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It's easier than ever to create a functional website. In theory, you might have a brilliant idea on a Thursday and be generating money online by Saturday. Yet, you'll need the services of a hosting company to make this a reality.
To get hosting and set it up, you don't need to be a web programmer anymore. Several web hosts (including the ones I've mentioned) handle the technical details and provide comprehensive instructions for getting started. You can have a fully functional website up and operate in about an hour, even if you have zero prior experience doing so.
Yet, it's not always easy to settle on a single web host. With a market saturated with potential web hosting companies, how does one go about settling on the best option? Let me lend a hand with that.
Based on my experience and study, here are my recommendations for the top web hosting companies in 2023.
Best Web Hosting Services 2023 – At a Glance
- Bluehost – Best Web Hosting Service Overall
- Hostinger – Best for Shared Hosting
- WP Engine – Best for WordPress Hosting
- HostGator – Best for Affordable Options
- Namecheap – Best for Cheap Domain Registration
- SiteGround – Best for Speed & Security
- Dream Host – Best for Email Hosting
- A2 Hosting – Best for Reliability
- Ionos – Best for Scalability
- GreenGeeks – Best Eco-friendly Web Hosting Service
Bluehost – Best Web Hosting Service Overall
Why We Picked It
From complete beginners to seasoned business owners, everyone can find something they like in Bluehost's feature set and price point. It's a solid web host with excellent uptime, WordPress platform enhancement tools, e-commerce add-ons, and adaptability in general. To top it all off, the drag-and-drop functionality of the website builder makes the whole thing that much more user-friendly.
Bluehost Pros
- Outstanding service provided to customers
- Stable performance levels during evaluation
- Relocation of webpages without incurring any additional fees
- Software that is helpful in the development of WordPress websites
- An interface that is easy to use and navigate
- Remarkable hosting plans for WordPress
Bluehost Cons
- Hosting on the cloud isn’t available
- There are no shared hosting options available on a monthly basis
- Missing Windows servers
Bluehost Overview
Bluehost is one of the best places to have your new WordPress site hosted. Being one of only three hosting providers, they have been recommended by WordPress.org for their reliability and expertise in handling WordPress sites.
Starting at only $2.95 per month, this is a great alternative for dependable web hosting at a low price. It won't break the bank to go up to one of Bluehost's more expensive plans if you decide to start with the basic package and end up liking it.
Bluehost's features provide exceptional value for the price when compared to those of competing web hosts.
Bluehost's support staff is accessible by phone and live chat should you ever have any questions or issues. Fast page loading times are another perk. Nonetheless, you should take care not to overwhelm your site with too many WordPress plugins.
Bluehost Pricing
Bluehost offers a wide variety of hosting options for websites at different prices. For instance, for $2.95 per month, you may sign up for their first shared hosting plan with a 36-month commitment from them. For 36 months, you may choose the Plus or Select Plus plan for $5.45 each month. Prices for VPS hosting start at $18.99 per month and dedicated hosting starts at $79.99 per month. How much you pay depends on the duration of the contract and the number of services you need.
Hostinger – Best Web Hosting Service for Shared Hosting
Why We Picked It
Hostinger is a web host that offers a broad variety of services, some of which include solid server uptime, top-notch customer support, and choices for both conventional and cloud-based hosting models. In addition, with their services, you can set up private gaming servers for games like CS:GO and Minecraft, providing you with the greatest amount of versatility.
Hostinger Pros
- Affordable and high-quality programming
- Courteous and helpful service agents
- Without any interruptions, the system operated very well throughout the evaluation procedure
- Minecraft servers are not required but may be installed if desired
- Integrated Zyro website builder is a company-exclusive perk
Hostinger Cons
- Needing a dedicated hosting server
- With some packages, you won't even have the chance to install Windows
- Telephone support is inadequate
- One email address is included in the free shared hosting plan
Hostinger Overview
It simply takes a few seconds to examine the service specifics to see why Hostinger promises to be so beneficial. Their starter All-In-One package costs $2.99 per year and $8.99 when services are restored, and it includes 100 GB of storage, unmetered bandwidth, free SSL, a free domain for the first year, support for 100 websites, a choice of six data centers, automated backups, managed WordPress, 1 GB of email storage, virus scanning, and spam filtering.
In addition, there aren't many small print terms and conditions buried in Hostinger. For instance, the cost of SSL will not increase after the first year of your membership and will stay at zero for the duration of your subscription.
Hostinger's suite of features is amazing, and it's fully compatible with the popular blogging platform WordPress. Under the four-year plan, you can receive 30 GB of storage, 100 GB of monthly bandwidth, and a free SSL certificate for as low as $1.99 a month (a total of $95.52 upfront). If you just wish to host one site, the renewal price will rise to $3.99. Nevertheless, the renewal fee remains the same if you choose to administer several sites.
Also, the web host provides three distinct WordPress packages, each with its own set of perks. The business-focused WordPress Pro plan costs only $11.59 per month for the first four years and $19.99 per month afterward, making it cheap for even small organizations. You get daily backups, CloudFlare's content delivery network (CDN), support for 300 sites, unlimited bandwidth, and more with this plan's included features.
