This is one of the most common questions we get: why does a Windows VPS cost more than a Linux VPS with the same specs? The price difference isn’t arbitrary. There are real costs behind it.
Microsoft licensing fees
Linux is open source. Ubuntu, AlmaLinux, Rocky Linux, Debian all cost nothing to license. We can deploy a Linux VPS and the only cost is the hardware, power, and network to run it.
Windows is not free. We’re a Microsoft partner and we license Windows under an SPLA (Service Provider License Agreement). That means we pay Microsoft a per-server monthly fee for every Windows VPS we run. This fee is significant, and it’s passed on in the pricing. When you add SQL Server or other Microsoft software, the licensing cost increases further.
Higher disk usage
A minimal Linux server installation uses 2-4 GB of disk. A Windows Server installation needs 15-20 GB or more, before you install any applications. Our storage is Ceph-backed with triple replication, which means every byte of disk is stored three times across different SSDs for redundancy. So 20 GB of Windows disk becomes 60 GB of actual SSD usage on our storage cluster.
That extra storage has a real cost, and it’s part of why Windows VPS hosting is priced higher.
Higher RAM requirements
A minimal Linux stack (e.g., Nginx + a small app) can run comfortably in 512 MB to 1 GB of RAM. Windows Server typically needs at least 2 GB of RAM just for the OS, and 4 GB if you’re running anything meaningful on top. That means a usable Windows VPS starts at a higher spec than a usable Linux VPS.
When Windows VPS is worth it
Despite the higher cost, a Windows VPS is the right choice when your workload requires Windows: ASP.NET applications, SQL Server databases, Windows-specific desktop software via RDP, MetaTrader for Forex trading, or any Microsoft ecosystem tools. You can’t run these on Linux, so the licensing cost is just part of the equation.
If your workload can run on either OS, go with Linux VPS hosting and save the money. If you need Windows, we offer properly licensed Windows VPS at all six data centers. Check our plans or contact us for questions.