For website owners, a month-to-month web hosting plan makes sense if you want to try out a prospective new hosting provider’s performance, security, account management tools, or customer support before signing up for a long-term deal.
We get it — commitment isn’t for everyone. Whether it’s a relationship or a web hosting contract, some people just want to have an easy way out if things get dicey.
Because of the shorter period, monthly hosting packages tend to be noticeably more expensive. With that in mind, however, we’ve tracked down the most affordable hosting options for a variety of needs and budgets. Take a look below or skip ahead to the section most relevant to you.
Cheapest Month-to-Month Shared Hosting
Shoppers often first use price tags to determine an item’s perceived quality — even though you know nothing about blenders, for example, you’ll assume the most expensive option will be the most durable, offer the most features, and look the most stylish.
However, just because each upcoming cheap web hosting provider offers shockingly low prices doesn’t mean its quality suffers.
All four shared web hosting companies are widely respected in the hosting industry for offering customer-friendly, reliable services in bite-size monthly hosting portions. For more information on how they compare, take a look at our reviews:
1. Hostinger.com
- Unlimited everything, from storage to databases
- FREE site builder & WP performance upgrades
- FREE daily or weekly backups
- Custom control panel and auto-installation scripts
- SSH access & unlimited FREE SSL certificates
- Get started on Hostinger now.
Money Back Guarantee | Disk Space | Domain Name | Setup Time |
---|---|---|---|
30 days | 100 GB SSD – 200 GB NVMe | FREE (1 year) | 3 minutes |
2. HostGator.com
- 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 74% OFF by buying 36 months upfront
- Get started on HostGator now.
Money Back Guarantee | Disk Space | Domain Name | Setup Time |
---|---|---|---|
30 days | 10 GB SSD – 40 GB SSD | FREE (1 year) | 4 minutes |
3. GoDaddy.com
- Manage your domain and hosting under one roof
- Choice of cPanel or Plesk control panels
- Up to unlimited bandwidth and storage
- Microsoft 365 inboxes included FREE for first year
- Get 62% OFF by signing up today
- Get started on GoDaddy now.
Money Back Guarantee | Disk Space | Domain Name | Setup Time |
---|---|---|---|
30 days | 25 GB – 100 GB | FREE (1 year) | 4 minutes |
4. A2Hosting.com
- 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.
Money Back Guarantee | Disk Space | Domain Name | Setup Time |
---|---|---|---|
30 days | 100 GB SSD – Unlimited SSD | New or Transfer | 4 minutes |
A tour of these hosting providers shows one common trait: value for your money. While you won’t get the tightest security or most control from a shared hosting plan, you will get solid web hosting for an affordable price.
Cheapest Month-to-Month Cloud Hosting
Rising the ranks of popularity, cloud hosting gives website owners immense flexibility without breaking the bank.
Computing resources can be automatically turned on and off to match traffic demands, meaning your online presence won’t falter if page views spike.
Most people default to the major cloud providers of AWS, Azure, and Google Cloud when thinking about cloud computing. Despite the massive scalability the Big Three offer, their public cloud offerings can be overwhelming and pricey.
Luckily many of our favorite hosting providers have adapted their infrastructure to capitalize on the cloud’s reliability and performance — in packages that are much more user-friendly and cost-effective.
Take a look at the most affordable monthly cloud hosting plans below:
5. Kamatera.com
- Ultimate scalability with limitless customizations
- Create and deploy servers in 60 seconds
- Easily add load balancers and firewalls
- Stellar 99.95% uptime guarantee
- Sign up today for a 30-day FREE trial
- Get started on Kamatera now.
Setup Time | Disk Space | CPU | RAM |
---|---|---|---|
5 minutes | 20 GB SSD – 4 TB SSD | 1 – 32 cores | 1 GB – 128 GB |
6. Hostwinds.com
- Choose your OS or application configuration
- Hourly or monthly billing for convenience
- Optional upgrades for cPanel, backups, and more
- Managed services, SSDs, and HDDs available
- Block and object storage, plus enterprise firewall
- Get started on Hostwinds now.
Setup Time | Disk Space | CPU | RAM |
---|---|---|---|
6 minutes | 30 GB SSD – 750 GB SSD | 1 – 16 cores | 1 – 96 GB |
7. Cloudways.com
- Managed cloud hosting with 24/7/365 monitoring
- Choose from 5 popular cloud providers
- Auto-healing cloud servers with FREE backups
- 3-day free trial with no credit card required
- Host unlimited apps with no contract lock-in
- Get started on Cloudways now.
Setup Time | Disk Space | CPU | RAM |
---|---|---|---|
8 minutes | 20 GB SSD – 4 TB SSD | 1 – 96 cores | 1 GB – 384 GB |
My favorite aspect of these cloud-based web hosts is their ability to take cloud computing resources for enterprises and break them down into packages for the everyday user. Cloudways, for example, gives you access to cloud-powered plans backed by DigitalOcean, AWS, and Google Cloud.
