The Best Web Hosting Services of 2022

Whether it be a simple website or a robust e-commerce store, it is essential for small businesses to have an online presence. Choosing the right web hosting company is one of the most important decisions a small business owner will make. How you present yourself to the online world – how fast your site loads, if your site goes down – says a lot about your business to consumers. There are several features to evaluate when choosing a web hosting company – security, storage, site speed and pricing. There are also red flags to consider, such as site downtime and negative reviews. Not every web hosting company is right for your business. Learn what to look for in a hosting provider and how to know which one fits your needs.  

Most companies offer several hosting plans that vary greatly in price. What you pay depends on the type of hosting (shared, VPS, dedicated, cloud, WordPress, etc.) you want and the plan you choose. Most plans are based on a monthly fee. You can pay month-to-month, annually, biannually or triennially. Most providers offer promotional pricing for the first term, or billing cycle, and then charge a higher rate for renewal.

Free domain registration is another perk many hosting providers offer for the first year of service. After the first year, they typically charge an annual fee of roughly $15.

The length of the contract you choose also affects the price. While some web hosting companies offer month-to-month plans, it's usually cheaper to pay annually, biannually or triennially.

The best web hosting companies offer a free trial period, typically 30 days. Some, like Dreamhost, offer a longer free trial period, as long as 97 days. If you cancel within the specified time frame, you are granted a refund. However, most providers will still charge you a domain name registration fee, and they may not refund add-on features you may have purchased.

If you're not sure which type of web hosting is right for you, here is a breakdown of the different service types, as well as the pros and cons of each:

• Shared hosting: This plan is ideal for small- and medium-size businesses with blogs or basic websites. It provides many of the necessary website functions needed at a low cost, typically starting at less than $10 per month. However, because the service hosts your website on the same server along with other customers, it can sometimes go down, especially when there are high traffic spikes.
  
  
• Managed hosting: This type of hosting is similar to shared hosting, but it has an added level of support. Providers manage your operating systems, hardware and applications. The most common form is managed WordPress hosting. WordPress hosting is more expensive than shared hosting, but it offers extensive features and website builder options, which can simplify the process of building your website.
  
  
• Cloud hosting: With a cloud hosting plan, your website is hosted on multiple servers instead of just one. Some cloud hosting plans can be more technical, which, if you're more tech savvy, can be good, because you are able to customize your website and scale your server and infrastructure. For basic sites with limited memory and CPU requirements, starting costs for cloud hosting are higher than shared web hosting but are less than VPS hosting. However, starting costs for managed cloud hosting can be extremely expensive.
  
  
• Virtual private servers (VPS): With VPS, the provider divides a server into virtual services, which means each website is hosted like a dedicated server while still sharing a server with other websites. VPS hosting conservatively starts at $20 per month.
  
  
• Dedicated servers: This is typically the most expensive type of hosting because it hosts your website on an individual server. It is extremely secure since you aren't at the risk of sharing your server with questionable neighbors. It offers fast load times and is ideal for large businesses with high-traffic websites. Costs start at $100 per month.
  
  
• Domain name registration: Many web hosting companies offer free domain registration or site transfer for the first year you subscribe with them. Each consecutive year typically costs between $10 and $15 thereafter to register your domain name.

While price is certainly a key factor for small business owners, there are other features you'll want to weigh when choosing a hosting provider.

Storage and bandwidth: The amount of storage and bandwidth you need depends on what you plan to have on your website. If you have (or plan to have) a lot of high-resolution images or list a huge inventory on your site, look for a plan with a lot of storage. Bandwidth determines how fast information travels to and from your site. Therefore, if you have high traffic, post videos or downloads on your website, seek plans with a higher amount of bandwidth. Pad your estimate with room for traffic spikes and growth. Also, be aware of "unlimited" plans. Unlimited never means infinite. You'll see this term a lot when looking for hosting services. Most of the time, these plans base their claims on the average customer. If your website exceeds the allotted amount, you may have your service suspended, be charged extra or asked to move to another plan. Always check the terms for these limitations and ask the sales representative about the specifics of your plan.

Security: Security should be a top concern for small businesses, especially those that have an e-commerce website. Most reputable website hosts have SSL encryption, spam protection and some form of site backup. If you are running an e-commerce store or need extra security, however, look beyond these basics. For example, many hosting companies provide advanced encryption levels and other features, like DDoS protection and hack protection. These services are usually outlined in the more advanced plans. Even if you don't have or need an e-commerce site, you should still get an SSL certificate.

