Best Web Hosting Sites for Bloggers (2022)

Are you looking to start a blog, but can’t decide on a web hosting provider?

Maybe you already have a site but are looking for a new web hosting platform.

Either way, you can find answers to many of your questions right here.

It’s a tough choice to make since there are many different options available. Finding the right hosting service can take a lot of time. How do you know which is right for you?

In this article, you will learn how to make that decision by learning about the features, pros and cons, and a breakdown of the pricing structure for the most popular hosting sites. Keep in mind that the prices are subject to change.

Below is a detailed breakdown of the best sites available to host your blog or website.

Disclosure: This post may contain affiliate links. If you make a purchase through the links, I may receive a commission at no cost to you. Please read my disclaimer for further details.

Table of Contents

What to Look for in a Web Hosting Provider

Before learning about each service, it is helpful to know what you should be on the lookout for in web hosting services.

For any level, there are some essential factors to keep in mind.

1. Websites and Domains

If you have or plan to have multiple websites or domains, you’ll want to look for a plan with unlimited websites and domains in your plan.

It is much easier to manage multiple websites if they are all under the same provider and plan.

2. Storage

As your site grows, you don’t want to be limited by any storage limits. So it is best to look for a plan with the right amount of, or even unlimited, storage.

3. Bandwidth

Bandwidth is the amount of data transfer your site can handle at any given time. It is similar to the number of lanes on a highway.

Based on the size of your pages, any downloads, and the number of visitors at any given time, it is essential to have enough bandwidth so your site can handle the data transfer load.

Many plans offer unlimited bandwidth, but if they don’t, you’ll need to ensure you have enough for your site.

4. Uptime

Uptime is the amount of time that a server is up and running and keeps your webpages live. If your site goes down, it provides a bad experience for your visitors and can hurt your rankings.

Additionally, you may want to consider options for your site in case there is any downtime. Many content delivery networks (CDNs) will deliver a cached version of your website if your website is down for any reason.

5. Speed

Speed, or load time, is another essential feature. Excellent load time is what you should look for (you don’t want to lose readers or rankings because of slow loading).

Speed can be affected by several factors, including the type of hosting you have (shared vs. dedicated), equipment used to host your site, and your site’s design (plugins used, coding, theme).

You want to have a fast performing site to enhance your visitor’s experience.

6. Customer Support

Customer Support is another highly important attribute when choosing your web host provider. In situations when you need help, you will want access to quick, expert support.

Other Considerations for Choosing a Web Host Provider

As a beginner, you need to consider what type of blog or website you want to create, both now and for the future as well.

You will want a platform that is easy to set up, has a low learning curve and doesn’t require coding skills.

While you may not plan on selling products in the beginning, you might be planning on doing this in the future. So you want to ensure you pick the right host for your future needs as well.

For growing websites, you may need new features or want to change the look of your site. That is why a flexible web hosting service is vital for you to choose.

Picking the best web hosting site, in the beginning, is so crucial for your success.

Finally, you may desire to make money from your blog now or in the future, and it is a smart choice to ensure you have the option to do so. Monetizing your site is one of the main reasons you want to have a self-hosted website instead of having your blog on a site like wordpress.com or Blogger.

Being on a site like that will limit your monetization opportunities.

Keeping this information in mind, here is a list of the best web hosting sites available.

Best Web Hosting Sites

While there are many other web hosting platforms, below are the top sites we recommend.

Everyone’s needs are a little different, so you should compare the various features of each service to determine which is best suited for you.

1. Bluehost

Bluehost is one of the largest providers powering millions of websites. They offer secure and reliable hosting.

Founded in 2003, Bluehost has continually innovated new ways to empower people to harness the web.

Bluehost is a highly talked about web host. It has received high rankings for many of its features.

According to its website, Bluehost has remained a top trusted website host since 2005. Over 2 million sites use their platforms.

Bluehost focuses on all levels of innovation. They place a high priority on customer service, infrastructure, security, and a vast suite of web tools.

Bluehost has been a supporter of WordPress for over ten years. Their team includes dedicated WordPress experts and engineers.

Bluehost Benefits

All Bluehost plans offer 24/7 customer service by phone, email, or chat, unmetered bandwidth, and at least five email accounts. They provide a free domain for the first year and include backups, an SSL certificate, and improved security.

