When starting a website, whether for a personal blog, business, or something in-between, content is king. While elements such as web design and user experience are important, web hosting is crucial. Because you’ll rely on a web host for uptime, page load speed, security, and a slew of other factors, it’s not something to take lightly. From pricing to features, there’s a lot to think about. Check out the best web hosts for every need and budget!
Web Hosting Considerations
When selecting a web host to fit your needs, there’s a lot to think about. Uptime is arguably the most crucial element of hosting a website as it’s the amount of time your site is up and running. Basically, you want your website available as much as possible, so look for about a 99.95% or higher uptime. Page loading time is important, and somewhat determined by server speeds. Look for lower milliseconds (ms). Cost is a huge factor. Most web hosts offer a range of hosting plans for a variety of needs and budgets. Often, attractive introductory pricing expires so be sure to check renewal rates.
What content management system (CMS) you plan to use is key. The majority of web hosts offer one-click CMS installation, and some even boast dedicated WordPress hosting plans which feature amenities such as automatic plugin updates. If you’re switching web hosts, find a service that provides free site migrations. Typically, the number of free site migrations is tied to what plan you’re on. For businesses, pro and business hosting adds enterprise-level features such as robust security, improved SSL certificates, and other bonuses. Hopefully you won’t need it, but you’ll want a hosting provider with excellent customer service across a spectrum of mediums including phone, chat, email, and a knowledge base. Aside from hosting your website, you might want email hosting for running an associated email address for your business or site.
Web hosting considerations:
- Monthly cost
- Uptime
- Server speed
- Features (i.e. SSL certificates, free domains, etc.)
- Site migrations
- CMS installation and management
- Business hosting
- Customer service
- Email hosting
Shared Hosting vs. VPS vs. Dedicated Hosting
All hosting isn’t the same. You can find shared, VPS, and dedicated hosting servers. In a shared hosting set up, multiple websites reside on a single server. Although server costs are typically low, each website shares the resources of that server, so performance is potentially unstable. A massive spike in traffic on one site will affect other websites on the same shared hosting server.
Compare that to VPS hosting which is similar to shared hosting in that multiple websites share server resources. However, fewer sites reside on each server when juxtaposed with a shared hosting plan. As such, individual websites are a bit more isolated than on a shared server at the expensive of monthly cost. Then dedicated web hosting houses a single site per server. It’s best for instances where a website requires massive server resources, and it’s the most expensive hosting option.
Web hosting options:
- Shared: Multiple websites per server, cheapest option
- VPS: Multiple sites per server, fewer sites on each server than shared hosting, more expensive than shared plans
- Dedicated: One site per server, pricey
1. Bluehost – The Best Overall Web Hosting Provider
Arguably the top web hosting provider around, Bluehost offers a slew of plans starting at around $2.95 per month. Registering with Bluehost gets you a free domain name for your first year as well as an SSL certificate. For WordPress, arguably the best content management system (CMS) available, Bluehost provides a managed WordPress solution. And for eCommerce businesses, there’s a WooCommerce hosting plan as well.
Shared hosting prices are extremely competitive and Bluehost runs habitual daily backups on even its low-cost shared hosting plans. Additionally, you’ll experience top-notch 24/7 phone tech support. Newcomers will appreciate its 30-day money-back guarantee. Shared hosting includes a simple one-click WordPress install, and it’s easy enough to upgrade plans if you require additional speed or premium features such as VPS or dedicated hosting.
- Affordable hosting plans
- 24/7 phone support
- Excellent hosting speeds
- One-click WordPress installation, compatible with CMSes like Drupal, Joomla, and more
- 30-day money-back guarantee
- 99.99% average uptime
- Average 405ms speed
2. Hostgator
If you’re in the market for affordable, scalable hosting plans, Hostgator is a top contender. I actually run both of my websites off of HostGator, and experience solid page load speed as well as fantastic uptime. Hosting costs begin at around $2.75 per month as an introductory price. Its entry-level Hatchling plan lets you host a single domain with a free SSL certificate and unmetered bandwidth and one-click CMS installs. Step up to the Baby for unlimited domain hosting. And finally, the Business Plan nets you all the benefits of the Baby Plan alongside a free upgrade to positive SSL, free dedicated IP, and free SEO tools.
Uptime remains reliable at 99.9%. Page speed is pretty good with an average load time of about 1191ms. There’s an impressive 45-day money-back guarantee for shared, reseller, and VPS hosting. Phone, email, and chat support is great as HostGator’s extensive knowledge base. Site migration is free, a huge bonus for anyone switching web hosts. Overall, HostGator is a nifty web hosting option.
