Best PHP Hosting Providers of 2020

Let’s face it: Static websites are a thing of the past. In an online world laden with skateboarding puppy videos and celebrity clickbait slideshows, we land on a barebones website and naturally assume it was built when dinosaurs roamed the Earth.

The call for a dynamic scripting language is more relevant than ever. PHP is one of the foremost programming languages, both for its legacy applications and its contributions to cutting-edge and popular applications.

These days, any web hosting provider worth a dime is going to accommodate the widely used programming language. The best, however, not only make the language accessible, if not pre-installed but guarantee modern, regularly updated versions. For example, Bluehost makes both PHP 5 and PHP 7 available to customers.

Leading providers like InMotion Hosting also house a breadth of knowledgebase articles and expertise to help you troubleshoot errors in your PHP code. Not to mention, the company’s technical support experts are available 24/7. They may not be permitted to physically debug your code, but they can certainly provide insights into what settings or plugins may be giving you grief.

Just as developers have their choice of development environment — whether it be a simple text editor or an integrated dev environment — hosts offer different environments in which to house your PHP-based project. As I alluded to earlier, most shared hosts accommodate PHP. Next, we’ll cover the crème de la crème of more advanced hosting options.

Best PHP Cloud or VPS Hosting

If you’d like to host your PHP-based website on a cloud-based or virtual server, you’ve probably got some combination of the following questions on your mind: Which PHP versions are supported, and can I use handlers to customize? Will my server be CGI friendly? How much disk space am I getting? I could go on, but you get the point.

InMotion Hosting hits PHP hosting out of the park, allowing customers to choose one or multiple PHP versions. The company’s free SSDs will make your PHP-based site load up to 20 times faster than average, and the knowledgebase offers guides for updating your php.ini file.

Best PHP Dedicated Server Host

With Liquid Web’s dedicated server options, you get your money’s worth in Heroic Support™ and hardware performance. The company boasts a redundantly built, multi-tiered network, a commitment to custom-built add-ons for extending security, privacy, and performance, and an awesome uptime guarantee and SLA. Also, managed hosting is this team’s strength. Let Liquid Web handle your infrastructure while you perfect your PHP code.

Any hosting shopper is going to consider cost, but a savvy hosting customer knows to weigh the number of quality features against the price tag. A host promising the world when the reality is subpar support and limited customization control isn’t worth the $3, $5, or FREE price tag the company dangles to initially catch your eye.

Fair: Free PHP Hosting

We get this question a lot: “What about free ______ hosting?” You can fill in the blank with just about any hosting specialty imaginable, and the answer always remains: Free hosting options exist, but they’re not worth your time in the slightest.

We recommend aiming for a low-cost, high-reliability hosting alternative — Bluehost, InMotion Hosting, or A2 Hosting, to rattle off a few better-than-free options.

Fantastic: Cheap PHP Hosting

Here’s where the real value offer comes in. If you want a bargain in PHP hosting, look to the providers that tout longstanding reputations in the industry, a laundry list of PHP-specific features, and credible support staff.

There are a host of features you should demand from any worthy web host: reliable uptime rates, a variety of design and customization options, trustworthy security measures, and solid support, to name a few. Then there are those extra geeky features for the die-hard devs:

• Up-to-date PHP versions and the option to use multiple simultaneously
• Unlimited MySQL databases and guidance for updates
• PHP extensions (GNU Multi-Precision Library, Hyperwave, IMAP, Ingres II, InterBase, IRC, etc.)
• Easy customization of the php.ini file
• Root, SSH, and PHPMyAdmin access
• Preferred Linux operating system
• Extensive knowledgebae articles for the DIYers

Above is just a smattering of the tools and tricks a hosting provider might offer for PHP lovers. Each programmer has special preferences, so choose the features most important to you.

You’re all set to begin designing and developing your dream dynamic site! Of course, if you want to incorporate dinosaurs into the actual design, we wouldn’t object. The providers ranked in our PHP hosting reviews are more than qualified to help you custom-create your next project — whatever that may be. Ready, set, code!