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Best for Beginners
Best for Customization
Hostinger is the best option for hosting a Valheim server. It’s simple to get started and reasonably priced, which makes it the best option for beginners. However, if you want more control over your server and more resources for the money, IONOS is a great option too.
And if you want a dedicated server so you can play with all your friends and extended family at once, InterServer has you covered. In this article, we go over exactly what each of these services can offer you and your virtual village.
Compare the best web hosting services for Valheim
Hostinger: Best for beginners
IONOS: Best for customization
InterServer: Best for dedicated servers
What you need for a Valheim server
Bottom line: The best web hosting service for Valheim
FAQs
The best web hosting services for Valheim
Compare the best web hosting services for Valheim
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| Best for | Best for beginners | Best for customization | Best for dedicated servers |
| Star rating | |||
| Starting price | Starts at $2.99/mo | Starts at $1.00/mo | Starts at $2.50/mo |
| Money-back guarantee | Yes — 30 days | Yes — 30 days | Yes — 30 days |
| Uptime guarantee | 99.9% | 99.99% | 99.9% |
| Storage | 200 GB - 400 GB | 240 GB - 720 GB | 2 TB - 15.36 TB (customizable) |
| CPU cores | 4 - 8 cores | 4 - 12 cores | 12 - 24 cores (customizable) |
| RAM | 16 GB - 32 GB | 8 GB - 24 GB | 64 GB - 128 GB (customizable) |
| Player slots (estimated) | 1 - 20+ | 1 - 100+ | 1 - 100+ |
| Server locations | North America, Europe, Asia, and South America | North America and Europe | North America |
| DDoS protection | On all plans | On all plans | On all plans |
| Automatic backup | Yes for VPS — costs extra for dedicated servers | ||
| Mod support | On all plans | On all plans | On all plans |
| Customer support | 24/7 — live chat, email, guides | 24/7 — live chat, phone, help center | 24/7 — live chat, phone, ticket/email, guides |
| Learn more | Get Hostinger | Get IONOS | Get InterServer |
Hostinger: Best for beginners
What we liked
Great performance: For smooth gameplay, you need smooth performance at the server level. Hostinger allows you to load the server up with your favorite mods, invite your friends, build huge bases, and do it all without worrying about the server freezing on you.
All the support you’ll need: Even with Hostinger’s easy-to-use control panel, you might need some help getting started. Luckily, Hostinger has a great support team, so you’ll have access to high-quality troubleshooting and customer service.
One-click game server installs: Valheim and other game servers can be installed with just one click. Hostinger’s control panel lets you configure your game server settings easily, which is handy for beginners.
What we didn’t like
High renewal prices: Let’s be clear: Hostinger offers good value for the money. But remember to check the renewal prices on its hosting plans. Hostinger’s cheapest Valheim-capable VPS plan, Game Panel 4, starts at $10.99/mo but renews after 2 years at $24.99/mo.
Test results
Hostinger went through our performance tests like a champion, with good average server response times, an amazing showing in the stress test, and 100% uptime. You really can’t ask for better than that.
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| Uptime | 100% |
| Average response time | 138 ms |
| Did Hostinger pass the stress test? | Yes |
| Learn more | Get Hostinger |
Star rating summary
In our rating system, features, performance, and security are ranked the highest. The other categories matter, too, and Hostinger scored highly across all of them. But getting a strong score in all three of our most important categories makes Hostinger especially attractive.
Hostinger earned a near-perfect star rating of 4.9 because it is user-friendly and comprehensive, provides reliable performance, and is affordable for small- to medium-sized businesses.
| Decision factor | Weight | Verdict |
| Our experience | 10% | 5.0 |
| Value and capacity | 18% | 4.2 |
| Performance | 20% | 5.0 |
| Features | 25% | 5.0 |
| Security | 20% | 5.0 |
| Support and reputation | 7% | 4.9 |
IONOS: Best for customization
What we liked
Excellent security features: IONOS went the extra mile when designing its security suite to help keep your server and all the data on it private. Because, of course, privacy is half the point of hosting your own Valheim multiplayer worlds.
Plenty of hosting options: IONOS offers every type of web hosting you could need to host your own fantasy-Viking saga, from VPS hosting to cloud servers to dedicated servers. If your town grows, your server can grow with it as needed.
Handy guides: IONOS lacks Hostinger’s one-click features, but it does offer game server support through its infrastructure and documentation. It includes handy guides for installing Valheim and plenty of other game servers you may want to try.
What we didn’t like
No one-click tools for game servers: You’ll need to install everything yourself with IONOS. The aforementioned guides can help, but you’ll need to be familiar with some basic aspects of servers.
Test results
IONOS had a strong showing across our performance tests, with respectable loading times, good server response times, and 100% uptime. It also held its own quite well in the stress test, though not as well as Hostinger did.
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| Uptime | 100% |
| Average response time | 311 ms |
| Did IONOS pass the stress test? | Yes |
| Learn more | Get IONOS |
Star rating summary
IONOS is more do-it-yourself for VPS, cloud, and dedicated servers, which means it fell just a bit behind in the features category. But it scored highly in both performance and security, which are the really essential categories to nail for a game server.
