Solid-state drives (SSDs) are generally faster and more dependable than mechanical drives. But not all hosts offer SSD storage, so you must be careful.
We selected the hosts that offer SSDs along with other elements necessary for high-performance hosting. We combined these with thousands of expert and user reviews to find the top-10 SSD hosts.
What Is Solid-State Drive Hosting?
SSD hosting plans run on servers that store your data on SSDs. These devices use integrated circuit assemblies to store data. SSDs are the latest big advancement in data storage technology, resulting in faster and more reliable hosting for your website than servers with traditional hard disk drives (HDDs).
SSDs are making dramatic inroads into the world of web hosting and have many benefits over HDDs, mainly due to their superior speed and lack of moving parts.
Compared to HDDs, SSDs:
Are more resistant to physical shock
Run almost completely silently
Don’t get as hot
Have lower access time
Are less prone to mechanical failure
Use less power
Do not need defragmentation
How To Choose a Solid-State Drive Web Host
Many hosts provide SSD hosting for their VPS and dedicated hosting plans. If you have the budget and want the fastest, best-performing hosting, look for a VPS or dedicated SSD hosting plan. But increasingly, shared hosting plans offer SSD storage.
Some companies make out-of-context boasts about the speed improvement from SSD storage, but even under the best circumstances, a 20x boost in data access won’t give you a 20x boost in throughput.
Here are the main factors determining SSD performance in hosting:
Processing power: Fast drives demand lots of processing power to fully use them. A top-quality SSD web host should have the latest and fastest processors and the most recent drives. It must allocate a generous amount of main memory to each account.
Drive quality: The quality of the drives is important. The best ones can be written over many times, and they use complex logic to minimize the amount of writing and evenly distribute the use of storage cells.
Datacenter location: Proximity to your site’s audience is important. If you have a localized audience, web hosts with a data center within 1,000 miles are best. If it’s widespread, look for a cloud hosting service with a CDN so no one is too far from an edge server.
Unlimited SSD storage with all shared hosting plans allows to create a website of any size
A2 Hosting gives its customers SSD speed, guaranteed 99.9% uptime, and 24-hour support. It also offers an SSL certificate, CDN integration, and cPanel control panel with Softaculous for easy installation of hundreds of applications like WordPress.
If you want the fastest speed possible, you can go with its Turbo Servers.
These combine SSD storage with proprietary web server software, a limited number of users per machine, and several software optimizations.
Pros and cons of A2 Hosting
Pros
24/7/year-round support
International data centers
Cons
Long-term contracts
What customers are saying about A2 Hosting:
A2 is a reliable, affordable hosting company that has fast speeds. The customer service is generally responsive but could use more updated tutorials and documentation.
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InMotion Hosting
Best SSD dedicated hosting
SSDs for all hosting plans and NVMe SSDs on higher tier plan
SSD-specialized hosting which gives you full SSH access
At InMotion Hosting, the focus is on business hosting, but the entry-level plan is affordable.
New customers get free advertising credits as part of their package, and all hosting plans include unlimited storage space and bandwidth.
The shared business hosting plans and VPS hosting use solid-state storage. They have a free SSL certificate, cPanel control panel, and optional WordPress pre-installed.
Pros and cons of InMotion Hosting
Pros
Dedication to open source
90-day money-back guarantee
24/7 technical support
Cons
Facilities only in the U.S
Automatic backups aren’t free
What customers are saying about InMotion Hosting:
InMotion Hosting’s high-performance hosting, support team, features, and customer service are well-liked. Prices are fair but can fluctuate.
Impressive uptime, 24/7 customer support, and generous refund policy
GreenGeeks offers an extra measure of reliability by using SSDs in RAID-10 arrays for its shared hosting plans.
It has two data centers in the U.S., and one each in Canada and the Netherlands.
GreenGeeks also offers many features: Cloudflare CDN integration, SSL certificates, website builder, and cPanel. It also provides specialized CMS hosting for WordPress, Joomla, and Drupal.
GreenGeeks also throws in a free domain name for the first year with its shared hosting plans.
Pros and cons of GreenGeeks
Pros
Reliable uptime of up to 99.9%
Environmentally friendly hosting methods
30-day money-back guarantee
Cons
Pricier VPS and dedicated hosting options
No provision for Windows Server hosting
What customers are saying about GreekGeeks:
GreenGeeks is a Canadian eco-friendly hosting company with helpful customer support. The pricing and performance are favorable, but watch out for hidden fees and policies.
Frequently Asked Questions About Solid-State Drive Hosting
What is a solid-state drive?
SSD stands for solid-state drive. This system stores data on programmable memory that is read from and written to electronically. Because there are no moving parts as in an HDD, SSDs are very fast, stable, and generally considered far more reliable. SSDs also work offline.
Are solid-state drives better for web servers?
These are great for website hosting because SSDs are considered more efficient than the alternative disk storage options with lower access times, power efficiency, and lesser overheating. Also, SSDs are more resistant to physical shock, less prone to mechanical failure, run almost silently, and have no need for defragmentation.
What are the downsides of solid-state drives?
SSDs cost more than two times more per gigabyte than HDDs. While you may not see that cost directly, it could be reflected in higher hosting costs. Many hosting providers now include free SSD storage in even the most basic shared hosting plans, including our top three.
Other downsides may include accessing data from a broken SSD, requiring a specialist’s help.
What is a solid-state hybrid drive?
SSHD stands for solid-state hybrid drive, generally known simply as a hybrid drive. An SSHD is a combination of an SSD and an HDD. The SSD acts as the cache for the HDD. These work very well, much faster than HDDs, but not much more expensive. However, they are not widely available in web hosting plans.
Are solid-state drives better than HDDs?
In many ways, SSDs are considered better than HDDs. SSDs are faster, last longer, and offer greater reliability overall. That said, SSDs are more expensive than HDDs, although this is understandable when one considers the complexity of SSDs. For example, they have no moving parts, unlike the somewhat dated mechanical HDDs.