<h3>TL;DR</h3>
<ul>
<li><a href="https://www.digitalocean.com/" rel="noreferrer">DigitalOcean</a> (droplet running Ubuntu 14.04)</li>
<li><a href="https://serverpilot.io/" rel="noreferrer">ServerPilot</a></li>
<li>Email hosted <a href="https://www.zoho.com/mail/" rel="noreferrer">elsewhere</a></li>
</ul>
<hr />
<p>Personally, I've had great experience with <a href="https://www.digitalocean.com/" rel="noreferrer"><strong>DigitalOcean</strong></a>.</p>
<p>It is a VPS solution with virtually nothing pre-installed. I've found it to be amazingly fast and stable, even for sites with a high volume of traffic. Spinning up a new VPS &quot;droplet&quot; is incredibly simple and painless.</p>
<p>Since it's basically an &quot;empty&quot; server when you create a new droplet, I've found that DigitalOcean pairs well with <a href="https://serverpilot.io/" rel="noreferrer"><strong>ServerPilot</strong></a>. Keep in mind that ServerPilot requires your droplet to be created with Ubuntu 14.04, and must run its setup before you do anything else with your droplet.</p>
<p>ServerPilot gives you an easy interface to setup the common software you'll need to run your site... namely PHP &amp; MySQL. Using both services combined, we're able to easily spin up a new droplet, set it up with ServerPilot, and be up and running quickly!</p>
<p>Only downside... email hosting is not included in either service. So you'd need to find a separate service to handle email hosting. (We use <a href="https://www.zoho.com/mail/" rel="noreferrer">Zoho</a>, which I find to be adequate. I'm still on the lookout for the &quot;perfect&quot; email solution, but that's a topic for another day.)</p>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2015-04-23T21:12:42.380Z
DO user here too. Love it. Regarding email, you could technically install your own email service but that requires some technical know-how & is generally a hassle. 

Along with that, email is too critical of a communication line for some people that it may be worth just using Google Apps or Zoho for that peace of mind & stability. 

Never used Server Pilot but I may give it a go for my personal site!
Seán O'Grady
CC BY-SA 3.0
2015-04-23T21:26:27.367Z
I have also had only good experience with Digital Ocean - I even recently had the company I work for move to them.
Marty
CC BY-SA 3.0
2015-05-05T18:56:23.583Z
Virtualmin GPL is a free, decent, minimally-ugly on-server GUI for management I've been using for a few years. It has a one-step install script and makes software updates + vhost/cron/backup management all easy without being too bloated or in the way like Plesk or CPanel. (As an alternative to ServerPilot.)
Matt Stein
CC BY-SA 3.0
2015-05-22T21:07:24.360Z
The biggest benefit from the setup Lindsey describes is ServerPilot. These guys do an outstanding job of setting up the server, security updates, multiple versions of PHP per domain name and user management. Best part its free if you don't need SSL or multiple SSH users. Its also important to mention that SeverPilot works with any Ubuntu machine - dedicated, virtual, and even a local VM (I used one to test their service)... Can't recommend them enough.
Jason McCallister
CC BY-SA 3.0
2017-07-28T02:09:12.327Z
Totally agree with this. I prefer Forge to ServerPilot, but they are both great choices, as written up here: [How Agencies & Freelancers Should Do Web Hosting](https://nystudio107.com/blog/web-hosting-for-agencies-freelancers)
andrew.welch
CC BY-SA 3.0
2015-04-23T18:35:07.087Z
2015-04-23T18:58:23.067Z
2020-06-17T08:56:27.903Z
Lindsey D
<p>Shameless plug here: We, <strong><a href="https://www.fortrabbit.com" rel="nofollow noreferrer">fortrabbit</a></strong>, really ♥ Craft. And we are one of the <em>official Craft Hosting Partners</em> — for good reasons.</p>
<p>Need some more convincing? Have a look at our <a href="https://www.fortrabbit.com/craft-hosting" rel="nofollow noreferrer">Craft marketing page</a> or ask us in the support chat if you have questions. Our install guides help you getting started quickly with Craft:</p>
<ul>
<li>Get started: <a href="https://help.fortrabbit.com/craft-3-about" rel="nofollow noreferrer">https://help.fortrabbit.com/craft-3-about</a></li>
<li>Advanced topics: <a href="https://help.fortrabbit.com/craft-3-tune" rel="nofollow noreferrer">https://help.fortrabbit.com/craft-3-tune</a></li>
</ul>
<p>Our little command line tool <a href="https://github.com/fortrabbit/craft-copy" rel="nofollow noreferrer">fortrabbit/craft-copy</a> helps you deploying Craft more easily.</p>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2017-07-27T20:48:02.787Z
You beat me to it! I was about to include a not-so-shameless plug. You guys are awesome, happy customer here
Nathan D Huening
CC BY-SA 4.0
2019-01-14T11:42:32.293Z
I just added an answer not noticing it was a five year old question. Just so happened I was recommending you, too. I can't recommend you enough.
Jay
CC BY-SA 4.0
2015-12-18T15:05:23.487Z
2021-12-13T14:21:51.370Z
2021-12-13T14:21:51.370Z
Frank Lämmer
<p>If you're looking for a fully-managed hosting provider, <a href="https://www.arcustech.com/managed/craftcms-hosting/" rel="nofollow noreferrer">ArcusTech</a> is top-notch.  Their servers run Craft very well and we've rarely had any issues with them.</p>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2015-04-23T18:52:13.183Z
2017-08-17T23:40:30.880Z
2017-08-17T23:40:30.880Z
Brad Bell
<p><a href="https://servd.host" rel="noreferrer">Servd.host</a> is the new kid on the block for Craft hosting. It's a managed platform built specifically for Craft so integrates deeply and automates all of the server setup, maintenance and DevOps things that you might need.</p>
<p>Disclosure: I own it and am therefore biased, but <a href="https://servd.host/clients" rel="noreferrer">our clients like us too</a>!</p>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2024-03-08T06:17:43.390Z
Yes, I have used Servd it's grate for craft site.
Taher Kathiriya
CC BY-SA 4.0
2020-08-05T15:52:08.560Z
2020-08-05T15:52:08.560Z
Matt Gray
<p>I've got Craft sites running well on both <a href="https://www.webfaction.com">WebFaction</a> and <a href="https://www.tsohost.com">Tsohost</a>'s cloud hosting platform.</p>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2015-04-29T19:27:28.537Z
+1 for Webfaction: inexpensive and a nice middle-ground between custom controls (their concept of webapps lets you run different sites with different versions of PHP, for instance) and the responsibility of a full-fledged VPS.
James Muspratt
CC BY-SA 3.0
2015-05-05T18:53:46.623Z
Another +1 for Webfaction. All the speed of a VPS with all the don't-have-to-manage of an otherwise crappy shared service.
Matt Stein
CC BY-SA 3.0
2017-07-27T20:47:25.753Z
Ditto WebFaction, big fan
Nathan D Huening
CC BY-SA 3.0
2015-04-23T21:44:04.530Z
2015-04-23T21:44:04.530Z
Steve Rowling
<p>As a heads up, I would avoid <a href="http://www.cloudways.com/" rel="nofollow noreferrer">Cloudways</a>. It looked ideal in theory but I've had a few problems and found their support to be fast but lacking and quite resistant to the idea of Craft.</p>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2016-01-17T10:13:19.190Z
2016-01-17T10:13:19.190Z
Tchick
<p>I have several client Craft sites on <a href="https://www.nexcess.net/" rel="nofollow noreferrer">Nexcess</a>, using their ExpressionEngine shared plans. The support has always been excellent, and it performs really well. Note that you can use most versions of PHP, you'll just need to request it from support.</p>

