Hosting your website on the internet can be a costly and time-consuming task. But with the right provider, it can be made easy and affordable. In this article, we’ll take a look at the best web hosting providers in 2019. We’ll also outline some of the key features that different providers offer so that you can make an informed decision.
Best and Most Affordable Web Hosting
1. DreamHost (www.dreamhost.com)
From $2.59 / month
Originally founded all the way back in 1996, DreamHost is a stalwart in the web hosting industry. DreamHost is just all-around solid, with affordable prices, good ratings, and a longstanding reputation.
Load times av. of last 30 days:
| East Coast, USA: 1.37s | West Coast, USA: 1.05s |
| London: 1.9s | Paris: 2.15s |
| Mumbai, India: 3.07s | Sydney: 2.27s |
Pricing
- WordPress Starter ($2.59 per month): Supports a single website with unlimited traffic and daily backups.
- WordPress Unlimited ($3.95 per month): Supports unlimited websites along with unlimited traffic and daily backups.
When to consider using DreamHost
While there’s nothing flashy about DreamHost in terms of WordPress-specific features, it “just works”, which is all most users want. Additionally, DreamHost has been around for a long time, which should give you confidence in the stability of their hosting.
2. Hostinger
Cheapest on the list
- Single shared hosting plan starts at $1.99 per month
- One website
- 100 GB of bandwidth
- Unmetered storage
- Free SSL certificate
Hostinger is one of the cheapest web host options for most WordPress users if you’re willing to pay for multiple years upfront. Their basic one-website plan starts at $1.99 per month, and they’re close to Bluehost with regard to user satisfaction.
Once you start looking at the numbers, though, the picture gets a bit more complicated. To get the $1.99 price, you need to pre-pay for four years of hosting in advance. The next option is a two-year contract, which basically doubles prices. If you pay month-by-month, you can expect the price to be nearly ten times dearer.
Even taking this into account, four years of hosting for a single website at around $48 is a pretty good deal. However, upon renewal, the price rises to $2.15 per month. Simply put, this means you’re better off getting the four years in advance.
Considering Hostinger’s low prices, we’d recommend you spring for the Premium shared hosting plan. It starts at $2.15 per month for four years and goes up accordingly like the Single tier.
3. Bluehost (www.bluehost.com)
From $2.75 / month
Bluehost is one of the few hosting companies officially recommended by WordPress.org. This makes it one of the more convenient solutions in the market. Bluehost provides you with a nice custom panel to manage your hosting setup, plus all the features you might need to build and launch your WordPress site. Bluehost is also one of the most popular hosts out there – getting hundreds of votes in our hosting survey.
Despite the low price, you also get a free domain name with your plan and access to free site builders and 1-click WordPress installs.
Load times av. of last 30 days:
| East Coast, USA: 1.32s | West Coast, USA: 0.69s |
| London: 1.01s | Paris: 0.38s |
| Mumbai, India: 1.88s | Sydney: 1.32s |
Pricing
- Basic ($2.75 per month): Supports one website, with 50GB of disk space and one free domain name. Which is not common among plans at this price point.
- Plus ($5.45 per month): You can have unlimited websites, unmetered website space, unlimited email accounts and email storage.
- Choice Plus ($5.45 per month): This plan includes everything you get in Plus, and also added domain privacy and auto site backups. Currently the same price as Choice, which makes this a better option.
When to consider using Bluehost
Bluehost is a good choice for users who prefer hosting solutions that are easy to get started with and have an overall good reputation in the market. Plus, the fact that you get a free domain name alongside a $2.75/month host is incredible.
4. A2 Hosting
- Startup plan costs $2.99 per month
- One website
- 100 GB of SSD storage
- Free SSL certificate
Out of all the web hosts we’ve featured so far, none offer as many different types of plans and tiers as A2 Hosting. The cheapest, out of all of them, is the Startup shared hosting plan, which costs $2.99 per month on a three-year contract.
Unlike most of the other options in this list, A2 Hosting doesn’t offer a big difference in pricing depending on contract length. For example, a two-year contract with the Startup plan costs only two dollars less than what you pay for an extra twelve months. The goal, of course, is to lock you in for as long as possible.
A2 Hosting is only the second option on this list that also offers month-to-month hosting payment options. Of course, this has a higher price, which makes it a lot less attractive.
