Writer: Andrew Wandola
Editor: Lillian Castro
Reviewer: Christina Lewis
Finding a good XenForo host shouldn’t be that difficult. It’s similar to finding produce at your local grocery store. The real challenge begins when looking for the best XenForo hosting services. That’s when you’ll realize web hosting providers aren’t the same, and you should pick the one that’s ripe for you.
The best host for a XenForo community forum platform should run on PHP 8.0, have at least four gigabytes of memory, about 20 gigabytes of SSD storage, server caching technology, support for MySQL databases, and advanced security measures. We’ll use these qualities as the measuring stick to navigate the waters of XenForo hosting. Let’s get started.
1. SiteGround
XenForo runs on PHP, the same scripting language that earned SiteGround a seal of approval from WordPress. That’s no small feat, given that only two other WordPress-approved hosts exit (Bluehost and DreamHost). We recommend two hosting plans (GrowBig and GoGeek) for one reason: they both offer up to 30% faster speeds. Anything below these two plans might not yield the desired results.
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 |
The GrowBig and GoGeek plans come with at least 20 gigabytes of storage, which is basically the bare minimum for a new XenForo-powered forum. Each also comes with advanced server-caching systems for faster speeds, unlimited MySQL 5 databases for file organization and storage, and a suite of website security features. These include a web app firewall and an anti-bot system to protect your forum from bots and spam posters.
2. A2 Hosting
A2 Hosting goes above and beyond if you’re looking for a high-performance hosting environment for XenForo. The host isn’t comfortable with offering the bare minimum just to have you upgrade your plan further down the line. With A2 Hosting, you can house your forum in an optimized environment with just about everything it needs to thrive.
A2Hosting.com
- FREE XenForo server setup
- Unlimited MySQL databases
- 24/7/365 support via chat, email, and phone
- FREE HackScan and DDoS protection
- Up to 3X faster read and write speeds
- Get started on A2 Hosting now »
XENFORO
RATING
Let’s take a quick look at the Turbo Boost shared hosting plan, the preferred choice if you’re just getting started with XenForo hosting. The plan offers unlimited MySQL databases, allowing you to organize your forum’s files to best suit your needs. You’ll also get at least two gigabytes of memory, an NVMe SSD AMD EPYC turbo server built for performance, and up to 3X faster read and write speeds. It also includes a suite of A2 optimized site accelerator tools, including pre-configured site-caching mechanisms.
While that’s an ideal solution, its Turbo Max plan (also under shared hosting), comes with almost twice the number of features.
3. Bluehost
It’s nearly impossible to discuss top shared hosting providers without mentioning Bluehost. The host is popular for its managed WordPress hosting (including WooCommerce hosting), top-notch customer service, and budget-friendly prices. This hosting company has been a leader in the web hosting industry for more than two decades now.
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 |
Its Choice Plus plan is perfect for hosting a new forum. It includes 40 gigabytes of storage, free SSL certificates, malware scanning, and a free content delivery network to bring your forum closer to its target audience. The plan also comes with unlimited email accounts, storage, subdomains, and MySQL databases.
4. InMotion Hosting
InMotion Hosting uses UltraStack Speed technology for advanced layered caching. You should note that this technology only applies to shared hosting plans above the Core option — including Launch, Power, and Pro. Add in unlimited NVMe SSD storage, email addresses, and bandwidth, and you have a powerful XenForo server ready for your forum project.
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 |
Even though the XenForo forum software comes with built-in search engine optimization tools, InMotion also has its own suite of marketing systems, free advertising credits, and a 90-day money-back guarantee, one of the longest in the web hosting industry.
5. Hostinger
A quick look at Hostinger’s web hosting packages shows a resource-rich host with the generosity of a grandmother who loves to bake chocolate chip cookies. For optimal performance, we recommend the Web Business package. While it offers 1.5 gigabytes of memory, which is about 0.5 gigabytes short of what works best for XenForo hosting, it’s worth mentioning that it also comes with two CPU cores for faster processing speeds.
