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The best Windows web hosting 2026 shortlist is AccuWeb Hosting for affordable shared hosting, IONOS for budget Windows VPS value, InterServer for a straightforward VPS alternative, Hostwinds for scalable VPS resources, and Liquid Web for premium managed infrastructure. Choose Windows only when your application needs IIS, ASP.NET, .NET, Classic ASP, Microsoft SQL Server, or another Windows-specific dependency.
These providers are not interchangeable. A $3.49 shared hosting plan and a $147.05 managed Windows VPS target entirely different workloads, access requirements, and support expectations. The rankings below are editorial recommendations based on published platform features, service models, support signals, scalability, and pricing—not independent performance testing.
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- AccuWeb Hosting is the strongest default for a small ASP.NET or SQL-backed site that fits shared Windows hosting, with published 36-month introductory prices from $3.49 per month.
- IONOS is the leading budget-value candidate for a Windows VPS, but country, currency, billing term, renewal price, licensing, and support terms must be checked before purchase.
- Hostwinds is the most relevant scalability pick, while InterServer is a practical conventional VPS alternative whose current Windows plan details require live verification.
- Liquid Web is a premium managed option: its displayed Windows VPS entry tier starts at $147.05 per month on a two-year plan and includes Windows Server 2022, Plesk, backups, and DDoS protection.
- Most WordPress, PHP, static HTML, and JavaScript websites are better suited to Linux hosting unless a specific Windows-only dependency exists.
Best Windows web hosting 2026 at a glance
The best Windows web hosting 2026 provider depends first on the hosting category you need. Shared hosting is inexpensive and simple but restrictive; a VPS provides more control; managed Windows infrastructure costs substantially more in exchange for operational help.
| Provider | Best for | Product category | Published price signal | Main limitation |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| AccuWeb Hosting | Affordable small ASP.NET sites | Shared Windows hosting and VPS | $3.49/month for 36 months; $6.99/month listed renewal for the entry plan | Modest shared resources and a long introductory term |
| IONOS | Budget-conscious Windows VPS buyers | Windows hosting and Windows VPS/VPS+ | $6/month appears in current comparison coverage; country-specific pricing varies | Final price, licensing, management, and support vary by market and plan |
| InterServer | A straightforward Windows VPS alternative | Windows VPS or Windows hosting | No precise figure published here pending live U.S. plan verification | Current edition, backup, licensing, and management details require confirmation |
| Hostwinds | Growing workloads that may need more VPS resources | Windows VPS | $14.94/month appears in secondary coverage; verify official pricing | Confirm whether the price is introductory and includes Windows licensing |
| Liquid Web | Managed business applications and SQL-heavy workloads | Managed Windows VPS and dedicated infrastructure | From $147.05/month on a two-year plan for the displayed entry tier | Overkill and expensive for a basic website |
Listicles often disagree because one list compares shared accounts while another compares VPS or dedicated servers. Current comparison coverage places AccuWeb, IONOS, InterServer, Hostwinds, and Liquid Web among the leading Windows-hosting candidates, but the product categories behind those recommendations differ. Current Windows-hosting comparison coverage is useful context, not independent performance testing.
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Do you actually need Windows web hosting?
You need Windows web hosting when your application depends on Microsoft’s server stack or a Windows-specific deployment requirement. Windows hosting normally means a server running Microsoft Windows Server, commonly with IIS, Plesk, ASP.NET, .NET, and Microsoft SQL Server.
Windows hosting does not mean that your personal computer must run Windows. A web control panel can be accessed from Windows, macOS, Linux, a tablet, or a phone; the relevant operating system is the one running your website on the server.
