Liquid Web review
Updated September 28, 2026 · DeployCue Editorial Team · Facts checked September 26, 2026
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Our verdict
Liquid Web suits developers and small teams that want a self-managed VPS with DDoS protection and a support team that answers the phone. The entry server costs $5 and comes with 1 vCPU, 1 GB RAM, 30 GB SSD on monthly billing, and the overall score here is 7.1.
Key facts
- Best for
- Teams wanting a self-managed VPS at $5 with phone and chat support included.
- Entry price
- $5 (Source, checked September 26, 2026)
- Entry plan
- 1 vCPU, 1 GB RAM, 30 GB SSD (Source, checked September 26, 2026)
- Bandwidth allowance
- 1 TB (Source, checked September 26, 2026)
- Billing models
- Monthly (Source, checked September 26, 2026)
- Locations
- 9 (Source, checked September 26, 2026)
- Regions
- US, NL, GB, AU (Source, checked September 26, 2026)
- DDoS protection
- Yes (Source, checked September 26, 2026)
- SLA uptime
- 99.9% to 99.99% (Source, checked September 26, 2026)
- Compliance certifications
- SOC 2 SSAE-22, SOC 3, EU-US Privacy Shield, Swiss-US Privacy Shield, HIPAA, PCI DSS, GDPR (Source, checked September 26, 2026)
- Server types
- VPS, Bare-metal
- Operating systems
- Linux, Windows (Source, checked September 26, 2026)
- Legal entity
- Liquid Web, LLC (Source, checked September 26, 2026)
- Headquarters
- United States (Source, checked September 26, 2026)
- Founded
- 1997 (Source, checked September 26, 2026)
- Support channels
- Phone, Email, Chat, Help-centre (Source, checked September 26, 2026)
- Official website
- liquidweb.com
Databases
- Price from
- $5 (Source, checked September 26, 2026)
- Free tier
- No (Source, checked September 26, 2026)
- Compliance certifications
- SOC 2 SSAE-22, SOC 3, EU-US Privacy Shield, Swiss-US Privacy Shield, HIPAA, PCI DSS, GDPR (Source, checked September 26, 2026)
- SLA uptime
- 99.9% to 99.99% (Source, checked September 26, 2026)
- Legal entity
- Liquid Web, LLC (Source, checked September 26, 2026)
- Headquarters
- United States (Source, checked September 26, 2026)
- Founded
- 1997 (Source, checked September 26, 2026)
- Support channels
- Phone, Email, Chat, Help-centre (Source, checked September 26, 2026)
Apps and profiles
- Elsewhere
- WikidataXTrustpilotLinkedIn
Listed in
Pros and cons
Pros
- Entry price of $5 on 1 vCPU, 1 GB RAM, 30 GB SSD is low, and 1 TB of transfer comes with it.
- DDoS protection is included on the plans.
- Support runs on phone, email and chat, so a phone call is an option, not just email.
- Data centres run in the United States, NL and GB, with 9 locations in total.
Cons
- There is no free tier, so any test server starts as a paid month.
- The entry plan of 1 vCPU, 1 GB RAM, 30 GB SSD is small on memory, and 1 TB limits transfer for busy sites.
Who it suits
- Teams that want an unmanaged server and are happy to run linux and windows themselves.
- Developers who need US, NL and GB for latency sensitive workloads.
- Regulated buyers who need SOC 2 SSAE 22, SOC 3 and EU US Privacy Shield on file.
Who should look elsewhere
- Price first buyers: Aruba lists an entry VPS at €1.99, under Liquid Web's $5.
- Shoppers comparing entry plans only: UCloud starts at $5.34 against Liquid Web's $5, a narrow gap on price alone.
- Aruba or UCloud readers who want to try before paying: Liquid Web has no free tier and bills monthly only.
Where it sits among rivals
Liquid Web sits in the middle of the field on the two measures readers check first. It ranks 69 of 200 providers on entry price and 65 of 239 on locations, so neither ranking leads and neither sits in the long tail. That reads as a provider competing on breadth and support rather than on a headline number.
Who runs it
Liquid Web trades as Liquid Web, LLC, headquartered in the United States and founded 1997, so it is a long established provider rather than a recent entrant. Support runs on phone, email and chat, which puts a help centre and direct contact in the same package, and that mix tends to matter for teams running production workloads.
