Best Web Hosting Review Guide For 2023-2024

Best Web Hosting Review Guide For 2023-2024 – THE BEST WEB HOSTING FOR THIS YEAR IS FAST, SECURE, RELIABLE, AND HAS CUSTOMER SUPPORT THAT CAN COMPLETELY SUPPORT YOU.

Want to jump straight to the answer? The best web hosting provider for most people is definitely SiteGround. Hosting seems like an enormous headache at first.Shared hosting, dedicated hosting, VPS, managed hosting, server cores, different RAM, CDNs, SSL certificates.

We waded through all the hosting options and narrowed it down to the best web hosting providers. Read in-depth reviews of these below in our Best Web Hosting Review Guide For 2023-2024 . Let’s jump in.

Best Web Hosting Review Guide For 2023-2024 Buyers Guide:

What is web hosting:

Web hosting is a term used to refer to the storage, management, and ongoing running of a website and its files. However, it’s important to note that there are hundreds of different hosting options available, which means that it can be quite difficult to select a scalable, affordable, reliable provider.

For starters, understand that there’s no such thing as the “best” web host for everyone. Different people have different hosting needs, which means that different hosting options will suit them better.

Accordingly, hosting providers tend to come with an extensive range of features, but these won’t always be important or valuable to you. Popular features include a website builder, control panel, email integrations, eCommerce tools, and varying customer support streams.

In general, you should be aiming for the most affordable, best suited hosting option you can find. There’s no need to spend a fortune on advanced hosting, and basic shared hosting is often more than enough. If you do need something more advanced, think about signing up for virtual private server (VPS) hosting.

Web hosting: our must-know tips before you get started:

We’ve drawn on our years of industry experience to put together the following list of five things you have to keep in mind when you’re selecting a new web hosting provider.

Cheaper isn’t always better:

Although there are plenty of cheap web hosting deals out there, it’s important to realize that going for the lowest prices isn’t always a good idea. If you just want to build a simple personal website for fun, then by all means, go for something cheap. However, quality hosting is essential for businesses, which means that the cheapest deal won’t always be the best for your needs.

Watch out for dishonest pricing:

If web hosting providers are known for one thing, it’s that their advertised prices are usually much lower than their actual prices. In most cases, you will have to pay significantly more after your initial subscription period than initial prices may have suggested.

Make sure you use a trustworthy provider:

A lot of people don’t realize that anyone can resell someone else’s hosting products. Because of this, it’s important to ensure you do some research before committing to purchasing hosting off someone. Make sure you go for a reliable company that has been around for a while. Look at Google reviews and ensure they have a high-quality, up-to-date website.

Understand your limits:

Before you get started, ensure that you’re comfortable with every aspect of website building and the sometimes complicated actions it can involve. For example, do you have the tech skills to build and manage your own site? Or should you be employing someone to do it for you? Think about any legal obligations you may have as well.

Think about using a website builder:

Traditionally, you had to purchase web hosting and a domain, and then build your own website from scratch. However, the rise of website builders like Wix and Weebly means that this isn’t a must anymore. The main thing to be aware of here is that most website builders won’t let you transfer your site away from their platform.

Keep reading to find out more about web hosting, choosing the right platform, and everything else you need to know.

Shared, VPS and dedicated web hosting… which do I need:

The simplest type of web hosting is shared hosting, which involves numerous websites hosted on one server. This is the cheapest option, but the main problem is that you will usually be competing for server resources (bandwidth, storage, etc.) with all the other sites on the same server.

Virtual private servers (VPS) and cloud servers are a step up from shared hosting. Generally, they are very easy to scale and add more resources to and aren’t limited to the constraints of shared hosting. Instead, they draw from a pool of storage, memory, and processing power as required.

Finally, dedicated servers are the most advanced hosting option. With a dedicated server, you, and only you, will have access to the entire server and its resources. Note, though, that these are usually a lot more expensive than other types of hosting, and you will generally have to perform server maintenance yourself.

Most web hosting companies offer some form of shared, VPS, and dedicated hosting solutions. In some cases, specialized WordPress and other forms of hosting are also on offer. And then there are website builders, which come with their own built-in hosting.

Web hosting: paid or free:

Free stuff is great, and free web hosting is extremely popular. However, we wouldn’t recommend using a free host unless you’re just going to use it for learning purposes or to run a simple personal site.

There are plenty of benefits associated with free web hosting—and we’ve outlined them in our best free web hosting guide—but there are just too many risks to make them a viable option for business users.