<p><strong>Update:</strong> Nexcess now offers <a href="https://www.nexcess.net/craftcms/hosting" rel="nofollow noreferrer">Craft-specific hosting</a>, and PHP versions can be selected in the hosting control panel.</p>

<p>I recently cloned a fairly query-heavy client site to the cheapest EEP 100 Nexcess plan and a ServerPilot-managed 2GB Digitalocean droplet with MySQL tuned a bit based on Percona recommendations. Both were using PHP 7. I didn't do extensive load testing, but with dev mode on, the Nexcess server outperformed my DO server consistently, on all front-end and control panel views.</p>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2016-05-02T14:15:38.693Z
2016-12-09T23:33:08.000Z
2016-12-09T23:33:08.000Z
David Guillory
<p>I use both DigitalOcean like Lindsey as well as Rackspace Cloud Sites. Cloud Sites includes email so that's a perk, but it is essentially shared hosting where as with DO you have a VPS.</p>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2015-04-23T18:41:53.847Z
2015-04-23T18:41:53.847Z
Christopher Healey
<p>I use...</p>

<ul>
<li><a href="https://ramnode.com/" rel="nofollow noreferrer">RamNode</a> and <a href="http://www.webmin.com/virtualmin.html" rel="nofollow noreferrer">Virtualmin GPL</a> for fast, powerful, inexpensive development boxes that take <em>minimal</em> maintenance/sysadmin time (check out <a href="http://www.webmin.com/vinstall.html" rel="nofollow noreferrer">Virtualmin GPL's super-easy install script</a>!)</li>
<li><a href="https://www.webfaction.com/" rel="nofollow noreferrer">Webfaction</a> for modest production sites that need to be inexpensive and fast with <em>zero</em> required sysadmin time</li>
<li><a href="https://www.arcustech.com/" rel="nofollow noreferrer">ArcusTech</a> for client production sites where I shouldn't be relied on as a sysadmin (which is <em>all</em> client production sites)</li>
<li><a href="http://aws.amazon.com/" rel="nofollow noreferrer">Amazon AWS</a> when clients have web teams that would laugh at the quaintness of a single server instance</li>
</ul>

<p>This basically has me covered at any scale, and I'm happy with each provider. Transactional mail goes through <a href="https://mandrillapp.com" rel="nofollow noreferrer">Mandrill</a> when I can help it, as it's usually free and <em>always</em> fast and reliable.</p>

<p>I'm also in Seattle (United States), so when I say <em>fast</em> it's a geographically-relative term. Most of the above offer servers in various cities+countries.</p>