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 |
This Web Business plan also supports 100 websites, just in case you wish to run other platforms under the same roof. And with at least 200 gigabytes of NVMe storage space to play with, unlimited bandwidth, unlimited free SSL certificates, and free daily backups, nothing should stop you from unlocking your forum’s true potential.
6. IONOS
Affordability isn’t a system requirement, but it’s what I would consider a Tier 2 determining factor. Shared hosting plans are generally affordable, but IONOS has unlocked new levels of cost-effectiveness for individuals and web developers alike.
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 |
Start with the Plus plan to get the most out of your server resources. It supports unlimited websites, storage, and databases. In addition, you can leverage up to five gigabytes of memory, a free one-year domain name, 24/7 support, and daily backup and recovery.
7. ScalaHosting
ScalaHosting isn’t the most famous name in the web hosting industry. But when it comes to XenForo hosting, it’s like the missing piece of the puzzle. You can see what I mean when you dive into some of its most popular features.
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 Start plan is a great place to begin your hunt for the best XenForo forum hosting package. It supports unlimited websites, emails, and databases. You also get free, daily offsite backups and SSL certificates. Regarding hardware, 50 gigabytes of NVMe SSD storage is the key highlight here. You share the CPU and RAM with other users on the server, but that’s not a bad deal for a new forum. Also, remember that you can always scale up to the Entry Cloud plan if you want more guaranteed resources.
8. HostArmada
HostArmada brings the power of cloud hosting into the mix, offering scalability and high availability. These traits, coupled with its speed and performance, can work magic for your forum. The first two HostArmada shared hosting packages leverage speedy NGINX infrastructure, the same server technology used by companies such as Netflix, Hulu, Adobe, Capital One, and Zendesk.
HostArmada.com
Monthly Starting Price $2.49
- FREE website optimization with enhanced caching
- Upgrade quickly with scalable cloud servers
- Easy-to-navigate cPanel integration
- FREE web security suite with DDoS protection
- 24/7 technical support and ticketing
- Get started on HostArmada now.
Launched in 2019, HostArmada offers cloud-based hosting plans that range from shared to dedicated server services. The web hosting provider cements its services on three pillars: speed, security, and stability. Go to full review »
| Money Back Guarantee | Disk Space | Domain Name | Setup Time |
|---|---|---|---|
| 45 days | 15 GB SSD – 40 GB SSD | FREE (1 year) | 3 minutes |
The Web Warp plan (or anything above) checks all the right boxes if you’re looking for a stable and reliable XenForo server. It offers 30 gigabytes of SSD storage, four CPU cores, four gigabytes of memory, automatic malware scan and removal, and up to 14 daily backups. While it does not offer dynamic caching, the Speed Reaper plan does.
9. HostGator
HostGator was founded in 2002 by Brent Oxley, then a student at Florida Atlantic University, and is part of the vanguard of the web hosting industry. For perspective, HostGator has been around longer than WordPress (founded in 2003). That shows HostGator is all about stability, which is an important factor to consider when looking for a reliable host.
HostGator.com
Monthly Starting Price $2.64
- Familiar and easy-to-use cPanel control panel
- FREE drag-and-drop custom website builder
- Unlimited disk space, email, and bandwidth
- Flexible term lengths with no contract required
- 74% off your first three years
- Get started on HostGator now.
HostGator has been around for more than a decade and is well-respected for its large number of servers and consistent reliability. Known mostly as a shared hosting provider, HostGator still supplies decent dedicated and VPS options if you need your site to scale. 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 |
You can trust HostGator to give you the hosting resources you need, nothing more, nothing less. For example, the Baby Plan offers 20 gigabytes of SSD storage, two virtual CPU cores, unmetered bandwidth, and unlimited databases, ideal for starting a XenForo forum from scratch — and on a budget.
What Is XenForo Hosting?
XenForo hosting is when you host this popular forum software, developed by ex-vBulletin lead developers Kier Darby and Mike Sullivan, on a compatible host.