Automatic backups and one-click restore: The best services offer regular backups and one-click restore. Daily backups mean that if your website is hacked or compromised because of an error, you can get back nearly all your information. It can be the difference between an hour-long outage and one that lasts days (or months) as you recreate content. Plus, it's good for peace of mind.

Customer support: Whatever web hosting company you consider, be sure you can trust that it will respond to your needs quickly and that its reps are very knowledgeable. Most web and cloud hosting services can be reached quickly and offer multiple ways to contact them, such as live chat, phone support and email ticketing. Many also have a blog or online knowledgebase that can answer frequent web hosting questions.

The web hosting industry is constantly evolving. It's also very competitive, and as web hosting companies vie for new users, advanced features emerge for small business owners. These advancements include better security, increased site speed and personalized support offerings.

Here are some important trends to be aware of in 2020:  

• Security: Cybersecurity is an important aspect of any small business website. As more and more small businesses are targeted by cybercriminals, your web hosting company is the first line of defense. Especially with the implementation of General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) laws, protection of sensitive information is becoming more important than ever. Most web hosting companies provide a minimum of an SSL certificate, site backups and SPAM protection for their hosting plans. However, look for a plan that offers more advanced security encryptions like DDoS protection and hack protection. Some plans offer extensive security features on all of their plans, while others only include them on their most expensive packages.
  
  
• Better hardware: Storage capacity and traffic volume are two features that web hosting companies compete on. As technology advances, expect more hosting companies to implement solid-state disks (SSDs) for better storage and performance.

To determine the best cloud and web hosting services for small business, we compiled a list of more than 40 web hosting companies. We considered companies we've reviewed in the past or found in our preliminary research. We added vendors we found on reputable news and review websites, as well as companies that contacted us asking us to consider their service.

We spent hours researching each provider (and its services) and considered the best vendors for different use case scenarios. We also posed as small business owners to test the company's customer service and to learn information we couldn't find online.

Our short list of best pick contenders included 1&1 IONOS, A2 Hosting, Bluehost, DreamHost, GreenGeeks, HostGator, HostMonster, HostPapa, InMotion Hosting and SiteGround.

Here are the features and criteria we evaluated:

• Types of hosting offered
• Rates and contracts
• Domain and transfer fees
• Cancellation policies
• Security
• Storage and bandwidth
• Preinstalled apps and integrations
• Reported uptime
• Reputation and customer service

Here is a complete list of the cloud and web hosting services we evaluated, along with a summary of what each company claims to offer. This alphabetical list also includes our best picks.

*1&1 IONOS – While 1&1 offers a variety of excellent web hosting services, it is our pick for the best cloud hosting service. It allows for advanced customization and scalability on cloud hosting plans, and it offers free SSL certificates, site backups, great customer service and plenty of storage space. https://www.ionos.com/

A Small Orange (ASO) – A Small Orange offers a variety of unique hosting options, including shared, dedicated servers, cloud VPS and reseller hosting. It offers secure plans that include daily backups, virus filtering and Hotlink protection. https://asmallorange.com/

*A2 Hosting – This provider is our best pick as the most secure web hosting company. It has many features businesses need to securely host their websites, including unlimited websites and transfers, free SSL certificates, 24/7 network monitoring and HackScan malware protection. https://www.a2hosting.com/

Accu Web Hosting – Accu Web Hosting has a plan for any-sized business and offers shared, cloud, WordPress, VPS, dedicated servers and reseller hosting. It offers RAID 10 architecture and high-speed SSDs. https://www.accuwebhosting.com/

Arvixe Web Hosting – Arvixe Web Hosting has shared hosting, VPS, cloud hosting and dedicated hosting plans. This provider has every feature we looked for in a hosting solution, such as unlimited email accounts and free SSL certificates. While its business plans are more expensive than most of the other solutions we reviewed, it has personal shared plans at a lower price point. https://www.arvixe.com/

Bluehost – Bluehost has solutions for any small business, especially its shared hosting and WordPress hosting plans. These affordable plans allow your website to grow as your business expands, plus they have unmetered storage and bandwidth. https://www.bluehost.com/

Cloudways – Cloudways has a small web hosting selection, including managed cloud and WordPress hosting, for businesses of all sizes. It offers free site migration, free SSL certification, dedicated firewalls and backups. https://www.cloudways.com/en/

