The Windows vs Linux VPS question gets asked constantly and answered badly just as often. Here is the honest version: what actually differs, what it costs, and the handful of cases where Windows is the correct answer instead of the default one.
The real difference is not performance
On identical hardware, Linux and Windows Server perform similarly for most general workloads. The decision is almost never about raw speed, it is about what software you need to run and how you plan to manage the server day to day.
When Linux is the obvious choice
- Any standard web stack: WordPress, Node.js, PHP, Python, Docker containers.
- You are comfortable with (or willing to learn) SSH and a command line.
- You want to minimize licensing cost, Linux distributions are free.
- You are running open-source server software, which is built and tested on Linux first in almost every case.
This covers the large majority of websites, APIs and general-purpose servers. If nothing on this list rules Linux out for you, it is the lower-cost, larger-ecosystem default.
When Windows VPS is genuinely the right call
- You need to run .NET Framework applications (not .NET Core, which runs fine on Linux) or classic ASP.
- Your business software only ships a Windows build: certain accounting, ERP or industry-specific tools.
- You need Microsoft SQL Server specifically, not a compatible alternative.
- Your team only knows Windows Server administration and Remote Desktop, and retraining is not worth the switch for this project.
None of these are wrong reasons. They are specific, and if any of them apply, Windows is the right pick even though it costs more.
RDP vs SSH: the daily-use difference that actually matters
Remote Desktop gives you the full graphical Windows experience, which is genuinely easier for anyone not comfortable with a terminal, at the cost of more bandwidth and a marginally larger attack surface if left open to the internet. SSH is lighter, scriptable and the default for automation, but has a real learning curve if you have never used a command line before.
The licensing cost is real, budget for it
A Windows Server license is not optional and not free, that cost is baked into the price of a Windows VPS plan compared to an equivalent Linux one. It is a legitimate cost for what you get, but it means comparing a Windows and Linux plan on price alone without accounting for this is comparing two different things.
Pick the OS your software actually requires, not the one you are more familiar with. Familiarity is worth something, but a licensing bill for software you did not need to run is worth more.
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