Best choosing estimates that as of January 2024, there are over 5.16 billion internet users worldwide, which means it is impossible to imagine a world without the internet. To keep your business running, you need to find a way to attract the attention of all these users and create a website that they want to interact with. All of this starts with network hosting services.
There are dozens of suppliers to choose from, how do you choose a supplier that matches your website vision? To help answer this question, we searched the market below for your reference.
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Recommended Best Web Hosting Services
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- Price per month – Starting at $1/month for 1 year
- Money-back guarantee – 30
- Uptime – 99.9%
IONOS is ideal for small businesses that need an online presence. At $1/month for the first year on their Business plan, they have one of the most affordable web hosting offers on this list. They give you a lot for that low price: 99.9% uptime, unlimited bandwidth, 50GB of SSD (Solid State Drive) storage, five email addresses, and advanced security features like DDoS (Distributed Denial of Service) protection and geo-redundancy.
Web developer and HowExpert writer Liz Kazandzhy says in her book Freelance Web Developer 101, “For the sake of simplicity, I recommend 1&1, now known as IONOS. I’ve found that [their service] is affordable and fully satisfies my needs.”
Like the other web hosts on this list, IONOS has WordPress hosting plans. But they also have options for standard web hosting, Drupal hosting, and even Joomla hosting. Although the Business plan’s cost increases to $8/month after the first year, IONOS is still one of the best website hosting platforms on the market, thanks to how much they offer at this low price.
Why we chose IONOS: IONOS has the most affordable pricing options of all the products we reviewed. Plus, their comprehensive catalog of web hosting services makes it easy to include them in our list.
Our experience: We appreciated IONOS’s straightforward pricing structure and product selections. We also found the live chat helpful for learning more about the provider’s available solutions.
Pros
- Very affordable introductory price
- Lots of storage space (50GB)
- Business plan includes five email addresses
Cons
- Cost increases to $8 after the first year
- High traffic reduces performance
- Price per month – Starting at $5.99/month for 3 years
- Money-back guarantee – 30
- Uptime – 99.9%
While GoDaddy has gained widespread recognition due to extensive advertising efforts, its popularity can be attributed to factors beyond just marketing. A stellar security suite sets them apart from competitors and includes SSL certificates, automatic backups, DDoS protection, and active malware scanning.
The company also has its own website builder for WordPress, which means you don’t have to hire an expensive designer to create a website. Instead, the GoDaddy Wizard gives you access to beginner-friendly tools to help build your site. GoDaddy also has design services available if you prefer to avoid site-building altogether.
Recently, GoDaddy has made a significant leap into software technology with the introduction of GoDaddy Airo™, an AI-powered solution that revolutionizes the way small business owners establish their online presence. This groundbreaking tool simplifies the process of going from idea to online, promising an unparalleled experience that can set up a business’s digital footprint in mere minutes. It’s designed to save time and effort in winning new customers by providing quick, AI-driven solutions for creating and managing an online presence.
Pros
- Robust security
- Website builder and site design services
- Free one-click WordPress installation
Cons
- Introductory price is a little higher than others
- Email addresses are only free for the first year
- Price per month – Starting at $2.99/month for 1 year
- Money-back guarantee – 30 days
- Uptime – 99.9%
A2 Hosting has a variety of solutions for individuals and enterprise-level users. They offer hosting plans for WordPress (both managed and unmanaged), dedicated emails, WooCommerce, reseller hosting, and even specialized plans for non-profit organizations.
Their basic shared hosting plan, suitable for either WordPress or custom sites, starts at $2.99/month for one year. The plan includes 100GB of SSD storage, unlimited bandwidth, and unlimited email addresses. However, users need to pay for a domain name.
Why we chose A2 Hosting: A2 Hosting has a lot to offer—tons of storage space, as well as all of the emails and bandwidth you could ever need. Their plans include a comprehensive security suite with SSL certificates, backups, malware scanning, DDoS protection, and two-factor authentication (2FA).
Our experience: We appreciate the straightforward reporting A2 Hosting uses to back up its claims with precise data. This provider prominently outlines its methodology online to prove it can deliver lots of storage and reliable bandwidth.
Pros
Cons
- Price per month – Starting at $1.99/month for 4 years
- Money-back guarantee – 30 days
- Uptime – 99.9%
ostinger asks for the longest introductory offer commitment on this list, but its prices are very affordable. The first four years of service only cost $1.99/month, after which the price increases to a reasonable $3.99/month. Hostinger’s 30-day money-back guarantee and 99.9% guaranteed uptime also ensure peace of mind.
Although this offer doesn’t include a free domain name, it does come with a single email address. Plus, users get 50GB of SSD storage and 100GB of bandwidth. Security features include SSL certificates, weekly backups, and DDoS protection.
Why we chose Hostinger: Hostinger’s budget-friendly four-year introductory price gives you access to high guaranteed uptime at a very affordable price. The user scores and experiences we reviewed on Trustpilot and Hostinger’s homepage confirm that customers find great value in the service they get.
