Good web hosting can be hard to come by – great web hosting is even more of a challenge. To make your search easier, here’s my guide to the best web hosting companies in 2023…
I’ve spent over 10 years researching and reviewing web hosting providers. I believe in offering people honest and unbiased reviews to help them on their journey to finding the best web host.
Unfortunately, there are lots of websites around the world that don’t offer a genuine account of what it’s like to host a website with a particular provider, that’s why I started reviewing web hosts myself.
I’ve signed up for 50+ web hosts, monitored my website’s speed and performance, spoken to their customer service representatives, and compared them to write up this web hosting comparison.
Inside This Article...
1. SiteGround (Our Top Choice)
Speed & Performance
Pricing
Features
SiteGround Pros:
- 99.9% uptime guarantee
- Helpful customer support and live chat
- Excellent features to help speed up your website
SiteGround Cons:
- No free domain
- Limited storage on plans
Overview
SiteGround is hands down my all-time favourite web host. Why? Because they are awesome! Let’s put it this way – when you’re searching for the best web hosting, what criteria are you looking for? Excellent reliability, stable and speedy servers, high performance, and affordable pricing – SiteGround ticks all of those boxes.
On top of that, their customer support is some of the best I’ve experienced, with helpful agents able to answer technical queries in no time. They’ve spent a lot of time developing in-house technologies like SuperCacher and SG SiteScanner to further improve your website’s performance and security. That shows to me that they care about their customers and the service they provide. SiteGround wins the top spot for the best web hosting in 2020.
SiteGround Pros:
- 99.9% uptime guarantee
- Helpful customer support and live chat
- Excellent features to help speed up your website
SiteGround Cons:
- No free domain
- Limited storage on plans
2. BlueHost
Speed & Performance
Pricing
Features
BlueHost Pros:
- Recommended by WordPress
- Reliable and well-known web host
- Free SSL certificate
BlueHost Cons:
- Limited storage
- Marketing credits only available to U.S. and Canada
Overview
My experience with BlueHost has always been solid. They offer reliable web hosting, as recommended by WordPress. I honestly can’t think of a better web host to provide such a great service for WordPress websites. Their uptime and speed results are always consistent, offering a stable service to millions of customers worldwide.
Although BlueHost are a cheap web host, their features and resources don’t reflect this. BlueHost customers will be able to enjoy plenty of freebies, including an SSL certificate and marketing credits to boost your website’s traffic and advertising efforts. If you do find yourself having any issues, BlueHost’s customer support is fantastic, and this notion is supported by their customers all around the globe.
BlueHost Pros:
- Recommended by WordPress
- Reliable and well-known web host
- Free SSL certificate
BlueHost Cons:
- Limited storage
- Marketing credits only available to U.S. and Canada
3. InMotion
Speed & Performance
Pricing
Features
InMotion Pros:
- Well-trained support staff
- Unlimited disk space
- Free SSL certificate
InMotion Cons:
- Pricing is a little expensive
- No Windows servers offered
Read our full review
Overview
InMotion Hosting is well-known for its excellent features and support system. They also pack a powerful punch with their server speeds and performance, offering high-quality shared hosting, WordPress hosting, and VPS hosting. InMotion’s features are pretty impressive, offering them third place in my comparison of the best web hosts.
If you’re looking for cheap web hosting, you may want to seek out a different web host. InMotion Hosting does offer a lot, but it comes at a price. None of their shared hosting plans is below $5, however, you will get a free SSL certificate, unlimited storage and bandwidth, and unlimited emails. In my opinion, they are great value for money but require more of an upfront investment.
InMotion Pros:
- Well-trained support staff
- Unlimited disk space
- Free SSL certificate
InMotion Cons:
- Pricing is a little expensive
- No Windows servers offered
4. HostGator
Speed & Performance
Pricing
Features
HostGator Pros:
- 99.9% uptime guarantee
- Affordable pricing plans
- Free site migration
HostGator Cons:
- Renewal fees are expensive
Read our full review
Overview
HostGator are one of EIG’s top web hosts, offering cheap web hosting to the masses. You can snap up a shared hosting plan from just $2.75 per month which will give you a free SSL certificate, reliable servers, and a free domain name. HostGator provide beginners with everything they need to get started, whilst offering scalable hosting solutions for experienced users.
If you’re searching for reliable web hosting, HostGator can supply you with that. In my uptime tests, I received a whopping 100% uptime from them over 30 days. However, server response times weren’t as great. Needless to say, their service is incredibly good and they offer generous features to start your website with.
HostGator Pros:
- 99.9% uptime guarantee
- Affordable pricing plans
- Free site migration
HostGator Cons:
- Renewal fees are expensive
5. A2 Hosting
Speed & Performance
Pricing
Features
A2 Hosting Pros:
- Anytime money-back guarantee
- SSD storage solutions
- Free site migration and transfer
A2 Hosting Cons:
- Turbo boost only available on expensive plans
Read our full review
Overview
A2 Hosting is a popular choice if customer service is your main priority. Their customer support team is equipped to handle advanced technical queries and help beginners who find themselves a little overwhelmed. A2 Hosting’s pricing is very reasonable, at just $2.99 per month. If you think A2 Hosting is the right web host for you, you can migrate your existing website over to them free of charge, and they’ll do all the hard work for you.
A2 Hosting’s shared plans are very generous in terms of features; their StartUp plan offers unlimited databases, a massive 100GB storage, multiple server locations, and a 99.9% uptime guarantee. If that wasn’t enough, you can cancel your A2 Hosting shared hosting at any time and receive a pro-rata refund for the time you’ve hosted your website with them.