Now, understand that web hosting costs money to run. This means that any platform offering free hosting is either losing money or has another source of income, such as built-in advertising on the sites it hosts. In general, free hosts use some sort of freemium model that encourages you to upgrade to a paid service at some point.

If you do decide to use free web hosting, you will usually have severe bandwidth and storage restrictions. Free SSL certificates aren’t included (although you will usually be able to connect a third-party one), and you won’t be able to access automatic backups or any other premium features. In some cases, free hosts will even shut your site down for one hour per day.

Rather than using a free web hosting option, we’d highly recommend having a look at our best cheap web hosting guide. We regularly update this, so you can be confident that it contains accurate, up-to-date information—as well as a few deals that you just can’t miss!

How to choose the best web hosting service:

Although it may seem quite complicated to choose the right web host for your business, it’s really not. In short, there are three main options: shared hosting, a VPS or cloud server, or a dedicated server.

If your business is small or you don’t anticipate having a large online presence, a shared hosting plan should be more than powerful enough. The costs are usually very low with these, but bear in mind that you will be sharing your server with numerous other websites and that this can impact your own site’s performance. Remember, you can always upgrade to a VPS server if you need something a little more powerful.

Dedicated servers also offer significantly more power than shared hosting, as they are reserved for you, and you alone. Dedicated server hosting isn’t nearly as pricey as it was in the past, which means that it’s a viable option for anyone concerned with the long-term performance of their site. In short, if you’re planning to build a large website with a lot of traffic, a dedicated server is probably your best option.

In saying that, remember to always pay attention to the service level agreement (SLA) that comes with your dedicated server. In many cases, there will be hidden costs associated with maintenance and various other services which may not be included in the initial price.

Meanwhile, cloud hosting has become increasingly popular over recent years. As the cloud has become more widely used across the digital and business worlds, numerous companies have started offering different types of cloud hosting. The most important thing to note here is that cloud hosting allows you to purchase the resources that you need now. If you need to expand in the future, it’s as simple as adding extra bandwidth, storage, or RAM to your plan.

Ultimately, make sure you purchase a hosting plan with the future in mind. Don’t buy a server that’s only just big enough, or you won’t have any room to grow. Instead, ensure you purchase something that eclipses your needs, ensuring you won’t have any problems going forward. Consider the options we’ve outlined above, do your research, and seek professional advice if you’re unsure about the best choice.

Bluehost Web Hosting

Normally $7.99/month
Free domain and SSL certificate
Recommended by WordPress
30-day money back guarantee
Get a 63% discount

Based in Utah, it’s owned by Endurance International Group (EIG), one of the major players in the web hosting world. Prices start at just $3.95 per month for a three-year basic shared hosting plan, and managed WordPress hosting is available from $20 per month. Note, though, that prices do increase after the initial subscription period.

Bluehost excels when it comes to value for money. Even the most basic plan includes automatic WordPress installation and setup, a comprehensive cPanel control panel for advanced users, and access to a wide range of other apps through a Mojo Marketplace system. New users will also benefit from a free SSL certificate, a free domain name for the first year, and 24/7 expert support.

Another standout feature of Bluehost’s cheap shared hosting is its integrated website builder. All users will have access to a basic Weebly website builder that enables the creation of simple websites with up to six pages. Unfortunately, though, many features are limited or disabled, and you won’t have access to templates or pre-designed themes. In saying that, it’s still a great tool if you just want to get a simple website online quickly.

And finally, Bluehost offers excellent customer support. A 30-day money-back guarantee is available, which means you can get a refund if you’re not happy. Overall, Bluehost won number one position on this list because of its competitive prices, user-friendly interface, and the ability to customize advanced features where required.

For business owners and site managers, Bluehost is often considered to be the default choice for web hosting. They’ve been around a long time, offer great hosting at a great price, and have a great reputation for supporting their customers.

If you get stuck or have a problem, they have 24/7 support by phone or live chat. No hoops to jump through either. They list their support number and live chat options right on their site, you can reach it within two clicks:

Bluehost gives you a variety of different features that’s sure to fit your website’s needs too. For example, they have a great SEO tool that scores and tracks how well your website is ranking for specific keywords. This gives you a good idea of how you should optimize your site for the best search rankings. They also offer hosting that will support whatever direction your business grows.

Let’s say you start with a standard shared hosting plan and want to install WordPress. They have an easy 1-click install to make that happen. Then if your site keeps growing and you want to upgrade to managed WordPress hosting to speed up your site and improve security, they have that too. Or if you want to get more control by upgrading to VPS or dedicated hosting, they have plans for both.

