Hosting your website for free can be a great way to get started with web development. However, you may find that you need help to get the job done right. If that’s the case, you might want to consider going through this article. Not only will this save you money in the long run, but it also means your website will look amazing and work flawlessly.
In this article, we’ll review the Cheapest Hosting for Personal Website, cheapest website hosting for small business, cheapest hosting for wordpress and cheap unlimited web hosting.
Cheapest Hosting for Personal Website
1. iPage
Simple Pricing, Unlimited Disk Space ($1.99/month)
iPage only offers one shared hosting plan, which is suitable for hosting one site. However, it provides scalable bandwidth, which means there’s no set bandwidth limit. If your site does become too big, though, you’ll need to ugrade to a VPS plan at least.
- Helps short-term growth
- Low introductory prices
- One data center location
iPage Shared Hosting Pricing Breakdown
iPage only offers one shared hosting plan, which starts at $1.99 per month.
- 12-month contract: $2.99/month ($35.88 total)
- 24-month contract: $2.49 per month ($59.76 total)
- 36-month contract: $1.99 per month ($71.64 total)
If you outgrow iPage’s one shared hosting option, the next step up is a VPS plan. These start at $19.99/month.
iPage Shared Hosting Features
iPage’s shared hosting plan is really great value, offering:
- Unlimited disk space
- Unlimited email accounts
- Unlimited subdomains
- A free domain name
- A free SSL certificate
- Scalable bandwidth
iPage also has great help and support, with 24/7 live chat and phone options, as well as email.
There are just a couple of places where iPage is a bit lacking, one of which is its uptime guarantee. At 99.94%, it’s not the lowest on this list, but it is pretty mediocre – so you’re more likely to experience increased hours of downtime than you would with the majority of other providers. iPage’s percentage translates to about six hours of downtime per year.
2. Hostinger
Known for its affordable products, Hostinger is a well-rounded web hosting service. Regardless of the price, Hostinger also offers good uptime.
Pricing
When I say cheap hosting, Hostinger is among the very few companies that manage to stay below the $2 mark. Currently, the entry-level plans cost $1.99/mo. These low rates are available as long-term subscriptions. Hostinger’s low cost hosting plans are:
- Single – $1.99 per month for one site, 30 GB of SSD storage, and up to 10,000 monthly visits.
- Premium – $2.59 per month for 100 websites, 100 GB of SSD storage, free unlimited email, and a free domain.
- Business – $3.99 per month for 100 sites, 200 GB storage, 100,000 visits a month, plus everything in Premium.
Keep in mind that pricing goes up when you renew after the promotional period.
Ease of setup
The Hostinger dashboard does not run on classic cPanel, which we usually see with other hosting providers. Hostinger has put their own spin on it, calling it “hpanel,” and providing easier access to elements like files, email, and domain. It is beginner-friendly and easy to set up.
All the plans, including shared web hosting, come with WordPress features such as WordPress installers, which makes it easy to get started with a website quickly. You can see these features in the Website section, under Auto Installer in your Hostinger dashboard.
3. DreamHost
Ideal for Media-Heavy Sites ($2.95/month)
DreamHost’s high storage levels and unlimited traffic allowance is the perfect combination for a bigger, media-heavy project on a budget.
- Quality shared plans
- Free daily backups
- Not good for scalability
DreamHost Shared Hosting Pricing Breakdown
DreamHost’s Shared Starter plan starts at just $2.95/month, although you will need to commit to a 12-month term to get that price. This is much less than other providers, though, and if you really want to, you can even opt to pay month-by-month.
For those of you who can’t afford a big payment all in one go, this month-to-month option definitely makes DreamHost more appealing! Bear in mind, however, this isn’t necessarily the most cost-effective option. Your first month will only cost $1.99, but every month thereafter will be $7.99.
You can also upgrade to DreamHost’s Shared Unlimited plan, which costs $3.95 per month for the first three-year term.
DreamHost Shared Hosting Features
DreamHost’s most enticing feature is perhaps that it doesn’t put a limit on how many people can visit your site each month. Although most small websites won’t attract hundreds of thousands of visitors, it’s nice to know you don’t have to worry either way.
The downsides are its modest uptime and lack of 24/7 support. That said, customers can still access DreamHost’s help center and submit support tickets.
Free backups and domains are another two big selling points, while an SSL certificate and a website builder are nice touches. The main difference between DreamHost and its competitors is that DreamHost doesn’t use cPanel, an industry standard dashboard. It does have its own bespoke dashboard, however, which is pretty easy to get to grips with.
