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Our web hosting reviews are the result of over 50 hours of research on 40+ web hosting companies from across the web. These reviews and our web hosting guide will help small businesses and startups find the best web hosting company for their business.
Updated April 9, 2021
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With Google Cloud, SSD drives, and their own custom optimization solutions, SiteGround is able to achieve some of the fastest speeds and best reliability in the industry. Hosting plans from this provider include web, WordPress, WooCommerce, and cloud hosting options.
Their StartUp plan includes one website and up to 10GB of space. Upgrading to the GrowBig or GoGeek plan would provide you with access to SiteGround’s SuperCacher, which will significantly improve your site’s performance. Additionally, the GoGeek plan uses more server resources and has ultrafast PHP enabled.
All plans include free SSL certificates, email, and WP installation as well as unmetered traffic and unlimited databases. Google backing also means the energy used to support this technology is matched by investments in renewable energy for an eco-friendly option. SiteGround also offers a 30-day money-back guarantee.
Free site migrations, Google backing, and stellar uptime are all benefits of this service, as is the inclusion of features such as SSL certificates in all plans. Limited data storage on many plans and the higher cost of nonpromotional pricing are potential cons.
Pros
Stellar uptime
Google foundations and eco-friendly processes
Free site migrations
Cons
Cost increases substantially after promo period
Limited data storage
What Customers Are Saying
SiteGround boasts a 98% client satisfaction rate. Existing customers praise SiteGround customer support in reviews, saying that chat reps are friendly, fast, and helpful. They also say customer support reps are patient and offer helpful advice that the layperson can understand. Customers also like the reliability of the service.
Bluehost offers a variety of professional web hosting services. Prices start at $3.95 per month and range as high as $13.95 per month for their four website hosting packages: Basic, Plus, Choice Plus, and Pro. The least costly basic plan includes one website, 50GB of storage, and unmetered bandwidth. The other plans all include unlimited storage and websites.
Bluehost supports 99.961% uptime, making it one of the most reliable options on this list. It offers shared, dedicated, VPS, and WordPress server types with 24/7 customer support via chat and phone. The company's website also provides a knowledge base for developers or others who want to troubleshoot issues.
Users can access optional services, such as professional website design and development as well as marketing, for additional fees. Other add-ons include multi-server management, a content delivery network, and access control. Bluehost offers a 60-day money-back guarantee.
Bluehost offers competitive pricing for the first term and plenty of storage, and its uptime numbers are typically higher than many competitors. Renewal rates might be higher, though, and you have to pay extra for a lot of features that are included in some competitor packages.
Pros
Competitive rates for first-time users
Unlimited storage for most plans
Excellent uptime
Cons
Renewal rates might be higher than expected
What Customers Are Saying
Customers praise Bluehost's uptime and features, though some say that the shared hosting options don't have the fastest speeds and they wish they didn't have to pay for some extras. Users also say the support staff is friendly and helpful and that the user interface is easy to use.
A2 Hosting is a Better Business Bureau-accredited company offering a range of hosting packages. Prices start at $2.99 per month for shared hosting, and the company also offers reselling, WordPress, VPS, and dedicated server hosting.
Monthly costs include a website builder, SSL certificate, database backups, and web hosting comes with one free domain. Customers have access to 24/7 customer support for help with technical issues via live chat, contact us forms, and phone. A2 Hosting also offers a robust online resources section for self-serve troubleshooting.
Unlimited bandwidth and a 99.835% average uptime help ensure stability for users, and free site migration makes it easy to convert to this service. A2 Hosting offers an anytime money-back guarantee for users who aren't satisfied with their hosting. The service is compatible with Drupal, Joomla, WordPress, Magento and OpenCart.
A2 Hosting offers quick speeds to help combat bounce rates, and it specializes in WordPress hosting with cPanel or Plesk control panels. Users also get support for a variety of development tools. Be aware, though, that pricing that starts at $2.99 a month is a potentially temporary discount, so future renewals might cost more.
Pros
Unlimited bandwidths and storage
Helpful customer service
90-day money-back guarantee
Cons
Long-term commitments
Pricing is not as affordable as some competitors
What Customers Are Saying
Customer reviews note that Web Hosting Hub offers excellent features for its plans and that it can support a wide range of website types. Reviewers also call out the friendly customer service and talk about how reps walk them through complex features when needed. Customers also like the uptime percent they experience.
HostGator is a popular option for individuals and businesses, in part because it's easy to scale up with this service. The basic web builder plan starts at $3.84 a month and offers drag-and-drop customization that's user friendly. Other plans include WordPress hosting, VPS hosting, and dedicated hosting, which range from $5.95 to $89.98 per month. All plans include one free domain, access to website building tools, an SSL certificate, and database backups.
