# Buying a VPS
Source: https://vpsdime.com/knowledgebase/presales
Last reviewed: 2026-07-04
Summary: Everything you need to choose and order a VPS with confidence, what a VPS is, Linux vs Premium, Windows VPS, how to size and pick one, how to order, the money-back guarantee, and a pre-sales FAQ.

Choosing and ordering a VPS, with the answers you'll want first.

## New to this?

- [What is a VPS?](https://vpsdime.com/knowledgebase/presales/what-is-a-vps). What a VPS is, how it differs from shared hosting, and the many things you can do with one.
- [What is a hostname?](https://vpsdime.com/knowledgebase/presales/what-is-a-hostname). The name a server calls itself, how it differs from a domain name, what an FQDN is, and what to enter when ordering.

## How a VPS compares

Objective comparisons, if you're weighing a VPS against another kind of hosting.

- [VPS vs shared hosting](https://vpsdime.com/knowledgebase/presales/vps-vs-shared-hosting). Your own isolated server with root access, versus a managed account on a shared server.
- [VPS vs cloud server](https://vpsdime.com/knowledgebase/presales/vps-vs-cloud-server). Local NVMe and flat pricing, versus separate storage nodes and metered hourly billing.
- [VPS vs dedicated server](https://vpsdime.com/knowledgebase/presales/vps-vs-dedicated-server). A slice you can resize, snapshot, and replace in minutes, versus a whole physical machine.
- [VPS vs managed app platforms](https://vpsdime.com/knowledgebase/presales/vps-vs-managed-app-platforms). Running your own server, versus a push-code-and-forget platform (PaaS).
- [Managed vs self-managed](https://vpsdime.com/knowledgebase/presales/managed-vs-unmanaged). Who runs the software layer, and why self-managing a server is very doable now.

## Choosing the right one

- [Choosing the right VPS](https://vpsdime.com/knowledgebase/presales/choosing-the-right-vps). The four quick decisions: type, size, OS, and datacenter, with a safe default.
- [Linux VPS vs Premium VPS](https://vpsdime.com/knowledgebase/presales/linux-vps-vs-premium-vps). Shared vs dedicated resources, and which is right for you.
- [Windows VPS](https://vpsdime.com/knowledgebase/presales/windows-vps). What it is, what it's for, and how it works.
- [How to choose a plan size](https://vpsdime.com/knowledgebase/presales/choosing-a-vps-plan-size). Sizing RAM, CPU, storage, and traffic by workload.

## Ordering

- [How to order a VPS](https://vpsdime.com/knowledgebase/presales/how-to-order-a-vps). The full walkthrough, from picking a plan to a running server.
- [Refunds and money-back guarantee](https://vpsdime.com/knowledgebase/billing/refunds). Your first order is risk-free for 72 hours; no contract.
- [My order is under review](https://vpsdime.com/knowledgebase/presales/order-under-review). Every paid order gets a quick human review before activation; first orders and dormant accounts get a closer look.
- [My order was flagged by fraud screening](https://vpsdime.com/knowledgebase/presales/order-flagged-as-fraud). The automated checkout screening, the usual triggers (VPN, country mismatch), and how false positives get reviewed.

## Still have questions?

- [Pre-sales FAQ](https://vpsdime.com/knowledgebase/presales/pre-sales-faq). Billing, technical, support, and privacy questions answered.
- For payment, tax, refund, and billing-schedule details, see the [Billing](https://vpsdime.com/knowledgebase/billing) section.

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