Writer: Lynn Cadet
Editor: Austin Lang
Reviewer: Christina Lewis
You can’t have a successful eCommerce site without a proper foundation. Just like the right contractor is needed to build a stable, faultless brick-and-mortar store, the right web hosting provider is crucial to the stability of your online success.
Choosing the right web host requires research and may even take some trial and error. But don’t worry. I’ve gathered the resources and insights you need to jump-start your journey with confident decision-making.
These experts, who boast more than 40 years of hosting experience combined, curated their top picks for the best eCommerce web hosting, sharing their thoughts and round-ups with me below. Read on to learn more.
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Dianna Gunn From CNET
My first expert, Dianna Gunn has over a decade of experience in building websites. Dianna created her first WordPress site in 2008 and has had the bug for web development ever since.
Today, she is a writer and contributing web hosting expert for the tech publication CNET. As for her picks for eCommerce hosting, SiteGround and Hostinger top her list as the best platforms for eCommerce functionality.
SiteGround: Dianna’s Best for WordPress
Dianna’s first pick is SiteGround. Approved by the WordPress community, SiteGround offers a reliable hosting platform for those building an eCommerce site with WordPress as their base. Diana highlighted SiteGround’s customer service and scalability as its best qualities.
“I recommend SiteGround for eCommerce hosting if you’re building a WordPress site. You’ll get excellent WordPress tools, including a quick-install option for WooCommerce, plus access to some of the best customer service in the industry. SiteGround also offers great server performance and scalability, allowing your web hosting to grow with you as your site does,” said Dianna.
SiteGround.com
Monthly Starting Price $2.99
- WordPress performance optimizations
- FREE migration plugin or automated installation
- Pre-installed Git, 3 caching levels, and FREE CDN
- FREE WP setup wizard, staging, and auto-updates
- Fast, 24/7 support via custom chat system
- Get started on SiteGround now.
Want a hassle-free, WordPress-optimized hosting service. SiteGround has thought of everything you need to get your site up and running. Go to full review »
| Money Back Guarantee | Disk Space | Domain Name | Setup Time |
|---|---|---|---|
| 30 days | 10 GB SSD – 40 GB SSD | FREE (1 Year) | 6 minutes |
SiteGround offers WordPress-optimized hosting, meaning its server environment is specifically built to accommodate and maximize WordPress functionality.
This is extremely useful in the performance department, as you get out-of-box caching, autoupdates, and a built-in speed optimizer plugin.
Some things to keep in mind, however, is that SiteGround lacks PCI-compliant servers and doesn’t offer staging with its base hosting plans. But overall, it offers a gamut of WordPress tools and solutions to help you launch a solid and performant online store.
Hostinger: Dianna’s Best for a Visual Website Builder
Hostinger lands on Dianna’s expert eCommerce list for one primary reason: its intuitive, visual website builder. Not only is the builder affordable, but it also offers great server performance and flexibility, according to Dianna’s expert review.
“If you want to use a website builder instead, I recommend Hostinger. The website builder is highly flexible and far more affordable than other options, with great server performance to boot. Customer service isn’t as accessible as SiteGround’s customer service, but there’s a wide range of tutorials to help you accomplish everything you’ll need to do,” said Dianna.
Hostinger.com
Monthly Starting Price $2.69
- 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.
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. 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 |
The team at Hostinger knows how to balance high quality with low prices. Its website builder plans cost less than a cup of coffee a month and provide tons of features, including AI-based tools.
Designed for maximum ease, the builder allows you to easily develop an online store to your liking and set up everything from inventory management to online payment methods.
Though powerful, Hostinger may be a bit less robust than other eCommerce site-building platforms with stronger and more battle-tested solutions. It also has less customer support compared to some other hosts. Either way, it still offers a web hosting service/builder with essential features for a great low price.
Meet the expert: Dianna Gunn has poured years into learning everything about websites and online businesses. She now uses that knowledge to help readers prepare to build their own sites. She has written for popular hosting blogs that include ThemeIsle and DomainWheel. As a writer for CNET, Dianna covers a variety of topics, ranging from the best cloud hosting to antivirus software.
Joe Warnimont From CodeinWP
Our resident web and eCommerce expert Joe Warnimont is a seasoned technical writer and blogger whose writing has appeared in ThemeIsle, CodeinWP, and Kinsta, among other publications.
Joe, leveraging his 10-plus years of experience in the field, chose Kinsta, Shopify, and Cloudways as his top choices for eCommerce hosting.
