Test procedure for VPS hosting tests at Hosttest

Here you will find all the information about our approach to the VPS test reports.

The most important point up front:

The aim of our VPS test reports is to provide aspiring webmasters with transparent and clear guidance in the decision-making process for the right VPS.

The expert Hosttest editorial team conducts the VPS tests anonymously, neutrally and objectively. VPS providers have no influence on the procedure or the outcome of the tests. In addition, there is no external monetary influence. The VPS to be tested is ordered by the Hosttest editorial team at their own expense under normal end-customer conditions and then examined closely.

Our approach to the VPS test reports

To ensure that the various VPS offers can be compared more easily and that interested parties can make an informed purchasing decision, we use standardised processes for our test reports.

So that you can follow our process for creating the test reports exactly, we present our standardised test process here step by step in detail:

Our evaluation criteria for the VPS test reports

To ensure optimal comparability between the individual web hosts and VPS offerings, we adhere to fixed evaluation criteria in our test report. This allows prospective customers to compare the different offers more easily and to make a purchasing decision with greater confidence.

The evaluation criteria are organised as follows:

Feature set (maximum 5 points)

Here we consider the range of features of the selected VPS. We not only address the key criteria such as vCores, RAM and storage, but also report on other relevant technical and security features. For the evaluation, criteria such as the selection of available operating systems, the availability of backup options and DDoS protection, or custom firewall settings also play an important role.

User-friendliness (maximum 5 points)

Here we guide prospective customers step by step through the ordering process and then assess the usability of the management interface provided to customers. Criteria such as the availability of different payment options, the time to provision the VPS or the ease of use of the management interface also play an important role in the evaluation.

Performance (maximum 5 points)

Once the VPS has been set up, we take a closer look at its performance. As part of the Yet-Another-Bench-Script we use the benchmarking programmes Geekbench and Flexible I/O Tester to check the CPU performance and the disk speed of the VPS.

Customer service (maximum 5 points)

Here we look in more detail at the various customer support options offered by the hosting provider. We examine the FAQ sections on the host's website and also look at the direct contact options for customer support. Our own experiences when contacting customer support are also factored into the evaluation.

Costs (maximum 5 points)

We then consider the costs and, in this context, the price-performance ratio of the VPS. We look more closely at the choice of plans, optional additional costs and discounts such as limited-time offers or free trial accounts.

Test summary

The test summary provides a concise conclusion about the offering. The points from the individual evaluation criteria are added up here (maximum 25 points) and divided by the number of evaluation criteria (5). This finally produces the overall rating of the review on a scale from 0.0 (worst) to 5.0 (best). At the end we convert this score into the familiar school grading system.

5.00 - 4.50 Excellent
4.49 - 4.00 Good
3.99 - 3.00 Satisfactory
2.99 - 2.00 Adequate
1.99 - 1.00 Poor

Our VPS performance test

To assess the continuous performance of VPS instances meaningfully, we measure four performance metrics for each VPS at three different times within a month and then calculate an average. In this way we can evaluate the performance of hosting providers over a longer period.

We use the following metrics:

Single Core CPU Value

What is Single Core CPU Value?

The Single-Core CPU Value describes the performance of a single CPU core. This metric is particularly important when applications or processes run primarily on a single core and cannot benefit from parallel processing (multi-core performance).

How is the Single-Core CPU Value determined?

To determine the Single-Core CPU Value we use the well-known benchmarking programme Geekbench

How are the Single-Core CPU Value measurements interpreted?

The Single-Core CPU Value must be above 1250 to be rated as good. Values between 1250 and 1000 are rated as average. All values below 1000 are considered poor.

Multi-Core CPU Value

What is the Multi-Core CPU Value?

The Multi-Core CPU Value describes the performance of a CPU when multiple of its cores are used simultaneously. This metric is particularly important for applications and processes that are parallelised and benefit from concurrent processing of multiple tasks.

