8 Best Cheap Web Hosting Services Reviewed & Tested

Yes, the world of cheap web hosting may be littered with a plethora of underperforming options. However, don’t let that overshadow the value offered by the few dependable companies that run some of the cheapest web hosting platforms and provide great quality at the same time.

The simple fact is that “cheap” doesn’t necessarily mean “compromise.” By working with trusted web hosts, you can actually acquire reliable, secure, and pocket-friendly web hosting for your next website.

👉 In this post, we’ll look into the very best cheap web hosting packages out there, test them, and show you how to pick the ideal one for your needs.

Cheap web hosting platforms to look at in 2023

Here’s the lineup of the best cheap web hosting platforms on the market:

1. Hostinger
2. Bluehost
3. Namecheap
4. A2 Hosting
5. SiteGround
6. DreamHost
7. HostGator
8. InMotion Hosting

Keep reading 📚 for more info about each of them:

1. Hostinger (www.hostinger.com)

Hostinger is a prominent player in the web hosting industry, well-known for its cost-effective and budget-friendly services. The affordability of its products makes it a go-to solution for many individuals and businesses alike who are seeking high-quality cheap web hosting without burning a hole in their pockets.

That being said, despite the low costs, Hostinger does not compromise on the reliability and stability of their service. It is actually a quite well-rounded web hosting service that any website can benefit from.

📈 Performance:

Loading times measure the speed at which a webpage loads its content following a user’s request and they are a critical measurement of website performance. Swift loading is essential for a positive user experience. In our monthly assessments of hosting services, we focus on analyzing these speeds, ensuring that our cheap web hosting recommendations are based on real world data.

Uptime is another critical factor in web hosting. It represents how long a website stays active without disruptions. An uptime above 99.9% is ideal, ensuring constant site accessibility for your website’s visitors. In our regular monthly evaluations of web hosting services, our team also measures the average uptime percentage of each host featured here. You can see the most recent three months above.

Pricing 💳

When I say cheap hosting, Hostinger is among the very few companies that manage to stay below the $2 mark. Currently, the entry-level plans cost $1.79/mo. These low rates are available as long-term subscriptions. Hostinger’s low cost hosting plans are:

• Single – $1.79 per month for one site, 50 GB of SSD storage, and up to 10,000 monthly visits.
• Premium – $2.99 per month for 100 websites, 100 GB of SSD storage, free unlimited email, and a free domain.
• Business – $3.99 per month for 100 sites, 200 GB storage, 100,000 visits a month, plus everything in Premium.

Keep in mind that pricing goes up when you renew after the promotional period.

Ease of setup 🖱️

The Hostinger dashboard does not run on classic cPanel, which we usually see with other hosting providers. Hostinger has put their own spin on it, calling it “hpanel,” and providing easier access to elements like files, email, and domain. It is beginner-friendly and easy to set up.

All the plans, including shared web hosting, come with WordPress features such as WordPress installers, which makes it easy to get started with a website quickly. You can see these features in the Website section, under Auto Installer in your Hostinger dashboard.

Customer support ☎️ 💬

Hostinger support is available 24/7/365 in multiple languages. They also offer an online knowledge base. You can reach out to the support team via email or live chat. Hostinger does not have phone support, as they believe live chat is more efficient for the user than waiting on a phone line.

As for online resources, the knowledge base lets you search for advice and answers, while the Tutorials page, blog, and YouTube channel include videos, in-depth guides, and everything you need to learn about the platform.

2. Bluehost (www.bluehost.com)

Bluehost is a trusted and longstanding web hosting service, famously one of the initial hosts to be endorsed on the official website of the WordPress project. This endorsement signifies Bluehost’s reliability and quality.

In addition to this reputation, Bluehost has been known for its affordability, ensuring premium web hosting services without stretching your budget. So, when you opt for Bluehost, you’re signing up for a balance of proven reliability, superior quality, and cost-effective web hosting.

📈 Performance:

Pricing 💳

They base Bluehost pricing strictly on how many months you pay for in advance. For instance, a 36-month plan is cheaper per month than a 24-month plan. Although sometimes they make 12-month plans more appealing than the 36-month plans; it all depends on the current promotions.

We’ll outline the 12-month plans below:

• Basic – $2.75 per month for one website, 50GB of SSD storage, 20 databases, a website builder, free domain, free CDN, and free SSL certificate.
• Plus – $5.45 per month for everything in the previous plan, unlimited websites, unlimited storage, unlimited databases, and access to promotions for things like email, Google Ads, and spam protection.
• Choice Plus – $5.45 per month (it’s more expensive than Plus upon renewal) for everything in the previous plans, free domain privacy, and automated backups for the first year.
• Pro – $13.95 per month for everything in the previous plans, optimized CPU resources, forever free automated backups, a premium SSL, and a free dedicated IP.

