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Updated on August 30, 2023
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Based on our research, Bluehost is the number one recommended web hosting provider! It offers a great blend of features, help and support, and value for money. Bluehost once again topped our research rankings as the best host for WordPress users this year. And it comes with a recommendation from WordPress itself, which is something to think about if you’re using the popular CMS to build your site.
Bluehost really impressed us when it came to being consistently cheap and feature-rich. It also got a whopping 4.9 out of 5 for its dedicated plans because it was consistently good across its price, performance, features, market analysis, and help and support.
We directly compare the market’s leading hosting providers on the areas that matter most. Find out who is cheapest, which is the most supportive, and which is best for you in our web hosting comparison table…
Our overall ratings are based on the average score of all ratings combined.
Why does this matter?
Our scores give you an at-a-glance overview of which service offers you the best features, value, and more.
Comparison
bluehost 4.8 / 5
godaddy 4 / 5
11 4 / 5
siteground 3.7 / 5
hostinger 3.6 / 5
Overall Score
What is this?
To calculate the Types of Hosting score, we looked at how many different services are offered by the provider e.g. shared/VPS/dedicated hosting. Shown are the five most popular types, but more were taken into consideration.
Why does this matter?
Firstly, it’s important to know if the type of hosting you’re after is provided. Secondly, it’s nice to know what the other options are, should you ever want to switch or upgrade.
Comparison
bluehost 4.6 / 5
godaddy 4 / 5
11 4.2 / 5
siteground 2.4 / 5
hostinger 3.3 / 5
Shared Hosting
What is this?
Shared hosting is where your website sits on a server with other websites. It’s generally the cheapest type of hosting but you share your resource limits with the other sites.
Comparison
bluehost
godaddy
11
siteground
hostinger
VPS Hosting
What is this?
Virtual Private Server (VPS) hosting is where multiple sites use the same server, but have their own set resource limits. You can also ‘borrow’ resources from another site if it doesn’t need them and you’re maxed out.
Comparison
bluehost
godaddy
11
siteground
hostinger
WordPress Hosting
What is this?
WordPress hosting is a service specifically designed for WordPress websites. It usually comes with set features like a one-click WordPress install and automated WordPress updates to make life easier for you.
Comparison
bluehost
godaddy
11
siteground
hostinger
Cloud Hosting
What is this?
Cloud hosting is where you’re not tied to one specific server. In fact, your site is hosted across several servers, pulling a flexible amount of resources from each. It’s a modern type of hosting that’s growing in popularity.
Comparison
bluehost
godaddy
11
siteground
hostinger
Dedicated Hosting
What is this?
Dedicated hosting is where your site gets a server all to itself. You’re not reliant on anyone else, and get huge resource limits. Naturally, this is reflected in the price.
Comparison
bluehost
godaddy
11
siteground
hostinger
Overall Score
What is this?
Covers all the key features you get with that provider, regardless of the type of hosting you choose. We compared every possible feature, but these are the five we believe to be most interesting and important to you.
Why does this matter?
It’s important to know what’s included when you sign up with each provider. After all, after your actual hosting performance, features will be one of the biggest factors in your final decision.
Comparison
bluehost 4.2 / 5
godaddy 3.7 / 5
11 4.5 / 5
siteground 4 / 5
hostinger 4.2 / 5
cPanel
What is this?
Short for control panel, cPanel is an industry-standard dashboard used by most hosting providers. You can manage your site’s hosting through this dashboard. It’s very intuitive and easy to use.
Comparison
bluehost
godaddy
11
siteground
hostinger
Unmetered Transfers
What is this?
The flow of data between your website and its server. Every time someone lands on your site, your server has to send the information to them. Unmetered essentially means this data transfer is unlimited and can’t run out.
Comparison
bluehost
godaddy
11
siteground
hostinger
Domains
What is this?
A domain is what you see in the URL of your site e.g. ‘www.websitebuilderexpert.com’. We looked at whether the provider offers you your domain free of charge for the first year.
Comparison
bluehost
godaddy
11
siteground
hostinger
Free Backups
What is this?
Most providers will back up your website every 24 hours. This feature looks at whether it’s free to restore your site to the last saved backup, should something go wrong.
Comparison
bluehost
godaddy
11
siteground
hostinger
Disk Space
What is this?
Storage is to do with how much content your website needs to hold.
Why does this matter?
Sites with lots of media (images, videos etc.) will need more storage space. If you have unlimited storage, you can host as much content as you like.
Comparison
bluehost 5 / 5
godaddy 5 / 5
11 5 / 5
siteground 0.1 / 5
hostinger 3.3 / 5
Average Uptime
What is this?
Relates to the average amount of time your website is ‘live’ online. It’s impossible to achieve 100% uptime, but the aim is for providers to guarantee an uptime as close to that as possible.
Why does this matter?
