The Best VPS? Linode vs. VULTR vs. DigitalOcean

Best Virtual Private ServerSo, you’re just getting your online business off the starting blocks, and all indications are that you are destined for greatness. What do you do to beat your competition at their own game?

No matter how small you start, just like having the best computer support, investing in the best VPS is probably one of the wisest choices you can ever make.

A virtual private server means your website will have all the power needed to accommodate your growing traffic. Likewise, if you are a developer, this additional flexibility could be all you need to get your apps ahead of the pack.

The deal gets even sweeter if you are operating an e-commerce website and are yearning for a higher level of customization. Whichever way you look at it, you can never go wrong with taking the VPS route.

However, to be the best, you need to work with the best. That said; let’s compare Linode, Vultr, and DigitalOcean VPS platforms – who offers the best deals in town?

Time to find out.

Reference for this article: VULTR Review And Comparison: Best VPS Platforms

The Best VPS

Numbers don’t lie, and that’s why any comparison pitting the three VPS platforms should always take this important fact into account. Each of the three providers has an 8GB package and, therefore, we will use it as our baseline.

Linode runs on a 4-core CPU and offers a 96GB SSD with a transfer of 4TB at just $40 per month. In our Vultr review, on the other hand, gives 100GB SSD with 4TB transfer and only as Linode runs on a 4-core CPU. The Vultr package costs $40 per month which is the same as Linode. On its part, Digital Ocean offers an 80GB SSD with a transfer of 5TB at $80 per month while still running a 4-core CPU.

To sum it up, Digital Ocean offers an upper hand in data transfer. However, you will have to dig deeper into your pockets to pay for its higher monthly charge. Linode and Vultr offer an almost similar package but Vultr seems to provide a slight advantage through its 100GB SSD. That gives you an extra 4GB SSD to leverage on. The CPU core offered across the board is 4-core which is pretty decent.

Operating Systems

All VPS platforms are based on Ubuntu 16.04 LTS x64. As you might be aware, this version of Ubuntu is guaranteed support from Canonical covering at least five years after the release date. Since 16.04 LTS x64 was released in April 2016, that means you will continue to enjoy a stable platform for deploying your systems while still receiving critical bug fixes and security updates until April of 2021. Once again that’s a reasonably good deal offered across the board.

Features and Usability

The three offer hourly billing and none of them provides DDOS protection. As far as backups are concerned, Vultr seems like the only one containing this essential feature for now. All the VPS platforms have built-in control panels. The Vultr control panel, however, tops the charts with its simplified design which allows you to track essential metrics such as CPU usage, disk operations, and network on a one-stop page. The Digital Ocean console comes in second place thanks to its ease of use and a wide variety of data ranging from bandwidth, CPU performance, and disk capacity. However, the Linode control panel looks a little crowded although it still provides a plentiful supply of easy-to-digest data as well.

Customer Support

Customer support remains one of the critical aspects of good virtual private server hosting. Irrespective of your level of exposure in this field, you will need a supportive team standing by that are committed to providing excellent service during tough times. As far as this issue is concerned, Linode tech support seems to get better reviews. It is worth noting that Linode offers secured SSH access (by default_ in addition to the usual support. The other two providers still have some ground to cover to become the best VPS in customer support.

DDOS Protection

None of the three offers DDOS protection. From a technical standpoint, lack of DDOS support leaves one vulnerable to abuse by malicious individuals who may impose an overwhelming surge of traffic thereby keeping the connection fully saturated. This would mean that some of the legitimate traffic trying to make its way onto your website might be inconvenienced.

Flexibility

All three VPS platforms use KVM virtualization. This virtualization solution is quite flexible because it offers built-in structures for virtualization in addition to process-specific modules. That means you can run different virtual machines concurrently as each computer has private hardware including a network card, disk, and graphics adapter. Indeed, KVM is less expensive to run as compared to other solutions available on the market. Examining the three options, though, Vultr comes out tops as it offers a vast raft of options ranging from custom to roll your ISOs.

Stability

Stability has everything to do with uptime versus downtime. The last VPS you want to invest in is one that gets frequently interrupted creating cycles of downtime. Remember, speed is critical in all online business engagements and, therefore, you don’t want to waste an extra second waiting for a provider to get their act together.

1. Linode Uptime/Downtime Review

Linode continues to attract favorable ratings as far as this factor is concerned. The platform guarantees 99.9% uptime – which is pretty much up to the industry standard. Should you experience significant downtime on Linode, then the company will provide you with pro-rata credit.

2. Vultr Uptime/Downtime Review

On paper, Vultr promises 99.95% uptime, however, in reality, there are quite some issues here. The provider experiences periodical downtime, typically once every 60 days or thereabouts. Without mincing our words, Vultr has some catching up to do here if it wants to join the big boy league.

3. DigitalOcean Uptime/Downtime Review

DigitalOcean offers rapid provisioning and good scalability. The company comes across as one of the most reliable providers available out there in the world. They claim to offer 99.99 percent uptime with any lost time being compensated for at an hourly rate. In short, as far as stability is concerned, DigitalOcean’s game is second to none.

The Verdict: Which Is The Best Virtual Private Server?

Of course, this is by no means an exhaustive list of features that one can compare while reviewing the best VPS platforms.

However, from this brief analysis, it is possible to see that Vultr is growing so fast, but like any other upcoming company, there are always a couple of teething problems to worry about. DigitalOcean is quite advanced technology-wise though we feel they need to offer more flexibility to remain relevant. Linode stands out with its ability to offer robust services, reasonable pricing, excellent customer service, and above-average network speed.

The bottom line is they are all good!

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