WordPress is the household name that powers most websites. Once you have built your WordPress website with WordPress.org, you’ll require a suitable web hosting solution.
You can opt for any web hosting that meets your website’s specifications. However, it is best to go for a specially catered WordPress hosting solution. The problem is that finding one that’s trusted, reliable, and cheap can be challenging.
Here are some of my top 5 cheap hosting solution recommendations.
SiteGround
Founded in 2004 in Bulgaria, SiteGound offers a wide range of hosting services, including WordPress hosting. SiteGround’s all-inclusive managed WordPress hosting with solutions crafted for WordPress comes recommended by WooCommerce, WordPress.org, and WPBeginner. They shine in their 24/7 top-rated hosting support with 90% resolution at first contact.
SiteGround’s WordPress hosting comes with their WordPress Starter tool that has WordPress automatically installed on your account with relevant plugins of your choice. Also, choose from professional site designs and add functionalities like contact forms, an online store, a portfolio, and more; this allows you to enjoy a fully-functional WordPress website in minutes (no prior technical knowledge needed).
SiteGround’s infrastructure rides on the Google Cloud with SSD storage. Their NGINX-based dynamic cache and Memcached service with the free SiteGround Optimizer plugin enhance loading speed. They have a customized PHP implementation which they claim helps boost your speed by 30% faster (only available on GrowBig and higher plans).
There are automatic WordPress updates. Security is managed at the server and firewall levels via tracking and patching WordPress-related vulnerabilities. The SiteGround Security plugin protects your WordPress website from hacks, brute-force attacks, data leaks, and more. There are automated daily backups and a free restore feature. Although you can perform instant on-demand backups (available on GrowBig and GoGeek plans only).
Pricing
SiteGround’s WordPress hosting plan starts at $2.99/month (StartUp plan). You get unmetered traffic, eCommerce, and lots of freebies (WP Installation, WP Migrator, SSL, CDN, and Email). However, you are restricted to a website (despite the limitation to one domain, this plan allows unlimited subdomains), 10GB storage, and 10,000 monthly visits.
Hence, many opt for the GrowBig plan at $4.99/month, which provides unlimited websites, 20GB storage, and 100,000 monthly visits.
HostGator
HostGator has been around for a couple of decades. They offer a variety of hosting solutions. While shared hosting is what Hostgator is widely known for, its WordPress hosting also shines. HostGator works on making hosting easy as pie; it is no wonder that they support over two million websites to date. While their servers are in the US, they promise global access via Cloudflare, which routes through an additional 23 data centers worldwide.
WordPress comes pre-installed on your account; you can kick-start things faster. The simplified control panel is seamless and hassle-free. You scale resources, set up and manage accounts, configure auto-backup schedules, and others. HostGator promises a 99.9% uptime guarantee.
HostGator provides you with the necessary security, including malware protection (SiteLock Fix), site security (SSL), backups with 1-click restore (CodeGuard), and more. All plans afford you unmetered bandwidth. The 24/7/365 support entices, especially when you’re on the other side of the globe, and is available via phone, live chat, email, and Twitter. For those more adventurous, you can check out their knowledge base.
Pricing
Hostgator’s three WordPress plans are straightforward; they differ by the number of websites and visits a month, backup storage, and the number of sites that qualify for free migration. Although the cheapest is the Starter plan at $5.95/month for a site, it makes more sense to opt for the Business plan at $9.95/month for three websites.
However, these promotional prices are for newbies and are not applicable when renewing. That said, these are managed plans. Hence, this justifies the comparatively higher figures. Also, you enjoy a 30-day guarantee, where they will refund your hosting fees within the first 30 days if you’re unsatisfied.
Hostinger
Based in Lithuania, Hostinger promises global services with a 99.9% high uptime guarantee. They are known to be a trusted and affordable web hosting provider. With a range of hosting services, it is not surprising that Hostinger is a solid contender as an affordable WordPress host.
Data centers available for their WordPress plans are in the Netherlands, Lithuania, the United Kingdom, Singapore, India, the US, and Brazil, a good coverage.
Hostinger’s managed WordPress hosting plans come with a 1-click installer, SSD storage, and a user-friendly control panel. The features are easy-to-use for ease of building your WordPress website. Also, they leverage LiteSpeed servers and the LiteSpeed Cache plugin, which Hostinger claims to give you four times faster speeds.
Their in-house developed web application firewall, free SSL certificates, and anti-DDoS protection safeguard your WordPress website from cyber attacks. Automated daily backups are available (only for their WordPress Business hosting plan and above).
For the more adventurous and tech-savvy, tools are available to help extend functionality and productivity (Git integration, WP-CLI, PHP version control, SSH access, and MySQL database manager). If you need help, you can contact their 24/7/365 support team via live chat or look into their comprehensive knowledge base and WordPress tutorials.
Pricing
The most popular plan is the WordPress Starter plan at $1.99/month. You get more goodies (100 websites, 100GB SSD Storage, 25 000 monthly visits, free email and domain, unlimited bandwidth and databases, and more) than the lowest plan (Single WordPress), which is at the same promotional price.
