Hostinger Review

Laura Bernheim

By: Laura Bernheim

Laura Bernheim

Laura has spent more than 12 years crafting engaging and award-winning articles that share the passion behind organizations' products, people, and innovations. As a long-time HostingAdvice contributing expert, she combines a reputation for producing quality content with rich technical expertise to show experienced developers how to capitalize on emerging technologies and find better ways to work with established platforms. A professional journalist, Laura has contributed to The New York Times, Sports Illustrated, the Sun Sentinel, and the world's top hosting providers.

See full bio »

Editor: Lillian Castro

Lillian Castro

Lillian brings more than 30 years of editing and journalism experience to our team. She has written and edited for major news organizations, including The Atlanta Journal-Constitution and the New York Times, and she previously served as an adjunct instructor at the University of Florida. Today, she edits HostingAdvice content for clarity, accuracy, and reader engagement.

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OVERALL RATING 4.8 / 5.0
★★★★★
Features4.6 / 5.0
Ease of Use5.0 / 5.0
Pricing4.8 / 5.0
Reliability & Support4.7 / 5.0
Discount for Our Users See Deals

A champion of affordable hosting, Hostinger is a popular pick for site owners looking for beginner-friendly shared servers. More than 29 million customers call Hostinger home as they scale websites through site builder, VPS, and WordPress hosting plans. When searching for a new plan, Hostinger is among the best at balancing high quality with low prices.

Category Ratings

We had one of our resident hosting experts, Laura Bernheim, sign up for a Hostinger account and take it for a spin. Below are Laura’s ratings of the Hostinger experience, broken down by the types of hosting Hostinger offers.

If you decide to go with Hostinger, you may get a discount by using our link to sign up. While we often make commissions on purchases made through our links, this had no bearing on Laura’s review.

Here’s what Laura found in reviewing Hostinger:

Disclosure: When you sign up through links on our site, we often earn referral fees from partners. For more information, see our ad disclosure and review policy.

Hostinger's Overall Rating (4.8 / 5.0)

Best Overall Rating

4.8
★★★★★

Price:

Setup Time:

Laura Bernheim

Laura Bernheim (HostingAdvice.com):

Behind a mission to make life easier for website developers and their customers, Hostinger provides fast, stable, and streamlined services at a price that is very hard to beat.

Founded in 2004, the bootstrapped company hit the 10 million users mark a decade later, achieving ICANN accreditation and localizing services in 39 countries.

Now, Hostinger serves more than 29 million customers and sees an average of 20,000 new users sign up each day — roughly a new customer every five seconds.

The company's team of roughly 1,000 employees maintains several international offices and a strong force of remote workers to ensure Hostinger services and support are always running and responsive.

As such, Hostinger is able to offer around-the-clock live chat support and a 99.9% service uptime guarantee. The company concentrates on resource-rich shared hosting and scalable virtual servers.

The former boasts WordPress-friendly optimizations and an intuitive drag-and-drop website builder, along with daily or weekly backups and a free domain name for annual plans. Hostinger clearly aims to strike the perfect balance on price versus performance.

Instead of offering subpar services at the lowest price in the industry, the company equips its infrastructure with high-powered solid-state drives and recently even completed a self-imposed challenge to achieve a perfect score on Google PageSpeed Insights.

Finding SSDs and that level of performance at a price lower than most competitors is a striking victory for the company.

  • 24/7/365 ticket and live chat support
  • 99.9% network uptime guarantee
  • FREE domain, site builder, backups, and SSL certificate
  • Unlimited bandwidth, databases, and email accounts
  • Speedy SSDs optimize performance
  • Get started on Hostinger now.
Money Back Guarantee
30 days
Disk Space
50 GB SSD - 200 GB SSD
Domain Name
FREE (1 year)
Setup Time
3 minutes
Hostinger's Cheap Hosting (4.9 / 5.0)

Cheap Rating

4.9
★★★★★

Price:

Setup Time:

As the shared hosting market becomes increasingly saturated, unlimited storage, bandwidth, and email accounts have become surprisingly average.

