Best Cheap VPS Hosting Services In Canada For May 2024

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Updated: May 1, 2024, 10:24am

Courtney Reilly-Larke
editor

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With Virtual Private Server (VPS) hosting, you have greater control over your site’s performance than with cheaper shared hosting options, but you don’t pay the higher price that a dedicated hosting service would charge.

For the budget-conscious, the best cheap VPS hosting services offer flexibility and affordability. Forbes Advisor Canada analyzed the industry’s top VPS service providers to find out which solutions offer the best service for the best value. We looked at storage capacity, RAM, bandwidth, solution reputation, customer support and more to create this list of the best cheap VPS hosting services for May 2024.

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Best Cheap VPS Hosting Services of 2024


BEST OVERALL

IONOS

IONOS
4.5
Our ratings take into account a product's rewards, fees, rates and other category-specific attributes. All ratings are determined solely by our editorial team.

Starting Price

$2 USD ($2.72 CAD)

per month

Storage

10 GB to 640 GB (SSD)

RAM

1 GB to 24 GB

IONOS
Learn More

On IONOS' Website

Starting Price

$2 USD ($2.72 CAD)

per month

Storage

10 GB to 640 GB (SSD)

RAM

1 GB to 24 GB

Why We Picked It

If you’re looking for a reliable provider of cheap VPS hosting services, it doesn’t get better than IONOS. Known for its 99.99% uptime guarantee, all IONOS plans come with full root access, free load balancing and unlimited traffic. You can also host unlimited domains and unlimited email mailboxes via your IONOS VPS hosting account.

IONOS offers standard, memory-optimized and CPU-optimized VPS hosting packages. Standard plans offer one to six vCores CPU and 1 GB to 12 GB RAM. CPU-optimized plans give you the same RAM and SSD as the Standard plans, but four to eight vCores CPU. Memory-optimized plans give you two to eight vCores CPU and 6 GB to 24 GB RAM. Storage maxes out at 640 GB on top-tier plans in all package categories.

Monthly and annual contracts are available through IONOS, and you can upgrade anytime. You can get started for just $2 USD ($2.72 CAD) per month on the VPS XS plan, and it’s risk-free for 30 days. Standard plans range from $2 USD ($2.72 CAD) to $40 USD ($54.37 CAD) per month. It’s important to note that most of these rates are only valid for a six-month introductory period and the renewal fees are higher.

Learn More: Read our full IONOS review.

Who should use it:

If you need dependable, cheap VPS hosting services for your business website, you can’t go wrong with IONOS.

Pros & Cons
  • 99.99% uptime guarantee
  • Unlimited traffic
  • Supports Linux and Windows
  • Minimal contract commitment
  • Choose from multiple data centre locations
  • Extra charge for cloud backup gets pricey
  • Custom control panel can be difficult to navigate
  • Customer support inconsistent
  • No free domain

BEST FOR SMALL BUSINESS WEBSITES

GoDaddy

GoDaddy
4.1
Our ratings take into account a product's rewards, fees, rates and other category-specific attributes. All ratings are determined solely by our editorial team.

Starting Price

$12.99 CAD

per month with a three-year term

Storage

40 GB to 800 GB NVMe SSD

RAM

2 GB to 64 GB

GoDaddy
Learn More

On GoDaddy's Website

Starting Price

$12.99 CAD

per month with a three-year term

Storage

40 GB to 800 GB NVMe SSD

RAM

2 GB to 64 GB

Why We Picked It

GoDaddy offers VPS hosting services that give you considerable control over your hosting environment. With GoDaddy, you have full root access, optional control panels and unlimited hosting accounts. Monitor uptime and resource use with GoDaddy monitoring and alerts and protect your site with an SSL certificate (the first year is free) and up to three dedicated IPs.

GoDaddy’s flexible server configurations and multiple plan choices allow you to pick the perfect hosting plan for your needs. If you anticipate that your processing or storage needs will grow over time, GoDaddy has you covered. Get started with a lower-level plan and increase RAM, CPU or storage easily with seamless VPS plan upgrades as your needs change.

GoDaddy offers both standard-RAM and high-RAM self-managed VPS hosting plans. Standard RAM plans include 2 GB to 16 GB RAM and range from $12.99 CAD to $66.99 CAD per month with a three-year contract. High-RAM plans include 16 GB to 64 GB RAM and are priced from $94.99 CAD to $219.99 CAD per month with a three-year commitment.

