Hosting packages typically fall into one of three categories – shared hosting, virtual private server (VPS) hosting, and dedicated server hosting. If you are looking for the least expensive option or are not sure about the computing/network resources your website will need, shared hosting is the way to go.
What makes shared hosting different?
With shared hosting, you can have hundreds or thousands of websites sharing one server. It is the most popular type of plan. Its principal benefit is the economies of scale. Since you have numerous websites sharing one server, you get lower pricing than VPS or dedicated server hosting.
Shared hosting is a managed service by default. You don’t require knowledge in operating systems and web server applications to launch and manage your site. Much of the maintenance work is done by the web host in the background. Shared hosting is ideal for small websites, personal sites, blogs, resume websites, portfolio websites, and first-time website owners.
What are the pros and cons of shared hosting?
Pros
Cons
How to pick the best shared hosting provider?
Before settling on any one shared hosting provider, take the following factors into consideration.
Quick list of our top 3 shared hosting providers
Hostinger
Overall Rating: 5/5
Hostinger is the best provider of affordable and reliable shared hosting services thanks to its plans that feature SSD storage, weekly automatic backups, free Cloudflare CDN, and free SSL certificates.
Bluehost
Overall Rating: 4.5/5
Bluehost comes in second place for its shared hosting plans that feature performance-enhancing website caching, unmetered data transfers, and industry-leading measured average uptimes.
HostGator
Overall Rating: 4/5
HostGator‘s unmetered storage, unmetered data transfers and free advertising credits are some key reasons we placed it in third position.
Top 10 shared hosting providers to pick from
We evaluated an extensive list of leading providers of shared hosting. The following ten stood out for their affordability and reliability.
1. Hostinger
Pros
Cons
What makes it stand out?
Hostinger is the best provider of affordable and reliable shared hosting services thanks to its plans that feature SSD storage, weekly automatic backups, free Cloudflare CDN, and free SSL certificates. It has a customized control panel called hPanel, built explicitly with ease of use as the primary goal. Customers get 24/7 support through live chat and a rich knowledge base.
All plans are covered by a 99.9 percent commitment and a 30-day money-back guarantee. You can pay by cryptocurrency, credit card, PayPal, Apple Pay, Google Pay, or Alipay.
The key features of its shared hosting plans are as follows:
Who is it intended for?
Small websites, personal sites, blogs, resume websites, and portfolio websites.
2. Bluehost
Pros
Cons
What makes it stand out?
Bluehost comes in second place for its shared hosting plans that feature performance-enhancing website caching, unmetered data transfers, and industry-leading measured average uptimes. All Bluehost shared hosting plans also include free Cloudflare CDN, free SSL certificate, free domain registration (first twelve months), and SSD storage.
Customers have access to 24/7 support through phone, live chat, and a knowledge base. Plans enjoy a 30-day money-back guarantee. You can pay by credit card, check, money order, or PayPal Instant Transfer.
Key features of Bluehost hosting plans are as follows:
Who is it intended for?
Personal sites, blogs, and resume websites.
3. HostGator
Pros
Cons
What makes it stand out?
HostGator’s unmetered storage, unmetered data transfers, unlimited email accounts and free advertising credits are key reasons we place it in third position. All plans also come with LiteSpeed web server technology, SSL certificates, Cloudflare CDN, regular backups, free domain registration (first twelve months), and free website transfer.
You get 24/7 support through phone, chat, social media, knowledge, and a user community discussion forum. HostGator offers a 99.9 percent uptime commitment and 30-day money-back guarantee. You can pay with a credit card, wire transfer, money order, check, or PayPal.
The key features of the company’s shared plans include the following:
Who is it intended for?
Small websites, personal sites, blogs, resume websites, portfolio websites.
4. A2 Hosting
Pros
Cons
What makes it stand out?