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|---|---|---|
| ASP.NET Framework | Usually Windows | Windows hosting commonly provides IIS and the required .NET Framework environment |
| ASP.NET Core or modern .NET | Windows or Linux, depending on deployment | Verify the exact runtime, IIS integration, hosting model, and provider support |
| Classic ASP | Windows | Classic ASP is a legacy Microsoft web technology associated with IIS |
| Microsoft SQL Server | Often Windows, but not automatically | Check the SQL Server edition, database size, connections, licensing, and backup method |
| WordPress, PHP, MySQL, or MariaDB | Usually Linux | Windows is not inherently better for common PHP-based sites |
| Static HTML, CSS, and JavaScript | Usually Linux or platform-neutral hosting | No Windows-only server dependency normally exists |
GoDaddy’s guidance says customers who need ASP.NET, .NET Core, or MS-SQL should choose Windows hosting, while conventional Linux/cPanel hosting is generally simpler otherwise. GoDaddy also notes that WordPress can run on either Windows/Plesk or Linux/cPanel hosting, so WordPress alone is not a reason to pay for Windows. GoDaddy’s Windows-versus-Linux hosting guidance explains the distinction.
Microsoft’s ASP.NET hosting page likewise frames provider selection around the application, hosting platform, and operational requirements. A modern .NET application may run well on Linux, Windows, Azure App Service, or another platform; do not select Windows merely because the application was written in C#.
How we evaluated the providers
This ranking uses published plan information and editorial fit rather than undisclosed hands-on tests. The important questions are whether the provider supports the required application stack, supplies enough resources, offers the necessary access and deployment tools, and makes the real cost and management model understandable.
- Application compatibility: Check ASP.NET Framework, ASP.NET Core or .NET versions, IIS, Classic ASP, SQL Server editions, Access compatibility, authentication modes, and application-pool controls.
- Hosting model: Separate shared hosting, VPS, cloud, and dedicated servers. Then distinguish managed from unmanaged service and confirm administrator or RDP access.
- Resources: Compare RAM, CPU, storage type, database limits, bandwidth policy, website count, and application pools. RAM is particularly important for Windows and SQL Server workloads.
- Deployment: Look for Plesk, FTP or SFTP, Git, Visual Studio publishing, Web Deploy, scheduled tasks, URL rewriting, and the ability to install custom services.
- Database operations: Confirm SQL Server version and edition, database size, number of databases, remote connections, backups, restores, and licensing.
- Operations and support: Check patching, monitoring, backup retention, migration help, security controls, support hours, response-time commitments, and whether support includes infrastructure only or application troubleshooting.
- Total cost: Add the renewal price, Windows and Plesk licenses, SQL Server, backups, dedicated IPs, storage, migration, restore, and support charges to the headline price.
Which Windows hosting provider is best for each workload?
1. AccuWeb Hosting: best overall for affordable shared Windows hosting
AccuWeb Hosting is the best default choice for a small ASP.NET, Classic ASP, or SQL-backed website that does not need administrator access. Its published shared Windows comparison lists Windows Server 2022, Plesk Obsidian, ASP.NET Framework, ASP.NET Core, PHP, Classic ASP, MSSQL Server 2019 databases, email, daily backups, and a 30-day money-back guarantee. AccuWeb’s Windows plan comparison contains the current published specifications and prices cited here.
| AccuWeb plan | 36-month introductory price | Listed monthly renewal | Domains | Storage | MSSQL databases | Listed RAM |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Beginner | $3.49/month | $6.99/month | 1 | 10 GB SSD | 1 | 250 MB |
| Professional | $8.99/month | $17.99/month | 3 | 30 GB SSD | 3 | 500 MB |
| Turbo | $13.99/month | $27.99/month | 5 | 50 GB SSD | 5 | 750 MB |
According to AccuWeb’s published plan page, the three prices above apply when paid for a 36-month term, while the listed monthly renewal figures are $6.99, $17.99, and $27.99. The same page lists 500 MB per MSSQL database on the cited shared plans, so “SQL Server included” does not mean unlimited database capacity.
Choose AccuWeb when: you need an inexpensive Windows account for one to five relatively small sites, a legacy ASP.NET application, a student project, or a low-traffic SQL-backed site.
Avoid AccuWeb shared hosting when: the application needs administrator privileges, custom Windows services, substantial RAM, sustained CPU, large SQL databases, or control over firewall and server configuration. Confirm the exact .NET runtime required by your application before ordering; a general ASP.NET support label is not proof that every framework version is available.
AccuWeb is the strongest shared-hosting recommendation in this guide, but its shared tier should not be compared as an equivalent to a managed VPS.
