Nowadays it\u2019s easier than ever to find a web hosting provider – Google can help you find anything. However, to find web hosting companies that won\u2019t break the bank while at the same time provide you with high-quality service, a polite support team and satisfactory site performance is way more difficult.<\/p>\n
Still, that doesn\u2019t mean it\u2019s impossible. That\u2019s why guides such as ours are written and posted on a daily basis – to help webmasters on the lookout for cheaper hosting options such as yourself. And if you\u2019re just starting out, you\u2019re probably in favor of low price hosting. And no one can blame you because let\u2019s face it – spending a fortune on a hosting provider doesn\u2019t leave you with enough to invest in more important website features.<\/p>\n
So, in our guide we\u2019ll review cheap web hosting providers and what you can expect to get, but before we do so, let\u2019s go back to some web hosting essentials.<\/p>\n
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It\u2019s what every website needs. Website hosting represents the physical location of your website on the Internet – it\u2019s responsible for safely storing all your site information, videos, images, content, and so on. It\u2019s basically where all your website files live.<\/p>\n
All websites are hosted (or stored), on a special type of computers known as servers. So, when someone enters your domain name<\/a> in their Internet browser, this domain name is translated inthe the IP address of your hosting company\u2019s computer – and you\u2019re allowed access to the particular website. Most web hosting companies function as domain name registrars<\/a> too – so if you haven\u2019t already purchased and\/or registered one, they can help you do so.<\/p>\n The web hosting provider is responsible for maintaining the server where all your website data is stored. Depending on the hosting plan you\u2019re on you will either have a server on your own (a dedicated server, for instance), or you\u2019ll share it with other\u00a0 websites. It also looks after potential website issues, making sure your website is up and running at all times.<\/p>\n However, if something goes wrong, and you\u2019re experiencing website issues, the website hosting provider is the company that ought to help you solve those issues.<\/p>\n Each website hosting company offers different types of hosting services, different pricing plans as well as a variety of packages based on a variety of features and resources. Their function is to provide your website with the best possible hosting option.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n The web hosting market is constantly changing, with numbers continuously increasing. Web hosting has paved the way to running a successful online business, by enabling webmasters to make their website accessible on the Internet.<\/p>\n To illustrate this through numbers and facts, we\u2019ve selected what we consider to be the most useful (and fun!) web hosting statistics taken from a Finances Online article<\/a>:<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Shared hosting is the most basic type of hosting (and the most affordable one, so you\u2019ll see it pop up frequently when we review actual web hosting providers later on). We\u2019ll focus on explaining who cheap hosting is great for (the next bigger section below), so this is where this hosting falls into too.<\/p>\n In short, shared hosting is for those on a budget, and\/or newbie webmasters. It\u2019s basically suitable for every entry-level website, as it comes with basic features, yet it manages to satisfy the website needs at that moment.<\/p>\n Usually shared hosting plans don\u2019t require any prior technical knowledge or particular skills, so in that respect it doesn\u2019t seem to pose any serious challenges. However, what might pose a challenge is the fact that shared hosting comes with sharing a server with other websites. And this alone doesn\u2019t have to cause any issues, however, you need to be aware of the so-called bad neighbor effect. This means that there\u2019s a possibility for the server to become overburdened as so many websites share it at the same time (for example, one website might have a traffic spike).<\/p>\n This, in turn, might affect your site\u2019s load time (or even go down). And as everything is interconnected, this might influence your search engine ranking.<\/p>\n Still, this exists as a mere possibility – it\u2019s highly unlikely that it will cause continuous trouble. After all, shared hosting remains the best cheap hosting option for many webmasters, and as such it attracts those who are just starting out.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n VPS hosting – more advanced than shared hosting, yet not sophisticated as the dedicated server hosting. Those using VPS hosting enjoy greater flexibility than shared hosting, as they get much more options, resources and flexibility, however, they still don\u2019t enjoy all the perks of a dedicated server.