From shared hosting to dedicated servers, the best Linux web hosting offers plans tailored to accommodate all experience levels and varying levels of hosting resources.
Many hosting providers will leave OSs out of feature lists or comparison tables, leaving users stranded without this information. While for many novices this won't be an issue, those with more experience and technical knowledge will want to take advantage of specific Linux-specific hosting features.
An advantage of the best Linux web hosting for these users is that you can have more control over your server, such as allowing you to port over a preferred Linux distribution or control panel. New Linux features and distributions appear all the time, such as Amazon's Linux 2023.
Most Linux hosting providers can accommodate requests and often include advanced extras like firewalls, private DNS, mail servers, and high-quality technical support.
We've thoroughly tested the top Linux hosting providers. Below, we've outlined the best Linux web hosting services available, comparing each across their level of included features, pricing, performance, and much more.
The top 3 Linux web hosting services right now
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The best Linux web hosting services of 2023 in full
InMotion Hosting is widely known as a reliable Linux web host, offering top-end packages that give users ultimate control over sites. Its shared hosting is packed with features ideal for novices, including regular backups, free website migration, and a website builder.
Technical users are very well-catered for too, with plans that include support for PostgreSQL and MySQL databases, Ruby, Perl, PHP 7, Python, and SSH (secure shell protocol) access. But this is just the tip of the iceberg.
For example, as well as having PrestaShop, WordPress, and Joomla pre-installation options, you also get WP-CLI, enabling you to manage numerous WordPress installations via the command line. And all of this comes at a very reasonable price: InMotion’s plans start at just $2.29 a month on a three-year plan.
The more powerful upgrades are just as reasonably priced—you can get optional self-managed cloud VPS hosting from $4.99 a month for year one. This plan enables you to choose your OS and firewall and then install, configure, and optimize the server in any way you like.
We were pleased to find that even its managed VPS hosting provided users with root access, enabling a good degree of low-level control. You have a choice of OSs, including CentOS, Debian, or Ubuntu, and if you come across any problems during the setup phase, InMotion’s Launch Assist gives you a two-hour time slot with qualified tech support to help you iron out any issues.
Read our detailed InMotion Hosting review.
SiteGround takes advanced technical support up a notch. If you don’t find what you’re looking for in its standard products, the company can build you a custom solution. Its website lists a range of the technologies it can support on its platform, including smart Linux containers, bespoke private clouds, database replication, and advanced technical knowledge of MySQL, PHP, WordPress, Drupal, Apache, Nginx, MongoDB, ElasticSearch, Redis, Memcached, Solr, and others.
Of course, home users can’t expect this degree of support, but SiteGround's shared hosting plan has a lot going for it too, with cPanel and SSH access, free Let's Encrypt SSLs, unlimited emails and databases, Cloudflare integration, HTTP/2-enabled servers, daily backups, and open-all-hours support via phone, live chat, and a ticket system. All this comes at a cost of just $1.99 a month plus tax for year one, then $14.99 afterward.
SiteGround’s cloud hosting includes a well-defined CentOS system, PostgreSQL, MySQL 5, 5 PHP versions, Apache, Nginx, HHVM, an Exim mail server, a private DNS setup, and iptables firewall. Everything is pre-installed and managed for your convenience. These packages begin at $100 a month plus tax.
If you decide a dedicated server would best serve your needs, you’ll get some serious extras, including Nginx-based cache options for WordPress, Memcached, and HHVM to boost performance, along with Git integration.
Even though many of these features may be surplus to requirements, they do give users a good indication of the level of technical expertise SiteGround can offer. So for a Linux-based site that you hope to scale up, this provider definitely has the right tools for the task.
Read our full SiteGround review.
With Hostwinds' unmanaged VPS plans, you are given total control over your hosting. You can take your pick from a wide range of OSs, including openSUSE, CentOS, Ubuntu, Fedora, and Debian. What’s more, it’s possible for you to set up and configure your chosen OS in any way you choose and tweak your backup system.
