If you are planning to start blogging or create a website for your company, there is one important factor that you need to consider. You need a good web hosting provider that offers fast speeds, a good cost, and great customer service.
Many people tend to ignore the importance of getting a fast and reliable web hosting provider when starting a website or blog. This can cause issues for you as your website grows and starts making money.
In this review, we are going to review the 10 best web hosting companies on the market today.
Best Web Hosting Review
1. Hostinger
Hostinger is one of the most popular web hosting companies. It became famous for its competitive hosting plan pricing without compromising the performance and quality of service offered.
Despite being one of the cheapest hosting providers on this list, Hostinger provides excellent speed, service, and pricing. This is a great choice whether you are just beginning to build your first website or a seasoned blogger.
You will find a range of hosting plans starting from $0.99/mo, with renewals starting from $2.15/mo.
Databases and bandwidth are unlimited, but this is not available for the Single Web Hosting plan. This single web host plan comes with 10GB disk space, one MySQL database, 100GB bandwidth, and one email account.
Load Times/Speed: Using a fast theme and the standard hosting plans the load time average for a website is 239ms at its fastest to 1420ms.
Pros
- High-speed loading (345 ms)
- 24/7 support system
- Cheap pricing
- Free SSL certificate
- Website builder available
- Free domain with the premium or higher plans
Cons
- Cheap plan has limited bandwidth
- You get only 1 business email account
- Only have chat support but they are quick to respond
Quick Facts
- Payment methods: PayPal, debit and credit cards, CoinPayments, Google Pay
- Domain: No
- Money-Back Guarantee: 30-day money-back
- Upsells: No
- Signup: Extremely easy
- Control & dashboard: h-panel custom control
2. WPX
WPX is known for being a fast and easy-to-use web hosting service provider. This hosting is designed for every type of website – blogging, e-commerce, or business website.
The quick loading time is what many people love about WPX hosting. We cannot stress enough the importance of website speed and its effect on visibility in search engines.
Providing fast-loading sites is what this web host provider intended to do. If you are using WordPress hosting, loading time and site speed will give you a tremendous boost. This will definitely help you when it comes to SEO ranking and online traffic.
WPX hosting also offers a free WordPress website migration service.
Load Times/Speed: Using a fast theme and the standard hosting plans the load time average for a website was 184ms. This hosting provider is one of the fastest online.
Pros
- Can handle huge traffic without reducing load time
- Fast support system
- Great hosting support
- Intuitive interface
- Auto backups everyday
- Free Enterprise DDoS Protection
- WPX has their own free CDN
Cons
- One of the more expensive options
- No C-panel they use their own custom panels
Quick Facts
- Money-Back: 30-day money-back guarantee
- Domain: No
- Ease of signup: Extremely easy
- Upsells: No
- Account activation: Fast
3. SiteGround
Hosting more than 2 million domains since it was founded almost 17 years ago, SiteGround hosting services are among the only three services recommended by WordPress.org.
SiteGround is also known for its outstanding customer support system, something that has contributed to its popularity.
All its plans feature email account, website builder, Cloudflare CDN, SSL, SSH access, and daily backups all for free.
The cheapest plan is $3.95/mo for 12-month, with renewals starting at $11.95/mo.
Load Times/Speed: Using GoGeek or Startup Plans and the Theme is Heavyweight: It has a decent uptime of 99.96% with an average speed of 2.24s and 2.75s.
Load Times/Speed: Using GoGeek or Startup Plans and the Theme is Lightweight: The uptime is still 99.96% with an average speed between 770ms and 942ms.
Pros
- High load time
- Decent uptime
- 24/7 support
- Free email accounts
- Average speed
Cons
- Limited cheap plan
- After the discount period the cost go up significantly
- Setup fee
- 11-minute downtime average a month
Quick Facts
- Ease of signup: Easy
- Domain: No
- Upsells: Few upsells
- Money-Back: 30-Day
- Account Activation: Fast
- Payment method: Credit Card
4. Bluehost
Bluehost is one of the most popular hosting companies out there and has been around for more than a decade, hosting more than 3 million websites.
They are known for their low-cost hosting plans and top uptime of 99.94%.
With a 3-year introductory price of $2.75/mo, you can enjoy features such as website builder, free domain name, as well as one-click install for Joomla, WordPress, and Drupal through the hosting C-panel.
It is a recommended option for those starting out.
The basic plan also includes 50 GB storage and unmetered bandwidth.
Load Times/Speed: Using a fast theme and the standard hosting plans the load time average for a website was 1.2s to 1.5s.
Pros
- Great uptime
- Fast loading speed
- Free site builder and free domain
- One-click-install CM
- Money back guarantee
- Free SSL
Cons
- No discount for basic plan
- Aggressive upsells
Quick Facts
- Easy of signup: Fast
- Site migration: 1 WordPress site for free, others $149.99 for 5 sites and 20 emails
- Payment methods: PayPal, credit cards
- Upsells: During signup and aggressive
- Account activation: Fast
- Domain: Free domain
5. Dreamhost
Dreamhost is known for its affordable monthly payment plan. It is perhaps the oldest web hosting services company on this list, it was founded in 1996.
