You probably Googled something along the lines of cheap web hosting, right?
Well you’re in the right place.
Jeremy here, I’ve started dozens of websites in my days on the Internet and I’m here to drop some knowledge based on my experiences with hosting companies to help you find the right plan for you.
While there are a few factors to consider when choosing a hosting plan, the most important factor is price.
Sometimes hosting ends up being more expensive than what you thought you were signing up for. To accurately find the least expensive hosting plan to start your website, you should consider three main factors:
- Pricing: The price you pay to join the host is often discounted heavily. The price goes up on most hosts after the first year of service.
- Hidden Fees: Some hosts charge extra fees on basic services to up the price.
- Average Reviews: It doesn’t matter how cheap a host is if no one likes to use them and the service is terrible.
By looking at all of the data and features available from dozens of companies, you can get a decent idea for the hosting companies that offer the best value.
So that’s exactly what I did.
To help you find an affordable plan, I narrowed down the top 5 cheapest web hosting plans based on the three main factors I mentioned earlier. Enjoy.
(Note: advanced online business owners and bloggers may want to check out the VPS and dedicated rankings for hosting plans geared for high traffic sites)
#1: JustHost
JustHost offers a very inexpensive shared hosting service, perfect for people getting started on their first web project.
These guys give you the ability to host an unlimited amount of domain names and resources with each of their hosting plans, something you don’t see too often. One account gives you the ability to hold all of your sites.
In addition to the features and the low price, you’ll have the peace of mind of an anytime money-back guarantee as well as 24/7 customer support by phone, email, live chat, and regular mail.
If you’re new to the web, you can develop your new website easily with a free drag and drop builder that is easy to use, even for beginners. Once your site is ready, you’ll get advertising credits for search engines like Google and Yahoo to get the word out on your new project.
All of these great benefits make JustHost an impressive deal for anyone looking to host a small business website or start a blog.
Unique features: Unlimited add-on domains with every hosting package (even the cheapest one), money-back guarantee, free site builder for beginners.
Pricing: Starting at $2.95
#2: HostGator
HostGator is a popular host for anyone looking for an affordable way to keep their websites online with a reputable company.
Unlimited bandwidth and disk space come with each and every plan, along with their customer support that is available anytime you need them.
In addition to their affordable shared plans, HostGator offers some of the cheapest WordPress hosting around allowing you to have WP specific servers that are fine-tuned to help your site be as fast as possible (see the complete WordPress hosting rankings here).
The packages available are easy to understand and with literally hundreds of tutorials you’ll be able to figure out anything you want to know. There are also thousands of templates to make your site look professional even if you’ve never had a website before. HostGator is one of the best known beginner sites for their easy to understand options and, of course, their low prices.
Unique features: Unlimited bandwidth and disk space with every hosting package, 24/7 customer support
Pricing: Starting at $3.48
#3: 1&1
If you are looking almost exclusively for the cheapest introductory rate for hosting, 1&1 may be the best option for you.
This company has some of the least expensive promotional pricing on the internet. The special rate doesn’t last forever, but the normal prices offered are competitive with the rest of the industry.
You won’t find fewer options just because of the price either, 1&1 offers unlimited domain and sub domain hosting, dozens of free one click web app installs, and excellent customer support.
As one of the largest hosts, they use their size and resources to their advantage to offer the greatest introductory prices available. All in all a very solid option with a bargain price.
This is a great company to start with if you’re on a tight budget, but want all the great features that only a paid hosting account can bring.
Unique features: Unlimited domain and sub domain hosting, solid customer support, 99.99% uptime guarantee.
Pricing: Starting at $0.99
#4: GoDaddy
GoDaddy has become one of the most popular web hosting companies for beginners, and a large part of this is due to their low prices and great advertising.
They don’t just talk about being great for small businesses and beginners, GoDaddy delivers by offering great website builders and hosting options for a very inexpensive rate.
The company caters to domain name resellers and small website owners who want a cheap place to hold their digital properties. You can host an unlimited amount of domain names on any plan and can even buy and sell valuable domains on their custom auction platform.
If you want a new domain name, GoDaddy has a steep discount on all .com’s for new users of $2.99. There are also bargain prices on ecommerce and WordPress plans as well as excellent customer service by phone 24/7.
GoDaddy has created a great place for beginners and pros alike who are looking for great service at one of the cheapest price points.
Unique features: Unlimited domains with any plan, auction platform to buy/sell domains, 24/7 phone support.
Pricing: Starting at $1.00
#5: GreenGeeks
GreenGeeks is a great option for any environmentally conscious web masters looking for cheap hosting options.
While many hosts try to purchase enough renewable energy credits (REC’s) to offset their carbon footprint, GreenGeeks makes sure to buy three times the amount of REC’s that they would need to cover the amount of pollution they create.
Being good for the planet doesn’t make them more expensive. This company offers very competitive hosting packages that come with the knowledge that you aren’t hurting the environment with your data.
You’ll also get awesome customer service anytime you need it by phone or live chat.
GreenGeeks is also a small socially active company that you can get a hold of through twitter to talk about problems, or just let them know how much you enjoy their service.
With all of the options of the other cheap hosts and the positive impact on the world around you, GreenGeeks may be the best cheap host for you.
Unique features: Green and eco-friendly, top tier customer service, active social media engagement.
Pricing: Starting at $3.95
Recap
Finding cheap hosting really isn’t that hard.
Factoring in hidden fees and the quality of the companies made it easy for me to narrow down the top 5.
Those that are looking for cheap hosting but need a little better performance than beginner level can check out some mid-level hosting plans on my shared plans rankings.
If you’re looking for the best option for cheap web hosting, your choice easy.