Cheapest Month-to-Month VPS Hosting
As we move up the web hosting ladder, month-to-month hosting services actually get more common than finding a shared hosting provider.
Virtual private servers are among the most varied when it comes to storage size, adjustable computing resources, and managed services.
Because VPS and cloud hosting plans are the most fluid and customizable — and most likely to change as traffic fluctuates — monthly statements are actually quite expected in this part of the web hosting world.
However, that flexibility means that prices can vary pretty widely.
Be sure you’re comparing similar products when making your decision. The three hosts we list below offer a VPS hosting package sure to meet your particular needs.
Consider your support needs, technical expertise, preferred operating system, and expected traffic when comparing VPS plans from these top options:
8. Hostwinds.com
- Managed or unmanaged, in Windows or Linux
- Cloud hosting with hourly or monthly billing
- Instant upgrades without downtime
- FREE around-the-clock monitoring
- Automatic nightly backups available
- Get started on Hostwinds now.
Setup Time | Disk Space | CPU | RAM |
---|---|---|---|
6 minutes | 30 GB SSD – 750 GB SSD | 1 – 16 cores | 1 – 96 GB |
9. A2Hosting.com
- Turbo server & cache options for faster page loads
- Well-built plans starting with 4GB RAM
- FREE CDN plus auto-installs with Softaculous
- Multilingual support and up to unlimited databases
- Enhanced security with and daily kernel updates
- Get started on A2 Hosting now.
Setup Time | Disk Space | CPU | RAM |
---|---|---|---|
7 minutes | 20 GB SSD – 450 GB SSD | 1 – 10 cores | 1 GB – 32 GB |
10. Hostinger.com
- Cloud-based SSD storage for speed and reliability
- Double your RAM with burst periods
- FREE dedicated IPv4 and IPv6 addresses
- Custom control panel for reboots and OS installs
- HostingAdvice readers enjoy more than 50% off
- Get started on Hostinger now.
Setup Time | Disk Space | CPU | RAM |
---|---|---|---|
6 minutes | 50 GB NVMe – 400 GB NVMe | 1 – 8 cores | 4 GB – 32 GB |
The beauty of VPS hosting is its range of use cases. Web developers can find small VPS plans for the same price as some shared hosting packages or large VPSes with costs that exceed those of entry-level dedicated servers. The choice is yours.
Cheapest Month-to-Month Dedicated Hosting
Yes, cheap and temporary aren’t the adjectives you’d expect to encounter with dedicated servers, but monthly payment plans are a great way to gauge how a new hosting company’s infrastructure matches up with the specific demands of your website or application.
Just like test-driving a car before you buy, owners and administrators of large sites, applications, or data resources should make sure new equipment and configurations can handle the workload.
Aside from testing, companies may only need a dedicated server to deal with ultra-busy periods in the sales cycle.
Although the demand on school and university online systems can often rest easy during the summer, for example, they’ll likely need more computing power when it comes time for students to register for classes in the fall.
Fortunately for customers, the three hosts we recommend for month-to-month dedicated server plans — Liquid Web, HostGator, and InMotion Hosting all offer superb servers and support at surprisingly affordable rates and flexible terms.
Read through our reviews below to see which might be the best fit:
11. LiquidWeb.com
- Linux or Windows with choice of 3 control panels
- 100% network and power uptime guarantees
- Custom configurations and instant provisioning
- Auto-migrations, backups, and real-time monitoring
- Block/object storage and load balancer add-ons
- Get started on Liquid Web now.
Setup Time | Disk Space | CPU | RAM |
---|---|---|---|
8 minutes | 480 GB SSD – 960 GB SSD (+ 2 TB SATA) | 4 – 16 cores | 16 GB – 64 GB |
12. HostGator.com
- Linux or Windows servers available
- HDD or SSD storage plus unmetered bandwidth
- Fully redundant network and datacenter
- SSH access and support for multiple languages
- Managed or semi-managed solutions
- Get started on HostGator now.
Setup Time | Disk Space | CPU | RAM |
---|---|---|---|
6 minutes | 512 GB SSD – 2 TB HDD | 4 – 8 cores | 8 GB – 30 GB |
13. InMotionHosting.com
- Bare-metal or managed servers available
- 1-on-1 time with a server administrator
- 99.99% uptime via Smart Routing™ technology
- Tier 1 network with redundant bandwidth
- SSH root access and DDoS protection on all servers
- Upgrade for cPanel, migration, and auto backups
- Get started on InMotion now.
