Writer: Surajdeep Singh
Editor: Lillian Castro
Reviewer: Christina Lewis
I bought a black-colored TVS Apache RTR 200 4V in 2017 (Google it; it is a thing of beauty) and had the time of my life cruising on the BCT road, a serene, 317 km-long stretch with negligible traffic. It has been a minute since I joined the hosting business, but I always think of my motorcycle and the good old days whenever there is a mention of Apache.
While the Apache web server software is nowhere near as flashy as my motorcycle was (I sold it in 2020 and bought a Royal Enfield Classic 350), it plays a key role in web hosting. You see, a web server provides storage (HDD, SSD, or NVMe SSD) and computing resources for websites, making them accessible to users on the World Wide Web (WWW). It has two components: software and hardware.
The software component is responsible for processing user requests and delivering desired website content to their web browsers. This is where a web server software like Apache comes into the picture. The hardware component houses web server software and its files and connects to the internet for file (data) exchange. If you are intrigued, we are just getting warmed up. Read on to learn about the best Apache hosting providers and everything in between.
1. SiteGround
SiteGround is a perfect, well-rounded hosting provider. With more than 20 years of hosting experience and plans crafted with care, it is indeed “built for your success.” We recommend SiteGround if a feature-laden, entry-level web hosting plan suits your fancy. It offers only Linux-based plans with support for both Apache server and NGINX.
SiteGround offers three shared web hosting plans: StartUp, GrowBig, and GoGeek. The GrowBig plan offers excellent value for money and includes features like decent SSD storage space, unlimited websites and traffic, daily backups, a content delivery network (CDN) subscription, unlimited email addresses, and advanced security features.
SiteGround.com
Monthly Starting Price $2.99
- FREE site transfer or new site setup
- FREE daily backups, CDN, email, and SSL
- 24/7 expert support with no wait on phone or chat
- Recommended by WordPress as a top host
- Ideal for business email hosting
- Get started on SiteGround now.
With an impressive breadth of overall hosting services offered, SiteGround is a leading innovator in the hosting space — from custom software solutions to premier customer support. The company offers the full range of web hosting features, including a free Cloudflare CDN, cPanel with SSH access, and unlimited MySQL databases and bandwidth — not to mention prize-worthy customer support. Go to full review »
| Money Back Guarantee | Disk Space | Domain Name | Setup Time |
|---|---|---|---|
| 30 days | 10 GB SSD – 40 GB SSD | New or Transfer | 6 minutes |
It also includes managed WordPress and eCommerce support, out-of-the-box caching, and staging capabilities. While SiteGround could have offered more SSD storage with its plans, the web hosting service has more features than most other top web hosts in the same price range and honestly leaves no room for complaint.
2. Bluehost
Bluehost is another experienced web hosting company and a prized asset in the shared hosting and WordPress communities. It offers exceptional Apache support in the form of a customized Apache server, EasyApache, which can be accessed by virtual private server (VPS) hosting and dedicated hosting users to recompile Apache to their taste (root access is necessary).
Shared hosting, in general, does not allow you to use the capabilities of Apache to the fullest extent (as you cannot modify its configuration). Still, it is a solid web server software option nonetheless. Bluehost offers four affordable shared hosting plans, of which we prefer the Choice Plus plan. It is a fantastic option to manage multiple websites and includes daily website backups.
Bluehost.com
Monthly Starting Price $1.99
- Support for up to 100 websites and unlimited email hosting
- 1-click WordPress installs and software updates
- Support for popular shopping carts with FREE SSL
- Up to $200 in Microsoft and Google Ad credit
- Industry-leading hardware and uptime rates
- Get started on Bluehost now.
Bluehost has long been a favorite of mine in the shared and WordPress hosting spaces. The company adheres to modern standards for hardware, and its customer service resources are now backed by hosting industry titan Newfold Digital. Go to full review »
| Money Back Guarantee | Disk Space | Domain Name | Setup Time |
|---|---|---|---|
| 30 days | 10 GB SSD – 100 GB SSD | FREE (1 year) | 5 minutes |
Other features include unlimited SSD storage space, unmetered bandwidth, speed-boosting CDN, automatic malware scans, Yoast, and several magnificent WordPress tools.