As dedicated hosting often provides the highest performance, Hostinger's lack of such service may be problematic for enterprises. Nevertheless, the cloud hosting options provided by the corporation let users root access to the server, which might result in speeds four times as fast.
Unfortunately, services like daily backups, CDN access, and SSH access are only available in more costly plans. Its most expensive virtual private server (VPS) package is $77.99 per month and provides 8 CPU cores, 16GB of RAM, and 12TB of monthly data transfer making it almost as powerful as a dedicated server. In our testing, this hosting provider emerged as a high performer.
Hostinger Pricing
Hostinger's many packages for hosting websites range in price. Their cheapest shared hosting plan requires a commitment of 48 months and costs $1.99 per month. This plan is called Single Shared Hosting. Also requiring a 48-month commitment and costing $2.79 and $3.99 monthly, respectively, are the Premium Shared Hosting and Business Shared Hosting packages for shared hosting.
Also, they provide Cloud Hosting packages beginning at $9.99 per month, and VPS hosting packages at $3.49 per month. Also, you can choose one of their WordPress Hosting plans for $1.99 a month. Costs are subject to change based on factors such as the size of the team and the length of the contract.
WP Engine – Best Web Hosting Service for WordPress Hosting
Why We Picked It
WP Engine is just one of several hosting providers that provide a variety of plans to complement the popular content management system. With efficient WordPress hosting options, responsive customer service, and the scalability of cloud-based infrastructure, SiteGround is a top pick. As compared to other managed WordPress hosting options, WP Engine stands out as a formidable competitor due to the breadth and depth of its capabilities.
WP Engine Pros
- Useful staging area
- It’s possible to create personalized options
- Outstanding performance during the testing phase
- Backing up the data on a daily basis
- The option of either Amazon Web Services or Google Cloud Platform for cloud hosting is available.
- The capacity to identify potential hazards immediately
- Exceptional client assistance
WP Engine Cons
- Unfortunately, email hosting isn’t included in the hosting package
- Not a domain dealer
WP Engine Overview
Most web providers will advertise a WordPress hosting plan, but in reality, it's simply their regular shared hosting package with a few minor tweaks, and they'll install WordPress for you instead of providing a simple interface for you to do it yourself with a few clicks.
WP Engine plans are built from the ground up to be fully compatible with WordPress, streamlining the installation and migration processes while also providing a solid foundation for your site with automated updates, enhanced security, enhanced speed, and a wealth of troubleshooting tools.
It's easy to notice that paid themes from reputable organizations are of greater quality than those offered by free theme providers. As a rule, free themes aren't the ones you want to utilize. For free (usually $360 a year), WP Engine provides ten of the most visually stunning themes from StudioPress.
WP Engine's Staging function is also useful for testing new versions of the site before committing them live. You may make these adjustments in a test environment on a copy of the live site before releasing them to the public. Also, there are built-in performance tests that analyze your website's speed and provide recommendations for improvement. Additionally, with built-in performance checks, WordPress upgrades are safer.
If you don't have a need for all the bells and whistles, it might be overwhelming to see them all. While WP Engine's user interface is well-designed, there are a lot of features and settings available, which may require a high learning curve for new users.
The cheapest WP Engine plan costs $25 per month when purchased for a full year in advance, which is much more than the industry standard. That's a hefty increase above the least-priced choice. Although this may seem steep at first, if you want a setting that is ideal for your job in addition to excellent resources and assistance, it may be worthwhile.
WP Engine Pricing
Prices may be set in one of two ways. The first one begins at $23 per month and provides standard managed WordPress hosting. The second choice is a managed WordPress hosting platform with the WooCommerce e-commerce plugin installed; the basic plan starts at $56 per month. An upgraded package with additional features is offered for $600 per month.
HostGator – Best Web Hosting Service for Affordable Options
Why We Picked It
HostGator is a top-notch web host that provides a large selection of plans, some of which are feature-rich and tailored to work with WordPress, VPS, dedicated, and cloud hosting. Also, it has useful extras like the top-notch Gator website builder. HostGator is unique among web hosting providers in that it gives you the choice to choose a server operating system other than Linux.
HostGator Pros
- Infinite data storage and transfer capacity
- Throughout all of our testing, there was a hundred percent availability
- Live chat support that's both nice and informative
- Complete money-back guarantee within 45 days
HostGator Cons
- Virtual private servers and dedicated servers have limited configuration options
- When a customer chooses a cloud hosting package, they’re almost certain of having constant access to their data
HostGator Overview
HostGator, which has been around for more than 20 years and is now one of the most well-known web hosting providers, provides a wide variety of options and services to clients of varying needs and budgets. HostGator, like Hostinger and Bluehost, is great at shared hosting, and even their basic Hatching plan includes unlimited bandwidth and disk space, a free domain for a year, an SSL for the length of the plan, a one-click WordPress deployment, and an integrated website builder.