Setup Time | Disk Space | CPU | RAM |
---|---|---|---|
7 minutes | 1 TB SSD – 3.2 TB SSD | 12 – 32 cores | 192 GB DDR4 – 512 GB DDR4 |
Dedicated servers can give your web application the muscle it needs to support high traffic. Pairing that with a month-to-month plan gives you both power and freedom from lengthy contracts. That’s a win-win.
Cheapest Month-to-Month WordPress Hosting
The world’s most popular content management system, WordPress is also one of the most challenging platforms to host with speed and security.
Because it’s used by more than 43% of all websites on the internet, a WordPress website sometimes comes with a major target on its back.
Some hosts simply offer the standard one-click installation as part of a standard shared hosting plan, but the three hosts we’ve reviewed below go a step further.
Each hosting provider optimizes its affordable rates with the modern hardware and security precautions the platform needs to thrive.
Read on to learn how InMotion Hosting, A2 Hosting, and HostGator set themselves apart for affordable month-to-month hosting for WordPress.
14. InMotionHosting.com
- Up to 12x faster WordPress hosting
- FREE SSL certificate and SSD storage
- Automatic WordPress plugin, theme, and core updates
- Features a FREE drag-and-drop WP page editor
- Premium themes and plugin subscriptions
- Get started on InMotion now.
Money Back Guarantee | Disk Space | Domain Name | Setup Time |
---|---|---|---|
90 days | 100 GB – Unlimited SSD | FREE (1 year) | 5 minutes |
15. A2Hosting.com
- FREE Cloudflare CDN and 1-click WP installs
- Turbo Server, SSD speed, and optimized caching
- A2-optimized plugins for performance and security
- FREE SSL certificates and 24/7 support
- FREE HackScan and KernelCare
- Get started on A2 Hosting now.
Money Back Guarantee | Disk Space | Domain Name | Setup Time |
---|---|---|---|
30 days | 50 GB SSD – Unlimited SSD | New or Transfer | 4 minutes |
16. HostGator.com
- 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 74% OFF by buying 36 months upfront
- Get started on HostGator now.
Money Back Guarantee | Disk Space | Domain Name | Setup Time |
---|---|---|---|
30 days | 10 GB SSD – 40 GB SSD | FREE (1 year) | 4 minutes |
WordPress hosting can vary widely across providers, making a monthly web hosting plan a smart way to make a long-term decision.
Cheapest Month-to-Month Managed WordPress Hosting
Even experienced hosting consumers may not expect the more luxurious WordPress hosting companies to offer month-by-month services.
As is true with dedicated and virtual servers, the top plans for managed WordPress hosting are often worth trying on for size.
The content management system does particularly well with the dedicated resources offered by virtual servers, so that’s the architecture each managed WordPress host below opts to run for its WordPress customers.
The virtual environments often include a staging area, automatic updates, and several layers of security and caching tools.
17. WPEngine.com
- Premium WP hosting with unlimited data transfer
- Proprietary caching ekes out extra performance
- FREE Genesis framework and StudioPress themes
- Automatic backups with 1-click restore
- 20% discount for HostingAdvice readers
- Get started on WP Engine now.
Money Back Guarantee | Disk Space | Domain Name | Setup Time |
---|---|---|---|
60 days | 10 GB – 50 GB | New or Transfer | 6 minutes |
18. Flywheel.com
- High-touch managed WordPress hosting
- FREE speed boost via built-in CDN and custom FlyCache technology
- One-click sandbox environment for staging
- In-house WP expertise and support available 24/7
- FREE 14-day demo site
- Get started on Flywheel now.
Money Back Guarantee | Disk Space | Domain Name | Setup Time |
---|---|---|---|
60 days | 5 GB – 50 GB | N/A | 4 minutes |
19. DreamHost.com
- Fully managed, stress-free WordPress hosting
- More than 5x faster than traditional shared hosting
- Advanced site backup and security features
- Now includes Jetpack pre-installed
- Easily scale to handle traffic spikes
- Get started on DreamHost now.
Money Back Guarantee | Disk Space | Domain Name | Setup Time |
---|---|---|---|
97 days | Unlimited | FREE (1 year) | 4 minutes |
Managed hosting plans are premium services that usually come with premium price tags. But not every host requires you to break the bank for month-to-month managed WordPress hosting. The providers above offer an ideal balance of cost and features.
Cheapest Month-to-Month SSD Hosting
If you’re looking to take the next step into a more refined web hosting plan, be sure to look for a hosting account that provides solid-state drives. The upgraded SSD storage devices offer much faster performance than traditional hard disk drives.
Here, we’re showcasing the surprisingly limited pool of SSD web hosts that offer a monthly billing hosting solution. Any web host on this list is sure to impress you with ample add-ons, such as a free SSL certificate, a free domain name, unlimited bandwidth, and oodles of SSD storage.