4. Bluehost
Bluehost is an old reliable, seeing as how it was one of the first hosts endorsed by WordPress. Bluehost has also always made hosting affordable.
Pricing
They base Bluehost pricing strictly on how many months you pay for in advance. For instance, a 36-month plan is cheaper per month than a 24-month plan. Although sometimes they make 12-month plans more appealing than the 36-month plans; it all depends on the current promotions.
We’ll outline the 12-month plans below:
- Basic – $2.75 per month for one website, 50GB of SSD storage, 20 databases, a website builder, free domain, free CDN, and free SSL certificate.
- Plus – $5.45 per month for everything in the previous plan, unlimited websites, unlimited storage, unlimited databases, and access to promotions for things like email, Google Ads, and spam protection.
- Choice Plus – $5.45 per month (it’s more expensive than Plus upon renewal) for everything in the previous plans, free domain privacy, and automated backups for the first year.
- Pro – $13.95 per month for everything in the previous plans, optimized CPU resources, forever free automated backups, a premium SSL, and a free dedicated IP.
Ease of setup
The Bluehost dashboard is one of the easiest ones to use out there. There’s a simple one-click install for WordPress, as well as basic controls to take care of the primary customizations of your setup.
You also get a free SSL if you need to secure all transaction information for an online store.
Bluehost excels with its WordPress integration and one-click installation, but we also recommend you check out other cheap WordPress hosting providers and see which hosts actually offer the best value for your money.
5. InMotion
Best Value for Money ($2.29/month)
InMotion takes the crown as the best website hosting provider for shared hosting, thanks to the awesome features you get with its cheapest Core plan.
- Great for shared hosting
- Free backups available
- Excellent support team
InMotion Shared Hosting Pricing Breakdown
InMotion kicks things off with an exclusive plan for WBE users, the $2.29 per month Core plan.
WBE users can also choose from three exclusively discounted shared hosting plans – Launch, Power, and Pro – the most expensive of which retails at $12.99/month when you commit to a three-year term. It’s no wonder our research shows that InMotion provides excellent value for money – it really is as good as it gets for shared web hosting!
However, as with most hosting providers, it’s always a good idea to check the renewal prices once your term is up. For example, InMotion’s most expensive shared plan can renew at as much as $27.99, depending on the length of the term you choose.
InMotion Shared Hosting Features
Firstly, InMotion is one of only a handful of providers that allows you to host multiple websites on its most basic shared hosting plan. Not only that, it pretty much covers all the bases when it comes to features, too.
Free backups, domains, and SSL security are provided as standard, as are 10 email accounts, although upgrading to the Launch plan will give you an unlimited number if 10 doesn’t quite cut it. You’ll also have access to a website builder service and 24/7 dedicated support. There is a limit on monthly visitors (360,000), although it’s highly unlikely you’ll exceed the limit. In short, InMotion is hands down the best shared hosting provider, and well worth the extra buck or two a month if you can stretch.
How to Host Your Website for Free.
When you’re looking to host your website for free, it’s important to choose the right domain name. This is because a good website will need a unique and memorable name that can be easily remembered by site visitors. To find a domain name that’s perfect for your website, use the internet search engines or consult with an online resource like Nameberry. Once you have a selection of domain names narrowed down, it’s time to get help from a professional web developer.
Get the Help of a Professional Web Developer
A good web development company will be able to help you with all aspects of your website design and development – from creating the basic content (text and images) to creating an entire e-commerce store. When choosing a web developer, make sure they have at least five years of experience in developing websites, are familiar with popular WordPress themes and plugins, and understand how to integrate marketing and social media features into your site.
Host Your Website Yourself
If you want to host your own website but don’t want to pay for a professional web developer services, there are several options available. One option is to use an online hosting service like hosts unlimited or WP Engine. These services provide affordable hosting options that include access to popular WordPress themes and plugins as well as access to powerful SEO tools and coding assistance from experienced developers who will help you create an amazing website on your own behalf.
