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1. A2Hosting.com

A2 Hosting review

Monthly Starting Price $2.99

  • Supercharged CloudLinux operating system
  • Support for CenOS, Ubuntu, Debian, and Fedora
  • Go beyond LAMP with PostgreSQL and NGINX
  • Daily, automatic OS updates via KernelCare
  • All-SSD storage in RAID-10 arrays
  • Get started on A2 Hosting now.

LINUX
RATING
4.9 ★★★★★ Our Review

A2 Hosting: Our Expert's Review

Alexandra Anderson (HostingAdvice.com): Offering a familiar Linux hosting experience that’s perfect for beginners and seasoned developers, A2 Hosting relies on the efficient CloudLinux operating system for speed and security. The company’s servers are optimized for speed with modern processors and solid-state drives to make sure your Linux environment won’t slow you down. Go to full review »

Money Back Guarantee Disk Space Domain Name Setup Time
30 days 100 GB SSD - Unlimited SSD New or Transfer 4 minutes

2. Bluehost.com

Bluehost review

Monthly Starting Price $2.95

  • Linux, cPanel, and 1-click software installations
  • Support for PHP, Apache, MySQL, and Ruby
  • Secure FTP access and IP blocking
  • Tons of Linux-friendly eCommerce tools available
  • 24/7 support and advanced spam protection
  • Get started on Bluehost now.

LINUX
RATING
4.8 ★★★★★ Our Review

Bluehost: Our Expert's Review

Ryan Frankel (HostingAdvice.com): For Linux-friendly shared hosting, you can’t go wrong with Bluehost. The company offers all the software support you’re looking for, including Apache, PHP, and MySQL. Go to full review »

Money Back Guarantee Disk Space Domain Name Setup Time
30 days 10 GB SSD - 100 GB SSD FREE (1 year) 5 minutes

3. Hostinger.com

Hostinger review

Monthly Starting Price $2.49

  • Industry-leading CloudLinux for top reliability
  • FREE domain, SSL certificate, and software installs
  • High-speed performance with LiteSpeed caching
  • Support for CentOS, Ubuntu, Fedora, and others
  • GET 75% OFF when you sign up
  • Get started on Hostinger now.

LINUX
RATING
4.8 ★★★★★ Our Review

Hostinger: Our Expert's Review

Laura Bernheim (HostingAdvice.com): Hostinger is quickly making a name for itself behind hosting services that value both performance and price. The web host primarily operates on the speedy and reliable CloudLinux operating system, ensuring wide-ranging compatibility and efficient management. Go to full review »

Money Back Guarantee Disk Space Domain Name Setup Time
30 days 50 GB SSD - 200 GB SSD FREE (1 year) 3 minutes

4. IONOS.com

1&1 IONOS review

Monthly Starting Price $1.00

  • Pay just $1/month for 12 months, no hidden fees
  • Choose Ubuntu, Debian, CentOS, or openSUSE
  • Mirrored data storage in georedundant datacenters
  • Fast performance with easy scalability
  • Unlimited storage, traffic, and databases available
  • Get started on 1&1 IONOS now.

LINUX
RATING
4.7 ★★★★★ Our Review

1&1 IONOS: Our Expert's Review

Alexandra Anderson (HostingAdvice.com): 1&1 IONOS clocked its US-based servers at speeds faster than the likes of Bluehost, GoDaddy, and HostGator — ensuring your Linux website will load at peak performance. The company’s shared servers rely on Debian, while VPS support extends to CentOS, Ubuntu, and openSUSE. Go to full review »

Money Back Guarantee Disk Space Domain Name Setup Time
30 days 10 GB - Unlimited FREE (1 year) 4 minutes

5. SiteGround.com

SiteGround review

Monthly Starting Price $2.99

  • All shared and cloud servers run on Fedora
  • 100% renewable energy match via Google Cloud
  • Easy server management with cPanel and SSH
  • Unlimited databases with daily site backups
  • 99.9% uptime and 24/7 network monitoring
  • Get started on SiteGround now.