Obviously, the purpose of a website is to share your information with the rest of the world, and that’s only possible when it’s live. Generally speaking, any uptime above 99.95% is pretty darn good.
Comparison
bluehost 99.98%
godaddy 99%
11 99.99%
siteground 99.9%
hostinger 99.99%
Overall Score
What is this?
Scored on the number of ways you can receive support from the provider. Does the provider offer a help center, ticket system, phone service, and live chat? And is the phone/live chat support available 24/7.
Why does this matter?
No one likes getting stuck, so it’s reassuring to know there’s help on hand, should you need it. The 24/7 service is particularly important, as it adds a personal touch and means there’s always someone around to help you.
Comparison
bluehost 3.5 / 5
godaddy 5 / 5
11 1 / 5
siteground 2.5 / 5
hostinger 0.7 / 5
Value for Money
What is this?
Two things are taken into consideration here: the average cost of the provider’s plans for shared, VPS, and dedicated hosting, and if it offers a money-back guarantee.
Why does this matter?
Everyone loves a bargain. It’s good to understand if the prices offered by a provider are cheap, expensive, or average compared to the rest of the market.
Comparison
bluehost 4.7 / 5
godaddy 3.5 / 5
11 4.7 / 5
siteground 1.7 / 5
hostinger 2.9 / 5
Entry Plan (Monthly)
What is this?
The cost of each service’s cheapest pricing plan. Please note, these are the regular prices – most providers will offer further discounted rates for new customers, but these will only be applicable to your initial sign-up term. Check out each host’s own site for further details.
Comparison
bluehost
Basic: $1.99 ($1.99/year)
godaddy
Basic: $9.99 ($119.88/year)
Personal Plan
11
Essential: $4 ($4/year)
siteground
Startup: $2.99 ($2.99/year)
hostinger
Premium: $2.99 ($2.99/year)
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Compare Web Hosting Services
There are a ton of web hosting services that you can choose from, but, in our opinion, some are better than others. Take a look below for a recap of our best 5 web hosting services.
The 5 Best Web Hosting Services
Bluehost: – Best overall hosting provider
GoDaddy: Speedy server response time
IONOS: Best site speed and uptime
SiteGround: Good option for startup sellers
Hostinger: Great for ecommerce hosting
We tested 27 hosting providers to evaluate them in terms of price, performance, features, help and support, and more so we can make the most useful recommendations to our readers.
Our rigorous testing process means these products have been scored and rated in five main categories of investigation and 30 subcategories. In total, we cover 282 areas of investigation – and we go through this process for every type of hosting the provider has to offer!
Our main testing categories for hosting providers are:
Price: the cost associated with the hosting services provided by a hosting provider, such as subscription plans, pricing tiers, and any additional fees or charges.
Performance: the speed, reliability, and overall performance of a hosting provider’s servers. It encompasses factors such as server uptime and response time.
Features: the specific functionalities and capabilities provided by a hosting provider, including storage space, bandwidth allocation, and server location.
Help and Support: the assistance and resources available to users when they encounter issues or need guidance, e.g. tutorials and email or chat support.
Market Analysis / Customer Score: the assessment of the hosting provider’s position and reputation in the market.
The Website Builder Expert product testing process
GoDaddy is the second-best provider behind Bluehost, and wowed us with its excellent performance in our server response time testing as well as its stellar help and support options. This means that your site will respond quickly and smoothly to any user actions, and if you experience any issues, GoDaddy will be there to help you out.
IONOS places a very respectable third, thanks to its impressive 99.99% uptime and zippy site speed. This means that not only is IONOS incredibly reliable, but it’s also efficient, too!
Summary
Why did we choose these web hosting providers? Well, it’s simple, these are the best of the bunch! We don’t want to waste your time by comparing expensive, unreliable services, so we’re only bringing you the best.
Our website hosting comparison chart gives you a snapshot overview of five top providers: Bluehost, GoDaddy, Hostinger. But there are plenty more out there, and the one that suits you best may not be on this chart, which is why it’s important to shop around to find your perfect match.
When comparing web hosting providers, the most important thing is to think about the features most important to you. Do you need a ton of storage space? Or are you after VPS or cloud hosting specifically? Maybe you need a top-quality WordPress host, or a host to support your online store. Maybe you need cheap web hosting.
Whatever your needs, there’s a provider for you.
If you want more information, compare the best website hosting services all in one place here.
Whichever provider you decide on, let us know how you get on. Happy hosting!
Once upon a time, my digital knowledge was virtually nonexistent – I couldn’t even hook a printer up to my laptop without a good helping of blush-inducing curses. Since then, I’ve worked hard to change that and, thanks to the team here at Website Builder Expert, I’ve learned a lot (who knew that hosting doesn’t just refer to handing out drinks at a summer BBQ?). Using my passion for words and my own experiences with website-building and digital marketing, I’m determined to help others like me get comfortable and take the internet by storm– without any stress or the need for profanities!
