12 Best Plesk Hosting Services (Feb. 2024) - Windows & VPS Reviews

Most people’s thoughts turn to the trusty cPanel when it comes to pairing web hosting with a trusty control panel, but the best Plesk hosting plans can provide a cost-effective and just-as-intuitive management experience.

Web hosting control panels largely boast the same set of features to help site owners visually oversee domains, email, databases, backups, and applications, but a few shine above the rest. Although cPanel carries the most name recognition, Plesk — the only operating system-agnostic control panel — offers flexibility across more than 11 million websites and 380,000 servers.

With half of the top 100 service providers partnering with Plesk, we’ve compiled a list of all the best Plesk hosting services, from shared hosting and Windows environments to virtual private servers and reseller accounts.

Best Overall | Shared | Windows | VPS | Reseller | FAQs

Best Overall Plesk Hosting

Developed in Russia, Plesk first launched in 2001 before being sold to a company that would later become Parallels. Plesk struck out on its own in 2015 as a separate business entity and continues to forge its own path. Even though Plesk works just as well with Linux-based operating systems, it’s most commonly associated as the control panel of choice for Windows hosting environments.

Several providers will allow Linux VPS hosting customers to choose between cPanel or Plesk, but the choice is rarely available at the shared hosting level; Linux servers are outfitted with cPanel, while Windows machines run Plesk.

When looking for the top Plesk hosts, we look for companies that offer modern, updated versions the control panel with multiple services. The refreshed Plesk Onyx interface, which debuted in late 2016, is a must-have tool for site owners and administrators. HostGator checks off all those boxes and promises some of the fastest page load speeds to boot. Learn more about the company’s basic Plesk offerings by checking out our review below:

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Best “Shared” Hosting With Plesk

As any first-time site owner will tell you, control panels are especially critical to shared hosting customers. Plesk, cPanel, and other portals provide a graphical interface that simplifies many complex or tedious tasks. Instead of learning the command line interface, FTP, or database management, website administrators can quickly configure DNS records, email inboxes, and view basic performance metrics.

Imagine installing WordPress without a control panel, for instance. Hosting customers need to download and unzip WordPress Core files, create a MySQL database (and user account), find, rename, and edit a PHP file, access the web server via FTP or secure shell, and upload the files to a specific location on the server.

Plesk, on the other hand, offers a WordPress Toolkit that distills the process to just a few clicks. Users can get to work on their blog in less than a minute and still enjoy the advanced benefits of a staging area, automatic updates, security hardening, and developer tools like WP-CLI, maintenance mode, and search engine index management.

When looking for cheap hosting that ramps up the price-to-performance ratio with Plesk and other features, take a look at our three favorite Plesk providers below:

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Best “Windows” Hosting With Plesk

Because the industry-leading cPanel interface is only compatible with Linux-based operating systems, Plesk is often relegated to Windows hosting environments (even though it runs perfectly on CentOS, Debian, Ubuntu, Cloud Linux, and other Linux distributions). According to W3 Techs, about 30% of all websites use a Windows-based server.

The smaller market, coupled with the more expensive licensing fees associated with the commercial (instead of open-source) operating system, means relatively few providers are keen on offering Windows hosting packages. Because Windows requires a bit more computing power, you should make sure your host is up to the task.

Here, we’ve collected our three favorite Windows hosting providers that offer modern versions of Plesk, support for Windows-oriented programming languages and frameworks like ASP.NET and MVC, as well as the storage, bandwidth, and memory resources required to host high-performance Windows websites. Take a look at our reviews:

5. InterServer.net

WINDOWS RATING ★★★★★ 4.7/5.0

• ASP.NET, ASP, MSSQL, Silverlight, and MVC6
• FREE RAID-10 storage and SSD caching servers
• Unlimited storage, websites, transfer, and email
• Automated weekly backups and FREE CDN
• NO contracts and price is guaranteed for life
• Get started on InterServer now.

Visit Site »

Starting Price/Mo.	$8.00
Money Back Guarantee	30 days
Disk Space	Unlimited SSD
Domain Name	New or Transfer
Windows Hosting Plans	www.interserver.com/windows

InterServer: Our Expert's Review

Laura Bernheim (HostingAdvice.com):

Built for speed, InterServer is a perfect solution for developer-friendly Windows shared hosting. In addition to offering a free site migration, the company uses only 50% of its server capacity to guarantee resources are available as your site grows.

Go to full review »

6. GoDaddy.com

WINDOWS RATING ★★★★★ 4.6/5.0

• Windows Server with 24/7 security monitoring
• Recommended for ASP.NET, ASP, and SQL users
• Unlimited MySQL or MS SQL databases
• 1-click installs for 50+ FREE apps
• FREE domain from the world's top registrar
• Get started on GoDaddy now.

Visit Site »

Starting Price/Mo.	$17.99
Money Back Guarantee	30 days
Disk Space	25 GB - 100 GB
Domain Name	FREE (1 year)
Windows Hosting Plans	www.godaddy.com/windows

GoDaddy: Our Expert's Review

Ryan Frankel (HostingAdvice.com):

The web’s leading domain registrar also tops the charts when it comes to Windows shared hosting. These GoDaddy plans come equipped with a state-of-the-art Windows server, 200MB of MSSQL database storage, and easy installations for popular...

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7. AccuWebHosting.com

WINDOWS RATING ★★★★★ 4.4/5.0

• Built for speed with Windows 2016, IIS 10, and the latest ASP.NET tools
• 100% SSD storage and optional Cloudflare CDN
• MSSQL 2017 databases and Visual Studio integration
• Centralized management via Plesk control panel
• Free account transfer and daily website backups
• Get started on AccuWebHosting now.

