10 Best SSH Access Hosts (Reliable + Safe) in 2024

Whether you’re scaling your business, deploying applications, or managing multiple projects, reliable SSH hosting is key. That said, it’s crucial to find an SSH host that can deliver reliable uptime, robust security features, and a user-friendly interface. Without these, your workflow can suffer. In a worst-case scenario, you could risk exposing yourself or your clients to security breaches.

As a remote web developer, I understand the frustration with slow or unreliable SSH connections impacting your operations. But after testing some of the most popular hosts with SSH access, I narrowed down 10 valuable options that won’t disappoint. You can expect to find a harmonious balance between security, reliability, and affordability.

Of all the hosting providers I tested, Hostinger stood out as the top SSH access host. Its robust security suite, powerful performance tools, and 99.9% uptime guarantee – all on truly affordable plans – make it the ideal host for SSH hosting. You can test Hostinger risk-free for 30 days thanks to its money-back guarantee or read on to explore other solid SSH access hosts.

What We Look for in the Best SSH Access Hosts

Finding the right host with SSH access can take a lot of trial and error. To help you select the right host the first time around, I selected hosts based on the following criteria.

• Strong security. Because SSH access involves remote server management, a host with robust security features is paramount. I carefully reviewed and selected hosts with strong encryption, secure key management, and anti-DDoS measures to protect your data and server.

• Reliable performance. Fast, reliable connections are crucial when it comes to SSH hosting. I looked for hosts with high uptime guarantees (99.9% or more) and low-latency SSH connections to ensure your server and applications are always accessible and perform to the best of their ability.

• Ease of use. Efficient SSH management is key, especially for non-experts. My top picks have user-friendly or proprietary control panels, detailed tutorials, and straightforward setup processes that make it easier to use SSH effectively.

• Dependable customer support. Responsive support is vital for troubleshooting and guidance. Hosts that offer 24/7 knowledgeable support can help resolve SSH-specific issues quickly, minimizing downtime and disruptions.

• Scalability. As your needs grow, your SSH hosting should be able to grow with you. The hosts on my list feature flexible plans with scalable CPU, RAM, and storage, plus a variety of options like VPS or dedicated hosting ensure you won’t have to switch hosts if you outgrow your current plan.

1. Hostinger: Well-Rounded Hosting With Access to SSH and Premium Perks1

Hostinger blends its intuitive interface with top security measures to deliver efficient SSH hosting. For instance, you can access the beginner-friendly Secure Access Manager through Hostinger’s proprietary hPanel. The tool allows you to manage SSH access by delegating access levels to your collaborators, allowing you to streamline your work without compromising security.

I find that Hostinger offers an excellent price-to-value ratio. At $2.99, its Premium plan gets you a whopping 100 GB of NVMe storage and unlimited free SSL and bandwidth. If you upgrade to the Business plan for a few dollars more per month, you’ll get access to its proprietary CDN with automatic data center rerouting. The CDN dynamically identifies and diverts malicious requests away from the origin server, safeguarding against downtime and service interruptions.

But CDN aside, Hostinger’s infrastructure also keeps your data secure with 24/7 server monitoring, a Web Application Firewall (WAF), and a DDoS traffic filter.

Features

• Fully managed WordPress. Hostinger’s managed WordPress plans benefit from WP LiteSpeed accelerator, smart auto updates, content cache, and staging tools. You’ll also get access to the WordPress command line and SSH.
• LiteSpeed web servers. Hostinger uses the LiteSpeed web server for faster load times and reduced latency over traditional servers like Apache, making it a top choice for SSH access hosting.
• WHOIS domain protection. As an added layer of security, Hostinger includes free domain protection with your domain registration. WHOIS replaces your personal information with a proxy or third-party privacy service.
• 24/7 multi-language support. You can access live chat or email support with resolutions typically under 3 minutes. Hostinger’s agents are fluent in over 10 languages, ensuring you receive the most optimal help.

To learn more about performance, read our expert Hostinger review.

2. IONOS: Stay Protected With Geo-Redundant Servers and Up to 100 SSH Keys1

IONOS is a reliable SSH access host for maintaining high server availability and security. With its redundant infrastructure, mirrored data centers ensure your service remains uninterrupted – even during maintenance or outages. In addition, its custom-built DDoS protection automatically filters suspicious traffic to safeguard your website from incoming attacks.

