What is shared hosting?

Shared hosting is a simple scheme where multiple websites are stored on the same web server (a type of computer). One benefit of shared hosting is its simplicity. You don't have to spend any time maintaining the server, because your provider does that. All you need to do is work on your own site. Sharing a web server means sharing the costs, too, and with sometimes hundreds of websites on the same server, that usually means rock-bottom prices. The big problem with shared hosting is you’re also sharing your server's system resources: CPU time, RAM, storage and network connection. There's only so much to go around, and the more sites on your server, the slower and less dependable your own website is likely to be. Shared hosting is still the best choice in many situations. If you're creating a simple blog, a site for family, a local club, or anything with very light traffic where no-one will care much if the site is a little slow occasionally, the shared option is ideal. It's very easy to use, and you can get decent plans from many providers for around $2 to $4 a month. But if this is something more important, a web store, maybe a business site, then a slow or unreliable website will drive visitors away. It’s well worth upgrading to something more powerful.

VPS (Virtual Private Server) hosting is a clever technology that divides a single physical server into multiple server environments. Log onto a VPS and you'll have access to what looks like the full server. This is far more complex than shared hosting, but it also gives you much more control. You can install any apps, tweak any server settings, and even replace the entire operating system if you like. There will be other VPS environments on the same physical server (though not as many other accounts as with shared hosting), reducing your performance a little. But you'll have your own allocation of network bandwidth, RAM, storage, and CPU time. These won't be shared with other customers, which means your site should see higher and more consistent speeds than you'll get with shared hosting. Upgrading is often very easy, too. If website traffic grows and you need additional resources - more CPU time, extra RAM, a higher bandwidth allowance - then you can typically add them to your plan in a click or two, and they'll be available almost immediately. This extra power comes at a price, but it might be much less than you think. Hostinger's cheapest shared hosting plan is $1.99 a month on the four-year plan; its cheapest VPS plan is just $2.99, again over four years. It's a very basic plan, but at $8.99 for a one-off month, it's not expensive to see if a VPS could work for you.

What is dedicated hosting?

As the name suggests, dedicated hosting is a plan where a physical server is dedicated to a single client. That means no more speed issues because you're sharing bandwidth, RAM or CPU time with other accounts: the entire system is yours alone. As you're renting the entire physical server, most providers allow you to build it with whatever hardware you need. You can typically choose your CPU, storage drives and type (cheap and high capacity HDDs, smaller but faster SSDs), operating system, bandwidth allowance and more. This can be expensive. Even budget providers like Namecheap charge a monthly $50-$60 for their most basic dedicated servers, and Liquid Web's top-of-the-range enterprise models might cost $500 or more (although they're aimed at huge sites which might have a million page views a month). There's more work involved in managing a dedicated server, too. With shared hosting, if your server crashes, the provider support team should notice and fix or reboot it. But if you're running the server, all that is up to you, unless you pay even more to the provider to handle it for you. If you absolutely need top performance and complete control of your server, though, a dedicated plan is probably the way to go.

What is WordPress hosting?

WordPress is a website builder and content management system. It's free and you can install it manually on a VPS or higher spec hosting type or you can rent a VPS server or shared server with WordPress pre-installed. Over 40% of websites are built on top of WordPress so most shared hosting plans are pre-configured to be optimised to make the WordPress software run as fast and securely as possible. You should be able to make a VPS plan run WordPress as fast and securely too but you will need to know what you're doing to get the most out of it. The two main types of WordPress hosting are managed and unmanaged. With unmanaged hosting you're responsible for updates and security but with managed a lot of those responsibilities are passed to the hosting provider. It does cost more money but it can save you a lot of time.

Does server location matter?

Yes. You can host your website anywhere and still get fast loading times on the other side of the world by using a CDN but it's still best to host the actual site as close to your customers as possible. A CDN can speed up website access on pages that are frequently accessed but if your site is not in constant use in a region, you will see less benefit. Plus, a CDN is often an added cost. If you simply purchased a server close to your customers, you wouldn't need a CDN. If you have an audience in a specific region it's worth searching for the best web hosting services in that area. For example, the best UK web hosting .

What is managed hosting?

Shared hosting accounts are generally very simple to operate, but higher end products - WordPress, VPS hosting, dedicated servers - often require running all kinds of maintenance tasks. You might need to test and update WordPress plugins, install operating system patches, spot and troubleshoot server errors, maybe reboot a server if it locks up or crashes. Buy a managed web hosting plan and some or all of these tasks will be carried out by your hosting provider's regular support team. You'll potentially save real time and hassle, and if problems do crop up, they'll be speedily addressed by the people best qualified to fix them. Sounds great-- so why would anyone do anything else? Cost, mostly. Hostwinds' 4-core 8GB RAM VPS costs $59.99 fully managed, for instance, but only $38.99 for the unmanaged DIY version, a big drop in price. One key message here is to keep this in mind when comparing WordPress, VPS or dedicated plans between hosting providers. Host A may look seriously cheap, but are you comparing a managed with an unmanaged plan? Be sure to check the small print. There's no precise definition of 'managed', either, so don't simply assume a managed plan means you'll have absolutely no maintenance to do. Every provider has its own definition of what's covered and what isn't, so check it out, make sure you understand exactly what's covered before you buy.