<p><strong>Update May 2019</strong>: I no longer use Webfaction after its acquisition by GoDaddy, and I've settled on using <a href="https://forge.laravel.com/" rel="nofollow noreferrer">Laravel Forge</a> with <a href="https://www.digitalocean.com/" rel="nofollow noreferrer">Digital Ocean</a>, <a href="https://www.linode.com/" rel="nofollow noreferrer">Linode</a>, or <a href="https://www.vultr.com/" rel="nofollow noreferrer">Vultr</a> for most new production projects. I <a href="https://workingconcept.com/blog/2018-budget-vps-survey" rel="nofollow noreferrer">published a blog post last year comparing VPS providers</a>, some of which are great for powerful+cheap development boxes.</p>

<p>For transactional email, I almost always use <a href="https://www.mailgun.com/" rel="nofollow noreferrer">Mailgun</a>.</p>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2015-05-22T21:16:30.873Z
You might like [Ajenti](http://ajenti.org) more than VirtualMin.
Natetronn
CC BY-SA 3.0
2015-05-22T23:28:01.497Z
Ooh, and here I thought I tried all the things. Thanks @Natetronn!
Matt Stein
CC BY-SA 4.0
2019-05-01T15:57:42.670Z
@MattStein What plan do you use on ramnode that supports virtualmin gpl? kvm/openvz? and what size, etc. thanks!
Wes
CC BY-SA 4.0
2019-05-01T16:09:04.453Z
@Wes I just updated my answer, which has changed quite a bit since my original post. Virtualmin has run fine for me on KVM and OpenVZ servers with various specs (Ubuntu, CentOS, 1-8GB memory, 1-4 CPU cores). I used Centmin Mod (https://centminmod.com/) for some time as well, which does away with UI bloat and provisions a really fast CentOS LEMP stack—worth comparing to Virtualmin if you're interested.
Matt Stein
CC BY-SA 4.0
2019-05-01T20:35:41.697Z
@MattStein thanks for all the info, and the blog post of vps comparisons too!... I too am looking to bail on webfaction :)
Wes
CC BY-SA 4.0
2015-05-05T19:07:12.253Z
2019-05-01T16:04:21.210Z
2019-05-01T16:04:21.210Z
Matt Stein
<p>Switching to <a href="https://servd.host/" rel="nofollow noreferrer">https://servd.host/</a> was the best move I have ever made as a developer. They make it very easy to run your craft project but also provide excellent customer service. The best I've experienced in over 10 years of development. They go to war with you when you need them. Do yourself a favor and give them a shot - you will not be sorry.</p>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2024-01-12T17:31:05.713Z
2024-01-12T17:31:05.713Z
user3750399
<p>We're using AWS to host Craft and it's worked out very well. We're using elastic beanstalk, as well, which has been super helpful with deployments.</p>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2015-08-12T06:58:40.910Z
2015-08-12T06:58:40.910Z
Matt Hunt
<p>Hope you are doing good and safe.</p>
<p>Personally, I have a great experience using <a href="https://www.cloudways.com/en/craft-cms-hosting.php" rel="nofollow noreferrer">Cloudways</a> that allows me to host my Craft CMS application on 5 cloud providers (DigitalOcean, AWS, Linode, Vultr, and GCE). Although I need to install the Craft CMS. However, it goes well and smoothly. Other than that, I didn't require anything when it comes to server resources.</p>
<p>I got a pre-installed stack consisting of Apache, NGINX PHP 7.3 and 7.4, Elasticsearch, and cache technologies to speed up my website performance (Memcached, Redis, Varnish, PHP-FPM). I chose DigitalOcean because it was under my budget and offer the perfect server location. The platform is easy to use and comes with SSH credentials.</p>
<p>Server scaling is one of the finest features that I really love. Before that, I was using shared hosting so thought to switch as my website's resources were increasing. So far, going well.</p>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2020-11-23T14:11:15.227Z
2020-11-23T14:11:15.227Z
Ashmal ur Rehman
<p>Linode.com is great... and they offer managed hosting too, if you want it.</p>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2015-10-02T02:01:26.707Z
2015-10-02T02:01:26.707Z
andrew.welch
<p>You can check out  <a href="https://www.WebhostingUK.Com" rel="nofollow">Web Hosting UK</a> or <a href="https://www.rshosting.Com" rel="nofollow">Rshosting</a> , user friendly support with SSD server to help better performance.</p>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2015-04-29T07:49:24.263Z
2015-04-29T07:49:24.263Z
sam
<p>Since 4 years we moved all our EE sites over to <a href="http://unixy.net" rel="nofollow">UNIXy</a>. These guys are amazing, fully managed, support request often answered in minutes, they think for you in finding the best possible set-up and are well known for there Varnish implementation. </p>

<p>Servers are located in the US and Europe. The later being important to us and pricing is sharp. </p>

<p>Last year we started out with a new server dedicated to our Craft customers. Currently we have 5 servers running and I've never experienced a security issue, downtime, or slow support over the years. </p>

<p>Love these guys </p>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2015-10-02T16:26:06.367Z
2015-10-02T16:26:06.367Z
Robbie Post
<p>I've been using WiredTree for a couple of years and am very happy with their service. They are very helpful and quick to respond to inquiries 24/7 to any issues and queries you have with the server.</p>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2015-08-12T09:30:54.653Z
2015-08-12T09:30:54.653Z
j00lz
<p>I can recommend the <a href="https://www.kualo.co.uk/webhosting/craft-cms-hosting" rel="nofollow noreferrer">Craft CMS hosting by Kualo</a></p>