Kinsta: Joe’s Best for WordPress
Kinsta edges out the rest of the competition for the best eCommerce solution for WordPress users on Joe’s expert list. Kinsta’s whole existence breathes only WordPress. The Kinsta team specializes in managed WordPress hosting and feature-rich solutions.
“My answer changes based on what you’re trying to achieve — like how I’d suggest Kinsta for a WordPress eCommerce site or just going with Shopify for an all-in-one hosting and website building solution,” said Joe.
Kinsta
- Premium managed WordPress hosting
- First month FREE, then $30 a month annually
- Free WordPress site migration
- Supports 35,000 to 1.25 million monthly visits
- Firewall and DDoS protection included
- Get started on Kinsta now »
WORDPRESS
RATING
There’s a lot to love about Kinsta. Its hosting environment is fast, secure, and reliable, backed by Google Cloud’s fastest servers. Kinsta also lays more performance on top with edge caching, automated database optimization, and application monitoring, so you can rest assured that your eCommerce site will keep chugging along 24/7.
One thing to note is, though Kinsta offers a great hosting environment for WordPress, that’s where the support ends. If you’re using any application outside of WordPress, Kinsta will probably be a no-go for your agenda.
But with a focus on everything from security to fast speeds, it’s no surprise that 120,000+ companies trust Kinsta for its WordPress hosting needs.
Shopify: Joe’s Best for All-in-one
Next up is Shopify. This web host clenches a spot on Joe’s shortlist due to its “all-in-one hosting and website building” experience.
Shopify is a pioneer for eCommerce-centric platforms, launching in 2006. Since it has such a long history, it was able to evolve its platform to meet all kinds of eCommerce needs over the years.
Shopify.com
Monthly Starting Price $1.00
- Site builder with FREE and premium themes
- Unlimited bandwidth, storage, and products
- Easy-to-use dashboard for managing orders, shipping, and payments
- Tons of features, including discount codes
- FREE MyShopify.com subdomain or use your own
- Try Shopify FREE for three days.
The great thing about Shopify is how the feature set centers around ecommerce, a focus of many shared hosting shoppers. Shopify plans are fully hosted, but most of the company’s plans are significantly more costly than a majority of the shared hosts we’ve come across. Go to full review »
| Money Back Guarantee | Disk Space | Domain Name | Setup Time |
|---|---|---|---|
| 3-Day FREE Trial | Unlimited | FREE Subdomain | 5 minutes |
Alongside hosting, Shopify provides comprehensive eCommerce software that includes tools to manage every part of your business. You can integrate your social media marketing, Point of Sale systems, and analytics and reporting, among other processes, and do them all from one place. Shopify is essentially a digital business partner.
Shopify has shown itself to be tried and true, with massive companies including Kylie Cosmetics, BBC, and Red Bull using its product.
One major downside to Shopify, however, is vendor lock-in, which means you can get locked into a (possibly pricey) contract with the company, making it difficult for you to migrate when needed.
Cloudways: Joe’s Best for Magento, Drupal, and Custom PHP
Another web host that sits atop Joe’s list is Cloudways. Joe recommends Cloudways for its accessibility and flexible use cases. He lets me know that eCommerce users can leverage Cloudways to build their stores with a variety of applications, even custom ones.
“However, my hands-down, all-around best experience with eCommerce hosting comes from Cloudways. That’s because it not only offers cloud hosting for the best value on performance and scalability, but it supports various applications so you’re not restricted to using just WordPress (or getting locked into a vendor like Shopify),” said Joe.
Cloudways.com
Monthly Starting Price $0.00
- Managed ecommerce hosting in the cloud
- Choose from 5 popular cloud providers
- Pre-installed WooCommerce bundle of plugins
- 1-click server cloning and easy management
- Start for FREE with no contract lock-in
- Get started on Cloudways now.
Established store owners will appreciate the high-powered cloud hosting solutions from Cloudways, which offer superb performance and scalability. Leverage world-class optimized infrastructure and a pre-installed bundle of WooCommerce plugins to start selling right away. Go to full review »
| Money Back Guarantee | Disk Space | Domain Name | Setup Time |
|---|---|---|---|
| 3-day FREE trial | 20 GB SSD – 4 TB SSD | New or Transfer | 8 minutes |
Cloudways can serve as a great hosting base for any kind of user, whether you’re a WordPress or Magento faithful. Its cloud hosting platform allows customers to take their pick of cloud providers and configure their plans to meet their needs and web goals. So there’s a lot of room for customizability and scalability.