Fully managed VPS hosting plans are also available and highly recommended for those with less technical proficiency and limited server setup knowledge. Fully managed VPS hosting plans range from $137.99 CAD per month.

Learn More: Read our full GoDaddy Hosting review.

Who should use it:

Multiple plan levels and the option to go with either a self-managed or fully managed plan make GoDaddy’s VPS hosting services perfect for all types of small business websites.

Pros & Cons
  • Root access and optional control panels
  • 99% uptime
  • Unlimited traffic
  • Multiple dedicated IP options
  • 24/7 customer support
  • Three-year commitment for lowest prices
  • Pricey add-ons for self-managed plans
  • Linux only on lowest-tier plan
  • High renewal rates

BEST FOR MANAGED VPS HOSTING

DreamHost

DreamHost
4.1
Our ratings take into account a product's rewards, fees, rates and other category-specific attributes. All ratings are determined solely by our editorial team.

Starting Price

$10 USD ($13.59 CAD)

per month with a three-year commitment

Storage

30 GB to 240 GB SSD

RAM

1 GB to 8 GB

DreamHost
Learn More

On DreamHosts' Website

Starting Price

$10 USD ($13.59 CAD)

per month with a three-year commitment

Storage

30 GB to 240 GB SSD

RAM

1 GB to 8 GB

Why We Picked It

DreamHost is a popular hosting provider that is on Forbes’ list of best website hosting services for small businesses. While DreamHost offers shared hosting services, its managed VPS hosting plans are an exceptionally good value. Plus, the backend hosting support that DreamHost provides with VPS hosting is something that those with limited technical knowledge will appreciate.

Each VPS plan allocates resources available exclusively to the website or websites you intend to include on your hosting account. Every DreamHost VPS plan comes with unlimited bandwidth, unlimited email accounts, unlimited MySQL databases and an unlimited number of domains and websites on your VPS server.

DreamHost’s custom control panel makes hosting setup easy, even for beginners. DreamHost monitors your servers for you and handles security patches and OS updates—things you’d have to do if you went with a self-managed plan from a different provider.

Choose from four managed VPS hosting plans: Basic, Business, Professional and Enterprise. DreamHost VPS plan pricing ranges from $10 USD ($13.59 CAD) to $80 USD ($108.75 CAD) per month with a three-year commitment. Monthly plans are available for $15 USD ($20.39 CAD) to $120 USD ($163.13 CAD) per month, and annual contracts are available for $13.75 USD ($18.69 CAD) to $110 USD ($149.53 CAD) per month.

Who should use it:

If you’re looking for affordable VPS hosting services where the technical heavy lifting is done for you, DreamHost might be the best hosting provider for you.

Pros & Cons
  • 100% uptime guarantee
  • Unmetered bandwidth
  • Host unlimited websites
  • User-friendly VPS control panel
  • Unlimited email at your domain
  • Managed VPS does not offer root access
  • Windows VPS not available
  • High renewal fees
  • Inconsistent customer support

BEST FOR SIMPLE WEBSITES

Hostinger

Hostinger
4.0
Our ratings take into account a product's rewards, fees, rates and other category-specific attributes. All ratings are determined solely by our editorial team.

Starting Price

$5.99 USD ($8.14 CAD)

per month (billed annually; renews at $13.99 USD ($19.01 CAD) per month annually)

Storage

50 GB to 400 GB

RAM

4 GB to 32 GB

Hostinger
Learn More

On Hostinger.com's Website

Starting Price

$5.99 USD ($8.14 CAD)

per month (billed annually; renews at $13.99 USD ($19.01 CAD) per month annually)

Storage

50 GB to 400 GB

RAM

4 GB to 32 GB

Why We Picked It

Hostinger offers a wide variety of VPS hosting options that deliver fast website loading, making for a great user experience. All Hostinger VPS plans come with full root access, a dedicated IP, and IPv4 and IPv6 internet protocol support. Multiple server data centres are available, so you can further enhance your website’s performance by choosing the centre closest to your target audience.

Hostinger offers four Linux-based VPS hosting plans. The key differences among the plans are the amount of RAM, storage, bandwidth and CPU power offered. If you need more resources than your current plan offers, you can upgrade to a different Hostinger VPS plan to access additional storage, RAM or bandwidth.