However, upon renewing the WordPress Starter plan, the price reverts to $6.99/month, while the Single WordPress plan renews at $3.99/month. That said, given the loads of goodies you get for the former, it makes sense to stick to the WordPress Starter plan. Furthermore, these plans are managed plans and come with a 30-day money-back guarantee.
DreamHost
Since 1997, DreamHost has expanded to hosting over 750,000 WordPress websites and blogs. Recommended by WordPress.org, DreamHost commits to supporting WordPress on a long-term basis. Their WordPress solutions are varied and specially catered for optimum WordPress operations, be it a personal blog, small business, or eCommerce setup.
Their plans afford you many lovely themes and powerful plugins to customize your WordPress site. For plans supporting multiple websites, you can install various WordPress instances speedily via their 1-click installer. You use the intuitive DreamHost control panel to manage everything about your WordPress website.
DreamHost utilizes WordPress-optimized servers; everything is configured for a top-notch performance. Riding on fast SSDs, DreamHost claims that your speeds are enhanced by 200% faster. They are so confident of their offerings and solutions that they give you a 100% uptime guarantee. You can perform a load test on your WordPress website to confirm its performance.
Unlike most others, DreamHost safeguards your data at no extra charge. Also, there’s the free ”Let’s Encrypt” SSL certificate. Your WordPress account comes pre-configured to handle daily automatic WordPress updates. Also, their in-house and dedicated 24/7/365 award-winning WordPress experts are available via email or live chat. Or you can check out the DreamHost Academy with in-depth tutorials.
Pricing
DreamHost offers both shared and managed WordPress hosting plans. If you’re starting, you may find the shared WordPress hosting plan, starting at $2.59/month, a beginner-friendly plan. However, if you’re not tech-savvy and prefer to let DreamHost take over the maintenance and any technical-related matters, the managed WordPress plan (DreamPress) at $16.95/month could be it for you.
If you’re looking into multiple WordPress websites, consider the VPS hosting for WordPress starting at $10.00/month; this plan facilitates growth and scalability but is more for advanced website owners. Only their shared hosting plans have a 97-Day money-back guarantee. That said, their data centers are in the US. Hence, if your customers are in the US, DreamHost could be the one for you.
BlueHost
Another solid contender and recommended by WordPress.org since 2005, BlueHost is based in the US. Supporting more than two million websites across the globe, Bluehost offers a range of hosting solutions but focuses much on WordPress hosting per se. Known-to-be WordPress-centric for over ten years, BlueHost is supported by a team of in-house dedicated WordPress experts.
BlueHost promises an average uptime above 99.95%, and since Bluehost’s servers run on high-performance Solid State Drives (SSD), they claim to give you 75% faster performance. Also, with a free Content Delivery Network (CDN) for all plans, you enjoy lower latency for global access. Use the Bluehost Maestro dashboard to manage all your WordPress websites and clients. The latest WordPress version comes installed with your account.
Have fun with the Bluehost Marketplace and search among the many fully customizable themes and easy-to-install plugins to expand and enhance your WordPress site’s looks and functionalities. The Bluehost Marketplace also facilitates a faster building of your online store, and according to them, you can get it up within minutes.
There’s a free SSL Certificate, essential basic security to encrypt the communication channels. Also, you get Domain Privacy and free automated backup powered by CodeGuard for a year (for specific plans). BlueHost’s 24/7 support is through phone and live chat. There are tons of helpful tutorials and self-help articles/videos available online.
Pricing
There are four WordPress paid plans, starting at $2.95/month (Basic plan); this is a no-frills plan that suits blogs/smaller sites, although you still enjoy unmetered bandwidth. However, the Choice Plus plan at $5.45/month is tempting to build and grow your business. You get more goodies for this minimal difference (more storage space and additional Pro tools).
However, all plans renew at regular rates, a note to highlight. That said, all plans come with a 30-day money-back guarantee.
FAQ
If you go for WordPress.com, web hosting is inclusive. As such, you won’t need to look for a separate web hosting package. However, if you choose WordPress.org, you will need to shop around for web hosting to complement your WordPress website.
Today, WordPress hosting offerings vary to suit different needs. Hence, it does not mean that a cheap WordPress hosting plan is unreliable and useless. There are cheap and good WordPress hosting plans with relevant and high-performance features. Know where to look for them. Many hosting providers offer cheap and reliable WordPress hosting plans targeting newbies, like the above.
Like other managed and unmanaged hosting solutions, the same difference applies to managed and unmanaged WordPress hosting. For managed WordPress hosting, your hosting provider handles and manages essential technical tasks and maintenance, so you won’t need to. Hence, they are pricier.
Unmanaged WordPress hosting plans require you to handle these technically-related tasks yourself, which means you’ll have to be tech-savvy and competent enough to opt for this hosting type.
The Bottom Line
To select the best cheap WordPress hosting provider for your website, you’ll first need to know your budget and current and future business needs. Then can you approach the list above to isolate the suitable one for your WordPress website. Take your time to evaluate each, so you end up with the best provider to meet your WordPress website’s growing needs.
