Nowadays, more and more webmasters search for a Windows web hosting provider when they want to launch a new website. It is not surprising, Windows is world renowned as being the first option for many home PC owners. The reasons behind this can be debated in many directions including good marketing and lack of other choices, but, above all else, Windows is a recognized and stable platform for almost any internet user. The main advantage behind Windows hosting is that you can use the same software and functionality you have on your desktop and transfer that directly across to your server.

This will even help programmers who build in an offline environment and then wish to go live only when the final product is complete. In terms of the features you can expect from a Windows web hosting package they are vast and varied, but to give you some idea of scope, HostGator.com offers packages with unlimited bandwidth, unlimited storage and the choice of private SSL and IP certificates or shared certificates.

Currently, HostGator offers two different kinds of Windows shared hosting plans. The first, called the Personal Plan, starts at $4.76 per month. Meanwhile, the second HostGator Windows web hosting plan, called the Enterprise Plan, starts at $14.36 per month. The main difference is between the number of sites you can host on each plan. While the Personal Plan allows to host only 1 domain, HostGator’s Enterprise Windows hosting plan allows up to 5.

All in all Windows hosting is a good option for new and inexperienced users. More experienced site owners tend to go for Linux Hosting, which is not as user-friendly, but cost cheaper and is just as reliable. HostPapa is an example of a Canadian web hosting company who only uses Linux Servers. HostGator and GoDaddy actually lets you choose the type of server, Linux or Windows, that you want.

Meanwhile, big Canada’s own MyHosting even gives you an option (the Business Hosting Plan, see our review), that provides you with one account, where you can host a number of sites on a Linux server, and others on a Windows server.