While it is not completely about your chosen web hosting provider, such a factor can make or break your online business. It plays a significant role in giving your customers or readers an up to par web experience, particularly if you are handling an e-commerce site. As such, aspiring entrepreneurs and web owners must carefully choose which provider matches their website needs.
That being said, it is the very reason why I created this guide. I chose ten (10) web hosting solutions that, in my opinion, are industry leaders and can provide the requirements a typical entrepreneur or web enthusiast needs to kickstart a digital venture.
But before we start, the following are the aspects I use to weigh in each web host:
- Uptime score
- Overall speed performance
- Cost and value for money
- Customer support
- Features
Hostinger – Overall Best Web Host
While it may not have the most advanced technologies its rivals offer, Hostinger delivers an almost perfect web hosting service—whether it be its easy-to-use tools or its fast page loading speed. It is also known for its cheap plans and noob-friendly user interface catering mainly for beginners. In fact, it claims to “make life easier for web developers as well as their customers.”
But not only that. Its hosting programs are comparatively cheap as well! Hence, I chose it as the Overall Best Web Host among the ten providers I pooled.
To put things in perspective, here are a couple of pros and cons:
| The Pros | The Cons |
| Above-average server speed (an average of 1.0 second) | No free domain |
| Low-cost web hosting plans | Average uptime score |
| 24/7 customer support | |
| Free website builder | |
| A suite of beginner-friendly tools | |
What makes it different?
The web hosting company has several unique and commendable features. But if there are a couple of technologies and features that set it apart from its rivals, I believe it would be the following:
Features
Hostinger’s unique features are usually its creations. Its control panel, for example, is company-developed. In other words, it is not using the traditional cPanel which many web hosting solutions are using.
It also developed its own web building tool—similar to Elementor and the likes—which they give to its customers for FREE. That way, users would not need to purchase a separate website building tool.
Performance
Another remarkable aspect that makes it stand out is its above-average server speed. While its uptime performance delivered a not-so-impressive score, its overall speed is top tier. I test a page hosted by Hostinger, and its average loading speed (based on GTmetrix) is 1.56 seconds. Such a score is high enough already, yet it still delivered better numbers and topped it off with 1.0 second.
Price
But what truly sets it apart from its competitors is it’s unbelievably cheap web hosting plans. Its basic plan, for example, costs around 0.99$ per month only. And that is an absolute deal given its features and overall speed performance!
And that is also the very reason why many web enthusiasts strongly recommend it for beginners as well as those who are on a tight budget and looking to save money. The web host’s offer is like a complete hosting package created specifically for those who are starting only.
All in all, Hostinger exhibits traits that many—both beginners and veteran web enthusiasts—find commendable.
SiteGround – Best in Quality
When it comes to quality, SiteGround ranks first on our list. It is known as a premium web hosting solution providing numerous advanced and quality technologies that are, unfortunately, not available in other web hosting companies.
The web host offers a variety of web hosting solutions including managed WordPress host and VPS hosting. An excellent tool for folks who wish to dip into online selling and digital marketing.
However, it sells itself mainly as a premium managed WordPress hosting provider. In fact, the web host is an official partner of WordPress.org, which ultimately helps its services better by giving the customer an environment that is specific to their chosen content management system (CMS).
Having said that, here are some of the tools and features it offers as well as a couple of disadvantages.
| The Pros | The Cons |
| 100% uptime guarantee | Pricey hosting programs |
| Scalable web hosting plans | No unlimited storage for data |
| Provides advanced security technologies | No free domain |
| An official WordPress partner | |
| | |
What makes it different?
The majority of the web hosting company features and tools are just as similar as what other web hosting providers have. But if there are a couple of technologies and features that set it apart from its rivals, I believe it would be the following:
Features
- Google Cloud Platform. GCP is a collection of cloud computing services that runs on the same system that Google uses. It provides advanced and high-calibre cloud services including data analytics, computing, machine learning, and also a set of management tools.
Thus, if a web host utilizes the same infrastructure Google is using, then it is guaranteed that your webpage’s overall speed and uptime performance is great. In fact, large firms like Coca-Cola, and HTC are using it. - Scalable web hosting plans. A scalable web host solution means it can take a sudden influx of web traffic without leaving your site down. It is a great feature for popular web pages and is constantly receiving a high number of visitors every day.
