If you are figuring out how much to pay for web hosting as part of your journey to build a website, one of the very first questions you need to answer is, “How much does website hosting cost.”
The prices for web hosting are significantly different and depend on what type of hosting you need and the provider you pick. In this article, we’ll explain standard website hosting prices and demonstrate prices from 10 of the best web hosting companies.
How Much Does Website Hosting Cost? Common Website Hosting Price Ranges
Website hosting costs typically look something like this:
- Shared Hosting: $2 to $20 per month
- VPS Hosting: $20 – $100/month
- Dedicated Hosting: $80-$500+ a month
- WordPress Hosting: $5 – $50 per month
- Cloud Server: $5-$300+ / month
Shared hosting typically comes at the lowest price, as your site is on a server with other sites, meaning you share server resources. Virtual private servers (VPS) and dedicated hosting come with a larger allocation of resources and greater control, but they are even more expensive.
WordPress hosting is another form of managed web hosting, but it has specific features created and designed for WordPress sites. Cloud hosting offers scalable, flexible resources.
An affordable shared hosting plan will work for nearly all small websites and blogs. If you have a very big website, you may need to update to VPS or dedicated hosting for better performance.
Factors That Affect Web Hosting Pricing
When it comes to comparing web hosting prices, here are some factors to consider:
- Storage space
- Bandwidth/data transfer
- Number of websites allowed
- Email accounts
- SSL certificates
- Domain registration
- Control panel (e.g. cPanel)
- Customer support
- Uptime guarantee
- Backup services
- Security features
Cheapest web hosting plans almost always come with limited storage bandwidth and other features. Higher plans offer additional resources and advanced features.
Basic Web Hosting Pricing of Top 10 Web Hosting Providers
Here are the pricing and the most important features of some of the best web hosting companies in 2024:
1. Bluehost
Bluehost is perhaps the most popular web host of all time, best known for cheap shared hosting (and WordPress plans).
Shared hosting pricing:
- Basic: $2.95/month
- Plus: $5.45/month
- Choice Plus: $5.45/month
- Pro: $13.95/month
Key features:
- Free domain for 1st year
- Free SSL certificate
- Unmetered bandwidth
- 24/7 support
- 30-day money-back guarantee
The above pricing shows that Bluehost provides decent pricing at the base level for newbies with their fare-shared programs. The Basic plan is also super cheap, but it is restricted to a single website. You get better features on Plus, and Choice Plus plans for multiple sites.
2. HostGator
HostGator offers cheap shared, WordPress, VPS, and dedicated hosting services.
Shared hosting pricing:
- Hatchling: $2.75/month
- Baby: $3.50/month
- Business: $5.25/month
Key features:
- Free domain for 1st year
- Free SSL certificate
- Unmetered bandwidth
- Free website builder
- 45-day money-back guarantee
HostGator is one of the most affordable options available, particularly with promotional pricing. Hatchling is a good plan for a single site, though the Baby plan includes unlimited websites. On the other hand, the Business package gets dedicated IP and SEO tools.
3. SiteGround
SiteGround is a premium managed WordPress hosting solution with advanced features.
WordPress hosting pricing:
- StartUp: $3.99/month
- GrowBig: $6.69/month
- GoGeek: $10.69/month
Key features:
- Free SSL & CDN
- Daily backups
- Staging environments
- 24/7 support
- 30-day money-back guarantee
While the plans from SiteGround are not quite as expensive as your typical managed WordPress hosting, they charge a little more than the entry-level shared plans and include managed WordPress features like staging, Git, and WP-CLI. The GrowBig and GoGeek plans provide additional resources and features.
4. DreamHost
DreamHost offers cheap shared hosting and WordPress managed plans.
Shared hosting pricing:
- Shared Starter: $2.59/month
- Shared Unlimited: $3.95/month
WordPress hosting pricing:
- DreamPress: $16.95/month
- DreamPress Plus: $24.95/month
- DreamPress Pro: $71.95/month
Key features:
- Free domain with annual plan
- Free SSL certificate
- Unlimited traffic
- 24/7 support
- 97-day money-back guarantee
If you want cheap shared web hosting, you will get unbeatable shared plans from DreamHost. DreamPress managed WordPress plans cost more but also offer more features and resources.