Hostinger, however, extends the routine, expected metrics to greater lengths — the number of websites, databases, FTP users, subdomains, and parked domains are all unrestricted for most customers.

Hostinger clients who opt for the slightly more expensive (but still quite reasonable and remarkably affordable) Premium and Business hosting packages enjoy unlimited computing power and a free domain name registration, along with free backups.

Premium customers will see performance that measures up to two times faster than the company's cheapest shared hosting plan, while Business users benefit from speeds up to four times faster.

Those consumers will also receive daily backups (instead of weekly), deluxe support, a free SSL certificate, and twice the processing power and memory.

The company's lowest tier of shared hosting services, geared for small, single sites, gets below the $3-per-month benchmark.

While perfectly adequate for new projects, professional résumés, and new blogs, we recommend users sign up for one of the more upscale plans; room to grow is important, and the forward-thinking decision eliminates any potential hassles with upgrading services or migrating files.

Overall, we appreciate how Hostinger doesn't sacrifice performance and functionality when trying to appeal to budget-minded site owners.

The company's all-SSD infrastructure, combined with the inclusion of an easy-to-use site builder, maxed-out speed boosts, and options for a free SSL certificate and domain name, are sure to facilitate lasting and long-term hosting relationships.

  • Unlimited everything, from storage to databases
  • FREE site builder & WP performance upgrades
  • FREE daily or weekly backups
  • Custom control panel and auto-installation scripts
  • SSH access & unlimited FREE SSL certificates
  • Get started on Hostinger now.
Money Back Guarantee
30 days
Disk Space
50 GB SSD - 200 GB SSD
Domain Name
FREE (1 year)
Setup Time
3 minutes
Hostinger's Dedicated Hosting (not yet rated)

"We haven't evaluated Hostinger for this type of hosting service — yet. Either the company didn't offer this option at the time this review was written or this section of the review hasn't made it to the top of our editorial queue just yet. Either way, check back later, as we're always working to keep our reviews up to date and as comprehensive as possible!"

Laura Bernheim

Laura Bernheim, Tech Expert

Want Laura to review your hosting service? Request a review.

Hostinger's VPS Hosting (4.9 / 5.0)

VPS Rating

4.9
★★★★★

Price:

Setup Time:

Hostinger's laser focus on providing affordable hosting solutions shines brightest with the company's VPS packages. The company provides six different virtual server plans, including one that costs less than $5.

Regardless of which plan customers choose, both site owners and visitors will enjoy the all-SSD infrastructure that loads pages up to 30 times faster than many shared hosting services.

Although disk space, RAM, and bandwidth capacities are all a slight touch lower than those of many mainstream competitors, Hostinger's prices reflect the limitations.

Site administrators likely won't miss an extra 10GB of storage, but they're more likely to notice and appreciate the $5 or so per month they save on high-powered hosting.

A key distinction to be aware of, though, is the lack of managed services. Experienced developers should have no problems using the company's powerful control panel, however, and we have faith that the Hostinger support team is prepared to handle any task or challenge thrown its way.

Customers can manage computing resources through the admin portal, which enables admins to reboot servers or turn them on or off.

Users can quickly install or update operating systems or applications with just a few clicks, or view performance statistics or manage root access passwords.

Those who prefer cPanel can opt to manage backups and restores, among other components, in the familiar interface. Unlike Hostinger's shared hosting services, virtual server plans do not include a free domain registration. However, the ICANN-accredited registrar offers incredibly cheap domain registrations.

Addresses ending in .com and .net cost less than $10 per year, while .biz and .org domains are still a few dollars more affordable when registered through Hostinger, compared with most competitors. Domains with those extensions cost about $12 per year.