Bluehost maintains excellent uptime and fast speeds in load times. Their plans start as low as $2.95 per month. They have hosting plans for shared, cloud, virtual private servers (VPS), and dedicated servers.

Bluehost is an excellent choice for beginners. The control panel (cPanel) layout is simple and very user-friendly.

In most cases, all you need to do is point-and-click. There are more features available as well for advanced users. They even offer a 30-day money-back guarantee if you’re not completely satisfied with them.

Unfortunately, the one downside is they do not offer free site migration. If you are just starting and looking for your first web host, this shouldn’t be an issue.

They charge a one-time fee to migrate up to 5 websites, 20 email accounts, and any database files for the sites.

Bluehost has ranked at or close to the top for both uptime and load time. Furthermore, they offer excellent value with strong security support, user-friendly apps, and a money-back guarantee.

Delivering reliable performance and great value, Bluehost is a top hosting provider.

Features

Unlimited Bandwidth
Most Plans Include Unlimited Storage
Marketing Credits Available
Easy to Scale Up for Growth
Simple Domain Manager

Advantages

Cheap Introductory Price
Free SSL
Excellent Uptime
Fast Load Time
User-Friendly
Quick Customer Support
30-Day Money-Back Guarantee

Disadvantages

No Free Site Migrations

Pricing

Shared hosting plans typically range from $3.95 per month to $13.95 per month. These plans renew between $7.99 per month and $23.99 per month.

VPS hosting plans typically range from $19.99 per month to $59.99 per month. These plans renew between $29.99 per month and $119.99 per month.

Finally, dedicated hosting plans typically range from $79.99 per month to $119.99 per month. These plans renew between $119.99 per month and $299.99 per month.

Additionally, there are shared and managed WordPress plans which have similar pricing as the shared and VPS hosting plans above.

Get Started with Bluehost!

2. Kinsta

Kinsta was built specifically for WordPress, making site management easy. It is a step up from Bluehost, but it is more expensive.

Since they do not offer shared hosting, there is no overcrowding of the servers, creating a higher website performance and faster speeds.

Kinsta will constantly monitor sites and will reach out to you if they determine that you may need additional disk space. They offer features and tools that you won’t usually find with a host using cPanel.

Kinsta Web Hosting Benefits

Kinsta is a premium, fully managed WordPress hosting website. They offer fast load times, 24/7 expert support, and are scalable as needed for users. They host WordPress websites on the Google Cloud Platform and have 20 global server locations.

Kinsta offers automatic daily WordPress website backups. They offer a staging site where you can test new plugins, code edits, and website customizations before publishing them.

Kinsta is a bit more technical than the typical host provider, making it an excellent choice for more experienced users and developers.

Kinsta offers a free SSL certificate, enhanced security, backups, free site migrations, and 24/7 live chat support. There is no email service or phone support included in their plans.

Kinsta is fast and has excellent uptime. Their pricing is not cheap, but they offer a full 30-day money-back guarantee if you are not satisfied. They are a good option for anyone, with easy to use options for beginners and more advanced options for experienced users.

Features

High-Security Network
High-Speed Guarantee
Free Site Migrations
Uptime Checks Every 2 Minutes
Excellent Reaction Time
User and Developer Friendly
Add-Ons For Any Plan

Advantages

Great Uptime
Great Load Time
Good Customer Support
Easy Learning Curve

Disadvantages

High Price
No Email Hosting
No Phone Support

Pricing

Kinsta has a Start plan with a single WordPress install for $30 per month. The Pro plan is available for $60 per month and includes two WordPress installs.

Additionally, Business and Enterprise plans are available, ranging from $100 per month to $1,500 per month.

For all of Kinsta’s plans, you receive two months free if you pay yearly.

Get Started with Kinsta!

3. SiteGround

SiteGround hosts around 2 million domains and they have a customer satisfaction rate of 98% and have been increasing it every year for the past five years.

SiteGround’s hosting services are created for top speeds, high security, and fast and expert support. They often rank near the top for the best hosting servers available.

SiteGround has good performance and near excellent uptime. Their load time is above average at fast speeds.

SiteGround Benefits

SiteGround offers phone support and a 24/7 live chat option for customer support with very few delays in responses. They provide free site migration for one website.

If you are migrating a WordPress website, they have a free plugin that allows you to do next to little work and lets you migrate as many sites as you would like to with this option.