<ul>
<li>LiteSpeed</li>
<li>Redis</li>
<li>Latest PHP versions</li>
<li>Block storage</li>
<li>Green hosting.</li>
</ul>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2017-12-27T15:24:21.587Z
2017-12-27T15:24:21.587Z
trifo13
<p>I would highly recommend you for <strong><a href="https://fxdata.cloud" rel="nofollow noreferrer">**F(x) Data Cloud</strong></a>** .The major reason for recommending you is that you will get more cost-Effective Plans, Higher Uptime,  Custom SSD Storage and most importantly appreciable Technical Support. I have been using their 7 servers at this moment and quite happy with the Cost and Services.
Visit: <a href="https://fxdata.cloud" rel="nofollow noreferrer">https://fxdata.cloud</a> </p>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2017-08-17T20:36:53.330Z
2017-08-17T20:36:53.330Z
Kajosh
<p>For websites in Switzerland i recommend to use Cyon (<a href="https://www.cyon.ch/" rel="nofollow noreferrer">https://www.cyon.ch/</a>). It runs on  LiteSpeed Webserver and offers a easy to integrate fullpage cache solution comparable to Varnish cache without any extra cost (more information on LIghtSpeed Cache in German: <a href="https://www.cyon.ch/blog/LiteSpeed-Cache" rel="nofollow noreferrer">https://www.cyon.ch/blog/LiteSpeed-Cache</a>).
It speeds up the craft installation to a maximum. The LiteSpeed Cache function is already available on the smallest hosting package for only CHF 9.90.</p>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2017-06-06T16:58:57.450Z
2017-06-06T16:58:57.450Z
Tom Bauer
<p>I use Rackspace Cloud Sites and Arcustech</p>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2015-04-30T14:12:59.510Z
I have used Could Sites in the past - how has it been for you using Craft? I have had a site using MODx and when traffic was high, the site would crash. This was some time ago though...
Damon
CC BY-SA 3.0
2015-04-29T20:17:18.747Z
2015-04-29T20:17:18.747Z
Shift2Design
<p>I’ve run Craft sites on a number of different budget hosts, usually because I’m upgrading a client’s site from WordPress.</p>
<p>SiteGround — Great if you can cope with the insanely officious caching. Fast, cheap, good features.</p>
<p>Kualo — Great for large sites on VPS — excellent support. Very poor on shared.</p>
<p>GoDaddy (MediaTemple) — Avoid like the plague, support Craft but just barely. Dreadful support.</p>
<p>Skystra — Avoid like the plague that has the plague. Made changes to an installation without asking.</p>
<p>Namecheap — Really not capable of keeping a site online. Very very poor, but I guess you get what you pay for and the clue’s in the name.</p>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2024-01-17T12:37:31.927Z
2024-01-17T12:37:31.927Z
mitrol
<p>I've moved from Digital Ocean onto <a href="https://www.fortrabbit.com/" rel="nofollow noreferrer">Fortrabbit</a>. They're an official CraftCMS hosting partner and they've been great. Amazing support, great speeds. Can't ask for anything more.</p>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2019-01-14T11:40:53.550Z
2019-01-14T11:40:53.550Z
Jay
<p>Craft CMS is very light-weight in terms of resources and doesn't really require a dedicated or VPS setup - obviously dependant on website traffic!</p>
<p>We have used both Google and AWS but with yearly increases and support not being great, I think there is better options for <a href="https://gloucestershirehosting.co.uk" rel="nofollow noreferrer">website hosting</a> in 2020.</p>
<p>For around £20-30 per month for cloud/shared hosting, Cloudway's are decent.</p>
<p>For cheaper hosting around £3-4 per month, we use Softdata.</p>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2020-10-06T14:03:19.513Z
2020-10-06T14:03:19.513Z
Luke Allsebrook
<p>AWS is good but it's quite expensive. I would suggest to to go for <a href="https://fxdata.cloud" rel="nofollow noreferrer">F(x) Data Cloud</a> or <a href="https://digitalocean.com" rel="nofollow noreferrer">Digital Ocean</a>.  They have the quality Service and both of them are highly reliable and appreciable.</p>

<p>Both will satisfy your requirements and are cost-efficient.</p>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2017-07-27T19:34:00.440Z
2017-07-30T00:54:15.107Z
2017-07-30T00:54:15.107Z
user7049
<p>I would recommend you to go with a managed host provider like Cloudways for <a href="https://www.cloudways.com/blog/install-craft-cms-on-cloud/" rel="nofollow">Craft hosting</a>. Some of its good features are:</p>