A2 Hosting’s shared hosting plans placed fourth for the unmetered data transfers, custom website caching, and the NVMe SSD-powered Turbo servers that attain speeds that are as much as 20 times quicker than peer plans. All shared hosting plans also include SSL certificates, Cloudflare CDN, and unlimited email accounts.
Customers enjoy 24/7 support through phone, help desk tickets, live chat, and a large knowledge base. The company has 99.9 percent uptime commitment and a 30-day money-back guarantee on all plans. You can pay for your preferred plan through credit card, wire transfer, money order, check, PayPal, PayU, or Skrill.
The main features of the shared hosting plans are as follows.
Who is it intended for?
Small websites, personal sites, blogs, resume websites, and portfolio websites.
5. InMotion Hosting
Pros
Cons
What makes it stand out?
We ranked InMotion Hosting fifth for its digital advertising credits, unmetered data transfers, and exceptional 90-day money-back guarantee. Also, all plans come with SSD storage, SSL certificates, auto backups, and the UltraStack proprietary server configuration.
Customers enjoy 24/7 support through live chat, phone, help desk tickets, a knowledge base, and a user community discussion forum.
InMotion Hosting has a 99.9 percent uptime commitment and a 90-day money-back guarantee. Pay via credit card, check, wire transfer, or PayPal.
The primary features of its shared hosting packages are as follows.
Who is it intended for?
Small websites, personal sites, blogs, resume websites, and portfolio websites.
8. SiteGround
SiteGround has demonstrated a commitment to providing eco-friendly plans backed by some of the industry's best quality customer service. Its cheapest shared hosting package is the StartUp plan which costs $19.99 per month. The StartUp plan features one website and 10 GB SSD storage.
All SiteGround shared hosting plans include unmetered bandwidth, unlimited email accounts, unlimited databases, SSL certificates, Cloudflare CDN, automatic daily backups, and free shopping cart installation.
What makes it a good choice
SiteGround is the fourth best host for beginners thanks to its website builder, app installation wizard, extensive knowledge base, and automatic daily backups. And for beginners looking to try their hand at eCommerce, you get free shopping cart installation too.
All customers enjoy 24/7 support via live chat, phone, and help desk tickets. Your website’s availability is backed by a 99.9 percent uptime commitment. You can pay for your preferred package using credit card or PayPal. SiteGround provides a 30-day money-back guarantee.
Acquired by WordPress-focused web host WP Engine in 2019, Flywheel specializes in the provision of WordPress managed shared hosting plans. Its lowest-priced package is the Tiny plan, which costs $15 per month. The Tiny plan comes with one WordPress website, 5 GB storage, and 20 GB bandwidth.
All Flywheel WordPress shared hosting plans include SSL certificates, Fastly CDN, daily backups, and free website migration.
What makes it a good choice
We ranked Flywheel’s beginner-friendly hosting packages in fifth place for its WordPress expertise, WordPress page builder, managed WordPress plans, free website migration, and daily backups.
Customers have 24/7 support through live chat, phone, and help desk tickets. You can pay for your plan by credit card or PayPal. Flywheel has an industry-leading 60-day money-back guarantee.
6. Liquid Web
Liquid Web is focused on the provision of hosting plans that feature award-winning speed, security, and scalability. Its lowest-priced Nexcess-managed WordPress package is the Spark plan, and it costs $4.75 per month. The Spark plan features 15 GB storage space, 2 TB bandwidth, and one website.
All plans include free SSL certificates, daily automatic backups, unmetered bandwidth, unlimited email accounts, and free website migration.
What makes it a good choice
We ranked Liquid Web sixth for its beginner-friendly WordPress plans that feature one-click installer, website builder, daily automatic backups, and free website migration.
Customers get 24/7 customer support via live chat, phone, and email. You can pay for your plan by credit card, bank transfer, check, or PayPal. While Liquid Web does not provide a money-back guarantee for its managed WordPress plans, you can contact the company’s support for a refund a few days after paying your initial subscription.
7. Hostwinds
A company that has steered clear of relying on third-party data centers, Hostwinds' lowest-priced shared hosting package is the Basic plan which costs $6.99 per month and covers one website only.