- Speed-boosting tools. SiteGround is packed with speed-enhancing tools and infrastructure. It has, for instance, multiple data centers across the globe. It uses Ultrafast PHP and protocols like HTTP/2, QUIC, and TLS 1.3.
Performance
In terms of its uptime performance, the web host guarantees to deliver a perfect uptime score of 100%. And per the test result I conducted through UptimeRobot, a page hosted by SiteGround delivered exactly what the provider promised, which is a perfect score of 100%.
Its overall speed, on the one hand, is not as impressive as its uptime. I ran two website tests using GTmetrix and Sucuri Load Time and here are the results:
- GTmetrix. The average loading speed is 2.02 seconds. The fastest loading time is 1.4 seconds while the slowest is 2.5 seconds.
- Sucuri Load Time. Global average loading time hit 1.436 seconds. The fastest speed is 0.64 seconds (specifically in North America and Amsterdam) while the slowest is 3.244 seconds (in Singapore and India).
Price
When it comes to its prices, on the other hand, do take note that a premium and quality web hosting service is not free nor low-cost. Thus, if you wish to take advantage of SiteGround’s perks, make sure that you have the budget to afford them.
Its basic plan, for instance, starts at $7 per month. Such a drawback also makes the web host impractical for some, but particularly for beginners.
Customer Support
Fortunately, the web host understands how crucial customer support is for web owners. It created a user-friendly system that is now acknowledged as the fastest and most reliable customer service with nearly 100% satisfaction rates.
Users can reach any of its representatives through five different channels: email, live chat, phone calls, and email request. All channels are open 24/7 as well so that when users encounter technical issues, the team could fix them immediately.
Kinsta – Best Managed WordPress Hosting
Kinsta, a provider known for its fully managed WordPress hosting plan, is a web hosting solution mainly for small to medium-sized businesses. Its arsenal is packed with premium technologies—both basic and advanced—tailored for beginners, veterans, but most importantly for users with a WordPress site.
Kinsta also has a suite of tools developed specifically for web developers for those who need a well-customized site.
Sounds promising, right?
It indeed does. However, the catch is that quality features do not come cheap. And Kinsta’s cheapest and basic plan costs around 30$. And that is more than ten times the amount of what other web hosting services offer!
But before we moved on and talk about that, here are some of Kinsta’s perks and disadvantages first:
| The Pros | The Cons |
| 100% uptime score | Limited plugins |
| WordPress-oriented tools and features | No free domain |
| Built-for-speed network infrastructure | Pricey web hosting plans |
| Scalable plans | |
| Developer-friendly tools | |
What makes it different?
Kinsta itself is what makes it stand out from other web hosts. It is because, while other providers offer a variety of hosting solutions, Kinsta stuck to giving fully managed WordPress plans only. However, if there are a couple of features that I think makes the web hosting company unique, it would be its (a) network infrastructure, (b) developer-oriented tools, and (c) its 100% uptime score.
Here’s why:
Features
- Google Cloud Platform. Kinsta uses Google Cloud Platform, the infrastructure used by big brands like Spotify and Coca-Cola, but mainly by Google. It is a series of cloud computing services that run on the same network Google uses. It provides advanced cloud services such as machine learning, data analytics, and computing.
As such, if your website is hosted by Kinsta, you can expect that your site’s overall speed and uptime is excellent. - Developer-friendly tools. Another feature that makes Kinsta worth-a-try compared to others is its developer-oriented tools. Web hosting companies typically would offer tools built for beginners and often neglect. Hence, it is quite a surprise for a web hosting provider to integrate tools that are familiar to professional web creators.
- Highly scalable. An auto-scaling feature means that Kinsta’s infrastructure is built to handle a sudden influx of web traffic. It uses a remote software container technology that allows and automatically designates hardware resources to each container using its virtual machines if the situation demands it.
Performance
Kinsta took its speed and uptime performance seriously as both delivered impressive numbers.
I ran an uptime test for Kinsta and surprisingly, it delivered a perfect 100%. Technically, it means that a page supported by the web host is always available online. Although downtime due to scheduled server maintenance and other technical issues that are beyond the web host’s control is still unavoidable. On the brighter side, when such a situation arises, Kinsta gives a 5% compensation off your bill.
