VPS Sizing Calculator — How Much vCPU & RAM Do You Need?
A WooCommerce store at 100,000 monthly visits with 200 peak concurrent users on Linux needs at minimum 2 vCPU / 4 GB RAM — that is Hostinger KVM 2 (2 vCPU / 8 GB, ≈$7-10/mo). The math: ⌈100,000 ÷ 50,000⌉ = 2 blocks → 2 vCPU; RAM 2 × 1 × 1.75 + 0.5 = 4 GB; 50 GB NVMe disk and ≈300 GB/mo of bandwidth. With a +30% growth buffer the recommendation becomes 3 vCPU / 6 GB → KVM 4 (≈$13-18/mo). The rule: start at the tier that fits the minimum — KVM upgrades are vertical, minutes, no reinstall — and never buy a bigger tier "just in case": unused RAM does not make WordPress faster.
| Workload | Visits/mo | vCPU / RAM | Tier |
|---|---|---|---|
| Static site | 100,000 | 1 vCPU / 2 GB | KVM 1 |
| WordPress | 50,000 | 1 vCPU / 2 GB | KVM 1 |
| WordPress | 200,000 | 4 vCPU / 5 GB | KVM 4 |
| WooCommerce | 100,000 | 2 vCPU / 4 GB | KVM 2 |
| WooCommerce | 300,000 | 6 vCPU / 11 GB | KVM 8 |
| Node.js app | 100,000 | 2 vCPU / 3 GB | KVM 2 |
| Verdict | Size for the minimum, buffer for growth: start at the KVM tier that fits your stack today — vertical upgrades take minutes with no reinstall — and never pre-pay for traffic you don't have (nor oversell into a tier your load can't justify). | ||
VPS Sizing Calculator — How Much vCPU & RAM Do You Need?
Inputs
WooCommerce: WordPress blocks with ×1.75 RAM — carts, checkout queries and sessions are memory-hungry.
about 3,333 visits/day
web-stack burst: +0 GB beyond the first 200 concurrent
Rule: RAM = 3× data size.
Linux idles at 0.5 GB — Windows adds 2 GB and a bigger disk.
+30% buffer for expected growth — recommended for young projects.
Your minimum is 2 vCPU / 4 GB → KVM 2 (≈$7-10/mo); with +30% headroom it becomes 3 vCPU / 6 GB → KVM 4 (≈$13-18/mo). Start at the tier that fits the minimum: KVM upgrades are vertical from the control panel — minutes, no reinstall — so don't pre-pay for traffic that hasn't arrived. But don't oversell either: buying KVM 8 for a small blog "just in case" burns about ≈$25-35/mo — unused RAM doesn't make WordPress faster, and the honest upgrade signal is sustained CPU above 80% or any swap usage.
Size for the minimum, buffer for growth: start at the KVM tier that fits your stack today — vertical upgrades take minutes with no reinstall — and never pre-pay for traffic you don't have (nor oversell into a tier your load can't justify).
The sizing model is a 2026 planning heuristic (50k-visit blocks, 200 concurrent per unit, RAM = 3× data) and published KVM tier bands — not live prices and not a guarantee: measure real CPU/RAM after launch and size again.
| Workload | Visits/mo | vCPU / RAM | Tier |
|---|---|---|---|
| Static site | 100,000 | 1 vCPU / 2 GB | KVM 1 |
| WordPress | 50,000 | 1 vCPU / 2 GB | KVM 1 |
| WordPress | 200,000 | 4 vCPU / 5 GB | KVM 4 |
| WooCommerce | 100,000 | 2 vCPU / 4 GB | KVM 2 |
| WooCommerce | 300,000 | 6 vCPU / 11 GB | KVM 8 |
| Node.js app | 100,000 | 2 vCPU / 3 GB | KVM 2 |
| Node.js app | 100,000 | 5 vCPU / 6 GB | KVM 8 |
| Database server | 100,000 | 4 vCPU / 31 GB | KVM 8 |
Results
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How the VPS sizing calculator works
VPS sizing is not guesswork, it is a load table: each project type is measured in its own unit — a 50k-visit block for WordPress and WooCommerce, a 200-concurrent unit for Node.js, three times data size for databases, a 10-player block for game servers — then fixed, known overheads are added (OS, peak concurrency, optional growth buffer). The result maps onto real KVM tiers so you know which plan absorbs the minimum and which absorbs the recommendation, then you decide by budget: start at the floor and climb vertically in minutes when the numbers grow.
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Step 1
Pick your workload (static site / WordPress / WooCommerce / Node.js / database / game server) and set the monthly-visits slider (10k-2M) and concurrent-users slider (10-2,000) — the calculator derives base load blocks: 1 vCPU + 1 GB per 50k visits for WordPress (WooCommerce ×1.75 RAM), 1 GB per 200 concurrent for Node, RAM = 3× data for databases, one block per 10 players for games.
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Step 2
Add OS overhead (0.5 GB Linux or 2 GB Windows) and the peak-hour burst for web stacks (concurrent ÷ 200), then flip the +30% growth buffer if you are planning for the climb — the spec appears: vCPU, RAM, NVMe disk and the monthly bandwidth band.
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Step 3
Read the verdict: the minimum your stack needs versus the recommended size with buffer, and the smallest KVM tier that fits each (KVM 1 at 1 vCPU/4 GB up to KVM 8 at 8/32) — with the common-case reference table and the current-pricing link for the matching plan.
Use Cases
Before buying your first VPS: know exactly whether your project is a KVM 1 or something bigger — no months on a starving plan, no money burned on an oversized one.
When a WordPress or WooCommerce site slows down: compare your current plan against the calculator output — if your RAM is under the minimum, a vertical upgrade beats any optimization plugin.
When migrating off shared hosting: feed current and expected traffic into the sliders and learn which KVM tier receives the migration with no surprises.
Tips
- 1
Re-check the output every 3-6 months: 50% traffic growth changes your block count, and upgrading before saturation is cheaper than firefighting.
- 2
Watch real metrics after launch: sustained CPU above 80% or any swap usage means you are at the edge — that is the upgrade signal, not a vague feeling of slowness.
- 3
Caching changes the answer: full-page caching can drop you a whole KVM tier — try the cache before paying for the bigger plan.
Common Mistakes
Buying the biggest plan "just in case": unused RAM does not make WordPress faster — and the KVM 2-to-KVM 8 gap compounds into hundreds of dollars a year for nothing.
Forgetting the OS and the database share the box: a "theoretical" 1 GB evaporates once Linux, MySQL and PHP load — the calculator adds overheads for a reason.
Sizing on monthly visits alone: peak concurrency is what drops a server at launch or during a campaign — that is why it has its own slider.
FAQs
How much RAM does WordPress need on a VPS in 2026?
vCPU vs RAM — which should I prioritize?
When is 1 GB of RAM actually enough?
What is the database sizing rule?
Does Windows really need +2 GB of RAM?
Vertical vs horizontal scaling — which one do I want?
Managed vs unmanaged VPS — which should I pay for?
Can I upgrade later without reinstalling?
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