All Hostwinds shared hosting plans feature SSL certificates, daily backups, dedicated IP address, free website migration, unmetered bandwidth, unmetered storage, unlimited email accounts, and unlimited databases.
What makes it a good choice
We placed Hostwinds beginner-friendly shared hosting plans in seventh for its one-click installer, free website migration, free dedicated IP address, and daily backups. While it doesn’t have its own website builder, it relies on Weebly’s builder. Customers get 24/7 access to support through live chat, help desk tickets, and email.
Websites are backed by a 99.9999 percent uptime commitment. You can pay for your hosting package by credit card, PayPal as well as cryptocurrency. Against industry convention, Hostwinds does not have a money-back guarantee, but you can ask for a refund within 72 hours of paying your initial subscription.
8. AccuWeb Hosting
A company that’s been in business for two decades, AccuWeb Hosting’s cheapest shared hosting package is known as the Budget plan and costs $1.99 per month. The Budget plan’s key features are one website, 10 GB SSD storage, 25 GB bandwidth, and 25 email accounts.
All AccuWeb Hosting shared plans include SSL certificates, spam filters, website migration, daily backups, and LiteSpeed web servers.
What makes it a good choice
We have AccuWeb Hosting taking eighth in beginner-friendly hosting for offering one-click installation, free website migration, daily backups, a large knowledge base, and an active user community discussion board. At just $1.99 per month for its Budget plan, the company offers the lowest cost plan in our top 10.
Customers have 24/7 support through live chat, email, and phone. Website availability is backed by a 99.9 percent uptime commitment. Once you determine the hosting package you prefer, you can pay by credit card, PayPal, or money order. AccuWeb Hosting offers a 30-day money-back guarantee.
9.IONOS
IONOS (formerly known as 1&1 Internet) is a subsidiary of Europe’s largest Internet company, United Internet. Its entry-level shared hosting package is known as the Essential plan and costs $6 per month. The essential plan features one website, 10 GB of storage, and 10 databases.
All plans include unmetered bandwidth, free domain registration (first 12 months), SSL certificate, daily backups, and one email account.
What makes it a good choice
We rank IONOS beginner-friendly shared hosting packages in ninth for their one-click installation, large knowledge base, active user community discussion boards, free domain registration (first 12 months), and daily backups.
Customers get 24/7 customer support via live chat and phone. All plans are backed by a 99.9 percent uptime commitment. You can pay for your plan by credit card or PayPal. IONOS has a 30-day money-back guarantee.
10. DreamHost
DreamHost’s overarching vision is to give its customers substantial control and ownership over their online presence. Its lowest-priced shared hosting package is the Shared Starter plan which costs $4.95 per month. The Shared Starter plan comes with 50 GB SSD storage, six databases, and one website.
All DreamHost shared hosting plans include unmetered bandwidth, daily automatic backups, SSL certificates, domain privacy, pre-installed WordPress, and WordPress website migration.
What makes it a good choice
DreamHost’s beginner-friendly shared hosting plans round up our top 10 for its rich knowledge base and daily automatic backups. You also get free access to a WordPress website builder, pre-installed WordPress and WordPress website migration.
Customers get 24/7 support through help desk tickets and live chat. Site availability is buttressed by a bold 100 percent uptime commitment. You can pay for your preferred package by credit card, check, money order, ACH, or PayPal. At 97 days, DreamHost has one of the longest money-back guarantees in the industry.
Conclusion
Irrespective of the hosting provider you choose though, you can always switch to a different web host later on. Still, you are better served to get things right from the get-go so you can stick with the provider long-term. Once your web administration skills transition from beginner to intermediate, you can cast your eye wider and consider providers that would not necessarily be considered beginner friendly.
As a rookie website owner, it is hard to go wrong picking any of the ten web hosting providers covered here. These hosts demonstrate beginner-friendly plans that place them a class above their peers.