<\/p>\n In simple words, a VPS server is a server that\u2019s running within another server. There's one physical server that hosts multiple other ones, however, each of those servers is isolated from the rest.<\/p>\n It\u2019s great for webmasters who want to have more control over their website, but still can\u2019t commit to a more advanced hosting solution – such as the dedicated one, for instance.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Managed hosting is called this way because your hosting provider is the one managing your website. Usually it\u2019s for those who want to have their hardware management handled by their host – or any technical issues for that matter.<\/p>\n If you opt for managed hosting, you still don\u2019t get full control over your server, as you hand most of the responsibilities to your host.\u00a0 Managed hosting is very similar to having a PA (personal assistant) – you focus on your main responsibilities, and you leave all the rest to be handled by your host.<\/p>\n Additionally, as the server is most of the time located in the host\u2019s environment (not in the customer\u2019s as many might think) it\u2019s only natural that your company will look after the overall infrastructure setup.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Dedicated hosting is the most expensive hosting, and if your website still hasn\u2019t found its place in the sun there\u2019s no need for you to consider it. Not only is it the least affordable option, it comes with a special, dedicated server (it\u2019s called dedicated as the server is fully dedicated to your site), and more advanced features.<\/p>\n It\u2019s suitable for large websites, eCommerce, very famous bloggers who have been producing content for quite a while, and so on. Hence, dedicated hosting is for those sites experiencing high traffic, and aims at providing the best possible user experience.<\/p>\n Yet, it\u2019s good to know that dedicated hosting requires a higher level of technical knowledge, and a greater commitment because it has much more practical aspects needed to be addressed on a constant basis. However, this isn\u2019t a bad thing – it simply means that your website has expanded and reached a higher level, and so it naturally needs more looking after.<\/p>\n And that\u2019s why this type of hosting is such a high-end one – it offers much faster custom support, higher level security features, and most importantly it handles traffic spikes better than the other types of hosting.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n This purpose of this section is to help you get a general idea of what qualities you should look for in a cheap hosting provider. After all, opting for an affordable hosting doesn\u2019t mean you shouldn't have a set of solid criteria or that it\u2019s acceptable to settle even for less than the basic features.<\/p>\n That\u2019s why we\u2019ve outlined what we consider you should take into account when picking a cheap hosting provider<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n Before you opt for a cheap hosting solution make sure that that\u2019s what you really need. Affordable hosting deals might indeed be attractive, however, if your website needs lie elsewhere don\u2019t neglect your site\u2019s signaling this. If you feel you tick at least a few of the statements below, you\u2019re in the right place, and cheap web hosting is what\u2019s best for your website at this moment.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n Finally, never impose limits on yourself (nor on your website). Most website hosting providers offer scaling, so in case your business takes off, your site starts having traffic spikes and much more visitors, you can always upgrade your hosting plan (obviously this will cost you more, but ultimately witnessing your website undergoing expansion is a great thing).<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n Cheap web hosting doesn\u2019t mean low-quality hosting. In fact, some of the best hosting providers out there are known to have affordable prices and to be running a very successful business website. For instance, did you know that GoDaddy\u00a0 controls 6.6% of the global brand\u2019s market share?<\/a> And it\u2019s on our list, as you\u2019ll see below.<\/p>\n Before we continue with our in-depth review about the best cheap hosting providers<\/a> and what each hosting offers, let us briefly remind you to keep in mind your site\u2019s needs, as they\u2019re different for anyone. So, what catches your attention or puts you off in these reviews will be different for everyone.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n And before we finally get to the meat of it, let us briefly mention a comment or two about the actual pricing. While we\u2019re committed to conveying accurate information, please be aware that the actual hosting providers might change their prices every now and then, offer promotional deals, or add extra pricing options. They might add or exclude certain features that were initially included too. So, do remember to always check their original websites for more info!