One curious aspect of using A2 Hosting is some of their plans include what they call a Turbo option. Those specific plans are optimized for much better performance. However, at least in the case of shared hosting, the cheapest plan that offers the Turbo option costs $9.99 per month, which is expensive compared to the rest of our picks.
5. SiteGround (www.siteground.com)
From $2.99 / month
SiteGround consistently ranks as one of the best WordPress hosts around, and it’s not hard to see why. Their WordPress plans offer free site transfers, they support Git on higher plans, and include their SuperCacher tool for improved speeds.
Load times av. of last 30 days:
| East Coast, USA: 0.78s | West Coast, USA: 1.23s |
| London: 0.3s | Paris: 0.29s |
| Mumbai, India: 1.19s | Sydney: 1.93s |
Pricing
- Startup ($2.99 per month): Ideal for startups and modest business that need to host a single website.
- GrowBig ($4.99 per month): Perfect for businesses with multiple WordPress websites.
- GoGeek ($7.99 per month): Suitable for large companies that receive lots of traffic.
When to consider using SiteGround
SiteGround offers a great mix of advanced WordPress features, low prices, and decent speeds. This makes it a good all-around choice for any type of WordPress user, and especially if you value your websites working with no hiccups while still running on cheap WordPress hosting.
6. Namecheap
- The Stellar plan costs $0.99 per month
- Three websites
- Free domain registration
- 20 GB of SSD storage and unmetered bandwidth
- Free SSL certificate
- Offers affordable month-to-month billing
You may already be familiar with Namecheap as a domain registrar. However, they also happen to offer some of the cheapest hosting plans around, especialy if you’re looking to pay on a month-to-month basis.
If you’re in the market for a shared plan, Namecheap has three options to offer. The Stellar plan costs a measly $0.99 per month, making it the cheapest web hosting plan in this list.
Much like the competition, the sticker price only applies for yearly signups. However, Namecheap enables you to purchase for as little as one year, which costs $11.88 for the Stellar plan. Namecheap also offers month-by-month options, although the price triples to $2.88.
Even so, Namecheap is still one of the most cost-effective hosts on this list. Plus, it enables you to host up to three websites with its base shared plan, which is a fantastic deal.
How to Choose a Web Hosting Provider
Choosing a web hosting provider is important because it will be responsible for your website and all the software that goes along with it. You’ll want to make sure the provider has a good reputation and that their services meet your needs. You can also look into features and services, such as bandwidth allowances, server location, and domain name availability.
Look for Features and Services
How you choose your web hosting provider affects how well your site will function. Make sure you select a provider that offers features that meet your specific needs, such as security, backups, and email forwarding. You may also want to consider what type of support you need from your host – whether it’s technical or customer service-oriented.
Compare Provider Prices
When looking to compare providers, take into consideration the cost of each service offered (plus any applicable taxes). Once you’ve found a provider that meets your needs and budget, signing up is easy – just follow the steps in this section!
Get a Contract
Once you have chosen a web hosting provider and signed up for services, it’s time to get started! Be sure to read through the contracts carefully before hitting submit, as there may be different terms and conditions governing each hostings service.
Cheap Web Hosting For Small Business
1. Bluehost: Best for beginners
Bluehost is a perennial favorite for personal and business web hosting because of how easy it is to set up and use the company’s services. Like Namecheap, Bluehost offers very affordable web hosting solutions for small businesses that need simple sites and complex e-commerce outfits alike. You can even get a free domain when signing up for some of their one-year plans.
Bluehost offers the following hosting packages:
- Shared: The most commonly used option by individuals and small-business owners alike. Includes e-commerce compatibility, WordPress integration and dedicated customer service for $7.99 per month.
- VPS: Upgrades from the Shared tier to provide a virtual private server, which adds a level of security and access for businesses that need more flexibility with how they use their server space. Costs $29.99 per month.
- Dedicated: Provides the utmost level of security and support for high-traffic websites. This is one of the best web hosting options for small businesses with robust e-commerce websites that need as much bandwidth and security as possible. Costs $119.99 per month.