Visit Site »

Starting Price/Mo.	$3.52
Money Back Guarantee	30 days
Disk Space	10 GB SSD - 50 GB SSD
Domain Name	FREE (1 year)
Windows Hosting Plans	www.accuwebhosting.com/windows

AccuWebHosting: Our Expert's Review

Laura Bernheim (HostingAdvice.com):

We love how AccuWebHosting emphasizes using modern technologies to power your Windows hosting account. The company is one of a few hosts running Windows Server 2016, MSSQL 2017, and IIS 10. Combined with SSD storage, the end result is…

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Best “VPS” Hosting With Plesk

For customers with a greater amount of computing resources to oversee, Plesk helps automate daily tasks and monitor server usage. VPS customers can install and manage all the systems and applications needed to effectively run a virtual server. Plesk’s template-based interface is more efficient than cPanel, giving the control panel an edge when it comes to disk-space consumption and load on a server.

Because VPS customers tend to have a bit more technical expertise, Plesk especially appeals to developers looking for more fine-grained control over their environment. Plesk comes equipped with a variety of extensions that enhance compatibility, workflow, and security, such as Docker and GitHub integration, backups, and SSL certificates.

The industry’s top VPS hosts ensure customers have the proper mix of tools that mix developer innovations and user-friendly efficiency. When narrowing our focus to the providers that offer Plesk or Windows VPS hosting, here are the best of the best:

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Best “Reseller” Hosting With Plesk

Other than shared servers, no type of hosting account needs a control panel more than reseller plans. Reseller hosting enables business owners to act as a web hosting provider by portioning off some of their computing resources and selling them to customers.

Plesk enables those administrators to manage their server’s CPU, RAM, and disk space on a per-customer basis, migrate customers to your service, and manage user access to assorted Plesk functions. The control panel even allows resellers to add their own branding to the platform, supporting the reseller’s authority.

AccuWebHosting and ResellerClub both offer Linux and Windows reseller opportunities that integrate with Plesk and billing solutions like WHMCS. Learn more about the three companies’ reseller programs below:

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What is Plesk Hosting?

As you might expect, Plesk hosting is any service that relies on the Plesk control panel. You can find Plesk on shared, VPS, or dedicated servers, all fulfilling the same basic needs: simplified and automated management of domains, files, email addresses, security, content platforms, and other applications associated with running a website.

Plesk is most commonly found included with Windows-based hosting environments, though it can be used alongside Linux operating systems, as well. Your hosting provider will set up your account with Plesk already installed, so all you need to do is log in and get to work.

Hosting providers largely choose which control panels to offer, especially at the shared server level. However, VPS and dedicated server customers are more likely to have a choice between Plesk, cPanel, DirectAdmin, ISPsystem, or other panels.

Which is Better: Plesk or cPanel?

Plesk and cPanel are the dominant forces in the control panel market, but which should you choose? Both control panels cover all the basics and are well suited to streamline your web hosting experience. ZNetLive has a detailed comparison of the two control panels, but we’ll give you the main points here:

• Operating systems: Plesk is the winner here, as it is compatible with multiple versions of Windows and 14 Linux distributions, including Debian, Ubuntu, and Virtuozzo. cPanel only works with CentOS, CloudLinux, Red Hat Enterprise Linux, and Amazon Linux.
• System requirements: Because cPanel’s interface relies on a lot more icons, it consumes more memory and disk space. Plesk is generally considered more lightweight.
• Interface and navigation: This can vary by personal tastes, but Plesk tends to get the nod for a logical organization of features; cPanel is more visual. Users only need one login to access server administrator tools, while cPanel requires a separate login for WHM. Plesk has a mobile app; cPanel does not.
• Extensions and add-ons: Lots of credit goes to cPanel’s access to hundreds of one-click installation scripts, but Plesk comes with advanced tools for WordPress and other apps already built in.
• Technology integrations: Again, Plesk outshines here. The control panel helps configure Symantec SSL certificates in addition to Let’s Encrypt and includes support for Docker, Git, and Node.js. Developers can access those features in cPanel, but the workarounds are far more complex.

You may be surprised at all the advantages we’ve identified with Plesk. But don’t forget you still have to find where it’s hosted, and that can make a major difference. For instance, we’d rather trust Bluehost, a cPanel-only host, over some sketchy outfit with broken English and absurdly high prices just for a chance to work with Plesk.

Largely speaking, the mere presence of a control panel is enough for us. We may have given cPanel a rough critique, but there’s no denying the platform’s popularity and familiarity. While you can migrate Plesk and cPanel websites to the other panel, it doesn’t get much simpler than cPanel-to-cPanel migrations.

Control Panel Alternatives and How to Choose the Right One

Sure, Plesk and cPanel are two of the best web hosting control panels available, but there are dozens of other fish in the sea. Plus, even better, many of them are free or open-source platforms that can be configured and changed to meet your specific needs. Here are some other popular control panels to consider:

Shared hosting customers are almost always beholden to their provider’s choice. And, as we’ve said, hosts usually default to cPanel for their shared Linux environments. Once you have root access, which usually emerges at the VPS or cloud hosting levels, you can then explore your options more fully. Look for the technical capabilities you require, along with the comfort and organization of the interface.

Naturally, be sure to check out the best hosts with cPanel before making your control panel decision. Management panels can make your web hosting experience a breeze or a pain in the you-know-where, so be sure to get the choice right the first time.