Hostinger offers 60% to 70% discounts for new plans when you sign up for a four-year commitment. Monthly, annual and two-year contracts are also available. The cheapest Hostinger plan is the basic KVM 1 plan, which costs just $5.99 USD ($8.14 CAD) per month with a one, two- or four-year commitment and $13.99 USD ($19.01 CAD) per month with a month-to-month plan. Note that renewal prices are higher.

Learn More: Read our full Hostinger review.

Who should use it:

Hostinger offers the flexibility and power you need to run a simple website that doesn’t require complex, resource-intensive hosting capabilities.

Pros & Cons
  • 30-day money-back guarantee
  • Full root access
  • 99.9% server uptime guarantee
  • Automated backups
  • Host multiple websites on one VPS plan
  • Four-year commitment required for lowest plan pricing
  • No telephone support
  • Windows VPS not offered
  • No managed plans available

BEST FOR SITES WITH HEAVY STORAGE DEMANDS

Hostwinds

Hostwinds
3.8
Our ratings take into account a product's rewards, fees, rates and other category-specific attributes. All ratings are determined solely by our editorial team.

Starting Price

$4.99 USD ($6.78 CAD)

per month

Storage

30 GB to 750 GB

RAM

1 GB to 96 GB

Hostwinds

Starting Price

$4.99 USD ($6.78 CAD)

per month

Storage

30 GB to 750 GB

RAM

1 GB to 96 GB

Why We Picked It

Hostwinds VPS hosting services include one distinct advantage rarely offered by other providers: storage and lots of it. You get a minimum of 30 GB of storage with every Hostwinds package, and you can purchase solutions that give you up to 750 GB of storage—more than double what most VPS providers allow.

Hostwinds offers both Linux and Windows managed and unmanaged VPS hosting packages. With all Hostwinds packages, you get full root access to your account and control over server configurations. Unmanaged VPS solutions do not include technical, administrative or server management support, which makes unmanaged plans best for those who already possess server setup and management skills.

Managed VPS packages come with operating system updates, mitigation of site load problems, network-related troubleshooting, help with hardware failures and automatic virus scans. Hostwinds’ managed VPS solutions also include support with DNS configuration and setup, firewall setup and troubleshooting, backup configuration and password resets.

Pricing for managed plans ranges from $8.24 USD ($11.20 CAD) to $395.24 USD ($537.22 CAD) per month, while unmanaged plans range from $4.99 USD ($6.78 CAD) to $328.99 USD ($447.17 CAD) per month. Key differences among the Hostwinds solutions include the amount of CPU, RAM, storage and bandwidth provided in the package.

Learn More: Read our full Hostwinds review.

Who should use it:

Hostwinds is an excellent VPS hosting solution for those who require lots of storage for website resources.

Pros & Cons
  • Real-time monitoring service on all plans
  • Full root access
  • Free website transfer
  • 99.99% uptime guarantee
  • Pricing transparency for renewals
  • Only two server locations
  • No packages with unlimited bandwidth
  • Add-on fee for nightly backups
  • Extra charge for cPanel/WHM licenses

BEST VPS HOSTING GUARANTEE

MochaHost

MochaHost
3.8
Our ratings take into account a product's rewards, fees, rates and other category-specific attributes. All ratings are determined solely by our editorial team.

Starting Price

$11.41 CAD

per month

Storage

40 GB to 300 GB SSD

RAM

1 GB to 16 GB

MochaHost

Starting Price

$11.41 CAD

per month

Storage

40 GB to 300 GB SSD

RAM

1 GB to 16 GB

Why We Picked It

MochaHost offers several cheap web hosting plans, and the company’s VPS hosting services are worth a closer look for anyone on a budget. VPS hosting is available for both Linux and Windows.

There are eight VPS plans for Linux and eight for Windows. Linux plans range from $11.41 CAD to $71.45 CAD per month while Windows plans range from $16.69 CAD to $64.31 CAD per month. The key differences among the plans are the amount of RAM, storage and CPU capacity offered, though top-tier plans come with extras such as Tomcat/Java support and malware and spam checking.

MochaHost offers a full 30-day money-back guarantee as well as 180 days of risk-free hosting. With the risk-free hosting option, during the first 180 days of service, you can cancel your account and you’ll be repaid a prorated fee for all unused hosting based on MochaHost’s standard monthly package pricing.

Who should use it:

Thanks to MochaHost’s 180-day risk-free hosting offer, MochaHost is a smart way to get affordable VPS hosting services without being stuck with a multi-year plan should the solution not end up being right for you.