LINUX
RATING
4.7 ★★★★★ Our Review

SiteGround: Our Expert's Review

Alexandra Anderson (HostingAdvice.com): With hosting servers powered by the modern technologies at Google Cloud Platform, SiteGround adds considerable value behind its robust caching and support programs. The hosting company leads the way when it comes to high-speed and secure hosting solutions. Go to full review »

Money Back Guarantee Disk Space Domain Name Setup Time
30 days 10 GB SSD - 40 GB SSD New or Transfer 6 minutes

6. InMotionHosting.com

InMotion review

Monthly Starting Price $2.29

  • Pro-grade hardware with CentOS optimizations
  • SSH access and SSDs for 20x faster page loads
  • Code with Ruby, PHP, Perl, and Python
  • SPAM Safe™ email and personalized domain
  • FREE SSL and 300+ ready-to-go apps via cPanel
  • Get started on InMotion Hosting now.

LINUX
RATING
4.7 ★★★★★ Our Review

InMotion: Our Expert's Review

PJ Fancher (HostingAdvice.com): InMotion Hosting offers several developer-friendly Linux options, all on SSD-powered servers boasting one of the industry’s longest money-back guarantees. Each server starts with an optimized CentOS installation, but VPS and dedicated hosting customers can install a different Linux distribution if they wish. Go to full review »

Money Back Guarantee Disk Space Domain Name Setup Time
90 days 100 GB SSD - Unlimited SSD FREE (1 year) 5 minutes

7. HostGator.com

HostGator review

Monthly Starting Price $2.64

  • Enterprise-grade CentOS with regular updates
  • Unmetered bandwidth and unlimited domains
  • 1-click software installs via cPanel interface
  • FREE SSL certificate and website migration
  • Launch your site quickly with Gator website builder
  • Get started on HostGator now.

LINUX
RATING
4.6 ★★★★★ Our Review

HostGator: Our Expert's Review

Ryan Frankel (HostingAdvice.com): HostGator emphasizes compatibility and wide-ranging support for all the web design and development tools you might need. Starting with industry standards like CentOS and cPanel, HostGator provides quick, intuitive access to more than 75 one-click software installations. Go to full review »

Money Back Guarantee Disk Space Domain Name Setup Time
30 days 10 GB SSD - 40 GB SSD FREE (1 year) 4 minutes

8. GoDaddy.com

GoDaddy review

Monthly Starting Price $8.99

  • CloudLinux servers keep your site online
  • On-demand resources let you scale your site
  • 125+ software installation scripts via cPanel
  • Fraud, virus, and spam protection
  • Linux users get unlimited MySQL databases
  • Get started on GoDaddy now.

LINUX
RATING
4.5 ★★★★★ Our Review

GoDaddy: Our Expert's Review

Ryan Frankel (HostingAdvice.com): As the first name on seemingly every hosting customer’s mind, GoDaddy rises to the forefront of Linux hosting, as usual. The world’s top domain registrar offers flexible Linux plans on CloudLinux. Go to full review »

Money Back Guarantee Disk Space Domain Name Setup Time
30 days 25 GB - 100 GB FREE (1 year) 4 minutes

9. GreenGeeks.com

GreenGeeks review

Monthly Starting Price $2.95

  • All-Linux hosting featuring CentOS
  • Nightly backups and FREE SSL certificate
  • Unlimited email accounts and databases
  • FREE cPanel and Softaculous install scripts
  • Powered by 300% renewable energy credits
  • Get started on GreenGeeks now.

LINUX
RATING
4.3 ★★★★ Our Review

GreenGeeks: Our Expert's Review

Laura Bernheim (HostingAdvice.com): GreenGeeks certainly lives up to its name, providing modern web hosting services backed by a renewable energy promise that returns three times more energy into the power grid than the company consumes. The company’s Linux hosting comes with SSDs and many other perks. Go to full review »

Money Back Guarantee Disk Space Domain Name Setup Time
30 days 50 GB SSD - Unlimited SSD FREE (1 year) 4 minutes

Review Breakdown: Linux Hosts

You can find a Linux host just about anywhere — but that doesn't mean you shouldn't take your time locating a high-class hosting service that meets your exact needs. Whether you're looking for shared web hosting or a Linux VPS server, pay attention to the specific Linux distro available, compatible software and scripting languages, along with perks like a free domain or SSL certificate.