If you have technical knowledge and are handling very sensitive data, go with IONOS. The SSH Key Manager allows up to 100 manual key generations and guarantees only authorized users have access to your server. There’s even server fingerprint verification to further enhance security and prevent man-in-the-middle attacks.

Despite its sophisticated security technology, IONOS remains accessible with affordable shared and VPS plans with generous resources. All plans include redundant storage, free domain for one year with Wildcard SSL, unmetered bandwidth, and daily backups. Additionally, you can pay a small on-demand fee to upgrade your RAM and PHP limit without having to switch to a brand new plan​.

Features

• PHP 8.2 and JIT compiler. For peak software performance, IONOS supports the latest PHP version with a JIT compiler and a 768 MB memory limit. Older PHP versions from 4.0 onwards are also supported with PHP Extended Support.
• Free Cloudflare CDN. You can enhance your website’s speed and security with a free Cloudflare CDN, optimizing content delivery and providing robust protection against online threats.
• Sitescan. IONOS’s Site Scan feature checks your web pages and safeguards you from threats and vulnerabilities, offering peace of mind for secure SSH access.
• IONOS personal consultant. In addition to an extensive knowledge base filled with SSH support, you can also enjoy personalized advice and technical support beyond SSH access with a dedicated consultant available via phone, chat, and email to help boost your online success.

Our comprehensive IONOS review has more on plans and pricing.

3. InterServer: Affordable SSH Hosting With Unlimited Resources1

InterServer is a value-filled host with SSH access. It’s best tailored to budget-conscious site owners who don’t want to risk overage fees or downtime in the case of sudden traffic spikes or increased resource needs. Its shared hosting has a baseline cost of $2.50 per month and offers attractive perks like unlimited SSD storage and unlimited file transfers.

Additionally, you can easily enable SSH access with a couple of clicks through your control panel. You can generate or import SSH key pairs by defining key names, types, sizes, and creating strong passwords. This setup provides secure connections to your server, allowing for safe data communication and remote command execution.

All in all, I’m impressed by InterServer’s free InterShield and Inter-Insurance solutions, which offer comprehensive protection. Its InterShield technology monitors thousands of servers and deploys protective measures to guard against online attacks. Inter-Insurance will restore any hacked or compromised website (even if you’re a new customer) and guarantees protection against future attacks.

Features

• Inter-Proxy caching. InterServer uses proprietary Inter-Proxy caching mechanisms to handle heavy request loads. Caching happens at the hardware and software levels, and includes MegaRAID caching and packet level QUIC for reduced connection times.
• DirectAdmin panel. The Linux-based DirectAdmin control panel simplifies website management. InterServer also offers the option to use cPanel with its dedicated cPanel hosting for added flexibility in managing your SSH hosting environment.
• Guaranteed email delivery. With MailBaby commercial anti-spam technology, InterServer ensures the delivery of valid, non-spam, and non-bulk emails. It includes compromised email detection and spam blocking to prevent issues like IP blacklisting.
• One-click cloud apps. Quickly and easily deploy 450+ cloud apps like WordPress, Joomla, and Drupal with InterServer’s one-click installation feature, making it convenient to set up and manage your website.

For more details on InterServer’s unlimited plan, read our expert review.

4. Kamatera: SSH Access With Scalable Resources and Security Add-Ons1

Kamatera offers SSH access hosting on all of its plans and offers maximum control, security, and flexibility. Since it’s cloud-based hosting, you can instantly scale up to 512 GB of RAM or 4000 GB of NVMe SSD by the hour or month. I’d recommend Kamatera for growing sites that want to keep resources scalable without paying extra for premium features that aren’t immediately necessary.

It’s convenient that you can add or remove load balancers, firewalls, and private networks from your plan. The firewall add-on stands out for its comprehensive protection, with security experts setting up and monitoring firewalls in real time. These firewalls analyze and filter data packets, authorizing only certified and approved data to enter your servers, thereby enhancing the security of SSH access.

While Kamatera offers a high degree of flexibility and control, including root access and customizable server configurations, you’ll need to have a good understanding of server management to keep costs low. But if your budget permits, you can opt for its fully managed service for a hands-off approach.

Features

• Load balancers. You can add Kamatera’s load balancers to ensure high availability and reliability by distributing incoming traffic across multiple servers. This optimizes resource use, minimizes response times, reduces latency, and prevents overloading of any single server.
• Block storage. If you need secure and foolproof data storage, Kamatera offers scalable block storage as an extra add-on for your hosting needs. Its simple pricing model allows you to pay per usage so you can drop or add storage at any time.
• Next generation processors. Experience superior performance and efficiency with Kamatera’s use of Intel’s Ice Lake processors, offering advanced computing power for demanding applications and SSH hosting environments.
• 20+ data centers. Kamatera operates over 20 data centers across the globe, including one in Asia, six in Europe, five in the Middle East, and nine in North America. You’ll have first choice of any of these locations when you sign up.