5. A2 Hosting
For fast hosting, such as shared, VPS, and dedicated hosting, A2 Hosting has you covered.
Shared hosting pricing:
- Startup: $2.99/month
- Drive: $5.99/month
- Turbo Boost: $6.99/month
- Turbo Max: $12.99/month
Key features:
- Free SSL certificate
- Unlimited storage & transfer
- Free site migration
- Anytime money-back guarantee
A2’s Turbo plans include faster servers, which will fix any up-time issues through performance. The Drive plan is suitable for unlimited websites at a fair price. A2 also offers a unique money-back guarantee at any time.
6. GoDaddy
GoDaddy is one of the largest domain registrars and offers various web hosting plans.
Shared hosting pricing:
- Economy: $5.99/month
- Deluxe: $7.99/month
- Ultimate: $12.99/month
- Maximum: $19.99/month
Key features:
- Free domain with annual plan
- Free SSL certificate (not Economy)
- Unmetered bandwidth
- 24/7 support
- 30-day money-back guarantee
GoDaddy is pricier than some other competitors. They offer free domain names and business email for the first year. More advanced features are included in the Ultimate and Maximum plans.
7. InMotion Hosting
InMotion Hosting offers shared, VPS, and dedicated hosting, with the target market being business websites.
Shared hosting pricing:
- Core: $2.29/month
- Launch: $4.99/month
- Power: $4.99/month
- Pro: $12.99/month
Key features:
- Free domain
- Free SSL certificate
- Unlimited bandwidth
- Free website builder
- 90-day money-back guarantee
InMotion plans are a good deal, particularly for businesses. The Launch and Power plans allow you to host more than one website. On top of that, InMotion also offers a longer 90-day money-back guarantee.
8. Hostinger
Hostinger is your go-to option with the cheapest shared hosting packages. It is one of the best hosting companies that offer different affordable hosting packages for all types of websites.
Shared hosting pricing:
- Single: $1.99/month
- Premium: $2.99/month
- Business: $3.99/month
Key features:
- Free SSL certificate
- Free email
- Weekly backups
- 24/7 support
- 30-day money-back guarantee
Hostinger’s plans are some of the lowest prices in the industry. However, the Single plan has a lot of limitations. The Premium and Business plans are more cost-effective if you manage several websites.
9. WP Engine
The final service we will look at is WP Engine, a managed WordPress hosting provider targeted at larger sites and businesses.
Managed WordPress hosting pricing:
- Startup: $30/month
- Professional: $60/month
- Growth: $115/month
- Scale: $290/month
Key features:
- Free SSL & CDN
- Daily backups
- Staging environments
- 24/7 support
- 60-day money-back guarantee
WP Engine plans are also considerably more expensive than basic shared hosting. However, their plans come with powerful features such as staging, Git integration, or enterprise-grade security. WP Engine web hosting is ideal for more comprehensive WordPress sites with increased traffic.
10. Kinsta
Kinsta is another high-end managed WordPress host built for performance and scalability.
Pricing for managed WordPress hosting services:
- Starter: $35/month
- Pro: $70/month
- Business 1: $115/month
- Business 2: $225/month
Key features:
- Free SSL & CDN
- Daily backups
- Staging environments
- 24/7 support
- 30-day money-back guarantee
Like WP Engine, Kinsta plans are expensive compared to shared web hosting. However, they still have solid performance, security, and support for WordPress sites. Kinsta is a fantastic WordPress hosting provider suitable for growing brands that need scalability.
Also Check: How Much Does a Domain Name Cost?
Conclusion
Web hosting pricing varies from under $3/mo for basic shared hosting to over $200/mo for premium managed WordPress hosting, as you can imagine. Which option is right for you depends on your needs and budget. Hope this post have answered your question, “How much does website hosting cost?”
A cheap shared hosting plan from Bluehost, HostGator, or Hostinger works best for most small websites and blogs.
You can switch to VPS or managed WordPress hosting when your site grows and needs more features.
Tip:
- Compare more than the price when you shop for web hosting.
- Look at each plan, including resources, features, and support.
- Remember that many hosts offer promotional pricing for the first year and charge hefty price tags for renewal.
- A good web hosting plan ensures you can build a fast and reliable website without breaking the bank.