  • Cloud-based SSD storage for speed and reliability
  • Double your RAM with burst periods
  • FREE dedicated IPv4 and IPv6 addresses
  • Custom control panel for reboots and OS installs
  • HostingAdvice readers enjoy more than 50% off
  • Get started on Hostinger now.
Money Back Guarantee
30 days
Disk Space
50 GB NVMe - 400 GB NVMe
Domain Name
New or Transfer
Setup Time
6 minutes
Hostinger's WordPress Hosting (4.9 / 5.0)

WordPress Rating

4.9
★★★★★

Price:

Setup Time:

As much as we love WordPress, one of our biggest pet peeves is when hosting providers exploit the popularity of the world's most-used content management system by offering so-called WordPress hosting that, in reality, is exactly the same as the host's shared server plans.

Fortunately, Hostinger's ultra-fast infrastructure and easy access to SSL certificates and backups sets up the company to outperform the vast majority of the violators of our admittedly made-up rule.

One prime benefit to WordPress hosting with Hostinger is that customers can enjoy the same affordable rates for which the company offers shared hosting. For less than $5 per month, users will benefit from optimal hardware, unlimited features, and better-than-average security programs.

When setting up a new hosting account, users are asked if they want to install WordPress as soon as they log into the account management portal.

Hostinger does an exceptional job at streamlining the installation and setup process for even the least-experienced site owners.

In addition to the more performant storage on solid-state drives, Hostinger's top two shared plans come optimized for WordPress by increasing page load performance between three and five times more than the base package.

Also, the top-tier Business plan comes with twice the processing power and memory. Otherwise, site administrators can enjoy unlimited MySQL databases, phpMyAdmin, and the ideal InnoDB storage engine.

Although we'd like to see more features specific for WordPress, such as caching tools and automatic updates, Hostinger includes server security from BitNinja and SpamAssassin protection for email. Most WordPress users will be very well served by choosing Hostinger to house their website.

  • 1-click WP install, PHP 7+, HTTP/2, and NGINX
  • All-in-one security protections from BitNinja
  • WordPress optimizations boost performance
  • No price markup for WordPress services
  • Daily backups and FREE SSL certificate
  • Get started on Hostinger now.
Money Back Guarantee
30 days
Disk Space
100 GB SSD - 200 GB NVMe
Domain Name
FREE (1 year)
Setup Time
4 minutes
Hostinger's Website Builder (4.6 / 5.0)

Website Builder Rating

4.6
★★★★★

Price:

Setup Time:

Whether you're taking your first foray into website hosting or are a developer looking to save some time, a strong website builder can dramatically streamline the creation process and enable users to launch a website in five minutes or less.

Fortunately for customers, Hostinger has invested heavily in crafting an impressive visual editor sure to appeal to users of all levels of experience. More than 2 million websites have been created through Hostinger's free tool.

The drag-and-drop interface can be launched in a single click from customers' hosting account management panel. Site owners can choose from hundreds of templates, which are organized into dozens of categories.

The overall designs might not be as flashy as the templates found on well-known site builders, including Wix, Weebly, and Squarespace, but users will have plenty of modern options from which to choose.

From there, the WYSIWYG platform intuitively guides users through various steps of adding and editing text, organizing navigational menus, and managing SEO settings.

While some drag-and-drop editors actually make adding and aligning elements surprisingly difficult, Hostinger assists users by having images, text boxes, and the like snap to a grid — ensuring your design has the greatest impact.

All in all, we have a soft spot for hosts that deploy in-house solutions for website builders, as opposed to those companies that white-label third-party products.

As with other Hostinger services, the company shows a refreshing dedication to providing top-notch services and experiences for their customers.

