Writer: Jennifer Young
Editor: Lillian Castro
Reviewer: Christina Lewis
If you’ve finally had it with your current hosting provider, it might be time to pick up and learn how to switch web hosts. Whether you’re not getting what you need or are sick of the always-escalating pricing schemes, tons of other options abound that are ready to give you complete hosting happiness.
Even better, moving a site to a new hosting service doesn’t have to be as arduous as moving to a new house or apartment; it can actually be fairly easy if you take the right steps. Don’t fret about downtime or losing files. Site transfers are easy enough for beginners to accomplish, and many hosts will even take care of the move for you for free.
Instead of continuing to pull out your hair over your current hosting situation, go for the painless process of switching hosts. With some advice from a trusty web hosting expert (yours truly) and a helpful host, the move will just take a day or two, without breaking a sweat.
Option A: Choose a Host That Will Migrate Your Website For Free
Web hosting is a competitive industry, and as such, many hosts offer free assistance with switching to one of their plans from a different hosting service. This means you can transfer all of your files and databases to the new host, without doing the heavy lifting, free of cost. In most cases, all you need to do is request a migration after signing up for an account with the new provider, and they’ll take care of the rest.
Migration experts at your new web host may be able to transfer your data by creating a new account on your web server control panel – if your new host uses the same control panel system. If not, they’ll likely have to do it manually, which is more work for them but can be completed within a few days, depending on the size of your site. Regardless of the method, you’ll want to go with a provider that can guarantee a seamless transition with zero downtime.
Here are our top picks for hosts that offer hassle-free migration assistance:
1. Bluehost.com
Monthly Starting Price $1.99
- Cheap shared hosting from a trusted provider
- Ideal for hosting a WordPress website
- FREE Weebly website builder and Cloudflare CDN
- Unlimited traffic and 24/7 live chat support
- Get 75% off today with our Bluehost coupon
- Get started on Bluehost now.
Bluehost pricing is about as competitive as the industry offers. Sign up for a shared hosting plan for as little as $1.99 per month, and WordPress hosting packages are consistently priced; a VPS plan starts at around $31.99 per month; and the dedicated hosting rates are as little as $91.98 per month. 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 |
2. InterServer.net
Monthly Starting Price $2.50
- $0.01 first month (coupon code HOSTINGADV)
- $2.50/month after. No contracts or increases
- Unlimited storage space, data transfers, and email
- Register or transfer domains for less than $10
- 99.9% uptime and price-lock guarantee
- Get started on InterServer now.
It's hard to argue with a shared hosting plan that includes unlimited storage, bandwidth, websites, and email — but shared hosting is a crowded industry that turns on name recognition, reputation, and bargain-basement prices. InterServer outperforms some of our higher-rated hosts, but we understand that many first-time site owners are laser-focused on finding the lowest costs. Go to full review »
| Money Back Guarantee | Disk Space | Domain Name | Setup Time |
|---|---|---|---|
| 30 days | Unlimited SSD | New or Transfer | 4 minutes |
3. A2Hosting.com
Monthly Starting Price $1.75
- FREE Cloudflare CDN and SSD speed boost
- Optimized caching and 1-click installs
- Unlimited email, domains, and databases
- Advanced security and FREE HackScan
- 24/7 support via phone, chat & tickets
- Get started on A2 Hosting now.
There are plenty of excellent cPanel shared hosting providers out there, so what sets A2 Hosting apart from the rest. Not only does the company offer a ton of features, but it has custom-built its packages for enhanced performance, speed, and security — putting your priorities above pricing. 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 |
4. HostGator.com
Monthly Starting Price $2.29
- Host up to unlimited websites on a single plan
- FREE SSL certificate included on all plans
- Unlimited bandwidth & email addresses
- 1-click WordPress installs & FREE blog tools
- Get 77% OFF by buying 36 months upfront
- Get started on HostGator now.
HostGator is a great compromise between performance and price. The company offers unlimited emails, MySQL databases, disk space, and bandwidth, plus one-click installs of popular open-source projects, in addition to a 99. Go to full review »
| Money Back Guarantee | Disk Space | Domain Name | Setup Time |
|---|---|---|---|
| 30 days | 10 GB SSD - 40 GB SSD | FREE (1 year) | 4 minutes |
5. InMotionHosting.com
Monthly Starting Price $1.99
- FREE BoldGrid site builder and templates
- FREE website, domain, and cPanel migrations
- SSD storage makes your site load up to 20x faster
- Security suite includes SSL and hack protection
- Unlimited bandwidth and email accounts
- Get started on InMotion now.