Ease of setup 🖱️

The Bluehost dashboard is one of the easiest ones to use out there. There’s a simple one-click install for WordPress, as well as basic controls to take care of the primary customizations of your setup.

You also get a free SSL if you need to secure all transaction information for an online store.

Bluehost excels with its WordPress integration and one-click installation, but we also recommend you check out other cheap WordPress hosting providers and see which hosts actually offer the best value for your money.

Customer support ☎️ 💬

Technical support is available 24/7 through phone, online chat, or email. You can also access educational resources, including FAQs, online articles, and setup information. The knowledge base is filled with valuable tutorials, and the blog keeps you updated on new features. You can also follow along with updates on Bluehost’s social pages, like Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, LinkedIn, Pinterest, and Instagram.

3. Namecheap (www.namecheap.com)

Namecheap is a reliable and user-friendly web hosting service that caters to a diverse range of users, from beginners to experienced developers. The company offers a variety of hosting plans, giving users the flexibility to choose a plan that best suits their specific needs and budget.

In terms of performance, Namecheap hosting delivers reliable and fast services, with solid uptime and competitive loading speeds. The hosting plans often come with features like free website migration, domain registration, and SSL certificates. Whether you’re launching a personal blog or managing a business website, Namecheap aims to provide a hassle-free and efficient hosting solution.

📈 Performance:

Pricing 💳

Namecheap offers a variety of hosting options: shared hosting, WordPress hosting, VPS, dedicated servers, and reseller hosting. Each option comes with different pricing plans. If you’re not sure which hosting plan is the right one for you, the Namecheap team provides a form that you can fill out to get a recommendation.

Shared hosting is their cheapest option, though. Since this post is about cheap web hosting services, we’ll present here the shared hosting plans. Keep in mind that if you opt for a longer subscription (one year or two years), you get the cheapest deals. These are the prices if you sign up for two years:

• Stellar – $1.58 per month for three websites, 20GB of SSD storage, 30 mailboxes, a website builder, free domain, free CDN, and free SSL certificate.
• Stellar Plus – $2.28 per month for everything in the previous plan, unlimited websites, unmetered storage, unlimited mailboxes, and automated backups.
• Stellar Business – $4.48 per month for everything in the previous plans, 50GB of SSD storage, and cloud storage.

Ease of setup 🖱️

Setting up a website is made straightforward with Namecheap’s streamlined processes. From domain registration to deploying applications like WordPress, the platform offers step-by-step guidance, reducing the learning curve for those new to hosting.

Once you’re in, Namecheap keeps it simple with a well-organized control panel. Managing domains, tweaking settings, and even seeking support become straightforward tasks. Whether you’re launching your first website or migrating an existing one, Namecheap’s emphasis on ease of setup makes the entire process hassle-free and accessible for both beginners and experienced users.

Customer support ☎️ 💬

One notable feature of Namecheap hosting is its commitment to providing great customer support. Namecheap is known for its responsive support team, assisting users with any hosting-related issues, especially via their 24/7 live chat support.

Additionally, Namecheap provides a knowledge base and tutorials to help users navigate and make the most of their hosting experience.

Overall, their customer support is a strong aspect of their hosting services.

4. A2 Hosting (www.a2hosting.com)

A2 Hosting has a reputation for offering faster speeds than most shared hosts. It’s also quite affordable and user-friendly for beginners.

📈 Performance:

Pricing 💳

You can choose between Linux or Windows hosting. Both options are similar, but the standard shared hosting plans include:

• Startup – $1.99 per month for one site, 100 GB of SSD storage, 5 databases, a free SSL certificate, perpetual security, and the option to choose from multiple server locations. You also get free email addresses.
• Drive – $5.99 per month for everything in the previous plan, plus unlimited sites, unlimited storage, unlimited databases, automatic backups, and an increase in the number of cores and physical memory.
• Turbo Boost – $6.99 per month for everything in the previous plans, plus unlimited NVMe storage, an increase in physical memory, site caching, available traffic surge protection, and Turbo servers that claim a 20x boost in speeds.
• Turbo Max – $12.99 per month for everything in the previous plans, plus the highest physical memory offered in A2 shared hosting plans and an increase in the number of cores.

A2 Hosting pricing relies on extended sign-up promotions where you pay less per month when you commit for longer periods. The pricing listed above is primarily for 3-year terms, so it gives the lowest pricing. Month-to-month pricing is the most expensive (for example, the Startup plan sells for $10.99 per month).

All promotional periods renew at the normal monthly pricing unless you sign up for another extended period.