A2 Hosting Pros:
- Anytime money-back guarantee
- SSD storage solutions
- Free site migration and transfer
A2 Hosting Cons:
- Turbo boost only available on expensive plans
6. Hostinger
Speed & Performance
Pricing
Features
Hostinger Pros:
- Great for WordPress hosting
- Cheapest hosting plans
- Wide range of hosting options
Hostinger Cons:
- Average uptime
Overview
Hostinger is the cheapest web host I’ve come across – they offer shared hosting from just $1.99 per month, which is almost as good as saying they provide free hosting. Hostinger does power one of the top free hosting sites, 000WebHost, which I’ve reviewed too. Some believe you can’t get something for free (or almost free), but Hostinger happily proves us wrong.
Their cheap web hosting comes with enough features to get you started, as well as a 99.9% guarantee. However, their uptime isn’t as stable or as good as other web hosts I’ve reviewed. At times, my website has been down for more than 30 minutes at a time, which isn’t good for SEO either. I’d recommend Hostinger for beginners or to host a personal website or blog (as opposed to an online store).
Hostinger Pros:
- Great for WordPress hosting
- Cheapest hosting plans
- Wide range of hosting options
Hostinger Cons:
- Average uptime
7. DreamHost
Speed & Performance
Pricing
Features
DreamHost Pros:
- Excellent WordPress hosting
- 100% uptime guarantee
- Unlimited traffic allowed
DreamHost Cons:
- Lots of extras to pay for
Read our full review
Overview
DreamHost is one of the few web hosts that offer a 100% uptime guarantee. That shows me that they are a reliable web host who is confident in their ability to provide an excellent service. As well as offering shared hosting, DreamHost offers managed WordPress hosting servers and VPS servers designed to offer a VIP experience. They are one of the few web hosts recommended by WordPress.
Whilst DreamHost’s uptime is great, their server response times can be a little lacklustre. I’d suggest if you’re looking for WordPress hosting to skirt past their shared hosting plans and sign up to DreamPress, which is their managed WordPress hosting package. Naturally, this is a little more expensive (okay, quite a bit more expensive), but it’s worth the extra $13 in my opinion.
DreamHost Pros:
- Excellent WordPress hosting
- 100% uptime guarantee
- Unlimited traffic allowed
DreamHost Cons:
- Lots of extras to pay for
8. iPage
Speed & Performance
Pricing
Features
iPage Pros:
- Cheap hosting plan
- Free domain and SSL
- Only one plan to choose from, making it less overwhelming
iPage Cons:
- Renewal prices are very expensive
Overview
iPage has just one shared hosting plan, making the choice of which plan to choose from a whole lot easier! This is an ideal solution for beginners or for people who know exactly what they want from their web hosting provider. iPage’s plan is just $1.99 per month, offering a free SSL certificate, free domain, unlimited storage, and scalable bandwidth.
If you’re seeking a host that provides an uptime guarantee, you’re not going to find it with iPage. However, in my experience they have always been very reliable; in my tests, I’ve enjoyed 100% uptime on my websites, and fast server response times. My main gripe with iPage is that their renewal prices are incredibly steep, and will cost you over triple the price of your first term. Needless to say, they are a great short-term option.
iPage Pros:
- Cheap hosting plan
- Free domain and SSL
- Only one plan to choose from, making it less overwhelming
iPage Cons:
- Renewal prices are very expensive
9. GoDaddy
Speed & Performance
Pricing
Features
GoDaddy Pros:
- 10 databases with Economy plan
- Free domain name
- Free Office 365 for the 1st year
GoDaddy Cons:
- Not good value for money
Read our full review
Overview
GoDaddy has been in the hosting market for a long time, though they are better known for their affordable domain names. Their web hosting isn’t the cheapest by far, but it’s reasonable enough to set up a small website or online store. For $5.49 per month, you’ll get 100GB storage and unlimited bandwidth, as well as a free domain name.
Their 99.9% uptime guarantee offers a little comfort in terms of their reliability, but I honestly can’t say this is a clincher for me. My own experience with GoDaddy has been a little disappointing, and in comparison to other web hosts, I wouldn’t choose them over someone like SiteGround or BlueHost because there’s not enough on offer.
GoDaddy Pros:
- 10 databases with Economy plan
- Free domain name
- Free Office 365 for the 1st year
GoDaddy Cons:
- Not good value for money
10. HostPapa
Speed & Performance
Pricing
Features
HostPapa Pros:
- Lots of resources
- Plenty of hosting options
- 30-day money-back guarantee
HostPapa Cons:
- Uptime is average
Read our full review
Overview
HostPapa is probably better known for its VPS hosting, which is incredibly generous in terms of resources. However, they have plenty of other hosting options as well as shared hosting from just $3.95 per month. If you want to get serious about your web hosting, you will need to upgrade to HostPapa’s Business or Business Pro account, which is a little hefty at $12.95 per month.
Whilst HostPapa may take tenth place on this list of the best web hosts in 2020, they shouldn’t be instantly dismissed. They don’t perform that well in terms of uptime, but they do offer a lot for a few dollars a month. Their pricing plans include a website builder, 100+ email accounts, cPanel, CloudFlare CDN, DDoS protection, and a 99.9% uptime guarantee. It’s worth checking them out if you plan to host a small website or blog.
HostPapa Pros:
- Lots of resources
- Plenty of hosting options
- 30-day money-back guarantee
HostPapa Cons:
- Uptime is average