Industry mainstays InMotion Hosting and A2 Hosting are well known for ultra-speedy infrastructure, while SiteGround raises the bar with cloud hosting powered by Google Cloud Platform.
Learn more about each monthly hosting plan by reading through our reviews:
20. InMotionHosting.com
- Shared business hosting with FREE SSD storage
- FREE website migration with zero downtime
- Develop in PHP, Ruby, Perl, Python, and MySQL
- FREE drag-and-drop builder or WordPress
- FREE data backups and FREE SSL cert
- Get started on InMotion Hosting now.
Money Back Guarantee | Disk Space | Domain Name | Setup Time |
---|---|---|---|
90 days | 100 GB SSD – Unlimited SSD | FREE (1 year) | 5 minutes |
21. SiteGround.com
- 99.9% uptime guarantee and FREE SSDs
- Reliable support from custom chat systems
- FREE site transfer and live setup assistance
- Unique downtime prevention technology
- Easy cPanel management
- Get started on SiteGround now.
Money Back Guarantee | Disk Space | Domain Name | Setup Time |
---|---|---|---|
30 days | 10 GB SSD – 40 GB SSD | New or Transfer | 6 minutes |
22. A2Hosting.com
- FREE SSD speed and optional Turbo Server
- 1-click installs for all popular apps and scripts
- FREE CloudFlare CDN and A2-optimized caching
- Get up to unlimited domains and databases
- Help from the Guru Crew available 24/7
- Get started on A2 Hosting now.
Money Back Guarantee | Disk Space | Domain Name | Setup Time |
---|---|---|---|
30 days | 100 GB SSD – Unlimited SSD | New or Transfer | 4 minutes |
If SSD hosting intrigues you, you’ll be interested in learning about its even speedier version: NVMe SSDs. Click here to learn more about our recommended NVMe web hosts.
What Is Web Hosting?
Websites are made of hundreds (or sometimes thousands) of lines of code that live in files and folders on your computer. But in order for people to actually visit your website, you have to host those files on a web server.
Web hosting is the act of renting server space from a hosting company so people can visit your site on the internet.
Once you code your website, you upload your files to the web host’s server through a process called file transfer protocol. Then, people from all over the world can access your site!
How Much Does Web Hosting Cost?
I’ll be honest with you: the best prices for web hosting come from shared hosting plans with long-term contracts. The longer your web hosting contract, the more money you save. Therefore, month-to-month hosting plans tend to be the most expensive.
One- and two-year shared hosting plans start for just $1 a month, but month-to-month hosting plans usually cost $10 a month or more.
The benefit of month-to-month payment, though, is that you don’t have to pay a lump sum upfront. You also avoid vendor lock-in and can switch web hosts anytime without losing money.
Typical entry-level prices for the main types of web hosting include:
- Shared hosting: $1-$5/month
- VPS hosting: $2-$30/month
- Cloud hosting: $4-$10/month
- Dedicated hosting: $30-$200/month
One thing I should mention is that most cloud hosting providers offer a pay-as-you-go pricing model, which means you only pay for the resources you consume. This can lead to varying monthly costs depending on the amount of traffic you get.
How Do I Choose a Web Host?
I review web hosting providers all the time, so trust me, not all web hosts are created equally. Some offer a lot more value than others, and it’s up to you to decide which one works best for your specific needs.
Here’s a checklist of things you should look for while you’re shopping:
- Quality of customer service
- Option to upgrade server type and plans
- Inclusion of free add-ons such as an SSL certificate, domain name, and email account
- Security features
- An intuitive control panel
As a bonus, you should look for a web host that offers a free trial or a money-back guarantee so you can test your provider in a risk-free setting.
Test the Hosting Waters With Monthly Payment Plans
Across many industries, customers are more likely to opt for short-term contracts when economies recede or finances seem unstable.
That caution means that, despite the long-term savings associated with longer plans, customers want to be extra careful before committing to a web hosting provider with a large, upfront payment.
Most plans default to annual commitments; be sure to pay attention during the checkout process to find the monthly web hosting options.
HostGator is one of the best full-service providers in the game — and our best web host to grow with. Interestingly, sister web hosting company Bluehost — one of our all-time favorite providers, doesn’t offer a monthly web hosting plan.
Hostinger provides a great web hosting service for those looking for cheap domain names, a super-easy website builder, and unlimited resources. Plus, with the host’s 24/7 live chat support and plans tailor-made for building a WordPress website, what’s not to love?
Hosting providers advertise much lower monthly rates with annual or three-year plans but require payment in full when a new customer signs up.
Having that ability to control or cancel a web hosting plan after a project is completed or you’ve learned all you need to know about a hosting provider’s level of service can be a valuable tool for the savvy shopper or commitment-phobe in all of us.
As you can see from this list, cheap web hosting doesn’t have to come with a lengthy commitment.
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