SiteGround gives you a free SSL certificate and CDN with all plan options. Their servers spread out over three continents to keep load times fast and provide an excellent customer experience.

They have user-friendly features for beginners, most needing only a few clicks to accomplish your tasks.

For more experienced users and developers, they also offer more advanced features to use. They provide an AI-bot prevention tool to all users to try to prevent new attacks before they hit.

SiteGround has a 99.9% uptime guarantee as well as a 30-day money-back guarantee on all shared hosting plans. Their cloud, VPS, and dedicated servers come with a 15-day money-back guarantee.

Unlike most web host providers, they offer an option to pay monthly, but you do have a one-time “Setup Fee” to begin monthly payments. Also, they don’t provide a free domain name.

SiteGround has reliable uptime and load times with their guarantees backing them. Pricing options are reasonable in comparison to other providers. They are a good option for anyone looking for a first or new web host.

Features

Free Website Transfer
Collaboration Tools Available
High Security
Fully-Managed Service

Advantages

Excellent Uptime
Fast Customer Support
Free Site Migration
Easy Learning Curve

Disadvantages

Limited Storage
Monthly Billing Fee

Pricing

Shared and managed WordPress hosting starts at $3.95 per month, going up to $11.95 per month. The plans renew between $11.95 per month and $34.95 per month.

Managed cloud hosting starts at $80 per month. And dedicated hosting ranges from $269 per month to $729 per month.

Get Started with SiteGround!

4. WPX Hosting

WPX Hosting has three main objectives: speed, support, and simplicity in all areas. They use brand new high-spec SSD servers and deliberately keep them underloaded for outstanding performance under heavy traffic.

WPX Hosting’s support team is available, like many others, at any time anywhere in the world. They also use a custom-built, jargon-free, simple user admin panel for easy and fast functionality.

WPX Hosting offers many great and unlimited features. They have a pretty good load time and uptime.

Additionally, they do free daily site backups and offer free site migration.

WPX Hosting Benefits

WPX Hosting has a developer-friendly dashboard that is still easy for beginners to learn. For customer support, they offer a knowledge database, help desk tickets, and 24/7 live chat support.

The base plan allows you to host up to 5 websites. They are on the pricey side; however, there are many features included in all of their plans. They also offer a 30-day money-back guarantee if you have any issues.

All WPX Hosting plans come with free email service and an SSL certificate.

WPX Hosting is dedicated to WordPress hosting that’s fast and easy to learn. They are a good option for anyone looking to level to their WordPress website.

Features

Free Site Migration
Up to 5 WordPress Websites For Entry Level Hosting

Advantages

Good Load Time
Good Customer Support
Easy Learning Curve
Free SSL

Disadvantages

High Price
WordPress Hosting Only
Limited Storage
No Phone Support

Pricing

WPX Hosting managed plans range from $24.99 per month to $99 per month if paid monthly. If you opt to pay yearly, the plans are between $20.83 per month and $83.25 per month.

Get Started with WPX Hosting!

5. WP Engine

WP Engine is a high-quality host that focuses only on WordPress. They have excellent uptime, daily backups, high security, threat detection, and many other features.

All of their plans come with a CDN for fast load times, the ability to test site changes in a non-public environment, and software to transfer and store large amounts of data.

WP Engine focuses on creating and delivering breakthrough digital experiences on WordPress to drive your business forward fast. They use powerful technology to provide you with award-winning service.

Since they only host WordPress websites, they have a vast knowledge of the platform and the technologies required for smooth and secure operations.

WP Engine does not offer the traditional shared, VPS, or dedicated hosting options. They are specifically designed for WordPress with easy to create pages, posts, and galleries. They automate many functions, such as daily site backups and plugin updates.

WP Engine does not offer email or register domain names. They do, however, have many e-commerce and email marketing tools available. They also provide a free SSL certificate and perform daily malware scans and firewall updates.

WP Engine Benefits

Every WP Engine plan except for the Startup plan comes with 24/7 phone support. The Startup plan’s phone support is only available during certain hours of the day. All plans do come with 24/7 live chat customer support.

WP Engine’s setup process can be a bit more complicated than other hosts that use a traditional cPanel. More experienced users should have little or no difficulties.