What is email hosting?

One of the big advantages of registering a domain is you can have your own custom email address (Steve@thebestbuilder.com is far more impressive and business-like than builder457@gmail.com). You probably won't get email when you register a domain, for instance. Most hosting plans include some email support, but it may not be as powerful as you need, especially for business use. You'll often see strict limits on Inbox size, the number of accounts you can create, even the number of emails you can send a day. Email hosting is a service which allows you to send and receive emails via a custom domain. You don't have to buy email hosting from the same provider as your web hosting, and in fact you don't need web hosting at all: just register a domain, buy an email hosting plan and you're ready to start creating and using all those name@yoursite.com email accounts. Signing up for email hosting may get you a better service. The top providers give you plenty of Inbox space, support large attachments, don't hold you back with annoying usage limits and provide built-in spam, phishing and malware filters to keep you safe. This could be a feature well worth adding to your hosting line-up, and it's generally inexpensive; many email hosting plans cost around $1-$2.50 a month. But if you currently have a budget shared hosting plan, keep in mind that upgrading might get you better email features and a bunch of other goodies, too. Check your provider's hosting feature lists to find out exactly what you get.

What's the website hosting TLDR?

For WordPress, Shared/WordPress hosting is easy but slightly more expensive. Managed is slightly more on top of that but even easier. Using a VPS and a file transfer service to upload and install WordPress is the cheapest but more complex option. If you've got time and your website idea is not very complex (like a blog/ portfolio site) I'd but the effort into using a VPS and setting everything up yourself. If you don't get on with it you can always use a money-back guarantee and transfer to a managed WordPress option. For eCommerce, you want something flexible so you can scale your website for peak trading and promotional activities. You also want something with daily backups and redundancy so you never have any downtime. You'll also want something that focuses on website loading speed because the payoff for faster loading pages is worth it.

What else should I consider when picking a web host?

Three or four-year hosting plans can have appealingly low prices, but they don't always work out. If you're unhappy with a host, or your site grows and the old plan can't handle the increased traffic, you may have to buy something else early. It's safer to sign up for a year (or even less), at least initially, and perhaps choose a VPS or similar plan where it's easy to add more resources as required. Uptime (the percentage of the day that your website is available) is a key stat for any serious website. If a potential customer can't find or use your website, at best they'll think you're unprofessional, at worst they'll give up on you entirely and go elsewhere. Web hosting providers often quote uptime figures such as '99.9%', but these don't always cover the issues you might expect. Check the small print carefully for any hidden catches. Look for a Service Level Agreement (SLA), too, especially for dedicated and other high-end hosting plans. These go beyond vague website promises to guarantee uptime, support response times and other elements of the service, and describe the compensation you'll get if the target is missed.

Web hosting features explained

Domain name . It’s the address people type in their browsers to visit your website, like techradar.com. Many hosting plans include one domain name for free for the first year of registration. Choose a .com domain to establish your credibility or .online for an affordable alternative. SSL certificate . This feature encrypts the connection between your website and your visitors’ browsers, preventing hackers from accessing it. Hosting providers usually provide one for free from Let’s Encrypt . Some also offer a premium version as an add-on, which can provide a better warranty and level of verification. Unmetered bandwidth . This means the hosting provider won’t monitor or cap the amount of data transferred, so there’s no need to worry about extra bandwidth usage fees once the website’s traffic grows. Each company has a different policy on unmetered resources, so make sure to read their terms and conditions beforehand. SSD disk space . Compared to HDDs, SSDs are a much more reliable storage solution. They’re less prone to disk failures and can serve data twenty times faster, speeding up your website’s performance. cPanel . With this control panel, new users can manage their hosting via an intuitive interface – no technical skills required. You can access different features, check out your resource usage, and configure the domain’s settings within a few clicks. WordPress auto-installer . This feature lets you set up WordPress in a few clicks from the hosting’s control panel. That way, there’s no need to download and upload the CMS files yourself. Website migration . Most hosting providers allow transferring an existing site from another host to their servers. Typically, you have to insert some information about the website, submit a ticket to their customer support team, and wait a few hours for the migration to initiate. Custom HTML and CSS . The control panel should provide access to your website’s files, including HTML and CSS, via the file manager or an FTP client. Feel free to edit them to customize the site’s front end to your liking. LCP. This is the time it takes to display the content on the page. If when you click on a link and you start to get parts of the page through at different times then the LCP is low. You want the lowest time possible. Otherwise your users will have a bad experience and maybe leave you site.

Best web hosting 2024: Tested by leading industry experts

Logos of the best web hosting companies according to TechRadar Pro

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Jump to:

Top 5
Best for beginners
Best for small businesses
Best for blogs and portfolios
Best for agencies
Best for devs
Honourable mentions
FAQs

There is a best web hosting provider for each type of website and application. Picking the right one can make a big difference when it comes to value for money and performance. I've built and hosted websites for large and small businesses over the years and my team of expert developers have decades of experience over hundreds of web hosts.