<\/p>\n Probably one of the leading web hosting providers, Bluehost<\/a> hosts more than 2 million websites, and it\u2019s been in the hosting game for almost two decades. So, if you\u2019re running an online business you must have come across it at some point (or have even considered it).<\/p>\n <\/p>\n In fact, even the leading CMS (content management system) WordPress, never fails to recommend Bluehost as the best web hosting solution. That being said, Bluehost isn\u2019t the cheapest web hosting option. Then why are you recommending it here?, you might ask. Well, we believe it offers great value for money, and what you get is better than most cheap hostings.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Bluehost offers shared, VPS, and dedicated hosting. They have WordPress hosting too. Each web hosting option comes with a few sub-plans so fit webmasters\u2019 specific needs.<\/p>\n For example, the shared hosting has four specific plans (Basic, Plus, Choice Plus, and Pro). While the Choice Plus plan is that one Bluehost recommends, the Basic shared hosting plan is the cheapest plan Bluehost offers. It costs only $2.68 per month.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n For this price you get one free domain for the first year, 5 parked domains, and 25 sub-domains, 50GB SSD storage, unlimited bandwidth and a free SSL certificate.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n However, the downside is that to secure this price you have to commit to a 36-month hosting contract. And all Bluehost<\/a> hosting plans come with this initial term of 36 months. Plus, after the initial sign up period Bluehost renews at $7.99 per month. Yet, if you\u2019re serious about developing your website and making your business thrive, this isn\u2019t such an expensive investment.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Still, if you end up deciding you\u2019d like to use their services for less than 12 months (and don\u2019t sign up for the 36-month contract alternative) the cheapest plan will cost you $4.95 per month.<\/p>\n Besides the 36-month contract that may bother some webmasters as well as the renewal price that seems to jump after this initial period, a further issue we\u2019d like to mention in our hosting review is that site migrations from another host aren\u2019t included in the signup pricing plan, which means you\u2019ll have to pay an additional fee.<\/p>\n Trusted by many webmasters, HostGator<\/a> is definitely among the leaders when it comes to web hosting services. It hosts more than 10 million websites. We always recommend it because even the most basic hosting plan offers you a very solid uptime and more than satisfactory site performance, especially if you\u2019re just starting out.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n HostGator\u2019s uptime guarantee is a very stable 99.99% and it's a very user-friendly host.<\/p>\n HostGator<\/a>\u2019s cheapest hosting plan is the Hatchling Plan and it starts from $2.75 per month (but to secure this price you have to sign up for a 36-month initial contract, and this applies to the other hosting plans too). Otherwise, you\u2019d have to pay $10.95 per month.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n The Hatchling Plan comes with unlimited bandwidth, a free domain name, free SSL certificate as well as free WordPress\/cPanel website transfer.<\/p>\n Although HostGator has pretty decent speed, at times it seems to be inconsistent (so you\u2019ll probably notice a lag) and this might be an issue for some. Also, after the initial contract period is over, your pricing will increase (or more precise, it\u2019s $6.95 per month). Finally, while HostGator indeed offers some great free hosting features (such as free SSL certification, unlimited sub-domains, and email accounts), some add-ons might be yours for an extra fee (such as higher security level, or Gmail integration).<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Reported as the largest ICANN-accredited registrar in the world in 2013, GoDaddy<\/a> rightfully earned its place on our cheap web hosting list.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n It offers a solid uptime – 99.97%, and there\u2019s an equally solid page loading speed. Plus, even the cheapest hosting plan promises high site performance.<\/p>\n GoDaddy\u2019s most budget-friendly hosting is definitely the shared one. It\u2019s realized through four different packages (Economy, Deluxe, Ultimate, and Maximum). The Economy one is the cheapest option.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n You can sign up for it for $5.99 per month, however, the plan requires an annual\/multi-year purchase paid in advance. And the renewal price is $8.99 per month. These pricing conditions apply for all the plans, not just the Economy one, so don\u2019t think that if you opt for a more expensive plan you can skip this paying in advance.