If you are brand new to hosting companies, WP Engine is not impossible but can be a bit tricky to navigate. They have been improving the setup process and made it a little cleaner than it used to be, but it’s still very custom.

WP Engine offers a 60-day money-back guarantee if you’re not completely satisfied with them. They are a bit more pricy than typical website hosts, but they offer many great options and high security.

WP Engine is a good option for those looking to build a WordPress powered website.

Features

Supports Auto Migration
Automated Backups
Activity Log Available
Easy Design Tools Available
High Security

Advantages

Great Customer Service
Good Load Time
Free SSL

Disadvantages

High Cost
Only for WordPress Platforms
Limited Additional Features

Pricing

WP Engine’s managed WordPress hosting starts at $25 per month for the base plan going up to $241.67 per month for their top plan. Those include a discount for paying yearly.

If you prefer to pay on a month to month basis, prices range from $30 per month to $290 per month.

Get Started with WP Engine!

6. HostGator

HostGator is a leading provider of easy and secure hosting services and serves thousands of customers each day. They are one of the biggest and oldest companies in the industry and are continually making improvements to their services.

All plans come with many free and unlimited features and excellent customer service. They also offer free site migration.

HostGator is committed to providing its customers with one of the best hosting solutions available. They have one of the most accessible hosting platforms to use. Their Website Builder features a drag-and-drop feature to craft your website.

HostGator Benefits

HostGator has a stable uptime, with a guarantee of 99.9%. If they drop below that percentage, you can receive a one-month credit on your account.

HostGator provides many support options, including a vast knowledge database, phone, email, and live chat support.

HostGator offers a full 45-day money-back guarantee if you have any issues with any plan except for the dedicated server plans. Their shared hosting plans are relatively basic in comparison to other host providers.

However, they do offer extra security and spam features for your website and email account for an additional fee.

HostGator offers free site migration for one website and will help you move your data over to their server, including a full cPanel transfer. They are also very user-friendly for beginners. They have tutorials and walkthroughs to help you set up and manage your site.

HostGator offers one-click installations on many popular apps, unmetered bandwidth, unlimited storage, and a free SSL certificate with all of their plans.

Most extra features offered have a fee to use them, such as backups, email accounts, and SEO tools.

Load time has been proven to be slower than average by some users. The slower load time can prove frustrating for any user. Plans start at $2.75 per month for a 36-month commitment.

HostGator does offer a lot of benefits and continually works on improving uptime. They have excellent customer service and many beginner-friendly options.

Although there are some extra fees for additional tools, HostGator can be a good option for anyone, especially beginners.

Features

Unlimited Bandwidth
Free Website Transfer
Marketing Credits Available
Simple Website Statistics
Weekly Backups
Hosting Options for Many Platforms

Advantages

Good Uptime
Fast Load Time
Free Site Migration
Unlimited Bandwidth/Storage Limit
Unlimited Email Accounts
45-Day Money-Back Guarantee
Free SSL

Disadvantages

High Renewal Cost

Pricing

Shared web hosting plans start as low as $2.75 per month, going up to $5.95 per month. Those prices are at a 60% discount from renewal costs.

Managed WordPress hosting plans range from $5.95 per month to $9.95 per month. These prices are discounted 40-57% from renewal costs as well.

VPS hosting plans range from $29.95 per month to $49.95 per month. These prices are discounted up to 75% from renewal costs as well.

And dedicated hosting plans range from $118.99 per month to $148.98 per month. These prices are discounted 37-48% from renewal costs as well.

Get Started with HostGator!

7. DreamHost

DreamHost guarantees its customer’s websites load fast, stay secure, and have 100% uptime. They host over 1.5 million sites and have excellent performance.

DreamHost’s main plans come with many features, unlimited bandwidth, and disk space. They also offer an impressive full 97-day money-back guarantee.

DreamHost has nearly 20 years of hosting experience. They are an employee-owned company and focus on the needs of their users.

Dreamhost focuses on strong website security and privacy. They also provide open source solutions when possible.

DreamHost Benefits

DreamHost has above average load time and uptime with many unlimited features. With a 100% uptime guarantee, you are sure to be covered in that area.

DreamHost wants to make sure you are delighted with their company, so they give you a full 97 days to try a shared hosting plan with their money-back guarantee. DreamPress plans have a 30-day money-back guarantee.