Here are the best Linux hosting providers:

Best Linux Hosting
Rank Web Host Price Storage Expert Rating
1 A2 Hosting $2.99 100 GB SSD - Unlimited SSD ★★★★★ 4.9
2 Bluehost $2.95 10 GB SSD - 100 GB SSD ★★★★★ 4.8
3 Hostinger $2.49 50 GB SSD - 200 GB SSD ★★★★★ 4.8
4 1&1 IONOS $1.00 10 GB - Unlimited ★★★★★ 4.7
5 SiteGround $2.99 10 GB SSD - 40 GB SSD ★★★★★ 4.7
6 InMotion $2.29 100 GB SSD - Unlimited SSD ★★★★★ 4.7
7 HostGator $2.64 10 GB SSD - 40 GB SSD ★★★★★ 4.6
8 GoDaddy $8.99 25 GB - 100 GB ★★★★★ 4.5
9 GreenGeeks $2.95 50 GB SSD - Unlimited SSD ★★★★ 4.3

Looking for something other than linux hosting?

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Cheap Web Hosting

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Looking for a dedicated server to host your website? Choosing the right host can make all the difference. See what our team discovered when comparing the various dedicated hosting options. See all reviews »

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WordPress Hosting

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9 FAQs About Linux Hosting

Laura Bernheim
Laura Bernheim,
Contributing Expert

The best Linux hosting providers power the world’s most popular shared, VPS, cloud, and dedicated server platforms.

Thanks in large part to its open-source licensing, Linux distributions are often free for web hosting providers and website owners to use in datacenters. Some companies, including Red Hat, SUSE, and CloudLinux distribute under subscription licenses.

Popular Unix-based operating systems, such as Debian, Ubuntu, and AlmaLinux (one of the top CentOS replacements), power more than two-thirds of all websites. Windows servers power the rest but require expensive licenses from Microsoft for each installation.

Cheap web hosting plans typically use a Linux-based operating system, enabling each web host to pass the savings onto its customers.

The software applications and programming languages you plan to use for your website will, in large part, dictate which operating system is best. A Linux host is the prime choice for those using WordPress (or other PHP and MySQL applications), Python, and JavaScript.

Developers using ASP.NET, C++, C#, and others typically flock to Windows hosting.

Small businesses, freelancers, and independent web publishers can use Linux shared hosting plans for the cheapest costs on datacenter hardware. VPS plans and dedicated servers running Linux offer more resources to developers.

1. What is Linux Hosting?

Because of the wide variety of distributions forked off the main Linux kernel, Linux hosting can come in a variety of flavors.

Put simply, Linux web hosting is a plan that comes with an operating system derived from Linux (instead of Windows). It’s the most popular web hosting service, thanks to its flexibility and affordability.

Unless a plan specifically highlights the Windows OS (operating system) or optimizations for running ASP.NET, Visual Basic, and other Windows programming languages, you can safely assume the hosting plan runs on Linux.

Linux developed as an open-source operating system, in contrast to Microsoft’s approach of a proprietary corporate license.

The Linux operating system’s GNU general public license allows companies to add services and sell commercial products with Linux. Likewise, open-source developer communities can customize or create new features to the kernel and distribute it for no charge.

Google, Oracle, IBM, and many other large companies run Linux servers in hyperscale cloud datacenters. Small businesses and independent publishers can use shared Linux hosting for web design.

All of these operating system distributions share the use of the same kernel and core distribution of Linux, governed by Linus Torvalds and the Free Software Foundation.