3. A2 Hosting
A2 Hosting is the first and only web hosting service on our list that offers dedicated Apache hosting plans (not to be confused with dedicated hosting plans). The web host’s Apache hosting plans are finely tuned for high performance on its SwiftServer platform and are developer-friendly. Two out of four plans (the higher-priced ones) are hosted on A2 Hosting’s Turbo Servers, making them faster than most (if not all) Apache plans on the market.
They also include unlimited NVMe SSD storage space, automatic backups, a cPanel hosting control panel, a website builder, website staging, and unlimited websites, databases, and email accounts. These plans are optimized to offer improved (customer) conversion rates, higher SEO rankings, and lower bounce rates — talk about covering all bases.
A2Hosting.com
Monthly Starting Price $1.95
- SSDs and TurboServer for 20x faster pageloads
- Host unlimited websites and FREE site transfer
- Optimized plugins and 1-click installs for WP
- Pre-installed OPcache and Memcached caching
- FREE HackScan with restore options
- Get started on A2 Hosting now.
If speed and performance, partnered with support and security, are at all priorities in your web host shopping, A2 Hosting should be a leading contender. When A2 Hosting first launched in 2003, the company was focused on serving developers; A2 Hosting was among the first providers to offer PHP 5 and to support Ruby on Rails on shared servers. Go to full review »
| Money Back Guarantee | Disk Space | Domain Name | Setup Time |
|---|---|---|---|
| 30 days | 100 GB SSD – Unlimited SSD | New or Transfer | 5 minutes |
While A2 Hosting offers a couple of cheaper plans with ample SSD storage space and a good selection of hosting features, it is worth spending a little more to acquire a Turbo-based Apache plan.
4. InMotion Hosting
Much like Bluehost, InMotion Hosting offers support for the latest version of EasyApache (included in plans with full root access). It also offers several helpful Apache web server tutorials, which make installing, managing, and configuring the software simple. For shared web hosting, you can choose between Apache or NGINX web server software.
InMotionHosting.com
Monthly Starting Price $2.29
- FREE SSD drives included with all hosting plans
- Zero-downtime website transfers and migrations
- FREE backups, SSL, and DDoS protection
- Choice of East Coast or West Coast datacenter
- Multi-language support for PHP, Ruby, and Perl
- Get started on InMotion now.
Offering a wider range of services than most — including shared, dedicated, VPS, and even WordPress-specific plans — InMotion Hosting features a great combination of industry-leading hardware, always-there support, and mass scalability for all hosting needs. InMotion Hosting has ultra-modern SSD drives on its shared plans, which give an added speed boost to your site. Go to full review »
| Money Back Guarantee | Disk Space | Domain Name | Setup Time |
|---|---|---|---|
| 90 days | 100 GB SSD – Unlimited | FREE (1 year) | 4 minutes |
While no shared hosting plan gives you innate flexibility, a degree of developer friendliness is desirable. InMotion Hosting hits the nail on the head by offering four cheap shared hosting plans with Hosting Plus support, which includes backend tools like GIT version control and SSH access.
If you add unlimited websites, unlimited NVMe SSDs, unlimited bandwidth, UltraStack-powered speed and performance, advanced caching, a top-notch security and marketing suite, and USA and European datacenter locations, InMotion Hosting is a force to contend with.
5. Hostwinds
Hostwinds may not be the most attractive option on paper, but it sure has “Got you covered.” It offers Linux hosting (primarily) and Windows hosting plans, complete redundancy with a 99.9999% uptime promise, and future-proofed technology. It also provides shared web hosting plans that use Apache 2 as the web server software and several meaningful Apache tutorials for VPS and dedicated server users (to use Apache 2 and EasyApache).