DreamHost’s Shared Started plan starts at just $2.59 per month and comes with a lot of great features.

All shared plans include one website with a free domain name, an SSL certificate, unlimited storage, and unmetered bandwidth. WordPress comes pre-installed, which is a great feature for beginners.

DreamHost aims to be carbon neutral as much as possible. They also let you keep your introductory price when it is time to renew, unlike many other host providers.

DreamHost has a good knowledge database and discussion forms for you to use. They also offer limited live chat support.

Dreamhost doesn’t use a traditional cPanel but instead has created its own panel. They charge a one-time migration fee to move your site to their server.

DreamHost has pretty good performance, high limits, and many unlimited options available. Many beginners are satisfied with this company.

Features

Custom Control Panel
Guaranteed Security
Employee Owned Company
Open Source

Advantages

Unlimited Bandwidth
Excellent Customer Support
97-Day Money-Back Guarantee
Carbon Neutral

Disadvantages

No cPanel
Possibly a Delayed Setup

Pricing

DreamHost has two shared hosting plans. These plans range from $2.95 per month to $10.95 per month based on the plan and billing frequency, which ranges from monthly to 3 years.

There are three managed WordPress plans ranging from $16.95 per month to $79.95 per month based on the plan and billing frequency, which ranges from monthly to yearly.

The four VPS plans range from $10 per month to $120 per month based on the plan and billing frequency, which ranges from monthly to 3 years.

Additionally, DreamHost has two fully-managed dedicated server hosting plans ranging from $149 per month to $299 per month based on the plan and billing frequency, which ranges from monthly to yearly.

Get Started with DreamHost!

8. Hostinger

Hostinger is one of the cheapest shared hosting providers available. They have had a fast and high growth in just over ten years.

Additionally, they offer many unlimited and free features for their users.

Hostinger is optimized for WordPress. They are one of the cheapest hosts you can get.

Hostinger focuses on making it as easy as possible for novice users to pick up the basics as they continue to use their service. They also offer more advanced hosting packages suitable for experienced developers.

Hostinger Benefits

Hostinger has relatively good uptime and fast load time. They have servers on three continents to ensure that load times remain stable and quicker than the industry average.

Hostinger offers a 30-day money-back guarantee if you have any issues with them. They provide a multilingual customer support team and live chat 24/7 for customers.

Hostinger also includes tutorials and a vast knowledge base with short articles so you can find information and answers by yourself if you choose to do so.

The interface is modern and easy to use for both beginners and pros. They don’t use a traditional cPanel, but they do make it simple to navigate.

Their large featured icons make this an excellent option for beginners who are still learning the process, but it may be a fault for more advanced users.

Hostinger’s top two plans offer unlimited email accounts, accessible from the control panel with many great features included. All plans except for the “Single Web Hosting” plan offers unlimited databases and unmetered bandwidth.

Plans start at just $.80 per month. To get that incredible price, you must commit to them for 48 months, and after those months, the renewal price goes up to $7.99 per month.

Free domains are included in only the Premium and Business hosting plans, and they don’t offer dedicated servers.

Hostinger provides excellent speed and great prices. They have good uptime on average. The entry-level plan doesn’t offer many unlimited or free options, unlike the rest of their plans available.

With a 30-day money-back guarantee and 24/7 customer service, this is a good option for anyone, especially beginners.

Features

Powerful Control Panel
Weekly Backups
Unlimited Web Hosting Features
Optimized for WordPress

Advantages

Cheap Plans Available
Fast Load Time
Free Domain Name
Multiple Datacenters
30 Days Money Back

Disadvantages

No SSL Included

Pricing

Hostinger has three shared hosting plans. These plans range from $0.80 per month to $3.45 per month, renewing at $7.99 per month to $15.95 per month.

Six VPS plans range from $3.95 per month to $29.95 per month and renew at $9.95 per month to $129.95 per month.

Additionally, Hostinger offers three cloud hosting plans starting from $7.45 per month to $27.45 per month, renewing at $29 per month to $130 per month

Get Started with Hostinger!

9. Liquid Web

Liquid Web has been serving customers for more than 22 years and has excellent customer loyalty. They serve more than 30,000 customers in over 130 countries with about 1 million websites.

Liquid Web does not have a shared hosting option so that they can focus on growing businesses and the groups that create for them. Their products are designed specifically for mission-critical sites, stores, and applications.

