Everyone who types windows vps into a search bar wants the same thing: a reliable virtual private server they can Remote Desktop into. But vps hosting with Windows is a different purchase from Linux VPS hosting, and most comparison pages never tell you why. The hardware is the easy part — 4 vCPU and 8 GB of RAM cost roughly the same whether they boot Ubuntu or Windows Server. The part that surprises people is the operating system license. Windows Server is commercial software, and on a windows vps server you are either renting Microsoft's license from the host or supplying your own. This guide compares verified Windows VPS plans from Contabo, OVHcloud, Vultr, and RackNerd, shows you exactly where the money goes, and explains which host fits which workload.
| Provider / Plan | Monthly Price (verified) | Specs | Windows License Model | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Contabo — Windows Server VPS (CLOUD VPS 4) | €12.40/mo excl. VAT* €15.50 incl. VAT; €16.88 standard |
4 vCPU, 8 GB RAM, 100 GB SSD, unlimited traffic | Included (no BYOL allowed) | License fee sized to plan, baked into price |
| OVHcloud — VPS-1 (Windows OS option) | From $4.54/mo | 2 vCores, 4 GB RAM, 40 GB SSD NVMe | Windows offered as OS option | Lowest entry point; license terms on OVH page |
| Vultr — Cloud Compute + Windows | From $5.00/mo** | 1 vCPU, 1 GB RAM, 25 GB SSD (scales up) | Separate Windows license fee (hourly/monthly) | Instance price only; license billed on top |
| RackNerd — KVM VPS (Windows template) | From $2.24/mo | Varies by plan (KVM, multiple DCs) | Windows template; license fee applies | Cheapest KVM start; exact Windows price on KVM page |
| Hostinger — VPS | n/a for Windows | Linux KVM only (e.g. 1 vCPU, 4 GB, 50 GB NVMe) | Not offered — Linux-only VPS line | Verified: no Windows on the VPS product page |
*Contabo promo price excludes VAT for the first 24 months; standard reference price €16.88/mo. **Vultr $5.00/mo is the Cloud Compute Regular Performance instance (1 vCPU/1 GB/25 GB); the Windows Server license is a separate add-on billed on top — see Vultr's pricing page for the current license rate. All figures verified September 2026 against each provider's official pricing page. Always re-check current terms before signing up, as promotional and license pricing changes.
Windows Server VPS (CLOUD VPS 4): 4 vCPU, 8 GB RAM, 100 GB SSD, unlimited traffic · €12.40/mo excl. VAT (first 24 mo) · license included
Contabo is the cleanest answer to "how much is a Windows VPS, really?" because the Windows Server license is already in the price. There is no separate line item to forget about, and you get a genuinely usable box — 4 vCPU and 8 GB of RAM is enough for a small business app, a domain controller, or a Remote Desktop host for a handful of users. Unlimited traffic (fair-use) removes the egress anxiety you get on metered clouds. For anyone who wants one number on the invoice, this is the plan to beat.
The catch is the BYOL restriction. Contabo explicitly states you cannot use your own Windows license on its VPS range — you take the license Contabo provides and pay the monthly fee sized to your plan. That is fine if you have no existing license, but it means enterprises with volume licensing cannot port their own keys here. Storage is also SSD rather than the NVMe you get on some competitors' higher tiers. For most small Windows workloads, neither is a dealbreaker.
VPS-1: 2 vCores, 4 GB RAM, 40 GB SSD NVMe · from $4.54/mo · Windows offered as an OS option
Setup is straightforward and OVH's global datacenter footprint keeps latency reasonable for most regions. The itemised cost of OVHcloud's Windows option — base price plus the add-on — is compared line by line on our cheap Windows VPS hosting page.
The fine print is the Windows licensing terms, which OVH presents as an OS option rather than a flat all-in price on the summary page. You should confirm the exact Windows add-on cost for the specific VPS tier before checkout, because the $4.54 is the Linux-base figure. Also note OVH's Local Zone VPS explicitly does not support Windows — stick to the main VPS 2027 range. For a first Windows vps server on a tight budget, it is excellent; just verify the license line at order time.
Cloud Compute from $5.00/mo (1 vCPU, 1 GB, 25 GB) · Windows license billed separately (hourly/monthly)
Vultr's model is the opposite of Contabo's bundle. You pick any instance — from the $5.00/mo Regular Performance 1 vCPU/1 GB box up to large dedicated-CPU machines — and add a Windows Server license on top, billed hourly or monthly. The advantage is flexibility: you scale RAM, CPU, and bandwidth independently and only pay for the Windows license on the instances that need it. If you run a mix of Linux and Windows boxes, Vultr's à-la-carte approach is the most honest accounting.
Vultr also meters bandwidth (generous at 0.5–10 TB depending on plan) where Contabo is unlimited. The two-line-item math — instance plus separate Windows license — is worked through on our cheap Windows VPS hosting page. Check Vultr's pricing/licensing page for the current Windows Server rate before you commit.