Today, the company hosts more than 1.5 million websites, applications, and blogs in over100 countries.
However, Dreamhost pales in comparison against other top web hosting service providers in terms of speed and uptime, registering 1180 ms and 99.62% respectively.
But this company stands out in terms of the payment plan, offering an option of a monthly payment instead of yearly.
What this means is that you can start to use your hosting account straight away after signing up for $4.95.
There is also a 3-year plan that costs $2.59/mo with renewal charges of $4.95/mo.
If you go with the basic plan, you will enjoy a free domain, unlimited bandwidth, 1 website, and storage.
You will also get the drag-and-drop builder feature and can add an email for a small monthly fee of just $1.67/mo.
In terms of security, Dreamhost provides strong security features and an array of domain management tools as well as unlimited monthly data transfer.
Pros
- Monthly plans
- Unlimited bandwidth
- Uptime guaranteed
- Money-back guaranteed
Cons
- Poor uptime
- No c-panel
Quick Facts
- Upsells: Several upsells
- Money-back: Impressive 97-day money-back
- Domain: First-year free domain on all annual plans
- Payment methods: PayPal, credit card, checking account, money order, check
- Account activation: Fast
6. HostGator
Just like Dreamhost, HostGator is one of the biggest and oldest hosting companies today, registering an average uptime of 99.93%.
The basic plan features unlimited bandwidth, storage, a free domain for the first year as well as a free SSL certificate.
But if you want extra services, you will have to pay additional fees. Moreover, the company’s renewal rates tend to rise aggressively once your first plan expires.
If you are trying to migrate your site to this hosting, HostGator provides free site and c-panel migrations.
Just contact them after signing up within the first 30 days and they will help you move your site files, domain name, and databases.
Pros
- User-friendly for newbies
- Money-back guarantee
- Great customer support
- Impressive load time
Cons
- Lots of hidden fees
- Lower load time
Quick Facts
- Easy signup: Yes
- Domain: For the first year
- Money-back guarantee: 45-day
- Payment methods: PayPal, Credit Card
- Upsells: A lot of upsells that drive up the price
7. Liquid Web
Liquid Web hosting services have numerous global data centers and host more than 500,000 sites from all over the world.
The company offers Cloud, VPS, and service hosting, though share hosting is not offered by the company.
But without shared hosting, Liquid Web might not be ideal for small businesses since most of them prefer this plan as it is cost-effective.
Nevertheless, Liquid Web has a very decent uptime and easy interface that even beginners can use. It is comparatively affordable and is among the best in terms of load time in the industry.
The company also offers free site migrations as well as free email accounts, live chat support, free SSL security, and c-panel selection and dashboard.
Pros
- Free SSL security
- Site migration
- Free email
- Great uptime
Cons
- No shared hosting
- Expensive compared to other web hosting providers
Quick Facts
- Domain: No
- Payment methods: Discover credit cards, AMEX, PayPal, MasterCard, Visa, Wire, Check
- Upsells: No
- C-Panel & Dashboard: Plesk, c-Panel, and InterWorx control panels
- Money-Back: Prorated, thus you can cancel any time you wish
- Ease of Signup: Very easy
8. Kinsta
Kinsta is a web hosting company offering premium managed WordPress hosting supported by the Google Cloud.
It is loved by bloggers using WordPress because of its ease of use, quick page load, and decent uptime.
This hosting company is constantly evolving since it was launched a few years ago. They are known for being one of the fastest hosting service providers for WordPress sites as well as their personalized customer support.
With an uptime guarantee of 99.9%, this can be an ideal hosting provider for your new blog on WordPress.
Its cloud-based infrastructure was built for blazing speed and is fundamentally different from other dedicated or shared hosting providers.
Security features involve round-the-clock monitoring, hardware firewalls and SSL support, the name serves, and automatic updates of security patches.
Pros
- Offer daily backups
- Google Cloud servers
- Insane speed
- Impressive uptime
Cons
- Steep price
- No email hosting
Quick Facts
- Telephone support: No
- Uptime guaranteed: 99.9%
- Cloud-based infrastructure: Google Cloud servers
- Technical support: Yes
- Ease of setup: Simple
9. GoDaddy
GoDaddy is famous for its low prices and some impressive features. It is one of the most popular web hosting platforms in the industry as well as a domain registrar.
They have delivered high page speed and decent uptime over the past few years, offering over 150+ free integrations for sites and top-of-the-line customer support.
GoDaddy delivers an uptime of 99.94% on their shared hosting subscriptions.
The company also offers 125+ one-click installation applications, meaning you can install third-party integrations to your site if you wish with just a single click. This includes CMs like Joomla, WordPress, and Drupal.
It also features user-friendly tools such as MySQL, c-Panel, Python, CloudLinux, and several versions of PHP.