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n The Economy plan offers basic resources for entry-level websites. It comes with a free domain name, 100GB disk space, unlimited bandwidth. There\u2019s also a free office 365 email included (this applies only for the first year).<\/p>\n It\u2019s good to know that GoDaddy offers both Windows-based plans as well as Linux-based ones.<\/p>\n Both have their own pros and cons.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Windows hosting uses hardware based on the Microsoft Windows server operating system. Obviously, for those already familiar with\u00a0 Windows on their computers\/laptops would prefer to stick with it. Plus, it seems to be a fairly easy-to-use hosting, and comes with less complications regarding installation of extra features. As the Windows hosting is backed by Microsoft, consider you\u2019ll get regular updates to keep your hosting safer and bug-free (this is a great benefit that comes with Windows-based hosting).<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Linux hosting, on the other hand, seems intimidating to many, simply because they haven't been exposed to it as much as they\u2019ve been to Windows. Linunx hosting runs the open-source Linux operating system, and instead of having the classic pointing and clicking program, it comes with a command-line interface. It\u2019s quite popular among mobile and game developers.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Before opting for their hosting, webmasters usually come to the understanding that Linux servers are appreciated for their continuous stability and security. Linux hosting calls for rebooting only now and then, which means that even demanding updates can be installed with very little downtime (sometimes even no downtime at all).<\/p>\n <\/p>\n One of the biggest differences between Windows and Linux hosting servers lies in their log-in system. As we\u2019ve already mentioned, Linux users get to enjoy the command-line interface, whereas Windows users use the well-known point-and-click interface.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Plus, some features are only suitable for Linux-based hosting, whereas others for Windows-based hosting. For instance, the .NET programming languages are available only with Windows-based hosting. Below we\u2019ll see in greater details what\u2019s being included with Linux hosting plans, and what comes with the Windows hosting.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n Finally, if any of this sounds intimidating or confusing, you can always consult a web developer before making a decision. Remember, if these hosting plans sound way too confusing, and you want something that you can manage on your own, consider opting for a website builder such as WordPress <\/a>(plus, you can always check out GoDaddy\u2019s managed WordPress hosting<\/a> – of course, it wouldn\u2019t be as cheap as the options we\u2019ve discussed, but it\u2019s good to know it exists as an alternative).<\/p>\n Finally, when it comes to having GoDaddy as your web hosting provider, you have to understand there are always a lot of upsells (for starters, you don\u2019t get free SSL certification, site migrations, backups, and so on as you do with most hosting providers out there).<\/p>\n A2 Hosting<\/a> is great for newbie bloggers who are just starting out and finding their place in the online business world. It offers great speed thanks to their high-speed SwiftServer platform even if you opt for shared hosting.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Plus, even on their official website a2hosting.com,\u00a0 it\u2019s officially stated that they\u2019re faster than competing web hosting services (of course, reading this you would probably take it with a grain of salt, however, as they seem to limit the number of people on a shared server and use turbo servers, which is 20x faster by the way, and although they turbo-server option doesn\u2019t come with every plan, we\u2019d dare say we trust their overall approach).<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Another great thing is that you can choose among multiple data centre locations (Europe, Asia, and the US). The fact their data centres are spread across the three continents, allows you to choose the option that\u2019s the closest to your location. This can have a positive impact on your site\u2019s speed and overall performance.<\/p>\n A2 Hosting\u2019s cheapest plan is placed under shared hosting, and it's called the Startup plan. It\u2019s great for first time bloggers, small businesses, and developing startups, hence the name. In short, it\u2019s suitable for a single website.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n The Startup plan is quite affordable ($2.96 per month), and it comes with 100GB SSD storage, free, and the best thing: you can get your money back whenever you want. This, of course, applies to the rest of the plans as well.