It’s important to remember that deciding on an unmanaged package will require you to be more responsible for it—it won’t be the responsibility of your hosting provider. For example, if you stumble across a hard-to-solve software issue it’s you who will have to find a way to fix it. Still, experienced Linux users shouldn’t find this too intimidating.
But even with these advanced features, many components of Hostwinds' plans are still fairly straightforward and simple to use. For example, site management is conducted through cPanel, while WordPress and other installs are automated via Softaculous. You’ll also find one-click Nextcloud install, and more.
In our testing, we found the Hostwinds knowledge base often had broken links and some of the included features are quite limited. For instance, the included Weebly website builder is limited to 500MB of storage space.
Managed Linux VPS plans start at $8.24 a month for 1GB RAM, one CPU core, 30GB disk space, and 1TB traffic, and go all the way up to $395.24 for 96GB RAM, 16 cores, 750GB disk space, and 9TB traffic.
In contrast, HostWinds' unmanaged packages start at $4.99 and go as high as $328.99 a month. Hostwinds also offers rolling contracts, so you can try the service for a month and change it if you're not satisfied.
Read our comprehensive Hostwinds review.
Liquid Web has a proven track record in providing flexible VPS and dedicated servers, and it’s this flexibility that attracts many technical users. Liquid Web creates bespoke solutions, enabling users to have advanced low-level control over their server.
For example, you don’t just have a single version of CentOS. Instead, you can opt for CentOS 6 (with CloudLinux if you want it), CentOS 7 (with either cPanel or Plesk), Ubuntu 16.04 and 18.04, Debian 8, 9, and 10, and Fedora 30. You can choose from a mix of self-managed, core-managed, and fully managed plans too.
You’ll find you have even more control over other extras. For example, instead of a regular backup strategy, Liquid Web enables you to choose the number of daily backups you'd like to do, or fit as many backups as possible into a disk space the size of which is up to you to determine. For this feature, you’ll pay a nominal $0.08 per GB a month for the space required.
Liquid Web provides round-the-clock support, and the team is very quick to respond to any issues you may encounter. If there’s a hardware failure, the provider guarantees it will be dealt with and replaced within half an hour of the issue being identified.
These claims are underpinned by a comprehensive service level agreement. One clause states that if the company doesn't respond to your ticket within 30 minutes, you'll be credited 10 times the amount by which the deadline was missed. You’ll also find other clauses covering things like network, electricity outages, and more.
Read our full Liquid Web review.
OVHCloud is a cloud provider with a wide range of products from bare metal servers and dedicated servers to public and private cloud solutions. It offers several virtual private server options that start from just $4.20 a month for a server with a sing vCore, 2GB of RAM, a 20GB SSD SATA drive, and a 100 Mbps unmetered connection.
OVHCloud offers a further four VPS plans with increasing power. Choosing a VPS from OVHCloud offers you more flexibility than if you were to choose a Linux shared hosting plan from another provider. You get root (administrator) access to your virtual server and support for Fedora, Ubuntu, and even Windows Server. OVHCloud also offers a 99.9% uptime service level agreement.
Several of OVHCloud's features cost extra, including automated backups, additional disks, cPanel, and Plesk. But with a VPS server, you have the versatility to do things like run a Minecraft server, host a multisite WordPress setup, or test web applications in a flexible virtual sandbox environment.
| Web hosting service | Entry level price | Bandwidth | Storage |
|---|---|---|---|
| InMotion Hosting | $2.29 a month | Unmetered | 100GB |
| SiteGround | $1.99 a month | Unmetered | 10GB |
| Hostwinds | $4.99 a month | 1TB | 0GB |
| Liquid Web | $25 a month | 10TB | 40GB |
| OVHCloud | $4.20 a month | Unmetered | 20GB |
Linux web hosting FAQs
What is Linux web hosting?
Linux web hosting refers to a web hosting service that utilizes a Linux operating system to run and manage websites and web applications. Linux, being an open-source operating system, is highly popular and widely used in the web hosting industry due to its stability, security, and flexibility. With Linux web hosting, websites are hosted on servers that run on Linux distributions such as Ubuntu, CentOS, or Debian.
What are the advantages of Linux web hosting?