The Linux Foundation is another group that works for industry collaboration on the operating system via open-source fundamentals. The GNU GPL allowed Linux to develop as an operating system over 30 years to compete with Microsoft as a free solution for anyone to use.

Linux hosting is installed on about 90% of public cloud servers, and more than 70% of the websites in the world run on the Linux operating system.

2. Why Should I Use a Linux Server?

A Linux server enables a web host to make enterprise-grade datacenter services available to website owners through shared hardware.

Business owners and developers will find it more cost-effective to partner with the best Linux hosting providers than to manage their own hardware and network connections in an on-premise facility.

Here are more reasons most small business owners and independent web publishers should choose shared Linux hosting plans.

  1. Affordability: Only pay for hardware and support services.
  2. Best performance: Lightweight, adjustable code.
  3. Open source code: Globally supported for a variety of use cases.
  4. Stable, private, and secure: Rare vulnerabilities are found and fixed quickly.
  5. Vast developer community: Global expertise and support.
  6. Compatibility and versatility: Adaptable for many devices, languages, and tasks.

Cheap Linux VPS plans allow you to opt between managed and unmanaged platforms with multiple versions of the Linux operating system available to install with server frameworks.

Most companies use Linux to avoid the more expensive costs of Microsoft products over time when supporting their websites and mobile apps.

3. How Much Should a Linux Web Hosting Plan Cost?

With a Linux hosting plan, anyone can host a website for less than $2 per month for a single domain; the price tag may creep up to between $3 and $5 for plans that include the ultra-helpful cPanel portal and support for unlimited domain names.

The cheapest VPS plans start around $5 per month for 1 vCPU with 1GB RAM. You can find dedicated server hosting as cheap as $50 per month at some sites, although average prices are upward of $100 monthly.

Shared Hosting VPS Hosting Dedicated Server
$2 to $6 per month $5 to $20 per month $75 to $125 per month

Shared web hosting plans allow you to get started developing a suite of domains at the cheapest rates in the industry. Linux server distro hosting is priced a few dollars cheaper on average across service products in the industry.

Expect to pay more for Windows-based shared and VPS server plans.

With any operating system, you need to decide between managed and unmanaged services.

We recommend most website owners rely on the experience of datacenter professionals to get the most value from web hosting plans with managed cloud services.

On unmanaged plans, you are responsible for all software licensing costs, cybersecurity, and systems administration for your hardware. Save money with managed cloud services that bundle licenses for cPanel into plans that would cost more to procure independently online.

Start small and only pay for what you need, then scale as your web traffic and processing requirements grow. Rely on network metrics and data analytics for information. The best web hosting provider will make the process easy.

4. How Do I Choose the Best Linux Web Hosting Service?

For most small business users, the best Linux hosting service is a cPanel plan that includes a fully-managed environment on shared hardware.

Programmers and developers often require command-line access to a Linux server through SSH connections for configuration settings; cPanel allows people without extensive experience to control their web server and domain name configurations through the web browser.

For VPS server plan management of Linux installations, Webuzo one of the top control panels, making it easy to deploy any operating system stack completely. Use cPanel to set up email, FTP, and MySQL databases for domains.

Features to Look for in the Best Web Hosting Provider:

  • cPanel: The easy-to-use interface is the industry standard in shared hosting.
  • Free domain: Even better, look for a web host with support for unlimited domains.
  • One-click installations: Choose from more than 400 software programs to build your site.
  • Security: Free SSL certificates, automatic updates, and 24/7 monitoring.

Managed platforms are best for inexperienced users, who can rely on datacenter engineers with years of combined experience at the web host.

We most strongly recommend Linux hosting plans that offer additional web application firewalls, antivirus scanning, and DDoS protection. Web security is a major issue for publishers, which small businesses can address by relying on managed platforms.

The inclusion of Softaculous, Fantastico, or other one-click script installers makes it easy to launch scripts like WordPress to run on Linux servers with PHP and MySQL database support within minutes of signing up for a new account.