Cheapest Hosting For WordPress
1. DreamHost – $2.59/month
Discount vs Renewal Price
| 1 month | 12 months | 36 months | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Discount price/month | $4.95 | $3.95 | $2.59 |
| Renewal price/month | $4.95 | $3.95 | $2.59 |
DreamHost: Key Info
Cheapest plan: $2.59/month (36-month subscription)
Money-back guarantee: 97 days
Features include:
- WordPress pre-installed
- Automatic WordPress updates
- Free automated WordPress migration
- Free domain
- Free SSL certificate
- Automated daily backups
- Unmetered bandwidth
- 50GB storage
- 24/7 support
Our star rating: 4.3/5
DreamHost Overview
We recommend DreamHost over Hostinger – it’s still affordable at $2.59 per month, but is a lot more generous with its features. With a 97-day money back guarantee, you won’t have nightmares over committing to DreamHost – it actually came top in our WordPress hosting value for money testing!
| DreamHost Pros | DreamHost Cons |
|---|---|
| Generous storage and bandwidth limits help you grow from day one | 99.95% uptime is pretty average, so your site may be down more often |
| Great value for money – perfect for those on a budget | No direct phone support – only callbacks are available |
| 97-day money-back guarantee is much longer than the 30-day average | Real customer support is only available 5.30am – 9.30pm PT – 24/7 chat is only available via a help bot |
2. Bluehost
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.
3. Hostinger
Discount vs Renewal Price
| 1 month | 12 months | 24 months | 48 months | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Discount price/month | $9.99 | $2.99 | $1.59 | $0.99 |
| Renewal price/month | $9.99 | $5.99 | $3.99 | $2.99 |
Hostinger: Key Info
Cheapest plan: $0.99/month (48-month subscription)
Money-back guarantee: 30 days
Features include:
- One-click WordPress installation
- 10GB storage
- 100GB bandwidth
- Weekly backups
- 24/7 support
Our star rating: 4.1/5
Hostinger Overview
Hostinger’s cheapest plan doesn’t have as much to offer as its competitors. Although it comes with handy features like free site migration and weekly backups, it’s extremely limited, with only 10GB storage and 100GB bandwidth. That said, a $0.99 per month price tag is hard to resist!
| Hostinger Pros | Hostinger Cons |
|---|---|
| Choice of eight data centers keeps your loading times speedy for visitors | No free domain name! Lack of free extras results in extra costs on top of your plan |
| Cheap $0.99/month plan is an incredibly low price for WordPress hosting | No live chat support could frustrate those needing quick answers |
| Optimized WordPress features designed to speed up your website | Extra long 48-month subscription length locks you in for four years of hosting with Hostinger |
4. Namecheap
From $1.88 / month
While Namecheap no longer has sub-$1 monthly prices, they’re still an incredibly affordable host that offers cheap pay monthly WordPress hosting.
They allow you to choose a US- or UK-based data center. You get up to 20GB of SSD-accelerated disk space, unlimited bandwidth, and you can run up to three sites (all on the cheapest plan).
Load times av. of last 30 days:
| East Coast, USA: 0.27s | West Coast, USA: 0.16s |
| London: 0.37s | Paris: 0.4s |
| Mumbai, India: 0.66s | Sydney: 0.63s |
Support options:
Pricing
- Stellar ($1.88 per month): Gives you 20GB SSD-accelerated disk space + the possibility to run up to three websites.
- Stellar Plus ($2.88 per month): Unmetered SSD-accelerated storage, bandwidth, and websites.
- Stellar Business ($4.48 per month): 50 GB pure SSD disk space, along with unmetered bandwidth and unlimited websites.
What’s worth pointing out is that Namecheap’s prices above are for monthly payments, whereas many other cheap WordPress hosts will require you to pay for a year upfront to get prices that cheap.
When to consider using Namecheap
While Namecheap isn’t quite as cheap as it once was, it’s still incredibly affordable at just $1.88 per month with monthly payments, or $24.88 for a whole year. That being said, Namecheap lacks a tiny bit in the WordPress-specific features department.
Cheapest Website Hosting For Small Business
1. Bluehost
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. HostGator
HostGator is our top recommended hosting provider for small businesses, scoring an impressive 4.9 out of 5 in our research overall. This is a huge leap from its previous third place position in our pre-2022 rankings when it scored 4.3! It’s a beginner-friendly, feature-rich service with a reliable uptime of 99.99%.
HostGator’s plans are relatively cheap, and they come with a 45-day money-back guarantee, so small businesses can test out the water without risking precious savings. It’s also worth mentioning that HostGator has the highest help and support score of any hosting provider we tested – across all categories, not just small businesses!
Price: 3.7/5
When it comes to HostGator’s shared plans, there’s plenty for you to sink your teeth into. The three shared packages are:
- Hatchling – from $2.75/month. Entry-level, and great value for money.
- Baby – from $3.50/month. Offers more help for those growing a small business.
- Business – from $5.25/month. Best for businesses that are already growing fast.
