France VPS offers the functionality of a dedicated server on a budget. It’s essentially a Virtual Private Server hosting with facilities in France, allowing you to customize bandwidth, storage, and security measures per your requirements. French servers significantly reduce latency and deliver a much-refined user experience to French website visitors, but more on their benefits later.
HostAdvice experts performed an independent study on the Best VPS Hosting providers for all types of users. The following article covers the leading Virtual Private Server providers in France based on a research we’ve conducted at HostAdvice. We’ve tested the providers first-hand while considering dozens of user reviews and surveys. For a quick overview, here are our top ten picks!
Short on Time? Check Our Top France VPS Providers:
- Ultahost – Best VPS in France for Enterprises
- Cloudways – Best VPS in France Overall
- A2 Hosting – Best VPS in France for Performance
- Hostinger – Best Affordable VPS in France
What Is France VPS Hosting, and Who Is It For?
French VPS refers to hosting your website, data, and other documentation on a virtual component that nobody else can access. Virtual Private Server hosts utilize virtualization technology, thus delivering dedicated resources within a shared environment. This is advantageous in terms of security and privacy, and it also enables you to save time when setting up a system on your own by avoiding any associated duties.
Switching to VPS might be a wise decision if:
- Your website consumes more power than a shared hosting package can provide
- You are experiencing an increase in traffic
- You need to regularly adjust your servers up and down since your traffic volumes are unpredictable
- You would like to understand how to administer your own server, or you want to alter the configuration of your hosting server
- You can spend more money on hosting each month
When a server is closer to a visitor, that person automatically experiences better speeds and less lag. Today, the ideal website load time is two to five seconds. In addition, each second beyond two seconds results in greater bounce rates. Almost half of users will immediately leave your site if it doesn’t load in two seconds or less, negatively affecting your SEO, profits, and reputation.
The Best France VPS Hosting Services of 2023 (Bought and Tested):
Although a relatively new company, UltaHost has been making waves in the web hosting industry since its inception in 2018. It has established itself as one of the fastest providers with a wide range of products and outstanding service. It offers excellent features, blazing-fast speeds, and an uptime guarantee of 100%, making it an excellent choice for enterprises and projects that handle large data loads.
- Overall score: 4.8
- Features: 4.8
- Support: 4.9
- User Friendly: 4.8
- Pricing: 4.8
- Reliability: 4.9
Features: UltaHost provides a myriad of amazing features, including multiple server locations, free domain transfer, free DDoS protection, malware scans, SSD-only servers, Cloudflare CDN, SpamExperts, RocketBooster, free SSL Certificates, Web Application Firewall, built-in cache, unlimited bandwidth, full root access, and multilingual customer support. We only gave it a 4.8 score because it doesn’t offer a free domain.
Support: All UltaHost customers can take advantage of its Premium customer support, which is available 24/7/365 via live chat, phone, email, and ticketing system. It also has an extensive knowledge base, FAQ section, blog, and server support service. Overall, UltaHost’s customer support is excellent, and the only reason we gave it a 4.9 score is that some customers have reported minor inconsistencies in the ticketing system.
User Friendly: UltaHost is regarded as extremely user-friendly because it offers multiple control panels, including Hestia and CyberPanel, which are free, and cPanel and Plesk, which are paid. It also has a simple and modern design, making it easy to navigate for all. It only received a 4.8 score because customers have to pay slightly higher additional fees if they want to have Plesk or cPanel.
Pricing: UltaHost’s plans are quite affordable. For instance, the cheapest managed VPS plan is the VPS Basic plan, which costs $5.5 per month (if you get the Hestia or CyberPanel control panel). It includes 1 CPU core, 1 GB RAM, 30 GB NVMe SSD storage, a managed server, and 1 IPv4 Dedicated IP address. We give it a 4.8 score because it has additional fees for the cPanel and Plesk control panel.
Reliability: UltaHost is one of the few providers that offers a 100% guarantee, which means that it promises its customers that they will experience virtually no downtime and latency issues. Additionally, it provides free Cloudflare CDN in all plans and uses SSD NVMe storage. All of its servers are powered by 14th-generation Dell servers and configured to offer max redundancy regarding the network, power, and hard drive. It also uses Varnish, Memcached, and Redis in the built-in cache mechanism to enhance website speeds. Needless to say, our 4.9 score is highly deserved.
