5 Best React Hosting Plans (2024)

Picture this: you’re a React developer and a master of your craft. You’ve invested much time and energy to learn React and build a web application using React or React Native.

Every line of code is perfect. The user interface makes the developers at Netflix look like amateurs. You’ve optimized the performance and added those delightful interactive features, and now, all you’re waiting for is the big launch.

But wait a minute! One final piece is missing: a reliable hosting plan that can bring your React application to life.

As a developer, you probably already know that choosing the right hosting provider is an important step you shouldn’t overlook. I’ll share with you five of the best React hosting plans you can count on to breathe some life into your React application and keep it alive for as long as you desire.

React is a JavaScript framework that makes deployment faster and easier for development teams. Its reusable code snippets save developers hundreds of hours when creating basic functionality for their applications.

But you can’t host React on any hosting plan. Your app needs enough speed, storage, and bandwidth to run smoothly. We reviewed dozens of providers for price, performance, and customer support to bring you our top picks for the best React hosting plans.

1. A2 Hosting

Monthly Starting Price 2.99

• 24/7/365 Guru Crew support
• 99.9% uptime commitment and 24/7 monitoring
• 3x faster NVMe SSDs
• Free account migration & money-back guarantee
• Get started now »

REACT
RATING

4.8

★★★★★

React applications can require a lot of resources, so you need a hosting plan that can support your storage and bandwidth requirements without slowdowns. Few hosting providers offer faster speeds than A2 does.

A2 Hosting is designed to make your React application load faster. For perspective, this web host offers 20 times faster loading speeds than traditional hosts. As if that weren’t enough, the crew at A2 Hosting will install your React software for free!

Add that to its security stack, which includes free HackStan protection from hackers, KernelCare for patching security vulnerabilities, and reinforced DDoS protection, and you have a full-secure hosting environment.

See our full review of A2 Hosting >>

2. TMDHosting

Monthly Starting Price $2.99

• 50GB SSD space & free SSL certificates
• LiteSpeed cache integration
• cPanel control panel & Softaculous Autoinstaller
• Free domain and domain transfer
• Get started now »

REACT
RATING

4.7

★★★★★

As a React developer, the last thing you want is to find yourself troubleshooting hosting-related problems when you should be focusing on ensuring that your application runs smoothly. That’s one of the reasons why I love managed hosting plans because they take care of the hosting aspect as I focus on React development.

From the heaps of managed hosting options out there, I’ve chosen TMDHosting. For starters, managed hosting plans are usually priced higher than unmanaged ones, but TMDHosting breaks out of the norm.

What makes this host even more special is that it comes with a one-click React JS installer, free React plugin installs, free React transfer and configurations, and automated updates for your application.

Imagine all that free stuff coupled with the power of managed hosting. That, right there, is an unbeatable offer.

See our full review of TMDHosting >>

You can also host your React application for free. But keep in mind that free web hosting providers usually have limited resources and functionalities. That said, let’s take a look at some good free React hosting plans.

3. GitHub Pages

GitHub doesn’t need any introduction, especially if you’re a web developer. You’ve probably already used this free host before. All you’ll need is a GitHub account and a little bit of knowledge of Git commands and Node.js.

Using GitHub Pages, a service from GitHub, you can deploy a static site consisting of HTML, JavaScript, and CSS pages to your chosen repository. First, you’ll set up the React application, create a repository with GitHub, and then push the application to the repository you just created.

4. Vercel

Vercel is yet another free option you should consider. What I like the most about it is that it lets you deploy React app without any configuration. This app platform also works with GitHub, meaning you can integrate the two to get the most out of your application.

The deployment process is also quite straightforward: push your code to your GitHub repository, import it into Vercel, and you’re good to go. You don’t need any additional settings from that point. Once Vercel detects that your application runs on React, it will automatically enable the correct settings to run the application.

5. Heroku

I wasn’t initially a big fan of Heroku, but it didn’t take long to figure out how it works. The setup instructions are also quite straightforward: create a Heroku account, select “Create React App,” and follow the instructions to complete the process. Heroku also gives you three options to deploy your app: Heroku Git, GitHub, and Container Registry.

It is worth noting that some of these “free” hosts may have some limits. Take Vercel as an example. The Hobby option, its free plan, allows you to deploy your application from your command line or your personal git integrations but doesn’t come with email support. It also limits the bandwidth.

React JS is a JavaScript library for building user interfaces. A library, in this context, is a JavaScript file that contains various functions you can use to build an application. React uses a component-based model that divides the user interface into reusable building blocks called components.

To understand how React components work, take a look at your phone as an example. Now head over to that one app you’ve installed that needs your login credentials any time you want to access its feature. It could be your banking application, health chart, or anything along those lines.

Any application that requires a username and password will display an error message if you input the wrong credentials. But what happens if the user gets the right login credentials but later inputs the wrong credit card information? You’ll want the app to display another error message, right?