In terms of the web host’s page loading speed, I ran two website tests using GTmetrix and Sucuri Load Time Tester. Here are the results:
- GTmetrix. The average loading time is 1.2 seconds. The fastest is a whopping 0.8 seconds while the slowest is 1.6 seconds—which, for me, is still fast enough.
- Sucuri Load Time. The average loading speed is 0.631 seconds. The fastest loading time recorded, on the other hand, is 0.144 seconds while the slowest is 2.033 seconds.
Price
As mentioned, premium tools do not come cheap, and that includes Kinsta’s suite of technologies. In fact, it is also known in the industry as one of the most expensive web host services.
Its basic plan, for example, costs around 30$ per month. And if you want a business plan, you will have to spend around $100 per month. As such, I suggest you go for other web hosting solutions—like Hostinger and FastComet—if you are looking for low-cost hosting or to simply save money.
BlueHost
BlueHost, just like HostGator, is a well-known web hosting solution and has been serving entrepreneurs and web enthusiasts for more than a decade now. It offers a wide array of hosting services at a very affordable price.
Its tools, as well as its interface, are noob-friendly too. And if, say, your main goal is to gather a significant amount of web traffic to your page in a short period, BlueHost’s scalable plans are perfect.
That said, take a look at some of its pros and cons:
| The Pros | The Cons |
| Top tier speed and uptime | Backups are not guaranteed |
| Reliable customer support | High renewal price |
| Highly scalable | For Linux server users only |
| Cloudflare CDN | |
| Budget-friendly website hosting plans | |
What makes it different?
BlueHost’s website hosting plans are packed with handy basic to advanced tools that many web and biz owners need to leverage and maintain their sites. However, if there are a couple of things that make the web host stand out among its competitors, I believe it would be the following:
Features
- Bluehost webmail. The web host provides free email addresses to all its customers. A perfect freebie for professionals and business owners. It can be accessed through webmail clients or BlueHost’s website.
Advanced users can also use it to create a customized subdomain if needed. - SiteLock. BlueHost partnered with SiteLock (a security software tool) to help its customers boost their web page’s security and privacy. SiteLock does daily malware scans, detection, and removal. It also does Google blacklist monitoring.
- SpamExperts. SpamExperts is a plugin that has advanced spam detection as well as a self-learning filtering mechanism. Essentially, it keeps your inbox checked of spam messages that could potentially contain a virus or phishing links.
Performance
I ran several site tests and BlueHost’s overall performance is decent enough to maintain a website; personal or commercial. Its uptime score, for example, delivered an average of 99.98%. Its loading speed, on the other hand, clocked good response times that averaged 455 ms within three months.
Price
When it comes to price, BlueHost’s hosting programs are budget-friendly. They are not cheap, but are not expensive either. A good web hosting option for those who are planning to dip their toes into digital marketing.
InMotion Hosting – Best Customer Support
Having reliable customer support is extremely important if you are managing one or multiple websites, especially if those are eCommerce pages. InMotion Hosting knows about that very well, which is also the very reason why I picked it as the web hosting solution with the best customer support.
On the flip side, InMotion Hosting does not only provide premium customer service. It offers a variety of handy tools and features too. It even offers free site migration and does automatic website backups regularly.
It has, for instance, a suite of all the basic elements and tools aspiring business owners need to kickstart their online biz. And these include a site builder, security tools such as SSL certificates, SSD storage, and website backups.
To further put things in perspective, below are some of its benefits as well as drawbacks.
| The Pros | The Cons |
| Top-tier customer support | No CDN |
| Free webpage builder | No free domain |
| Reliable security features | Limited datacenters |
| SSDs and HDDs | Uptime and site loading page is quite lacking |
| Beginner-oriented interface and tools | |
| | |
What makes it different?
InMotion Hosting features a number of technologies that are unique and cannot be found in other web hosting firms. That said, the following traits and tools are what caught my attention.
Features
- Max Speed Zone. Essentially, such a feature enables subscribers to choose which data center they prefer as web pages supported with data centers that are near to their target audience are much faster compared to its counterpart.
- The BoldGrid website builder. InMotion has a company-developed site builder called BoldGrid. It is a plugin that allows users to create and develop a page without CSS and HTML coding. What it does is that it enables users to build and customize their websites using the drag-and-drop system.