  • Drag-and-drop design from custom tools
  • FREE access to hundreds of specialized templates
  • Built-in ecommerce and payment processing
  • Easily switch among widescreen, desktop, tablet, and mobile previews
  • Support for 31 languages and 99.9% uptime
  • Get started on Hostinger now.
Money Back Guarantee
30 days
Disk Space
50 GB SSD - 200 GB SSD
Domain Name
FREE (1 year)
Setup Time
3 minutes

Features

(4.6 / 5.0)

Finding the Best, Most Affordable Domains

  • Even though one domain name registration is provided for free to those who sign up for annual Premium or Business shared hosting plans, Hostinger makes additional registrations ultra-affordable. Domains with the .com and .net extensions are $8.99 per year, while .org and .biz domains are roughly $16 per year.
  • Customers of the two higher shared hosting services can enjoy 100 subdomains and parked domains, making it easy to build a robust portfolio of web properties.
  • Hostinger makes transferring already purchased domains into your new account exceedingly easy through the ultra-intuitive control panel. For a small fee, you can be migrated to Hostinger's nameservers in an afternoon.

First-Rate Hosting Account Control Panel

  • Hostinger's sleek, modern interface empowers users to manage all aspects of their hosting and domain subscriptions — no more keeping track of separate logins for updating your billing information, registering or renewing a domain, or even spinning up a new virtual server.
  • The administrative interface's design is vaguely reminiscent of industry-standard cPanel and its Paper Lantern theme, but we appreciate the enhanced organization and larger icons that Hostinger provides with its panel.
  • Throughout the portal, an ever-present icon exists to direct users to the most relevant knowledgebase resources. Support is easily accessible through how-to guides, live chat, and an online ticketing system.

Simple but Comprehensive Email Tools

  • Customers who sign up for either of the top two shared hosting plans enjoy 100 email accounts, included free of charge. Site owners can manage accounts and access webmail and other email features from the control panel.
  • Email functionality includes the ability to set email forwarding and autoresponders, as well as editing mail exchanger records. Administrators can enable or disable their account's Sendmail, POP3/IMAP, or SMTP services.
  • One of the most interesting email features Hostinger provides is the ability to forward all emails sent to a customer's domain, regardless of whether the email account exists. Catch-all emails take care of misspelled addresses and make sure users don't miss a single message.

Responsive 24/7 Global Support

  • The quality and responsiveness of hosting support teams often suffers when companies scale to a global size and client base, but not Hostinger. We found its live chat agents to be responsive, knowledgeable, and quite helpful.
  • Hostinger's repository of tutorials runs the gamut from basic instructions for helping beginners start a blog on WordPress, to helping experienced developers configure Docker and use the WordPress API.
  • Customers can find even more information in the company's well-organized knowledgebase or through submitting an online ticket. With Hostinger employees spread around the world, someone is always awake and ready to answer your question.

Ease of Use

(5.0 / 5.0)
Top-Notch Custom Control Panel
Hostinger Review
Easy Domain Management
Hostinger Review
Easy-to-Use Website Builder
Hostinger Review

Managing a hosting account is one of our least favorite parts of owning and running a website. Each host provides a different interface for customers to control their billing information and hosting subscriptions, and every company includes different layouts, access levels, and services. Combined with cPanel, customers sometimes have a hard time knowing where to look to accomplish various tasks. Not so with Hostinger. The company has created our favorite management interface that puts all the hosting services in a single accessible, intuitive package. Although cPanel is typically considered the gold standard, we didn't miss it at all when testing our Hostinger services.

Pricing

(4.8 / 5.0)

Single Plan

Business Plan

Cloud Startup

As much as Hostinger touts affordability, the bulk of the company's shared hosting plans are actually right in range with several of our favorite value-oriented hosts that use solid-state drives. The lowest-tier plan is certainly a noteworthy bargain, but we found the limitations on computing power too restrictive — especially when an additional investment of less than $1.20 per month unlocks boundless resources and several performance upgrades. We're actually more impressed with Hostinger's VPS pricing, which consistently comes in about $5 per month less than that of competitors. Although other companies might include more managed services, Hostinger's control panel and responsive support teams, coupled with SSD architecture, make the company's virtual servers increasingly appealing to experienced and budget-driven website administrators.

