how-to
Advertiser Disclosure
As the resident hamburger expert on the HostingAdvice team, I often find myself thinking of hosting-related topics in terms of my favorite food — especially when it comes to price and quality. In my view, a good burger should offer simplicity, with all of the parts (pickles, onions, mustard — whatever you prefer) working toward the overall goal of the perfect bite. Then there’s price to consider. I’d rather pay $8 for the burger I just described than pay $25 for a beef patty, foie gras, and lobster all clumsily smashed together between the buns. I just don’t need all that stuff.
Web hosting’s similar. There are expensive options out there that have become popular because their price tags come with names that identify them as the lobsters of web hosting. But some of the lesser-known hosting providers offer much of the functionality of their bigger cousins at much more reasonable prices. Let’s compare the prices of the top 10 web hosts.
Best Low-Price Web Hosting:
Compare Other Popular Web Hosting Services:
1. iPage Web Hosting Pricing – Starting at $1.99
Don’t be fooled by the price. Though it’s one of the cheapest hosting options out there, iPage has a long list of add-ons that regularly put it at the top of our reviews.
With a free web builder and thousands of responsive templates, iPage users can get professional-looking sites up and running in no time. Some of iPage’s core features include unlimited disk space, scalable bandwidth, and a free domain name for one year.
iPage.com
- Featuring easy setup and superb reliability since 1998
- FREE domain and FREE Google marketing included
- Unlimited disk, bandwidth, and emails
- FREE site builder and shopping cart
- Get more than 75% off today (was $8.99/month)
- Get started on iPage now.
iPage: Our Expert's Review
| Money Back Guarantee | Disk Space | Domain Name | Cheap Hosting Plans |
|---|---|---|---|
| 30 days | Unlimited | FREE (1 year) | www.ipage.com/shared |
Sites hosted with iPage enjoy high availability, and the host provides effective backup software to protect data and get sites back online in the event of a catastrophe. Other hosting utilities include file and FTP managers, custom error pages, and audio and video support, among many others.
With iPage’s free online store, PayPal integration, and easy-to-use shopping carts, eCommerce is a breeze. A full marketing suite is also included, giving access to online marketing guides, $100 in Google AdWords credit, $100 Bing search credit, and a free YellowPages.com listing.
If you’re interested in top-tier hosting from iPage, read more in our review.
2. Wix Web Hosting Pricing – Starting at $0.00
Though not top of mind for the general public, Wix is a big name in the web hosting community mainly due to its flexibility. Wix packages start as low as $0.00 per month and include stunning templates, free hosting, domain connection, 500MB of storage, Google Analytics, and support.
Wix.com
- Start designing for FREE
- FREE domain with most plans
- Drag-and-drop templates, specific to industry or design need
- Help Center with exhaustive knowledge base of articles
- Huge App Market available
- Get started on Wix now.
Wix: Our Expert's Review
| Money Back Guarantee | Disk Space | Domain Name | Cheap Hosting Plans |
|---|---|---|---|
| 14 days | 500 MB - 20 GB | Transfer | www.wix.com/site-builder |
Moving up Wix’s price tiers will get you even more features. The host’s VIP package includes 20GB of storage, $300 in ad vouchers, a free site booster app with a $60 value, and a free form builder app valued at $48.
For online merchants, Wix’s storefronts offer product galleries to showcase merchandise, an inventory management tool, and digital payment tools to accept pretty much any type of payment. The platform’s marketing and analytics suite is designed to broadcast your brand to prospective customers and drive traffic to your site.
For more on Wix, see our detailed review covering all the platform has to offer.
3. Bluehost Web Hosting Pricing – Starting at $2.95
When you think of Bluehost, the first thing that comes to mind should be big value at a low premium. The host’s shared hosting service is a great way to get the most bang for your buck.
Bluehost allows for simple domain management, allowing users to track, transfer, or update domains in a centralized location. Unlimited email accounts are also included and come with filters, secure POP3, and third-party client compatibility, among other features.
Bluehost.com
- Known for performance at a low price
- Endorsed by WordPress.org team
- FREE Weebly site builder and templates
- FREE Cloudflare CDN
- Get 63% off today (was $7.99/month)
- Get started on Bluehost now.
Bluehost: Our Expert's Review
| Money Back Guarantee | Disk Space | Domain Name | Cheap Hosting Plans |
|---|---|---|---|
| 30 days | Unlimited | FREE (1 year) | www.bluehost.com/shared |
Site owners can rest assured their sites and content are safe, as Bluehost creates account backups on a daily basis. Bluehost also ensures optimal site performance — even in a shared environment — by recognizing sites that are consuming a lot of resources and temporarily reassigning them to other servers.