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n If you want to build a new site, you can use A2 SiteBuilder that includes easy drag and drop editing, completely free and creative themes, as well as fast website publishing. However, if you simply want to move your already existing site to A2 Hosting<\/a>, you can enjoy the free site migration option and do so without any hidden or extra costs. Plus, you get help from their expert site migration team.<\/p>\n When it comes to A2 Hosting, one of its downsides is that you\u2019re allowed to host only one domain on your hosting account, so there\u2019s no space for any side projects, for instance. Finally, although their customer service is overall great, their response time via chat can be a bit slow at times, which can understandably be a cause for frustration if you\u2019re dealing with an urgent site problem.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n If you\u2019re looking for a super affordable web hosting option, Hostinger<\/a> is definitely the hosting provider to check out. Even with their low pricing strategy, they have a great uptime, and high-quality support team. Plus, Hostinger has data centres in seven locations worldwide: Brazil, Indonesia, Lithuania, the Netherlands, Singapore, United Kingdom, and the United States.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Hostinger is suitable for small businesses who are still trying to make a name for themselves, or bloggers wanting to build their first website, but obviously don\u2019t want to spend a fortune on web hosting. Their hosting is very easy-to-use and no prior technical knowledge is required. However, if you stumble upon any kind of difficulty they have a customer team at your disposal along with many online guides to assist you in resolving your issue.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n They also offer a free site migration if you\u2019re a first-time customer.<\/p>\n When you first take a look at the prices Hostinger<\/a> has, you might think you\u2019ll end up with low-quality web hosting and equally bad site performance. That can\u2019t be further from the truth though.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Hostinger\u2019s cheapest plan called Single Shared Hosting is only $0.99 per month, and the renewal price is $2.15 per month. It includes one website, one email account, and limited bandwidth (up to 100GB). Hostinger has fast servers, and comes with pretty advanced features if we take into consideration how affordable its pricing plans are.<\/p>\n Although Hostinger has one of the most budget-friendly hosting plans we\u2019ve ever come across, its renewal prices increase after the initial period is over. Also, there\u2019s no SSH server access (but if you\u2019re a beginner, you probably won\u2019t need it anyway).<\/p>\n <\/p>\n At $3.95 a month, Web Hosting Hub is an absolute bargain. For less than a cup of coffee (Starbucks is daylight robbery, people!) you'll get incredible web hosting and all of this good stuff:<\/p>\n By the way, that $3.95 is a bit of a discount exclusively to Site Beginner readers. You're welcome.<\/p>\n Top hosting pick!<\/strong> My #1 pick for anybody starting out is definitely Web Hosting Hub<\/a>. The deal is awesome, the price is right, and the support staff are great if you need them.<\/p>\nWeb Hosting Stats & Facts<\/h3>\n
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Types of Web Hosting<\/h2>\n
Shared Hosting<\/h3>\n
VPS (Virtual Private Server) Hosting<\/h3>\n
Managed Hosting<\/h3>\n
Dedicated Hosting<\/h3>\n
Qualities of a Cheap Website Hosting Provider<\/h2>\n
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Why and When Should You Consider Cheap Hosting?<\/h3>\n
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Best Cheap Website Hosting Providers<\/h2>\n
Bluehost<\/h3>\n
Cheapest pricing plan<\/h4>\n
Features that come with each hosting plan:<\/h4>\n
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Extra services and add-ons<\/a>:<\/h5>\n
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Cons<\/h4>\n
HostGator<\/h3>\n
The Cheapest Hosting Plan<\/h4>\n
Features that come with each hosting plan:<\/h4>\n
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Cons<\/h4>\n
GoDaddy<\/h3>\n
The Cheapest Hosting Plan<\/h4>\n
Features that come with each hosting plan:<\/h4>\n
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Linux and Windows hosting plans<\/h4>\n
Linux hosting\u00a0 plan include:<\/h5>\n
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\u00a0Windows Hosting plans include:<\/h5>\n
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Cons<\/h4>\n
A2 Hosting<\/h3>\n
The Cheapest Hosting Plan<\/h4>\n
Features that come with each hosting plan:<\/h4>\n
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Cons<\/h4>\n
Hostinger<\/h3>\n
The Cheapest Hosting Plan<\/h4>\n
Features that come with each hosting plan:<\/h4>\n
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Cons<\/h4>\n
Web Hosting Hub.<\/h5>\n
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