Hosted SQL Server on a Raff Windows Server VPS built for it: guaranteed AMD EPYC vCPU, NVMe for data, log and tempdb, and full administrator access. From $28.99 a month with Windows included. SQL Server Express is free; Standard from $333.94 a month more, or bring your own licence.
SELECT SERVERPROPERTY('Edition') AS edition, SERVERPROPERTY('ProductVersion') AS version, physical_memory_kb / 1024 AS ram_mb FROM sys.dm_os_sys_info;
| edition | version | ram_mb |
|---|---|---|
| Express Edition (64-bit) | 17.0.4020.1 | 8192 |
Pick the edition, then the size. Every total is the full monthly price with Windows Server included.
Minimum, dev and test only
Small database, a few users
One production database up to about 4 GB hot
Production database, about 8 GB hot
Larger working set, about 16 GB hot
Reporting and ETL alongside OLTP
| Plan | Fits | NVMe | Express total / mo | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 vCPU · 2 GB | Minimum, dev and test only | 50 GB | $28.99 | Deploy |
| 2 vCPU · 4 GB | Small database, a few users | 80 GB | $37.99 | Deploy |
| 4 vCPU · 8 GBMost deployed | One production database up to about 4 GB hot | 120 GB | $55.99 | Deploy |
| 8 vCPU · 16 GB | Production database, about 8 GB hot | 180 GB | $91.99 | Deploy |
| 8 vCPU · 32 GB | Larger working set, about 16 GB hot | 240 GB | $152.99 | Deploy |
| 16 vCPU · 32 GB | Reporting and ETL alongside OLTP | 360 GB | $189.99 | Deploy |
SQL Server is bound by storage latency long before CPU. Every plan runs on NVMe, and block volumes let you split data, log and tempdb onto their own disks the way the tuning guides recommend, without rebuilding the server.
| Express | Standard | Enterprise | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Licence | Free | Yours, or Raff SPLA | Yours, or Raff SPLA |
| Database size | 10 GB each | 524 PB | 524 PB |
| Buffer pool | 1.4 GB | 128 GB | OS max |
| Compute | 1 socket or 4 cores | 4 sockets or 24 cores | OS max |
| SQL Server Agent | No | Yes | Yes |
| Always On | No | Basic, 2 nodes | Full |
Express is not a trial. It is a production engine with three hard limits: 10 GB per database, 1.4 GB of buffer pool and four cores. Most small applications never reach them, including Sage 100 or Sage 300 at a small company. Standard lifts all three. Enterprise is for online index rebuilds and full Always On.
Standard vs Enterprise, when to pay more ›ASP.NET hosting with SQL Server on one private network: your application server and SQL Server sit on a free VPC, the public firewall stays default-deny, and administrators arrive over RDP through a gateway with MFA. Brute-force scanners on 1433 find nothing.
Backup and restore, or log shipping for a short cutover window. Free from Azure, AWS, Google Cloud, Kamatera, Cloudzy, Contabo, Vultr and your own server room. You verify on the new instance before the connection strings move.
Send the current edition, database sizes and the apps that connect. We size the plan and the volume layout.
Full backup restored on the new instance, logins and jobs scripted across, log shipping if the cutover window is short.
You run your checks first. Connection strings move when you say so, and the old server stays up until you sign off. SQL Server migration guide
Short answers. The long ones live in the SQL Server hub.
The plan price includes the Windows Server licence. SQL Server Express and Developer are free from Microsoft. Standard and Enterprise can be added through Raff's Microsoft SPLA, priced per vCPU with Microsoft's four-core minimum, from $333.94 a month for Standard on a 4 vCPU plan and shown as its own line on your statement. Or bring your own licence and pay nothing extra.
Yes. SQL Server Express is free for production within its limits: 10 GB per database, a 1.4 GB buffer pool, up to 4 cores and no SQL Server Agent. SQL Server Developer is also free with every Enterprise feature, but it is licensed for development, testing and demos only, never for production.
Pick by the first limit you will hit. Express covers most small applications that stay under 10 GB per database. Standard removes the size, memory and core caps and adds SQL Server Agent and basic availability groups. Enterprise is for online index rebuilds, full Always On and very large memory. Standard vs Enterprise, when to pay more
Start from your active data, meaning the part of the database your application reads and writes on a normal day, not the whole file on disk. Double that number and add 2 GB for Windows. If you do not know it, use the total database size. Express needs only 8 GB because it can use 1.4 GB itself. For Standard: an 8 GB plan up to 4 GB active, 16 GB up to 8 GB active, 32 GB up to 16 GB active. SQL Server memory tuning guide
$166.97 per 2 vCPU per month through Microsoft SPLA, with Microsoft's four-core minimum per VM. That is $333.94 a month on a 1, 2 or 4 vCPU plan, $667.88 on 8 vCPU and $1,335.76 on 16 vCPU, itemised on your statement and adjusted automatically when you resize. Enterprise is $628.65 per 2 vCPU. Bring your own licence and the line is $0.
Two layers. SQL Server native backups run on your schedule to a separate volume or to Raff Object Storage; a full backup nightly and log backups every 15 minutes is the usual pattern. Raff automated VM backups and snapshots protect the whole server, with a free pool of 50 GB per account plus 10 to 15% of each disk. SQL Server backup strategy guide
No. On a SQL Server VPS you are the administrator: you install SQL Server, choose the edition, tune it and manage backups, and you can run any Windows application next to it. Raff Managed Databases cover PostgreSQL, MySQL, Valkey, ClickHouse and Kafka with backups and failover handled for you; Microsoft SQL Server is not offered as a managed engine.
Windows Server ready for SQL Server 2019, 2022 or 2025. From $28.99 a month with Windows included, Standard from $333.94 a month or bring your own, 14-day money-back guarantee.