*DreamHost – DreamHost is our pick for the best WordPress hosting services because its affordable plans are packed with helpful features like free SSL security, domain privacy, fast SSD storage, custom control panels and automatic WordPress updates. DreamHost has managed and shared hosting plans for WordPress. https://www.dreamhost.com/

FastComet – FastComet is an ideal web hosting solution for small businesses working with a small web hosting budget. It provides transparent, affordable shared plans, a free domain and unmetered bandwidth. https://www.fastcomet.com/

FatCow – FatCow is a basic shared hosting solution brimming with helpful features. Features include unlimited bandwidth, disk space, domains, subdomains, email accounts and MySQL databases. However, some features, such as SSL certificates and backups, are only available for an extra price. https://www.fatcow.com/

Go4Hosting – Based in India, Go4Hosting offers a standard package of web hosting services for shared, WordPress, VPS, dedicated servers and cloud hosting. With a range of hosting options, Go4Hosting provides expert advice on which service might best serve your business. https://www.go4hosting.in/

GoDaddy – GoDaddy provides several web hosting packages to meet your small business needs, including shared, VPS, dedicated servers, WordPress and reseller hosting. In addition to its complete web hosting solution, it also offers domain registration services. GoDaddy web hosting plans feature unmetered bandwidth, cPanel and one-click application installation. https://www.godaddy.com/hosting/web-hosting

GreenGeeks – GreenGeeks is a web hosting company that offers a variety of solutions, including shared hosting, reseller hosting and WordPress hosting. It is also committed to the environment by working toward eliminating its carbon footprint. The service offers unlimited SSD disk space, unlimited mySQL database and free domains and migration. https://www.greengeeks.com/

HostGator – HostGator offers a range of solutions, including three shared hosting plans. However, if you want to create an e-commerce website, you need the most expensive shared plan. Each shared plan offers unmetered disk space and bandwidth. https://www.hostgator.com/

Hosting24 – Hosting24 offers a wide variety of web hosting plans including shared hosting, WordPress hosting, cloud hosting, VPS hosting, dedicated server hosting, reseller hosting, cPanel hosting and free hosting. It also provides access to a domain checker and a website builder. https://www.hosting24.com/

Hostinger International – Hostinger offers three different web hosting plans including shared, cloud and VPS hosting. It also offers a domain checker and website builder to help build your website with ease. https://www.hostinger.com/

HostMetro – HostMetro provides a limited selection of cheap web hosting plans for business owners who don't want to deal with too many decisions. Both shared web hosting plans offer the basic features needed to host a website. https://www.hostmetro.com/

HostMonster – HostMonster offers a variety of shared hosting plans for small businesses. While the basic plan boasts standard features, the Choice Plus package offers unlimited disk space, bandwidth and emails. It also has a simplistic website builder, which can add blogs, image galleries and bulletin boards to any site you create. While HostMonster has multiple plans, its basic packages are lacking some key features needed for e-commerce stores. https://www.hostmonster.com/

HostNine – HostNine provides a range of web hosting plans, including shared, VPS, dedicated servers, cloud and reseller hosting. Some plans include a free domain, unlimited bandwidth and disk space, cPanel control panel and access to Softaculous application installer. https://hostnine.com/

HostPapa – HostPapa offers a variety of web hosting solutions, including shared hosting, VPS hosting, reseller hosting, cloud hosting and WordPress hosting. Its shared hosting solutions are well suited for small businesses and have features like free domain registration, unmetered bandwidth, a website builder, cPanel and Softaculous. https://www.hostpapa.com/

HostRocket – HostRocket offers basic plans for shared hosting, reseller hosting and dedicated server hosting needs. They offer a free domain name, unlimited mailing lists, cPanel control panel and SSH access. https://www.hostrocket.com/

Hostwinds – Hostwinds offers a variety of web hosting plans, primarily for large enterprises. Its web hosting features include unlimited bandwidth, storage and email accounts, along with free website transfer, dedicated IP address and domain registration. https://www.hostwinds.com/

*InMotion Hosting – With its affordable plans paired with its helpful features, InMotion Hosting is our choice as the best web hosting service for small businesses. Its plans have every feature we looked for, including unlimited emails, unlimited bandwidth, backups and restores, DDoS protection and an SSL certificate. https://www.inmotionhosting.com/

iPage – iPage has shared hosting services that includes a free domain name, free SSL certificates, free security tools and vDeck control panel. This solution offers a good selection of features for small businesses at an affordable price. https://www.ipage.com/