If you’re looking for a cheap, scalable hosting solution, Bluehost may be for you.
4. Weebly Web Hosting Pricing – Starting at $8.00
A great choice for beginners with little to no web development experience, Weebly offers an intuitive, fully hosted web builder with multiple packages. Site owners can build their online presence with Weebly’s drag-and-drop editor on one of the many topic-specific themes the platform offers.
Whether you’re looking to create an online store, a photography site, or a blog, Weebly has a theme for just about any use-case. And then there are the features.
Weebly.com
- All-in-one hosting and industry-leading drag-and-drop website builder
- Start designing for FREE, upgrade to an affordable plan whenever
- Easily build a blog, personal site, online store, or business portfolio
- 100s of FREE templates for websites and online marketplaces
- $100 credit toward Google advertising
- Get started on Weebly now.
Weebly: Our Expert's Review
| Money Back Guarantee | Disk Space | Domain Name | Cheap Hosting Plans |
|---|---|---|---|
| 30 days | 500 MB - Unlimited | FREE (w/ paid plans) | www.weebly.com/site-builder |
Weebly’s Starter package comes complete with a free unique domain, $100 Google Ads credit, and unlimited storage. Moving up the package tiers, site owners are also able to enjoy site search tools, password protection, and HD video and audio.
For those wanting an eCommerce solution, Weebly has you covered. Depending on the tier, the platform offers online stores with unlimited products, in-domain checkouts, inventory management, shipping calculators, SSL security, and SEO functionality.
We’ve provided an all-encompassing glimpse into everything Weebly has for you.
5. HostGator Web Hosting Pricing – Starting at $3.48
HostGator hit the scene back in 2002 when Founder Brent Oxley was attending college at Florida Atlantic University. He knew he could offer site owners top-tier hosting at a fraction of what the competition was charging. So he devised a business plan in his dorm room and, within a year, was welcoming thousands of customers.
Today, HostGator is known for its budget-friendly hosting plans that web entrepreneurs and businesses of all types are leveraging to build online presence. The host’s proprietary website builder provides a drag-and-drop environment and a wide range of templates that make getting a site up and running a cinch. HostGator also gives customers access to a number of CMS and eCommerce platforms, including WordPress, Joomla, Drupal, and Magento, among others.
HostGator.com
- FREE Weebly site builder
- Easy-to-use control panel
- Unlimited disk, emails, and bandwidth
- 24/7/365 premium support
- 50% off your first month, plus domains starting at $5!
- Get started on HostGator now.
HostGator: Our Expert's Review
| Money Back Guarantee | Disk Space | Domain Name | Cheap Hosting Plans |
|---|---|---|---|
| 45 days | Unlimited | New or Transfer | www.hostgator.com/shared |
At a starting price of just $3.48 per month and a 45-day money-back guarantee, there’s not much to lose by signing up for services with HostGator. To learn about all the perks HostGator customers enjoy, be sure to read our full review.
6. WordPress Web Hosting Prices – Starting at $3.49
Since the software’s initial release in 2003, WordPress quickly gained popularity and now powers nearly 27% of sites on the web. The open-source platform is widely used by businesses to develop elegant, professional-looking, and modern online presences, and many leading hosts tout WordPress-specific plans.
Though inherently a blogging tool, WordPress can be manipulated into a web builder, CMS, or online gallery editor, and it’s been called all of the above. WordPress is highly customizable, and sites built with it can easily be tailored to match any brand aesthetic. WordPress hosting packages are very reasonably priced, and it’s easy to get started. We recommend InMotion Hosting if you’re interested in building a site with WordPress.
WordPress.org
- #1 site-building software is FREE
- Install in 1 click with top hosts
- FREE themes to customize your WordPress site
- Works for eCommerce, blogging, galleries, and personal sites
- Trusted by millions of website owners
- Get started on WordPress with InMotion Hosting.
WordPress: Our Expert's Review
| Money Back Guarantee | Disk Space | Domain Name | Cheap Hosting Plans |
|---|---|---|---|
| 90 days | Unlimited | FREE (1 year) | www.inmotion.com/wordpress |
Depending on the hosting provider and selected plan, WordPress site owners may enjoy a complimentary unique domain name, unlimited storage space, and all manner of marketing perks and incentives. Independent of your host, you can choose from thousands of WordPress templates, which can be customized with color schemes, background designs, and multiple font styles.
More than 54,000 plugins have been built to extend the functionality of WordPress sites. You’ll find add-ons ranging from SEO boosts to online community builders — everything you need to create the site you’ve envisioned.
With its compelling themes and 54,000-plus plugins, WordPress powers 27% of the internet.
Take a look at our expert review to see how WordPress can work for you.
