Windows vs Linux Hosting – Which OS Is Right for You?

There are countless web hosting providers present in the market offering different hosting plans. After you have selected a good hosting provider, you have to select the appropriate hosting plan which best suits your requirements. One of the most important aspects of selecting a hosting plan is the operating system for your hosting account or server.

Linux and Windows are the two operating systems which cover the whole web hosting market. Though both are equally good, both are popular for different reasons- Windows is the biggest competitor of Linux. Linux is an open source operating system and Windows is a Microsoft product.

About Linux Hosting-

Linux is an open source operating system and that’s the reason why Linux hosting plans are cheaper compared to Windows. There is no license cost or other cost for Linux Operating Systems. For this reason, Linux hosting is very cost-effective and ideal for beginner users with minimum requirements. But Linux OS doesn’t support Microsoft technologies like ASP, FrontPage, ASP.NET environment, Windows Streaming Media, MS Access, MS SQL Server, or any of the other Microsoft-owned technologies. So, you can’t choose Linux OS when your website is developed with any of the above technologies.

About Windows Hosting-

Windows is a Microsoft operating system. Genuine licenses are required for each software in the case of Microsoft tends to be costlier than Linux. Windows is a very user-friendly operating system. It supports PHP, MySQL, POP3, etc on the other hand ASP, FrontPage, ASP.NET environment, Windows Streaming Media, MS Access, MS SQL Server, or any of the other Microsoft technologies.

When can you select Linux for your Online Business?

If you are a beginner, and your site has been developed with PHP, MySQL, and POP3 without using any Microsoft technologies. Also, if you are on a limited budget for hosting, a Linux web hosting plan is ideal for you.

There are many plans with the Linux Operating System. Those are Linux Shared hosting, Linux VPS hosting, Linux dedicated hosting, etc. One more thing you have to keep in mind is that Linux reseller hosting is known as cPanel reseller hosting.

When can you select Windows for your Online Business?

If you have a website that is developed with Microsoft’s technologies then you have to choose the Windows operating system. In that case, your budget has to be a bit on the higher side.

1. NET technologies with ASP.net don’t work on Linux platforms. If your website is developed with Microsoft .NET technologies then you have to select a Windows hosting plan. In case, if you require ASP without .NET features, most Linux hosting plans don’t permit support for it.
2. Access Databases only work with Windows OS. Access runs on a Microsoft Windows platform and can’t run on a Linux OS.
3. MSSQL is an enterprise-class database put out by Microsoft. If users require an enterprise-class database some other choices run on a Linux environment but if the user requires Microsoft’s MSSQL database then the user has to choose a Windows hosting plan.
4. If you want to use Microsoft’s SharePoint services like some of the SharePoint features found in FrontPage 2003 then you have to select a Windows Hosting plan.

If you don’t have more budget but your website is developed with Microsoft’s technologies then you can start with cheaper plans like Windows shared hosting. For higher requirements, you can go for Windows VPS hosting or Windows dedicated hosting plans as per your budget.