<ul>
<li>ThunderStack consists of Nginx, Varnish, Apache, PHP-FPM</li>
<li>Vertical Scaling</li>
<li>Cloud providers i.e AWS, GCE, DO, Vultr and Kyup </li>
<li>1-Click installations </li>
<li>Caches (MemCache, MemCached, Redis)</li>
<li>CloudwaysBot</li>
<li>24/7 Support</li>
<li>User Friendly UI experience</li>
<li>Provides their custom Cpanel from which you can manage your server in 1-click</li>
<li>Latest PHP versions</li>
</ul>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2016-09-19T15:48:38.350Z
Thanks for the recommendation. Can you please add some details regarding **why** you recommend Cloudways?
Lindsey D
CC BY-SA 3.0
2016-09-20T08:49:01.607Z
I have edited my answer
Ahmed Khan
CC BY-SA 3.0
2016-09-19T15:05:09.440Z
2016-09-20T08:48:34.067Z
2016-09-20T08:48:34.067Z
Ahmed Khan
<p>I have all my hosting through <a href="http://mediatemple.net/" rel="nofollow">Media Temple</a> I've never had a problem - love the support.</p>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2015-04-29T18:23:22.067Z
I have to say I've run two Craft sites on shared hosting ("GS") and found them to be extremely slow. Same goes for ExpressionEngine sites.
James Muspratt
CC BY-SA 3.0
2015-04-30T03:44:17.867Z
MediaTemple is one of the hosts we get the most support tickets for.  Usually really random, obscure problems.
Brad Bell
CC BY-SA 3.0
2015-04-30T08:04:49.510Z
I've also found MediaTemple to be very slow with a couple of Craft sites I had hosted there. It seemed to have gotten worse in the last few months. Moved to DigitalOcean and they fly along.
Patrick Nesbitt
CC BY-SA 3.0
2015-04-30T13:36:37.283Z
Very interesting. Thanks for the insight guys! Now I'm going to be watching like a hawk!
Damon
CC BY-SA 3.0
2015-04-30T14:11:56.713Z
Digging through the docs and such at Digital Ocean - I'll be the first to admit - I'm not a "server guy" at all. It seems really intimidating up front. Is that the case or am I just being overly sensitive?
Damon
CC BY-SA 3.0
2015-05-02T11:38:11.293Z
@Damon, try using something like Server Pilot or Forge to manage the set-up part, it's not as intimidating as it might seem
Patrick Nesbitt
CC BY-SA 3.0
2015-05-05T19:10:32.540Z
I'd like to echo the iffy experience with (gs). It used to be terrible about 9 years go, had a brief period where it got much faster and more stable, and it's back to relatively slow performance (measured via Pingdom) and random weird issues. Awesome support, subpar service. Managed hosting is way cheaper at ArcusTech, and Webfaction has been my new home for shared-hosting-budget and even some VPS projects.
Matt Stein
CC BY-SA 3.0
2015-05-22T21:13:53.060Z
I didn't care for my experience with (gs) either.
Natetronn
CC BY-SA 3.0
2017-07-28T14:40:16.063Z
Yeah, I was a devoted MT (gs) user for years with more than a dozen sites. First EE sites, then Craft, but each was agonizingly slow... identical comparison had WebFaction at least 10x faster TTFB. Could never understand why so I migrated everything to WebFaction & Fortrabbit.
Nathan D Huening
CC BY-SA 3.0
2015-04-24T02:48:54.000Z
2015-04-24T02:48:54.000Z
Damon
<p>Looking through the <a href="https://plus.google.com/communities/106505340287442511226">Google Plus</a> community and <a href="http://buildwithcraft.com/community">Slack</a> chat history, there have been many suggestions regarding hosting for Craft websites. It may not be possible to get a single conclusive answer, but I still want to know...</p>

<p><strong>What hosting company do you recommend for a Craft website?</strong></p>

<hosting>
Recommended hosting company for a Craft site?
# Recommended hosting company for a Craft site?

(Asked by: username_0 on 2015-04-23)

Looking through the [Google Plus](https://plus.google.com/communities/106505340287442511226) community and [Slack](http://buildwithcraft.com/community) chat history, there have been many suggestions regarding hosting for Craft websites. It may not be possible to get a single conclusive answer, but I still want to know...

**What hosting company do you recommend for a Craft website?**

**Tags:** hosting


---

## 26 answers

### Answer by username_0 on 2015-04-23. Score: 25

### TL;DR

* [DigitalOcean](https://www.digitalocean.com/) (droplet running Ubuntu 14.04)
* [ServerPilot](https://serverpilot.io/)
* Email hosted [elsewhere](https://www.zoho.com/mail/)

---

Personally, I've had great experience with [**DigitalOcean**](https://www.digitalocean.com/).

It is a VPS solution with virtually nothing pre-installed. I've found it to be amazingly fast and stable, even for sites with a high volume of traffic. Spinning up a new VPS "droplet" is incredibly simple and painless.

Since it's basically an "empty" server when you create a new droplet, I've found that DigitalOcean pairs well with [**ServerPilot**](https://serverpilot.io/). Keep in mind that ServerPilot requires your droplet to be created with Ubuntu 14.04, and must run its setup before you do anything else with your droplet.

ServerPilot gives you an easy interface to setup the common software you'll need to run your site... namely PHP & MySQL. Using both services combined, we're able to easily spin up a new droplet, set it up with ServerPilot, and be up and running quickly!

Only downside... email hosting is not included in either service. So you'd need to find a separate service to handle email hosting. (We use [Zoho](https://www.zoho.com/mail/), which I find to be adequate. I'm still on the lookout for the "perfect" email solution, but that's a topic for another day.)

