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1
InMotionHosting.com

InMotion review

Monthly Starting Price $19.99

  • CentOS 6: Enterprise-class Linux operating system
  • FREE OS security patches and updates for VPS
  • Root access, SSH access, and reseller access with WHM
  • FREE cPanel license, SSL, and speed-boosting SSDs
  • Unlimited FTP accounts and MySQL databases
  • Get started on InMotion Hosting now.

LINUX VPS
RATING

★★★★★
4.9

InMotion: Our Expert's Review

Setup time: 4 minutes
PJ Fancher (HostingAdvice.com): InMotion is a powerhouse VPS provider, and their Linux offerings only affirm that fact. These scalable solutions include a Linux operating system with fully managed OS patches and updates, plus root and SSH access via the command line. Experience page loads... Go to full review »
Money Back Guarantee Disk Space Domain Name Linux VPS Hosting Plans
90 days 75 GB - 260 GB SSD New or Transfer www.inmotionhosting.com/linux-vps

2
LiquidWeb.com

Liquid Web review

Monthly Starting Price $29.50

  • Choice of Windows or Linux OS available
  • Instant provisioning and daily billing
  • RAID-protected SSD VPS options
  • Enhanced security and built-in backups
  • $49 off a VPS for HostingAdvice visitors
  • Get started on Liquid Web now.

LINUX VPS
RATING

4.9
★★★★★

Liquid Web: Our Expert's Review

Setup time: 7 minutes
Alexandra Leslie (HostingAdvice.com): Liquid Web’s top-of-the-line VPS offerings tout your choice of Linux or Windows operating system, access to cPanel/WHM or Plesk, and Heroic Support®. With managed services and world-class security, Liquid Web offers a competitive Linux VPS hosting... Go to full review »
Money Back Guarantee Disk Space Domain Name Linux VPS Hosting Plans
N/A 50 GB - 1.6 TB SSD FREE (1 year) www.liquidweb.com/linux-vps

3
Bluehost.com

Bluehost review

Monthly Starting Price $19.99

  • Transition from shared Linux server to VPS quickly
  • CentOS 6, Linux Kernel 2.6.32, and Apache
  • PHP, Perl, Python, Ruby, and MySQL available
  • Guaranteed resources with KVM hypervisor
  • Enhanced cPanel included for easy hosting management
  • Get started on Bluehost now.

LINUX VPS
RATING

4.8
★★★★★

Bluehost: Our Expert's Review

Setup time: 5 minutes
Ryan Frankel (HostingAdvice.com): Bluehost offers an excellent balance between performance and pricing with all of their hosting plans, including their Linux-friendly VPS options. Provision instantly, enjoy the intuitiveness of CentOS 6, and program in many Linux-supported languages…Go to full review »
Money Back Guarantee Disk Space Domain Name Linux VPS Hosting Plans
30 days 30 GB - 240 GB SSD FREE (1 year) www.bluehost.com/linux-vps

4
iPage.com

iPage review

Monthly Starting Price $19.99

  • CGI with Linux operating system available for VPS
  • Instant deployment and 24/7 expert support
  • PHP, Perl, Ruby on Rails, and Python pre-installed
  • Create unlimited FTP accounts and MySQL databases
  • Customizable server configuration
  • Get started on iPage now.

LINUX VPS
RATING

4.8
★★★★★

iPage: Our Expert's Review

Setup time: 6 minutes
PJ Fancher (HostingAdvice.com): Fully managed support, pre-installed scripts, and the intuitiveness of Linux and cPanel are just some of the perks that come with iPage VPS hosting. These guys bundle an affordable Linux VPS deal that includes options to scale with demand and program in more... Go to full review »
Money Back Guarantee Disk Space Domain Name Linux VPS Hosting Plans
Anytime 40 GB - 120 GB FREE (1 year) www.ipage.com/linux-vps

5
JustHost.com

JustHost review

Monthly Starting Price $19.99

  • Linux operating system and Apache web server
  • Includes CGI, Ruby on Rails, Perl, PHP, and MySQL
  • SSH access, Server Side Includes (SSI), and cPanel
  • 24/7 network monitoring and courtesy site backups
  • FREE Linux-friendly apps for eCommerce, blogging, etc.
  • Get started on JustHost now.

LINUX VPS
RATING

4.1
★★★★

JustHost: Our Expert's Review

Setup time: 4 minutes
Ryan Frankel (HostingAdvice.com): JustHost offers all the Linux-friendly features that VPS shoppers are searching for: CGI, FTP accounts, MySQL, programming scripts, and of course, an intuitive Linux operating system. Customize and provision your VPS quickly and trust it to JustHost’s... Go to full review »
Money Back Guarantee Disk Space Domain Name Linux VPS Hosting Plans
Anytime 30 GB - 240 GB FREE for life! www.justhost.com/linux-vps

Review Breakdown: Linux VPS Hosts

On a quest for Linux VPS hosting? After comparing the best Linux VPS plans, we recommend you choose a server and a hosting provider based on uptime rates, choice of operating system, allotted storage space, and the reputation of the host — which you can gauge based on our experts' ratings. See the following summary table to get a glimpse of the best Linux VPS reviews and our findings.