Hostwinds offers three shared hosting plans: Basic, Advanced, and Ultimate. While the Ultimate plan is the best as you would expect, we recommend the Advanced plan for its exceptional quality and affordable price. It includes unlimited disk space and bandwidth, a few domain names, the latest cPanel, a Weebly site builder subscription, and unlimited FTP accounts.
Hostwinds.com
Monthly Starting Price $5.24
- 500% faster speeds via SSDs
- LiteSpeed web server performance
- FREE dedicated IP address
- 99.999% uptime guarantee
- Datacenters in Dallas and Seattle
- Get started on Hostwinds now.
Promising enterprise-grade hosting solutions for prices that appeal to small and medium businesses, Hostwinds delivers the full range of operating systems and server configurations to help customers build and grow an online presence. With hosting plans covering niches like vBulletin and Minecraft, Hostwinds attracts a customer base as mixed as the server configurations. Go to full review »
| Money Back Guarantee | Disk Space | Domain Name | Setup Time |
|---|---|---|---|
| 3 days | Unlimited SSD | New or Transfer | 5 minutes |
On a side note, if you need unlimited domain names, the Ultimate plan is the right fit for you. If not, the Advanced plan is all you need (you can always upgrade your plan later).
6. Hostinger
With a plethora of global datacenter locations and more than two million trusted customers, Hostinger is as reliable as it gets. The budget-friendly web hosting company ticks all the right boxes and offers Apache with each of its plans. All customers with a cPanel & WHM control panel license included in their VPS or dedicated hosting plan can access EasyApache 4 to modify the Apache web server (it is automatically installed when you install cPanel).
You can also take advantage of thorough Hostinger Tutorials to understand the intricacies of using and modifying Apache. Hostinger offers four shared hosting plans, of which we prefer the Business plan. This plan offers the best selection of hosting features we have come across at a reasonable budget.
Hostinger.com
Monthly Starting Price $2.69
- 24/7/365 ticket and live chat support
- 99.9% network uptime guarantee
- FREE domain, site builder, backups, SSL certificate, and AI tools
- Unlimited bandwidth, databases, and email accounts
- Speedy NVMe SSDs optimize performance
- Get started on Hostinger now.
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 websites mark a decade later, achieving ICANN accreditation and localizing services in 39 countries. Go to full review »
| Money Back Guarantee | Disk Space | Domain Name | Setup Time |
|---|---|---|---|
| 30 days | 100 GB SSD – 200 GB NVMe SSD | FREE (1 year) | 3 minutes |
Hostinger includes premium hosting features like ample NVMe SSDs, daily backups, numerous email addresses, unlimited bandwidth, a CDN service, managed WordPress, a no-code website builder tool, a custom web application installer, and supreme security. It doesn’t get much better than that.
7. DreamHost
The cloud computing goliath, DreamHost, offers dreamy hosting plans across all categories (I am not being sarcastic!). Rated a superior 4.8/5.0 by our expert panel, DreamHost guarantees “Web hosting with purpose.” Each of its hosting services offers Apache HTTP Server by default, with an option for NGINX and Lighttpd as well.
DreamHost offers just two shared hosting plans, each providing a fascinating set of features. Since the Shared Unlimited plan only costs a little more than the Shared Starter plan, it may be the wiser option, especially if you are not on a tight budget. Additionally, the Shared Unlimited plan supports unlimited websites, unlike the Shared Starter plan.
DreamHost.com
Monthly Starting Price $2.59
- Unlimited traffic, storage, websites, and email
- US-based customer support available 24/7
- 200% faster performance with SSDs
- Industry-leading 97-day money-back guarantee
- Enjoy preinstalled WordPress and FREE transfer
- Get started on DreamHost now.
