost’s dedicated plans, you get free backups, BitNinja security built-in, a staging tool, free migration, a free SSL, and a dedicated firewall. You can also choose from several operating systems and can enjoy premium NVMe performance. In my UltaHost review, the host was also one of the best performers with the servers pinging in a mere 128 ms!
Here’s why you should choose UltaHost:
- Unmatched customizable dedicated plans
- Wide variety of OS options
- Free domain and SSL
- Free website migration
- Unlimited bandwidth on all plans
- Free daily backups
- They have some of the best security features
No other host beats UltaHost in terms of flexibility and their customizable plans cater to every kind of business, giving you even more control.
Looking for straightforward dedicated hosting plans, StableHost is the one for you. StableHost stands out with its unique clustered hosting where your website is hosted across a network of servers, giving you exceptional performance in case of traffic spikes and reduces downtime.
StableHost offers just three dedicated hosting plans – PROFESSIONAL, PREMIUM, and ULTIMATE giving you between 4 – 16GB of RAM, 2-4 TB of data transfer, and 600 GB hard drives. You can choose between Linux and Unix OSs, and StableHost can also configure a dedicated plan just for you.
Migrating your website to StableHost is also free!
In my StableHost review, the host didn’t have a really impressive server response speed but had an excellent uptime of 100%. StableHost also offers their proprietary website builder BaseKit, where most other hosts only stick to the generic WordPress or Drupal.
Here’s why you should choose StableHost:
- Their user interface is perfect for beginners or users with no-code skills
- They offer 45-day money-back guarantee
- They use cluttered hosting for faster performance
- They built a proprietary website builder – BaseKit
StableHost is excellent for their clustered hosting making your website able to handle traffic spikes exceptionally with no downtime.
(Best storage flexibility)
HostGator is another ‘hosting household name’ on the market and one of the best dedicated hosting providers for you. Like StableHost, HostGator offers a 3-tiered dedicated package starting at $91.98/month, offering between 8 – 30 GB RAM, 4 – 8 cores, and 8 – 16 threads.
For each plan, you can select the control panel you want, have unlimited emails, enjoy advanced DDoS protection, and have full-root access if you’re comfortable with backend.
HostGator also has an incredible support portal backing their plans and it’s great that you can reach out to their agents via live chat even before you become a customer.
And finally, one thing I like about HostGator is their awesome user interface that’s easy to use even for newbies. If you decide to use their cPanel, you’ll have access to a control panel that’s been tweaked slightly to make it just a bit easier to use without losing the feel of the oldest running control panel for websites.
With HostGator, you can also choose whether you want HDD (for more affordability) or SSD storage (for better performance).
Here’s why you should choose HostGator:
- Excellent DDoS protection
- Comes with a drag-n-drop builder
- Great support
- Intuitive user interface
- HDD or SSD storage option balancing performance and affordability.
HostGator is one of the most reputable hosts on the market and if you’re considering their dedicated plans, you can rest assured they are tried and trusted.
(Most varied dedicated plans)
First known as one of the best domain registrars in the world, Namecheap also offers some of the cheapest dedicated hosting plans you’ll ever find starting at $38.9/month.
Structured into 8 dedicated hosting tiers, you can also choose to pay monthly, quarterly, or yearly. Namecheap promises same-day setup and free migration amongst other benefits. I also like how Namecheap sections its dedicated hosting plans for entry level, medium level, and advanced level customers.
You can choose between different control panels and guess what? Namecheap also offers excellent customizability like Ultahost. You can quickly find the best plan for you by exploring their servers and tweaking your budget, number of CPUs, RAM, and storage.
Namecheap also gives you the freedom to choose the level of control you want over your servers – user-responsible (fully managed by you), basic (hybrid), and complete (managed by the host).
Here’s why you should choose Namecheap:
- Incredibly affordable plans
- Excellent server customizability
- They also offer a great domain name service
- Incredible user interface
- Flexible payment methods
Choose Namecheap if you want the most affordable dedicated hosting providers on the market plus unmatched customizability.
