# The Good VPS Provider thread



## drmike (Dec 28, 2013)

Want to create a little area / thread here for VPS providers who recently have stood out to customers.


Is there a VPS company that went above and beyond? Helped you in a pinch? Provided services that work and work?


Tell us about them.


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## GIANT_CRAB (Dec 28, 2013)

I see Tactical VPS, Terafire, RAMNode, BuyVM and ServerDragon often mentioned.

Czech the reviews, but nothing really very very outstanding(beyond expectations).


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## darknessends (Dec 28, 2013)

These I have been using personally ->

CatalystHost ( Expensive, Higher Margins but Very solid, They give a real shit about tickets and servers )

Prometeus / IPERWEB / IWStack / XenPower ( Very dependable )

RamHost.us ( Very professional and good servers )

StyleXNetworks ( Happy with everything  )

Others I have heard good are :-

RamNode

INIZ

DrServer


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## Hxxx (Dec 28, 2013)

Just being curious ...

When you say "real shit about tickets and servers", is that in the good sense or in the old sarcastic negative expression?


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## k0nsl (Dec 28, 2013)

The most dependable, helpful and with a really snappy system was:


RoseHosting


I cancelled it after about 100 days which is also the number of days it had been powered on, without any issues whatever. The reason for cancelling was that I didn't need the VPS, so why hold up resources? And I also merely signed up for the account to test their service, and they passed my tests (unfortunately I didn't document my tests).


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## tonyg (Dec 28, 2013)

RamNode.com

BuyVM.net

DigitalOcean.com

hostigation.com


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## tonyg (Dec 29, 2013)

k0nsl said:


> The most dependable, helpful and with a really snappy system was:
> 
> 
> RoseHosting
> ...


Sorry to be an a** but:

The "most dependable" implies there is a comparison somewhere...between which brands?

Which tests did you run? Were they speed benchmarks, compatibility testing?

I am not saying your comments are not legit, just that they sound like a commercial.


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## DomainBop (Dec 29, 2013)

k0nsl said:


> The most dependable, helpful and with a really snappy system was:
> 
> 
> RoseHosting


The oldest VPS provider on the planet. They were the first provider to offer virtual servers in 2001.  I used them for awhile in 2002.  The "nodes" they were using then were Pentium 111 933 Mhz/1GHz with 1.5GB RAM.   The RAM was shared between all the virtual servers on the node.  Virtualization was Linux vServer(?)


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## k0nsl (Dec 29, 2013)

No, I'm sorry — there's no available comparisons as with regard other brands, none done by me. I know of no other such comparisons either.

I did unfortunately not save my speed benchmarks, nor the performance tests of the VPS. I will always save my results in the future and post them somewhere  

And you're probably right, the post might have come across as a little cheesy...I agree. However, I was very happy with that company so maybe I sound like an infatuated little girl sometimes, coupled with somebody trying to sell you something. I apologize for it  

Honestly though, a very good company, at least they were to me. That's all.



tonyg said:


> Sorry to be an a** but:
> 
> The "most dependable" implies there is a comparison somewhere...between which brands?
> 
> ...


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## MannDude (Dec 29, 2013)

In no particular order:

TortoiseLabs, AnyNode, RamNode, NinjaHawk, BuyVM, DigitalOcean, SecureDragon and so far Hostigation has been -great-.


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## HalfEatenPie (Dec 29, 2013)

I'm also going to add NodeDeploy, MaximumVPS, IPXCore, and OneAsiaHost to this list. Loved NodeDeploy when I had a VM with them (7/month 2GB KVM, was AWESOME). MaximumVPS was perfect for my needs while I had it and Hexxis is an awesome dude. Damian is one awesome fellow and the rest of the team at IPXCore can't be beat! Great uptime, great network (especially for Asia), and mostly it's a no-bullshit ship. Kenshin from OneAsiaHost is a reasonable fantastic guy, and my service with them was great when I had it (I had it to move files from one location to another and to make it easier for me to access it in Asia).

I already have services with most of the providers already mentioned:

- RamNode (Awesome)

- Hostigation (Awesome)

- TortoiseLabs (Awesome)

- Prometeus (Uncle is Awesome)

- SecureDragon (Hosts my main monitoring system and hasn't let me down)

- BuyVM (I bother Aldryic)

- DigitalOcean (Free credits ain't bad)

- CorgiTech (I have a Windows VM with them, runs pretty well for it's purposes)


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## wlanboy (Dec 29, 2013)

So let's start (alphabetical order):


*AnyNode*
Friendly support and good services.
I honor their guts to move from Chicago to Detroit.
Service itself is really good.
The network (123.NET) provides a really good mix and does have good connections to EU too.
 
