Top Ranked Web Hosting Providers
With all of the responsibilities and challenges that come with developing, maintaining, or growing your web presence, choosing the best web hosting company can be daunting, to say the least. It is important to ensure that your selected web hosting platform meets your particular bandwidth, compatibility, reliability, and security requirements both now and in the near future.
Thankfully, our team of tech reviewers has done the grunt work for you, and compiled this list of the overall top web hosting options. Critical information is clearly displayed, so that you may see what types of servers the site uses, their uptime percentages, various security features, available storage space, along with pricing details in order to help you make the very best choice for you and your web hosting needs.
Index#1FatCow
Pros
- A wide array of hosting types
- Strong uptime
- Excellent customer service
- Low cost options
- Various e-commerce offerings
Cons
- No Windows-based servers
- Potential site throttling
- Too many upsells
With some of the most affordable prices for shared hosting including solid bonus features, FatCow is easily among the best web hosting services available. With outstanding customer service options, excellent performance uptime, and 100% of its power coming from environmentally friendly wind energy, you can be proud of your commitment to the betterment of the planet, as well as with your website.
The hardware here isn’t quite as sleek and modern as some other host services, but the speeds offered are better than decent and very reliable. FatCow uses only Linux servers, not Windows based ones. While this won't impact the vast majority of web developers and programmers, those using Microsoft's ASP or ASP.NET tech are better served elsewhere, since Linux systems are not compatible. If you have any tech issues, the FatCow team is available 24/7 for you with live chat, phone, and email support.
Even with FatCow's remarkably low price points, their feature-rich offerings are more than adequate for many users, including first-timers. Their selection of easy to use website builders, a free domain name, unlimited disk space, emails, and bandwidth availability give you everything needed to get from the idea stage all the way through to thriving web presence. If you're hunting for a truly solid feature set from your web host that won't make you break into those bovine piggy banks, FatCow is a deal too massive to ignore.
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#2WebHostingPad
Pros
- Unlimited hosting packages
- Excellent low-cost plans
- Free website builder by Weebly
- Free SSL certificates for each domain
Cons
- Official blog is weak on content
- No monthly billing option
WebHostingPad is a US-based web hosting provider created specifically with small and medium businesses in mind. In addition to providing high-value hosting packages, WebHostingPad offers web-building tools and eCommerce solutions to help get sites and online marketplaces off the ground. The platform does its best to offer all of its features free of restrictions and all for more than a reasonable price. While not the cheapest of web host options, it does provide everything you need to make your web content shine without making you compromise with average performance.
Beyond the above-average speed and outstanding uptime, WebHostingPad is an easy recommendation, especially for those who are less experienced. Of course, if you have any questions, their customer support team is as praise-worthy as the rest of the site. The feature-rich layout of WebHostingPad gives you unlimited hosting space and bandwidth, one free domain registration or transfer, secure webmail, and full compatibility with Weebly, WordPress, Drupal, PrestaShop, and Joomla.
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#3HostMonster
Pros
- Respectable uptime in testing
- Useful Weebly site-building software
- Lots of useful add-ons
- Free domain transfers
Cons
- No cloud, reseller, or WordPress hosting plans
- Lacks monthly plans
- Meager email space on some plans
Regardless of whether your need for web hosting is business or personal, HostMonster has solid performance in respect to uptime in testing. The platform offers many shared, dedicated, and virtual private server (VPS) options for building websites that work very well, but there are no cloud, reseller, and WordPress hosting plans to be found here. In addition, those looking for monthly hosting options will need to look elsewhere, as HostMonster does not feature any of these short-term plans. Even so, the overall quality of the web hosting experience on HostMonster is well-above average. And, if you don't have a strong preference for WordPress plans over any others, there are a number of excellent options here.
HostMonster recognizes the value in keeping customers over a longer period of time, rather than just perpetuating a 1, 3, or 6 month cycle. As such, team HostMonster does offer some respectable discounts for those looking for a two or three-year plan. In addition, the included Weebly site-building software is among the best available anywhere, and the additional add-ons are functional and helpful. As is the case with all of the best web host options, you get free domain transfers on HostMonster. You can reach out to customer service at any time of the day or night, as they are available for live chat, phone, or email assistance 365 days a year.
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#4iPage
Pros
- Low cost plan pricing
- Host unlimited sites on one account
- Unlimited storage & bandwidth
- Easy and free site building tools
- Free shopping cart and online store
- 99.9% uptime guarantee
Cons
- Lacks Windows-based servers
- No cloud-based hosting options
- Zero month-to-month plans
iPage is a full-service domain and web hosting provider that is aimed primarily at smaller businesses looking to venture into the e-commerce arena. In addition to offering users unlimited disk space, a free domain name, and unlimited email addresses, iPage has numerous attractive features that help you swiftly set up shop. There are hundreds of pre-designed website templates and themes, offering solid choices for nearly all small to medium-sized businesses. iPage goes above and beyond to help you really get the most development possible from your site, including giving you full access to their mobile-optimized site builder.