Just Host – Just Host's plans offer many web hosting tools to sustain a variety of web-based needs, though the basic packages are best suited for small businesses with less web traffic. This web hosting service provides tools that can help you build, manage and promote your website. https://www.justhost.com/

Kinsta – Kinsta is a WordPress hosting solution that offers plans with fast loading times and a secure network. It has standout WordPress security features and a wide mix of plans and services. https://kinsta.com/

Liquid Web – While Liquid Web offers a range of hybrid web hosting solutions, it doesn't offer standard shared hosting plans. Therefore, its packages are more expensive than other services we reviewed. Its cloud-based plans offer built-in website backups, SSL certifications and 24-hour support. https://www.liquidweb.com/

Lunarpages – Lunarpages provides web hosting services to both Windows and Linux users. It is a great web hosting option with free domain registration, free website transfer, unlimited email accounts and extensive customer support options. https://lunarpages.com/

MDDHosting – MDDHosting offers cloud hosting, VPS hosting, dedicated servers and reseller hosting options for small businesses. The company is unique in providing a 1000% uptime guarantee. It also offers 24/7 technical support and a 30-day money-back guarantee. https://www.mddhosting.com/

Midphase – Midphase is a small business web hosting provider that boasts cheap hosting. It is one of the cheapest solutions we reviewed, and it has all the features you need to build, launch and maintain a successful website. https://www.midphase.com/

Miles Web – Miles Web offers a large variety of inexpensive web hosting options for international businesses. Many web hosting plans include a lifetime free domain, unlimited SSD disk space and bandwidth, an SSL certificate, cPanel control panel and Softaculous application integrations. https://www.milesweb.in/

Namecheap – Namecheap offers shared hosting, managed and shared WordPress hosting, dedicated server hosting, VPS hosting and reseller hosting. It also provides a series of resources for website building and application integration. https://www.namecheap.com/hosting/

PeoplesHost – PeoplesHost is a web hosting service that offers several hosting features including daily backups, SSH access, cPanel, one-click application installations and 24/7 live support. https://www.peopleshost.com/

Site5 – Site5 offers a variety of shared, VPS and reseller hosting plans. While their basic plans have limited features, some plans include free site migration, unmetered bandwidth and storage, site backups, malware protection and 24/7 support. https://www.site5.com/

SiteGround – SiteGround offers several solutions for businesses of all sizes, including multiple shared plans, cloud hosting, dedicated servers, reseller hosting, WordPress hosting and enterprise hosting. Its shared hosting plans are affordable and offer the features we looked for in a web hosting service, including free email accounts, SPAM prevention, automated daily backups, SSL certificates and WordPress integration. https://www.siteground.com/

Sitejet – Sitejet provides a limited selection of shared hosting services that can be paid for monthly or annually. It has features like unlimited storage and bandwidth, SSL certificates, CDN and DDoS protection and automated backups. https://www.sitejet.io/en

WebHostingBuzz – WebHostingBuzz services shared, VPS, dedicated servers and reseller hosting plans. It lists features such as free website migration and SSL certificates, unlimited bandwidth, a cPanel control panel and Softaculous integrations. https://www.webhostingbuzz.com/

WebHostingHub – WebHostingHub offers easy-to-use shared and WordPress hosting solutions that are great for those with limited technical skills. It has a website builder, a one-click installer for multiple applications and 24/7 customer support. https://www.webhostinghub.com/

WebHostingPad – WebHostingPad offers many common features we looked for in web hosting services. While it typically meets the needs of small business owners, you may quickly outgrow the cheapest package. All shared packages come with free domain registration or transfer, 24/7 support, Weebly's website builder and a 30-day money-back guarantee. https://www.webhostingpad.com/

WestHost – WestHost, a THG company, offers shared, VPS, dedicated servers, cloud and WordPress hosting. Unlike many competitors, it has a convenient product selector widget to help narrow down your choices and select the right web hosting product for your business. https://www.westhost.com/

WP Engine – WP Engine has multiple packages designed to host WordPress websites. Its plans are loaded with great features that business owners need in a hosting solution. Features include automated SSL certificates, transferrable sites and more than 35 StudioPress themes. https://wpengine.com/

If you'd like your company to be added to the list and possibly considered as a best pick for our next round of reviews, email your request to b2bconsiderrequest@business.com.

Additional reporting by Matt D'Angelo, Saige Driver and Karina Fabian.