5. What are the Differences Between Linux and Windows Hosting?

The main difference between Linux and Windows hosting services is the cost of licensing the operating system for use on a web server.

With the most popular Linux operating systems, there’s no cost to use the server distribution. Companies like Red Hat, SUSE, and Ubuntu have enterprise licensing divisions for corporate datacenters, government institutions, and other large businesses.

These companies then provide versions of their Linux distribution to the public as a free community product that can be used on VPS or dedicated server plans.

Keep in mind, using cPanel requires either AlmaLinux, Ubuntu, or CloudLinux.

Main Differences Between Linux and Windows Hosting Plans:

Linux Windows
Development Open source Private/commercial
Cost Free or commercial Commercial only
Web Panel cPanel or Plesk Plesk
Database MySQL, PostgreSQL MS SQL, Microsoft Access
Web Server Apache, NGINX Microsoft IIS
Languages PHP, Perl, Python ASP.NET, C#, Visual Basic
Security Highly protected against most threats More prone to attacks and user error
Support Community based Commercial support plans

To be fair, more features are cross-supported between Linux and Windows than ever before. That includes PHP and ASP.NET applications, along with the Plesk web panel. We stuck with what you’ll most commonly find.

Windows Server offers different pricing tiers for a single business server, enterprise organization, or datacenter license. Microsoft Azure has a complete suite of cloud products that competes with Amazon Web Services and Google Cloud Platform.

Microsoft will even allow Linux servers to run on Azure or to use Linux with Hyper-V virtualization.

6. Which Linux Distribution Should I Use?

The best Linux distribution depends on the requirements of the project for web server support.

Because cPanel will only run on CentOS, Ubuntu, AlmaLinux, or Cloud Linux, you should choose one of these solutions if you need to use cPanel for domain administration.

The advantage of cPanel is you do not need to install any operating system or maintain a web server. The web host offers managed cloud services in support of a shared Linux hosting plan.

Bundling an included cPanel license on shared, VPS, or dedicated servers is worth about $15 per month if you were to acquire the license separately.

Most Popular Distributions for Linux Hosting Plans:

  • Ubuntu: Pre-packaged web server distributions for bare metal and virtual hardware.
  • Debian: Used with Apache, NGINX, lighttpd, Caddy, Tomcat, and other web servers.
  • CentOS: Popularly used with cPanel, but is being replaced by Rocky or Alma Linux.
  • Fedora: Official release of web server distro by the Apache Software Foundation.
  • Cloud Linux: Engineered by the developers of cPanel for the requirements of hosting.

Outside of the cPanel ecosystem, a Debian installation profile is available for most popular web server frameworks. Apache officially sponsors the Fedora platform.

Datacenter operators frequently use Red Hat Enterprise Linux, Oracle Linux, SUSE, and Ubuntu solutions for managing cloud networks with OpenStack and Kubernetes.

Developers working with Docker and container applications have made nano operating systems like Rancher, Alpine Linux, and CoreOS popular with groups that need the highest level of hardware speed for elastic scale.

7. When Should I Get Linux VPS Hosting or a Dedicated Server?

Linux VPS hosting is best for most CMS website owners who are running active eCommerce, blog, or social networking sites.

Adding a Linux VPS with 2 vCPU cores and 2GB RAM will provide content management systems like WordPress, Drupal, and Joomla with a higher level of resources. This leads to better performance.

Several companies like InMotion Hosting offer Linux VPS plans that include a pre-installed cPanel environment with specific performance and security optimizations for those CMSs in mind.

InMotion Hosting improves basic Linux VPS hosting with SSD storage for the fastest website performance. InMotion Hosting and Bluehost offer the best Linux VPS hosting for WordPress hosting with a free cPanel license and domain name included in the deal.

Reasons to Upgrade to VPS and Dedicated Hosting Plans:

  • Web traffic support: Upgrade when your sites have higher levels of web traffic.
  • More CPU for scripts: Support I/O requests with more dedicated CPU cores.
  • More RAM for databases: Improve performance on VPS plans with more RAM.
  • High-performance websites: Boost conversion rates on eCommerce stores.
  • Increased availability: A VPS or dedicated server can better withstand spikes.