Looking for dedicated hosting that’s fully managed by the provider – no question? DreamHost may just be the one for you. The provider offers fully managed dedicated hosting plans that guarantee exceptional performance.
You get between 6 – 12 cores, 16 – 128 GB RAM, 480 GB – 1.9 TB SSD storage, and their plans start at $165/month. DreamHost is one of the few hosts with a custom control panel, giving you a super intuitive interface to manage your plans and websites.
With every plan, you get their 24/7 support guarantee, full root access, Ubuntu Linux built-in, unmetered bandwidth, and a reseller option allowing you to sell customized packages to other clients.
DreamHost also has a dedicated plan customization portal that even though is somewhat limited compared to some of the other hosts we’ve discussed here is still super handy.
8. IONOS
(Most affordable dedicated hosting)
IONOS promises innovative dedicated plans that combine the power of dedicated servers with the flexibility of cloud solutions. With IONOS, you can choose between Intel and AMD servers and also between HDD, SSD, and NVMe storage.
All of IONOS’s dedicated servers give you unmated API and cloud integration so you can connect virtual machines and build custom infrastructure. You also get all the goodies – unmetered traffic, your servers deployed in just 8 minutes, and a pocket-friendly pay-as-you-go billing structure.
For security, you get a built-in IP firewall, easy website backup, and a wide server footprint. One thing that stood out to me about IONOS is its personalized support. Once you buy a dedicated plan, you have one agent assigned to you for the quickest response and support through phone, chat, and email at no additional cost.
IONOS dedicated servers start at $32/month for HDD and $50/month for SSD.
Why you should choose IONOS:
- Exceptional server and storage flexibility
- Incredibly affordable
- Pay-as-you-go structure
- Unmatched personalized support
Choose IONOS if you want to enjoy the perks of dedicated hosting plus a customer agent dedicated to your every need and inquiry.
Interserver is another dedicated hosting provider that provides high-level dedicated hosting plans for businesses of all sizes. Interserver’s dedicated plans are sectioned by servers into Buy It Now servers, Customizable AMD and XEON servers, and their Rapid Deploy servers.
The host’s dedicated plans are incredibly affordable, starting at $40/month and across all their server options, you can enjoy between 8 – 128 GB RAM, 250 GB – 1.7 TB of storage, and 1 Gb per second bandwidth.
Their Buy It plans are ready-made plans if you don’t want to scour several options. Their Customizable servers plans give you more control and choice over the types of CPUs and whether you want HDD, SSD, OR NVMe storage. And their Rapid Deploy servers give you bare metal virtual servers ready in 15 minutes.
You can also choose your control panel – cPanel, Plesk, DirectAdmin. Interserver also offers a dedicated reseller package allowing you to resell your dedicated plans to other clients for more profit.
Here’s why you should choose Interserver:
- Excellent customization options
- Multi-tiered server packages
- Very affordable plans
- Offers a reseller dedicated package
Choose Interserver if you want affordable plans, just a virtual machine, or plan to resell your dedicated hosting.
If you want to be able to choose where your servers are located, InMotion is a splendid choice. Their most basic plan Aspire starts at $35/month and you can enjoy between 16 GB – 512 GB RAM, 1 TB SSD – 6.4 TB NVMe storage, 1 – 10 Gb per second bandwidth, 1 – 30 dedicated IP addresses, 10 GB – 1 TB free backup storage, and so much more.
One awesome feature on InMotion is you can choose the location of your data centers. They also give you a 100% human support guarantee for whenever you have inquiries. What’s more? Whether you are a customer or just considering their services, you can always talk to their agents via phone, live chat, or a support ticket.
Their dedicated hosting plans are fully managed and on each one you get free website transfers, access to Linux experts support agents, a free SSL, Backup Manager installed, and a custom firewall. You can also choose between cPanel and Control Web Panel for your website’s management.