We highly recommend shared hosting plans for small businesses. They don’t cost a lot of money, and you get a lot of bang for your buck. Plus, the 45-day money-back guarantee is a low-risk way of trying it out for yourself before making a decision.
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
With its quality features and immense storage space, DreamHost is great value for money for any small business that has plenty of content to host – plus there’s room to grow! WordPress comes pre-installed, and you get automated daily backups, free domain privacy, as well as advanced features like Shell access – all at a cheap price.
Price: 4.1/5
For a three-year contract, DreamHost’s shared hosting plans start at these affordable introductory prices:
- Shared Starter: $2.59/month
- Shared Unlimited: $3.95/month
It’s worth noting that you can get the Unlimited plan for the same price as the Starter if you lock in for one year only!
While it isn’t top of our research for price, it scores well thanks to the partnership between price and all of its other wonderful features. You get a lot for your money!
One of the biggest standout features for DreamHost is its excellent 97-day money-back guarantee, which means you can try it totally risk-free and get a full refund if you find it’s not the right fit for you.
Cheap Unlimited Web Hosting
1. InMotion Hosting
InMotion Hosting is another well-known hosting provider that offers a range of hosting types.
However, if you are looking for unlimited hosting, then the shared Business Pro hosting plan for growing websites and businesses is for you. With this plan, you get…
- Unlimited websites and domains
- Unmetered bandwidth and disk space
- Unlimited email accounts and storage
- Free SSL certificate
- Automatic backups
- DDoS protection
- 4x performance (Access a greater level of resources than the lower end shared hosting plans)
- Pro-level support
InMotion Hosting also will transfer your website from your current host to their servers for free, guaranteeing no downtime. So how much does this unlimited hosting plan cost?
- 1 Month – $19.99 for one month (renews at $27.99 per month)
- 12 Months – $15.99 per month ($24.94 total / renews at $16.99 per month)
- 12 Months – $14.99 per month ($23.99 total / renews at $15.99 per month)
Like Bluehost, if you select a 12-month plan, you will have to pay the full amount upfront.
2. A2 Hosting
A2 Hosting is the last in this list of unlimited hosting plans. Offering a range of hosting plans, whether you are starting a small blog, or growing a large business, A2 Hosting will have something for you.
A2 Hosting has two shared WordPress hosting plans that offer unlimited hosting options. Both shared WordPress hosting plans come with WordPress pre-installed. A2 Hosting also allows users to select where they want their websites hosted, offering a range of global data centers to choose from.
Here at Themeisle, we recommend the Swift WordPress plan, as it is packed full of features which include…
- Unmetered bandwidth and storage
- Unlimited websites and databases
- Free SSL certificate
- SSD storage
- Free account migration
- 99.99% uptime guarantee
- Any-time money-back guarantee
- 24/7/365 support
Here’s how A2 Hosting’s pricing shakes out…
- Monthly – $12.99 per month
- 12 Months – $8.99 per month (renews at $12.99)
- 36 Months – $4.99 per month (renews at $12.99)
As with most hosting providers, to save the most money you should sign up to the 36-month plan. However, bear in mind that you will need to pay the whole amount up-front.
3. Bluehost
Bluehost is a popular hosting provider that offers a range of affordable hosting plans. Founded in 2003, Bluehost has grown rapidly and is now owned by Endurance International Group (EIG), hosting over two million websites worldwide.
Bluehost offers three shared unlimited hosting plans but our top pick is the Plus plan which caters to blogs and small websites. Features include…
- Unlimited websites and domains
- Unmetered bandwidth and storage
- Unlimited parked domains and subdomains
- Free domain name (for the first year)
- Free SSL certificate
- One-click WordPress install
- 24/7 support
- 30-day money-back guarantee
Although this plan will usually cost you $10.99 per month, it is currently offered at a discounted price, which varies depending on how long you sign up with Bluehost. Here are the prices…
- 12 Months – $7.95 per month ($95.40 total)
- 24 Months – $6.95 per month ($166.80 total)
- 36 Months – $5.95 per month ($214.20 total)
All Bluehost plans have to be paid in full upfront (there are no initial monthly contracts) and once your chosen term length has expired, the plan will renew at the regular price.
Conclusion
Web Development is a great way to build beautiful websites for your business. It’s an essential tool for any online presence and can help you reach a wider audience. However, achieving success with Web Development requires dedication and the expertise of a professional team. By choosing the right company and hosting your website yourself, you can save time and money while still enjoying good quality service. To sum it all up, Hosting Your Website for Free is the best way to get started with Web Development.