Our experience: The company’s customer service is highly responsive—we had our sample question answered within 10 minutes after posting it in Hostinger’s live chat. However, we didn’t like that Hostinger had a countdown timer on their homepage—it felt a bit like a gimmick.
Pros
Cons
- No free domain name
Limited bandwidth (100GB)
- Price per month – Starting at $1.99/month for 1 year
- Money-back guarantee – 30 days
- Uptime – 99.9%
SiteGround is one of the best shared hosting providers and one of the most popular hosting solutions among WordPress users that has some unique qualities. It is a little expensive, but it equips you with the latest tech, like Google Cloud infrastructure and LiteSpeed web servers, for outstanding performance. Plus, you get in-house security solutions, including a firewall.
But is it easy to use for absolute beginners? How secure and fast is it? In this SiteGround review, we will combine user reviews with our in-house testing experience to guide you through all that SiteGround has to offer and answer all your questions. You’ll find out everything you need to know about security, performance, usability, support, and more.
Concerning ease of use, SiteGround made quite the impression, which landed it on the top of our best web hosting list. With a native hosting control panel and an interface that is easy to use, the provider made sure that everything is effortless to find and use.
The first step of using SiteGround is to decide what hosting type you need – WordPress, WooCommerce, Cloud, or Reseller. After this, the process of setting up your hosting is very simple.
Pros
Very fast page load times
Free SSL with all plans
Free website builder included
Cons
No mid-tier scalability option
Expensive subscription plans
- Free domain is not included
We have helped a lot of users find their needs
bestchoosing.com is a comparison platform that offers users our 10 best options across a wide variety of products and services. We’ve made it our mission to make decisions easier by helping you choose from the top options available. Our team of editors and writers spend hours reviewing products and services, comparing features, and diving into the nitty-gritty details. This way, we give you top-notch lists and reviews saving you time, money, and headaches.
Web Hosting FAQs
Does web hosting include a website builder?
Yes, some web hosting services do include a website builder, but not all of them. The hosts listed in this review, however, have WordPress hosting plans. WordPress is a CMS (an application used to create, edit and publish websites) with hundreds of free templates available so that anyone can easily build their own site.
Does it make a difference which web hosting service I use?
Yes, for most people, the web hosting service does make a difference. If you only need a few static pages (or simple "coming soon" placeholder pages), any web hosting service will work. But if you want a more modern, dynamic website, consider the features provided by the top hosting services outlined in this article.
Can I publish a website on the internet without using a web hosting service?
While it's arguably possible to do so, self-hosting a website requires technical expertise, hardware, and server space. Even with these, a self-hosted site won't deliver the performance or resiliency of one that's hosted by a professional service. For example, if you get a lot of visitors or your internet connection fails, your website will be unavailable.
What's the difference between a web host and a web builder?
A web host is a company that provides the servers your website lives in, so visitors can access it through their internet connection. A web builder is an online internet application that helps you create a website, which you then upload to a hosting server when it's ready to "go live" online. Some web hosts include web builders, but you don't need to use them. Experienced web developers can build their own websites, while others may choose a CMS like WordPress.
How many types of web hosting services are there?
There are generally four major types of hosting services: shared, dedicated, VPS, and cloud. Most providers offer shared and dedicated hosting plans for both WordPress and custom sites. Others include additional hosting services, like managed hosting, cloud hosting, VPS, and reseller hosting.
What are the most secure web hosting companies?
Our research determined that GoDaddy, IONOS, A2 Hosting, and Rocket.net offer the most robust security. Look at secure web hosting from two perspectives: the host's own security, and the security tools they provide for you to use. The first is difficult to compare, as hosts generally don't publish information on the security measures they have in place at their data centers. But the second can be explored by looking at what hosts include in their plans.
How to choose web hosting
Selecting a hosting service that’s best for your website is not a walk in the park – you need to consider many different things. Here’s a short checklist of what to consider when choosing the best hosting service for your needs:
- Consider your personal hosting needs. There will be a difference in what kind of hosting service you choose if you want a personal portfolio website, to host an e-shop, or to launch a professional business website. Each of these intents requires different resources, performance qualities, and features.
- Know your audience. Depending on whether your website will be meant for a few locals or for a huge international crowd, you will have to take into account the resources and data center locations, among other things.
- Evaluate the performance. A fast server response time and an adequate full site loading time, along with uptime and traffic handling are important metrics to look into to ensure that your site will stay online and easily accessible at all times, for everyone. Good performance also plays a part in getting your website ranked high with search engines.
- Take website security into account. In the current digital landscape, cybersecurity is crucial both on a personal and business level – you want your website to be able to withstand DDoS and malware attacks, as well as be accessible via secure connections.
- Choose a plan that offers backups. To make sure that the latest version of your website isn’t lost forever due to a technical failure, choose a hosting service that offers automatic backups, either daily or weekly. That way, you can recover your site quickly if anything goes wrong.
- Ensure efficient and reliable customer support. Hosting a site with a hosting service should be a smooth process, but sometimes a need for help might arise. In such moments, you want the service’s support agents to have your back and help you effectively and efficiently.
- Consider the price value. Choose a hosting service that fits your budget the best and equips you with everything you need for hosting your site.