This iPage website builder is a breeze to use on screens of all sorts, making it easily one of the best options for those who want to develop without needing to whip out their laptop. iPage's outstanding customer service team, solid uptime performance, and truly low-cost plans with many premium features are just additional icing on this cake. The site even offers many unlimited perks in several key areas.
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#5HostGator
Pros
- Includes website builder
- Automatic migration by HostGator staff
- Award-winning, industry-recognized platform
- Variety of economical and feature-rich plans
- Customer service options
- Excellent server uptime
Cons
- Some plans lack Windows servers
- Limited free security tools
- Only offers servers in the USA
- Not automatically PCI compliant
As the winner of many awards including Best Web Hosting from PCMag, HostGator is no stranger to the spotlight, and deservedly so. For over two decades, this popular web hosting platform has featured reliable and quality services including shared to reseller, VPS, and more. In a continuous desire to improve their offerings, HostGator continues to implement effective, helpful, and affordable new options. Though there are a bounty of feature-rich hosting plans to choose from here, do note that not include a Windows-based server option. If you aren't utilizing Microsoft's ASP or ASP.NET, it's likely not much of an issue, but those who do will need to pick a Window's friendly server to ensure full compatibility. They have particularly powerful and intuitive site-building software and e-commerce tools for those who are a bit newer to the wonderfully diverse world of web hosting.
HostGator is a top choice for many reasons, and with feature-rich cloud, WordPress, virtual private server (VPS), and dedicated server packages it is easy to see why. Yet, it's the company's shared plans that stand out from the packed world of web hosting contenders. These options let you share an enviable amount of server resources, which is a truly excellent way to stay budget friendly, yet still enhance your website to attract more traffic. One of the biggest challenges with these shared server plans is that all of the sites are vying for the server's resources. Most days, this is not really an issue. But if one of the server's site's goes viral, it can push the service for all of the other sites to the side or even disrupt your web site service completely during these periods. Given the abundance of plan offerings here, you can easily enjoy specialized options including toll-free number for your business and a private SSL (secure socket layer) certificate.
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#6BlueHost
Pros
- Easy and intuitive layout
- Helpful c-Panel integration
- 24/7 tech support via email, chat or phone
- Fantastic infrastructure for WordPress users
- Intuitive and easy to use layout
- Strong uptime performance
Cons
- No uptime guarantee
- Plan options can be expensive
- Servers are all located in USA
Bluehost takes its technology very seriously, offering a wide range of hosting packages, options, and extras to suit all-comers, from first-time website builders with no technical experience, to experienced webmasters seeking advanced capabilities. Bluehost’s WordPress hosting integration makes it easy to build a site with the world’s most popular content management system, and Bluehost’s SSH functionality offers increased encryption and security for sensitive information. Whether you're a newly-minted blogger or a frustrated webmaster, you'll find a full complement of services to suit your requirements here.
With good customer support, a blissfully simple cPanel, a great range of options to suit users of all stripes, and very cost-competitive options, Bluehost is a really strong competitor in the field of web hosting and a great choice for most users. Downtime and page-load speeds are not always what they could be, but with flexible options and good feedback, it's easy to overlook this infrequent glitch if your site doesn't need to be super-fast. If you're looking for a good all-around host, Bluehost is a great option and offers a 30-day money-back guarantee if you're not happy.
Bluehost web hosting has been around since 1996 and has established itself as a reliable and long-standing force in the industry. With 3 core packages, plus VPS and dedicated hosting available to those with more substantial and technical hosting needs, this host offers a full service, designed to be clean and simple to use.
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#7JustHost
Pros
- Solid uptime in testing
- Easy to use website builder
- Intuitive interface and layout
- Excellent 24/7 customer service
- Free domain registration for one year
Cons
- Migration costs extra
- No windows-based hosting
- No cloud, reseller, or WordPress specific hosting
- Not all plans have month-to-month options
JustHost isn't the most high-profile web hosting service, but what it lacks in name recognition, it makes up with an easy-to-navigate interface and numerous, useful plans. The web host continues to thrive and now offers VPS and dedicated hosting plans alongside its tried-and-true shared web hosting options. JustHost is a bit less business or enterprise focused, while offering an above average assortment of tools to suit many web hosting needs.
JustHost does have a few areas where a bit of improvement would be appreciated, most specifically in the area of compatibility. Because the platform does not have any Windows Servers, those who are looking to develop their web presence with Microsoft ASP or ASP.NET will need to seek out alternative options. With an excellent assortment of plans and options, a helpful and intuitive website builder, terrific uptime, and more, there is much to admire here.