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2. IONOS: best budget Windows VPS and value candidate
IONOS is the best value candidate for a cost-conscious buyer who needs more control than shared Windows hosting can provide. IONOS promotes Windows VPS and VPS+ products with an emphasis on competitive pricing and scaling. Its U.S. Windows VPS page is the relevant place to verify the current product, resources, licensing, and management terms. View IONOS Windows VPS information before relying on a comparison-page price.
A current comparison page lists IONOS Windows shared hosting from $6 per month. That figure is a comparison signal, not universal U.S. pricing: IONOS prices vary by country, currency, product, billing term, promotion, renewal schedule, and possibly Windows licensing.
IONOS’s Canadian Windows-hosting page lists support for ASP.NET 4.8, .NET 8.0, SQL Server, MySQL, and Access databases. Those capabilities show the type of Microsoft stack IONOS targets, but the Canadian page is not evidence of U.S. pricing or identical U.S. plan terms. See IONOS Canada’s Windows-hosting feature page for that country-specific information.
Choose IONOS when: the application needs a Windows VPS, the buyer can manage some server administration, and low entry cost matters more than white-glove support.
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Before buying: verify the exact U.S. checkout price, renewal cost, Windows license inclusion, RAM, storage, backup policy, data-center region, administrator access, and support scope. A low monthly sticker price is not a useful comparison if the plan requires paid backups or a separate Windows license.
3. InterServer: best straightforward Windows VPS alternative
InterServer is a practical conventional VPS alternative for buyers who want Windows hosting without immediately moving to premium managed infrastructure. InterServer appears in current Windows-hosting comparisons alongside IONOS, Liquid Web, Hostwinds, and AccuWeb. The comparison coverage listing InterServer supports its inclusion in the shortlist, but it does not replace verification of the live InterServer Windows product.
Do not assign InterServer a precise price from this review because the supplied research does not verify a current U.S. Windows plan and checkout total. Before purchase, check the official product page for the Windows Server edition, vCPU and RAM allocation, SSD or NVMe storage, bandwidth, Plesk availability, backups, Windows licensing fees, management level, and renewal pricing. InterServer’s official site is the starting point for that verification.
Choose InterServer when: you want a middle-ground VPS comparison against IONOS and Hostwinds and are comfortable confirming the technical details yourself.
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4. Hostwinds: best for scalable Windows VPS hosting
Hostwinds is the best scalability-oriented pick for a buyer who expects to increase VPS resources as an application grows. Current secondary coverage lists Windows Server versions through 2022, Plesk, and a starting price of $14.94 per month. Because the price and version information comes from secondary coverage and is volatile, confirm the current official product and checkout terms before publication or purchase. The secondary comparison source for Hostwinds provides the published signal.
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Use Hostwinds only after answering the operational questions that determine whether “scalable” is useful: can RAM, CPU, storage, and bandwidth be upgraded independently; does an upgrade require migration; is the Windows license included; is Plesk included; are backups automatic or optional; and is server management part of the plan?
Choose Hostwinds when: you are moving beyond shared hosting, expect resource growth, and can administer Windows Server or have separately arranged support.
Avoid Hostwinds when: you need shared-hosting simplicity, fully managed database operations, or application-level troubleshooting. Confirm whether the displayed price is introductory, the renewal rate, and the total cost of Windows licensing.
5. Liquid Web: best premium managed Windows infrastructure
Liquid Web is the premium choice for businesses and agencies that value managed Windows operations, SQL Server support, and high-resource infrastructure over the lowest monthly price. Liquid Web lists Windows VPS plans starting at $147.05 per month on a two-year plan. The displayed entry example includes 4 vCPU cores, 4 GB RAM, 100 GB SSD storage, 10 TB bandwidth, Windows Server 2022, Plesk Obsidian, 50 GB of Acronis Cyber Backups, and DDoS protection. Liquid Web’s Windows Server hosting page contains the provider’s current plan and service claims.