7. A2 Hosting Web Hosting Pricing – Starting at $3.92
If you’re seeking a powerful engine to rev up your site and optimize loading time, look no further than A2 Hosting. The host prides itself on the reliable, high-performing hosting service it provides.
A2 Hosting’s Starter package will get you one website, five databases, unlimited storage and transfer, and cPanel control panel. Higher-tiered plans come with unlimited sites, databases, storage, and transfer, and free SSL and SSD.
A2Hosting.com
- FREE Cloudflare CDN and SSD speed boost solution
- A2-optimized caching and 1-click CMS installs
- Up to unlimited email addresses, domains, and databases
- Advanced security features and FREE HackScan
- 24/7/365 "Guru Crew" support
- Get started on A2 Hosting now.
A2 Hosting: Our Expert's Review
| Money Back Guarantee | Disk Space | Domain Name | Cheap Hosting Plans |
|---|---|---|---|
| Anytime | Unlimited RAID-10 | $14.99 | www.a2hosting.com/shared |
The host’s Turbo package does just what its name implies. With Turbo, sites run up to 20 times faster because of A2’s fine-tuned server. This package also comes with a site accelerator, boosting speeds even more.
With this kind of performance optimization and a support team ready to help around the clock, A2 Hosting might be a great choice for your site.
If you think so, too, read our comprehensive take on A2 Hosting.
Other Popular Web Hosting – Price Comparison
Rackspace, Google, and Amazon are three recognizable names that offer stellar web hosting services. But those prices!
The cost of entry into all three providers’ can be exorbitant depending on the nature of your site. The price of the hosting packages can go up with increased traffic and the type of solution you’re looking to employ.
8. Rackspace Web Hosting Pricing – Starting at $75
Rackspace offers a number of hosting solutions and managed services. Here, we’ll take a look at the company’s cheapest cloud hosting offering.
The cost of hosting your site in a cloud environment with Rackspace can vary depending on what you’re looking for. Rackspace offers a price calculator to provide estimates on this. For our purposes, let’s see how low we can get the cost.
The host’s general purpose 1GB virtual cloud server running on a Linux OS seems to be the cheapest option. By adding just 10GB of bandwidth and their required managed infrastructure service to this, Rackspace will host your site for $74.56 per month.
The online magazine, Ecommerce Guide, gave a pretty good overview of Rackspace’s different hosting options and broke down the costs of the company’s dedicated hosting. Going to this option increases prices exponentially.
9. Google Web Hosting Pricing – Starting at $45
The cheapest of the big three, the Google Cloud Platform’s pricing model is still a far cry from the costs charged by some of the hosts mentioned earlier. For $44.66 per month, Google offers its Custom 2 core 3.75GB hosting solution. If you add an additional $10, you get an extra 4.25GB.
TechRepublic published a great breakdown of Google’s pricing when compared with AWS, which will also come in handy in our next section. The article concluded that Google wins the war on price and performance among the big cloud providers.
10. Amazon Web Hosting Pricing – Starting at $77
Because Amazon‘s free web hosting tier doesn’t offer many of the features some of the other web hosts mentioned here do, it may serve us better to look at the pricing surrounding their paid services. We published an article covering Amazon Web Services’s flexible pay-as-you-go model for its cloud infrastructure service. For businesses that don’t want to commit large chunks of their budgets to hosting in the long term, AWS might be a good fit. However, the host does come in as the most expensive option on our list.
Like Google, AWS offers enterprises scalable environments in which to deliver their sites and apps. With AWS, businesses can get up and running with the host’s C4 HighCPU package for $76.65 per month. The next tier employs Amazon’s M4 Standard server for $87.60 per month.
According to the same TechRepublic article mentioned earlier, however, AWS’s pricing models are a bit difficult to navigate and figure out just how much you’ll be paying each month. The costs can vary based on features and how much traffic your site gets. So, if your online business is scaling rapidly, your bottom line might be impacted by AWS’s hosting costs.
Use Promo Codes and Get Rewards for the Best Server Deals
The skinny: Like hamburgers, the most expensive hosting options with all the bells and whistles may not necessarily provide the perfect bite (byte?). Rackspace, Google, and AWS might be good fits for large, enterprise-level organizations, but cheaper alternatives provide a similar level of service at a fraction of the cost.
Quick Tip: To save some extra cash on your hosting purchase, try using a rewards credit card at checkout. CardRates.com, for example, has a nice list of the best credit cards with rewards and cash back offers. Why not get some free air miles or cold, hard cash for your troubles?
Was this helpful? Tell Us Thanks.
About the Author
Questions or Comments? Ask Sean!
Ask a question and Sean will respond to you. We strive to provide the best advice on the net and we are here to help you in any way we can.