A top-notch host for those who know what they’re looking for, DreamHost offers nuanced and performant hosting perfect for scaling websites and applications through the ranks of shared, VPS, cloud, and dedicated hosting. We love the company’s features but realize that beginners or hobbyist developers might not want to fork over the extra cash to capitalize on the performance, optimization, and managed services that DreamHost offers. Go to full review »
| Money Back Guarantee | Disk Space | Domain Name | Setup Time |
|---|---|---|---|
| 97 days | Unlimited | FREE (1 year) | 4 minutes |
Other prominent features include unlimited traffic, a WordPress installer, an easy-to-use website builder tool, ultra-fast, unlimited SSD storage, and unlimited email addresses. DreamHost offers some of the cheapest shared hosting plans with unlimited storage — something to keep in mind.
8. IONOS
Speaking of cheap shared hosting, one of our favorite web hosts and a champion for those with a low hosting budget, IONOS is as trustworthy as it is innovative. IONOS offers the Apache HTTP web server software with its Linux server hosting plans.
IONOS’s shared hosting plans are as fast as they are cheap, with a webpage loading time that is faster than the likes of Bluehost, GoDaddy, and HostGator (1.23 seconds).
IONOS.com
Monthly Starting Price $1.00
- FREE domain and SSL, plus daily backups
- Drag-and-drop site builder and starter kit
- Gain exposure with $100-worth of ad credits
- Packages cater to businesses & personal use
- FREE custom SEO and marketing tools
- Get started on 1&1 IONOS now.
Born in 1988 — at least a decade before many competitors — 1&1 IONOS has maintained its dedication to making technology easy to understand and use. The company got its start in Europe but has since expanded to serve more than 8 million global customers and host more than 12 million domain names. Go to full review »
| Money Back Guarantee | Disk Space | Domain Name | Setup Time |
|---|---|---|---|
| 30 days | 10 GB – Unlimited | FREE (1 year) | 6 minutes |
If you plan on operating a large-scale web project, the Plus plan is the right fit. It offers unlimited storage at a lower price than even DreamHost and a wide array of other credible features. These include unlimited websites, unlimited databases, daily backups, CPU and resource optimizations, and excellent customer support service.
9 Liquid Web
Liquid Web is the perfect web host for you if you seek an exceptional managed hosting experience (it does not offer shared hosting). Liquid Web offers Apache HTTP Server with all of its hosting plans, and the good thing is that you can modify the Apache configuration file to your liking (or request its modification) with each of the web host’s plans that allow root access.
While Liquid Web is renowned for its managed cloud, VPS, and dedicated server hosting plans, its VPS plans stand out for me. Liquid Web offers three VPS hosting categories to choose from: General, Memory-Optimized, and CPU-Optimized. Each category includes four plans.
LiquidWeb.com
Monthly Starting Price $14.70
- Heroic Support® and fully managed hosting
- Linux or Windows options with cPanel, InterWorx, or Plesk
- Industry leader in customer loyalty and NPS score
- Servers proven faster than AWS and Rackspace
- 100% uptime guarantee plus built-in backups
- Get started on Liquid Web now.
We’ve gotten to know a few key members of the Liquid Web team personally, and let us tell you: The passion they put into talking about their products hints that this is a company worth checking out. Liquid Web boasts supreme uptime, always-there-for-you support, and a constant commitment to building out more functionality for the customer. Go to full review »
| Money Back Guarantee | Disk Space | Domain Name | Setup Time |
|---|---|---|---|
| 30 days | 40 GB SSD – 200 GB SSD | New or Transfer | 7 minutes |
General plans are the cheapest and meet the needs of most SMEs. The highest-priced Elite plan, for example, includes multiple vCPU cores, sufficient SSD storage and bandwidth, AlmaLinux (a Linux distribution), and the InterWorx control panel (you can opt for cPanel or Plesk as well).
10. Nexcess
Nexcess treads the same path as Liquid Web in offering scintillating server management hosting services. It is, after all, a Liquid Web brand! It is particularly sought after for its fully managed WordPress hosting and WooCommerce hosting offerings. You can pick an Apache or NGINX web server solution with your eCommerce hosting plan.