| Displayed Liquid Web tier signal | Price on two-year plan | Displayed or stated platform details | Best fit |
|---|---|---|---|
| Entry Windows VPS | $147.05/month | 4 vCPU, 4 GB RAM, 100 GB SSD, 10 TB bandwidth, Windows Server 2022, Plesk, 50 GB Acronis backups, DDoS protection | Managed business application or agency deployment |
| Higher displayed tier | $184.45/month | Higher tier than the entry example; confirm current resources on the product page | Growing application with greater resource requirements |
| Higher displayed tier | $232.05/month | Higher tier than the entry example; confirm current resources on the product page | More demanding managed Windows workload |
Liquid Web states that its Windows platform supports Windows Server 2022 Standard and Datacenter and SQL Server 2022 Standard, Web, Express, and Enterprise. Liquid Web also states that its managed service includes 24/7/365 support, proactive monitoring, operating-system and software updates, migration assistance, and a 99.999% network and power uptime claim. The provider states a 30-minute hardware replacement SLA for applicable infrastructure.
Those uptime, monitoring, support, and hardware-SLA figures are provider claims, not independently measured performance results. Choose Liquid Web when: the application is business-critical, SQL-heavy, high-resource, or operated by a team that prefers infrastructure management and migration help.
Avoid Liquid Web when: you are hosting a personal site, a simple brochure site, or an application that runs comfortably on Linux. Liquid Web is in a fundamentally different price and service category from shared hosting.
What is the difference between shared Windows hosting and a Windows VPS?
Shared Windows hosting places multiple customers on a managed server with limited account-level control, while a Windows VPS gives the customer a more isolated virtual server and usually more administrative freedom.
| Requirement | Shared Windows hosting | Windows VPS |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Lowest-cost option | Higher monthly cost |
| Server administration | Minimal; provider manages the server | Customer responsibility varies by managed status |
| Resource isolation | Limited and shared | Greater allocation and isolation |
| Administrator or root-equivalent access | Usually unavailable | Usually available, subject to provider terms |
| Custom software and services | Restricted | More flexible |
| Traffic spikes | Limited by shared resources and policies | Easier to accommodate with adequate capacity |
| Best for | Small sites and basic applications | Business applications and growing workloads |
Choose shared hosting for a small ASP.NET site when the application fits the provider’s runtime, database, storage, and memory limits. Choose a VPS when you need RDP or administrator access, custom services, scheduled tasks, special IIS settings, more predictable resources, or a database that exceeds shared-plan limits.
What is the difference between an unmanaged and managed Windows VPS?
A managed Windows VPS typically adds operating-system updates, monitoring, backups, security assistance, migration help, and control-panel support, while an unmanaged VPS gives you more responsibility for patching, hardening, monitoring, recovery, and troubleshooting.
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Managed hosting does not automatically include application debugging. The provider may maintain Windows Server and supported infrastructure without fixing C# code, SQL queries, third-party packages, business logic, or application-specific errors. Ask for the exact boundary of managed support before assuming a support agent will repair the application.
AccuWeb’s published shared plan and Liquid Web’s published managed Windows VPS illustrate why hosting categories must remain separate: AccuWeb lists entry shared pricing of $3.49 per month on a 36-month term, while Liquid Web lists a managed Windows VPS entry price of $147.05 per month on a two-year plan. AccuWeb’s shared Windows specifications and Liquid Web’s managed Windows specifications are not equivalent products.
How do Windows and Linux hosting compare?
Windows hosting is the better platform when the application requires IIS, ASP.NET Framework, Classic ASP, Microsoft SQL Server, or Windows-specific enterprise integration; Linux is usually the simpler choice for PHP, WordPress, static sites, and most open-source CMS deployments.
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| Technology or requirement | Usually the better starting platform | Important qualification |
|---|---|---|
| ASP.NET Framework or Classic ASP | Windows | Verify framework version and IIS configuration |
| ASP.NET Core or modern .NET | Windows or Linux | Choose based on runtime, hosting model, deployment, and team operations |
| Microsoft SQL Server | Often Windows | Check edition, licensing, database size, and connection limits |
| WordPress | Usually Linux | WordPress can run on Windows, but Windows adds no automatic advantage |
| PHP with MySQL or MariaDB | Usually Linux | Windows is only justified by another dependency |
| Static HTML/CSS/JavaScript | Linux or platform-neutral | No Windows-specific server stack is normally needed |
How should you choose the right Windows hosting plan?