*BlueVM*
Support is a mixed bag - depends on who fetched the ticket.
They might have (today) a bad customer/support stuff ratio.
Their services are good (for what I am paying) but currently Buffalo and LA might be a little oversold.
Not talking about the crappy (for EU customers) network in Buffalo.
But BlueVM does have two big plus points (reasons) why I am still customer:
a) The Swizz location - really good routing / really good performance
b) Feathur - rolling out a new control panel and a new location - congrats for these moves.
 
*BuyVM*
Friendly support - as long as they do have enough liquor.
Just kidding - but on some days you simply have to be able to deal with Aldryic.
Service is top notch. I can say this because they moved out of Buffalo.
Same as with BlueVM. Uptime was perfect in Buffalo but the network...
 
*CatalystHost*
Very friendly support. Ryan's mixture of kindliness and helpfulness is something I never met before (at this level).
Service itself is top notch. Incero network is beyond any compare (really good connection to EU).
Even the OpenVZ nodes feel undersold.
No drama, no downtime - I tried hard but I cannot say anything bad about them.
 
*DotVPS*
Friendly support. If he is running a promo you might have to wait some time for a response but on every other day Jack is like Ryan one of the "we don't need sleep" guys.
Jack knows how to handle the low end market and his location in Maidenhead, UK does have a good network connection around europe (Rapidswitch).
Best provider in UK so far - and I tried about 5.
 
*RamNode*
Friendly support. Sometimes I am able to feel the stress level of each support guy. The growth pains are visible but they somehow manage to handle their success.
Yup they got hacked, they got ddosed and they might have quite a lot of people who go green with envy.
But there service is top notch.
Atlanta is still the best US location (network). Seattle did have a lot of network problems but is now (after the last upgrade) good.
As a EU customer my love goes right to their NL location. I still can't believe that they are able to provide the same service (at the same cost) through out their three locations.
Best provider in NL so far - and I do not need to try anyone else.
 
*SecureDragon*
Friendly support. Their response times are fast and the knowledge level is decent.
They changed some packages (mostly cut the bandwith). Not that kind move but they told me that noone is using the whole bandwith.
I can only talk about their Tampa location - but there is a reason why their customers do not use "the whole bandwith allocation".
The service itself is a mixed bag. Uptime is good but the vps feels not that snappy.
E.g.: 4 seconds for a ssh login until the console appears (tested on two different nodes today).
That would be ok if their network did not spiral downward too.
US connections are ok but the throughput to EU is bad.
 
*TacticalVPS*
Last but not least Tactical VPS.
Their support is good and they do have a open minded way to handle everything - even problems.
First provider ever to ask their customers if a location should be upgraded to SSD or not.
The service is really good.
Jacksonville with GO RACK will be a reason why I will move out of Tampa. It does have a good connection to the EU.
Los Angeles with WEB NX does have a decent connection to Asia. There were some network problems in LA (mostly by abusers) but now LA is as solid as Jacksonville.
Dallas (Cloudshards) uptime is the best of all three locations. The network could be better for EU customers but it is ok for the US. Cloudshards promised some network upgrade - we will see how this will improve the throughput to the EU.
For me the newcomer of the year.


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## WelltodoInformalCattle (Dec 29, 2013)

Ramnode: I'm surprised they haven't barred me for asking so many stupid questions and being incredibly lazy in settling invoices. 

Afterburst/FanaticalVPS: Went above and beyond in being willing to help me fix some of the mistakes I committed when I knew close to nothing in being able to manage my own server.


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## TheLinuxBug (Dec 29, 2013)

*My Personal Top 13 VPS Providers Based on Reliability and Quality of Service:*


*Evorack* (UK) (XEN) (Native IPV6) - 07:53:09 up *564 days*, 22:18, 42 users,  load average: 0.00, 0.00, 0.00

Had a few hick-ups with networking in the past few months, mostly with ipv6, but Jonny has always been quick to resolve any issues and it has by far been one of my best servers I have had for a while now. *This server just works and damn well at that.*  Evorack is one of my most  highly recommended VPS hosts.
 
*Newhost.ro* (RO) (openVZ) - 15:55:52 up *116 days*, 20:44,  1 user,  load average: 0.00, 0.00, 0.00

Uptime is only 116 days but every node reboot has been announced and has not exceeded the down time  provided in the maintenance announcements.  It just works.  *I have been with them for almost 4 years now and is easily one of the most reliable OpenVZ provider I have done business with.*
 
*BHost* (UK) (OpenVZ) -  07:56:55 up 58 days, 12:57,  1 user,  load average: 0.00, 0.02, 0.00

Prior to an announced reboot, the server had over a year of uptime.  I understand that recently support has not been very fast to respond and some people were having issues, however, *I have had my server with them now for almost 4 years and it has been one of the most reliable servers I have had to date.*  As long as you don't need a lot of hand holding with your product from them (support), the cost, bandwidth allocation and overall quality of the service is excellent. 
 
