Dedicated hosting can give you the storage, bandwidth and processing power needed to run a complex, high-traffic website. But that doesn't mean every dedicated web hosting plan is great -- and you want to make sure you're getting the best service possible if you're running a large e-commerce store, handling sensitive data or receiving hundreds of thousands of website visitors each month.
I've spent the past year researching and testing popular hosting companies' shared hosting plans to evaluate their overall server performance and customer support, then analyzed their dedicated hosting plans to bring together this list of the best dedicated hosting services.
Our Picks
Unmanaged vs. managed dedicated hosting
We'll discuss two types of dedicated hosting in this article: unmanaged and managed.
In unmanaged dedicated hosting, your hosting company only handles the physical maintenance of your server and basic operating system configuration. Some companies may not even provide the operating system. These plans can seem very affordable, with starting prices as low as $24 a month, but server maintenance can be very time-consuming and require extensive technical knowledge. This means you'll need to either have the appropriate expertise (and time to use it) or hire someone who does, which can make dedicated hosting extremely expensive to run.
With managed dedicated hosting, your hosting company performs all technical maintenance of the server for you. This includes physically maintaining the software, plus installing, configuring and updating server software. These plans come with higher fees than unmanaged plans -- often $100 or more per month -- but can actually be more affordable because you won't need to hire a system administrator or spend numerous hours doing your own server management.
Many companies only offer one type of dedicated hosting. Pay close attention to the types of plans available -- along with their costs -- as you read the listings to make sure you choose the right company for your needs.
What is the best dedicated web hosting right now?
Hostwinds is the best dedicated web hosting company because it offers full server customization, including the ability to choose Windows servers, and a 99.9999% uptime guarantee. Hostwinds also provides top-notch server monitoring and 24/7 customer service available via live chat, email, support ticket and phone. All Hostwinds dedicated hosting plans are fully managed, making the $122 starting price completely reasonable.
Best dedicated web hosting in 2025
- High level of server customization
- Comprehensive server monitoring and maintenance
- Nightly backups
- Above-average 99.9999% uptime guarantee
- Navigating building your own server can be complicated
Hostwinds offers fully managed dedicated hosting plans with SSL certification, firewall protection and 24/7 server monitoring/repair, plus nightly backups to ensure any recent updates to your site won’t be lost if a problem arises with the server. Hostwinds also offers 99.9999% uptime and a hardware replacement guarantee of one hour to ensure continuous server operation.
Hostwinds customer support is available 24/7 via live chat, email, support ticket and phone. The Tiers of Support page clearly outlines what method of contact you should use to address various issues, plus all of the server management tasks you can expect Hostwinds technicians to handle.
Plans and pricing
Hostwinds requires you to pick your own server specifications rather than choosing from a handful of pre-selected plans. The default build includes 1TB of storage -- enough for at least 10,000 pages -- and processing power to handle at least one million visitors per month for $122 a month. However, this uses HDD storage. The only SSD option without an extra fee is 120GB, only enough for 1,200 to 12,000 pages, with the exact number varying based on how big each page is. You’ll have to pay an extra $30 a month to get 1TB of SSD storage -- generally, SSDs provide better uptime than HDDs.
Enterprise businesses can take advantage of the most expensive build, which offers enough storage for over one million pages and processing power for handling unlimited visitors for $1,630 a month.
- Excellent security features
- Easy-to-use WordPress setup and management tools
- LiteSpeed caching
- Turbo CPUs for improved site speed
- Email hosting for unlimited email accounts
- Only three plans/no customizable resources
- Must sign up for a two-year term to receive the introductory discount
- Customer service can be slow via phone and email
A2 Hosting is a high-quality web host that performed well in our in-depth review. All A2 Hosting plans come with an impressive roster of security tools, including SSL -- secure socket layer -- certification, KernelCare updates, a firewall, distributed denial of service protection, brute force protection, virus scanning and 24/7 security monitoring. These features prevent malicious actors from stealing your data, breaking your site or locking you out of your server.
If you’re planning to use WordPress, you’ll be able to access many specialized tools from A2 Hosting, starting with a guided setup process that even generates essential pages for you. Other notable WordPress features include a dashboard for managing WordPress settings and updates, debugging tools and one-click WooCommerce setup.
Dedicated servers from A2 Hosting use Turbo server technology, a replacement for the industry-standard Apache server that claims to load pages up to 20 times faster than Apache servers. Server speed is also enhanced with LiteSpeed caching, a PHP accelerator and other advanced software.