Service includes unmetered bandwidth and HostGator is known for stellar uptimes of 99.932%. It also offers a money-back guarantee within 45 days of making the initial purchase or renewal.
HostGator offers 24/7 support via a phone help line, live chat, and an online contact form. It also offers unlimited storage and a single email account for each user as well as a single free site transfer service.
HostGator is known for excellent uptime and offers a one-month credit if uptime drops below a certain level. It also offers free cPanel and site migrations and is known for good customer service. But the service does tend to come with slower-than-average page upload speeds, and extras sometimes included for free by competitors come at a cost with HostGator.
Pros
Excellent uptime
Uptime guarantee
Quality customer service
Cons
Slow page load speeds
Extra fees for basic additional services
What Customers Are Saying
Customers like HostGator's competitive prices and professional customer service and support. Reviews also call out the ample space and reliability and reasons they would recommend HostGator.
GreenGeeks bills itself as an eco-friendly web hosting service. It was started by someone with plenty of experience in the industry, and it offers unlimited bandwidth and an impressive 99.975% uptime.
Plans start at $2.49 a month for Lite, which includes one website, 50 GB storage, a free domain name for the first year, and a free wildcard SSL. Pro and Premium plans run $4.95 or $8.95 per month respectively and come with unlimited websites and additional features, such as a free dedicated IP in the case of Premium.
GreenGeeks provides 24/7 support via chat, phone or email, and users can also access an online knowledge base to get answers to frequently asked questions. The service provides a 30-day money-back guarantee, and customers can opt for shared, dedicated, reseller, WordPress, or VPS hosting.
GreenGeeks offers above-average uptimes and page load times that are lower than the industry average. Site migrations are free, and GreenGeeks purchases wind energy credits to offset its environmental impact. Low pricing is only for the first year, though, and any refunds are offset by the regular purchase price of free domain names.
Pros
Excellent uptime
Fast speeds
Eco-friendly
Cons
Higher pricing for renewals
Refunds might be less than expected
What Customers Are Saying
Customers report being happy with the value they get for the price and speak well of GreenGeeks customer support processes. Users note that, while prices might be higher in general than some other services, the plans include many features that competitors charge extra for.
With prices starting as low as $0.99 per month, Hostinger stands out as an especially good option for hosting users who are on a tight budget.
While Hostinger’s plans are exceptionally affordable it doesn’t mean they’re missing any key features. Even the lowest-level shared hosting plan includes SSD storage, a free SSL certificate, and managed auto-updates for WordPress.
It’s also comforting to know that whenever you need help with an issue, Hostinger support agents are available 24/7 over live chat.
Considering their prices and features, the benefits of choosing Hostinger are obvious. But one drawback to using this provider is that they don’t offer phone support.
Pros
Low starting price
Free SSL certificate
Cons
No phone support
What Customers Are Saying
Unsurprisingly, many of the customer reviews for Hostinger highlight the excellent value that they provide with their low prices. Users also report that Hostinger’s interface is very easy to navigate.
While they are best known for their domain registration services, GoDaddy also offers a variety of high-quality web hosting services and plans.
Their entry-level shared hosting plan provides 10 GB of storage and unmetered bandwidth for one website. It also includes one year of free Office 365 email and one year of free domain registration. Premium shared hosting plans work for unlimited websites, offer more storage, and include additional features such as free premium DNS and a free SSL certificate.
If you have too much traffic for a shared hosting plan to handle, you should check out GoDaddy's VPS and dedicated server plans. GoDaddy offers specialized plans for WordPress users as well.
From affordable shared hosting plans to top-of-the-line dedicated servers, GoDaddy truly offers something for everyone. The only downside is that, ideally, their money-back guarantee would be longer than 30 days.
Pros
Feature-rich shared hosting plans
Powerful hosting options for enterprise users
Cons
Money-back guarantee only 30 days
What Customers Are Saying
Users tend to be quite happy with the quality of GoDaddy's services. They also report that GoDaddy's customer support is always responsive and helpful.
Dreamhost is a service known for providing options that meet the needs of a wide range of users. The company has over 25 years of experience in the niche and offers shared, VPS, WordPress, dedicated, and cloud web hosting options.
Its plans include website builders, database backups, and SSL certificates as well as one free domain name. Plans start at $2.59 per month for WordPress hosting, website builder, or website hosting; VPS hosting is $10 per month; cloud hosting is $0.0075 per hour, and dedicated hosting is $169 per month.