Choose the least expensive hosting category that satisfies the application’s runtime, database, resource, access, and recovery requirements—not simply the lowest advertised monthly price.
- Basic ASP.NET site: Start with shared Windows hosting, such as AccuWeb, if the application needs no administrator access and fits the published RAM, storage, database, and website limits.
- Several sites or a moderate application: Consider a Windows VPS from IONOS, InterServer, or Hostwinds when you need more resource control or custom configuration.
- SQL-heavy or business-critical application: Prefer a managed Windows VPS or cloud deployment, such as Liquid Web, when patching, backups, monitoring, migration, and support have operational value.
- High traffic or custom infrastructure: Evaluate a dedicated Windows server or a cloud architecture after sizing CPU, RAM, storage, database, redundancy, and recovery requirements.
- No Windows-specific dependency: Choose Linux hosting instead. A Windows laptop, Visual Studio familiarity, or a preference for Microsoft products does not by itself require Windows server hosting.
Check these technical details before ordering
- Target framework and exact .NET or .NET Core runtime.
- IIS version, application-pool mode, 32-bit requirements, URL Rewrite, and Web Deploy.
- SQL Server edition, version, database size, number of databases, remote connections, and restore process.
- RDP and administrator privileges, scheduled tasks, service installation, firewall rules, and reboot authority.
- RAM, CPU allocation, storage type, bandwidth policy, and the number of websites or application pools.
- Backup frequency, retention, off-server storage, restoration fees, and disaster-recovery options.
- Windows Server and Plesk licensing, dedicated IPs, additional storage, migration charges, and support tiers.
What costs do Windows hosting buyers often miss?
The real cost of Windows hosting is the first-term charge plus renewal pricing and required add-ons. Promotional prices can make a shared plan look inexpensive while hiding a long billing commitment or a substantially higher renewal rate.
| Cost item | What to verify | Why it matters |
|---|---|---|
| Introductory price | Term required and amount charged today | A low monthly equivalent may require 24 or 36 months upfront |
| Renewal price | Monthly and annual renewal after promotion | Renewal can materially change the long-term cost |
| Windows license | Included, separate, or variable by edition | VPS pricing is not comparable if one provider includes licensing and another does not |
| Plesk | Included edition and license cost | Control-panel features may differ by license tier |
| SQL Server | Edition, licensing, database limits, and connections | SQL Server availability does not mean every edition or feature is included |
| Backups | Frequency, retention, storage location, and restore fee | A backup that cannot be restored affordably is a weak recovery plan |
| Migration and support | Included assistance and application-support boundary | Infrastructure migration is not the same as debugging application code |
| Scaling | Upgrade method and charges for CPU, RAM, storage, and bandwidth | Some upgrades require migration or a larger plan rather than an instant change |
For example, AccuWeb lists $3.49, $8.99, and $13.99 monthly equivalents only on 36-month terms, with listed monthly renewal prices of $6.99, $17.99, and $27.99. Compare the amount charged at signup, the first-term total, and the renewal total before deciding that the lowest number is the cheapest option.
What can go wrong after choosing Windows hosting?
The application requires a runtime the plan does not provide
A provider may advertise ASP.NET support while excluding the exact .NET Framework, .NET, or ASP.NET Core runtime required by the application. Confirm the target framework, IIS integration, hosting model, and runtime lifecycle before purchase.
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The shared plan is too small for SQL Server
SQL Server workloads can need considerably more memory and CPU than a static site. Database count and size limits, concurrent connections, backups, and restore procedures matter as much as the presence of an MSSQL icon in the feature list.
The legacy application depends on Windows components
Before migrating a legacy application, inventory the .NET Framework version, IIS settings, application-pool mode, 32-bit dependencies, COM components, ODBC or OLE DB drivers, file-system permissions, scheduled tasks, SMTP behavior, SQL Server compatibility, Windows authentication, and URL Rewrite rules.
