Hostwinds
5.7/10US web host selling shared, reseller, managed and unmanaged VPS, cloud, and dedicated servers to small businesses and developers.
Data last updated November 2026 · Our methodology
Overview
Hostwinds is a hosting provider founded in 2010 and based in Tukwila, Washington. It sells shared and business web hosting, reseller and white-label reseller hosting, managed and unmanaged Linux and Windows VPS, cloud servers with load balancers, block storage and object storage, dedicated servers, and colocation. It runs three data centers, in Seattle, Dallas, and Amsterdam, which Hostwinds describes as Tier 3+ facilities with redundant power and network paths. Shared hosting uses cPanel with Softaculous and includes free SSL, nightly backups, a free dedicated IP, and free migration. Unmanaged Linux VPS plans include snapshots, custom ISOs, firewall management, volumes, and load balancers in the cloud portal, with templates for stacks such as LAMP, LEMP, and WordPress. Pricing is a flat monthly rate per plan. Shared hosting starts at $6.99 a month on the plan page. Unmanaged Linux VPS runs from $4.99 a month for 1 vCPU and 1 GB RAM up to $328.99 a month for 16 vCPUs and 96 GB RAM. Dedicated servers are custom-built and quoted through sales. It suits small businesses, freelancers, and resellers who want cheap, simple hosting with a choice of managed or unmanaged service. Its main weaknesses are the small footprint of three locations and few developer-platform features. Reviewers note there is no built-in CDN, Git deployment, or staging. Trustpilot users also complain about being billed after they cancelled.
Our Rating
Who Hostwinds is best for
Best software for Small BusinessGood fit
Low-cost cPanel shared hosting with free SSL, backups, and migration fits small business sites.
Cheap entry plans and reseller options suit individuals hosting client sites.
Less suited
White-label reseller hosting is available, but there is no built-in staging or Git workflow.
Unmanaged VPS with root access, custom ISOs, and an API, but only three regions and limited developer tooling.
Pros & Cons
Pros
- The cheapest unmanaged Linux VPS is $4.99 a month for 1 vCPU, 1 GB RAM, and 30 GB SSD, with snapshots included.
- Shared plans include free SSL, nightly backups, a free dedicated IP, and free migration.
- Customers can choose managed or unmanaged VPS on both Linux and Windows.
- White-label reseller hosting is available for anyone reselling hosting to clients.
- Dedicated servers can be configured in detail, including RAID level, and most models include IPMI.
Cons
- Only three data center locations: Seattle, Dallas, and Amsterdam.
- Unmanaged VPS plans include no technical support at all.
- Reviewers say there is no built-in CDN, staging, or Git deployment.
- Trustpilot users report being billed after they cancelled and having refunds refused.
- Dedicated server prices are not published.
Key Features
Not included
- Git Deployments
- Content Delivery Network
Hostwinds Pricing
Unmanaged Linux VPS 1
- 1 vCPU
- 1 GB RAM
- 30 GB SSD
- Snapshots
- 1 Gbps port
- 1 TB bandwidth
- No technical support
Shared Basic
- 1 domain
- Free SSL
- Free migration
- Nightly backups
- Free dedicated IP
- cPanel with Softaculous
- Unmanaged-free bandwidth and disk (unlimited, fair use)
Shared Ultimate
- Free SSL
- Nightly backups
- Unlimited domains
- Unlimited bandwidth and disk
Dedicated Servers
- Fully managed
- 1 Gbps network
- Nightly backups
- IPMI on most models
- Custom CPU, RAM, disks, and RAID
Frequently Asked Questions
Hostwinds has three: Seattle, Dallas, and Amsterdam.
No. Hostwinds says unmanaged VPS comes with no technical or administrative support. Managed plans are offered as an upgrade.
Yes. Shared hosting plans include free SSL certificates.
Shared and dedicated plans include nightly backups. VPS customers can set up nightly backups to object storage with their own schedule and retention.
Yes. Independent listings say Hostwinds offers a REST API for its cloud services, but reviewers disagree about how complete it is.
Prices aren't published. Hostwinds builds dedicated servers to order and quotes them through live chat or by phone.
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Northflank is a Kubernetes-based developer platform for deploying services, jobs, databases and GPU workloads on its managed cloud or on customers' own cloud accounts.
Ranked near Hostwinds in Hosting & Infrastructure
See Hostwinds in the listHostwinds is #294 in Hosting & Infrastructure by our score.