The drag-and-drop system then lets customers simply drag web elements like buttons, widgets, and images into the canvas with no coding involved. The web editor has beginner-friendly tools and an intuitive interface as well, giving users with least to zero knowledge about web creation to develop their own. - Green hosting. InMotion Hosting is recognized as an eco-friendly web host. It launched its own initiatives as an effort to reduce carbon emission and fight climate change. For example, it invested in building environmentally friendly infrastructure for its web hosting solutions. In fact, the web host is one of the few companies in the industry to do so.
Its data center in Los Angeles, for example, is the first green data center. It claims to reduce its usual cooling cost to about 70% while it also lowered its carbon footprint by thousands of tons a year.
Price
InMotion Hosting offers affordable plans that I find perfect for folks who do not want to burn a hole in their pockets as they kick start their online biz. It is also suitable for aspiring entrepreneurs who are looking to dip their toes into the world of digital marketing and selling
The web host’s basic plan, for instance, costs approximately $6 a month while its hosting plan for a WordPress website costs around $7 a month only.
Customer Support
As mentioned, InMotion Hosting provides premium customer support which is also the technical support system among all the existing web hosting companies today.
Its customer service is quite different from its rivals. It is because apart from its 24/7 availability and multiple channels (to reach out to a representative), the agents are purely US-based too. In other words, it means that customers in the western part of the world can easily reach out to any representative as they are both living in the same time zone.
All agents are guaranteed well-informed too as they are required to undergo at least 160 hours’ worth of internal training before they start. They have a large knowledge base as well packed with helpful guidelines and web-related articles.
A2 Hosting – Cheap Eco-friendly Web Host
If you want a cheap yet eco-friendly web hosting solution, A2 Hosting is a must-try. The web host is known primarily for its low-cost green web hosting plans and suite of tools and features that caters mainly for non-techy folks.
In terms of pricing, A2 Hosting is cheap. Its basic plan, for example, starts at $2.49 a month. Hence, I chose it as the cheapest yet green shared hosting provider.
But not only that! Some of its features are perfect for web developers as well. In fact, it has an arsenal of “web developer tools.” Many web enthusiasts commend its top-tier customer service too. Customers will get free site migration and security features as well.
| The Pros | The Cons |
| 99.99% uptime score | No free domain |
| Cheap hosting plans | Not PCI-compliant |
| Intuitive web building tools | Renewal rates are high |
| Up to par server speed | |
| Reliable customer support | |
| Eco-friendly web hosting | |
| | |
What makes it different?
There are two main selling points—that also makes the web host stands out—that A2 Hosting offers: its green web host solutions and its reliable customer support.
Features
- Green initiatives. A2 Hosting partnered with various environment-focused organizations like Carbonfund.org. It made its company initiative too which it called FutureServe.
- Developer-oriented tools. Another commendable A2 Hosting feature is its “developer-friendly tools.” It is packed with the latest software, as well as old ones, such as PHP and MySQL. It offers PHP 5 too.
Apart from that, it also runs additional software like Ruby, Python, and Perl. The provider’s hosting solution seamlessly works with all Content Management System (CMS) like WordPress and Magento. - Cloudflare CDN. The web host gives free Cloudflare CDN (Content Delivery Network) to all its customers too. CDN is a network of servers that reduces delays in loading a website. And the nearer the viewer is to one of the servers your site is using, the faster the loading time is. It means your viewers can smoothly access your web page wherever they are in the world.
Performance
The results are based on the GTmetrix system, for instance, a webpage hosted by A2 hosting has an average loading time of 2.68 seconds. Per Pingdom, on the one hand, the average loading speed is 0.896 seconds while the score based on Google’s Page Insight is 3.30 seconds—quite slow compared to GTmetrix and Pingdom.
Customer Support
The latter, on the one hand, its customer service uses multiple channels. It has a support PIN, support tab, and open ticket tab that are all open 24/7. It also has a large knowledge base filled with informational articles and guides.
InterServer Hosting – Cheapest Web Host
Interserver provides a wide array of web hosting solutions that every web enthusiast and entrepreneurs need. It, on the one hand, is known for its low-cost plans and beginner-oriented tools.
Essentially, it allows newbies who are looking to venture into digital marketing to own a website without burning a hole in their pockets. Its basic plan, for instance, starts at $5 per month while its dedicated server hosting costs around $199 per month.