Ease of setup 🖱️

There’s a lot going on in the A2 Hosting dashboard, but once you get the hang of it, you can launch a site within minutes. A2 Hosting offers one free migration, along with several one-click installer tools (like WordPress). We also like how some shared hosting plans offer automated tools for backups, caching, and traffic surge protection. Finally, the free SSL is great for eCommerce sites.

Customer support ☎️ 💬

A2 Hosting provides 24/7/365 email, chat, and phone support. The online resources are cluttered, but you can find plenty of articles for learning about the control panel, billing, and WordPress optimization in the A2 Hosting knowledge base. Other than that, A2 Hosting offers a blog and social media pages on Facebook, YouTube, Twitter, and LinkedIn.

5. SiteGround (www.siteground.com)

SiteGround is an excellent hosting platform for beginners and companies with smaller sites. The pricing is reasonable, you receive tech support at all times, and the WordPress integration is seamless.

📈 Performance:

Pricing 💳

SiteGround has a special price for those who sign up for one, two, or three years in advance. Being one of the most expensive services on our list (but not by much), it’s still worth it, since even their StartUp plan offers high-value features such as daily backups, advanced WordPress security, dedicated WordPress support, and more.

Here are the three plans:

• StartUp – $3.99 per month for one website, 10GB of SSD web space, automatic WordPress and plugin updates, an SSL certificate, automated backups, caching, multiple server choices, and support for up to 10,000 monthly visits.
• GrowBig – $6.69 per month for everything in the previous plan, plus unlimited websites, 20GB of web space, and support for up to 25,000 monthly visits.
• GoGeek – $10.69 per month for everything in the previous plan, plus 40GB of web space, support for up to 100,000 monthly visits, one-click WordPress staging, WordPress repo creation, and the highest tier of server resources offered by SiteGround.

Ease of setup 🖱️

The SiteGround setup process is simple enough for beginners. You choose a plan, register a domain (or transfer one to SiteGround,) then fill out your payment information before being sent to the dashboard.

Once you sign in for the first time, SiteGround gives you a website setup wizard that will let you easily install WordPress or other common content management systems.

SiteGround also offers a more plentiful collection of premium, automated features in all shared hosting plans, allowing you to configure your website and forget about those features as they run in the background. For instance, you can turn on everything from caching to security, and backups to auto-updates, all right in the dashboard.

Customer support ☎️ 💬

SiteGround customer support is available 24/7 via live chat or phone. SiteGround keeps its wait time to a minimum for phone calls and live chat, while it usually takes about 10 minutes to receive a reply through the email ticketing system.

The host also offers a detailed knowledge base with how-to guides and troubleshooting information, along with a blog and social media pages on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and YouTube.

6. DreamHost (www.dreamhost.com)

DreamHost sells shared web hosting for a cheap price, but they also keep the pricing lower than the competition when your renewal period comes up; the introductory plan only goes up to $6.99 per month after the promotional period. Furthermore, all hosting plans receive features you can’t always expect from cheap web hosts. We’re talking about a free domain, SSL certificate, backups, caching, and WordPress updates.

📈 Performance:

Pricing 💳

DreamHost pricing improves when you sign up for longer periods of time, like for a 1-year or 3-year commitment.

Here are the basic hosting plans from DreamHost:

• Shared Starter – $2.59 per month for one website, a free domain, unlimited traffic, a website builder, 50 GB of SSD storage, a free SSL certificate, automated backups, caching, automated WordPress updates, and domain privacy.
• Shared Unlimited – $3.95 per month for everything in the previous plan, plus unlimited websites, unlimited free email, and unlimited site storage.

Ease of setup 🖱️

DreamHost provides a custom-built control panel for direct access to your website builder, domain control, and hosting essentials. You can migrate from a different host for free and get WordPress pre-installed.

It’s also nice that caching, backups, and WordPress updates all happen in the background without you having to configure anything.

Customer support ☎️ 💬

DreamHost employs a team of all in-house customer support reps who provide 24/7 service with options to contact them through email and live chat.

The online knowledge base offers a search bar and filtering tool to find articles, tutorials, and videos. You can also chat with other users in the discussion forums or follow along with the company and ask questions on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, LinkedIn, and YouTube.

7. HostGator (www.HostGator.com)

HostGator is one of the most affordable hosts on this list, at least when you sign up for the promos. It’s also known for its fast speeds and simple WordPress integrations.

Similar to Bluehost, the HostGator pricing gets lower per month when you sign up for more months.

📈 Performance:

Pricing 💳

• Hatchling – $3.75 per month for a single website, unlimited bandwidth, one-click WordPress install, a website builder, free email, free domain, and a free SSL.
• Baby – $4.00 per month for everything in the previous plan, plus unlimited websites.
• Business – $5.75 per month for everything in the previous plan, plus a free, dedicated IP and Positive SSL upgrade.