HostGator has a generous 45-day money-back guarantee and will even transfer a standard website for free. The annual plan is $3.95 (renewing at $6.95) and the three-year plan is $2.75 per month.
The WordPress hosting plans from HostGator are significantly more expensive than those of its competitors. The first three years are offered for $5.95 per month, and after that, the renewal price will be $9.95 per month. Backup and virus protection, for example, are often considered optional extras by other providers but are included in these plans.
For more advanced needs, we offer three different Virtual Private Server packages in addition to three different Dedicated Server packages. In addition, HostGator's reseller plans are ideal for anybody interested in starting their own hosting company.
The pricing of HostGator's entry-level hardware is a little costlier than other alternatives, but the beginning specifications are fantastic. That's probably more processing power than you need for most websites. HostGator guarantees its cloud hosting services will be available 99.9% of the time.
No matter whatever hosting plan you choose, you'll have a simple time managing your website and account thanks to the intuitive web interface and the robust cPanel. We have found HostGator's phone and live chat support to be responsive and helpful whenever we needed assistance.
HostGator Pricing
HostGator offers three shared hosting plans, with prices beginning at $2.75 per month. If you want to take advantage of the initial prices, though, you'll need to commit to a three-year contract. Furthermore, if your website becomes really famous, you can easily switch to a more powerful hosting package.
As an added bonus, HostGator offers robust VPS hosting at a reasonable price. If you're looking for a low-priced hosting provider that can get your website recognized, you may test HostGator and get your money back within 45 days. You'll be able to take advantage of HostGator's deal with this.
Namecheap – Best Web Hosting Service for Cheap Domain Registration
Why We Picked It
When compared to other web hosting services, Namecheap stands head and shoulders above the rest because of its unbeatable blend of low prices, rock-solid reliability, and simple interface. Their services are widely acknowledged to be of great quality, and their intuitive dashboard makes it a breeze to launch a new website.
Namecheap also facilitates the incorporation of domain registration, providing for a smooth transition from site registration to website building. Overall, Namecheap is an excellent option for anyone in the market for an inexpensive and reputable web host.
NameCheap Pros
- Disgustingly low price
- Wide variety of products
- All free domains provide WHOIS privacy protection for the first year
- The cheapest packages nevertheless provide a number of helpful bonuses
Namecheap Cons
- There is no telephone assistance
- The hosting of Windows isn’t supported
Namecheap Overview
When it first opened its doors in the year 2000, Namecheap's primary function was to register domain names. It has now grown into a diversified corporation offering a broad range of offerings.
Web hosting services include not only domain registration and basic shared server space, but also WordPress installation and management, VPS and dedicated server space, reseller accounts, email hosting for businesses, spam protection, domain name system (DNS), cloud storage, a content delivery network (CDN), and a VPN (VPN). Namecheap is a great place to get domain names and other website necessities.
These plans often include cheap upfront fees, reasonable rates, and a number of pleasant bonuses. For instance, the renewal price for shared hosting is just $4.48 per year, bringing the total cost to only $2.18 each month. The most appealing feature is undoubtedly the free SSL certificate for the first year. Many cheap plans just let you host a single website, but this one allows you to host up to three, and it comes with a content delivery network (CDN), a domain name for a year, website privacy, weekly backups, and more.
Namecheap's WordPress hosting is a steal for the money, and it has features you probably wouldn't expect. EasyWP Supersonic, their most expensive plan, is just $9.07 annually (or $4.57 monthly) if paid for all 12 months at once. This plan includes a content delivery network (CDN) at no additional cost, allowing your site to serve up to 500,000 unique users each month at lightning speed.
According to our analysis, Namecheap's dedicated and VPS alternatives are less attractive than WordPress hosting. Although we try our best to keep costs low, we’re unable to fulfill all of your requests (for example, Windows hosting is not an option). In spite of this, Namecheap is a solid option for folks on a tight budget who need a place to host their websites.
Namecheap Pricing
Namecheap provides a wide range of web hosting plans at a variety of price points. Stellar, their most basic plan for shared hosting, costs $1.68 per month. More features may be found in the Stellar Plus plan for $2.58 per month or the Stellar Business package for $4.98 per month.
Namecheap is a great place to begin your search for virtual private server hosting, with plans starting at only $6.88 per month. Depending on your contract term and the number of resources you want, their WordPress hosting options begin at $24.44 per year.
SiteGround – Best Web Hosting Service for Speed & Security
Why We Picked It
We went with SiteGround as our web host since they have a solid reputation for providing reliable, high-quality service. They provide a selection of hosting plans to suit individual needs, as well as access to an informative and user-friendly dashboard.
SiteGround also gives special attention to the safety of its customers' sites and the satisfaction of its clients. This guarantees the continuous security of your site and your ready access to technical support anytime it's needed. SiteGround is an excellent option for anyone in need of a reliable web host that also offers a wealth of extra services.