The point is that Bluehost covers everything you could possibly need from a host. If you start with them, you’ll never need to switch to someone else.

Pros:

• Automatic WordPress installation
• Powerful and beginner friendly
• Comes with a built-in website builder

Cons:

Bad support: Along with iPage, it is one of the worst support teams I’ve ever dealt with.
Constant upsells: Their system is packed with continuous upsell pitches, which gets annoying.
Speed isn’t great: In our tests, Bluehost didn’t come out great, in fact it was one of the slowest providers.
Only US-servers: Unlike other providers, you only have the option to host your site in the US. If your readers come from other regions, they could face having a (very) slow site.
Poor backup options: Their default backup solution is fairly limited. My guess is that they try to push users to get their paid product.
No free migration: Unlike most of their competitors they won’t migrate your sites for free. If you want to use this extra service, it’ll cost you about $150 to migrate 5 websites.

Dreamhost

Normally $2.59/month
Month-to-month pricing at $4.95
Recommended by WordPress
4.6/5 rating from Trustpilot
View the Latest Deals

DreamHost is notable for doing things its own way.

The independently-owned company doesn’t use the standard cPanel that most hosts use. Instead, DreamHost has built a completely custom control panel that you’ll use to manage your website. Many customers love it but it could make things much more difficult should you ever need to migrate off DreamHost.

Migrating to DreamHost is easier than ever too. The host introduced a freeplugin that moves your WordPress site for you in just five steps. You’ll also be able to scale your hosting as your site grows.

In addition to shared hosting and managed WordPress hosting, DreamHost offers low-cost upgrades to VPS and cloud hosting, as well as dedicated servers should you ever need them. Even their VPS plans start at $10/month:

DreamHost is another one of WordPress’s three recommended hosts, and includes some managed WordPress hosting in its basic shared plans. It also offers a managed plan with more bells and whistles called DreamPress. Monthly plans under $3/month are available if you pay annually, $8/month if you’d like to add email. It does have an industry-leading free trial period — a full 97-day money-back guarantee — and transparent pricing that doesn’t increase after your initial contract.

Customer service is a little less traditional: email support is available 24/7, but live chat is only on during business hours. If you want technical support over the phone, you have to pay an additional $9.95. However, if you spring for either the DreamPress Plus or Pro managed WordPress plans, phone support is included along with other premium features.

The free trial period is the longest in the business — 97 days. Shared hosting plans start at $2.59/month, and since DreamHost doesn’t do promo pricing, it won’t jump after your first contract is up. This is one of the lowest hosting prices out there, it’s a great option for anyone looking to save every dollar.

What’s really worth noting is the outstanding offers DreamHost has for nonprofits: one free Unlimited shared hosting plan (which includes unlimited storage, unlimited bandwidth, unlimited sites, and email hosting) for 501(c)(3) organizations, plus a 35% discount on the souped-up DreamPress-managed WordPress hosting. That’s a fantastic deal.

Pros:

Unlimited Data Storage
Unlimited Bandwidth
Host Unlimited Sites
Unlimited MySQL Databases
Unlimited Sub Domains
Free Domain with Whois Privacy
One Click Software Installation
Live Chat is Available (After Logging In)
100% Uptime Guarantee
97 Day Money Back Guarantee
Optimized WordPress Hosting Available (Additional Fee)

Cons:

Text Based Control Panel Not Always as Intuitive.
Many Features in the DreamHost Dashboard Cost Extra.
Premium WordPress Hosting Requires Additional Costs.
Live chat support wait times are sometimes long.

HostGator

Normally $6.95/month
Month-to-month at $10.95
Free domain and SSL certificate
45-day money back guarantee
Get a 61% discount

HostGator is another big name in small business web hosting, and it’s a bit of a mixed bag. While HostGator does have an extensive self-serve knowledge base is, it doesn’t offer any sort of email support — just phone and live chat. Be prepared to get on the phone whenever you have a question. Unlike some hosts, Hostgator does include support in all its plans. If you want a hosting plan that’s cheap and includes support, this is the host for you.

HostGator does offer Windows hosting in addition to Linux, as well as a variety of options to upgrade, including cloud hosting, VPS hosting, managed WordPress, and a dedicated server. Shared hosting plans start at $2.75/month.

HostGator tends to rank highly on tech publications like PCMag, but customer reviews are pretty dreadful: it has only one star on Trustpilot. If you’re interested in trying HostGator, I recommend taking full advantage of the 45-day money-back guarantee and testing out their support thoroughly before committing.