Ease of setup 🖱️

The HostGator sign-up process takes only a few minutes. After that, you receive several one-click installs like the one for WordPress. The website builder has a drag-and-drop interface for rapid designing, and the eCommerce tools and free SSL should help you secure an online store.

HostGator uses cPanel as its dashboard for users to manage everything from password protected directories to custom error pages. They don’t offer features like caching or staging, but you receive a redirect URL function and an IP deny manager.

All HostGator plans receive complimentary background site backups.

Customer support ☎️ 💬

The HostGator customer support team is available 24/7/365. The online portal has documentation, video tutorials, and forums. You can also live chat with the team, send in an email, or contact them by phone. Another form of support from HostGator is the 24/7 hosting server monitoring, ensuring your server remains safe and efficient at all times.

8. InMotion Hosting (www.inmotionhosting.com)

InMotion Hosting offers both cheap shared hosting plans, as well as cheap managed WordPress hosting. We’ll focus on the shared plans for this post, though, as they’re the cheapest option.

📈 Performance:

Pricing 💳

As with many of the cheapest hosting platforms, InMotion Hosting has discounted monthly pricing if you sign up for one or two years.

Here are the InMotion Hosting plans:

• Core – $2.29 per month for two sites, 100GB of SSD storage, unlimited bandwidth, 10 email addresses, a security suite, marketing tools, an SSL certificate, and integrations with Google Workspace.
• Launch – $5.99 per month for everything in the previous plan, plus a free domain, unlimited websites, unlimited NVMe SSD storage, 6x speed and performance, and unlimited email addresses.
• Power – $5.99 per month (it becomes more expensive than the Launch plan after renewal) for everything in the previous plan, plus 12x speed and performance and advanced caching.
• Pro – $13.99 per month for everything in the previous plan, plus 20x speed and performance, pro support, and a 99.99% uptime guarantee.

Ease of setup 🖱️

The InMotion Hosting setup goes smoothly for all types of users, with onboarding tools, a one-click install for WordPress, and integrations with Google Workspace tools.

The dashboard is fairly easy to navigate, but the main reason we enjoy InMotion Hosting is because of free elements like an SSL, security suite, and email addresses. Finally, InMotion offers a decent website builder for quickly designing your site with pre-built themes.

Customer support ☎️ 💬

InMotion has an online support center filled with articles. You can also reach out to the 24/7/365 support team through online chat, email, or phone. The sales team even completes Skype calls.

There’s also an online community to chat with other users, a blog to learn about recent updates, and InMotion pages on Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, LinkedIn, and Instagram.

What to expect from cheap web hosting

Your first question is probably something like, “how can cheap web hosts offer rock-bottom prices while other options charge $30+ per month?”

Here’s how cheap web hosting providers keep the costs down:

• Shared hosting. With this type of hosting, you’ll share server resources with other people and the performance might not be as good as more expensive hosts. Virtual private servers (VPS) and cloud hosting usually offer better performance but at a higher price.
• Fewer value-added features compared to expensive hosts. While more expensive managed WordPress hosts might offer features like automatic backups and staging sites, cheap web hosting is usually a little more barebones.
• Long commitments to get the lowest prices. Typically, you’ll need to commit to at least a year of hosting. And if you want the lowest advertised rate, you’ll need to commit to around three years.
• Promotional pricing. Typically, the cheapest prices only apply to your first billing cycle. After that, it’s normal for the price to increase.

Is cheap web hosting a good option for you?

For many webmasters, those trade-offs are worth the price savings that you get with cheap website hosting. If you have a small WordPress blog or your site doesn’t get a lot of traffic and you’re willing to give up some convenient features like automatic backups, you can find cheap web hosting for your small business that’s reliable and fast enough for most sites.

Additionally, when you’re just getting started with your first website, cheap web hosting makes sense because it keeps your costs down. You can always upgrade to managed WordPress hosting or another premium hosting solution in the future if you outgrow the cheap option.

FAQs about cheap web hosting

By now you should have a solid overview and understanding of the best cheap hosting options out there. However, we know that sometimes readers might still have some quick questions. So, to help you out even further, we’ve put together this compilation of commonly asked questions related to cheap hosting services.

Recap of the cheapest web hosting platforms 💻️

Once again, here’s how these platforms stack up:

* In some plans

Have any questions about which cheap hosting plan is best for you? Let us know in the comments!

* This post contains affiliate links, which means that if you click on one of the product links and then purchase the product, we’ll receive a commission. No worries though, you’ll still pay the standard amount so there’s no additional cost on your part.