One of the key advantages of Linux web hosting is its compatibility with various web technologies and programming languages. It supports popular scripting languages like PHP, Perl, and Python, making it an ideal choice for developers who work with these languages. Linux hosting seamlessly integrates with commonly used databases such as MySQL, PostgreSQL, and MariaDB, enabling efficient storage and retrieval of website data.
Linux web hosting also offers a wide range of software options and control panels, including cPanel and Plesk, which simplify website management tasks. These control panels provide user-friendly interfaces for managing domains, email accounts, databases, and file storage. They also offer one-click installation of popular content management systems (CMS) like WordPress, Joomla, and Drupal, allowing users to easily set up and manage their websites.
Another notable feature of Linux web hosting is its robust security. Linux has a reputation for being highly secure, largely due to its rigorous permission system, constant community-driven updates, and extensive access control mechanisms. The open-source nature of Linux enables a large community of developers to identify and address security vulnerabilities promptly.
Furthermore, Linux web hosting often offers cost-effective solutions as the Linux operating system is free and open-source. This results in lower licensing costs for web hosting providers, which can translate into more affordable hosting plans for users. Additionally, Linux's efficiency and stability contribute to optimal server performance, ensuring reliable website uptime and fast loading speeds.
How to choose the best Linux web hosting for you
Most providers offer Linux hosting, but usually, unless you opt for a dedicated server, you’ll find that your plan is managed totally by the company. This means your provider will set up, manage, and service the OS and all the other corresponding features for you.
Look for ease of use. For first-time users, this is a good option, but more technical users might want to have a little more control and get frustrated by the lack of flexibility. Almost every provider aiming to offer the best Linux web hosting will promise top-end technical support. What is hard for users to do is determine which provider is genuine, and which is simply talking the talk.
The best Linux hosting providers offer easy scalability when your site grows. A good way to figure out whether the provider you’re interested in really can deliver on this promise is to do a little research into its most advanced package. Standard plans won’t provide you with the level of support that a pro package will, but it’s very helpful to know what’s on offer should you need it.
Find a provider that offers the features you need. One of the appealing things about Linux hosting is the amount of control you can have over the separate components that make up your package. But this isn’t something you can expect from every provider. In most cases, you’ll find that you are offered a default OS like CentOS and cPanel as standard, with no other options.
First-timers might struggle to choose their initial Linux hosting plan, as the range of features and optional extras can be a little overwhelming. One way to test the waters is to sign up with a provider that’s both flexible and affordable.
How we review the best Linux web hosting
When reviewing any web host, including those that rank among the best Linux web hosting services, we follow a set of steps to better judge providers.
First of all, we build a test site, either via the provider itself or with a separate platform, should the host not offer a built-in builder. Once this site is ready, we trial response times and uptimes for it with the host over two weeks. Both are key indicators of site performance, as you can lose custom and revenue should your site be unresponsive or persistently offline.
Beyond this, we test interfaces, specific features, and top tools to see both how the host's offerings add up, and to identify what difficulty level it stands at between easy-to-use to complex. We also test ease of use when setting up or importing an SSL certificate, and explore other security features on offer. This last point is important when it comes to Linux, as users will expect high-quality security.
For long-term site stability, users must establish the level of support and competence a provider will offer should an issue arise. We test the responsiveness of customer support and service, to see how quickly they respond to customer requests, and to outline how knowledgeable and reliable they are.
With web hosting packages well-known for their confusing and opaque pricing, we examine pricing plans in-depth, so that we can summarize them for you, and warn whether monthly costs might increase after the cheaper initial period.
See our testing methodology page for more information.
Next steps with web hosting
Make sure you check out our other specific buying guides for web hosting if you're looking for a particular type of hosting for your website. For more advanced sites and business-level hosting, have a look at the best VPS hosting, the best cloud hosting, and the best unlimited hosting you can find today.
Those with WordPress sites should look into the best WordPress hosting. If you're searching for hosting on a tight budget, our guides to the best free web hosting and the best web hosting for cheap may be helpful, though it's worth noting that we don't recommend free web hosting for business websites.