Some common characteristics of XenForo hosting include:
- Easy XenForo installation
- Robust data backup and recovery options
- Effective hosting security measures (such as DDoS protection and malware scanning)
- High-performance servers to handle the potentially high traffic and data loads of busy forums
This type of hosting comes optimized for the technical demands of XenForo, which include supporting its preferred database system, MySQL, and ensuring compatibility with the PHP programming language used by XenForo.
How Much Does it Cost to Host a Forum?
Many factors can determine the cost, but it all boils down to the forum’s size, the chosen hosting platform, and the features required. Generally, you should expect to spend less than $50 a month to host a small to medium-sized forum.
Hosting the forum on a shared host works for a new forum — or if you’re on a shoestring budget. But you shouldn’t depend on this hosting option to run a larger, more active forum. As your forum grows, you may need to upgrade to more advanced hosting options — think virtual private server (VPS) or dedicated hosting.
Additional expenses will factor into the final price. These often include the cost of the forum software itself, domain registration, SSL certificates for security, and any premium plugins or themes that enhance the forum’s functionality and appearance.
Do I Need a Web Hosting Service?
Yes, you need a web hosting service to run XenForo because it is a web-based forum software. A web hosting service provides the necessary server infrastructure and internet connectivity to make your XenForo forum accessible to users over the internet.
To understand the importance of web hosting for XenForo, let’s briefly cover the benefits most web hosts offer.
Here’s what to expect:
- Servers fine-tuned to support XenForo software
- Enhanced security features
- Reliable uptime and fast loading speeds (thanks to features including NVMe storage, NGINX or LiteSpeed Servers, and caching mechanisms)
- Easy installation and upgrades
- Technical customer support offered by teams familiar with XenForo software
- Scalable solutions to accommodate forum growth
- Regular backups for data protection
- Integrated tools for spam prevention
- Access to XenForo-specific add-ons and themes
- Seamless integration with other services and APIs
- Customizable hosting plans based on forum needs
- Improved user experience for forum members
The key takeaway is that web hosting is essential. Whether you opt for XenForo cloud hosting solutions or host it elsewhere, the hosting issue is something you need to figure out shortly after purchasing the software.
What are the Types of Web Hosting?
Web hosting comes in various shapes and sizes, each suited to different needs and budgets. Let’s explore a few options for XenForo hosting.
Shared Hosting
Shared hosting is what you should choose if you’re looking for the most basic and cost-effective option. Here, multiple websites share resources on a single server, making it an ideal solution if you’re getting started with your forum and haven’t started receiving massive traffic.
VPS (Virtual Private Server) Hosting
VPS hosting is a step up the ladder from shared hosting. It provides more resources and customization options because the host divides the server into virtual machines, each acting as a separate server. It’s a great choice for a growing forum and offers more control than shared hosting.
Cloud Hosting
Cloud hosting leverages multiple virtual servers that pull from a network of physical servers. As a result, it offers high scalability and reliability. This should be your go-to option if you run a forum with fluctuating traffic.
Dedicated Hosting
With dedicated hosting, the web host dedicates the entire server and its resources to the website owner. The result is maximum control, access to more powerful resources, and top-notch security. Dedicated hosting works best for large, resource-intensive forums with high traffic.
Web hosting services offer a wide range of features and capabilities. You should have a rough idea of what you need before setting out to find the right hosting provider for your forum software. For example, if you have a brilliant forum idea and start from scratch, shared hosting should get the job done. Remember, you can always scale up from shared to VPS, cloud, or even dedicated server hosting as your forum grows.
Build Today With XenForo, Not Tomorrow
That wraps up our list of the best XenForo hosting services. Compatibility with XenForo aside, each one of the hosts we’ve covered brings something unique to the table, whether you’re looking for affordability, scalability, or anything in between.
But hosting alone isn’t all you need to get started with your XenForo forum. The process involves a lot of planning behind the scenes, even before you launch. So, if you need help getting started, here’s a quick guide on how to start a forum. Let your passion and community be your guides!
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