“Cloudways lets you run eCommerce platforms like WooCommerce and Magento, and I’ve used it to support various other PHP applications like Drupal Commerce and PrestaShop. And for the advanced users, you can build a custom PHP application and host with Cloudways, too,” Joe added.
Cloudways also offers built-in eCommerce features and enables you to go live with your site in minutes. The only thing to consider is that it is a cloud hosting service, so you won’t be able to purchase a dedicated or shared hosting from its site.
Meet the expert: Joe Warnimont is a seasoned professional writer with more than a decade of experience covering topics such as WordPress, web hosting, and eCommerce platforms. Joe’s writing has appeared in ThemeIsle, CodeInWP, and Kinsta, among other publications. He graduated with dual bachelor’s degrees from Indiana University. This educational background paved the way for a multifaceted career at talent agencies, production studios, and software companies.
Ryan Frankel From HostingAdvice
HostingAdvice’s very own hardware and software expert Ryan Frankel has more than two decades of experience in developing websites and uses this extensive knowledge to help readers with their hosting choices.
He recommends Squarespace and A2 Hosting as the best hosting platforms for eCommerce sites.
Squarespace: Ryan’s Best for Simplicity and Speed
You may have already heard of Squarespace as it is a giant in the website-building industry. Squarespace is not only easy to use, but also offers great speeds for a well-rounded eCommerce experience.
Below, Ryan explains why Squarespace is among his favorites for eCommerce hosting.
“If you are looking for the simplest, most robust, and quickest way to get an eCommerce store running, I would recommend Squarespace. They have a lot of templates to use for virtually any product and can easily scale to your needs. It also has built-in payment methods for credit cards, Google Pay, etc.,” said Ryan.
“You will still need to provide great imagery and content, but you will need those elements, no matter which host you choose. The biggest downside is the cost of Squarespace as it can get quite expensive if you are only running a small eCommerce site or are just starting out,” he added.
Squarespace
- FREE for 14 days, then $16.00 a month
- Choose from over 170 custom templates
- Get a free custom domain
- Use Squarespace AI to help you build your site
- Upgrade for advanced website analytics
- Get started on Squarespace now »
ECOMMERCE
RATING
Squarespace’s simplified website building process makes it a top choice for beginner eCommerce users. Its drag-and-drop builder includes all types of templates, themes, and sleek designs to fit any brand or niche. But like Ryan mentioned, Squarespace does have one major drawback: pricing.
The more functionality you seek, the more expensive Squarespace gets.
A2 Hosting: Ryan’s Best for CMSes and Custom Solutions
CMSes serve as a dynamic backbone for websites, powering everything from content management to web design. Website owners with these solutions will need a web host that has the proper support for these environments, which Ryan notes A2 Hosting does well.
“If you are looking at a custom solution (or a CMS like WordPress), then I think A2 Hosting is probably your best bet. The price is unbeatable, and they are known for fantastic customer service. You can easily implement WooCommerce, PrestaShop, and others to design landing and product pages,” he said.
A2Hosting.com
Monthly Starting Price $2.99
- 20 times faster performance that boosts sales
- 80+ software options: Magento, OpenCart, WooCommerce, PrestaShop, and others
- Fully managed WordPress and server environments
- Worry-free migration and 24/7 support
- DDoS protection and layered security measures
- Get started on A2 Hosting now.
For those who understand the importance of page load speed and sales, look no further than A2 Hosting. The company boasts premium storage, optimized security, and one of the most diverse portfolios of one-click software installations we’ve seen. Go to full review »
| Money Back Guarantee | Disk Space | Domain Name | Setup Time |
|---|---|---|---|
| 30 days | 100 GB SSD – Unlimited SSD | New or Transfer | 4 minutes |
Ryan added, “Using a CMS also makes it simple to accept various forms of payment. In general, the biggest downside to using a solution such as this is that you will more than likely need the help of a developer at some point. There are great templates to work with, but as you scale and grow, you will want to customize a lot more than those templates can usually provide.”
A2 Hosting was built for the developer experience, making it an excellent option for those with custom eCommerce solutions. Its hosting plans feature solutions to meet developer needs and options for scaling when growth is needed.
But if you’re looking for something a bit more simplified, A2 Hosting may not be the best fit. Though, it does have 24/7 support to assist you with any of your questions and issues.
Meet the expert: Ryan Frankel has been a professional in the tech industry for more than 20 years and has been developing websites for more than 25. With a master’s degree in electrical and computer engineering from the University of Florida, he has a fundamental understanding of hardware systems and the software that runs them.
