Keys to Finding the Best Joomla Hosting Services: Definitions and Recommendations
Fun fact: The name for the popular content management system Joomla is derived from the Swahili word jumla which means “together as a whole.” This embodies the spirit of the community behind one of the leading open-source software platforms.
Here, we bring together the main details you should file away before choosing a web host for your next Joomla project.
What is Joomla Hosting?
Put simply, Joomla hosting is merely a hosting solution where a site owner can operate a Joomla website.
Considering the popular content management system is freely available to all and able to be installed just about anywhere, a Joomla web hosting plan is pretty easy to find.
A common misconception made by folks searching for Joomla hosting is they want a Joomla server, as if that were a type or brand of hardware. To be clear: Joomla is the software, which can be installed on a server.
When compared to the other open-source CMS titans like WordPress and Drupal, however, Joomla is the only one to support ecommerce right out of the box.
The best Joomla hosting options, like the ones featured above, make it easy to download and install that software on whatever server type your heart desires.
Joomla Hosting Basics
Getting ready to take a leap of faith with your first Joomla installation? Never fear!
Use our recommendations above to select a top Joomla hosting service, or feel free to select your own. A successful Joomla site requires three things:
- A domain name: To accommodate your domain name needs for your Joomla web project, leading hosts often include a free domain registration at signup. Bluehost and iPage grant customers a one-year domain name registration, which eases one financial burden that comes with launching a new website.
- A hosting platform: As with WordPress, Joomla users can launch test sites for free under a Joomla subdomain. However, we recommend actually installing the software in a self-hosted environment to completely leverage your brand’s professionalism and online power. The best companies for the job, which top our Joomla hosting reviews, are those touting one-click installations — you can be up and running in mere minutes.
- The Joomla software: Lastly, Joomla hosting is pretty much impossible without Joomla itself. The latest version of the open-source CMS is available for download through the platform’s website or via popular control panels like cPanel or Plesk, which tend to include the Softaculous auto-installer for popular apps and scripts.
From there, be sure to evaluate web hosts based on the amount of disk space and bandwidth, or the availability of freebies like an SSL certificate or content delivery network.
You should know: In your search for a Joomla hosting provider you may come across free Joomla hosting. Although it’s tempting to save money, we strongly advise you to choose a paid option instead of a free Joomla host. Free plans simply don’t provide the same level of technical support, security, or features as a paid hosting service does.
Best Joomla Shared Hosting: HostGator
No better Joomla hosting provider to turn to than the experts at HostGator. Featuring unlimited disk space and bandwidth, each hosting account is perfectly poised to give each Joomla site owner what they want.
HostGator represents an affordable option that’s easy enough for beginners and exciting enough for seasoned developers. The shared host’s Joomla hosting plan incorporates bonus features like email marketing tools and tons of storage for your MySQL database.
Best Joomla Hosting With SSDs: A2 Hosting
As with any type of website, speed is obviously important — that’s why A2 Hosting ranks near the top of our list. Each server is equipped with SSDs and NVMe storage that boasts page load times up to 20 times faster.
The company’s web hosting service exemplifies pedal-to-the-metal speed. Even though these tips to improve Joomla performance may be less important to A2 Hosting customers, each millisecond matters.
Best Joomla Cloud Hosting Plan: SiteGround
Look no further than SiteGround for your Joomla cloud hosting needs. The hosting company recently moved its entire operations to Google Cloud Platform infrastructure, ensuring premium performance and reliability.
Although SiteGround’s price may be among the highest on our list, the value offered is unprecedented. The web hosting provider is known for its in-house innovation, ranging from custom caching solutions, security safeguards, and even support systems that automatically direct you to the right Joomla expert.
Best Joomla Hosting for Small Business: InMotion Hosting
For larger-scale content management projects or online storefronts, you may require a virtual private server, or VPS. With a free cPanel/WHM license, InMotion Hosting lets you launch your Joomla VPS project quickly.
The speed doesn’t stop there — the Joomla hosting company’s plans all feature SSD-powered servers as standard. This means the content you manage with Joomla will load up to 20 times faster than average.
How to Compare Joomla Hosts
We’ve certainly thrown a lot of web hosting jargon at you in a short time. And if this is your first time shopping for a Joomla host, you may feel overwhelmed. However, have no fear! Choosing a Joomla host isn’t as tricky as it may seem.
To make sure you don’t end up with buyer’s remorse, you should consider three main factors before pulling the trigger on a plan: price, customer support, and features. To compare plans, take notes on these three points.
Determine your budget and rank hosts based on price. Then, compare what type of support each host offers. You should look for 24/7 access to helpful agents. Finally, compare the features you get in each plan. Take note of hosts that offer a free domain name, free SSL certificate, one-click installations, and SEO tools.
Features to Look for With the Best Joomla Hosting
After thoroughly reviewing the top web hosts for Joomla, we found several key features repeated throughout the leading hosting plans. Beginning with easy software setup and ending with always-there-for-you support, the best Joomla hosts offer the following:
- 1-click Joomla installations via cPanel or Plesk
- Generous storage and site traffic allowances
- Performance-enhancement features (such as SSD-powered speed or integrated caching)
- Ecommerce-specific features for those managing profit-related content
- A free domain at which to host your Joomla project
- 24/7 expert support, live chat/phone options, and a knowledge base
- An uptime guarantee of at least 99.9%
The Joomla community has come “together as a whole” to deliver a powerful, actively maintained, high-volume capable CMS. Sign up with the expert-recommended hosts above to discover the best Joomla hosting around — and you’ll find yourself partnered with a technology and a service provider that make it easy to bring complex web projects together.