A2 Hosting offers 24/7 customer support via phone, live chat and email. I found customer support to be slow via phone and email, but live chat was prompt, and all of the customer service representatives I spoke to were polite and helpful.
Plans and pricing
All of A2 Hosting’s dedicated server plans are managed, so the company will handle server configuration and maintenance for you. The most affordable plan, Warp 1 Turbo, starts at $130 a month for a two-year term ($230 a month on renewal) and includes enough processing power and bandwidth to ensure fast, reliable performance for at least six million visitors, making it more than suitable for most medium-sized businesses. You’ll also get enough storage space for at least 100,000 web pages.
Warp 3, the most expensive dedicated hosting plan from A2 Hosting, costs $536 a month to start (based on a two-year term) and $750 a month on renewal. Warp 3 includes enough processing power and bandwidth to ensure fast, consistent performance for at least 15 million visitors, making it a great choice for large businesses. You’ll also get enough storage space to host over one million pages.
- Advanced firewall protection
- Unlimited traffic
- Personal consultant
- Lots of options for servers of all shapes and sizes
- Pricing is complicated to navigate
Ionos offers a wide range of digital infrastructure and web hosting services, including a variety of self-managed dedicated server plans. All Ionos dedicated servers feature SSL certification, plus advanced firewalls that provide both standard malware protection and DDoS protection. Ionos’s dedicated server plans also promise to accommodate unlimited traffic.
Ionos customers can access 24/7 customer support via live chat and phone, with several international numbers available. I tested both of these contact methods during my hands-on Ionos testing and was impressed by the fast, helpful customer service agents I spoke to. I didn't manage to reach my personal consultant, something Ionos promises will be available between 8 a.m. and 6 p.m. from Monday to Friday, but I was using a shared hosting plan. You may have more access to your personal consultant as a dedicated hosting user.
Plans and pricing
Ionos offers self-managed dedicated hosting on both Intel-based servers and AMD servers. You can choose between solid-state drive and hard drive storage for both server types, although I recommend sticking with the industry-standard SSD for its improved downtime and page loading speeds.
Even sticking with SSD storage, the pricing is complicated, with numerous plans available for both server types. AMD servers, which feature Ryzen and Epic cores, use an hourly payment scheme with monthly maximums. AMD servers with SSD storage start at $0.1042 per hour with a monthly maximum of $75 for enough storage to host over 4,800 web pages and processing power to run numerous plugins and other complex processes at once.
Intel servers use the same hourly payment scheme with monthly maximums. The SSD plans for Intel servers start at $0.14 per hour with a monthly maximum of $100. This plan includes enough storage to create over 5,100 web pages and processing power to run numerous plugins and complex processes at once.
The Server Deals page lists plans with a more typical monthly fee structure. Some of these plans use a combination of HDD and SSD storage to provide a balance between affordability and speed. You can store your pages on the HDD drive and your applications on the SSD drive for optimal performance. The SSD plans start at $55 a month with a two-year contract ($85 per month on renewal) for enough storage to host at least 4,800 pages and enough processing power to run your site smoothly for thousands of simultaneous viewers.
- Ability to choose between InterWorx, cPanel and Plesk
- Both unmanaged and managed hosting options available
- Custom server builds available
- Ability to choose between Apache and LiteSpeed servers
- Default backup solution is only 500GB; you’ll pay more to backup the full 960GB
- No Windows-based servers
Liquid Web is best known for its cloud hosting and VPS hosting services. Liquid Web’s dedicated server hosting is a newer offering, with some impressive plans already set up and more on the way.
Liquid Web dedicated hosting servers come with SSL certification, firewall protection and DDoS protection for security, plus a mirrored SSD drive to minimize downtime. You can also choose between InterWorx, cPanel and Plesk for server management -- an option appreciated by many developers who prefer a system other than cPanel. Furthermore, developers will enjoy full root access and the availability of self-managed plans.
Liquid Web promises an above-average guaranteed uptime of 99.99%, promising that your site won’t go down for more than four minutes per month due to server issues. If you do encounter server issues or have any other problems with server/site setup, you can contact Liquid Web’s expert customer service 24/7 via live chat, email and phone.
Plans and pricing
Self-managed or unmanaged dedicated hosting starts at $24 a month for the first six months and rises to $79 a month after that. This plan includes enough CPU cores, RAM and bandwidth to comfortably accommodate at least 10 million monthly visitors, plus storage for at least 4,800 pages. The most expensive plan starts at $238 for the first six months and rises to $475 a month after that.