How Liquid Web compares
Liquid Web vs ScalaHosting9.4 vs 8.3Liquid Web vs Contabo9.4 vs 9.2
Liquid Web vs Kamatera9.4 vs 9.5
Liquid Web vs Cloudways9.4 vs 9.2
Liquid Web vs PlanetHoster9.4 vs 8.7
Liquid Web vs Aruba9.4 vs 9.3Aruba lists an entry VPS at €1.99, below Liquid Web's $5.
Liquid Web vs Hostinger9.4 vs 9.1
Liquid Web vs Easy-Hebergement9.4 vs 8.6
Liquid Web vs HostNoc9.4 vs 8.4
Liquid Web vs AIS Cloud9.4 vs 8.1- Liquid Web vs Miss Hosting FI9.4 vs 8.0
- Liquid Web vs Miss Hosting SE9.4 vs 8.0
Frequently asked questions
What is the cheapest Liquid Web VPS and what does it include?+
The entry VPS is listed at $5 a month, and it comes with 1 vCPU, 1 GB RAM, 30 GB SSD plus 1 TB of transfer. That is a small box, fine for a staging server, a personal site or a build machine, and cheap enough to keep running between projects.
Can I pay hourly or per second, or is it monthly only?+
Billing runs monthly only, so hourly and per-second meters are not among the options. That suits steady workloads and keeps the bill predictable, but it does not suit anyone who wants a server for a short test and then to stop it.
Which operating systems do the servers run?+
You can run linux and windows images on the self-managed range, so either stack works without moving provider. Self-managed means you handle patching, hardening and upgrades yourself, which suits teams that already administer their own servers rather than anyone wanting a managed panel.
Where are the data centres located?+
Liquid Web runs 9 data centres across US, NL and GB. That covers the US, the Netherlands, the UK and Australia, enough to place a server near most European and Australian visitors, while Asia and South America sit outside the footprint and point to other providers.
What support and uptime do I get?+
Support runs on phone, email and chat, so a phone call, an email, a chat or the help centre are all in the same package. The uptime commitment is 99.9% to 99.99%, and the overall score on this comparison is 7.1.
Is DDoS protection included in the VPS plans?+
DDoS protection is included on the self-managed VPS plans, which matters for sites that see bursts of hostile traffic or game servers under attack. It sits alongside an uptime commitment of 99.9% to 99.99% and support on phone, email and chat, so mitigation is part of the base plan rather than an add-on.
Does Liquid Web have a free tier or a free trial?+
There is no free tier, so the smallest test is a paid month at $5 on the 1 vCPU, 1 GB RAM, 30 GB SSD plan. Billing runs monthly only, which keeps that cost predictable but leaves nothing to try before you commit.
Can I move up to bare metal later?+
Yes. Liquid Web sells vps and bare metal, so a VPS can be a stepping stone to dedicated hardware without changing provider. That suits teams that outgrow a shared plan but want the same account, regions and support desk for both.
Sources
- hostscore.net/review/liquidweb checked September 26, 2026
Backs: Founded
“Liquid Web was founded in 1997”
- liquidweb.com/about-us/policies/terms-of-service checked September 26, 2026
Backs: Billing models, Headquarters, Legal entity, Support channels
“Recurring Fees will be charged/invoiced monthly.”
- liquidweb.com/data-centers checked September 26, 2026
Backs: Locations, Regions
“North America data centers ... US Central Michigan ... US West Phoenix ... US East Virginia ... EU Central Amsterdam ... UK London ... UK South West Sussex ... Australia Sydney”
- liquidweb.com/partner-programs/hosting-affiliate-program checked September 26, 2026
Backs: Free tier
“Register for free on Impact Radius”
- liquidweb.com/policies/security-and-trust checked September 26, 2026
Backs: Compliance certifications
“SOC 2 SSAE-22 report ... SOC 3 report ... HIPAA audited data centers ... PCI Attestation of Compliance ... General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR)”
- liquidweb.com/vps-hosting checked September 26, 2026
Backs: Price from
“1 GB RAM $5/mo”
- liquidweb.com/vps-hosting/self-managed checked September 26, 2026
Backs: Bandwidth allowance, DDoS protection, Entry plan, Entry price, Operating systems, SLA uptime
“1 TB bandwidth 10 GB network”
Compiled from 7 source pages, checked September 26, 2026. We did not open an account.