How is the Multi-Core CPU Value determined?

To determine the Multi-Core CPU Value we use the well-known benchmarking programme Geekbench

How are the Multi-Core CPU Value measurements interpreted?

The Multi-Core CPU Value must be above 2000 to be rated as good. Values between 2000 and 1500 are rated as average. All values below 1500 are considered poor.

More information on CPU performance with VPS hosting can be found in our article: Virtual cores, real performance: measuring, comparing and optimising CPU performance in VPS hosting

Disk read/write speed

What is disk read/write speed?

The write/read speed of a disk describes the rate at which data can be written to or read from the drive. This speed is an important performance indicator that affects the efficiency of a storage medium in data transfer and when accessing stored information.

How is disk read/write speed determined?

To determine disk read/write speed we use the well-known benchmarking programme Flexible I/O Tester

How are the disk read/write speed measurements interpreted?

The measurement for disk read/write speed must be above 1500MB/s to be rated as good. Values between 1500MB/s and 1000MB/s are rated as medium. All values below 1000MB/s are considered poor.

Disk Input/Output Operations

What are disk input/output operations?

Disk input/output operations per second (IOPS) is a metric that indicates the number of input and output operations a disk can perform per second. This metric is particularly important for assessing the performance of a storage system, especially in applications that perform many small data operations, such as databases or virtualisation platforms.

How are disk input/output operations measured?

To determine disk input/output operations we use the well-known benchmarking tool Flexible I/O Tester

How are the disk input/output operations measurements interpreted?

The measurement for disk input/output operations must be above 25.000k IOPS to be rated as good. Values between 25.000 IOPS and 15.000k IOPS are rated as medium. All values below 15.000k IOPS are considered poor.

More information about disk performance on VPS hosting can be found in our article: Faster storage, faster server: measuring, comparing and optimising disk performance on VPS hosting

Performance assessment

Ratings: Each of the four measurements should be classified into three categories: good, medium and poor. Points are assigned to these categories:

• Good: 3 points
• Medium: 2 points
• Poor: 1 point

Calculation of the total score: The total score is obtained by adding the points from all four measurements. Since each measurement can have up to 3 points, the total score ranges from 4 (all measurements are poor) to 12 (all measurements are good).

Conversion to star rating: The total score must now be converted into a star rating. The following scale can be used:

• 4 points = 1 star
• 5–6 points = 2 stars
• 7–8 points = 3 stars
• 9–10 points = 4 stars
• 11–12 points = 5 stars

Our code of conduct regarding VPS test reports

• In our test reports we address both the strengths and the weaknesses of the offerings.

• We regularly check the offerings we have tested for currency and transparently report any updates to this information.

• Our test results are not for sale and we categorically reject financial contributions from providers intended to influence our ratings.

• We do not hold investments in companies whose offerings we test, nor do we have external investors, in order to preserve our independence and avoid any conflicts of interest.

• Feedback is always welcome! Both customers and providers can share their opinions on our content on our platform.

VPS providers tested so far

Throughout the year we publish several new test reports. In addition, we regularly update existing test reports and adjust any changes in terms or other criteria relevant to the tests.

The following VPS providers currently have a detailed review:

IONOS VPS Review

STRATO VPS Review

active-servers VPS Review

ST-Hosting VPS Review

Infomaniak VPS Review

netcup VPS Review

Updates to the VPS test reports

As the web hosting market continuously evolves and providers regularly adjust their packages, we also carry out regular updates of our test reports. This usually takes place annually in January, when we re-examine the range of features, the terms and other test criteria and amend the VPS test report accordingly if there are changes. This way our readers can always rely on up-to-date information about the tested VPS.

Test procedure — updates:

none to date

Do you have any questions about our tests? Then please contact us.

Our article is based on our own experience and research as well as information from external sources.

Sources & further links on the topic: none

Image credit: Gerd Altmann on Pixabay