SiteGround Pros
- Customers are entitled to a refund within thirty days of purchase
- Hosting services that are tailored to WooCommerce websites
- All plans provide unrestricted data usage
- A range of complementary services such as SSL, Content Delivery Network, e-mail, and other add-ons are provided without any cost
- Outstanding client service
SiteGround Cons
- Neither a dedicated server nor a virtual private server hosting solution is available
- After the first year, the price of a service or product might sometimes grow significantly
SiteGround Overview
You need to choose a reputable WooCommerce hosting provider if you want to sell your items online.
You want to check into SiteGround since they have a number of hosting options that will make it simple to set up your WooCommerce website. SiteGround offers high-quality service, even with their most affordable hosting option, which includes 10GB of storage and unlimited data transfer.
You may get a free website migration and a quick WordPress installation with the StartUp plan, which costs only $3.49 a month and needs a one-year commitment.
Also, you will get free access to a CDN, SSL certificate, emails, daily backups, and other crucial components. Although many alternative hosting providers provide reasonable prices, they often demand a two- to three-year commitment.
GrowBig and GoGeek, the most sophisticated plans offered by SiteGround, provide you access to additional storage space and monthly visitors, as well as a power user and agency capabilities, making them ideal for those who wish to operate several websites.
SiteGround Pricing
SiteGround offers a number of web hosting packages, each with a different pricing range. StartUp, their entry-level shared hosting plan, is $3.49 per month with a 12-month commitment. Also, they offer GrowBig and GoGeek subscriptions for $5.99 and $9.99 each month, respectively, with 12-month commitments.
DreamHost – Best Web Hosting Service for Email Hosting
Why We Picked It
Among the many providers of trustworthy Linux-powered servers, DreamHost stands out as one of the finest. The firm not only provides affordable website construction tools but also hosting options that may be customized to meet any and all requirements.
These packages offer shared VPS and WordPress-optimized hosting options. DreamHost's cloud-based servers aren't only extremely adaptable and reasonably priced; they've also been recognized as an Editors' Choice product in their field.
DreamHost Pros
- Monthly data transfers that are limitless
- Great money-back guarantee for shared hosting
- Dependable security measures
- Fantastic cloud hosting options
- A helpful WordPress staging function
- A large number of domain administration tools
DreamHost Cons
- The Shared Beginning package does not include email service
- Has no Windows-based servers
- Phone support is currently unavailable
DreamHost Overview
DreamHost is unique among web providers since it provides a broad variety of hosting plans to meet the needs of its varied customer base. Some web hosting services are primarily designed for individuals, while others focus on businesses.
For instance, their WordPress hosting plan for a three-year term begins at only $2.59 a month and renews at $5.99; it continues to offer free SSL and imposes no limits on the total amount of traffic or storage capacity; and it’s available at an introductory price of just $29.98.
There are tiers of service available to meet your evolving needs, such as WordPress Unlimited (unlimited websites and emails for $3.95 per month), managed WordPress plans (for boosted speed and reliability), and WordPress Virtual Private Server (VPS) plans (for the best potential website performance).
The Virtual Private Server (VPS) packages that DreamHost offers are, for the most part, identical to one another. The cheapest option is just $10 a month and provides unlimited storage, bandwidth, and website hosting. For more advanced websites, though, you may choose from more expensive monthly subscriptions costing $20, $40, or $80.
In addition, DreamHost offers premium email hosting. Do not assume that you already have access to email via other providers. This feature may not be available with your domain registration or shared hosting plan, or it may not be as robust as you need (e.g., limited inbox size of 1GB or 2GB).
With IMAP, you can check your inbox from any of your connected devices and take use of DreamHost's huge 25GB Inbox. You can avoid spam, malware, and phishing threats for $1.99 monthly or $1.67 annually with Avira Anti Spam Plus. If you don't have access to telephone support in the case of website troubles, it might take longer to get your site back up and running.
DreamHost Pricing
Shared hosting with DreamHost begins at $2.59/month for a 36-month commitment to the Beginning plan. Both the Unlimited plan (which costs $3.95 per month) and the Pro plan (which costs $16.95 per month) may be purchased with a commitment of 36 months.
They provide VPS hosting plans starting at $13.75 per month, in addition to providing dedicated hosting solutions with prices beginning at $169.00 per month. In addition to that, they provide WordPress Hosting options, with costs starting at $2.59 per month for the cheapest plan.
A2 Hosting – Best Web Hosting for Reliability
A2 Hosting Pros
- Outstanding service provided to customers
- Fantastic uptime
- Powerful hosting plans, especially those for WordPress
- A policy of full reimbursement in the event of dissatisfaction.
A2 Hosting Cons
- There are no alternatives to Windows servers
- Expensive in comparison to others
A2 Hosting Overview
When determining which web hosting package to go with, performance and dependability are the most crucial elements to take into consideration. No one, and for good reason, tolerates a sluggish or often down website.
Nevertheless, if you want to upload a significant number of media files or huge things such as movies and 3D models to your website, you should investigate the amount of storage space that the web host makes available to its clientele.