Managed dedicated hosting starts at $60 for the first six months and rises to $199 a month after that. This plan includes enough storage for at least 96,000 pages, plus enough CPU cores, RAM and bandwidth to comfortably handle at least 10 million monthly visitors. The most expensive plan costs $200 a month for the first six months and rises to $399 a month after that.
You can also work with a Liquid Web consultant to create a custom dedicated server that meets your unique needs for storage and processing power.
Factors to consider when choosing a dedicated web hosting plan
Managed vs. unmanaged
Most hosting types come with managed and unmanaged options, but the distinction is particularly important in dedicated hosting.
In managed dedicated hosting, your hosting company handles digital server configuration and maintenance for you. This includes installing and updating the operating system, plus handling security tools and other key software -- things that are complicated to manage if you’re not already familiar with system administration and/or working with a system administrator. The host may also manage things like WordPress installation and updates. Managed dedicated hosting typically costs $100 or more per month.
In unmanaged dedicated hosting, you’re responsible for digital server configuration and maintenance. The host may install the operating system, but you’re on the hook for everything else. While this does give you more complete control over the system configuration, it also means a lot more work. Unmanaged dedicated hosting plans can be as little as $50 a month.
I generally recommend managed dedicated hosting because the amount of time and energy you’ll save on server maintenance is worth the extra money. You may want unmanaged hosting if you want full server control and you’re able to perform server maintenance yourself or hire someone to do it.
Security
If you’re choosing managed dedicated hosting, your web host should provide the following layers of security:
- Secure Socket Layer: This security protocol encrypts all data sent to or from your website, protecting sensitive information like your customers’ payment details. SSL certification also signals that your site is safe; some browsers and VPNs won’t even open a site without it. Your site may also be penalized by Google if it lacks SSL certification.
- Firewall: This software serves as a filter, scanning all data submitted to your site and blocking malware and other harmful data. A firewall may not be able to catch everything, but it should protect your site from the most common threats.
Many web hosting companies also provide additional layers of security, such as DDoS and brute force attack protection.
If you choose unmanaged dedicated hosting, you may be responsible for installing and configuring all of these security tools yourself. However, some unmanaged dedicated hosting companies do set these security protocols up for you. Make sure you thoroughly read any plan you're considering so you know exactly what you're getting--and contact customer support if you're still uncertain.
Processing power
Processing power determines how many tasks -- such as compiling data into a functional website -- your web server can perform at one time. A server’s processing power is related to two types of hardware: the CPU and the RAM.
The central processing unit or CPU is often called the “brain” of the server because it performs tasks. A CPU consists of several cores. The number and quality of these cores impact how many tasks -- such as running plugins -- your site can complete at once. A higher number of CPU cores generally means better performance.
Random access memory or RAM is a data storage device connected directly to the CPU. This allows the CPU to pull data from the RAM faster than it can pull data from the traditional memory storage known as read-only memory or ROM. More RAM equals faster processing times, which leads to faster server and site speed.
Storage
How much storage you get dictates how many files -- like images -- and pages your site can host. As a general rule, 1GB gives you enough space to publish 10 large web pages or 100 small web pages. Dedicated hosting plans give you an entire server’s storage, which can range from 25GB to 1TB or even more.
Most hosting companies use SSD storage for fast and reliable performance. Some use NVMe for even better server speed and reliability. HDD technology is used occasionally and can work for static data, but isn’t fast enough to run complicated applications at a good speed.
Bandwidth or data transfer
Bandwidth is a measure of how fast your server sends data to users. Most web hosting plans use the term bandwidth to describe how much data your server can send, which determines how many monthly visitors you can have. Some companies use the term data transfer to describe this instead. The bandwidth/data transfer of dedicated hosting plans is typically measured in gigabytes or terabytes.
Figuring out how much bandwidth you need is difficult, as it depends on how large your website pages are and how many pages each visitor views. For example, if your average page size is 5MB and 100 visitors view five of those pages, you’ll need 7.5GB of bandwidth. If your page size is 10MB, you’ll need 15GB of bandwidth to accommodate those same 100 visitors. You can use this math to determine your bandwidth needs if you’re moving an existing site to dedicated hosting.
If you don’t have existing visitor statistics you can use to determine the amount of bandwidth needed, you can use the general rule that 1GB of bandwidth will allow at least 1,000 people to comfortably view your site each month -- or more, if your pages are small. Many dedicated plans offer 1TB or more of bandwidth, letting you accommodate millions of monthly visitors.
Uptime
Uptime is the percentage of time your site spends online. Uptime matters because visitors who can’t access your site may lose trust in your website and go elsewhere. This can result in reduced traffic, audience trust and income.
