Like everything else in the technology world, hosting packages are also evolving very fast. Not too long ago, shared hosting was the most dominant hosting type and dedicated hosting and VPS hosting were not well known. However, due to the security features and power of the dedicated and VPS hosting environments, they quickly gained popularity among serious organizations and businesses. Today, shared hosting is only used by beginners while serious businesses have entirely moved to Dedicated servers and VPS hosting for their websites.
In more recent times, however, a better hosting package is taking over the market once again. Cloud hosting while being more complex than all other hosting types offers unmatched features in terms of security, memory, and most importantly, uptime. Businesses are moving to cloud hosting to take advantage of the security features and uptime guarantee that cloud hosting offers.
One of the leading companies that offer cloud hosting packages is Linode. They offer a long line of products and services that fit the needs of all its customers. Apart from the hosting service, Linode offers backup services that enable customers to back up their servers. Therefore, if you think it is time for your business to make the leap to cloud hosting, then this Linode review will provide you with all the information you need to make a well-informed decision.
About Linode
Linode (linode.com) has been around since 2003, and it is a cloud hosting company that tries to provide an easy cloud server infrastructure that is ideal for both individuals and businesses. Their solutions are designed for web developers or app developers. Linode has a strong reputation over the world with 11 global data centers serving more than 800K customers from 196 countries.
Linode offers SSD storage for their plans, 40 Gbps network, backup of information and data, as well as tools to help you improve as a web developer at more cost-effective.
Linode Plans and Pricing
Linode offers a wide range of instance types, let's compare plans sizes and pricing to find the perfect match for your application's needs.
Depending on the needs of your business or organization, you can choose from one of 10 plans that Linode offers. The plans range from $5/month to $960/month. Below is more information on the plans:
| RAM | CPU | Storage | Transfer | Network In | Network Out | Price |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 GB | 1 Core | 25 GB SSD | 1 TB | 40 Gbps | 1000 Mbps | $5 / mo($.0075 / hr) |
| 2 GB | 1 Core | 50 GB SSD | 2 TB | 40 Gbps | 2000 Mbps | $10 / mo($.015 / hr) |
| 4 GB | 2 Cores | 80 GB SSD | 4 TB | 40 Gbps | 4000 Mbps | $20 / mo($.03 / hr) |
| 8 GB | 4 Cores | 160 GB SSD | 5 TB | 40 Gbps | 5000 Mbps | $40 / mo($.06 / hr) |
| 16 GB | 6 Cores | 320 GB SSD | 8 TB | 40 Gbps | 6000 Mbps | $80 / mo($.12 / hr) |
| 32 GB | 8 Cores | 640 GB SSD | 16 TB | 40 Gbps | 7000 Mbps | $160 / mo($.24 / hr) |
| 64 GB | 16 Cores | 1280 GB SSD | 20 TB | 40 Gbps | 9000 Mbps | $320 / mo($.48 / hr) |
| 96 GB | 20 Cores | 1920 GB SSD | 20 TB | 40 Gbps | 10000 Mbps | $480 / mo($.72 / hr) |
| 128 GB | 24 Cores | 2560 GB SSD | 20 TB | 40 Gbps | 11000 Mbps | $640 / mo($.96 / hr) |
| 192 GB | 32 Cores | 3840 GB SSD | 20 TB | 40 Gbps | 12000 Mbps | $960 / mo($1.44 / hr) |
Linode's High Memory plans are special fits to run memory-intensive applications without increasing Storage or vCPUs. It will cost from $60 to $960 per month.