> **Comments:**
> **username_1**: DO user here too. Love it. Regarding email, you could technically install your own email service but that requires some technical know-how & is generally a hassle.   Along with that, email is too critical of a communication line for some people that it may be worth just using Google Apps or Zoho for that peace of mind & stability.   Never used Server Pilot but I may give it a go for my personal site!  
> **username_2**: I have also had only good experience with Digital Ocean - I even recently had the company I work for move to them.  
> **username_3**: Virtualmin GPL is a free, decent, minimally-ugly on-server GUI for management I've been using for a few years. It has a one-step install script and makes software updates + vhost/cron/backup management all easy without being too bloated or in the way like Plesk or CPanel. (As an alternative to ServerPilot.)  
> **username_4**: The biggest benefit from the setup Lindsey describes is ServerPilot. These guys do an outstanding job of setting up the server, security updates, multiple versions of PHP per domain name and user management. Best part its free if you don't need SSL or multiple SSH users. Its also important to mention that SeverPilot works with any Ubuntu machine - dedicated, virtual, and even a local VM (I used one to test their service)... Can't recommend them enough.  
> **username_5**: Totally agree with this. I prefer Forge to ServerPilot, but they are both great choices, as written up here: [How Agencies & Freelancers Should Do Web Hosting](https://nystudio107.com/blog/web-hosting-for-agencies-freelancers)  

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### Answer by username_6 on 2015-12-18. Score: 13

Shameless plug here: We, **[fortrabbit](https://www.fortrabbit.com)**, really ♥ Craft. And we are one of the *official Craft Hosting Partners* — for good reasons.

Need some more convincing? Have a look at our [Craft marketing page](https://www.fortrabbit.com/craft-hosting) or ask us in the support chat if you have questions. Our install guides help you getting started quickly with Craft:

* Get started: <https://help.fortrabbit.com/craft-3-about>
* Advanced topics: <https://help.fortrabbit.com/craft-3-tune>

Our little command line tool [fortrabbit/craft-copy](https://github.com/fortrabbit/craft-copy) helps you deploying Craft more easily.

> **Comments:**
> **username_7**: You beat me to it! I was about to include a not-so-shameless plug. You guys are awesome, happy customer here  
> **username_8**: I just added an answer not noticing it was a five year old question. Just so happened I was recommending you, too. I can't recommend you enough.  

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### Answer by username_9 on 2015-04-23. Score: 12

If you're looking for a fully-managed hosting provider, [ArcusTech](https://www.arcustech.com/managed/craftcms-hosting/) is top-notch. Their servers run Craft very well and we've rarely had any issues with them.


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### Answer by username_10 on 2020-08-05. Score: 9

[Servd.host](https://servd.host) is the new kid on the block for Craft hosting. It's a managed platform built specifically for Craft so integrates deeply and automates all of the server setup, maintenance and DevOps things that you might need.

Disclosure: I own it and am therefore biased, but [our clients like us too](https://servd.host/clients)!

> **Comments:**
> **username_11**: Yes, I have used Servd it's grate for craft site.  

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### Answer by username_12 on 2015-04-23. Score: 6

I've got Craft sites running well on both [WebFaction](https://www.webfaction.com) and [Tsohost](https://www.tsohost.com)'s cloud hosting platform.

> **Comments:**
> **username_13**: +1 for Webfaction: inexpensive and a nice middle-ground between custom controls (their concept of webapps lets you run different sites with different versions of PHP, for instance) and the responsibility of a full-fledged VPS.  
> **username_3**: Another +1 for Webfaction. All the speed of a VPS with all the don't-have-to-manage of an otherwise crappy shared service.  
> **username_7**: Ditto WebFaction, big fan  

---

### Answer by username_14 on 2016-01-17. Score: 4

As a heads up, I would avoid [Cloudways](http://www.cloudways.com/). It looked ideal in theory but I've had a few problems and found their support to be fast but lacking and quite resistant to the idea of Craft.


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### Answer by username_15 on 2016-05-02. Score: 4

I have several client Craft sites on [Nexcess](https://www.nexcess.net/), using their ExpressionEngine shared plans. The support has always been excellent, and it performs really well. Note that you can use most versions of PHP, you'll just need to request it from support.

**Update:** Nexcess now offers [Craft-specific hosting](https://www.nexcess.net/craftcms/hosting), and PHP versions can be selected in the hosting control panel.

I recently cloned a fairly query-heavy client site to the cheapest EEP 100 Nexcess plan and a ServerPilot-managed 2GB Digitalocean droplet with MySQL tuned a bit based on Percona recommendations. Both were using PHP 7. I didn't do extensive load testing, but with dev mode on, the Nexcess server outperformed my DO server consistently, on all front-end and control panel views.


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### Answer by username_16 on 2015-04-23. Score: 3

I use both DigitalOcean like Lindsey as well as Rackspace Cloud Sites. Cloud Sites includes email so that's a perk, but it is essentially shared hosting where as with DO you have a VPS.


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### Answer by username_3 on 2015-05-05. Score: 3

I use...