Whether you have a big or small site, they are dedicated to helping you grow your website.

Liquid Web is a leader in managed hosting.

Liquid Web Benefits

Liquid Web offers excellent dedicated, VPS, and cloud hosting options. They have excellent customer service and excellent uptime and load time. All plans include free daily backups.

Liquid Web does not offer shared hosting and is more expensive than its competitors. Still, they are flexible in their options and have great features available such as an SSL certificate, firewalls, and malware removal for a fee.

Liquid Web offers a 30-day money-back guarantee.

They may be more expensive, but they are one of the most potent hosts available, making them an excellent choice for those looking to grow their website.

It may not be an ideal host to start with, but if you have big plans for growth, you should consider them.

Features

Storage and Backup Services Available
Excellent Website Security
Data Protection
Routine Backups
Easy Scalability for Growth

Advantages

Hosts Well Known Brand Names
High Security
Good Uptime
Good Load Time
Great Customer Service

Disadvantages

No Shared Servers
High Price
Few Reviews

Pricing

Liquid Web offers four managed WordPress plans ranging from $29 per month to $149 per month. You receive two months free with an annual plan.

Four VPS plans range from $29 per month to $189 per month, depending on the plan and monthly vs. annual payments.

Liquid Web’s managed dedicated hosting plans range from $149 per month to $699 per month. Pricing varies based on the payment plan (annual or monthly), CPU configuration (single or dual), and operating system (Linux or Windows).

Additionally, three cloud dedicated plans are available, ranging from $109 per month to $299 per month based on plan and billing frequency.

Get Started with Liquid Web!

10. InMotion

InMotion has a mantra to exceed your expectations. They value having a reliable network, an award-winning support staff, and a money-back guarantee.

InMotion has a loyal customer base of over 300,000 domains. They ensure you will get high-quality US-based support, a transparent server status page, and a reliable network anywhere in the world.

InMotion purchases top of the line servers from Dell instead of piecing together their own web servers.

They are committed to eco-friendly policies. They make an effort to improve their carbon footprint in their data centers as well as in-office efforts to reduce waste, increase recycling, and stop the use of paper products whenever possible.

InMotion is a large company and has had enormous growth over the past 15 years and claim to be number one in transfers, support, and industry guarantee.

They perform well in all main areas.

InMotion Benefits

InMotion has excellent and consistent uptime and fast load time.

InMotion has excellent customer service and a 90-day money-back guarantee. They support open-source projects and have a portfolio of over 310 popular applications.

InMotion offers a free site transfer and is excellent for e-commerce support. They do free data backups, give you a free SSL certificate, and integrate easily with Google apps.

High-security options are included in all of their plans.

InMotion has stable uptime, fast load time, and excellent support. This is an excellent option for those willing to spend a little extra to get great features.

Features

Open Source
Easy Scalability for Growth
Secure Servers
Free Domain for Any Plan
Google Apps Integration

Advantages

Excellent Customer Service
Unlimited Storage Space
Free SSL
90-Day Guarantee

Disadvantages

No Windows Servers

Pricing

InMotion has three shared hosting plans ranging from $6.39 per month to $14.71 per month, renewing at $7.99 per month to $15.99 per month.

InMotion has four managed WordPress hosting plans ranging from $6.99 per month to $19.99 per month, renewing at $8.99 per month to $32.99 per month.

Three managed VPS hosting plans range from $34.19 per month to $74.34 per month, and renew at $44.99 per month to $149.99 per month.

Additionally, InMotion has three Cloud VPS hosting plans ranging from $21.04 per month to $69.34 per month, renewing at $34.99 per month to $144.99 per month.

Finally, InMotion offers six dedicated hosting plans ranging from $105.69 per month to $519.49 per month, renewing at $159.99 per month to $559.99 per month.

Get Started with InMotion!

11. Namecheap

Namecheap has a mission to keep the Internet open, free, and safe for everyone. They use industry-premium products and services to provide you with a great website experience at low prices.

All of their web hosting products come with powerful tools and excellent security.

Namecheap offers a free domain and site migration. They have a full 30-day money-back guarantee and a fully-loaded value plan with excellent reviews.

Namecheap’s uptime isn’t the best available. The load time is about the same, but continually improving. They have a full FAQ section and limited live chat support.