To learn more about Kamatera’s flexible billing, read our in-depth review.

5. A2 Hosting: Ultra-Secure Servers Across Hosting Plans1

Offering inclusive plans that come with a robust security suite at every price point, A2 Hosting is an excellent choice for ultra-secure SSH access hosting. Even on its cheapest plan, you get HackScan, DDoS protection, KernelCare updates, an in-built virus scanner, firewall, and brute force defense. All things considered, the 100 GB of SSD storage included is quite generous, too.

Shared hosting plans have SSH access enabled by default and you can manage this through the A2 Hosting Customer Portal. The portal supports SSH key authentication and two-factor authentication for enhanced security on all file transfers, remote command execution, and server management.

With A2 Hosting you get a versatile hosting solution that’s suitable for developers, programmers, and small businesses. No matter your needs, you’ll have options since it offers shared, VPS, dedicated, and fully managed WordPress hosting. And while the cost of its plans is rather competitive, you’ll need to commit to at least a year to get the best bang for your buck.

Features

• Enhanced plans. A2 Hosting’s higher-tier Turbo plans offer faster AMD EPYC CPU performance and NVMe SSD drives, plus optimized servers for traffic handling.
• A2 Optimized plugin. Using pre-configured caching solutions like TurboCache, Memcached, and OPcache, this set-it-and-forget-it plugin for WordPress makes sure your website runs efficiently and quickly.
• Advanced backup. Powered by JetBackup and available with Accel plans and higher, A2 Cloud Backup allows you to easily restore data from saved snapshots. Regular account backup snapshots are accessible from your control panel, providing a reliable data recovery solution exclusive to A2 Hosting.
• 24/7/365 support. A2 Hosting’s Guru Crew offers round-the-clock support through tickets, email, phone, and chat. Whether you need help setting up your SSH client or need a hand with SSH configuration, you can get fast, experienced assistance whenever you need it.

Check out our full A2 Hosting review to learn more about security.

6. InMotion Hosting: Reliable SSH Access and Complimentary Monarx Security1

InMotion Hosting is a reliable option with its 99.99% uptime guarantee, ensuring that your server and SSH access remain consistently available. How does it manage to do this? This host offers premium hardware, including enterprise-grade servers with NVMe SSDs and a proactive monitoring system that tracks server health and network performance around the clock.

The majority of its plans include unlimited NVMe SSD and unlimited bandwidth, plus a generous security suite with hack and malware protection, DDoS protection, and Monarx security. With Launch plans and up, your server runs on its UltraStack technology, which is particularly beneficial if you’re running a WordPress site.

The only drawback to InMotion Hosting is that it has limited data center locations: two in the US and one in Amsterdam. If you’re logging in remotely and aren’t close to these locations, you may experience increased latency when using SSH. However, this limitation is offset by InMotion Hosting’s robust infrastructure and optimization technologies.

Features

• UltraStack technology. InMotion Hosting’s UltraStack uses NGINX, PHP-FPM, Redis, and NVMe SSDs for optimized server performance. This ensures fast, reliable, and secure server interactions with low latency, which is crucial for efficient SSH access hosting.
• Uptime SLA. Available with Launch plans and higher, this SLA will provide you with an account credit equivalent to a month if your server experiences less than a 99.99% uptime during the month.
• Hosting Plus. This allows developers to run custom applications, automate tasks, and manage code versions efficiently, enhancing server capabilities and collaboration. Python, Node.js, Ruby, and Git version control are all supported under Hosting Plus.
• Free ad credits. You can receive $150 in free advertising credits for Google Ads, Bing Ads, and Yahoo. This helps increase your online visibility and drive traffic to your new website without additional marketing costs.

For more on developer tools, see our expert InMotion Hosting review.

Other Notable Hosts With SSH Access

7. FastComet1

FastComet stands out thanks to offering 20+ data centers across 14 countries, including hard-to-reach locations in Asia such as Mumbai, Tokyo, and Singapore. This makes it an ideal option for remote workers in international teams, ensuring seamless SSH access thanks to its 100% network uptime and vast data center locations.