Pros:

• Plenty of storage: All plans come with unlimited storage, although all your files combined should not be more than 250,000.
• Flexible terms: Hosting plans can be purchased on 1, 3, 6, 12, 24 or 36 months base.
• Many programming languages: One of the hosting providers that supports more languages. PHP, Ruby On Rails, Perl and Python are all allowed.
• Fast hosting: They performed well in our speed tests.
• Unmetered bandwidth: They don’t limit the traffic your site can get.

Cons:

• Tricky prices and fees: Very cheap prices the first term and expensive upon renewal. $25 is charged if you need to restore from one of their backups.
• Constant upsells: Like many other EIG products, their backend is packed with unnecessary upsell options.
• Uptime could be better: They should improve their uptime.
• Poor backups: Unless you pay for an add-on, you have access to only 1 backup.
• Missing advanced features: For example, you don’t get staging areas and it doesn’t have a built-in server-side caching system.
• Unreliable support: At times, I found myself waiting over 30 minutes to be connected with the support team.

GreenGeeks

Normally $9.95/month
Free Domain Name
Free Wildcard SSL
Unlimited Web Space
Get Started for $2.95/mo

GreenGeeks isn’t as well known as some of the other hosting companies on our top list, but they have in business for more than a decade and use renewable energy to power their hosting services.

They offer some of the best eco-friendly “green” web hosting solutions, making them a great option for individuals or companies who are conscious of the environment.

With their plans, you’ll get everything you need to build and manage your website at a great price.

If you plan to use WordPress then they will make it easy for you to get set up in a snap. They provide an automatic 1-Click WordPress Installer and auto-updates to keep your WordPress site up to date.

They also provide daily backups and advanced security features in order to help you keep your data safe and secure.

GreenGeeks also stays up to date with the latest technology like PHP7, SSD, CDN, and more. This helps make sure your website always stays fast and secure.

If you need help they have exceptional 24/7 support that is available by phone, chat, or via their ticket system. They are typically very quick to respond and can assist with a wide range of issues.

Overall I’m a big fan of GreenGeeks for their great service and dedication to helping the planet with their environmentally friendly web hosting plans. If you’re looking for a “green” hosting company, GreenGeeks is just what you need.

Pros:

• Free Domain Name for Life of Account
• Unlimited Number of Domains can be Hosted
• Unlimited Web Space
• Unlimited Data Transfer
• Unlimited Email
• Unlimited MySQL Databases
• 99.9% Uptime
• Solid State Drives
• PowerCacher Technology
• Free Let’s Encrypt Wildcard SSL
• Free Cloudflare CDN
• Hosting Account Isolation of Servers
• Proactive Server Monitoring
• Real Time Security Scanning
• cPanel Interface
• Free Data Backup and Restore
• Scalable Computing Resources
• Free SEO Tools

Cons:

• First Line Chat Support Often Must Escalate Issues via Support Ticket
• No Website Staging

WP Engine

Normally $30/month
Month-to-month pricing
Free domain and SSL certificate
30-day money back guarantee
4 months free or 20% off

When most people think of managed WordPress hosting, they think WP Engine.

And for good reason — it provides a truly excellent product. It does come at a price though. A fully managed WordPress host is noticeably more expensive than shared hosting providers.

WP Engine’s lowest-priced plan is $30/month, and that’s only for one 10GB site with max 25,000 visitors/month.

But when you factor in what WP Engine does for that price, it’s an incredibly appealing option for WordPress site owners. As a managed WordPress host, WP Engine only provides service to WordPress users, which means its entire infrastructure can be optimized for WordPress. Your site will be wicked fast, there’s virtually no downtime, and lots of maintenance tasks get taken care of automatically. If you want a blazing fast site where everything is taken care of automatically, you’ll want WP Engine.

Customer support is also laser-focused on WordPress, which makes for highly competent knowledgeable support staff available through tracked tickets and on live chat 24/7.

Just be mindful of the price. You’ll be paying more in order to get a lot more. With that said, WP Engine is the ultimate choice for any business running on WordPress. If you don’t want to waste time managing the hosting component of your website, then these are the guys to turn to.