RackNerd KVM VPS from $2.24/mo (Windows template, license fee applies) · Hostinger VPS from $6.49/mo promo (Linux-only — verified)
RackNerd is the cheapest KVM starting point in this comparison at $2.24/month, and it offers Windows as an installable template across 20 datacenters. The catch is the same à-la-carte logic as Vultr: the base price is for the instance, and a Windows license fee applies on top (verify the exact figure on RackNerd's KVM page). For penny-pinchers who already hold a license or only need Windows occasionally, it is the lowest door. Hostinger sits at the other edge: its VPS product page is unambiguously Linux-only — "Deploy popular Linux operating systems," "Our Linux-based operating system templates." We verified there is no Windows option on Hostinger's VPS line, so if your search for a windows vps server included Hostinger, cross it off the list.
The typical "best Windows VPS" roundup is a table of providers with affiliate links and a one-line spec each. It almost never tells you the four things that actually determine your bill and your uptime: (1) whether the Windows Server license is bundled or billed separately (the difference between a $5 and a $20 server), (2) whether bring-your-own-license is allowed (Contabo says no; others vary), (3) the Linux-only trap — some big budget hosts like Hostinger simply do not sell Windows VPS at all, and (4) traffic terms, because unlimited (Contabo) and metered (Vultr) change the math the moment you get real users. This article leads with those constraints because they are the difference between a Windows vps server that fits your budget and one that quietly triples it.
How we choose the third-party sites we benchmark against — and why vendor-owned pages are excluded — is explained in our best VPS comparison.
Pick Contabo Windows Server VPS. The license is in the price, the specs are real (4 vCPU / 8 GB), and traffic is unlimited. Perfect for a small business app, a domain controller, or a Remote Desktop host where you want a single predictable number on the invoice.
For the lowest verified entry price and the cheapest-first comparison across Windows hosts, see our cheap Windows VPS hosting page.
Pick Vultr. Scale CPU, RAM, and bandwidth independently, pay hourly, and only license the instances that need Windows. Read the two line items (instance + Windows license) instead of one, and you get the most honest accounting in this list.
Pick RackNerd at $2.24/month and apply your own licensing where the host permits. If you specifically needed Hostinger, note it is Linux-only on VPS — verify before assuming Windows is available.
Almost always, yes — and the gap is the Windows Server license, not the hardware. On the same VPS instance, the RAM, CPU, and SSD cost the same whether you boot Linux or Windows. The difference is the Windows Server license fee, which some hosts (like Contabo) bundle into the plan price and others (like Vultr) bill as a separate hourly or monthly add-on. For a small instance the license can cost more per month than the compute itself, which is why the cheapest Windows VPS hosting is rarely as cheap as the cheapest Linux VPS.
It depends on the host, and the answer surprises many people. Contabo explicitly forbids bring-your-own-license (BYOL) on its VPS range — you must use the Windows Server license Contabo provides, and they charge a monthly fee sized to your plan. Other hosts sell unlicensed Windows-capable instances where you supply your own SPLA or retail license. Always check the host's license terms before assuming your existing Windows key will work; assuming incorrectly is the most common way to get a surprise bill or a non-booting server.
The lowest verified entry point is OVHcloud's VPS-1, from $4.54/month, which supports Windows as an OS option. If you want a plan where the Windows Server license is already included in the shown price, Contabo's Windows Server VPS (CLOUD VPS 4) is €12.40/month excl. VAT for the first 24 months (€15.50 incl. VAT), giving 4 vCPU, 8 GB RAM, and 100 GB SSD with unlimited traffic. Vultr starts its instances at $5.00/month but adds the Windows license on top, so the real Windows cost is higher than the sticker price.
Only pay for Windows if you truly need it. You need a Windows VPS server when your workload requires the Windows OS itself: ASP.NET Framework apps, Microsoft SQL Server (the Windows edition), Remote Desktop Services, certain trading/accounting software, or Active Directory. If your app is a web service that runs on .NET (modern cross-platform), Node, Python, or containers, a Linux VPS is cheaper, lighter, and easier to secure. Choosing Windows by default is the single most expensive habit in VPS hosting.
Windows VPS hosting is a license purchase first and a hardware purchase second. The hosts that win are the ones that are honest about which bill is which. Contabo bundles the license so you see one number. OVHcloud gets you in cheapest if you confirm the Windows add-on. Vultr gives you the most control and the clearest à-la-carte math. RackNerd is the cheapest KVM door if you license Windows yourself. And Hostinger, despite its VPS prominence, is Linux-only — verified, not assumed.
If your search for a windows vps server is really about running one Windows app, buy the smallest plan that runs it and stop. The license is the cost; everything else is optional. Pick by license model, not by brand, and your Windows VPS will cost exactly what you expected.