The Best Web Hosting Providers of 2021

What You Need To Know About Web Hosting

Every website needs a server to make it available online. Web hosts are the companies that supply and manage these servers. The overwhelming majority of businesses use web hosts to keep their websites online.

Operating a server is costly and requires technical knowledge. Third-party web hosts (all the companies listed above) streamline the process by renting server space or, in the case of dedicated hosting, entire servers.

Who Manages The Servers?

When you choose a web host for your business website, you’ll have the option of choosing either “managed” or “unmanaged” hosting. It’s an important distinction, so you’ll want to understand the differences:

Managed Hosting is best for most small and mid-sized business websites. With managed hosting, you don’t need to worry about configuring the server yourself. Your web hosting provider will keep it running smoothly, ensuring the server’s operating system is up-to-date and secure.

Unmanaged hosting is an option for organizations to fully be in control of their hosting services and software. It is a hosting plan with few to no additional services provided. They cost significantly lower and give complete control and freedom to the clients however, the opportunity cost involves much more work on the clients’ end.

What Types of Servers Do Web Hosts Offer?

There are many types of web hosting options available and hosting plans vary by provider. Which web hosting provider is best often comes down to a website’s specific needs. A simple, personal blog with limited traffic can choose a different hosting option than a large e-commerce website with thousands of visitors a day.

Aside from the managed versus dedicated distinction explained above, there are different server types you should be aware of. These include:

Shared hosting is the most popular and least expensive option available. This is because web hosting companies host many websites on the same server, with each site drawing on a communal pool of CPU and RAM. For websites just starting out this can be a cost-effective web hosting solution, especially if the web traffic is low. The trade-off — because you’re sharing resources with other websites on the server, your website’s performance could be affected by other websites on the same server.

Unless you have a high-traffic website, shared hosting will likely meet your needs. Shared hosting is also the most cost-effective option at less than $10 per month.

Virtual private server (VPS) hosting is a cross between shared hosting and dedicated hosting. Web hosting providers still place multiple websites on a single server, but using virtualization software, the host sets up “walls” that prevent a site from using resources dedicated to another site. This means you’ll get better performance over a shared server without the higher cost of a dedicated server.

Dedicated servers are best for highly trafficked, resource-intensive websites. Dedicated servers offer unparalleled performance, security, and isolation. The entire server — both in terms of hardware and software — is dedicated to running your website. Dedicated servers are among the most expensive hosting options available. Though, only websites with high traffic volumes or complicated resource needs are likely to need this option.

What Do All These Web Hosting Terms Mean?

As you research the best web hosting services, you’ll see a lot of specialized terminology. Here are some key phrases you should know to help you make an informed decision.

How We Identify the Top Web Hosting Providers

All Digital Top Picks lists begin with us asking the same question:

Which options best meet the specific needs of small and mid-sized businesses?

This question is the main filter for our Top Picks lists. Why? One of the most common— and expensive —mistakes a business can make is choosing an oversized IT solution.

Once we’ve narrowed down the list to true SMB-focused solutions, we dive into the details. We focus on three general areas: cost, features, and usability.

Web hosting costs are comparable between providers, so for this service, we spend more time comparing features and usability. Specifically, we ask:

Which Types of Server Does the Web Host Offer?

A server is a computer that provides, or “serves,” data to a network. In web hosting, the server is the machine that stores the data for your company website and serves it to anyone visiting your site.

But just as there’s no “one size fits all” foundation that works for skyscrapers and small houses, there’s no one server type that works for all websites.

For example, shared servers are generally more affordable, but you will be sharing resources with other websites. Meanwhile, dedicated and virtual private servers (VPSs) are more expensive, but it means all of the server’s resources are dedicated to your website.

Server needs can change over time, but switching web hosting companies can be tricky. That’s why we only included website hosting companies that offer a range of server types, so you have options if you need to scale up your business.

How Reliable and How Fast Are the Web Host’s Servers?

The reliability of a web host’s servers is measured in “uptime”. Uptime refers to the percentage of time that a server is operational. Most web hosting services advertise uptimes of 99%, 99.9%, or higher.

Server speed is measured in “load time”. This is the length of time it takes the server to provide all of the information a web browser needs to load the page. Slow load times frustrate customers, and many will leave a website rather than wait the second or two it might take to load.

While web hosts do advertise their server speed and reliability, it’s smart to seek confirmation. We only include companies whose uptime and load speed are verifiable through a third-party website.

How is the Web Host’s Customer Support?

When it comes to your website host, you are the customer, and you deserve dependable, accessible support. If your website is down or you have an issue, it must be resolved quickly. For this reason, we only recommend web hosting companies that offer 24/7 customer support. And we strongly prefer web hosts that offer support through more than one channel, including phone, email, and live chat.

You’ve Chosen a Web Host, So What’s Next?

After choosing your web host, you’ll need to register your domain name with the host. Many web hosts combine both steps, but with others, you’ll need to configure the service to use your company’s chosen URL.

If your company already has a website with a different host, you’ll need to transfer the website files over to the new host. All hosting providers have instructions for how to do this, and it’s usually quick and painless.

If you don’t already have a website, then the only thing left to do is to build one! “Website builders” are the tools used for this and there are many options available. Too many, in fact, so head over to our Best Website Builders of 2021 page for a list of the best options and the pros and cons of each.