Pros:

• Managed WordPress Hosting
• Expert WordPress Support Staff
• EverCache Technology for Faster Page Loading
• Hacked Sites Fixed at No Charge
• WordPress Updates Automatically Installed
• Free Data Backup and Restore
• Separate Staging Area for Testing Plugins and Themes
• Development, Staging, and Production Environments
• Free 60 Day Trial
• No Long-Term Commitments Necessary
• Excellent Support Response Times
• Free Let’s Encrypt SSL
• Free StudioPress Themes
• Free Global CDN
• Transferable Installs and Billing Transfer Features for WordPress Consultants and Developers
• WP Engine Solution Center

Cons:

• More Expensive
• Not Applicable for Non-WordPress Platforms
• Some Plugins and Themes are not allowed
• Exceeding Set Number of Visitors and Storage will Result in Additional Charges

SiteGround – Best reseller A great option for reseller hosting & Best Customer Service

Visit Siteground
Normally $11.95/month
Free SSL, email, CDN, & backups
Recommended by WordPress
30 day money back guarantee
Get a 67% discount

SiteGround has one of the best reputations among web hosts with a rabid fan base and glowing reviews. Along with DreamHost and Bluehost, SiteGround is one of WordPress’s three recommended web hosts. WordPress hosting is built into all of its shared hosting plans, you’ll get automatic updates, streamlined security, and expert technical
support.

SiteGround is widely considered to be a leader in shared hosting. Its servers are ultra-fast and extra secure, and SiteGround is constantly deploying new updates to keep them that way.

While all its shared hosting plans are powerful, SiteGround is especially well-known for its highest-tier shared plan, GoGeek, which is suped up with tools developers will find especially useful, including a staging server and Git repo creation. Lots of small business and personal websites will probably find this overkill, but if your needs are more complex than the basics, SiteGround has a lot to love.

In general, reseller hosting plans are very limited, focusing on basic shared hosting with very few advanced features. Although this does help keep prices low, the fact that they are so limited can make it quite hard to market and sell them on.

Fortunately, SiteGround offers much more powerful reseller hosting. For starters, it includes 40GB of storage and an integrated cPanel control panel. It also comes with unlimited email addresses, FTP accounts, bandwidth, and databases. On top of this, you will have access to advanced features like free Let’s Encrypt SSL certificates, an integrated Cloudflare CDN, automatic daily backups, and powerful email spam filtering.

SiteGround does have cloud hosting and dedicated servers. In fact, SiteGround is one of our top picks for cloud hosting. If you think there’s a chance you’ll need to upgrade to some serious hosting power once you generate lots of traffic, SiteGround is a great option that will make upgrades easy later.

SiteGround’s customer support is available 24/7 across all channels — phone, chat, and email — and its knowledge base is rich and well-organized.

SiteGround also has the most transparent uptime: it has a 99.9% annual uptime guarantee (or you get a month of hosting free) and posts both its annual average and the previous month’s uptime right on its site.

Now, SiteGround is more expensive than many of its reselling competitors, but you get what you pay for. With prices starting from $14.99 per month, there is still great value for money here.

Additionally, SiteGround’s reseller hosting supports unlimited websites. You will also have access to a central management hub and the ability to add your own branding where required. SiteGround is an amazing option for businesses with room to grow. There’s plenty of upgrades to support you along the way.

Overall, it’s a great choice for those looking for high-quality, reliable reseller hosting.

Key Features

✓ Excellent Speed
✓ Sufficient Resources
✓ 99.9% Uptime Guar.
✓ cPanel & SSH Access
✓ Free Daily Backup
✓ Git & 1-click Staging
✓ Server In 3 Continents
✓ Premium Support

Recommended For

• WooCommerce
• Magento, PrestaShop
• WordPress
• Joomla, Drupal
• Small-large Website
• Business Website

Pros:

• Excellent WordPress hosting features that include a one-click installer, Git Integration, WordPress Staging, WP-CLI, SuperCacher, and Automatic updates.
• All SiteGround hosting plans currently offer a free domain and also a 30-day money back guarantee for a new sign up.
• High–performance and secure hosting technology that includes; SSDs Memory, Content Delivery Network – CloudFlare and the latest version of PHP7 and Nginx server.
• Knowledgeable and friendly customer representatives are willing to help with quick migration of existing site to the new hosting. The support system is also helpful as they provide a knowledge base, webinars, ticketing system and live chat that has a quick response.
• 99% uptime guarantee with a fast data recovery option gives the customer the much-needed peace of mind.
• Competitive pricing that helps customers get the best value for money.
• Distributed servers located in different locations in the US, Europe, and Asia that contribute to optimizing the loading speed and general performance.

Cons:

• Some what higher than the others

We highly recommend SiteGround Hosting.

Conclusion:

Whether you are searching for the cheapest price or the most robust services, or something in between, you can find the best web hosting for your needs from these top-rated companies in our Best Web Hosting Review Guide For 2023-2024.

This post contains affiliate links and I will be compensated if you make a purchase after clicking on my links.