If you have a large budget and seek a top-notch WordPress hosting experience, you may be tempted to choose Nexcess over Bluehost. Nexcess offers eight WordPress hosting plans: Spark, Spark+, Maker, Designer, Builder, Producer, Executive, and Enterprise. The Spark+ plan provides the best value for money and is highly recommended.
Nexcess.net
Monthly Starting Price $14.00
- Powerful cloud hosting optimized for growth
- 99.99% uptime guarantee with 1-click autoscaling
- Premium managed services and platform support
- FREE WordPress site migrations with every plan
- Easy online store design and creation with StoreBuilder
- Get started on Nexcess now.
Promising fast, reliable page loads and a hosting service with tons of built-in perks, Nexcess represents a tremendous option for small businesses and large organizations — as well as the designers and developers who dream big. The hosting provider’s already stellar reputation for innovation and high-touch managed services got an additional boost in 2019 when it came under the Liquid Web umbrella. Go to full review »
| Money Back Guarantee | Disk Space | Domain Name | Setup Time |
|---|---|---|---|
| 30 days | 15 GB – 800 GB | $15.00 | 8 minutes |
Nexcess’s features include satisfactory SSD storage space, several PHP workers per website, plugin performance monitoring, nightly WooCommerce testing, and disaster recovery assistance. It is worth noting that Nexcess has the distinction of being the WordPress host that offers the greatest PHP flexibility in the industry.
11. ScalaHosting
Our final pick, and a worthy one at that, ScalaHosting offers a variety of hosting services, including email hosting! But that is not what it is famous for. The web host offers excellent managed cloud VPS plans and cheap shared web hosting services. These plans are equipped with Apache, NGINX, and LiteSpeed web server software options, so take your pick.
If you opt for a managed cloud VPS plan, you can easily add or remove an Apache module through ScalaHosting’s next-gen SPanel (although the web host recommends LiteSpeed technologies). Each plan offers super-quick NVMe SSD storage space alongside numerous CPU cores, sufficient memory, automatic offsite backups, and unmetered bandwidth.
ScalaHosting.com
Monthly Starting Price $2.95
- Simple, fast, and reliable hosting services
- Full-service account management with SPanel
- FREE domain name, SSL certificate, and CDN
- Custom-built servers and self-healing cloud setup
- Unlimited emails, databases, and bandwidth
- Managed VPS options with top-tier support
- Get started on ScalaHosting now.
Perfect for those looking for the best value for shared or cloud hosting, ScalaHosting offers a soft place to land. Even if you’re taking your first steps into the world of virtual private servers, the company’s modern hardware and attentive support teams will make your experience enjoyable. Go to full review »
| Money Back Guarantee | Disk Space | Domain Name | Setup Time |
|---|---|---|---|
| 30 days | 10 GB SSD – 50 GB SSD | FREE (1 year) | 6 minutes |
The Build #2 plan is the best of the lot, so do take a look at it. If you prefer shared hosting, there is no beating the Entry Cloud plan. It includes all the hosting features you expect of a top-class shared plan (how cool is blacklist monitoring?).
What Is Apache Hosting?
You may have come across web hosting plans that mention Apache, NGINX, or IIS. These are some of the most popular web server software for hosting. Apache is used by 30.9% of all hosted websites, while the more popular NGINX is used by 33.6%. The Microsoft Internet Information Services (IIS) web server software is designed for Windows server hosting, which explains why it powers just 5.3% of all websites.
These software power a combined 69.8% of all websites and are highly efficient. Here are some quick-fire Apache hosting facts:
- An Apache license is free since the software is open-source. It is particularly famed for its sturdy community support.
- Unlike Microsoft IIS, Apache is compatible with the Linux, Windows, and OS X operating systems (OSes). It is also compatible with Android and iOS for mobile browsing.
- Apache is extremely modular, meaning you can customize your server settings as you please and add or remove features at will.
- The web server software also offers stellar security features.
In a nutshell, Apache hosting is a top choice for web professionals, as it is free of cost, easy to use, flexible, and reliable.
What Are the Pros and Cons of Apache?