*Torqhost* (EE) (OpenVZ) - 16:00:52 up *137 days*, 22:46,  1 user,  load average: 0.00, 0.00, 0.00

*This server just works.* Every once in a while there are some network hiccups, but they are usually mitigated quite quickly.  I have never had to use support since the second day I have had the server. For being in Estonia, this is a great, reliable server.  Would be nice if they had native ipv6 (would be icing on the cake) but other than that the service has been outstanding.
 
*Ramnode* (US/ATL) (KVM) - 05:57:03 up *269 days*,  3:51,  1 user,  load average: 0.00, 0.00, 0.00

Not sure I even need to say anything about this one.  @Nick_A has always been great to work with, the service is stable, the network is stable.  *Has one of the best uptimes that I have for any of my servers*. Ramnode is a great host that *you can rely on for your production needs*, I have never had any issues so far that I have needed support for besides during the initial setup of the service and the support reply was quick.
 
*Serverastra* (HU) (KVM) (Native IPV6) - 08:10:09 up 60 days, 13:35,  1 user,  load average: 0.00, 0.00, 0.00

The service has been pretty stable.  For being a provider in Hungary they have their stuff together.  *Native ipv6, fast hardware, decent routes*. Prior to the 60 day uptime I had more than 100 days and the reboot was announced. Their support is quick and friendly, any issues I have had have always been addressed within 1-2 hours max, if not more quickly.  
 
*SecureDragon* (US/FL) (XEN) (KVM) (Native IPV6) - 08:14:29 up 40 days,  7:53,  1 user,  load average: 0.00, 0.00, 0.00

I started out with a Xen server with Secure Dragon, it was also one of the more stable servers I had used with almost a year of uptime before the decided to discontinue their Xen offerings in favor of KVM.  The KVM which I moved to a few months ago has been quite stable and performs well, and the only reboot I have needed was one for announced maintenance. *Ticket replies are always timely and support is friendly*.  Kujoe usually goes out of his way to make sure his customers are happy. Have had services with SecureDragon for more than 2 years.
 
*OpenITC* (US/LA) (XEN) -  13:20:00 up *293 days*, 14:49,  1 user,  load average: 0.00, 0.01, 0.05

Another host that just works and never says die.  I got service with them 293 days ago and the server has been up since.  I think I needed to put in maybe 2 tickets in my time with them and both times have had replies withing the hour.  *These guys care about their customers and have a well organized staff and work ethic when it comes to their services*.  The fact I can't think of a single bad thing to say about my services with them should in its self speak volumes for the quality of their services. Also, they are one of the few hosts that provided more than 1 ipv4 with their server at no extra cost.
 
*Fliphost* (US/NJ) (OpenVZ) (Native IPV6) -  17:22:08 up *328 days*, 13:34,  1 user,  load average: 0.02, 0.01, 0.08

Bought services with them about a year ago and I think there has only been 1 restart (announced).  Uptime has been great on the server and it has been *dependable as a back-up server* (which is what I purchased the instance for). Every once in a while you may get some lag when others are restoring or backing up to the server (likely getting close to maxing the nodes bandwidth), but I have never found the server unresponsive.  *I don't believe I have ever had to put in a ticket, the service has been great since day 1.*
 
*MiniVPS* (UK) (OpenVZ) -  16:30:22 up 22 days,  4:17,  1 user,  load average: 0.00, 0.00, 0.00

Had a reboot recently for kernel upgrade but before that the servers uptime was almost a year.  I have had this yearly plan with MiniVPS going on 3 years now.  *The staff is respectful and quick to respond to any inquiries.*  They have also been kind enough to work with me on billing when I needed an extra week.  For being a small yearly instance it has been a reliable server.  On occasion there may be some network issues (DDOS?) but they are usually resolved quickly (with-in a half hour of the issue).  Native IPV6 would be the only improvement I could ask for, besides that, services have been great. 
 