The buyer needs administrator access but chose shared hosting
Shared Windows hosting normally does not provide the same control as a VPS. Verify RDP, administrator privileges, scheduled tasks, service installation, firewall rules, and reboot authority before selecting a plan.
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- This USB drive provides plug and play simplicity with the included 18 inch USB 3.0 cable
- The available storage capacity may vary.
The buyer mistakes provider guarantees for measured results
Claims such as 99.9% or 99.999% uptime, 24/7 support, instant scaling, proactive monitoring, and hardware replacement times should be attributed to the provider unless independent testing supports them. Liquid Web’s uptime and hardware-SLA statements are provider claims, not results measured by this review.
Is Azure App Service a better alternative?
Azure App Service is worth considering when a team wants a managed Microsoft platform for ASP.NET applications rather than conventional shared hosting or a manually administered Windows VPS. Microsoft presents Azure as an ASP.NET hosting option with managed deployment and cloud-oriented scaling capabilities. Microsoft’s ASP.NET hosting resources provide the relevant platform context.
Azure is usually a poor fit for buyers seeking a simple fixed-price hosting account. Azure cost depends on the App Service tier, region, instance count, storage, database, bandwidth, and add-ons, so do not compare an Azure architecture directly with a shared-hosting sticker price without normalizing the design and expected usage.
Final recommendations
Choose AccuWeb Hosting for the best shared Windows value when a small ASP.NET or SQL-backed site fits fixed shared-plan limits. Choose IONOS for the strongest budget Windows VPS value candidate after verifying country-specific pricing and licensing. Choose Hostwinds when resource growth and VPS scalability are central. Choose InterServer as a conventional VPS alternative after checking its current Windows plan details. Choose Liquid Web when managed operations, SQL Server support, migration help, monitoring, and higher resources justify a premium price.
If the application is WordPress, PHP, static HTML, or ordinary JavaScript without a Windows-specific dependency, choose Linux hosting instead. The best Windows web host is the one that matches the application and operational burden; it is not necessarily the provider with the lowest advertised monthly number.
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Does a Windows laptop require Windows web hosting?
No. A customer’s laptop operating system does not determine the server operating system. Windows web hosting is needed because of the application stack—such as IIS, ASP.NET, Classic ASP, Microsoft SQL Server, or Windows-specific services—not because the customer uses Windows on a personal computer.
Is Windows hosting better than Linux hosting for WordPress?
Usually no. WordPress can run on Windows/Plesk or Linux/cPanel, but WordPress, PHP, MySQL, and MariaDB sites generally have no Windows-specific requirement and are usually simpler on Linux hosting.
What is the cheapest Windows hosting option in this comparison?
AccuWeb’s published entry shared Windows plan has a $3.49-per-month introductory equivalent when paid for 36 months, with a listed monthly renewal price of $6.99. The price is promotional and term-dependent, so compare the upfront first-term charge and renewal cost.
When should a website move from shared Windows hosting to a VPS?
Move to a Windows VPS when the application needs administrator or RDP access, custom services, scheduled tasks, special IIS settings, more predictable resources, or database capacity beyond shared-plan limits. A VPS also requires more administration unless the VPS is managed.
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1Scan for outdated or missing drivers - takes under a minute2Repair Windows errors before they cause bigger problems3Fix the driver behind crashes, sound loss and screen glitchesDoes managed Windows hosting include fixing ASP.NET code?
Not necessarily. Managed Windows hosting commonly covers infrastructure tasks such as operating-system updates, monitoring, backups, and supported control-panel services, but application debugging, SQL query fixes, third-party libraries, and business logic may remain the customer’s responsibility.
The Bottom Line
Bottom line: AccuWeb is the best fit for affordable shared Windows hosting; IONOS is the leading budget VPS candidate; Hostwinds is the scalability pick; InterServer is a practical VPS alternative; and Liquid Web is the premium managed choice. First confirm that your application truly needs Windows, then compare runtime support, RAM, SQL Server limits, access, backups, management, licensing, and renewal cost.
Quick Recap
Product prices and availability are accurate as of the date/time indicated and are subject to change. Any price and availability information displayed on Amazon at the time of purchase will apply.