What is a web hosting service?
Web hosting service is a service that provides the means for individuals and businesses to host their websites and make them visible on the internet. Such web hosting services essentially rent a digital storage space (server) where you can store your website data. These rented servers bridge your site and other people, allowing them to detect and reach your website and the information you share.
Creating a website hosting server yourself is challenging – it requires a lot of technical knowledge, finances, time, and effort. Therefore, it’s best to trust this task to a specialized web hosting company such as Hostinger. This way, you will be able to use secure servers with fast response time and quick page load.
What’s also important is that there are different types of web hosting. The most popular options include shared, VPS, WordPress, cloud, and dedicated hosting.
Types of Web Hosting
One web hosting type doesn’t fit every website’s needs. Hence, there are different types of web hosting that differ in storage space, server speed, technical capabilities, and such.
To help you find out which one matches your needs, we have sbriefly described each popular web hosting type right below:
Shared hosting
Shared hosting is the most popular type of web hosting. It suits beginners, small businesses, and other websites with small to moderate traffic flow. Your website will be stored on the same server as multiple other websites.
While this type of web hosting is considerably cheaper than other types, you should also be aware of the fact that all server resources, like bandwidth, storage space, and more, are shared with all websites on the server. This can sometimes lead to performance issues.
VPS hosting
With VPS hosting, the server is shared with multiple websites but each site has its own resources, resulting in an overall better performance. This type of hosting is a perfect fit for e-commerce, growing businesses, and websites requiring more customization possibilities. Don’t miss out on our special VPS Black Friday deals, tailor-made for businesses seeking to upscale affordably.
Dedicated hosting
Dedicated hosting provides an entire server for one website. It provides you with top-notch performance, as well as the most flexible customization and control options. This type of hosting is best suited for large businesses or unique websites that require a lot of resources. If managed properly, your website will offer the visitors the highest quality experience, and you may also claim higher search engine rankings.
To get some of the cheapest prices in 2023, check out dedicated server Black Friday deals.
WordPress hosting
This hosting type is specifically designed and built for WordPress websites. Practically, WordPress hosting is great for all businesses, bloggers, and even online merchants. This option allows you to effortlessly manage your website due to implemented automatic updates, preinstalled plug-ins, and themes, as well as easy installations.
Cloud hosting
With cloud hosting, the resources you can use are spread through several different servers, which also reduces the chances of unexpected downtime over a server failure. Moreover, cloud hosting is scalable, meaning that you wouldn’t need to transfer in case your organization grows bigger.
How much does the best web hosting cost?
Website hosting can cost anywhere from $1 to $999+ a month depending on the service and hosting option you choose. Shared hosting is the cheapest option, and usually costs up to $15/month. Dedicated and cloud hosting are the most expensive options – the prices range from $50 to $999+ per month.
Fortunately, there are many excellent hosting providers that offer frequent discounts and deals for their hosting plans. To keep on top of the most recent deals and promo codes, be sure to regularly check out the available web hosting coupons and promo codes.
The main requirements for hosting a website
The majority of the websites are not needy. On average, they take around 1-2GB of space. Dang, photos alone take more than 30GB of space on my phone! So this one here is not about getting enough. This one here is about not overpaying for the resources you don’t use.
- Small websites such as one-pagers, portfolios, or blogs easily fit on the entry plans. They offer from 10GB to 100GB of storage and can support up to 30,000 monthly visitors, which is more than enough. The catch, though, is that you usually can host only 1 website on such a plan. So consider if you’re going to add a second website in a year or so.
- For small business websites that might sell online – mid-range plans are the best bet. They come with more than 1 website allowance, 30-100GB storage space, and can support around 50,000 to 80,000 monthly visits. More server resources also mean better performance, so websites will load fast.
- Big commercial projects require either performance-focused shared hosting or managed VPS. Look at high-end plans that can support more than 100,000 monthly visits, includeing speed optimization features, security for malware and DDoS, daily backups, and reliable uptime.
Free vs. paid web hosting service: should you pay?
Yes, you can host a website for free by using free web hosting services or making your own server. However, building a hosting server by yourself is a technical and financial challenge, and free hosting providers come with severe resource limitations, such as limited storage and bandwidth. Additionally, free hosting services often don’t have efficient website security, and cannot guarantee reliable performance and uptime.
However, if your budget is tight and you want to host a website for free, we recommend looking into some of the cheapest hosting providers on the market or using money-back guarantees of paid providers to try out the service.
Some visitors are pickier than others, but one thing is certain – all of them want a good user experience. For example, 3 seconds is around that time when a visitor notices issues with page loading speed. A pickier one might leave immediately, causing your bounce rates to skyrocket. That results in worse places on search engine listings as well as loss in revenue.
Bottom line
It doesn’t matter if you’re about to start a small blog or a large-scale online business, you should seek the best web hosting services. The right host can provide you with reliable, fast, and easy-to-use services that have a high impact on the success of your website.
With all tests completed, we can conclude that Hostinger is the best web hosting provider in 2023. It offers affordable pricing plans, top-class performance, and many useful features to make site management simple.