Pros & Cons
  • 30-day money-back guarantee
  • Unmetered bandwidth
  • Hosting for Windows and Linux
  • 137 data centre locations
  • Free site migration on most plans
  • Limited features on starter plans
  • Multi-year commitment required for best pricing
  • Free domain not included on lower-tier plans
  • Lots of pricey add-ons

BEST FOR MONTH-TO-MONTH VPS HOSTING

InterServer

InterServer
3.7
Our ratings take into account a product's rewards, fees, rates and other category-specific attributes. All ratings are determined solely by our editorial team.

Starting Price

$6 USD ($8.15 CAD)

per month

Storage

30 GB to 480 GB

RAM

2 GB to 32 GB

InterServer

Starting Price

$6 USD ($8.15 CAD)

per month

Storage

30 GB to 480 GB

RAM

2 GB to 32 GB

Why We Picked It

If you’re eager to get started in VPS hosting but prefer to pay month-to-month, InterServer might be the best VPS solution for you. Along with most top VPS providers, InterServer gives you complete control over your website, including root access. Unlike other solutions, with InterServer you get to choose the exact level of CPU cores, memory, storage and file transfer capacity you want.

Pricing varies depending on your resource needs and whether you go with Linux or Windows VPS hosting. InterServer calls its plans “slices,” and there are 16 slices available for Linux VPS, Storage VPS and Windows VPS.

You can get started with Linux VPS hosting for as little as $6 USD ($8.15 CAD) per month; that starter slice comes with one CPU core, 2 GB of RAM, 30 GB of storage and 2 TB file transfer capacity. You’ll pay $10 USD ($13.59 CAD) per month for the same resources with Windows VPS. Scale up or down by adding or removing slices at any time. Slices top out at $96 USD ($130.53 CAD) per month for Linux and $160 USD ($217.63 CAD) per month for Windows.

The starting price for Storage VPS with InterServer is $6 USD ($8.15 CAD) per month and scales up to $96 USD ($130.53 CAD) per month. CPU cores range from one to 16 cores, RAM from 2 GB to 32 GB, storage from 2 GB to 32 GB and file transfer speeds from 2 TB to 32 TB.

InterServer offers DirectAdmin, cPanel and Plesk control panels for easy VPS management and monitoring. You’ll pay a license fee ranging from $12 USD ($16.32 CAD) to $22 USD ($29.91 CAD) per month for most control panels.

Who should use it:

If you want to get started with VPS hosting but prefer to pay month-to-month, InterServer offers reliable and affordable options that will likely suit your specific resource needs.

Pros & Cons
  • All billing is month-to-month
  • Supports Linux and Windows
  • Phone, live chat and ticket system support
  • Automatic backups available for a fee
  • Free incoming and outgoing transfers
  • Add-on fee for business control panel licences
  • No free trial available
  • Backup services cost extra
  • No discounts for advanced payment

Forbes Advisor Ratings


COMPANY FORBES ADVISOR RATING STARTING PRICE STORAGE RAM LEARN MORE
IONOS $2 USD ($2.72 CAD) per month 10 GB to 640 GB (SSD) 1 GB to 24 GB Learn More On IONOS’ Website
GoDaddy $12.99 CAD per month with a three-year term 40 GB to 800 GB NVMe SSD 2 GB to 64 GB Learn More On GoDaddy’s Website
DreamHost $10 USD ($13.59 CAD) per month with a three-year commitment 30 GB to 240 GB SSD 1 GB to 8 GB Learn More On DreamHosts’ Website
Hostinger $5.99 USD ($8.14 CAD) per month (billed annually; renews at $13.99 USD ($19.01 CAD) per month annually) 50 GB to 400 GB 4 GB to 32 GB Learn More On Hostinger.com’s Website
Hostwinds $4.99 USD ($6.78 CAD) per month 30 GB to 750 GB 1 GB to 96 GB Learn More On Hostwinds’ Website
MochaHost $11.41 CAD per month 40 GB to 300 GB SSD 1 GB to 16 GB View More
Interserver $6 USD ($8.15 CAD) per month 30 GB to 480 GB 2 GB to 32 GB View More

Forbes Advisor Ratings Methodology

Forbes Advisor Canada studied dozens of VPS hosting solutions and sorted through hundreds of data points to come up with this list of the best cheap VPS hosting providers. We evaluated services based on factors that matter most for website performance, including available storage, RAM, CPU processing capability, website reliability and security.