If you’re looking for a web host that has one of the greatest storage capacities, you should give some thought to A2 Hosting to see whether their services are a good match for your requirements.
It makes no difference what kind of hosting you need since this also applies to it.
A2 provides what they refer to as their "Starter plan," which is their entry-level choice for their shared hosting service. This plan may be purchased each month for a low charge of $2.49 and includes 100 GB of SSD storage space as standard. A2 is giving more than twice as much space to save films, photographs, GIFs, and other types of content compared to most other providers, who typically give a maximum of 50 GB with their most basic shared plan.
A2's top-tier shared plans include limitless storage and NVMe SSDs, which are up to three times as fast as SSD drives.
When you investigate website hosting, the promise of "unlimited" storage could raise your suspicions. Nevertheless, if we're being really honest, it doesn't give you permission to start shoving massive volumes of data at random onto your A2 server. In spite of this, they maintain a lax use policy with reference to the disk space that is included in your membership.
The biggest limitation that you face is a cap on the total amount of files that you may upload. About 600,000 file downloads should be possible at this time for the majority of users. But, if you’re approaching close to having half a million files and other types of information on your website, you should give it a nice spring cleaning regardless of whether or not you’re getting close to reaching that milestone.
It’s important to take into consideration any regulations that the server may have about backups and rewinds. Only up to 50 GB of website data is covered by the emergency site recovery service offered by A2. If you own more than that, you need to exercise caution and create your own backups.
The encouraging thing is that there are essentially no restrictions at all. A2 provides the finest hosting solutions for media-rich websites, such as WordPress and VPS hosting, among other options. The least-priced WordPress plan includes a storage capacity of 50 GB, which means that you can keep a significant amount of material on the site and be certain that it will load quicker than other WordPress hosting that is comparable.
VPS hosting provides six different plan options, three for the basic package and three for the turbo package. The most basic ones employ SSD, while the most advanced ones use NVMe.
A2 Hosting Pricing
A2 Hosting offers cheap hosting plans starting at $2.99 per month. Those who run websites with a large number of photographs will benefit the most from any of the two plans offered by A2 that feature Turbo Boost, the company's solution for increasing website speed and performance. You can get started with them for $6.99 a month.
Ionos – Best Web Hosting Service for Scalability
Why We Picked It
Ionos is a powerful force since it has a scale factor of 1. The web host provides a variety of options, including dedicated, shared, VPS, and WordPress servers. Ionos' cloud hosting plans provide so many useful extras that we've chosen them as our category's Editors' Choice.
Ionos Pros
- Reliable performance during trials
- Outstanding cloud hosting plans
- Servers that use either the Linux or Windows operating system
- Tools that make constructing a website uncomplicated and straightforward
Ionos Cons
- There is a dearth of reseller hosting choices
- Very few email options available
Ionos Overview
As compared to the other services we looked at, Ionos has the lowest starting price, but the renewal will cost you a lot more. Since it offers customer care in 14 other languages, Ionos is a great option for consumers in foreign nations.
WordPress users may choose from a variety of hosting options provided by Ionos, including managed and unmanaged shared servers, VPS hosting, and dedicated hosting. To help consumers more easily choose the right hosting package, the firm categorizes its services into two broad categories: those designed for smaller enterprises and those designed for bigger organizations.
As compared to other web hosts, the security measures provided by Ionos are unparalleled. Malware scanning, DDoS defense, and SSL certificates are standard across all plans. If your website has been compromised by malware, these strategies may help you fix it.
In addition, each plan has a requirement of creating backups at least once every twenty-four hours, with each backup being stored for a total of twenty days. At least once every twenty-four hours, a backup is performed. If a cyberattack were to knock out the power to a single data center, firms might protect their customers' access to their data by maintaining copies of it in two other locations.
Ionos's uptime guarantee of 99.99% is far greater than that of competing web hosting. Your website and the services it offers will continue to operate regularly in the case of an electricity outage thanks to the backup generators and rechargeable batteries installed in Ionos' data center.
There is always someone available to help you through phone or live chat. In addition, a customer directory provides details for 15 international locations. In addition, Ionos provides you with a personal consultant to assist you with any and all aspects of your website, anytime you need it. By providing each customer with a personal consultant and a toll-free number that can be used to contact support centers all over the world, Ionos provides its customers with more accessibility to assistance than its competitors.
Ionos Pricing
If you're looking for a web host, Ionos has some of the lowest starting pricing for comparable services. Nevertheless, after a while, costs start to escalate, with shared and WordPress hosting increasing by as much as 800%. Hence, it's clear that Ionos is a great spot to begin web hosting.
GreenGeeks – Best Eco-friendly Web Hosting Service
Why We Picked It
We went with GreenGeeks because of their commitment to environmental responsibility. They’re committed to drastically reducing their carbon footprint and have a renewable energy match policy of 300%. Its administrative interface makes updating and managing your website a breeze. In order to meet the needs of their customers, they provide many hosting plans. The hosting services they provide are highly regarded, and they have a stellar reputation for reliability and speed.
