New to Magento? Read These FAQs Before You Start
Having recently traded my sluggish, 13-year-old sedan for a shiny new car, I know that speed sells. Performance matters, especially in competitive markets like the auto industry — and finding the best Magento hosting.
In the eCommerce world, site performance can mean the difference between staying a mom-and-pop store and going global. Consumers are increasingly impatient and will abandon a shopping cart in milliseconds. In fact, a website that is just one second slower will likely see a 7% drop in conversions.
With an army of open-source innovators, the Magento eCommerce platform keeps shop owners at the front of the pack when it comes to online shopping trends. By pairing Magento with a top-notch hosting plan, your store can burn rubber off the starting line.
My hosting provider recommendations, tailored by locations, server needs, and computing power, will help your online store take the pole position and appeal to consumers near and far.
1. What Is Magento?
Put plainly, Magento is an eCommerce platform that lets you build and manage an online store. You can think of it as a more advanced and eCommerce-centric version of WordPress. It pairs all the standard functions of an eCommerce platform with the added bonus of having more customization and flexibility.
Because it’s more complex, Magento isn’t for newbies. While you don’t have to know how to code (Magento has some prebuilt themes), it sure helps.
To take advantage of everything Magento has to offer, you should have a firm grasp of coding languages like PHP, HTML, CSS, and JavaScript, and you should know how to set up a MySQL database. It also doesn’t hurt to have experience using platforms with a modular architecture and be familiar with integrating APIs.
If you’re new to all this, your head may be spinning — that’s okay. Using WordPress with WooCommerce is a much more user-friendly alternative, which you can learn more about here.
However, if you’re skilled in these areas, you may be wondering, “Why should I use Magento when using WordPress and WooCommerce is way less of a pain in my you-know-what?” I’ll help you weigh the pros and cons:
| Pros | Cons |
| Magento is specifically geared toward eCommerce. | There’s a more complex learning curve. |
| It’s part of the Adobe Experience Cloud, meaning you get access to those tools as well. | Magento doesn’t have any official customer support since it’s open-source. |
| Magento allows for more customization and complex features, which is ideal for companies. | Magento has fewer ready-made templates and themes than its competitors do. |
| The Magento software is free and open-source. | You may have to manually install security patches periodically. |
I recommend Magento to developers or experienced IT folks who want a dedicated eCommerce platform that’s more robust and customizable than WordPress.
2. What Type of Hosting Plan Do I Need for Magento?
If you’re planning to use Magento to build an eCommerce platform, you can’t choose any old hosting plan. You need a service that provides strong security and performance. I usually recommend a VPS or cloud server for hosting Magento applications.
VPSes and cloud servers provide greater scalability and resources than shared hosting plans, and they’re generally more affordable than dedicated servers.
Now, let’s talk details. Here’s what your hosting plan should have:
Obviously, the larger your store (the more products, images, etc.), the more resources you’ll need. But this is a good starting point for small sites.
Then, you should take a look at what other features the web host offers. Does it come with managed support? Will you have full root access?
Make sure you evaluate these features, too:
- Ability to handle multiple sites
- A content delivery network for faster speeds
- SSL, SSH, and SFTP
- Disaster recovery and daily backups
- SEO and marketing tools
- PCI compliance
3. Can I Use Shared Hosting for Magento?
Yes, you can technically use a shared hosting plan for Magento, but I don’t recommend it for most users. Unless you have a very (I mean very) small online store, shared hosting isn’t the best option.
Magento can become fairly resource-intensive, and most shared hosting plans just don’t have the gas to power it. You may as well upgrade to a VPS or a cloud server for a few extra dollars a month.
4. How Much Does Magento Hosting Cost?
Your Magento hosting plan can be as cheap as $15 a month or as expensive as $1,000. It completely depends on your server configurations (e.g., how much RAM, bandwidth, and CPUs you select).
Here’s a rundown of popular hosts and their pricing for an entry-level Magento plan:
| Host | Monthly Price |
| Cloudways | $11.00 |
| Nexcess | $16.75 |
| Hostinger | $4.99 |
| Kamatera | $0.00 |
| InMotion Hosting | $5.99 |
| ScalaHosting | $14.95 |
| A2 Hosting | $59.99 |
5. What Operating Systems Support Magento?
Before you commit to a hosting plan, make sure it offers the operating system you need for Magento.
The platform is compatible with various Unix-based OSes, such as:
- Ubuntu
- Debian
- CentOS
- RedHat Enterprise Linux
As for Windows systems, I don’t recommend going that route.
While it’s technically possible to use a Windows server for Magento, you’re more likely to run into issues since Magento is designed to work best with Linux distros.
6. What Version of PHP Do I Need for Magento?
PHP is the language that powers Magento stores. It comes in different versions, and you’ll need to make sure you’re using the right one. If you’re not, your installation probably won’t work.
| Magento Version | PHP Version |
| Magento 2.4.0+ | PHP 7.4+ |
While older Magento 2.4 versions still work, you should upgrade to the latest version as soon as it becomes available. Updates include important security patches and bug fixes.
Find the latest version here.
Consider Our Reviews a Map to Finding the Best Magento Host for You
I know my shiny new car has more features and power than I need for my daily commute, but I’m still excited to get behind the wheel. Finding the best Magento hosting for your online storefront should feel the same — be amazed by the performance, services, and price that enables you to create a thriving online business.