Namecheap is a good option for beginners looking for a budget-friendly plan.

Features

SSD Storage
Free Website Builder
WordPress and cPanel
24/7 Customer Support

Advantages

Free Domain
Free Site Migration
30-Day Money-Back Guarantee
Free SSL for the First Year
Unlimited Bandwidth
Allow Multiple Websites

Disadvantages

Lower Uptime
Slower Load Time
Unreliable Customer Service

Pricing

Shared hosting ranges from $1.44 per month to $4.44 per month if billed annually. Monthly rates are $2.88 per month to $8.88 per month.

Managed WordPress hosting ranges from $3.88 per month to $11.88 per month.

VPS hosting ranges from $11.88 per month to $19.88 per month.

And three dedicated hosting plans range from $40.88 per month to $157.88 per month.

Get Started with Namecheap!

12. GoDaddy

GoDaddy has stable uptime and fast load time. They offer ample storage, unmetered bandwidth in their basic plan, and provide 24/7 technical support.

Additionally, they also provide many extra features for an additional fee.

GoDaddy is a seven-time winner of the “Exceptional Customer Service” Stevie Award and has helped nearly 19 million people get their website online. Their platform offers an all in one place to do everything you need from your website to your SSL.

GoDaddy Benefits

GoDaddy has above average uptime, as well as excellent load time. They offer many one-click installations for over 125 of the most popular applications available. They also include many developer-friendly options and tools to use. Their choices are well-suited for everyone, from beginners to tech-savvy advanced users.

Their plans start at just $5.99 per month and come with a lot of value. The basic plan included up to 100 GB of storage, unmetered bandwidth, a free domain name, and a free business email for the first year.

GoDaddy does not offer a free SSL certificate, backups, security, or site migration with their basic plans. If you do need a site migration, there is a one-time fee and a 7-10 day wait for it to be completed. They offer a money-back guarantee, but it has limitations detailed in their terms.

GoDaddy offers 24/7 phone customer support and limited live chat support during certain hours of the day. They have decent performance, but most extras will cost a fee. They are an excellent choice for anyone who is looking for adequate speed and uptime.

Features

Easy to Scale Up for Growth
Excellent Security
Unlimited Bandwidth
Automatic Backups
Simple File Manager

Advantages

Good Uptime
Fast Load Time
Multiple Features Available
Popular Brand

Disadvantages

Low Rated Customer Support
Extra costs for Emails, Backups, and SSL

Pricing

GoDaddy has four shared hosting plans ranging from $5.99 per month to $19.99 per month, renewing at $8.99 per month to $24.99 per month.

The four managed WordPress hosting plans range from $6.99 per month to $15.99 per month and renew at $9.99 per month to $24.99 per month.

GoDaddy has four VPS hosting plans ranging from $24.99 per month to $54.99 per month, renewing at the same price.

Also, GoDaddy has four dedicated hosting plans ranging from $89.99 per month to $179.99 per month, renewing at $169.99 per month to $349.99 per month.

Get Started with GoDaddy!

13. Domain.com

Domain.com has been helping customers since 2000. They aim to provide innovative products and services at a great value.

All plans come with a free domain name, a free SSL certificate, unmetered bandwidth, unlimited storage, and excellent customer support. Domain.com provides many e-commerce solutions and marketing tools.

Domain.com’s uptime is decent as well as their load time. They are continually working to improve both of these aspects. With plans starting at just $3.75 per month, they are budget-friendly.

Domain.com has no uptime guarantee and limited server options, offering only shared and WordPress servers. There are also no discounts for the first term, as with many other hosts.

Domain.com is an excellent choice for anyone who wants a budget-friendly beginner option or more experienced users looking for additional features.

Features

Free Domain Name
eCommerce Solutions
Marketing Tools Included
Excellent Customer Support

Advantages

Easy Learning Curve
Free SSL
Unlimited Bandwidth/Storage Space
Additional Features Available

Disadvantages

No Uptime Guarantee
Limited Server Options
No Discounts

Pricing

Domain.com only offers shared and managed WordPress hosting.

Shared hosting ranges from $3.75 per month to $13.75 per month.

Managed WordPress hosting ranges from $3.75 to $6.95 per month.

Get Started with Domain.com!

Frequently Asked Questions About Web Hosting

What is a web hosting service?