Support is available around the clock via chat and phone. An existing knowledge base is available for DIY troubleshooting as well as user forum. DreamHost offers unmetered bandwidth and 99.902% uptime. Customers can also access WordPress migration services, web design, WooCommerce hosting, and other services for additional costs.
DreamHost offers web design tools better than average industry uptimes make it a great choice for web hosting. But, customers don’t have access to cPanel, which might be a disadvantage for more advanced site managers.
Pros
Plenty of web building options
Friendly customer service
Excellent uptimes
Cons
Lack of cPanel
What Customers Are Saying
Customers like the intuitive, easy-to-use interface and report being satisfied with DreamHost's customer service. Reviews also note that the provider has been around for more than two decades and make it easy to create basic sites for personal, nonprofit, or community use.
InMotion Hosting builds WordPress sites for $99, guaranteeing completion in two days. It also provides a number of web hosting services, including WordPress, VPS, dedicated, and shared hosting. Shared hosting services start at $6.39 per month, WordPress hosting starts at $6.99 a month, VPS hosting starts at $29.99 a month, and dedicated hosting starts at $75.69 per month.
The basic shared hosting package is called Launch and comes with one free domain, two websites, 40GB of storage, and unlimited bandwidth. For $8.49 per month, users can get the Power shared hosting plan, which supports up to six websites. Numerous other hosting plans are available with additional features at increased rates.
InMotion Hosting offers a 90-day money-back guarantee. It also boasts 99.836% uptime and offers SSL certificates, database backup, and website building tools. Customers can access 24/7 support for hosting via phone, chat, or the online support center.
InMotion Hosting offers a generous 90-day money-back guarantee, free SSL certificate, and reliable uptime. Page load speeds can be slow on some of their servers, though, and account setup can require manual verification, which can lead to some delays.
Pros
Generous money-back guarantee
Excellent uptime
Free SSL certificate
Cons
Slow page load speeds
Potential setup delays
What Customers Are Saying
Customer reviews mention the excellent customer support received when logging in to chat or the online portal. They also mention smooth and professional migrations and other services, though consumers have found some delays due to the company's verification and security processes.
WP Engine is an excellent hosting option for WordPress users. With their most basic plan, StartUp Managed Hosting, you get 10 GB storage, 50 GB bandwidth, daily backups, free automated migrations, 30+ premium WordPress themes, and 24/7 support for one site.
Also, this provider partners with some of the biggest names in tech, such as Google and Amazon, to offer truly exceptional performance for their users.
WP Engine's performance is optimized for the WordPress platform, and they offer plenty of features that are useful to WordPress users as well. Their starting price is relatively high compared to other providers, though.
Pros
Exceptional performance and features for WordPress users
Best-in-class technology partners
Cons
Relatively high starting price
What Customers Are Saying
Users also report that WP Engine's customer support is quite helpful. "WP Engine has the most awesome support staff," wrote one user. "They always resolve the question or issue. It does not matter what time of day, I get the same great support."
When it comes to the best web hosting company, there is no one-size-fits-all answer. However, in creating our list, we looked at the three most important factors in ensuring a positive experience for business owners and their customers.
Multiple Server Types
A key consideration when selecting a website host is what your server needs are. A server is a computer program or device that provides, or “serves,” functionality to other programs or devices.
There are multiple types of servers available, and each type has its own advantages and limitations. For example, shared servers are generally more affordable, but you will be sharing resources with other websites. Meanwhile, VPS and dedicated servers 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.
Uptime & Load Speed
Uptime refers to the amount of time that a website hosting system is operational, while load speed measures how fast your website loads. These are two important factors in choosing a website host because they affect the reliability and speed of your website. You don’t want customers visiting your site only to find that it takes too long to load, or worse, is offline.
Most web hosting services advertise uptimes of 99.9% or 100%, but we only included companies whose uptime and load speed are verifiable through a third-party website. This is an added measure of reliability for the companies we evaluated.
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’s crucial for you to be able to resolve it quickly. We chose web hosting companies that offer 24/7 customer support in a variety of ways, including phone and live chat.
Regardless of size, purpose, or traffic, every website needs a web host, or space on a physical server to store the files that comprise the website.
A server is a powerful computer with enough space and speed to store all of the data for websites, and ensure that they are consistently accessible to visitors.
Operating a server is costly and requires technical knowledge. Web hosting streamlines the process by allowing individuals and businesses to rent space on servers (or entire servers, in the case of dedicated hosting) where their website can live. When a visitor types in your website’s address, they are actually connecting to the server, where they can view and interact with your website.
Who Manages The Servers?