Apache hosting has many pros, which explains why it is used by nearly one-third of all web professionals. It also has considerable drawbacks, which highlights why many prefer NGINX.
Apache is a magnificent option for most hosting customers, but it is clear that you need a degree of technical expertise to manage an Apache hosting plan. Additionally, Apache may not be the best choice for enterprise hosting needs, given its performance deficiencies in high-traffic situations.
Does Anyone Still Use Apache?
The Apache HTTP Server Project was founded in 1995 by an able bunch of web developers looking for an improved web server software solution to the existing NCSA HTTPd server. They launched the Apache HTTP Server, which is a reliable solution to this date. As mentioned earlier, it is the second-most popular web server software after NGINX.
Apache is maintained by the Apache Software Foundation and the community at large. While I agree that Apache may not be the first choice for high-traffic businesses, you may be surprised to learn that prominent companies use the web server software to power their websites. Apache’s high-profile clientele includes Spotify, Adobe, Dropbox, Flick, and Samsung.
A whopping 99.6% of websites that use Apache prefer Version 2 (and its subversions) over Version 1. You can download the latest version of the software by clicking on this link. We recommend exploring Apache Tomcat as well. It’s a Java-based implementation of the web server software.
What Has Replaced Apache Servers?
While Apache servers have not been replaced by any particular web server software, some people prefer solutions like NGINX, Cloudflare, LiteSpeed, and IIS.
Founded by Igor Sysoev in 2004, NGINX is largely considered the best web server software. Cloudflare is the third-most popular choice for web server software and the preferred option for high-traffic websites.
IIS is only used by Windows hosting enthusiasts and has a better capacity for high website traffic than Apache. While LiteSpeed’s capacity for high-traffic website demands is even lower than Apache’s, many entry-level web hosting plans offer the web server software due to its rapid speed.
LiteSpeed is the fastest web server software, hands down, owing to its event-driven architecture. If you operate a small or medium-sized website, it should be one of your first choices. Similarly, while Apache servers are not ideal for enterprises, they are a fantastic option for SMEs and give users a great hosting experience.
How Do I Choose an Apache Host?
If you have concluded that you need an Apache host, you must choose a web host and hosting plan that meets this requirement and all other hosting expectations. For starters, most hosting plans that are Linux-based support either Apache or NGINX web server software. It is wise to double-check with your web host, especially if Apache is a necessity.
If you prefer a VPS hosting or a dedicated server hosting plan, you can install the software by yourself or request its installation. It is worth reiterating that only a VPS hosting plan or a dedicated hosting plan allows you to fully enjoy the capabilities of Apache hosting. Once you have shortlisted some standout web hosts that offer Apache (a list of 5-10 is recommended), it is time to narrow down your options.
A2 Hosting, for example, is the quickest web hosting provider, and Bluehost is the best for managed WordPress hosting. If you seek a super fast hosting experience, you are likely to gravitate toward A2 Hosting. Similarly, if you are looking for an exceptional WordPress hosting plan, they do not come better than Bluehost. Shorten your list of potential candidates and compare standout hosting plans. Consider value for money and make a purchase decision.
Which Are the Best Apache Hosting Providers?
SiteGround is one of my top picks for Apache shared hosting. It offers premium features with its budget-friendly hosting plans and top-rated hosting support. Such is SiteGround‘s prowess that we scored it a perfect 5.0/5.0 in our in-depth review of the web host. Bluehost is another fascinating option, especially if you seek top-notch WordPress support with shared hosting.
A2 Hosting completes my pick of the top three Apache hosting providers, and as I have mentioned before, it is easily my favorite web host. I prefer speed of service and consistency, and A2 Hosting never fails to impress. If you seek the ultimate Apache hosting experience, you must purchase a VPS hosting or dedicated hosting plan.
Each of our listed Apache hosts offers Apache hosting plans that perform their job with acclaim and are sufficient for beginners and web hosting professionals with small to medium-sized website needs. Choose a plan that suits your needs (and technical know-how), and swipe that credit card!
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