Pros
- Decent uptime
- Impressive load time
- Affordable pricing plans
- Domain registration
Cons
- High renewal rates
- Poor customer support
Quick Facts
- Money-back: 30-day money-back guarantee
- Free domain: For the first annual plan
- Web migration: Migration at a cost ($99.99 per site)
- Upsells: Lots of upsells
- Ease of signup: Extremely easy to signup
- Control panel & dashboard: C-panel
10. AWS Hosting
AWS, or Amazon Web Services, supports an array of operating systems and can run different services. The brand behind this platform has made AWS one of the most trusted and industry-leading web hosting and the ease of setup process means even beginners can use their services.
It is usually the number one option for most businesses and applications, thanks to its sheer number of tools and list of their-party integrations.
Few competing platforms can boast the features of AWS and its basic plan offering infrastructures such as Google Cloud Platform and IBM Cloud.
Pros
- Comprehensive products and features
- Supports Linux and Windows OS with a wide choice of server options
- Strong security
- Superior server support
Cons
- Difficult pricing
- Overwhelming for beginners
Quick Facts
- CMs: Supports WordPress, Joomla, Magento, and Drupal
- Stacks: LEMP, LAMP, Node.js, and MEAN
- Data centers: Worldwide
- Security & reliability: more secured
What is Web Hosting?
In a simple definition, web hosting is the practice of storing a website and its files on a web server. As a result, the hosting company makes the website files (images, code, etc.) available for online viewing.
There are six main types of web hosting, including shared hosting, virtual private server (VPS), cloud hosting, dedicated server hosting, colocation, and managed web hosting.
Shared Hosting:
This is where websites are hosted on the same servers and each website on that server shares resources. Good for starting out with your website since traffic is low when you first start. This is also great for bloggers.
Virtual Private Servers:
This takes one powerful server and it is split into many different virtual servers. This is better than shared hosting because with VPS you do not have to share RAM, data, or CPU with other websites. A bit more costly but worth it if you want your website to be faster.
Cloud Hosting:
Most companies offer what’s called a public cloud. This is where there is a collection of networked machines that will keep the data of a website and it will be done for several websites. You are sharing the hardware between many websites.
You don’t share disk space or processing power, the only thing you share is different data center rack space.
Dedicated Servers:
This is the costliest solution but it gives you the most control over your website. You have total control over the server or servers used to host your website. It’s a server or multiple servers dedicated to just your website, no one shares anything with you.
Colocation
This is a space where you can purchase the hardware and space to host your website. This is a data center where companies can buy the space needed to add their equipment. The business will buy the equipment and servers to put into the colocation facility.
The colocation facility maintains everything outside your rack area or your servers.
Managed Web Hosting
This is exactly like dedicated hosting where you have your own server but instead of you managing the server maintenance a company does it for you. The provider will do server patching, maintenance, monitor uptime, and will back up the server every day.
How do you Set Up Web Hosting?
You can set up your web hosting using the following simple steps:
- Compare hosting providers
- Choose the best hosting provider
- Chose to host plan
- Register domain name
- Complete your purchase
- Set a password
- Long into your c-Panel
Why Use Web Hosting
If you want your website to be accessed by people online, you need web hosting. This is basically a space on a web server where you can store all your website files.
How to Set Up WordPress Hosting
You can set up a WordPress hosting using these simple steps:
- Download WordPress
- Upload the file to your hosting
- Create user and MySQL database
- Complete the required details
- Run the installation
- Use Softaculous to install WordPress in c-Panel
Make sure you buy fast and reliable hosting for your WordPress website because speed helps traffic and rankings. You can check out Convesio for a great WordPress hosting provider.
More speed means you can publish more content, images, and videos on your website without slowing it down.
But the biggest advantage of faster web hosting is that you will earn more money.
FAQ
Q: What is web hosting used for?
A: Web hosting is used for storing your website files so that people can access them on the internet:
Q: What is a domain and how is it different than hosting?
A: A domain is simply the address of your site that users type in the search engine URL bar to visit your site. Hosting on the other hand allows users to access your website on the internet after you have stored the website files on a server.
Q: What is the fastest web hosting company?
A: Hostinger is known for being the fastest web hosting company with 136 ms.
Q: What is WordPress and how does it work with hosting?
A: WordPress is a software (CMS) used to publish blogs or websites. You can use your site on WordPress, thus you don’t need to pay for a hosting plan or manage a web server.
Q: Can Google host my website?
A: Yes, through Google Cloud web hosting.
Q: How much does it cost to do web hosting?
A: It depends on the hosting company and the hosting plan you choose, but it should cost you between $3 and $15 per month low end. The medium to high end will cost between $16 to hundreds a month. Depends on what hosting you decide to get. I have VPS and I pay around $30 a month but I have several websites.
Q: Do I need SSL for my website?
A: Yes, you will need SSL certificates for your website for the protection of your website, whether or not it hands sensitive data like credit cards.
Q: Is domain privacy needed when I buy my domain name?
A: No, as a website owner, you do not need to buy domain privacy because most domain registration companies like NameCheap don’t require your personal data to work. The service they provide hides your private details.
Q: Can I upgrade my hosting?
A: Yes, you can upgrade your hosting plan any time you need from your c-panel. Just locate the Upgrade menu depending on the hosting you are using, and choose the new plan you want.