But InterServer Hosting is not only about cheap web hosting, dedicated hosting, and other solutions!
Each web host’s plan is equipped with a suite of technologies—ranging from advanced security tools to 24/7 customer support—every web owner needs. However, if you are living outside the US, you may want to reconsider InterServer Hosting. It is because its data centers are located in the US only. And as a result, it could affect your webpage’s speed significantly.
Having said that, below are some of the web host’s perks and disadvantages.
| The Pros | The Cons |
| Cheap web host service | No free domain |
| 99.99% uptime score | No daily backups |
| 24/7 technical support | US-centred datacenters |
| Intuitive and beginner-friendly tools | |
| Optimized for a WordPress site | |
What makes it different?
InterServer is acknowledged as one of the few low-cost web host solutions in the industry. But that does not mean its tools and features are cheap and less efficient than what other offers. In fact, it has unique tools and features that other hosting firms do not provide.
Below are some of them:
Features
- Sitepad. Just like some web hosts available in the market today, InterServer Hosting also provides its own webpage builder—it is called SitePad. Essentially, it allows clients to design professional pages without the need to code or hire a professional website developer and designer.
SitePad works best with beginners as well, particularly those who are not technologically well-versed as it offers easy-to-understand tools. The builder enables customers to perform various web tasks too, including writing blog posts, changing themes, and making pages. - Affiliate program. Interserver Hosting also features an affiliate program accessible to all its paying customers. If you are going to opt for it as your web host, it would be an excellent way to earn additional income. It is because, for every paying subscriber that you could make, the Interserver Hosting will pay you $100. And if, say, you are a well-known personality, you can then talk and negotiate with the web host to increase your commission.
- OS-friendly hosting plans. But what truly caught my attention is that InterServer Hosting offers hosting solutions that are customized for two specific operating systems: Linux and Windows.
As such, if, say, you are a windows user, you should opt for its ASP.net hosting as it will provide you with a Windows-oriented environment type of web hosting. However, if you are a Linux user, then choose its plan dedicated solely for Linux users.
Performance
When it comes to its overall performance, the web host delivers impressive results. Its uptime score, for example, is 99.99%. Its page loading speed, on the other hand, is fast enough despite its brand for being a cheap web hosting.
The result using GTmetrix, for example, delivered an average loading time of 1.94 seconds. The fastest speed was 1 second while the slowest was 3.4 seconds. Per Sucuri Load, it delivered an average of 0.282 seconds recorded while the slowest loading time was 4.274 seconds. The average global loading time was 1.513 seconds.
Price
As mentioned, Interserver Hosting is known for its budget-friendly plans. But aside from that, it features pricing policy too, such as the price lock guarantee policy. Essentially, it means that the plan rates a user has signed up for will remain the same until the expiration. Unlike other services that offer less than $5 a month but will charge you three to five times higher renewal price.
LiquidWeb Hosting – Overall Best Feature
LiquidWeb is a high-end web host catered for entrepreneurs with challenging needs. It is known for its premium hosting features, hence, I listed it as the web host with top tier features. From its Cloudflare CDN to its suite of security tools, the web hosting company knows what big companies’ site needs are. On the flip side, while its features are promising, I suggest you skip LiquidWeb especially if you are only starting.
Why? Because it simply is not practical to spend $30 per month if your biz is not profitable yet.
| The Pros | The Cons |
| It delivers an almost perfect uptime score (99.99%) | Pricey hosting plans |
| Quick loading speed | US- and UK-centric data centers |
| Offers Cloudflare CDN | It does not offer shared hosting |
| An arsenal of premium tools | |
| Robust security features | |
What makes it different?
LiquidWeb offers a suite of high-end features to boast. But if there are one or two perks that caught my attention, it would decide to not take the route of offering cheap hosting plans and its speed-boosting tools.
Features
Its speed-optimizing tools are of great help too. And rather than utilizing plugins, it focused on employing hundreds of PHP workers to do the work. In fact, every plan has 10 dedicated PHP experts. LiquidWeb’s hosting plans come with free Cloudflare CDN too. Thus, you need not worry if you have viewers or readers residing outside the US and UK.
Performance
Liquid Web promises a 100% uptime score. However, through the help of an application called UptimeRobot, I discovered that it delivers less than what it promises; to be exact, a page hosted by LiquidWeb delivered an average uptime score of 99.998% only.