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- Affordable hosting plans
- 45-day money-back guarantee
- Great support
- Average 99.98% uptime
- 1,191ms average page speed
- One-click CMS installs (WordPress, Joomla, and more)
3. HostPapa – Best Web Host for Small Businesses
Reliable uptime and fast page load speeds are essential across all industries, from standalone bloggers to non-profits and large corporations. HostPapa is one of the best web hosting options for small businesses. As a full-service web host, it’s a great platform for getting your business online. You’ll enjoy nearly unrivaled uptime, fast page load speeds, and a bevy of premium, enterprise-caliber features. Plans start off at extremely reasonable prices. HostPapa boasts business-class hosting, email hosting, premium cloud backups, free SSL certificates, free domains, plus options to bundle office productivity software such as G Suite and Office 365.
A unique feature is HostPapa’s do-it-for-me (DIFM) service. Non-profits, eCommerce sites, and other small businesses may purchase DIFM web design and management to save time. The Starter plan runs $3.95 a month with a renewal rate of $7.99 a month and lets you host two websites. You’ll get free domain registration, 100GB of SSD storage, and unmetered bandwidth. The Business tier likewise clocks in at $3.95 a month with a $12.99 renewal rate and includes all of the features of the Starter package alongside advanced options such as unlimited add-on domains, email accounts, and MySQL databases plus twice the MySQL and CPU resources.
Finally, the Business Pro plan goes for $12.95 a month with a $19.99 renewal rate. In addition to the Business tier offerings, Business Pro includes performance enhancements like fewer accounts per server and more security including premium Wildcard SSL certificates, automated website backups, and domain privacy. Although HostPapa is fantastic for businesses web hosting, even solo blogging venture should still be taken seriously and considered, so HostPapa is a well-rounded platform for sites of all sizes.
- Affordable hosting plans
- Emphasis on small business hosting
- Starter plan lets you host two websites
- Free domain registration, unmetered bandwidth
- DIFM web design and management services
- 24/7 phone, email, and live chat support
- 99.59% average uptime
- Average 705ms page speed
- One-click CMS installs (WordPress, Joomla, and more)
4. InMotion Hosting
One of the biggest web hosts on the market, InMotion Hosting has a reputation for excellence. And with performance such as 99.95% uptime, incredibly robust customer support, plus a whopping 90-day money-back guarantee, InMotion Hosting is a worthy choice for your website hosting needs. Its plans begin around $3.99 a month for the base Launch tier, and range all the way up to $13.99 for the Pro offering.
Renewal rates are higher of course, but unlike most other hosting providers, these initial promotional rates are only available for a 24-month term. If you want a shorter 12-month hosting plan, you won’t benefit from InMotion Hosting’s competitive initial pricing. Speed is pretty solid with an average page load of around 824ms.
- 90-day money-back guarantee
- Fantastic 99.95% uptime
- Fast page loading time
- Superb customer support
- Free site transfer
- One-click CMS installs (WordPress, Joomla, and more)
5. A2 Hosting – Fastest Web Host
If you need blisteringly fast server speeds, A2 Hosting is hands-down the winner. In addition, A2 Hosting delivers good customer support and great uptime. It’s a versatile hosting service that’s suitable for bloggers and businesses alike. With an ultra-low average of 3112ms, A2 Hosting is unrivaled when it comes to page loading speed. Customer support is quick and helpful. Its servers sport 24/7 HackScan monitoring for robust security, and each plan includes free site migrations. There are plenty of one-click installers for CMSes such as WordPress, Drupal, Joomla, and Magento. And A2 even touts an anytime money-back guarantee.
Uptime clocks in at an average of 99.93% which, while it might not sound far off from 99.99% or even 99.95% could be a bit better. Still, coupled with A2 Hosting’s lighting quick page load speed, it’s a worthy choice for demanding websites. The Lite plan retails for $2.96 with the Swift tier at $3.70 and Turbo for $7.03. Renewal rates are quite a bit higher, though nevertheless about on par with the industry-standard rates. A long-time website hosting platform with a proven track record of uptime and server speed, A2 Hosting is a best bet.
- Blazing fast page load speed
- 99.93% uptime average
- Affordable plans
- Excellent customer support
- One-click CMS installers (WordPress, Joomla, Drupal, Magento, etc.)
- Affordable plans
Best Web Hosts for All Users – Final Thoughts
There are tons of different web hosts on the market, household names such as Bluehost and Hostgator to business-class providers such as HostPapa. Ultimately, you’ll want to consider your needs. If you need top-notch server speeds, A2 delivers, but its entry-level plan only allows for hosting one site whereas many other web hosts let you run two domains on beginner tiers. Bluehost is a well-rounded option that provides excellent page load speed and uptime. Hostgator similarly should satisfy a variety of uses. HostPapa is arguably the best web host for small businesses, while InMotion Hosting’s long-standing reputation makes it a compelling choice.
Your turn: Which web hosts do you recommend?
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