Here are the best Linux VPS hosting providers:

2018's Best Linux VPS Hosting
Rank Web Host Setup Time Storage Expert Rating
1 InMotion 4 minutes 75 GB - 260 GB SSD ★★★★★ 4.9
2 Liquid Web 7 minutes 50 GB - 1.6 TB SSD ★★★★★ 4.9
3 Bluehost 5 minutes 30 GB - 240 GB SSD ★★★★★ 4.8
4 iPage 6 minutes 40 GB - 120 GB ★★★★★ 4.8
5 JustHost 4 minutes 30 GB - 240 GB ★★★★ 4.1

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Keys to Our Top Linux Hosting Reviews — How We Rate the Best VPS Plans for Linux

Alexandra Leslie

Looking for the TLDR on Linux VPS hosting? We hit the highlights of Linux-based server rentals below.

By: Alexandra Leslie, Tech Expert

Security, stability, the support of an extensive developer community — the list of Linux pros goes on and on for many hosting shoppers. The popular operating system has become such a pull factor for customers that most of the top hosts broadcast features like CentOS, operating system patches, and Linux-friendly software as mainstays of their packages.

As someone who just searched “best Linux VPS” or the like, you’re left with a laundry list of options and bullet points to root through. Here we walk you through our methodology for evaluating the esteemed Linux hosts above, so you can make an informed decision for your upcoming project.

Linux Server Rental Points of Comparison

Let’s hash out the gory details of Linux server hosting. We’ll unveil the features we look for, the hosts who deliver them best, and how the top offerings compare to those of competitors.

1. Hardware

A VPS host is only as good as their hardware is performant. We look into the RAM, the hard disk specs, and storage allowances in each of the VPS hosting plans we review. Ringleaders tout free SSDs that boost your server with added speed, and Liquid Web has RAID-protected SSDs available for free within their VPS hosting packages.

2. Software

If you’re searching “Linux VPS web hosting,” software is obviously important to you. The hosts we hold in highest regard in this niche offer business-class software to support their world-class hardware.

For starters, you might find enterprise-class CentOS 6 with InMotion, but then you should also look for other Linux-friendly applications and scripts compatible with the hosting plan. With hosts like Bluehost or JustHost, the Apache web server comes standard, and iPage pre-installs popular programming scripts for you.

3. Security and Monitoring

Since reliability and performance are cornerstones of a quality VPS hosting experience, security and network monitoring features are crucial to Linux VPS shoppers. Customers expect round-the-clock server monitoring as a minimum.

Free Linux OS security patches come standard with InMotion. Most hosts offer beefed up security for managed VPS hosting customers, but Liquid Web’s Heroic Support™ team goes the extra mile for their VPS users. Built-in backups are included with Liquid Web plans, along with enhanced security for your server.

4. Uptime Guarantee

We can’t drive this point home enough: Uptime, uptime, uptime! It matters! To break it down, a 99.9% uptime guarantee is an industry norm, but, frankly, isn’t up to snuff for most of our VPS or dedicated hosting shoppers. Hosts who guarantee five nines (99.999%) or better are significantly more worth your time and money.

Hosts like InMotion or Bluehost are good for an excellent-but-not-stupendous uptime rate of 99.99%, and — hold onto your socks — Liquid Web promises 100% uptime. As a company, they experienced 99.995% uptime in 2014.

5. Technical Support

Customer support can be the most frustrating factor of a hosting experience. It’s a feature that distinguishes the good hosts from the great across hosting niches.

Hosts who handle technical support best are known for their teams’ accessibility, their timeliness, and what can only be described as human-ness (as opposed to robotic-ness). Liquid Web surpasses mere mortal service with Heroic Support.™

6. Price vs. Features

Last, but most certainly not least, we have to look at the overall value of a Linux VPS hosting package. The quality and quantity of features offset by the pricing determines a host’s worth to a potential customer. Whether you want managed services, a WordPress plan, or just a virtual machine with CentOS installed, InMotion leads in high-value VPS hosting.

Features The Best Linux VPS Hosting Providers Share

As you have probably gathered from our reviews, the top Linux hosting providers have several key offerings in common. The features listed below are particularly noteworthy for VPS users:

  • Choice of Linux operating system
  • cPanel, root, and SSH access
  • OS security patches, updates, and monitoring
  • Instant provisioning and reliable scalability
  • Linux-friendly software (e.g., Apache, PHP, Perl, Python, Ruby)
  • FTP accounts and MySQL databases

Of course, this list is not comprehensive. The leading web hosts for Linux fans tout these standard features and a host of others to streamline your Linux hosting experience.

Cost Comparison: Free Linux VPS Hosting vs. Quality, Cheap Alternatives

Buyer beware: As with any service you find online, free Linux VPS hosting options are advertised, but you’ll be sadly disappointed by the limited RAM, lackluster, or nonexistent, support, and limited customization options. You’re much better off opting for a quality, low-cost VPS provider like InMotion for your affordable Linux hosting needs.

Hosting Linux VPS Sites Is Simple With the Top Web Hosts

Premier Linux hosting services abound with the top hosts listed above — and now you understand our reasoning for thinking so highly of them. With instant server provisioning and daily billing from the expert-recommended providers, you can have a fully functional Linux project up and running in virtually no time at all.

The question remains: Which Linux VPS tops your charts? If you’re realizing you’re not quite ready for a virtual private server, no worries. Hop on over to our Linux shared hosting reviews, and go from there. Happy hosting!

Alexandra Leslie