InMotion Hosting offers an excellent business-class shared hosting plan — with a price tag lower than several other budget hosts. For the IT crowd in the audience, you’ll appreciate SSH access, as well as support for PHP, Ruby, Perl, Python, WP-CLI, and other popular languages. Go to full review »
| Money Back Guarantee | Disk Space | Domain Name | Setup Time |
|---|---|---|---|
| 90 days | 100 GB SSD - Unlimited SSD | FREE (1 year) | 5 minutes |
See other affordable hosting providers »
Option B: Move Your Website to a New Host Yourself
If your new web host doesn’t offer migration assistance, or you would rather handle it yourself, you can move your website files independently. This is a good time to employ the skills of your in-house IT staff, who likely have experience with backing up and transferring files. Many web hosts also have documentation with step-by-step guides on how to migrate your website. Read on to discover the best practices for moving your website to a new host safely and quickly.
1. Choose a New Web Host (Before Cancelling Your Old Account!)
There are as many reasons to switch web hosts as there are features in a hosting package. It’s a matter of what aspects of web hosting are most important for the individual or company, and whether those are being achieved with their current host.
For some people, the level of customer service is a high priority. For others, the price point is a top consideration. It’s wise to consider the range of your web hosting needs when thinking about switching hosts.
If you find yourself weighing your options, pinpoint those things that make you want to move your business elsewhere. Some aspects organizations usually consider include security system performance, server storage space, mailbox and email features, uptime, and the availability of control panels, website builders, and shopping carts.
Many web hosts have comparable offerings, but some hosts invest more in certain features than others. Ask yourself which features you can’t live without and which ones must perform the absolute best – then make your decision based on those answers.
Options abound for your next web hosting provider and service choices.
If you know you want to switch hosts, but you’re unsure of which provider you want next, consider our recommendations for the best shared host, VPS plan, and/or dedicated servers below.
Recommended Shared Hosting
If you’re looking to shop around for inexpensive providers, shared hosting is a good place to start. With shared hosting, you’ll share your server with other websites and storage space will be divided among the sites.
Shared hosting can be a good option for small businesses with low-traffic websites, and is economical to boot, with most plans costing less than $10 per month. Check out our recommended shared hosting providers below, which carry many of the benefits of shared hosting such as effectiveness and responsive support.
InMotionHosting.com
Monthly Starting Price $1.99
- High-quality hosting, no matter the format
- FREE SSD storage packs 20x the performance
- FREE SSL certificate and 24/7 support
- 1-click installs for WordPress and popular CMSes
- Get started with FREE website transfer service
- Get started on InMotion Hosting now.
InMotion Hosting offers an excellent business-class shared hosting plan — with a price tag lower than several other budget hosts. For the IT crowd in the audience, you’ll appreciate SSH access, as well as support for PHP, Ruby, Perl, Python, WP-CLI, and other popular languages. Go to full review »
| Money Back Guarantee | Disk Space | Domain Name | Setup Time |
|---|---|---|---|
| 90 days | 100 GB SSD - Unlimited SSD | FREE (1 year) | 5 minutes |
See more shared hosting providers »
Recommended VPS Hosting
For businesses that want to maximize their site’s performance without breaking the bank, VPS (virtual private server) hosting offers the best of both worlds. On a VPS, each website has its own server space. The servers for each website on a VPS are housed on the same computer, but unlike shared hosting, companies can purchase as much space as their website requires.
Pricing for a VPS is higher than shared hosting but lower than having your own dedicated server. Our top picks for VPS hosting are notable for their reliability, tight security, and customization options.
Hostinger.com
Monthly Starting Price $4.49
- NVMe SSD storage and malware scanner
- Automatic weekly backups and an AI assistant
- FREE dedicated IPv4 and IPv6 addresses
- Custom control panel for reboots and OS installs
- 1-click operating system template
- HostingAdvice readers enjoy more than 50% off
- Get started on Hostinger now.
Hostinger's laser focus on providing affordable hosting solutions shines brightest with the company's VPS packages. The company provides four different virtual server plans, including one that costs less than $5. Go to full review »
| Setup Time | Disk Space | CPU | RAM |
|---|---|---|---|
| 6 minutes | 50 GB NVMe - 400 GB NVMe | 1 - 8 cores | 4 GB - 32 GB |
See more VPS hosting providers »
Recommended Dedicated Server Hosting
Dedicated server hosting is typically the most expensive option. It’s ideal for larger, high-traffic websites and can provide greater flexibility and security. Compared with a VPS, a dedicated server hosts one website only and thus allows for maximum resources to be available for that site. It’s a bigger investment than either shared hosting or a VPS, but as websites grow and businesses expand, it can become a more viable option for sites that need the space.