How Does eCommerce Hosting Work?
The eCommerce industry has become a staunch competitor to brick-and-mortar stores. Everything from groceries to auto parts have moved online. And eCommerce stores wouldn’t have seen this much success or evolution without web hosting.
Like every site, eCommerce storefronts need to be reachable to visitors online. This is where web hosting comes in. Web hosting is a service that stores all a website’s files and data on servers to make that site available on the internet.
Of course, you can create an eCommerce website before even purchasing a web hosting plan. But that would be like writing a book and never publishing it for anyone to read. You can view your hosting provider as your publisher — the one who makes your finished product accessible for everyone to see.
You can choose from two paths when you embark on your eCommerce hosting journey.
Those two paths are either:
- a hosted eCommerce platform
- a regular hosting plan
Examples of a hosted eCommerce platform include Shopify and Squarespace. These platforms specialize in eCommerce solutions and processes while also offering server space for you to power your online store.
The main difference between hosted eCommerce platforms and other hosting platforms is their focus. Hosted eCommerce platforms’ whole universe is about eCommerce and its related features. They don’t exactly offer a variety of hosting options and are primarily focused on eCommerce website creation, unlike traditional hosting providers.
With a traditional host, you can choose from multiple hosting options such as shared, VPS, cloud, and dedicated hosting. But you may have to integrate with a CMS or even migrate your eCommerce site to that web host because it might not have the functionality to create an online store within its platform like hosted eCommerce platforms do.
So you will have to purchase the hosting plan separately and create your online store with an external eCommerce builder with more tailored features. But this isn’t always the case. Some web hosting providers, such as Hostinger, have their own custom eCommerce site builder.
How Do I Choose an eCommerce Web Host?
Okay, everything comes down to this question. The company you choose as a hosting provider is as -– or possibly more — important as what employees you do business with.
Essentially, your web host will be the digital partner you rely on throughout your time on the web. So it matters.
No need to panic, though. I have created a short but comprehensive checklist for you and your team to review. This 4-step to-do list will guide you through everything you need to know when selecting a web hosting provider and what to look out for to address your unique needs.
1. Assess Your Site’s Needs
Your site’s needs come first. Prioritizing your site above everything else will allow you to make every other decision from a more informed and realistic perspective.
If you already have a site, assess its current standing, including things like audience metrics, product catalogs, and performance.
Ask yourself the following questions:
- How is my site performing now and what needs to be improved?
- How much traffic does my site receive regularly and during peak seasons?
- What expectations (i.e. growth) do I have for my site going forward?
- What features or functionality does my specific niche require?
- What solutions (i.e. advanced marketing tools) can I do without for the time being?
Answering these questions can help you get a solid grasp on what your site will need now and in the near future.
One of the most important questions on the list is how much traffic you will expect for your site.
Understanding your traffic demands will allow you to determine what type of server you will need. There are four main types of hosting servers: shared, VPS, cloud, and dedicated.
- Shared hosting is typically for beginner sites and small blogs that won’t have a problem sharing server resources with other sites.
- Virtual private servers (VPS) are the next rung on the ladder. They provide more performance and resources as they isolate resources among users.
- The cloud is a popular option among users since it can give you better uptime, speeds, and scalability with its redundant network of servers.
- Finally, at the top are dedicated servers. Like its name, these servers are completely dedicated to you and you alone. So your site gets to use an entire server’s resources for itself.
How you choose will depend on the size of your site and traffic demands. If you expect rapid growth (or are already there), you might want to go with something more scalable, as in cloud or dedicated hosting. But there’s nothing wrong with starting small with a VPS.
2. Determine Your Budget
Next up is your budget. There are several components that can go into a web hosting plan and budget.
Recognizing these components can not only help you set a proper budget based on your needs but also help you understand what features may need to be set on the back burner for the near future.
The primary factors that affect web hosting costs are:
- Hosting type
- Managed vs. unmanaged services
- Size of your site and traffic demands
- Hosting plan tier
- Contract length
- Collection of features
In short, the more resources your site needs, the higher your budget will need to be.
Most hosts do a great job of bundling features and including add-ons as complimentary pieces to your plans.
You’re more than likely going to find a web host that offers features, such as SSL certificates and domains, for free, so watch out for those that don’t because it may not be worth purchasing a plan from them.
One thing to note, however, is that the initial cost you pay per month with a host will most likely change, depending on what contract you choose.