2. InMotion: Web Host With the Best Customer Support
Overall Score: 4.08 OUT OF 5
Pros
- 24/7/365 U.S.-based support
- No-downtime site migration
- DDoS, hack, and malware protection included in all plans
- Intuitive control panel
- Unlimited email addresses and storage after base tier
- 90-day money-back guarantee
- BoldGrid WordPress website builder included (same as DreamHost)
Cons
- Upper-tier plans get pricey on renewal
- Resources included in base plan may not be enough for growing websites
- Occasional downtime issues
- Free domain not included in lowest-tier shared hosting plan
Best For
- Small businesses wanting the peace of mind of great customer care; InMotion prides itself on 24/7/365 human support, including U.S.-based support for U.S. customers
- Extensive knowledge base with articles, tutorials, and guides on hundreds of topics
While InMotion’s prices (especially on renewal) don’t rival platforms like Namecheap or IONOS, it offers the best hosting for small businesses that want top-notch customer support. We put that to the test when evaluating the service, hitting up InMotion’s live chat team with questions about the Launch and Power plans.
3. Namecheap: Best for technical support
If you’re a newcomer to managing your website, the best web hosting for your small business might be the one that provides you with round-the-clock technical support, and is willing to go the extra mile to make sure your site is up and running just the way you want it.
Namecheap goes above and beyond in this department, offering 24/7 support through chat — no question is too big or too small for Namecheap’s team of technical support specialists, who are even willing to step in and make changes for their customers if they don’t have the technical savvy to do it themselves. And as the name implies, their web hosting prices are pretty competitive as well.
There are several Namecheap hosting tiers:
- Stellar Business: Provides unmetered bandwidth so your site never slows down during high-traffic periods. Comes with free automatic backups as well, and is PCI compliant and e-commerce friendly. Costs $4.44 per month for the first year, then goes up to $8.88 per month.
- EasyWP Turbo: Inexpensive hosting for WordPress sites with up to 250,000 visitors per month and 50 gigabytes of storage included. Costs $7.88 per month, with the first month for $2.
- Qasar: Full VPS hosting with Linux-based servers, allowing companies that need a total command of their networks the flexibility to run their digital presence as they see fit. Costs $24.88 per month, with a new signup promotion of $19.88 per month.
- Xeon E3-1240 v3: A physical server solution for businesses that need to go the extra mile for their websites and digital environments. Costs $74.88 per month, with the first month for $36.88.
4. DreamHost: Best WordPress Website Hosting & Migration
Overall Score: 4.21 OUT OF 5
Pros
- 97-day money-back guarantee—the longest of all web hosting services
- Low-cost Unlimited plan that lives up to its name: unlimited websites, traffic, and email addresses on your domain
- BoldGrid WordPress website builder
- Free automated WordPress migrations
- Domain privacy included in all plans; 100% uptime guarantee
- 100% uptime guarantee
Cons
- Proprietary interface is somewhat dated, which makes it less intuitive than more visually oriented cPanels
- Subpar user reports regarding customer support
- Site speed lags at times
Best For
- Businesses that have or want a WordPress site; DreamHost includes automatic daily backups as well as WordPress install, a WordPress site builder, and WordPress core and security updates
- Businesses looking for a web hosting platform that offers free WordPress site migrations
- Content-heavy, high-traffic, and large websites; DreamHost includes unlimited storage as well as bandwidth in the Unlimited plan
The best web hosting for small businesses that have or want to build a WordPress website is DreamHost. All-inclusive plans start at $2.95 (the same as Bluehost’s WordPress builder plans) but come loaded with goodies. For example, DreamHost shared hosting includes automated daily backups, free WordPress site migration (should you need it), and automatic management of WordPress core and security updates.
In addition, DreamHost includes a WordPress website builder free in shared hosting plans. This eliminates a great deal of the learning curve needed to build a WordPress site. There are more than 200 industry-specific templates, drag-and-drop editing, and content blocks, as well as a Quick-Start Inspirations Wizard to streamline the process even more.
Use the Provider’s Web Site
To use a web host, you first need to configure your provider. This will allow you to select the hosting service that best suits your needs. Once configured, you can use their web site to access their services.
Set Up Your Web Site
Once you have configured your provider and set up your web site, it’s time to start using it! To do this, create a new account with them and then follow these steps:
1. Log into your provider’s website and click on the “configure my site” link.
2. In the configuration screen, enter in the desired information for your web page including the hostname and port number of your server.
3. Click on OK to finish Configuration and return to the main website screen.
Conclusion
Choosing the best web hosting provider can be a difficult task. However, by researching providers and comparing prices, it’s possible to find a provider that is affordable and meets your needs. With the provider’s web site set up and using the provider’s services, you should be able to get started with your website quickly.