*VPS Networks* (ZA) (XEN)  - 13:32:42 up 78 days,  6:50,  1 user,  load average: 0.00, 0.00, 0.00

The uptime on the services have been great for a small instance in South Africa.  I have had service for about a year and the only reason my uptime isn't better is because I was late on payment one month and they suspended the server (which was in their right) but up until then I had enjoyed really nice uptime (likely more than 120 days). Now, I didn't purchase this instance for anything bandwidth intensive, as its only 10 Mbit and you only get 10 Gb of  transfer a month, but for my uses doing ping tests and running a small irc bouncer, the server has been quite reliable.   I don't think I have ever seen a network outage on the server yet.  *I had to mention these guys because for being a small operation in South Africa they put out a quality service.*
 
*Edis* (CH) (SE) (KVM) (Native IPV6) -

*Switzerland*: 08:03:45 up 7 days, 19:22,  1 user,  load average: 0.00, 0.00, 0.00

The Switzerland location had been quite stable until recently.  More recently the node has been rebooted several times without notice and experienced a  few outages from DDOS.  I am going to chock it up to their recent sales and some abusers making their way on.  Hopefully this gets cleaned up.  However, when it is working as it should, the service is great, never have any slow downs on the hardware.

*Sweden*:  08:04:18 up *142 days*, 14:10,  1 user,  load average: 0.00, 0.00, 0.00

For those of you already wondering why after stating my issues with Switzerland why they still make my top 12, well, as per their Sweden location, it has been a very reliable server.  I switched from Spain to Sweden 142 days ago and the server has been online since.  This is only one of their smallest instances, so with only 1Gb of hard drive not a lot more that it can be used for besides VPN / Small Static Sites and a few other similar activities, but it has been a great and stable service.
 
*BostonVPS* (US/MA) (VMware) - 08:30:11 up *593 days*, 22:46,  1 user,  load average: 0.00, 0.00, 0.00

I just had to add this server to my list.  I had almost forgotten about it.  I got this server originally from the parent brand Axcelx which was listed on LET/LEB for a short period.  However, I do not think the offer VPS at the low end price range any longer.  I have had this server for almost 2 years and it has _*NEVER*_ been restarted.  Ever since I originally setup the server it has been running without issue. I have also never needed support for this server, however, the owner of the company is a great guy and still sends me an e-mail now and again to confirm how services are. *As per reliable servers, this one pretty much takes the cake.*

_*Hopefully you guys find this useful and some new users find this as a worthy list of trusted providers.  If you have any specific questions about any of the services that I might know the answer to, let me know and I would be happy to try and answer them.*_

Cheers!


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## darknessends (Dec 29, 2013)

*@hrr1963 - I mean in a good way.*


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## Damian (Dec 29, 2013)

HalfEatenPie said:


> and mostly it's a no-bullshit ship.


I'm surprised this doesn't get us more butthurt individuals posting about their butthurt, really. Most people realize that this is a two way street: you can't bullshit us, and in return, we aren't going to bullshit you either. We have nothing to hide, and it's easier to sell cheap and tell the truth than to make up arbitrary shit.

I'm sure we've lost a few customers to our yes-we-have-downtime-we're-not-perfect-but-we're-working-to-prevent-issues-from-happening-again policy, since individuals have the expectation that everything will be perfect. We'll get there someday; we're hell of a lot closer to perfect than when we started this venture.


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## Aldryic C'boas (Dec 29, 2013)

HalfEatenPie said:


> - BuyVM (I bother Aldryic)


<3


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## mtwiscool (Dec 29, 2013)

vpscheap been with then for a month and zero downtime.

and why can we not have a the good dedicated provider thread as i want to suggest readymakers for setting up my nat.


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## scott2020 (Dec 29, 2013)

Crissic has been great.  Very fast response to support requests and very reliable VPS.  Shared hosting experienced some growing pains but that has been resolved for over a month and very solid.

Anynode has also been very quick to respond to requests and VPS there has been very solid, fast, and always online.

One I don't see mentioned often here is RAM Host.  I have had a small VPS in Kansas City with them for a few years and it has been very reliable.  Support requests aren't as fast as others, but I haven't had to use them much.


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## perennate (Dec 29, 2013)

RamNode, always helpful.


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## switsys (Dec 29, 2013)

scott2020 said:


> Crissic has been great.  Very fast response to support requests and very reliable VPS.


+1 for Crissic Solutions.


Support ticket response time is pure Anthony Smith style 


My Custom Hosting (MCH) is also recommended.


Similar to the above regarding support tickets.


Both of these are very friendly, and they provide exceptionally stable services.


They've also both got a great sense of humour, as well as integrity.

You are in good hands if you choose any of these.


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## Coastercraze (Dec 29, 2013)

RamHost.us - Robert knows his stuff, also one of the first VPS providers who built their own VPS panel.

WiredTree - fantastic support, well worth the premium price.

KnownHost - Again, excellent support, free upgrades were definitely nice.