Just like mobile or home internet providers, web hosts offer price lock-ins for a certain period of time before hiking those prices up when your renewal period hits.
3. Review Features
Every eCommerce site owner has a wishlist that is unique to their needs. But there are some solutions that are simply ubiquitous. Below, we’ll list the features we think every eCommerce user should have to find success online.
You should look for:
- Performance and speed: These features are two peas in a pod, as they both refer to how your site operates in regard to user experience. When shopping for a host, you can determine whether they will provide great performance and speed by looking at their uptime guarantee, hardware, and storage offerings.
- Scalability: Not every hosting type offers scalability. But it is an essential feature to have for eCommerce stores that may never know when a burst of growth will happen. On the other hand, you can also scale your resources down if you need to.
- Security: Every eCommerce store needs to prioritize security, whether for compliance or simple safety purposes. Users should look into web hosts that have complete security suites equipped with firewalls, SSL certificates, and monitoring, among other things. You should also check if your host is PCI-compliant to protect your end-user data.
- Payment gateway integration: This feature is definitely the most crucial on the list, since it’s the only way you can make your sales. Look for a web host that has multiple payment options, so you can choose the integration that best fits your business.
- eCommerce platform options: Most web hosts don’t have their own custom eCommerce platforms, but they do offer other options via integration. Make sure to find a hosting provider that has the eCommerce builder you’re searching for.
You may not get every little thing I mentioned above. But any reasonable blend of these features will for sure have you ready to reach your eCommerce dreams.
4. Compare Hosts
Finally, the last step is to compare hosts to narrow down your list. Although every host may seem the same, each has its unique selling points or traits — like snowflakes.
To give you a head start, we created a table of our top eCommerce hosts and placed it below to help you compare their highlights side by side.
Host vs. Host Comparison
| Host | Price | Standout Features |
|---|---|---|
| SiteGround | $2.99/month | 24/7 customer support WooCommerce integration Constant security monitoring |
| Hostinger | $2.69/month | Low pricing on plans AI eCommerce site builder Built-in payment processing |
| Kinsta | $0.00/month | Edge caching WordPress optimization Free malware removal |
| Shopify | $1.00/month | PCI compliance Optimized checkout software In-depth analytics/reporting |
| Cloudways | $0.00 | Autoscaling resources Cloudflare CDN Your choice of cloud provider |
| Squarespace | $0.00 | Intuitive website builder Designs for every business Built-in payment methods |
| A2 Hosting | $2.99 | cPanel integration Full root access Cloudflare CDN |
Don’t worry that you may make a mistake while choosing. Thankfully, many web hosts offer free trials. You can also migrate your site, for the most part, at any time unless you get locked into a contract.
If you do choose to migrate, you can (most likely) leverage free migration services from the host you choose.
How Much Does eCommerce Hosting Cost?
Well, the answer is “it depends.” Plans for eCommerce hosting can vary from under $5 a month to upward of thousands a month for more advanced websites.
In short, your hosting costs will come down to your store’s needs and goals.
Since eCommerce hosting’s prices aren’t exactly fixed, you will have to pick a plan with the pricing your business’s budget can handle. You will also have to consider the size of your site, its traffic demands, and non-negotiable features when determining the cost you want to take on.
There are other factors to consider. But the secret to keeping a healthy hosting budget is prioritizing what you need now and scaling resources when the need arises in the future.
How Do I Choose a Domain Name for My eCommerce Site?
In the world of eCommerce, your domain name is your calling card. It is how customers will refer to your business and search for it on the web. So you want it to be memorable.
The first thing to consider is your brand. What is the purpose of your site? This can help you get in the ballpark of where you want your domain name to stand. If you already have a business name, your domain name should resemble it.
Here are some quick tips for creating a perfect domain name:
- Keep it short, so users can easily remember it and type it into their browser.
- Avoid numbers and hyphens, which can easily be mistyped.
- Use keywords that describe your business.
- If you can, use a top-level domain (TLD) extension.
- Be aware of copyright and trademark infringement
You don’t want to add any extra effort on your visitor’s part. So the best piece of advice to follow is to create a domain name that not only reflects your business identity but also prioritizes memorability for your customers.
Launch Your eCommerce Site With Confidence
Choosing the best eCommerce host for your business is only the first step along your eCommerce journey. But it is arguably one of the most important. A reliable host will be the key to launching your online store with stability and power.
We hope our expert suggestions have helped you narrow down your hosting choices — or even make the final decision. Whether you choose today or in a week, rest assured you have the tools to make an informed decision.
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