Additional parameter – Server location: 4.8: UltaHost has data centers in Dallas, the USA; Montreal, Canada; Frankfurt, Germany; and Amsterdam, the Netherlands. All of its servers use the most power-efficient Intel processors and Juniper and Cisco for network switching and routing. So, UltaHost is a great choice for all French-based enterprises and projects because of the proximity of the Amsterdam and Frankfurt servers. However, customers outside these areas will experience latency issues and downtime due to data center distance and unavailability in many regions, hence the 4.8 score.
Pros and Cons
Pros
- A 100% uptime guarantee
- 14th-generation Dell servers
- Built-in cache mechanism
- NVMe SSD storage
- Cloudflare CDN
- DNS Manager
- Snapshots
- BitNinja security
- Instant activation
- Vertical scaling
- SSH and SFTP access
- Malware scans and reports
- A 30-day money-back guarantee
- Integrations with popular apps
- HTTP/2-enabled servers
Cons
- No free domains
- No free domain transfers for monthly plans
Cloudways was founded in 2011 and is based in Malta. It is a well-known provider that offers many services, including VPS. Unlike many of its competitors, Cloudways does not have its own infrastructure. Instead, customers get to choose their infrastructure from five different cloud providers: DigitalOcean, Vultr, Linode, AWS, and Google Cloud. This way, Cloudways is able to provide an excellent service with great performance and an even better price.
- Overall score: 4.7
- Features: 4.7
- Support: 4.7
- User Friendly: 4.6
- Pricing: 4.6
- Reliability: 4.7
Features: Cloudways offers amazing features, including 24/7/365 customer support, dedicated firewalls, auto-healing, optimization with advanced caches, free SSL Certificates, Cloudflare CDN, 24/7 real-time monitoring, free migration, and unlimited application installation. However, it received this score because it does not have domain registration.
Support: Cloudways’ 24/7/365 customer support can be accessed via live chat, ticketing, and phone support. It also has an extensive knowledge base where you can find many solutions and advice. However, we gave it a 4.7 rating because some of the support channels can be difficult to navigate.
User Friendly: Cloudways provides a managed cloud platform, meaning customers do not need to worry about technical aspects like upgrades, server maintenance, etc. It is easy to use and simple to navigate. However, we gave it a 4.6 rating because it does not provide the cPanel, and is more complicated than traditional hosting.
Pricing: The price of Cloudways plans depends on the cloud provider you choose and how many resources you need. The cheapest plan is the DigitalOcean Standard entry plan, which costs $10 per month and includes 1 GB RAM, 1 core processor, 25 GB storage, and 1 TB bandwidth. Although Cloudways offers a wide range of plans and price tags, we gave it a 4.6 rating because some of its plans are quite expensive.
Reliability: Cloudways has a 99.99% uptime guarantee, meaning that the provider guarantees minimal downtime and latency issues. Additionally, all hosting is SSD-based, provides Cloudflare CDN integration, and operates on HTTP/2-supported servers. However, we gave it a 4.7 rating because power outages occur from time to time.
Additional parameter – Server Location: 4.9: Server location is crucial when it comes to hosting because it directly impacts the availability of your website, its loading speed, and overall performance. When it comes to Cloudways, it uses the servers of its cloud providers, which enables it to have access to 62 data centers across 15 countries. More importantly, it has a data center in France, meaning that French customers will receive excellent performance and experience minimal downtime and lag, hence our 4.9 rating.
Pros and Cons
Pros
- Access to 62 data centers worldwide
- A 99.99% uptime guarantee
- A three-day free trial with no credit card requirement
- Managed security and backups
- Pay-as-you-go plans that can be canceled anytime
- Full Cloudflare CDN integration
- A wide range of plans
- Two-Factor Authentication
- Dedicated firewalls
- SSH and SFTP access
Cons
- No cPanel
- No domain registration
- More complicated compared to traditional hosting
A2 Hosting is one of the oldest providers in the game, launched in 2003. It is known far and wide for its blazing-fast and super-reliable services, having won multiple awards over the years. It offers both managed and unmanaged VPS plans, among other hosting types. It has four data centers and hosts all its services on an incredibly fast SwiftServer platform.