Most web hosting companies offer a 99.9% uptime guarantee, meaning that server issues and maintenance won’t cause your site to go offline for more than 10 minutes per week. Some hosts may even offer 99.99% uptime, meaning that your site won’t experience more than two minutes of server-related downtime per week.
Site speed
Site speed is the amount of time your site takes to load, measured in seconds. Most experts recommend a site speed of three seconds or less, as bounce rates decrease by 32% when loading time goes from three seconds to one second. The best dedicated hosting companies use top-of-the-line hardware to ensure good server speeds and boost your site speed. They may also offer the following tools to improve site speed:
- Caching: A method of storing data in a specialized storage layer called a cache. This allows browsers to load sites without needing to compile all of the data first. Many dedicated hosting companies use LiteSpeed servers with built-in caching.
- Content Delivery Network: A group of connected servers that store a website’s data in numerous places around the globe. This lets visitors’ browsers pull information from the data center closest to them, resulting in faster page loading.
Customer support
Your web hosting company should provide 24/7 customer service via live chat, email and phone. Responses should be prompt -- a few minutes if you’re contacting them via live chat/phone, or one to three hours via email -- and customer support agents should be trained to help you with a variety of issues. Many hosts also offer specialized support teams for popular content management systems like WordPress.
Hosting companies often offer priority support to dedicated hosting clients, meaning you’ll receive faster-than-normal response times. You may also get a dedicated support expert to help you with the initial server setup.
Unfortunately, the support you’re promised isn’t always the support you’ll receive -- many web hosting companies’ customer service teams are slow to respond and lack the knowledge to help with advanced issues. Read reviews of any hosting company you’re considering to ensure that their customer service team actually provides the level of support you’ll need.
Pricing
There are a few things you’ll need to understand to calculate the longterm costs of your web hosting plan:
- Introductory discounts: Web hosts often offer discounts of 50% or more during your first term. You’ll be charged at the non-discounted rate -- usually displayed as the “regular rate” -- on renewal. For dedicated hosting, this can mean an increase of $100 or more per month.
- Contract length: Web hosting companies list monthly prices on their plan pages but typically require you to sign up -- and pay -- for at least one year upfront. You may need to sign up for two or three years to get the best discount. Multiply the listed price by the appropriate number of months -- 12, 24 or 36 -- to calculate your initial purchase price.
- Additional fees: You may need to pay additional fees for things like your domain, email hosting and advanced security tools. These are often monthly or annual subscriptions.
You’ll also need to consider cost differences between managed and unmanaged hosting, as managed dedicated hosting plans often cost $50 to $100 more per month than unmanaged dedicated hosting plans. Unmanaged plans require either a significant investment of time or money to hire a system administrator, so they can actually be more expensive once you factor in additional costs.
How CNET tests web hosting
Our research process starts with examining the web hosting company’s website to determine the quality and value of their plans. We then read reviews on Trustpilot and checked the Better Business Bureau website for complaints.
We’ve also developed a process for testing web hosts that involves purchasing a plan, building a test site and running tests to determine:
- Ease of use
- Uptime
- Site speed
- Customer service
Our tests focus on shared hosting, so the uptime and site speed results may not apply to dedicated hosting plans. We will include notes about ease of use and customer service on listings for companies we’ve tested. We will also exclude any companies that performed poorly in our tests.
Other web hosting we've tested
AccuWeb
AccuWeb is a CNET mainstay, appearing on our lists of best web hosting, best WordPress hosting and best cheap hosting. AccuWeb’s dedicated hosting also includes some great security features: DDoS protection, server monitoring and automated daily backups.
Unfortunately, there are some essential features missing: a firewall, SSL certification and cPanel all require additional fees. This disqualifies AccuWeb from earning a spot in our main list of the best dedicated hosting, but it’s still worth mentioning.
AccuWeb offers both unmanaged and managed dedicated hosting. Unmanaged plans start at $103 a month, plus a one-time $90 setup fee, for enough resources to store over 200,000 web pages and accommodate unlimited visitors. You can buy full server management for an additional $90 a month.
TMDHosting
TMDHosting offers fully managed dedicated hosting with free SSL certification, a free cPanel license, a free domain for the first year and unlimited email hosting. Servers are also secured with a firewall, DDoS protection and 24/7 server monitoring. If something goes wrong, you can reach customer service 24/7 via live chat, support ticket and Slack, with an estimated response time of 15 minutes.
Dedicated hosting from TMDHosting starts at $128 a month (based on a three-year contract) for enough storage to host over 250,000 web pages and unlimited bandwidth.