* [RamNode](https://ramnode.com/) and [Virtualmin GPL](http://www.webmin.com/virtualmin.html) for fast, powerful, inexpensive development boxes that take *minimal* maintenance/sysadmin time (check out [Virtualmin GPL's super-easy install script](http://www.webmin.com/vinstall.html)!)
* [Webfaction](https://www.webfaction.com/) for modest production sites that need to be inexpensive and fast with *zero* required sysadmin time
* [ArcusTech](https://www.arcustech.com/) for client production sites where I shouldn't be relied on as a sysadmin (which is *all* client production sites)
* [Amazon AWS](http://aws.amazon.com/) when clients have web teams that would laugh at the quaintness of a single server instance

This basically has me covered at any scale, and I'm happy with each provider. Transactional mail goes through [Mandrill](https://mandrillapp.com) when I can help it, as it's usually free and *always* fast and reliable.

I'm also in Seattle (United States), so when I say *fast* it's a geographically-relative term. Most of the above offer servers in various cities+countries.

**Update May 2019**: I no longer use Webfaction after its acquisition by GoDaddy, and I've settled on using [Laravel Forge](https://forge.laravel.com/) with [Digital Ocean](https://www.digitalocean.com/), [Linode](https://www.linode.com/), or [Vultr](https://www.vultr.com/) for most new production projects. I [published a blog post last year comparing VPS providers](https://workingconcept.com/blog/2018-budget-vps-survey), some of which are great for powerful+cheap development boxes.

For transactional email, I almost always use [Mailgun](https://www.mailgun.com/).

> **Comments:**
> **username_17**: You might like [Ajenti](http://ajenti.org) more than VirtualMin.  
> **username_3**: Ooh, and here I thought I tried all the things. Thanks @username_17!  
> **username_18**: @MattStein What plan do you use on ramnode that supports virtualmin gpl? kvm/openvz? and what size, etc. thanks!  
> **username_3**: @username_18 I just updated my answer, which has changed quite a bit since my original post. Virtualmin has run fine for me on KVM and OpenVZ servers with various specs (Ubuntu, CentOS, 1-8GB memory, 1-4 CPU cores). I used Centmin Mod (https://centminmod.com/) for some time as well, which does away with UI bloat and provisions a really fast CentOS LEMP stack—worth comparing to Virtualmin if you're interested.  
> **username_18**: @MattStein thanks for all the info, and the blog post of vps comparisons too!... I too am looking to bail on webfaction :)  

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### Answer by username_19 on 2024-01-12. Score: 2

Switching to <https://servd.host/> was the best move I have ever made as a developer. They make it very easy to run your craft project but also provide excellent customer service. The best I've experienced in over 10 years of development. They go to war with you when you need them. Do yourself a favor and give them a shot - you will not be sorry.


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### Answer by username_20 on 2015-08-12. Score: 2

We're using AWS to host Craft and it's worked out very well. We're using elastic beanstalk, as well, which has been super helpful with deployments.


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### Answer by username_21 on 2020-11-23. Score: 2

Hope you are doing good and safe.

Personally, I have a great experience using [Cloudways](https://www.cloudways.com/en/craft-cms-hosting.php) that allows me to host my Craft CMS application on 5 cloud providers (DigitalOcean, AWS, Linode, Vultr, and GCE). Although I need to install the Craft CMS. However, it goes well and smoothly. Other than that, I didn't require anything when it comes to server resources.

I got a pre-installed stack consisting of Apache, NGINX PHP 7.3 and 7.4, Elasticsearch, and cache technologies to speed up my website performance (Memcached, Redis, Varnish, PHP-FPM). I chose DigitalOcean because it was under my budget and offer the perfect server location. The platform is easy to use and comes with SSH credentials.

Server scaling is one of the finest features that I really love. Before that, I was using shared hosting so thought to switch as my website's resources were increasing. So far, going well.


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### Answer by username_5 on 2015-10-02. Score: 2

Linode.com is great... and they offer managed hosting too, if you want it.


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### Answer by username_22 on 2015-04-29. Score: 2

You can check out [Web Hosting UK](https://www.WebhostingUK.Com) or [Rshosting](https://www.rshosting.Com) , user friendly support with SSD server to help better performance.


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### Answer by username_23 on 2015-10-02. Score: 2

Since 4 years we moved all our EE sites over to [UNIXy](http://unixy.net). These guys are amazing, fully managed, support request often answered in minutes, they think for you in finding the best possible set-up and are well known for there Varnish implementation.

Servers are located in the US and Europe. The later being important to us and pricing is sharp.

Last year we started out with a new server dedicated to our Craft customers. Currently we have 5 servers running and I've never experienced a security issue, downtime, or slow support over the years.

Love these guys


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### Answer by username_24 on 2015-08-12. Score: 1

I've been using WiredTree for a couple of years and am very happy with their service. They are very helpful and quick to respond to inquiries 24/7 to any issues and queries you have with the server.


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### Answer by username_25 on 2017-12-27. Score: 1

I can recommend the [Craft CMS hosting by Kualo](https://www.kualo.co.uk/webhosting/craft-cms-hosting)

* LiteSpeed
* Redis
* Latest PHP versions
* Block storage
* Green hosting.