- Overall score: 4.7
- Features: 4.7
- Support: 4.7
- User Friendly: 4.7
- Pricing: 4.6
- Reliability: 4.7
Features: A2 Hosting many free and paid features, including the cPanel with Softaculous, DNS, CMS integrations, free SSL Certificates, free migrations, numerous one-click installations, unlimited email accounts, and up to 20x faster Turbo servers. However, we gave it a score of 4.7 because not all features are included in cheaper plans.
Support: A2 Hosting’s Guru Crew Support is a team of experts that are available 24/7/365 and offer multilingual customer support. It can be accessed via live chat, phone, email, and its ticketing system. We gave it a 4.7 rating because some customers have reported minor issues with certain agents.
User Friendly: A2 Hosting provides many one-click installations and cPanel integration and has an easy and simple account activation process. Additionally, it provides numerous guides, self-help articles, video tutorials, and an extensive knowledge base. We gave it a 4.7 rating because some of its services can be quite difficult for customers to use.
Pricing: The cheapest A2 Hosting VPS plan is the Runway 1 unmanaged plan, which costs $4.59 per month. It comes with 1 GB RAM, 150 GB SSD storage, 1 Core, 2 TB transfer, and root access. The cheapest managed VPS plan is the Lift 4 plan, which includes 4 GB RAM, 150 GB SSD storage, 2 TB transfer, 2 cores, a free SSL Certificate, a free cPanel control panel, and a free site transfer. We gave it this score because it has high renewal prices.
Reliability: One of A2 Hosting’s strongest suits is its performance and reliability. It offers a 99.9% uptime guarantee, uses SSD storage only, and hosts all of its plans on a blazing-fast SwiftServer platform. Additionally, it offers the Cloudflare CDN with all managed plans and enables Turbo options for up to 20x faster speeds. Its data centers have a redundancy network with multihomed network connectivity and minimum N+1 redundancy. However, the Turbo option is only available for more expensive plans, which is why we gave this rating.
Additional parameter – Server location: 4.7: A2 Hosting has four data centers in Michigan, USA, Arizona, USA, Amsterdam, the Netherlands, and Singapore. So, all French customers can rest assured that they will get excellent performance and minimal latency issues because they will use Amsterdam servers that are in their proximity. However, we gave it a score of 4.7 because it doesn’t have a data center in France.
Pros and Cons
Pros
- A blazing-fast SwiftServer platform
- A 99.99% uptime guarantee
- Cloudflare CDN
- Up to 20x faster Turbo server option
- A 30-day money-back guarantee
- Excellent Guru Crew 24/7/365 support
- cPanel control panel
- Free SSL Certificate
- SSD storage
- Data centers with dual fiber entrance and multihomed network connectivity
Cons
- Higher renewal prices
- Limitations to features on cheaper plans
Hostinger is one of the most popular providers. Founded in 2011, it has worked hard over the past decade to provide excellent performance, outstanding customer support, and top-quality services. Among those services is its unmanaged VPS, which is considered to be one of if not the most affordable on today’s market. It is the perfect provider for anyone that wants a top-quality service but is on a tight budget.
- Overall score: 4.6
- Features: 4.6
- Support: 4.7
- User Friendly: 4.7
- Pricing: 4.6
- Reliability: 4.6
Features: Hostinger offers many amazing features, including BitNinja server protection, built-in advanced DDoS protection, full root access, NFS support, NVMe SSD storage, Snapshots, weekly backups, unlimited bandwidth, a 30-day money-back guarantee, dedicated IPv4 and IPv6 support. However, Hostinger received this score because it does not offer managed VPS.
Support: Hostinger’s multilingual 24/7/365 customer support can be accessed via live chat and email. And although its team provides expert solutions and fast responses, we gave it a 4.7 rating because the live chat option is only available for those with an account and does not provide phone support. However, Hostinger provides an extensive knowledge base, tutorials, and its Hostinger Academy, where customers can find many solutions and tips.