GreenGeeks Pros
- Has a wide variety of styles to meet any need
- Provides a tool to help you construct your own website
- Wind energy accounts for three times the annual energy use
GreenGeeks Cons
- There isn’t always someone available to take your call
- Some plans have much higher pricing than others
GreenGeeks Overview
GreenGeeks offers a wide variety of hosting plans, including shared, VPS, dedicated, WordPress, and reseller. Each plan comes with tiered upgrades so you can easily scale up as your site's needs expand. Certain initiatives need more resources to manage. In addition, a website builder is included on every plan so that you may avoid having to create your website from the start.
Each plan includes a wide variety of security measures, including as an SSL certificate, DDoS protection, daily backups, virus scanning, and more, to help keep your website secure.
GreenGeeks' uptime is 99.9%, which is on par with the industry average for web hosting.
GreenGeeks says that its servers are inspected for irregularities every ten seconds, whereas other providers may take up to a minute. This means that GreenGeeks may already be working on fixing your website's issues before you even realize there's a problem. If you need help outside of those hours, GreenGeeks also offers chat support around the clock.
GreenGeeks not only creates three times as much energy as is utilized using renewable energy sources, but they also plant a tree for every hosting account established. The International Energy Agency estimates that 0.3% of global carbon emissions are caused by data centers; GreenGeeks is a web host that is conscious of this fact.
GreenGeeks Pricing
GreenGeeks' goods fall somewhere in the center of the pack since its prices are around level with those of other web hosting providers. Regrettably, in order to qualify for the majority of GreenGeeks' lowest pricing, clients need to create a three-year commitment and pay the full amount ahead. Some contracts have a bigger monthly cost but also require the complete payment to be paid at the beginning of the period.
- The monthly cost for shared hosting is $3
- VPS hosting costs $40 per month at first
- Hosting for dedicated servers begins at $169 per month
- Hosting for WordPress begins at $3 per month
- Hosting for resellers begins at $20 per month
Ranking Methodology for the Best Web Hosting Services
In order to evaluate a web host's new consumer features and administrative interface, our evaluators sign up for and buy plans from each host. While doing so, we take into account the assistance that has been offered.
We look into the finer points of what you’re supplied with and what you’re not provided with, and we grade each web hosting service based on the quality of services that the great majority of customers will utilize.
We evaluate whether or not each hosting business presents its services in a transparent manner, since we are aware of the significance of using a dependable website hosting provider. This is evident in our research when we examine the discrepancy between the advertised and delivered capabilities of various providers.
When analyzing the efficiency of a web host, we use the most affordable shared hosting plan available from that company. When a static HTML, CSS, and image-based web page has been uploaded to our web space, we use Uptime.com to check on the site's uptime and the server's response time at regular intervals of five minutes. We may now have a rough idea of the speeds and uptimes to anticipate after the ideal web hosting service has been selected.
The hosting companies that are recommended here were chosen because they excel in certain areas of web hosting. Our list of the best web hosts covers everything from shared to reseller hosting, so you can choose one that works for you.
Continue reading this article all the way through to the very end if you‘re interested in acquiring further knowledge about the many kinds of web hosting services, how to make a purchase, how to discover the web hosting company that is most suitable for you, and so on.
How to Choose the Best Web Hosting Service for Your Website
While deciding on a web server for your website, there are a few key factors to consider:
Type of hosting: Determine which web host most closely fits your specific needs. Shared hosting is ideal for smaller websites, but virtual private server (VPS) or dedicated server (DS) hosting may be required for more popular sites.
Performance: Choose a web host that provides 99.9% uptime and fast page loads to make sure your site is always accessible to your visitors.
Scalability: As your website grows, you'll need more power and storage space. It's important to choose a web host that allows you to easily upgrade your plan as your site expands.
Security: It’s essential that the web hosting company you choose will have robust security protocols in order to protect your website from any potential threats that may arise.
Customer support: There is nothing more essential than dependable customer service for those who are just beginning their journey in the world of web hosting. A web hosting company that provides around-the-clock support and has a knowledge base or a frequently asked questions section may be able to help you with common issues.
Price: By comparing the prices offered by various web hosting providers, you may choose one that works within your financial constraints.
Reviews: Read reviews that were posted by past customers to get an idea of what other people's experiences have been like using the hosting service.
Features: Look around until you find a web host that provides all the bells and whistles you need for your sites, such as the ability to host your own emails and SSL certificates.
Using these factors as guidelines, you may choose a web host that is ideal for your website.
Buying Guide: The Best Web Hosting Services for 2023
What Is Included With a Web Hosting Service?
Monthly allocations of data transmission, storage space, email storage, and other features might vary widely amongst web hosting services.
The precise features you need for your business to succeed online, the frequency of your payments (monthly vs. yearly), and other factors may all differ greatly, so it's important to put some thought into your strategy in advance. In addition, many of these firms provide reseller hosting plans, allowing you to start your own business and provide hosting to your own clients with no need for upfront capital for server infrastructure.