| RAM | CPU | Storage | Transfer | Network In | Network Out | Price |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 24 GB | 1 Core | 20 GB SSD | 5 TB | 40 Gbps | 5000 Mbps | $60 / mo($.09 / hr) |
| 48 GB | 2 Cores | 40 GB SSD | 6 TB | 40 Gbps | 6000 Mbps | $120 / mo($.18 / hr) |
| 90 GB | 4 Cores | 90 GB SSD | 7 TB | 40 Gbps | 7000 Mbps | $240 / mo($.36 / hr) |
| 150 GB | 8 Cores | 200 GB SSD | 8 TB | 40 Gbps | 8000 Mbps | $480 / mo($.72 / hr) |
| 300 GB | 16 Cores | 340 GB SSD | 9 TB | 40 Gbps | 9000 Mbps | $960 / mo($1.44 / hr) |
These Dedicated CPU instances run on their own CPU cores without sharing the processor with other Linodes. If you're looking for a solution to run a video encoding app, data analytics processing, or machine learning, then this exactly for you.
| RAM | CPU | Storage | Transfer | Network In | Network Out | Price |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4 GB | 2 Cores | 80 GB SSD | 4 TB | 40 Gbps | 4000 Mbps | $30 / mo($.045 / hr) |
| 8 GB | 4 Cores | 160 GB SSD | 5 TB | 40 Gbps | 5000 Mbps | $60 / mo($.09 / hr) |
| 16 GB | 8 Cores | 320 GB SSD | 6 TB | 40 Gbps | 6000 Mbps | $120 / mo($.18 / hr) |
| 32 GB | 16 Cores | 640 GB SSD | 7 TB | 40 Gbps | 7000 Mbps | $240 / mo($.36 / hr) |
| 64 GB | 32 Cores | 1280 GB SSD | 8 TB | 40 Gbps | 8000 Mbps | $480 / mo($.72 / hr) |
The GPU-optimized virtual machines are the newest product that Linode specially designed for complex use cases such as machine learning, AI, and video streaming. It accelerated by the NVIDIA Quadro RTX 6000, harnessing the power of CUDA, Tensor, and RT cores to execute complex processing, deep learning, and ray tracing workloads.
| RAM | CPU | Storage | GPU Cards | Transfer | Network In | Network Out |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 32 GB | 8 Cores | 640 GB SSD | 1 | 16 TB | 40 Gbps | 10000 Mbps |
| 64 GB | 16 Cores | 1280 GB SSD | 2 | 20 TB | 40 Gbps | 10000 Mbps |
| 96 GB | 20 Cores | 1920 GB SSD | 3 | 20 TB | 40 Gbps | 10000 Mbps |
| 128 GB | 24 Cores | 2560 GB SSD | 4 | 20 TB | 40 Gbps | 10000 Mbps |
Linode also offers some additional addons to its virtual machines, including Block Storage (starts at $1/mo for 10GiB), Object Storage (starts from $5/mo for 250GB), Auto Backups (starts at $2/mo), NodeBalancers for $10/mo.
If you can spend $100 for a month, you can even hire Linode's highly experienced Managed Service team to manage your server.
Linode Features
1. Simple to Setup and Use
Whether you are new to the system or deploying a complex online system, using a Linode system is very easy. The manager helps you get your job done in a few clicks. You can deploy, resize, boot, and clone your environments easily. Advanced users also have access to more advanced functions and features like API, CLI, and StackScripts. No matter your expertise, the system provides features to help manage your environments.
2. Fast and Powerful
Linode’s cloud hosting makes use of the power of SSD drives and 40Gbps networks. The result is an ultra-fast and powerful hosting environment that can handle anything you throw at it. Powerful processors handle your websites and online systems with ease. You will never experience performance lags. Additionally, Linode offers seamlessly scalable environments that you can scale depending on the needs of your organization.
3. Reliable
One of the major benefits of cloud servers is an uptime guarantee. Linode guarantees you a 99.9% uptime guarantee. You therefore get a reliable platform for hosting your websites and online systems. No more downtime that will cost your organization.
4. 24×7 Customer Support
With a customer support team that is available all around the clock, you are guaranteed that all your questions and concerned will be addressed immediately. Irrespective of your physical location, the customer support team is always ready to answer your questions in a matter of minutes.
