ARK Server Hosting (2021)
Last updated: May 3, 2021
Jason Lawrence
To date I have tested 24 different providers to see who can really deliver the best ARK Server Hosting.
Since the turn of the millennium, hundreds of game hosting companies have come and gone, providing a varied level of service to their customers.
During my gaming career (if that’s what you can call it) I have lived through some terrible and a few good experiences with trying to rent a private dedicated server.
I’m hoping that my research into the best ARK server hosting I can find (on this page below) will be of use to people. It’s a great starting point for you shopping for your own private ARK world to play on across PC, Xbox or Playstation.
What do I look for in an ARK server hosting company?
To build and maintain this website I set out to create a fair and thorough strategy to put these companies through their paces.
You can read about this process on this page here, it’s all pretty standard stuff that you would expect from each provider.
I collect the data from each test and plot it onto a spreadsheet that I have made public so you too can see my results.
Then I summarised the top 10 on this page and wrote about each one to make it easier to shop around.
What should you look for?
I’m sure you are well aware that ARK is an amazing game. It came along and smashed the craft and survive niche of games right out of the park and brought a whole new breed of hardcore players from other sectors into it.
Even to this day tens of thousands of players are all playing at once across thousands of live servers provided either by the game developers themselves or normal people like you or me.
You can rent your own ARK game server for a small fee each month, that way you can control the players and game style to match your own preferences.
When choosing a provider it is key that you check the important things before parting with your cash, these include:
- The total cost per month
- The ease of setting it up
- Performance of your server under load
- Adding mods to your server
- The support-ticket waiting time
- Extra features in control panel
For a more in-depth explanation of how to shop for an ARK server check out my supporting guide How To Choose ARK Server Hosting for a full rundown.
Best 10 ARK Server Hosts
So let’s jump right into why you are here, to see my top 10 providers of the 24 I have tested.
I put these guys to the test and have ended up with 10 that I feel deserve your attention, I have labeled them with a badge of honor for why they stick out from the rest too.
So who’s number 1? Well, it’s…
LOW.MS - The Best Budget ARK Host
Ranks #1 of 10 ARK hosts
The Positives
Team made up of experienced members who had left a different provider
A large catalogue of niche games
Competitively priced
The Negatives
A fairly new company
Control Panel
Video Tour Image SlideshowA fairly new addition to the game hosting scene (in comparison to the other 23 ARK server hosting companies I tested) LOW.MS has a large catalog of games.
These guys won my badge for Best Budget ARK Host due to the low cost and brilliantly easy-to-use checkout and control panel system they offer.
You are able to pay for your server in a multitude of ways and if you are in the USA or Europe you are spoilt for choice for data-center locations.
Unfortunately, if you are not in these regions you are a bit stuck if you are craving those ultra-low pings.
GameServers.com - The Best Established ARK Host
Ranks #2 of 10 ARK hosts
The Positives
Back by a huge data-center company
Host lots of different games
Provide hosting directly to game companies
Possibly the oldest game hosting company
Servers in every region
They don't pay for their Truspilot account
The Negatives
High price compared to others
Outdated website
Control Panel
Video Tour Image SlideshowA company that seems as old as time itself (OK well only 20~ years old – but ancient by game hosting standards) these guys seem to be able to host a private server for every game possible.
From my research, I have found that GameServers.com is backed by a large data-center owner who also provides web hosting to thousands of large companies worldwide.
The support team is highly knowledgeable of what they are doing, though the price does reflect it – they are on the higher end of the prices in this top 10 list.
Host Havoc - The Best ARK Server Host
Ranks #3 of 10 ARK hosts
The Positives
Dynamic and friendly team
Focus on providing an amazing service for a few games
Value for money feature-ful game hosting
The Negatives
Relatively new provider compared to others on list
Less locations worldwide
Control Panel
Video Tour Image SlideshowThe guys at Host Havoc don’t have a large catalog of games that they provide private server hosting for but the ones they do seem to do well.
I found that my time with them was pleasant, they sorted out issues quickly with their fast-responding support team and easy-to-use control panel.
When I and 4 friends connected to my test 10 slot ARK server we experienced no lag or issues at all.
The server was up and ready in minutes (after payment) as well with zero glitches, it was mega-easy.
Host Havoc accepts the usual payment methods, such as my recommend favorite PayPal.
Survival Servers - The Best Modded ARK Host
Ranks #4 of 10 ARK hosts
The Positives
Experts in mods for all games
Custom built control panel
Stay very up to date with server tech
The Negatives
Premium pricing
Only EU and USA locations
If you are in the market for a modded ARK: Survival Evolved server then Survival Servers should be on your radar. These guys have an obvious heritage in modding judging from their about page, reviews, social media and custom-built control panel
The support staff was very clued-up when it came to mod maintenance and adding them to my server when pinged with test requests.