Otherwise, users won’t know that their credit card information is incorrect. The wrong error message is not the only problem users will likely encounter when interacting with your application. Some will input their address under the “Enter Your Name” box and claim that the app isn’t working as it should.

As a developer, you should be able to anticipate these usage problems and train your website or application to react to them.

That’s where React comes in. Instead of creating thousands of error messages and using them in different sections of the application, which means writing numerous lines of code, one React component is enough. As long as there is an error anywhere within the application, your code will call the React “error” component, which will then display that one error message but with different words.

Also, instead of updating the entire app or website every time the user makes an error, React will only update the specific area (container) to display the error.

You probably already know fewer lines of code means better performance and even better user experience when the website or application loads fast.

Netflix’s user interface is a perfect example of React in action. When you browse movies on Netflix, you’ll notice they all seem to follow a neat, well-defined pattern. For example, when you hover over a movie or show on your TV screen, it will automatically play a preview.

Netflix’s developers didn’t need to write code for each movie container displayed on the application. They only created one React component and spread it across the application by reusing it. The only major things they probably had to change were the thumbnail and link to the actual movie.

We learned that one of the things that makes React special is the availability of reusable components. I can’t even remember the last time I wrote new lines of code every time I wanted to build something with React.

Web developers have a common saying that goes: “Web development is 90% troubleshooting and 10% development.” Because I know I’ll have to do some troubleshooting somewhere down the line, using reusable components means I can save my energy for the storm after the calm.

In fact, after working with React for so many years and accumulating so many reusable codes, sometimes all I have to do is copy and paste, followed by a little tweaking here and there. Whether it’s a chat box, a carousel, or a pop-up, I can find it easily with a few minutes of dumpster diving. A project that would typically take a month to complete now takes a week or sometimes less.

Remember, the goal is to work smart whenever you can and hard only if you have to.

React also has virtual DOM, which is a duplicate but real-life copy of the actual DOM that defines the structure of React documents. When you interact with the DOM, the virtual DOM will only update the exact area of your interaction, not the entire application.

Think of a real-life bookstore as an example. When you walk into a bookstore and order a particular book from the Thriller section, the employee will head over to that section and choose the book you need without interfering with other books. That means you’ll get your order faster. Using the same concept, you now probably understand why React applications usually run faster than those built with Angular JavaScript.

React operates in a unidirectional pattern. This means it can predict how data flows and “react” each time a trigger occurs. That’s probably why they named it “React” in the first place.

For example, it reacts to the correct login credentials by granting access to an application. It can also react to the wrong credentials by blocking access. That makes it highly trainable because it can track and understand how changes propagate through the application.

Nothing lights up a web developer’s world more than working with a library or framework with a large and active community of fellow developers. That’s what makes React even more special. It has such a large community of developers, so finding tutorials, documentation, forums, and open-source contributions is (mostly) a walk in the park.

See hosting plans for developers >>

It’s easy. First, build your React app using a code editor like Visual Studio Code or Sublime Text. Once it’s ready, choose a reliable hosting service provider that supports serving static files.

I recommend premium hosts, such as A2 Hosting or TMD Hosting. They offer more features, security, and functionalities. Netlify, Vercel, GitHub Pages, Amazon Web Service, and Firebase Hosting (a Google Cloud platform) are other popular options.

PRO TIP: TMD offers a free domain if you sign up for its React hosting plans.

Once you’ve chosen a good hosting provider, follow its instructions to set up your application. This shouldn’t be difficult. It involves creating an account, connecting your project repository, and choosing a custom domain name.

Next, upload your production build via your hosting provider’s dashboard or by using command line tools. Each host has unique instructions, so it is important to consider that throughout this process.

After uploading the build, visit the domain you created (if you used a premium host) to verify that the application works.

Although they were both developed by Facebook and are open-source, React and React Native are not the same thing.

Let’s start with their purpose. React is a JavaScript library for building user interfaces for web applications. On the other hand, React Native is a framework that builds native mobile applications using JavaScript and React.

React is what you will need to build a web app. Meanwhile, React Native works best for mobile app development.

You will need to use a browser to view and test your React application during development. That’s where you’ll use a technique known as “hot reloading,” which displays the changes to the code in real time.

When developing an app using React Native, you use simulators or physical devices (such as a mobile phone) to test it. In addition, although React Native may allow you to see the changes in real time as you save the code, certain changes may still require a full app reload.

The React hosting plans discussed above should be good enough to host and deploy your application. I know many hosting providers exist out there, but you need to keep in mind that no matter how good your application, your hosting provider can make it better or ruin everything.

That’s why you need only a reliable hosting provider, not any host you come across. Now that you know where to zero in your search, you can build, deploy, and enjoy the application you’ve been working so hard to bring to life.