Suitable for | Small businesses or testing environments with lower database demands | Medium-sized businesses or high-performance small to medium-scale applications | Large enterprises or applications with large databases and high I/O requirements |
Number of Database Instances | 2-5 database instances, depending on the workload | 10-20 database instances, depending on usage | 50+ database instances, depending on workload |
Resource Allocation | Distributed across multiple servers (virtualized cloud resources) | A virtual machine on a single physical server. Multiple VPS instances exist on the same hardware, each with its allocated CPU, RAM, and storage. | A dedicated server is a physical machine that is entirely allocated to a single user or business. No sharing of hardware resources. |
Managed Service | Fully managed. One-click installation of application, Server maintenance, etc. | Half managed. The team will take care of the management of the physical server where your virtual environments are located. | Unmanaged. You are responsible for the management of the physical dedicated server. |
Available Versions | Microsoft SQL Server 2022 / 2019 / 2017 Express Edition (Free) | Microsoft SQL Server 2022/2019/2017/2016/2014/2012 Express Edition (Free) | Microsoft SQL Server 2022/2019/2017/2016/2014/2012 Express Edition (Free) Microsoft SQL Server 2022/2019/2017/2016/2014/2012 Web Edition ($29/mo/4 cores) Microsoft SQL Server 2022/2019/2017/2016/2014/2012 Standard Edition ($299/mo/4 cores)Microsoft SQL Server 2022/2019/2017/2016/2014/2012 Enterprise Edition ($999/mo/4 cores) |
Pre-installed SQL Server | done | On demand | On demand |
SQL Server Database Instance Setup | One-Click Database Creation | On demand | On demand |
Data Backup | Free for Twice a Month to Weekly (Free On-Demand Backup) Upgrade to Daily backup at $4.99/mo. Backups are managed on the control panel by clients.(Unlimited restoration by clients) | Free for automatic backups, once or twice a month. BFW (Backup Frequency Weekly) options are available. | Charged based on Disk Space usage |
Pre-installed SQL Server Management Studio (SSMS) | done | done | done |
Remote Access: Command Prompt (Windows); Shell (Linux) | done | done | done |
Operating System | N/A | Free CentOS, Ubuntu, Debian, Fedora, OpenSUSE, Almalinux, Proxmox, VMWare, FreeNAS. Free Microsoft Windows Server 2016/2019/2022/2025 Standard Edition x64. Microsoft Windows 10/11 Pro Evaluation: 90-day free trial. (You may purchase a Win10/11 Pro license after the trial period if needed.) | Free CentOS, Ubuntu, Debian, Fedora, OpenSUSE, Almalinux, Proxmox, VMWare, FreeNAS. Microsoft Windows Server 2016/2019/2022/2025 Standard Edition x64:$20/m. Microsoft Windows 10/11 Pro Evaluation: 90-day free trial. (You may purchase a Win10/11 Pro license after the trial period if needed.) |
Install the Necessary Software and Configure Settings | Only one database software is installed | Free. Multiple database instances are supported. | Free. Multiple database instances are supported. |
Server Reboot | Free | Free | Free |
Firewall and Port Configuration | The cloud has a unified firewall, and trusted IPs can be added internally. | done | done |
Troubleshooting with Slow Performance, or Other Technical Issue | Free | Free | Free |
Performance | Scalable but shared resources can limit performance | Moderate; shares hardware with other VPS instances | High performance; full control over hardware |
Scalability | Scalable, up to 12 CPU cores, 32GB ram, and 480GB SSD | Scalable, up to 16 CPU cores, 32GB ram, and 400GB SSD. Need to upgrade to dedicated server if more resources are needed. | Requires hardware upgrades or migrating to a new server for scaling. Up to 32+ CPU cores, 256GB+ RAM, and 100TB+ Disk. |
Customization | Limited. | Moderate, Full control on the virtual environment. | Full control over the physical server. |
Security | Cloud provider-managed security | Secure but still on a shared physical machine | Highest security since no sharing of resources. Can add an extra layer of security by purchasing firewall. |
Budget | Low-budget, cost-effective for smaller projects | Broad pricing range, suitable for small to medium budgets | High-budget, for premium performance and large-scale needs |
Trial | 7-day free trial available. Please click the Free trial button on the desired plan. | 1-day free trial available. Please choose your desired VPS plan and note '1-day free trial' when submit an order. No payment is needed. Trial request may be rejected due to limited stock. | 1-day free trial available. Please choose your desired VPS plan and note '1-day free trial' when submit an order. No payment is needed. Trial request may be rejected due to limited stock. |