Its proprietary Imunify360 security suite is another attractive feature for remote SSH access since it offers a WAF, IP reputation guard, malware and exploits protection, and account isolation. All plans feature premium NVMe storage and free SSL, but its shared hosting won’t be suitable for sites with extensive storage needs, as the maximum allowance is only 40 GB.

8. SiteGround1

I think SiteGround is one of the more user-friendly SSH access hosts around. Its Client Area, which presents your website as a cohesive entity, anticipates what you’ll need to successfully manage all your hosting components like domains, file directories, and databases. You can even manage multiple sites with a single SSH key, simplifying collaboration and convenience.

With SiteGround’s shared hosting plans, you get a secure option for SSH access because it uses a non-standard SSH port installed in a chroot environment to restrict processes. However, SiteGround does cater to beginners, so keep in mind that its shared hosting may not be suitable if you’re looking for full administrative control.

9. HostArmada1

HostArmada offers managed shared cloud hosting with a low number of clients per server and account isolation to minimize disruptions. Each plan includes malware scanning and removal, a WAF, and an IP firewall. For top performance, consider the Speed Reaper plan, which offers LiteSpeed web servers with dynamic caching.

Overall, HostArmada is an affordable option for site owners with modest needs. It provides all the essential features of a reliable SSH access host and includes free SSL, daily backups, and up to 40 GB of SSD storage. However, it’s important to note that all plans have bandwidth caps ranging from 30 GB to 90 GB, which may be limiting if you plan to use SSH access for large file transfers.

10. GreenGeeks1

GreenGeeks is a suitable SSH access host for small- to medium-sized businesses and content creators looking for an environmentally friendly host. With a 300% renewable energy match, it stands out for its commitment to sustainability. It also offers a 99.9% uptime guarantee, hosting on LiteSpeed servers, and unlimited web space and data transfer on most plans.

The included security suite offers an AI-powered enterprise-level firewall and 24/7 network monitoring to protect against DDoS attacks and other threats. Although there’s SSH access for all plans, it’s not enabled by default. You must open a support ticket through the account manager to activate it, which can be a bit inconvenient.

Go With One of These SSH Hosting Options For Peace of Mind

Today’s web hosting market can feel like a saturated maze, making it challenging to navigate alone. It’s already time-consuming enough to identify hosts with SSH access – and having to evaluate the value each one offers on top of it all can be a frustrating process. But once you have the top SSH hosts in front of you, it’s easier to see which option caters to your needs best.

Of all the SSH access hosts, Hostinger offers the most value1. With up to 200 GB of NVMe storage, streamlined SSH management through hPanel, and in-house CDN, Hostinger gets you premium SSH hosting for less.

If you’re more technically experienced and are managing highly sensitive data, IONOS is the best runner-up host. IONOS offers ironclad SSH access1 with its geo-redundant infrastructure, custom-built DDoS shield, and server fingerprint verification.

For a host that offers unlimited resources and comprehensive protection features, InterServer gets you the best of both worlds1. You don’t need to worry about paying overage fees and its Inter-Insurance feature keeps you covered even in the worst-case scenario.

FAQ

Is SSH secure?

Yes, SSH is secure. It encrypts data transmission to protect against eavesdropping and man-in-the-middle attacks. Using strong passwords and key-based authentication further enhances security. IONOS is a very secure SSH access host that allows up to 100 public key generations and server fingerprint verification.

Can you use SSH on a shared hosting plan?

Yes, you can use SSH on a shared hosting plan if your provider supports it. Some hosts restrict SSH access for security reasons, which is why it’s important to check before you commit to a plan. All of these web hosts offer SSH access with their shared hosting plans.

Are there any limitations to SSH hosting?

Yes, there can be limitations to SSH hosting. Shared hosting environments often restrict features like root access, which can limit your ability to install software or modify server configurations. That said, Hostinger has VPS plans that allow full root access if you’re looking for more control over your server.

What is the difference between SSH and SSL?

Secure Shell (SSH) is a network protocol used for secure remote server access and management, while Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) encrypts data transferred between a web server and a browser. They both enhance security but serve different purposes. Consider InterServer if you want an affordable host with proprietary security features, SSH access, and free SSL.

Can I use SSH hosting with any operating system?

Yes, you can use SSH hosting with any operating system. SSH clients are available for Windows, macOS, and Linux, allowing you to connect to your server regardless of your OS. A beginner-friendly host like Hostinger makes it simple to get started by providing comprehensive guides and a user-friendly panel for managing your SSH connections.