It's also a good idea to educate yourself on your options for website hosting. Throughout the course of your investigation, you may come across possibilities for shared, virtual private server (VPS), dedicated, and WordPress hosting. The myriad options available at each price point need careful consideration. In the synopsis that follows, we'll go through both of them.
What Is Shared Web Hosting?
While using shared hosting, many websites are hosted on the same server. For instance, websites B, C, D, and E all utilize Server A. Shared web hosting is more cost-effective than dedicated hosting since the server is being utilized by several websites. Because of its low price and high reliability, this service is highly recommended for web hosting. It's true that plans exist that cost less than $10 monthly premiums.
Considering how close you and the websites that use your server are, you may as well be housemates. You can keep them out of your bedroom by locking the door, but they will still be able to cause you nightmares in the common areas of your home.
As all of the sites share the same server, issues with Site A might theoretically affect the operation of the other sites in the region. If any of two websites hosted on the same server has a catastrophic failure, the whole server might go down.
What Is VPS Web Hosting?
Shared hosting and virtual private servers (VPSs) are similar in that both allow several websites to use the same server, but that's about where the similarities end. A virtual private server (VPS) is analogous to a private apartment inside a bigger complex.
You'll be far less likely to be disturbed by your roommate's activities, but it's still possible that you may hear anything from your apartment's next-door neighbor. In terms of web hosting, sites B and C will be less affected by Site A's traffic spike than Site A itself would be. VPS hosting, not surprisingly, costs more than shared hosting. The cost might range from $20 to $60 each month.
What Is Dedicated Web Hosting?
Dedicated hosting is powerful and expensive, making it an alternative to shared and VPS options. It's reserved for the websites that use up a lot of bandwidth and CPU power. If you have a dedicated server, just your website will be hosted on that machine.
Buying a dedicated server may be compared to buying a home. This means that your website is paying to access all of the server's resources. Dedicated hosting is the way to go if you want a really strong website. Yet, most dedicated web hosting services will leave you to fix any issues with the server's infrastructure. This is analogous to the fact that homeowners must take care of maintenance issues, while tenants may leave it to their landlords.
Several web hosts provide managed hosting as an add-on to their dedicated servers. Under this arrangement, the web host assumes the role of your in-house IT department and manages the server on your behalf. This hosting plan is geared for companies and often includes a dedicated server. Fees may be somewhat higher, but if you can afford a dedicated server, this shouldn't be a major concern.
What Is WordPress Web Hosting?
WordPress.com is a website hosting provider for those who plan on constructing their site using the free and open-source WordPress.org CMS. This open-source website has several options for newcomers to explore.
Self-hosted websites are the most efficient means of creating a website. To use WordPress on your website, you can either download the open-source CMS version or sign up for a web hosting plan that is WordPress-friendly.
If you have an optimized plan, your web host will take care of all the behind-the-scenes work, so you won't have to worry about things like updating your plugins and content management system (CMS) or setting up regular backups. Typically, WordPress's hosting environments will already be set up on the server.
WordPress.com is another option for website hosting, however, it lacks some of the features that the aforementioned platforms provide. It employs the WordPress.org codebase but hides the server code and handles hosting itself. In that aspect, it's comparable to website creation tools found online.
Nevertheless, although it's convenient, this technique of hosting WordPress limits your options. It's simpler, for sure, but if you want complete control over your site's appearance, layout, and performance, this option may not be best for you.
What Is Email Hosting?
One of the finest reasons to get a domain name is so that you may have your own professional-sounding email address (Steve@thebestbuilder.com is far more impressive than builder457@gmail.com). Yet, things aren't always as cut-and-dried as they may seem.
For instance, you probably won't be able to receive emails when registering a name. Although most hosting services do provide some kind of email capabilities, especially for business use, it may be inadequate. You may be subject to rigorous limits on the number of new accounts you may create, the size of your Inbox, and the number of emails you can send in a day.
Email hosting makes it possible to use your own domain for both outgoing and receiving emails.
Without a web host, you may set up and use your own unique email addresses like name@yoursite.com by registering a domain and paying for email hosting.
Better service may be available to you if you subscribe to an email hosting plan. It's important to choose a service that gives you enough storage space, lets you share files that are several gigabytes in size, doesn't limit your use, and has anti-virus, anti-phishing, and anti-spam protection built right in.
The average monthly price for the email hosting is about $1.50, therefore it may be advantageous to include this option in your hosting package. If you're utilizing a basic hosting package, you may want to think about whether or not an upgrade would provide you with additional features, including better email. Check the hosting provider's feature lists to see exactly what functions are included.
What Web Hosting Features Do I Need?
Due to the fact that everyone has their own unique needs in terms of hosting, we’re unable to offer you a comprehensive list of everything you will and will not need. But, we can point you in the right direction by giving you some high-level principles to follow.
Whilst it would be lovely to have disk space and bandwidth without limits, the reality is that you probably only need a fraction of what is advertised. As an example, web host Kinsta reports that the typical size of WordPress blogs hosted by its clients is about 1GB. Buying "unlimited" storage wouldn't help in that case.