In short, they are the services you use to store the data for your site. Every online website has a host server. Not all web hosts provide the same level of quality, though. Generally, you can pay more for faster data transfers and unlimited bandwidth. For smaller websites, a cheaper option is usually fine. For companies with high traffic sites, a more advanced option may be a better choice.

What are the different kinds of web hosting?

There are four main types of web hosts:

1. Shared Hosting
The hosting provider owns and rents out server space where your website data is stored. It gives bloggers and website owners space on a server that also hosts data for other sites.
Shared hosting plans generally offer smaller amounts of storage, and you may have to deal with other sites taking a lot of bandwidth. With that being said, it is most often the cheapest solution while still having access to many additional features for your website.

Shared WordPress Hosting
You can install and run WordPress on your own site’s cPanel as part of this basic hosting package. Similar to shared hosting listed above, this option comes with many general hosting services and basic customer service. It can be an affordable option, but may not meet the needs of many users looking for high speeds, great support, and excellent security.

Managed WordPress Hosting
This option focuses specifically on WordPress itself. Every aspect of this service is aimed toward helping users maximize reach for any level of website that they own.
You might share server space with other users, but it is typically only a small group of WordPress users, rather than thousands of websites running on different platforms. This is an excellent option for WordPress site owners who are looking for high speed, security, and support in a hosting package.

2. VPS (Virtual Private Server) Hosting
Similar to shared hosting, VPS hosting comes on a shared server space with multiple sites on a single server. The difference is each site uses a separate operating system. This allows hosts to offer many of the same benefits as dedicated hosting for a lower price. Your VPS hosting company may cost more than other options, and you still may have to deal with the occasional bandwidth issues.

3. Dedicated Hosting
With dedicated hosting, your website gets an entire server to itself. You never have to worry about other sites causing bandwidth or traffic issues. You get excellent security and high performance. However, this is typically the most expensive option. Unless your website gets thousands of views per day, a different type of web hosting is probably better for you.

4. Cloud-Based Hosting
This option gives your site high uptime, so your visitors will rarely have trouble loading your website pages. Your website lives on multiple servers that continuously communicate with each other and act as a single system.
It also provides faster speeds and better security than shared hosting. You also can upgrade the amount of space you have at any time.

Other Options
There are a couple of other options for web hosting. They are a bit more technical, so they are not for beginners.

Colocated Web Hosting
You rent space from a data center where you install your own server hardware.
While the data center operator provides utilities and security, you are responsible for your equipment, storage, software, etc.

Self Service Web Hosting
You are responsible for everything. In essence, you build your own data center and are responsible for everything.
From an operations perspective, it is similar to colocation, but you have to provide all of the logistics around your equipment as well.

Can I get web hosting for free?

Yes, there are free web hosts available, but they are not recommended and have quite a few limitations.
You most likely won’t own your blog or website with free hosting, which means you won’t be able to fully control the site or add new features without paying expensive fees.
Additionally, you would have minimal design options and are usually stuck with whatever the free host offers, making your site look similar to many others. Also, a free web host is bad for branding.
Having your own domain name is very important for building up your brand and gaining Google rankings.
Finally, if you intend to monetize your site, not having your own self-hosted site is going to impact your ability to make money. And any money you do make on a free site will likely be shared with the provider.

Can I switch web hosting companies?

Yes, although a few hosts make migrating more of a complicated task than others, many hosts offer free assistance with switching to them from a different hosting provider.
If that is not an option for you, there are still steps you can take to make the switch yourself. You should first choose a new hosting service before canceling your current provider.
Make sure to back up all of your website files and databases. Your DNS (domain name system) server will change, so be sure to switch your domain’s DNS record to your new host and conduct final quality control.
After that, you will be ready to cancel your old account and be up and running with your new web host provider.

Related:

Summary of Best Web Host Providers

The best way to find the right hosting service for your needs is to understand if each provider focuses on either beginners or experts, the cost, the customization offered, and whether it will meet the needs of your audience.

Remember that generally, it can be easy to switch hosts in most cases, so starting with a simple option is excellent for newer website owners. Professionals can easily find hosts to meet their needs with more advanced options available. This guide is an excellent start on your quest to finding the best web hosting company for you.

Are you looking for a new web host provider? Which ones are you considering? Are there any questions you have that we didn’t answer? Please share in the comments below.