While still offering a great number of benefits at solid pricing points, JustHost does not have any cloud, reseller, or WordPress-specific hosting options. In addition, not all of the plans here are available in a month-to-month pricing structure. There are a number of popular and often requested features available here including automatic website backups, free domain privacy and backup protection. In addition, there are a number of plans that offer a massive amount of dedicated resources from the server, allowing you to scale up without needing to start all over again on a different web host.
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#8GoDaddy
Pros
- Managed WordPress hosting offered
- Numerous low-cost plans
- Offers services beyond web hosting
- Industry-leading page load times
- Refunds for under 99% uptime
Cons
- Site migration costs extra
- Lots of up-selling
- Customer support decentralized
- Higher renewal prices
While GoDaddy is still widely recognized as a domain registrar, they also provide web hosting and many other services in a variety of packages for budgets of nearly all types. Their uptime stats and terrific page loading speeds are very attractive, and with 125+ available integrations for your new or existing website, they are certain to be a hit for many new users. Seasoned professionals looking to enhance their web presence will also be pleased with the tools, options, plans, and features available here. There's dedicated WordPress, Cloud, Reseller and VPS servers, as well as shared hosting.
GoDaddy stands behind the quality of their services by offering a 30-day money back guarantee. In addition, signup is super-easy and account activation is very fast. While many WordPress web hosts include at least 1 free website migration, this is not true here. If you're moving a single site, this might not be a deal-breaker, but those migrating multiple sites are likely better served partnering up with a different web host, if only to avoid racking up charges with each site's migration. Sadly, these migrations also take about a week to complete. Yet GoDaddy's fast page loading speeds are among the quickest to be found, the included cPanel makes it easy for even the newest users to navigate and enhance their sites with no previous experience required.
The WordPress admin panel is sleek, and GoDaddy makes it easy and quick to install one of the many unique themes and templates to make your website look excellent immediately. They're truly eye-caching and are arranged by industry/focus categories, allowing you to choose quickly find the best for your needs. As all of these templates are mobile-friendly, they automatically adapt to the smaller screen sizes offered by smartphones and tablets. Toss in Microsoft-based hosted email service, and servers in North America, Asia, and Europe, and it's easy to see why GoDaddy is among the best web hosting providers around.
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#9A2Hosting
Pros
- Super-fast page loading
- Exceptional uptime stats
- 24/7 malware scanning
- Free site migrations
- Friendly c-panel tools
- Anytime money back guarantee
Cons
- Domain name is not free
- Limited features on cheapest plans
- 15-day minimum to cancel
- Higher rates at renewal time
A2 Hosting is one of the longest-running web hosting providers that still remains extremely popular. All of the shared hosting plans come with big SSD storage, free SSL certificates, unlimited email accounts, DDoS protection unlimited transfers, and unlimited subdomains. Unfortunately, none of the plans include a free domain, which adds an additional charge. However, while many web host providers include some form of a full refund option for the first 30 days, A2 Hosting sweetens the deal by offering you a full, any-time, money-back guarantee. This lets you get a prorated refund for unused services based on the time remaining on your plan.
A2 Hosting includes the standard cPanel layout with many functionalities. This is your starting point for developing your website, adding a domain, installing WordPress, and setting up an email account. There are also an array of more advanced features where you can go through files, databases, manage security settings, and do performance optimizations. The specific features are all filed under different categories such as domains, email, metrics, and software, so it’s easy to navigate. In addition, on the right side, you’ll find the overall statistics related to your account.
WordPress installation with A2 Hosting is very much standard and easy. It’s done through cPanel with the help of Softaculous. Although even that can be made easier if you’ve selected WordPress to be pre-installed during the checkout process. WordPress-A2 Optimized is the first listed option. It comes with A2 Hosting optimizations including caching. Security is critical concern to all websites, and A2 Hosting includes a free SSL certificate in all shared hosting plans. They're automatically activated, so you don't have to invest your time and energy setting them up. New users and professionals will appreciate automatic backups with daily snapshots. This allows you to restore your site by selected the saved backup, right from the site. All things considered, A2 Hosting provides a number of key features for free or reasonable prices.
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FatCow | WebHostingPad | HostMonster | iPage | HostGator | BlueHost | JustHost | GoDaddy | A2Hosting | |
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Your First Steps in Choosing the Best Web Host for You
The best web host providers offer plans for a variety of budget levels, as well as offering discounts for longer term subscriptions. In addition, you should definitely leave yourself some room to expand and develop your web presence. Picking a web hosting plan that's on target with your your website's current needs is great. But, with any luck, your site will pick up traffic, expand, and develop over time.
Since switching to a new web hosting provider is something most people would prefer not to do on any regular basis, definitely consider web hosts who have tiered and scalable plans. This even includes the number of email addresses you get, since it's a major benefit to have the ability to create as many as necessary without needing to add on extra services.
If you'd rather not have to consider swapping web hosts again anytime in the near future, our tech team recommends evaluating the total cost for 2-years or more. This is especially valuable as many of the web host providers feature remarkably low introductory rates, and then increase the prices significantly when its time to renew.