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## mitsuhashi (Dec 29, 2013)

*RamNode* - been a fanboy since just before the Solus hack. Simply outrageous performance for the price, and quite outstanding in every way possible. I'd expected my node performance to degrade significantly as the company gained customers, but I was wrong. If they were a public company I would've grabbed a few shares. Ticket replies are quick and effective.

*BuyVM* - just been a customer for a couple months, but the node seems solid and performance on the great side thanks to the new SSDs. I got a couple canned ticket responses for bugging them when they were _really_ busy (haha), but the fact that they upgraded current customers to SSDs before offering new stock tells you more about the operation than I can scribble on here.


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## DomainBop (Dec 29, 2013)

> *VPS Networks* (ZA) (XEN)  - 13:32:42 up 78 days,  6:50,  1 user,  load average: 0.00, 0.00, 0.00
> 
> The uptime on the services have been great for a small instance in South Africa.  I have had service for about a year and the only reason my uptime isn't better is because I was late on payment one month and they suspended the server (which was in their right) but up until then I had enjoyed really nice uptime (likely more than 120 days). Now, I didn't purchase this instance for anything bandwidth intensive, as its only 10 Mbit and you only get 10 Gb of  transfer a month, but for my uses doing ping tests and running a small irc bouncer, the server has been quite reliable.   I don't think I have ever seen a network outage on the server yet.  *I had to mention these guys because for being a small operation in South Africa they put out a quality service.*


I'm another happy VPS.co.za customer (384MB Xen plan).

_"I don't think I have ever seen a network outage on the server yet."_

There haven't been any total network outages but for about 5 days after Nelson Mandela died the infrastructure in South Africa was completely overloaded with the huge traffic surge and so my monitoring tools were going off almost nonstop during that period.  Otherwise the network has been very reliable. VPS.co.za uses Mweb's network which has good routing to many African countries which significantly reduces latency (example: using MWeb South-Africa to Zimbabwe routes direct, about 50ms.  Many other South African providers would route up through London and back down to Zimbabwe (about 190ms).


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## concerto49 (Dec 29, 2013)

wlanboy said:


> So let's start (alphabetical order):
> 
> 
> *AnyNode*
> ...


Thanks for the feedback. Our 10G PCCW circuit is online. Have customers reporting better EU speeds already. Still needs optimizations so look forward to a better 2014.


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## HalfEatenPie (Dec 29, 2013)

Nick, you magnificent person! TheHackBox just told me you got HE in Seattle now!

Guess who'll soon be moving back to Seattle?

This guy.

HE gives me 150ms to Seattle now instead of 200ms/250ms previously.


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## willie (Dec 30, 2013)

1. Ramnode - solid speedy vps, fast network, high resource allocation for the price.  My first all-SSD vps and now I don't want anything else except for bulk storage.

2. IPXCore - The tiny 0.50/month 32mb openvz plan is probably my most used vps even now (web proxy).  Dealing with them really makes me feel like there are human beings at the other end of the support tickets.  Too bad about the CC thing but it was understandable under the circumstances.

3. Prometeus (128mb KVM):


23:03:01 up 562 days, 22:06, 1 user, load average: 0.00, 0.00, 0.00

Nuff said.

4. Lowendspirit - 3 euros a YEAR, are you kidding me?  And those vps's really work too (5x ipv6 plus 20x ipv4 NAT ports and a shared port 80 reverse proxy).  It must have taken some pretty good technical chops to pull it off.  Also happy with the parent company (Inception Hosting) though my vps with them is mostly idle.


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## Alto (Dec 30, 2013)

I've used a LOT of providers for varying periods over the last 3 years, but a few stand out:

*Ramnode* - everything has just been rock solid. Network downtime is an incredibly rare occurrence, and I think I've only seen one unexplained reboot of a service in about 8 months. Performance is also top-notch. No idea what support is like though, as I've never had to raise a ticket.

*BuyVM* - not quite as solid as my Ramnode stuff in recent times, but I expect that to be less and less of a problem now that they're out of CC & EGI. Support is far in excess of expectations for the low-end plans I've had with them.

*Inception* - solid service, and the support from Anthony is probably the best I've had from any provider; it's on par or better than the sort of support I get from the 'premium' providers I deal with at work (and in a couple of notable cases, considerably better), and as others have said, LowEndSpirit is the icing on the cake.


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## peterw (Jan 31, 2014)

TacticalVPS offers good and personal support and a good network in Los Angeles with WebNX. I love their KVM servers. Use them to host important services. I like Ian and his way.

BlueVM offers really cheap but usable KVM. Use them for testing and vpn. Support should have a better quality and better response times.


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