Not every VPS hosting plan is right for every business, so we looked at the best options for budget-friendly monthly plans as well as cheap plans that typically require a multi-year commitment. We considered costs associated with initial plan purchases, plan renewal fees, add-on costs and hidden gotchas that can drive prices up.

Since VPS hosting can be complicated, we understand just how crucial exceptional customer support is to you. That’s why we examined how each provider delivers customer support. Finally, we took a good long look at each provider’s reputation, taking a deep dive into what real-world customers have said online on reputable sites such as Trustpilot and G2.


How To Choose a Cheap VPS Hosting Service

When looking for a cheap VPS hosting service, you first want to consider your unique needs. Do you know how much RAM and storage you need? Are you proficient in server setup and management, or will you need some help?

If you’re in growth mode, you’ll want to choose a VPS host that will scale as your website resource needs grow. Be sure to look for options that make it easy to add additional capacity for a price that you can still afford.

If you’re confident in your abilities to set up and configure your VPS server on your own, you’ll find unmanaged solutions are cheaper than managed solutions. However, if you’re new to VPS hosting and your technical skills aren’t particularly advanced, you’ll save both time and frustration by paying extra for managed VPS hosting.

The last step in choosing a cheap VPS hosting solution is vetting providers’ reputations. Do the solutions you’re considering offer reliable and secure hosting? Do the providers offer excellent customer support? You want to be certain your website works seamlessly for visitors, and you need a host you can count on to ensure that happens.


Benefits of VPS Hosting Services

When it comes to hosting services, you have three options: shared, VPS and dedicated. VPS hosting is the affordable middle ground between shared and dedicated hosting where you gain more control over your website’s performance, which in turn means you can consistently deliver an excellent experience for your website’s visitors.

Here are a few main benefits of going with VPS hosting:

  • Cheaper. VPS is cheaper than hosting your site on a dedicated server.
  • Consistent performance. Unlike with shared hosting, with VPS, your site is never negatively impacted by other websites’ server usage.
  • Greater control. With VPS, you have greater control over how you configure your server and customize how your site is set up.
  • Fast load times. VPS hosting often delivers faster page-loading times than shared hosting, which can positively impact your SEO.
  • Scalability. Most VPS hosts make it easy to scale up as your resource demands grow.

Bottom Line

The right cheap VPS hosting service for you will depend on your exact needs. Most VPS hosting providers offer multiple plans to choose from, so you can get the CPU capacity, storage and fast site-loading times you need to ensure optimal performance for your website. Even better, the best VPS solutions allow you to upgrade your plan as your needs grow.

If you’re technically savvy and experienced with setting up servers, you’ll want to go with an unmanaged solution, which typically costs a fraction of managed solutions. If you’re a relative beginner with limited technical skills, a fully managed VPS solution is a better choice for you.

Canadian specific editing and research (including pricing) conducted by Anna Rey.

Related: Best Cheap Dedicated Hosting Services


Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

Is VPS good for web hosting?

A VPS is a great option for web hosting. VPS hosting is more affordable than dedicated hosting solutions and also often provides faster site loading speeds and overall better stability than you can get through shared hosting services.

What’s the difference between VPN and VPS?

A virtual private network (VPN) provides an encrypted server and hides your internet protocol (IP) address, thus protecting user privacy. A VPS is a type of hosting service that gives users dedicated space on a server that hosts multiple websites or users.

Can a VPS be tracked?

IP addresses are public. Therefore, VPS IP addresses can be traced back to the operating server.

Which company offers the best VPS hosting?

Forbes Advisor Canada recommends IONOS as the best overall VPS hosting service provider. However, depending on your exact needs, several other VPS hosting solutions might be a better choice for you. For example, DreamHost offers affordable managed VPS hosting solutions that are great for those who aren’t particularly tech-savvy. GoDaddy has several self-managed VPS hosting plans that are ideal for small business websites.

Do I need VPS hosting?

As your business grows and your site traffic increases, you may need to consider upgrading from a shared server to a VPS. It may also be necessary to opt for a VPS if you have plans to build a more complex website that shared hosting can’t support.


Information provided on Forbes Advisor is for educational purposes only. Your financial situation is unique and the products and services we review may not be right for your circumstances. We do not offer financial advice, advisory or brokerage services, nor do we recommend or advise individuals or to buy or sell particular stocks or securities. Performance information may have changed since the time of publication. Past performance is not indicative of future results.

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