The pricing isn’t on the cheap side, they tend to sit in the middle when compared to others on this list.
Nitrous Networks - The Best US ARK Host
Ranks #5 of 10 ARK hosts
The Positives
Backed by a large gaming brand
Easy to use modern website
The Negatives
Less locations to choose from
Easily the company with the best branding on this list, Nitrous Networks have a beautiful website with custom artwork, though you do pay for that in their prices.
The experience I had with this company was satisfactory, the support and control panel were good enough to get me set up and working.
The major downside is obviously the price but the product is high-quality, though I’m not sure it warrants it.
GTX Gaming - The Cheapest ARK Server Host
Ranks #6 of 10 ARK hosts
The Positives
Experienced UK based team
Cover almost every game
Loads of server locations
The Negatives
Some regions require additional fee
Control Panel
Image SlideshowThe biggest UK-based game hosting company on this list, GTX Gaming has a huge catalog of titles and long history of providing private servers for the general public.
The experience from checkout to control panel was satisfactory and the test server I ordered handle me and my 4 friends superbly.
GTX Gaming also accepts the rare form of payment Bitcoin which may be of use to some of you.
Your choice of locations is restricted to the main English-speaking territories unless you are prepared to fork out a little extra money for third-world countries like Brazil.
Streamline Servers - The Best Global ARK Host
Ranks #7 of 10 ARK hosts
The Positives
Passionate about server performance
The Negatives
Usually pretty expensive
Streamline Servers sit roughly in the middle in terms of price but are experts in the field of performance hardware.
Their control panel and whole web presence were very impressive, if you love tinkering then you will love this company.
You can modify the performance of your server with Streamline Servers heavily – as long as you are willing to pay of course – upgrading to a monster server if you need it.
With a huge list of potential server locations, such as Russia and South-America you are bound to find a low-lag location near to you where ever you are in the world.
If you are willing to spend the money and want quality then this company is a good choice.
Ping Perfect - The Best UK ARK Host
Ranks #8 of 10 ARK hosts
The Positives
Support a community of Twitchers
Wide range of games
Lots of global locations
The Negatives
Support was a little slow
If you can see past the out-dated website of Ping Perfect you will find a true value for money ARK hosting company.
With their headquarters based in the UK, they boast a great support staff who were quick to help me with 3 test issues that I fabricated.
For one of the cheapest providers on this list, these guys are great if you need a bargain-basement service.
Although they are primarily a Minecraft server hosting company, Bisect Hosting has also branched out into other games.
They charge very little for their servers but unfortunately, I found their service lacking in quality in many ways.
If you are short on cash then maybe this could be the option for you.
Fragnet - The Best Bitcoin ARK Host
Ranks #10 of 10 ARK hosts
The Positives
Lots of server locations
Server hosting experts
Backed by a large server company
The Negatives
Outdated website
Expensive starter package
With an out-dated and clunky control panel, Fragnet didn’t really wow me at all. They are also sat in the middle in terms of price so they don’t even have the value for money aspect going for them.
The server worked fine though and connected me and my friends so at least the service was supplied as advertised, I can’t fault them there.
What about the rest of the 24?
You can check out the other companies I tested and collated data about on my spreadsheet which I made public.
I summarised the top 10 on this page to make shopping easier, you really don’t need more than 10 to choose from and in my opinion, the top 5 on this list are the real options.
Important ARK Survival Evolved Features
When choosing your ARK hosting company above make sure you check for these features, as long as your budget can afford them:
I speak more in-depth about these features in my supporting guide, a must-read: Choosing an ARK Server Hosting Provider.
Backups
For any game that allows players to invest their time into base building and creativity, backups are a high priority.
You don’t want your visitors building something amazing and establishing a tribe for everything to be lost and them leave to join a different server.
Console Support
Are you playing ARK on a Playstation, Xbox or PC?
The server code is different for each platform so you need to check for the appropriate support.
Clustering
Do you need multiple worlds on 1 cluster?
Have a cluster of virtual ARK servers allows your visitors to hop between worlds but retain their dinosaurs and resources/tools.
DLC Support
ARK: Survival Evolved comes in multiple flavors thanks to the evolution of the game, in the form of DLC (downloadable content).
If you require anything but the standard vanilla ARK game then check the provider has the option for 1 click install.
Don’t just assume that the company you have chosen will cater for these DLC, the server files are required to be prepared beforehand in order to allow 1 click install.
My Hosting Review Process:
1. Find 24 popular ARK Server Hosting providers
2. Buy a basic package and set it up
3. Run speed tests on server
4. Compare the features vs. cost
My Choices For ARK Hosting