User Friendly: Due to Hostinger only offering unmanaged VPS plans, you will be in charge of taking care of your server. However, Hostinger is extremely user-friendly, offers many one-click installations, and has its own custom hPanel. We give it a 4.7 score because some customers might not be able to navigate its hPanel if they’re used to the cPanel.
Pricing: One of Hostinger’s biggest advantages is its prices. The cheapest VPS plan is the VPS 1, which costs $3.49 monthly. It includes 1 vCPU core, 1 GB RAM, 20 GB SSD storage, and 1 TB bandwidth. However, we gave it a 4.6 rating because you have to purchase a 48-month plan to pay the most affordable price, and its renewal prices are slightly higher.
Reliability: Hostinger offers a 99.9% uptime guarantee, ensuring that you will have minimal downtime and latency. It also provides a 100 Mb/s network and bases all of its VPS plans on OVZ virtualization technology. Additionally, each VPS has the latest Intel Xeon processors and NVMe SSD storage. However, we gave it a 4.6 rating because it reported having a few power outages.
Additional parameter – Server location: 4.6: Hostinger has data centers in Lithuania, the Netherlands, Singapore, the USA, Brazil, and the UK. Therefore, it’s a great choice for French customers or businesses that target French audiences because they can host their websites on nearby servers in the Netherlands. However, we gave it a 4.6 score because it does not have a data center in France, and many customers who do not operate in the mentioned areas will experience latency issues due to the distance.
Pros and Cons
Pros
- The most affordable prices on the market
- A wide range of excellent features
- A 30-day money-back guarantee
- BitNinja full stack protection
- Dedicated IPv4 and IPv6 support
- Advanced DDoS support
- Full root access
- NVMe SSD storage
- 100 Mb/s network
- Multilingual 24/7/365 expert support
Cons
- Phone support is not available
- Only customers with accounts can access the live chat
- No managed VPS plans or support
Ranking comparison between the Top Providers
How Do We Rank and How You Should Choose Your French VPS Hosting?
- Server Availability Within The Country15%
- Excellent Server Performance15%
- Robust Security & Backups5%
- Sufficient Bandwidth & Storage Capacity6%
- Flexibility3%
- Root Access3%
- Hosting Extras9%
- Ease Of Use3%
- Technical Assistance7%
- Plans & Pricing4%
- User Reviews30%
The chart represents the criteria and the allocated percentage we’ve used at HostAdvice for the ‘Best France VPS’ category ranking. Our professionals constantly make independent measurements of the relevant factors for a given category, including uptime, speed, support response times, security breaches, and more. We also allocate user reviews a significant weight during ranking.
Here’s everything you need to consider when choosing the best France Virtual Private Server for your website:
- Server Availability Within The Country (15%): The best choices are French cities, such as Paris, Lyon, Lille, Grenoble, Orleans, Aix En Provence, and Toulouse. However, you don’t have to worry about the server location on a city-specific level since you won’t notice performance variations between cities. The second-best alternative is a neighboring country or the region.
- Excellent Server Performance (15%): Opt for a reliable French VPS provider with an uptime of 99.95% or above, excellent software and hardware, including SSD technology, and Cloudflare CDN if you are to serve the global market.
- Robust Security & Backups (5%): French VPS grants you a high level of isolation from other sites within the same environment. Still, it would help to get a plan with sufficient security practices against external threats and hacker attacks, such as firewalls, malware scans & removals, automated backups, and data duplication.
- Sufficient Bandwidth & Storage Capacity (6%): Get a package with a high data transfer rate and guaranteed bandwidth burst. Also, opt for unlimited web space (tip: check the terms of agreement for limits regarding resource utilization; you don’t want to be paying overage hidden fees).
- Flexibility (3%): The best France VPS providers enable you to scale up or down when your traffic grows, or you need more resources on-demand.
- Root Access (3%): You should get complete control over your site, being able to install/remove apps, add new clients, change the website configuration or software modules, and more. Since you’ll get 100% control over your server, you would also be able to set up additional security measures, such as virus protection, to install a different operating system and other components.
- Hosting Extras (9%): Consider the availability of operating systems, databases and frameworks, control panels, dedicated IP addresses, free domain name transfer/registration, SSL certificates, website building capabilities, 1-click installs, migration services, and more.