On the flip side, its site loading speed showed impressive numbers. Here are the results.
- GTmetrix. The average speed is 1.82 seconds. The fastest is 1.3 seconds while the slowest is 2 seconds.
- Sucuri Load Time. The average page loading speed is 0.665 seconds. The fastest is 0.211, while the slowest is 2.215 seconds.
Price
Unfortunately, its shared hosting plan and other programs are quite expensive. The web host, unlike its rivals, does not sell shared hosting plan. It instead focused on delivering premium solutions for businesses with complex needs, which is also the very reason why its plans are pricey.
FastComet Hosting – Beginner’s Choice
FastComet Hosting is a web hosting provider that caters specifically to amateur web enthusiasts. Hence, I picked it as a beginner’s choice type of web host.
The reason? Simple. It is because of its cheap plans yet worthwhile features. It claims to provide quality service as well such as fast servers, nearly 100% uptime performance, and round-the-clock support.
To put things in perspective, below are its benefits and drawbacks.
| The Pros | The Cons |
| Fast loading speed | Inconsistent uptime score |
| Easy CMS installation | No unlimited bandwidth and disk space |
| Daily backups and site migration | Limited technical support |
| Free SSL Certificates | |
What makes it different?
The majority of FastComet’s features and tools are similar to what other web hosting firms provide. But if there are a couple of tools that sets it apart from its rivals, I believe it would be the following:
Features
- Smart monitoring. Observer Monitoring System is a segment that FastComet customers can utilize to track all critical data passing through and in between servers and websites.
Users, for example, can monitor uptime metrics and other site tasks such as disks, network, RAM, CPU, and MySQL. They can also watch how much resources their page is consuming, which can aid in site optimization as well as cost reduction. - FastGuard. It is software built to protect web pages from malicious attacks and activities. Servers that are protected using FastGuard also learn regularly, as well as share information, with each other every time they encounter a threat.
It also comes with a free SSL certificate and DDoS detection for an extra layer of security. It also has a WordPress Web Application Firewall.
Performance
Many webmasters have acknowledged FastComet’s uptime and speed performance. Its uptime score, for instance, often hits a score not lower than 99.99%. But of course, a few downtimes here and there is inevitable and at times hit a score of 99.67%. Still, FastComet’s performance is decent enough to keep your page online and accessible 24/7.
GreenGeeks Hosting – Best Green Hosting
GreenGeeks is a web host provider which offers high-quality web and server features. It is known primarily for being an environment-friendly web host provider as well. But apart from that, it also offers a promising set of tools, as well as speed and uptime performance.
| The Pros | The Cons |
| Top tier speed and uptime score | Domain registration is pricey |
| Zero carbon footprint websites | Confusing refund policy |
| Free site builder | Pricey renewable price |
| Free domain | |
| Highly scalable | |
| 30-day money-back guarantee | |
What makes it different?
GreenGeeks varies in many ways if you are going to compare it to other web hosting platforms. It has a few features that I believe sets it apart from other hosting services. And per my evaluation, these are:
Features
- Carbon-reducing websites. GreenGeeks sells eco-friendly hosting services only. In fact, it is the leading eco-friendly web host available in the industry today. It has received numerous awards under the said category too, including the EPA Green Power Partnership.
- Auto-scalable hosting plan. Another aspect that sets GreenGeeks apart from other web hosting solutions is its auto-scalable feature. The system guarantees users of nearly 100% uptime even with a sudden surge of web traffic.
Performance
GreenGeek hosting overall performance is the perfect blend of good and bad. It delivered an excellent uptime score yet its page loading speed is a bit low. Using UptimeRobot, its uptime score hit an average of 99.99%.
For the loading speed, here are the results:
- GTmetrix. The average loading time is 0.8 seconds. The fastest loading speed of a website supported by GreenGeeks is 0.8 seconds while the slowest was 2.4 seconds.
- Sucuri Load Time. The average loading time is 1.832 seconds. The fastest is 0.752 seconds while the slowest is 4.552 seconds.
Price
Although other web hosting providers also give cheap plans, I find GreenGeeks web hosting services much more affordable given the quality of services it provides. The company made an effort to take care of our environment while providing reliable, low-cost hosting solutions.