IONOS received a high star rating of 4.7 due to its highly intuitive dashboard, comprehensive features for affordable prices, and impressive performance.
Although we had a positive testing experience with IONOS, it received in a lower score in the experience category due to the upsells on various pages of the dashboard. IONOS also lacks built-in content delivery network.
| Decision factor | Weight | Verdict |
| Our experience | 10% | 4.5 |
| Value and capacity | 18% | 4.8 |
| Performance | 20% | 5.0 |
| Features | 25% | 4.5 |
| Security | 20% | 5.0 |
| Support and reputation | 7% | 4.9 |
InterServer: Best for dedicated servers
What we liked
Great deals on dedicated servers: InterServer specializes in great dedicated servers for stable, low-latency gaming. Regular servers are pretty expensive, but InterServer offers regular deals on cheaper servers. If you keep an eye out, you could get one for as low as $50/mo.
Solid support: Since you won't be physically interacting with your dedicated server, you’ll want a great support team that can handle some of the tricky stuff for you now and then. We’ve had only positive experiences with InterServer’s support team, so you’re covered there.
Semi-managed plans: All dedicated servers are semi-managed, meaning the support team handles OS reinstalls and other troubleshooting and configuration for you, free of charge. If you want them to install the whole game server for you, that will cost extra.
What we didn’t like
Fewer game server hosting options: InterServer doesn’t want you to run game servers on its VPS offerings. The only game-capable hosting available is the dedicated hosting, and even if you get a deal, dedicated servers aren’t cheap.
Test results
InterServer performed worse than we’d like in our tests. But it’s worth noting that these tests were performed on InterServer’s shared hosting service, and these results do not reflect the capabilities of the dedicated servers. This author can tell you from personal experience that they’re pretty good.
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| Uptime | 99.935% |
| Average response time | 1,180 ms |
| Did InterServer pass the stress test? | No |
| Learn more | Get InterServer |
Star rating summary
Aside from the low score in the performance category, our experience with InterServer went pretty well. It managed to get strong scores in both features and security, and did pretty well across all other categories, too.
InterServer earned a high star rating of 4.6 due to its competitive pricing, extensive hosting features, and comprehensive security measures.
Our biggest issue was with InterServer's shared hosting performance, with inconsistent load times and failed stress test.
| Decision factor | Weight | Verdict |
| Our experience | 10% | 5.0 |
| Value and capacity | 18% | 4.6 |
| Performance | 20% | 3.5 |
| Features | 25% | 5.0 |
| Security | 20% | 5.0 |
| Support and reputation | 7% | 4.7 |
What you need for a Valheim server
The bare minimum, according to the official Valheim wiki,[1] is 4 CPU cores, 2 GB of RAM, and 2 GB of storage. But the recommended specs are another story: double the RAM and storage for a smooth-running server with only a couple of people playing. Based on those numbers, I’ve roughly calculated the following specs, as a recommendation, with some wiggle room:
- 1 - 5 players: 4 CPU cores, 4 GB RAM, 10 GB storage
- 6 - 10 players: 4 - 8 CPU cores, 8 GB RAM, 10 GB storage
- 10 - 20 players: 4 - 8 CPU cores, 16 GB RAM, 10 GB storage
- 20 + players: 4 - 8 CPU cores, 24+ GB RAM, 10 GB storage
According to the wiki, the CPU isn’t actually used for too much outside of generating new areas when you get to them. That’s why you don’t need to scale up the CPU cores as much as the RAM. Even so, better too many than not enough.
Bottom line: The best web hosting service for Valheim
Hostinger is our pick because it can handle all your game server needs with easy configuration, one-click installs, and a decent price-to-hardware ratio.
If you don’t mind manual setup, you can get a bit more value for your money with IONOS. And, of course, InterServer is there for all of your dedicated server needs.
How we test web hosting services
We use our proprietary grading rubric to evaluate web hosts based on performance, ease of use, features, support, and overall value. Our hands-on approach ensures our ratings reflect how each service actually performs in the real world, so you can choose a host with confidence.
Our process starts with signing up for each service and setting up a real website, just like you would. We run page speed, uptime, and stress tests to measure reliability and performance under load. We also explore the dashboard, test security tools, and contact support to see how responsive and helpful it is.
To learn more about how we test, check out our full testing methodology here.
FAQs
Can I host a Valheim server on my own PC?
You certainly can run your own Valheim server on your own hardware. You can either set up your world as a temporary server that stays up as long as you’re playing the game, or install a dedicated server on a separate PC that you leave on. In some cases, even an old laptop might do the trick.
Mind you, you have to do all the server management and maintenance yourself in that case.
How much RAM does it take to run a Valheim server?
At the very bare minimum, it takes 2 GB of RAM to run a Valheim server, but 4 GB or more is recommended. If you have a lot of players running around and are building lots of things, 8 GB - 16 GB would be better.
Is hosting a Valheim server expensive?
Hosting a Valheim server isn’t too expensive, but it’s not too cheap either. You can get a pretty good basic server up and running for $15/mo with IONOS’s VPS L plan, with 4 CPU cores and 8 GB of RAM. Hostinger’s Game Panel 4 plan will bump you up to 16 GB of RAM for $24.99/mo.