- Ease Of Use (3%): Pre-installed software packages will help reduce the initial Virtual Private Server setup time. It’s crucial to get a simple graphical control panel to manage your websites packed with features to facilitate your hosting experiences, such as the cPanel or Plesk.
- Technical Assistance (7%): Get a host with 24/7 customer support availability, preferably over the phone in French.
- Plans & Pricing (4%): Review the variety of available VPS plans, the price-to-value ratio, introductory discounts, renewal rates, deals on bulk purchases, and money-back guarantees.
- User Reviews (30%): At last, check the French VPS host’s reputation. Bad customer experiences should be your no. 1 red flag.
The Advantages Of Hosting With A French VPS Provider
Virtual Private Servers grant you a unique combination of power and efficiency, as well as several other benefits:
- Cheap Maintenance Costs: VPS hosting France grants you dedicated hosting capabilities at a significantly lower cost. The hosting provider will handle OS, fixes, and security patches with a managed solution, saving you time and effort. An unmanaged French VPS plan will further push your costs down.
- Incredible Ease of Use: As opposed to a dedicated server, Virtual Private Server is far more straightforward. It represents an easily manageable option similar to shared web hosting.
- The Ultimate Flexibility: You can modify the operating system, software programs, and security settings to meet your specific needs and requirements. Furthermore, you’ll be able to run different operating systems simultaneously without encountering any compatibility problems. The French VPS host may also alter the security precautions, bandwidth, and storage capacity on your demand, add apps or add-ons, such as control panels or database servers.
- Performance Improvements: France VPS providers achieve great performance at a lower total cost with minimal overhead thanks to the operating system, applications, and software utilized for virtualization. You’ll also be able to use the latest tools and technologies, such as Saas and Iaas.
- Free Domain Registration Services: Some of the best France Virtual Private Server companies include domain registration as part of their service. You’ll also get many other valuable freebies in these packages.
- Effective Resource Utilization: VPS France offers the opportunity to maximize bandwidth and utilize resources very efficiently. These hosting servers provide a combination of tremendous scalability, guaranteed performance, and dependability. Additionally, they provide burstable RAM and guaranteed system resources.
- Better Customer Experience: The site will become more reliable with increased security and dependability, ultimately improving the user experience.
- WordPress Compatibility: The WordPress platform is one of the most widely used programs because it has cost-effective, high-quality blogging and content management options. Top-notch French VPS hosts offer the WP app to help you raise the efficiency of your website and enhance its online visibility.
France VPS vs. Other Types Of Web Hosting Solutions
Let’s review the differences between France VPS hosting vs. shared vs. dedicated hosting.
VPS vs. Shared Hosting
Here’s a fast summary of shared hosting vs. VPS, reviewing their key differences:
Resource Allocation
- Shared Hosting – You share server resources with other websites in the same environment. You might run out if someone hits/exceeds their limit.
- VPS – While resources also are shared, you have more control over the restrictions that apply to your particular website. Excessive usage of other websites cannot affect yours.
Performance
- Shared Hosting – Good availability and enough bandwidth (assuming other sites don’t consume excessive amounts) to accommodate hundreds of visits per week.
- VPS – Excellent page load times and sufficient bandwidth to handle weekly traffic of thousands of visitors.
Security
- Shared Hosting – Generally fairly safe, but you are in danger if one of the websites on your server is compromised. If a trojan attacks the server, everyone will suffer the consequences.
- VPS – Even if other users on your server aren’t secured, you may install personal protection software to assure your safety. You’ll enjoy full isolation, therefore, much better security.
Customization and Configuration
- Shared Hosting – Set restrictions on the resources you may use; very little personalization.
- VPS – More control over resource restrictions; can be altered with additional software.
Scalability
- Shared Hosting – Beyond static webpages, not particularly scalable.
- VPS– Possible to scale up to extremely large corporate sites as your site grows.
Price
- Shared Hosting – The most affordable hosting option available.
- VPS – More costly than shared hosting.
VPS vs. Dedicated Hosting
Let’s compare the significant distinctions between dedicated hosting and VPS and identify which is superior:
Resource Allocation
- VPS – Flexible resource caps with the option of leveraging the server resources of other websites.
