Both products give you a computer in a data centre that stays on when yours does not. The difference is the interface and the software you can run on it. Choosing badly usually means paying for a licence you do not use, or fighting a desktop where a terminal would have been simpler.
What a Windows RDP plan gives you
RDP stands for Remote Desktop Protocol. You connect to a Windows Server machine with the Remote Desktop client that already ships with Windows, or with Microsoft's app on macOS, iOS and Android. You see a normal desktop, log in as an administrator, and install whatever Windows software you need.
That matters when the software only exists for Windows: MetaTrader and other trading terminals, CAD and accounting packages, .NET tooling, Excel macros, or a browser profile that has to stay open on a machine that never sleeps.
The plans on this site are full Windows Server installations, not a shared desktop with a dozen strangers. You get administrator access, a dedicated public IP and your own machine to restart when you want.
What a Linux VPS gives you
A Linux VPS is the same kind of virtual machine without the desktop. You reach it over SSH, run a web server, a database, a bot, a VPN endpoint or a build agent, and manage it from the command line or a control panel.
It is usually cheaper for the same CPU and RAM because there is no Windows licence and no desktop session consuming memory. It is also more predictable to automate: configuration lives in files, not in a series of clicks inside a graphical installer.
If your work is websites, APIs, scheduled jobs or containers, Linux is normally the right base. If you need to see a desktop and run Win32 programs, it is not.
The questions that decide it
Work through these in order. The first one that applies usually settles the choice.
- Does the software you need run on Windows only? Choose RDP. Emulation layers exist, but they are a second project on top of the first.
- Do you need a visible desktop for a person to use, rather than a service? Choose RDP.
- Will the machine run unattended services that you configure once? Choose Linux.
- Is the lowest cost per gigabyte of RAM the priority? Linux wins at every size.
- Do you need someone else to log in and see the same screen you see? RDP is the practical answer.
The cost you do not see on the price list
A Windows desktop needs patching, antivirus discipline and a firewall that does not expose port 3389 to the whole internet. The partner supplies the licence and the network, but the machine is yours to keep tidy.
A Linux server needs the same attention in a different shape: updates, SSH keys instead of passwords, and a service that restarts on boot. Neither is maintenance-free, and neither is hard once it is set up.
Pick the one whose maintenance you will actually do. A cheap server that nobody patches is worse than a slightly more expensive one that fits how you work.
Can you switch later?
Yes, and it is usually a rebuild rather than an upgrade. Both partners let you reinstall the operating system from their dashboard. That erases the disk, so keep your files somewhere else and treat the server as replaceable.
This is also why the first plan should be small. Learn what the workload actually uses for a month, then move to the size you measured rather than the size you guessed.
Ready to compare? The board lists Windows RDP plans and Linux VPS plans with the date each price was checked.