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### Answer by username_26 on 2017-08-17. Score: 1

I would highly recommend you for **[\*\*F(x) Data Cloud](https://fxdata.cloud)**\*\* .The major reason for recommending you is that you will get more cost-Effective Plans, Higher Uptime, Custom SSD Storage and most importantly appreciable Technical Support. I have been using their 7 servers at this moment and quite happy with the Cost and Services.
Visit: <https://fxdata.cloud>


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### Answer by username_27 on 2017-06-06. Score: 1

For websites in Switzerland i recommend to use Cyon (<https://www.cyon.ch/>). It runs on LiteSpeed Webserver and offers a easy to integrate fullpage cache solution comparable to Varnish cache without any extra cost (more information on LIghtSpeed Cache in German: <https://www.cyon.ch/blog/LiteSpeed-Cache>).
It speeds up the craft installation to a maximum. The LiteSpeed Cache function is already available on the smallest hosting package for only CHF 9.90.


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### Answer by username_28 on 2015-04-29. Score: 1

I use Rackspace Cloud Sites and Arcustech

> **Comments:**
> **username_29**: I have used Could Sites in the past - how has it been for you using Craft? I have had a site using MODx and when traffic was high, the site would crash. This was some time ago though...  

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### Answer by username_30 on 2024-01-17. Score: 1

I’ve run Craft sites on a number of different budget hosts, usually because I’m upgrading a client’s site from WordPress.

SiteGround — Great if you can cope with the insanely officious caching. Fast, cheap, good features.

Kualo — Great for large sites on VPS — excellent support. Very poor on shared.

GoDaddy (MediaTemple) — Avoid like the plague, support Craft but just barely. Dreadful support.

Skystra — Avoid like the plague that has the plague. Made changes to an installation without asking.

Namecheap — Really not capable of keeping a site online. Very very poor, but I guess you get what you pay for and the clue’s in the name.


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### Answer by username_8 on 2019-01-14. Score: 1

I've moved from Digital Ocean onto [Fortrabbit](https://www.fortrabbit.com/). They're an official CraftCMS hosting partner and they've been great. Amazing support, great speeds. Can't ask for anything more.


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### Answer by username_31 on 2020-10-06. Score: 1

Craft CMS is very light-weight in terms of resources and doesn't really require a dedicated or VPS setup - obviously dependant on website traffic!

We have used both Google and AWS but with yearly increases and support not being great, I think there is better options for [website hosting](https://gloucestershirehosting.co.uk) in 2020.

For around £20-30 per month for cloud/shared hosting, Cloudway's are decent.

For cheaper hosting around £3-4 per month, we use Softdata.


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### Answer by username_32 on 2017-07-27. Score: 1

AWS is good but it's quite expensive. I would suggest to to go for [F(x) Data Cloud](https://fxdata.cloud) or [Digital Ocean](https://digitalocean.com). They have the quality Service and both of them are highly reliable and appreciable.

Both will satisfy your requirements and are cost-efficient.


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### Answer by username_33 on 2016-09-19. Score: 1

I would recommend you to go with a managed host provider like Cloudways for [Craft hosting](https://www.cloudways.com/blog/install-craft-cms-on-cloud/). Some of its good features are:

* ThunderStack consists of Nginx, Varnish, Apache, PHP-FPM
* Vertical Scaling
* Cloud providers i.e AWS, GCE, DO, Vultr and Kyup
* 1-Click installations
* Caches (MemCache, MemCached, Redis)
* CloudwaysBot
* 24/7 Support
* User Friendly UI experience
* Provides their custom Cpanel from which you can manage your server in 1-click
* Latest PHP versions

> **Comments:**
> **username_0**: Thanks for the recommendation. Can you please add some details regarding **why** you recommend Cloudways?  
> **username_33**: I have edited my answer  

---

### Answer by username_29 on 2015-04-24. Score: 0

I have all my hosting through [Media Temple](http://mediatemple.net/) I've never had a problem - love the support.

> **Comments:**
> **username_13**: I have to say I've run two Craft sites on shared hosting ("GS") and found them to be extremely slow. Same goes for ExpressionEngine sites.  
> **username_9**: MediaTemple is one of the hosts we get the most support tickets for.  Usually really random, obscure problems.  
> **username_34**: I've also found MediaTemple to be very slow with a couple of Craft sites I had hosted there. It seemed to have gotten worse in the last few months. Moved to DigitalOcean and they fly along.  
> **username_29**: Very interesting. Thanks for the insight guys! Now I'm going to be watching like a hawk!  
> **username_29**: Digging through the docs and such at Digital Ocean - I'll be the first to admit - I'm not a "server guy" at all. It seems really intimidating up front. Is that the case or am I just being overly sensitive?  
> **username_34**: @username_29, try using something like Server Pilot or Forge to manage the set-up part, it's not as intimidating as it might seem  
> **username_3**: I'd like to echo the iffy experience with (gs). It used to be terrible about 9 years go, had a brief period where it got much faster and more stable, and it's back to relatively slow performance (measured via Pingdom) and random weird issues. Awesome support, subpar service. Managed hosting is way cheaper at ArcusTech, and Webfaction has been my new home for shared-hosting-budget and even some VPS projects.  
> **username_17**: I didn't care for my experience with (gs) either.  
> **username_7**: Yeah, I was a devoted MT (gs) user for years with more than a dozen sites. First EE sites, then Craft, but each was agonizingly slow... identical comparison had WebFaction at least 10x faster TTFB. Could never understand why so I migrated everything to WebFaction & Fortrabbit.  

---