- Dedicated Hosting – Depending on your demands, massive resource restrictions might change monthly.
Performance
- VPS – Fast loading times, and for the most part, several websites on the server experience simultaneous traffic spikes.
- Dedicated Hosting – Determined by the number of resources your website has available, lightning-fast loading times.
Security
- VPS – Even if you install your protection software, the server’s other sites might still suffer a security breach, leaving you quite exposed.
- Dedicated Hosting – You are responsible for your safety and may set up tools to safeguard your website on your own without depending on third parties.
Customization and Configuration
- VPS - With a managed plan, technical setup may be handled for you, and resources can be adjusted based on how well your site and the others on your server are performing.
- Dedicated Hosting - Again, with managed plans, technical setup and maintenance aren’t too much of a problem, and you may further personalize your site with extra tools.
Scalability
- VPS – Given its adaptability and abundant resources, this hosting is excellent for expanding your website.
- Dedicated Hosting – You have already reached the top. Although you can scale up your strategy, you shouldn’t need to.
Price
- VPS – Cheaper than dedicated hosting with a price range of $20-$120 monthly.
- Dedicated Hosting – More expensive than VPS hosting, ranging from $100 to $400.
VPS vs. Shared vs. Dedicated Hosting (Pros & Cons)
Pros Of VPS:
- Exceptional value for money
- Greater control over your server than with shared hosting
- Adequate performance levels for most websites
- Flexible plans that scale with your website
- More affordable than dedicated hosting
Cons Of VPS:
- It costs a little more than shared hosting
- Requires some technological familiarity
- Features could be restricted since you’re still sharing a server
- Less powerful than a dedicated server
Pros Of Shared Hosting:
- The least expensive hosting available
- Designed for newcomers and non-technical people
- Decent speed on static and less-visited pages
Cons Of Shared Hosting:
- No dedicated resources
- Higher threats to security
- Websites on the same server can impact your performance
Pros Of Dedicated Hosting:
- The best server performance and abundant resources
- It keeps you from switching to a more expensive plan if your website grows
Cons Of Dedicated Hosting:
- The most expensive web hosting solution
- Demands technical expertise
When Do You Need To Switch To French VPS Hosting?
Here are a few situations that indicate it’s time to upgrade your shared hosting plan to the best France VPS.
- More People Start Visiting Your Site – A website’s server needs to work harder the more concurrent users it has. Congratulations if you notice that your website starts to load slower during high traffic periods. When more people are interested in your website, it’s time to consider a VPS plan. Usually, a shared hosting plan isn’t sufficient to handle excessive traffic.
- You Want to Scale Your Website Swiftly – In certain cases, beginning with a VPS plan right away makes more sense for a web page owner than beginning with a shared plan and switching later. Starting with a French VPS package is logical if you are constructing a large website, anticipate heavy traffic immediately, or intend to collect payments online as soon as your site is up.
- You Are Concerned About Safety – Hackers are rarely interested in small websites. Instead, they closely watch those with higher traffic, more sensitive personal information, and online payment capabilities. Enhanced security is also one of your top objectives if you create a WordPress site that collects user data.
- You Desire to Set Up Custom Software – Avoid a shared hosting plan if you’re more technically savvy and wish to deploy your software, add modules or programs that shared hosting doesn’t support, or modify your settings. You may install applications and customize your settings with a Virtual Private Server service, meaning you have more control over your server and WordPress website.
- The French Market Has Become Your Primary Target – You might have reached this decision over time or had it from day one. Either way, a server in the US or Australia can easily cause latency for your French consumers. It would be best to select a location as close as possible and migrate your data there.
Best France VPS Hosting Services: Final Recommendations
A VPS plan is ideal if you’ve outgrown a shared hosting plan and want the majority of the advantages of a dedicated server at a fraction of the price. Still, not all hosts perform the same, meaning you’ll need to learn as much as possible about your alternatives.
There are several excellent French VPS hosting companies on the market. Yet, it is crucial to conduct research before selecting a Virtual Private Server hosting provider and to consider the company’s reliability, customer support and features to locate the one that best meets your requirements. Comparing costs and client testimonials is also essential!