It's quite possible that you'll need an SSL certificate in order to keep your visitors from seeing scary "insecure" warnings and conduct secure, encrypted conversations with them on your website. In most cases, SSL is provided at no additional cost. Nevertheless, it’s vital to check the small print, since some plans only provide SSL at no additional cost for the first year.
If you don't already have a domain name, the fact that many web hosts provide one for free is sure to pique your interest. Typically, the trial period lasts for one year, after which you'll be responsible for paying the provider's standard renewal fees. Domains ending in ".com" tend to be registered at a steady rate (between $10 and $20 annually), whereas other extensions are more erratic. Namecheap's annual fee for renewing the a.co.uk domain is $9.48, whereas Bluehost's is $29.99. The renewal costs of a domain may be used as a proxy for its real long-term cost.
Having a backup mechanism in place may help cut down on the length of time a website is down due to technical difficulties. Choose a provider that provides regular backups, keeping in mind that daily backups are best for websites that don't undergo any changes often.
You may need assistance regardless of how knowledgeable you’re in the subject of web hosting. Check the host's support page to determine whether it covers the topics you'd expect to see covered there and if the wording is clear and helpful. A host shouldn't provide too many ways to get in touch with them; at the very least, they should have live chat support accessible 24/7. Tools such as email, phone, and ticket systems are useful.
What Else Should I Consider When Picking a Web Host?
Due to their low cost, hosting plans that cover three or four years may appear like a fantastic value. If you're unhappy with your current host's service or your website quickly outgrows its current plan's capabilities, you may need to look elsewhere for hosting. Choose a Virtual Private Server (VPS) or comparable package that enables you to simply add more resources as required and commit to a shorter period, perhaps a year, at least initially.
The uptime of a professional website should be quite good (the number of hours each day the site is accessible). If users have trouble navigating your website, they will likely get an unfavorable opinion of your company or leave it altogether to go for what they're looking for elsewhere.
There are times when even web servers that offer 99.9% uptime have to shut down their services for maintenance. Be cautious to read the tiny print in case there are restrictions.
To be on the safe side, insist on a Service Level Agreement (SLA) from your host when paying for dedicated servers or other expensive hosting plans (SLA). They promise specific characteristics of the service, such as uptime and response times from support, and detail the repercussions for falling short, like financial compensation, if those expectations aren't met.
We also have an article that can be helpful if you need more specific assistance on a particular hosting choice. Check out our recommendations for the best free web hosting, WordPress hosting, VPS hosting, managed hosting, and Minecraft server hosting to get started. There are links inside each article that may be followed to find out more.
Web hosting features explained
If this is your first time working with web hosting, you may be confused by some of the terminology and features. To help you gain your bearings, here is a quick review of the most common features of web hosting services:
The address on the World Wide Web. The domain name is what people type into their browser to go to your website; techradar.com is an example of a domain name. Several hosting packages will pay for your domain name registration for the first year. Choose.com if you want to seem professional, or online if you want to save money.
A valid SSL authentication certificate. This feature protects your website by encrypting communications between your server and your user's browsers. Let's Encrypt certificates are offered by most hosting providers at no extra charge. Furthermore, some suppliers provide a more feature-rich premium version, complete with additional warranties.
Infinitely fast data transfers with no restrictions on data size or duration. So long as your site remains popular, you won't see any price increases from the hosting provider, no matter how much data is sent. Companies have different policies on the use of unmetered resources, so it's vital to read the fine print before signing on the dotted line.
Storage only in flash memory. Storage SSDs are far more reliable than HDDs. Your site's loading time will increase by a factor of twenty, and there will be ten fewer disk failures.
cPanel. The intuitive design of this control panel makes it suitable for even the most novice of hosting administrators. Several functions, including the ability to track your resource use and make changes to the domain's configuration, may be accessible with a single mouse click.
Helpful Software for Setting Up WordPress. With this feature, WordPress may be installed on your site with a few mouse clicks from inside the hosting control panel. This means you may avoid uploading the content management system files by hand.
There have been updates to the site. When looking to switch web hosting providers, the process is often as easy as transferring your site to the new company's servers. The transfer procedure often entails site-specific information, a request to support, and a few hours of waiting.
HTML/CSS-based custom web design. Your website's HTML and CSS files, among others, should be accessible through the file manager in the control panel or an FTP client. You may adjust them to your liking to make the site's interface work better for you.
Bottom Line to the Best Web Hosting Services
Bluehost, Hostinger, and WP Engine remain the top three web hosts we recommend. Hosting type, speed, scalability, security, customer care, price, and features are just a few of the factors to consider when selecting a web host for your website.
Due to the fact that each host provides a unique set of features and services at varying price points, it’s essential to take into account your specific needs and constraints while deciding on the best hosting service. These vendors have a well-deserved reputation for reliability, productivity, and helpfulness. Researching and comparing the services of potential web hosts is a must before settling on a single one.