Reliability & Support

(4.7 / 5.0)

Hostinger checks off the reliability and stability required of reputable hosts by offering the industry-standard 99.9% service uptime guarantee. If the company fails to maintain that level of service, customers can request a 5% credit of their monthly hosting fee. Given that the company has invested heavily in above-average hardware and solid-state drives, we don't expect many users to encounter this. The company's virtual servers are built on a cloud network, ensuring prime availability and always-on websites. Although the company does not include an option for phone support, we were impressed with how accessible Hostinger makes its support team. Each page of the control panel features a widget in the bottom right corner that, when expanded, automatically provides links to relevant articles from the knowledgebase depending on what page you're viewing. If you don't find your answer there, the company provides a button to open a live chat session or submit an online ticket.

Hostinger Includes:

24/7/365 Support Through Online Ticketing System and Live Chat, Plus an Extensive Knowledgebase and Tutorials

Does Not Include

Phone Support

Other Hosts vs. Hostinger

Wondering how Hostinger stacks up againt other web hosting services? See our host-vs-host reviews below and compare them side by side.

Hostinger vs. HostGator

Hostinger and HostGator have earned badges of respect in the hosting community for years of reliable service.

See full comparison »
Hostinger vs. HostGator

Overall Rating

★★★★★ 4.8/5.0
Hostinger vs. HostGator

Overall Rating

★★★★★ 4.5/5.0

Hostinger vs. Wix

In the left corner sits Hostinger — one of the market’s most affordable, beginner-friendly hosting providers.

See full comparison »
Hostinger vs. Wix

Overall Rating

★★★★★ 4.8/5.0
Hostinger vs. Wix

Overall Rating

★★★★★ 4.6/5.0

Hostinger vs. GoDaddy

If we were in prehistoric times, Hostinger would be a mammoth, and GoDaddy would be a megalodon.

See full comparison »
Hostinger vs. GoDaddy

Overall Rating

★★★★★ 4.8/5.0
Hostinger vs. GoDaddy

Overall Rating

★★★★★ 4.7/5.0

Hostinger vs. iPage

Hostinger holds a special place in our hearts because of its humble origins as a bootstrapped start-up.

See full comparison »
Hostinger vs. iPage

Overall Rating

★★★★★ 4.8/5.0
Hostinger vs. iPage

Overall Rating

★★★★★ 4.9/5.0

Hostinger vs. Bluehost

Hostinger and Bluehost are cut from the same cloth.

See full comparison »
Hostinger vs. Bluehost

Overall Rating

★★★★★ 4.8/5.0
Hostinger vs. Bluehost

Overall Rating

★★★★★ 4.9/5.0

Hostinger vs. InMotion

Hostinger is one of the most reputable titans in the web hosting industry.

See full comparison »
Hostinger vs InMotion

Overall Rating

★★★★★ 4.8/5.0
Hostinger vs InMotion

Overall Rating

★★★★★ 4.9/5.0

Hostinger is the winner
3 out of 6 times.

The Rundown

Laura Bernheim

Laura Bernheim

Hosting Expert:

To recap, here's a rundown of what Hostinger has to offer

Even though more than 29 million people around the world trust Hostinger to provide reliable and high-performing services and support, the company doesn't carry quite the same name recognition as other mainstream and US-based hosting providers. Nonetheless, the Lithuanian-headquartered host provides around-the-clock support, SSD-powered hosting, and cheap domain name registrations on par with the best in the business. Combined with the company's truly stellar control panel, we wholeheartedly recommend Hostinger to prospective customers looking for a choice off the beaten path.

Hostinger review

Overall Rating

4.8 / 5.0
★★★★★

About The Author

Laura has spent more than 12 years crafting engaging and award-winning articles that share the passion behind organizations' products, people, and innovations. As a long-time HostingAdvice contributing expert, she combines a reputation for producing quality content with rich technical expertise to show experienced developers how to capitalize on emerging technologies and find better ways to work with established platforms. A professional journalist, Laura has contributed to The New York Times, Sports Illustrated, the Sun Sentinel, and the world's top hosting providers.
Laura Bernheim
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