5. Many Additional Features
Linode provided many additional features, include Two-Factor Authentication, IPv6, DNS Manager, DNS Manager. Supported Distributions feature help you quickly deploy Debian, Ubuntu, CentOS, Fedora, Arch, Gentoo, openSUSE, and Slackware images or the Images feature help you to create snapshots of a disk volume preserving paths, files, boot information and filesystem details for subsequent replication.
Also Read: DigitalOcean the Cheap VPS for Newbies
Linode Datacenter & Speed Test
Since Linode was founded, it has launched 11 data centers throughout the world, like in Fremont, Atlanta, London, Singapore, or the newest location Mumbai. The servers across multiple data centers worldwide have assured Linode services at a high level of reliability, make it possible for Linode customers to choose the most appropriate data centers to get the best connection speed.
| Facility | Hostname | Test Download |
| North America US East | speedtest.newark.linode.com | 100MB-newark.bin |
| North America US South | speedtest.atlanta.linode.com | 100MB-atlanta.bin |
| North America US Central | speedtest.dallas.linode.com | 100MB-dallas.bin |
| North America US West | speedtest.fremont.linode.com | 100MB-fremont.bin |
| Europe Frankfurt | speedtest.frankfurt.linode.com | 100MB-frankfurt.bin |
| Europe London | speedtest.london.linode.com | 100MB-london.bin |
| CA Central Toronto | speedtest.toronto1.linode.com | 100MB-toronto.bin |
| AP South Singapore | speedtest.singapore.linode.com | 100MB-singapore.bin |
| AP Northeast Tokyo 2, Japan | speedtest.tokyo2.linode.com | 100MB-tokyo2.bin |
| AP West Mumbai, India | speedtest.mumbai1.linode.com | 100MB-mumbai.bin |
| AP Southeast Sydney, Australia | speedtest.syd1.linode.com/ | 100MB-sydney.bin |
A good point at Linode that they offer DDOS protection on all server locations for FREE. Almost DDoS tools are paid services at other providers, but Linode's DDoS service is 100% free for all Linode customers, and it is included with all Linode's services.
Linode Pros and Cons
Pros
1. Custom Packaging: Whether you are a hobbyist or a small business looking for a small package, or whether you are a business that requires a high performing website and strong online presence, Linode has you covered. It has hosting packages that start from as low as $5 a month to as high as $960 a month.
2. Seamless Upgrades: When it gets to the point where the resources at your disposal are no longer enough, Linode has made the upgrade process fast and seamless. You can upgrade your RAM from 2GB to 8GB in an instant and your website will not experience any downtime whatsoever.
3. High-Quality Hosting: Linode has taken the quality of service offered a notch higher than other competing companies. They make use of the latest technology and care to provide unmatched quality to their customers.
4. Amazing Customer Support: This is most probably one of the best features of this company: Its customer support is always available to help customers solve issues in the shortest time possible. Several customers have even had their support tickets solved in less than 5 minutes after opening it.
5. 11 data centers in 3 regions: With 11 data centers to choose from, you can select a location that will work best for your business. This means that you can choose data centers that are close to your target audience for an optimized browsing experience for your readers and customers. The data centers are located in Asia, North America, and Europe.
Cons
1. Pricing: For a long time, Linode’s prices were not targeted for everyday users. Instead, they were more focused on businesses. In more recent times, however, the prices have been adjusted to cater to low and mid-level businesses.
2. No control panel: This is one of the greatest drawbacks of Linode is the lack of a control panel as compared to its competition. This is a great disappointment especially for users who are used to visual tools.
Conclusion
In conclusion, if you need the power of cloud hosting, Linode is the best solution. It has plans that are friendly and cater to all your needs while being easily scalable if you ever need to upgrade. They also offer unrivaled customer experience.
If you are still hesitant about anything, you can take advantage of the offer Get Free $100 Linode Credit to try their service in 60 days, if unsatisfied, you can leave away at any time without lost anything 🙂
