UK Hosting Comparison
Glitch Servers vs UKFast (ANS Group)
UK hosting versus UKFast/ANS - hardware, pricing, and managed vs unmanaged compared
UK hosting versus UKFast/ANS - hardware, pricing, and managed vs unmanaged compared
Overview
Comparing Glitch Servers vs UKFast - now operating as ANS Group following a series of acquisitions - puts two UK VPS hosting providers against each other, though the gap between them in pricing, contract terms, and technical focus has widened considerably since the rebrand.
UKFast built a strong reputation over two decades for UK-based managed cloud and dedicated infrastructure. ANS Group's repositioning toward enterprise managed cloud services means its VPS and cloud offering now sits within a broader professional services context, with pricing and contract structures that reflect an enterprise customer focus rather than the SME market UKFast originally served.
Glitch Servers operates from AS212868 with direct LINX and LONAP peering, delivering KVM virtualisation on AMD Ryzen 9 7950X hardware with NVMe Gen4 storage. Monthly billing, no egress fees, and pricing starting at £4.99/mo position the platform squarely for developers, agencies, and UK businesses that need UK VPS performance without enterprise-tier contracts or account management overhead.
Customers most likely to consider moving to Glitch from ANS include developers running personal projects and production workloads, agencies managing client infrastructure, and small businesses that found UKFast's pricing competitive in 2018 but are now facing the commercial reality of an enterprise-focused rebrand and reduced direct support access.
Compare UK VPS plans and pricing directly on our UK VPS hosting page.
About UKFast (ANS Group)
UKFast (now ANS Group) is a UK managed hosting provider based in Manchester. Known for UK data centres, dedicated customer service, and managed hosting. Pricing reflects managed service model.
Side by Side
An honest, feature-by-feature breakdown. We'll note where UKFast (ANS Group) has strengths too.
| Feature | Glitch Servers | UKFast (ANS Group) |
|---|---|---|
| Service model | ✓ Unmanaged VPS + colo | Managed hosting (ANS manages infrastructure) |
| VPS hardware | ✓ AMD Ryzen 9 7950X, NVMe Gen4 | Managed fleet - hardware varies |
| Pricing | ✓ From £4.99/mo | Managed pricing significantly higher |
| DDoS protection | ✓ Always-on, included | Available as managed security add-on |
| Manchester DC | ✓ Yes | Yes (primary location) |
| Account management | ✓ Self-service portal | Dedicated account manager available |
Where We Excel
Competitive unmanaged pricing - ANS/UKFast's managed model adds management overhead not needed by technical teams
AMD Ryzen 9 7950X hardware standard - ANS managed fleet uses varying hardware generations
DDoS protection always included - UKFast/ANS includes DDoS as a managed security add-on at additional cost
Honest Assessment
UKFast/ANS wins for businesses needing managed UK hosting, dedicated account management, compliance certifications (ISO 27001, Cyber Essentials Plus), and non-technical teams who need their host to manage infrastructure.
FAQ
UK VPS from £4.99/mo - no managed service overhead
AMD Ryzen, NVMe, DDoS protection. Manchester and London infrastructure.
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