If you have a specific runtime requirement for Red Hat Linux, Arch Linux, Ubuntu Server, Oracle Linux, or Fedora Server, check the options available with the hosting provider in advance.

If you cannot find support for your operating system under managed VPS and dedicated server plans, choose an unmanaged platform and install the operating system yourself using the command line.

Oracle Linux, Arch Linux, and Red Hat Enterprise Linux are not commonly supported in commercial web hosting, but many managed VPS platforms run Ubuntu Server with integrated cPanel management for domains.

8. Which Hosts Let Me Choose My Operating System?

Managed VPS plans or dedicated servers often come with a very limited choice when it comes to operating systems and other software to configure your stack.

Unmanaged plans, however, allow you to choose your operating system from many popular distro options using server images, or ISO prints.

A Linux server distribution is not always free, so the best Linux hosting option depends on your project requirements.

Here are some of our favorite hosts with unmanaged VPS options and a wide selection of operating systems:

Host VPS Price Operating Systems
A2 Hosting $2.99 AlmaLinux, CentOS, Ubuntu, Debian
Hostinger $5.99 CentOS, Ubuntu, Debian, Fedora, OpenSUSE
InterServer $6.00 Debian, OpenSUSE, Ubuntu, CentOS, AlmaLinux, Fedora
Kamatera $4.00 RockyLinux, AlmaLinux, CentOS, Cloud Linux, Debian, OpenSUSE, Ubuntu
Hostwinds $4.99 CentOS, Ubuntu, Fedora, Debian

We particularly love the Turbo Server configuration A2 Hosting offers, which provides users a higher-quality web server with low-density hardware guaranteed to perform faster than most other options.

A2 Hosting is also one of the best companies for customer support, using phone, live chat, and email ticketing channels.

A shared hosting plan or reseller hosting account won’t allow you to choose your own operating system, so the best Linux web hosting is often found on unmanaged VPS plans where you have the freedom to install whatever operating system distribution you prefer for development.

Linux web hosting resources on unmanaged VPS plans require a higher level of developer support for cybersecurity issues.

To install any OS without limitation to a particular Linux distro, sign up for unmanaged VPS plans or use a Linux dedicated server. However, be aware that Linux server hosting does not always include customer support from a hosting company for developer-related issues.

A Linux enterprise server license is expensive for most small businesses, so web hosting companies provide free open-source versions of runtime stacks like Fedora Server with Apache or Ubuntu Server with NGINX.

9. How Should I Get Started With Linux Shared Hosting?

Once you choose a web host that best meets your needs, you will need to create a new account likely using a credit card or PayPal. Some companies now enable cryptocurrency payments or ACH withdrawals.

The best hosting service should offer the complete package of a Linux OS with cPanel license, or use of another free control panel like Plesk or Webuzo to manage configurations.

Look for a hosting provider with WordPress development tools, Git integration, WP-CLI, and free themes alongside an optimized runtime environment.

A Linux dedicated server is the most expensive option, so start with a shared web hosting company before you upgrade to dedicated hosting.

If you need to build a custom Linux configuration for website development or mobile application support, choose a hosting provider where you can seamlessly upgrade from shared hosting to VPS plans and dedicated servers on the same managed platform.

This allows you to save time and money on systems administration when working with database scripts on a hosting provider. Make sure the web host offers customer support with live chat for assistance in getting started to smooth out any problems.

About The Author

Laura has spent more than 12 years crafting engaging and award-winning articles that share the passion behind organizations' products, people, and innovations. As a long-time HostingAdvice contributing expert, she combines a reputation for producing quality content with rich technical expertise to show experienced developers how to capitalize on emerging technologies and find better ways to work with established platforms. A professional journalist, Laura has contributed to The New York Times, Sports Illustrated, the Sun Sentinel, and the world's top hosting providers.
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Laura Bernheim