Here’s why you should choose InMotion:
- Affordable dedicated plans
- Their UltraStack promises incredible performance
- Human support
- Awesome complementary features built-in
- Choice over data centers.
Choose InMotion for affordable dedicated plans and if you’re targeting an audience in a particular region and want to be able to choose your server locations.
How We Chose The Best Dedicated Hosting Providers
Now that you have a much smaller list to work with and are ready to pick, you may be wondering how we chose them. What were some of the qualities we considered? Let’s see some of them so you can zero in on the one for you.
Pricing
Dedicated hosting plans are the most expensive hosting plans on the market, and understandably so. You get a host of perks from being the sole tenant on a web server.
Given that many dedicated plans start from $100 and upwards, when choosing the hosts to recommend to you, we looked for providers offering feature-packed plans that were still very affordable.
Namecheap, IONOS, Interserver, and InMotion all have dedicated hosting plans that start from $30-40/month and are some of the cheapest you’ll ever find. These plans focus on website owners who are just trying dedicated hosting for the first time and don’t need to suddenly start spending several times their shared or VPS plans.
Flexibility and customizability
Next, we considered web hosts that offered plans where you could easily scale your resources as your traffic increases. We also looked out for hosting providers that allow you to create a custom plan, giving you even more control over how much you spend.
With a flexible host, you won’t be stuck on a plan that’s limited in resources in case of traffic spikes or one with excess resources that have you paying for specs you may never use.
All of the web hosts we included in this list are incredibly flexible and hosts like Ultahost, DreamHost, and Namecheap have dedicated customization portals so you can set the amount of storage, number of CPUs, RAM, and number of cores you want.
Server/storage specs
The very essence of a dedicated hosting plan is to give you the most resources. When choosing these hosts, we selected hosts that give you high-end storage and servers.
With many of these hosts, you can choose whether you want HDD or SSD or NVMe disks. You can also select between Intel and AMD servers.
Then there are the outliers – Ultahost’s customizable plans allow you to choose as high as 1 terabytes of RAM. A2Hosting gives you a free 1TB drive.
Customer support/managed plans
We also prioritized web hosts that are serious about customer support and take as much of the server management out of your hands (for managed hosting plans). All the hosts we listed provide you with 24/7 support across several channels – live chat, phone, email, tickets, etc.
And for managed plans, with the hosts we selected, your servers are set up for you, they come with a built-in operating system, and you can choose the control panel you want to use. They’ll also set up your website backup schedule and your security features in place.
IONOS, in particular, stands out with its personalized support where a particular agent is assigned to you.
And that’s it! These ten hosts are the very best dedicated hosting providers in 2024, and are where you should start your search from.
FAQs
What is managed and unmanaged dedicated hosting?
In a managed dedicated hosting plan, the web host handles most of the technical aspects of your servers for you – setting up the servers, scheduling your backups, setting up your security systems, and configuring your control panel. While with an unmanaged dedicated hosting plan, the provider only deploys the servers. You are responsible for all the server management.
Most website owners choose managed dedicated hosting plans. Unmanaged dedicated hosting makes more sense for large organizations with in-house IT teams that can configure the servers on command-line level.
Do I need dedicated hosting as a beginner?
If you are just launching a new website then you don’t need dedicated hosting unless you already have an established brand and your traffic will come pouring in right away. Most new websites do well with a shared or VPS hosting plan. After you outgrow these plans, you can then migrate to a dedicated hosting package.
What is a dedicated IP address in web hosting?
One of the perks that usually come with dedicated hosting is you have a dedicated IP address assigned to your website. On a smaller tier hosting category like shared hosting, you share the same physical server with other websites and thus the same server IP address with these websites.
You don’t know who your neighbors are and if one of the websites have been flagged by search engines, the IP can also be flagged, putting your own website at risk of losing search ranking. With a dedicated hosting plan, you have an IP address exclusive to you and are not affected by the actions of other website owners.