Read on to find out which web hosting providers offer the most comprehensive dedicated server plans, including fully managed services and premium email offerings.
A2Hosting.com
Monthly Starting Price $79.99
- Root access and 3 levels of server management
- Expertly managed servers deployed instantly
- Choose from 4 datacenters across 3 continents
- FREE redundant SSD storage in RAID-1 arrays
- Choice of 13 Linux operating systems
- Get started on A2 Hosting now.
Whether you're looking for managed or self-managed hosting, A2 Hosting offers three extremely reliable dedicated server plans to meet your needs, depending on your levels of comfort and experience. With A2 Hosting's Unmanaged Flex Dedicated Server plan, users get administrator-level control with root access and their choice of Linux operating system. Go to full review »
| Setup Time | Disk Space | CPU | RAM |
|---|---|---|---|
| 7 minutes | 1 TB SSD (RAID-1) | 4 - 16 cores | 16 GB - 256 GB |
See more dedicated hosting providers »
2. Back Up Your Website Files and Databases
After you’ve purchased your new hosting plan and before you cancel your old one, you’ll need to back up your website in its entirety and move it over to your new server. Download all of your files from the old host – they should have specific instructions for doing this in their platform – and then migrate them to the new host via FTP.
Databases must also be backed up by downloading the files, uploading them, and then restoring the database using a control panel or SSH. Emails can sometimes be transferred but at the very least should be archived so they can be preserved. This step is crucial to maintaining the integrity of your site just as it was on the old host.
3. Switch Your Domain’s DNS Record to Your New Host or Registrar
When you switch to a new web host, your DNS (domain name system) server also changes. The DNS tells a user’s internet service provider (ISP) where the site files are located and directs the connection to your site so it can load in their browser.
After your website files and databases are migrated to the new host, you will need to ask the provider from which you purchased your domain name to make the change. Be sure to contact your new host to get the new DNS information to give to the old host. This change typically takes 48 hours (two days) to take effect, at which point your site will load from the new web host.
4. Once the DNS Change Request Goes Through, Conduct a Final QA
So, you’ve fully migrated your site and changed your DNS name – now what? Don’t take it for granted that everything came over in one piece. Do a thorough quality control check to ensure no files are missing from your site.
Once you cancel your account with the old host, there’s no guarantee you’ll get those files back, so be certain everything is as it should be before pulling the plug on the old host. Go through each page of the site and review all the files and databases you transferred over in fine detail.
5. Cancel Your Old Account!
Like closing on an old house when moving to a new place, the last step of switching hosts is to close out your account with the old web host. Once you’ve made sure you have all of your files and databases and have switched your DNS record, you should have no worries about checking off this final task.
If you originally purchased your domain name with the old host, remember to keep the domain name registration, but your hosting account can go. Don’t look back – you’ve done everything you need to do to move on to the next chapter in the life of your website.
Switching to a New Web Hosting Provider Doesn’t Have to Be Daunting
Switching web hosts should feel like an upgrade, and what that looks like for your website might be different than for another. Keep in mind those key web host features that will make your site perform better and make your life easier.
When Stephanie, the lawyer who switched to a cloud-based host with unlimited email storage and mailboxes, decided to make the move to a new host, she did so with full knowledge of her options and priorities. Use these host-versus-host comparisons to determine which web hosting providers carry the features you care about most.
HostingAdvice.com is a free online resource that offers valuable content and comparison services to users. To keep this resource 100% free, we receive compensation from many of the offers listed on the site. Along with key review factors, this compensation may impact how and where products appear across the site (including, for example, the order in which they appear). HostingAdvice.com does not include the entire universe of available offers. Editorial opinions expressed on the site are strictly our own and are not provided, endorsed, or approved by advertisers.
Our site is committed to publishing independent, accurate content guided by strict editorial guidelines. Before articles and reviews are published on our site, they undergo a thorough review process performed by a team of independent editors and subject-matter experts to ensure the content’s accuracy, timeliness, and impartiality. Our editorial team is separate and independent of our site’s advertisers, and the opinions they express on our site are their own. To read more about our team members and their editorial backgrounds, please visit our site’s About page.