Web hosting companies have teams of technical experts that handle all the hardware and software maintenance servers need to operate smoothly.
They also provide customers with technical support to address website issues and manage things like security, support, bandwidth, and more.
Some types of website hosting, like dedicated hosting, give customers the option to manage their own servers, if they have the right knowledge and resources. Otherwise, customers can choose a managed hosting package that gives the web host those responsibilities.
Web Hosting Terminology
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.
Term
Definition
Add-on Domain
An additional website that can be added to your hosting plan. Most basic web hosting plans include one domain. Advanced plans will give you multiple domains, or let you add more as needed.
Admin or Control Panel
The administration panel of your hosting account, which lets you upload and download files, create email addresses, install applications, and more. The most commonly used control panel software is cPanel. Other admin panels include Plesk and Webmin.
Bandwidth or Data Transfer
The measurement of how much data can flow through a connection in a given amount of time. The more visitors your site has, the more data you transfer, and the more bandwidth you need. Limited bandwidth can negatively impact your website’s speed and accessibility.
Disk Space
The amount of storage space available on the server for storing your website files, including text, images, databases, media, and more.
Domain Name
Your website’s unique name that users enter into the browser’s address bar to access your website.
FTP (File Transfer Protocol) access
This is how you upload your website’s file to your server. Most control panels have a File Manager tool for this. You can also use an FTP client, such as FileZilla.
Internet Protocol (IP) address
This is the unique numerical address that identifies your website, and connects visitors to it from their browser. Because it is too difficult for people to remember individual IP addresses, website addresses are simplified with domain names.
Linux and Windows Servers
The two types of operating systems used by web servers. Linux is an open-source OS that is cheaper and arguably more versatile than Windows. Linux can handle a variety of programming languages and applications. Windows OS requires a license, and is therefore more expensive, but is ideal for websites that rely on Windows technologies.
Name Servers
This application translates domain names into IP addresses, so when your site visitors type in your domain name, they are directed to the correct IP address.
Server
A powerful computer that hosts websites, and provides data to other computers by running specific software depending on the server type. When someone visits your website, they are connected to the server hosting the files that make up your website.
Subdomain
A subsection of the main domain, such as blog.yourmaindomain.com.
Uptime
The total time your website is accessible during a certain period of time. It’s usually measured in percentage, and most web hosts advertise a guarantee of 99% uptime or better.
Which Type of Hosting is Right for You?
There are a few different types of web hosting services, each with their own benefits and drawbacks. The one that is right for you depends on your specific needs, budget, and level of technical knowledge.
The most common, inexpensive type of web hosting is shared hosting, in which companies host multiple websites on the same server. Each site draws from a communal pool of resources like RAM, bandwidth, and storage. While this means that the amount of resources your website can use has its limits, small- to medium-sized websites can typically run efficiently off of shared hosting, at a cost-effective price.
At the other end of the spectrum is dedicated hosting, in which customers get a whole server (or group of servers) dedicated to their website. Large websites with a high volume of traffic use dedicated servers to ensure that they have reliable uptime, fast load speeds, and enough storage for all their content. However, all these resources come at a price. Dedicated hosting is generally the most expensive type of web hosting. It also requires more technical knowledge, as website owners are responsible for maintaining the server’s hardware and software.
A Virtual Private Server (VPS), also known as cloud hosting, is a cross between shared hosting and dedicated hosting. Web hosts 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 allows customers to get a better performance than a shared server, but without the higher costs associated with a dedicated server. VPS also allows websites to scale up and down more nimbly based on traffic volume.
WordPress hosting is not a specific type of server, but a type of hosting plan designed for websites built with WordPress, the world’s most popular open-source content management system. With WordPress hosting, you get everything you need to easily manage your WordPress website, including control panels, plug-ins, automated backups and security updates, and more.
When choosing a web hosting service, you will need to consider the size of your website, both in terms of content and traffic, and your budget.
The larger your website is, and the more traffic you get, the more resources you will need. However, if you are just launching your business and your website, it’s likely that you won’t need a vast amount of resources right away.
Most web hosting services offer multiple types of website hosting, meaning as you outgrow one type of hosting, you can graduate to the next level. Research what options each service provides, so you can choose a host that will offer you expanded resources as you need them.
Other key features to look for when shopping for a web host include how much bandwidth and storage space you receive (note that even though many companies advertise “unlimited” amounts of these resources, there usually is some type of cap if you are using a shared server); security features like SSL certificates, DDoS protection, and malware blockers; free perks like domain name registration, and customer support. Always be sure to read the service level agreement (SLA) to make sure you know exactly what your plan gets you.