The key features we test are control panels, tools, site builders, and customer support, along with uptime and speed. We work closely with hosts helping to shape the products and services that you use based on feedback we get from you and our testers. These reviews are completely independent and they're updated regularly to ensure that you always have the most informed and accurate information.

We've spent 40,000 hours testing 130 web hosting providers and overall our top pick is Hostinger due to their AI tools, ease of use, and customer support. Hostinger offers a wide range of plans for most use cases but is particularly best for beginners. Still, it's worth checking out the other hosts we've recommended to make sure you get the right host for what you need.

If you're looking for the best website builder, keep in mind that using a host like Hostinger can be just as easy to set up but costs considerably less.

My top five best web hosting providers

1. Hostinger from $2.49
Best for beginners
Hostinger's onboarding process is very streamlined and painless. Whether you're a content creator that wants to create a visually stunning blog with fast load times to engage your readers and perform well in SEO or looking create a professional looking online store with minimal technical knowhow Hostinger's Premium plan and Business plan both make that possible.

Hostinger is one of the fastest growing web hosting companies in the world right now thanks to their innovative AI tools and smooth onboarding process. It used to be that if you wanted a website and didn't have much technical experience your best choices were website builders like Wix or Squarespace. Thanks to Hostinger, that's different now as hosting and building are combined into an easy end-to-end solution that gives you some of the best value for money.

You can use our exclusive discount code "TRUK10" to receive 10% discount at checkout.

Learn more below ▼

2. SiteGround - from $2.99
Best for small businesses
SiteGround can help you build a strong online presence for your business ensuring that your pages load quickly with minimal downtime helping you maximize sale opportunities.

If you've outgrown your current hosting provider and are ready to spend a bit more money and want to see something for it then I recommend SiteGround.

The plans are good value considering the tools and support you get and the servers are not over crowded ensuring you get stable quality hosting.

Learn more below ▼

3. DreamHost - from $2.59
Best for blogs and portfolios
With a UI that makes setting up a site seamless, you can focus on creativity and not have to deal with the technical side of hosting.

DreamHost is not the fastest and some features like email will cost you a bit more but these are not necessary features for blogs and portfolios so you can benefit from getting less of what you don't need by paying less for your hosting. You also have one of the lowest renewal prices with DreamHost.

Learn more below ▼

4. ScalaHosting - from $14.98
Best for agencies
ScalaHosting's managed cloud VPS plans provide the infrastructure for fast loading sites, better technical SEO, and user experience. They also have top quality technical support.

As an agency owner or worker, you know how hard it is to manage multiple clients. ScalaHosting's SPanel allows you to manage sub-admins and sub-users to help lighten your load and focus on what matters most.

TechRadar Pro readers can use the link above to receive an exclusive 15% off at checkout on top of other discounts.

Learn more below ▼

Best web hosting services of 2024

Why you can trust TechRadar We spend hours testing every product or service we review, so you can be sure you’re buying the best. Find out more about how we test.

The best web hosting service for beginners

Hostinger logo and image of homepage image

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Hostinger ⭐⭐⭐⭐½

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User scores
Attributes	Notes	Rating
Value for money	The value is great considering the amount of helpful tools you have and how much it would cost getting a professional to build for you.	★★★★★
Ease of use	From signing up to building any type of site, Hostinger has really made it easy	★★★★★
Features	Hostinger has everything you need in one place (hosting, website builder, domains, email, security). Plus, everything is easy to use.	★★★★★
Speed test	It's not significantly ahead of the competition when it comes to speed but it's pretty fast	★★★★☆

The Premium Hosting plan is great for content creators who want to create a visually stunning blog with fast load times to engage their readers and perform well in SEO. The onboarding process is very well streamlined and there is an AI website builder that helps novices make a site with zero technical knowledge. With the Premium Hosting plan, you can create and manage a site, monetize traffic, and retain complete control over the design.

There is also a large corpus of case studies on how to create sites and boost traffic plus tutorials on how to handle multimedia and why things like SSL are important for your site. All-in-all it's very hard to go wrong with this plan and with the starting price being $2.49 a month and a 30-day money back guarantee there is not much to lose if you're having a go at creating and hosting your first website.

Hostinger's Business Hosting plan helps you create a professional looking online store with minimal technical know-how. The plan is very similar to the above mentioned Premium Plan but comes with more and faster storage and allows you to have more files for a larger range of product listings and images. There are also daily instead of weekly backups to ensure you won't miss sales should a worst case scenario happen and a CDN to help speed up traffic to customers around the world.

If you're concerned about lacking technical skills and not knowing what the best hosting plan is for your site, there are comparison posts and step-by-step guides on which plan is best for your small business and how to launch your first website in 24 hours.

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Key features
Feature	Premium	Business
Number of sites	100	100
Monthly visits	25,000	100,000
Storage	100 GB SSD	200 GB NVMe
Email	Free	Free
Backups	Weekly	Daily
Domain	Free for one year ($9.99 value)	Free for one year ($9.99 value)
Security	Malware scanner + other features	Malware scanner + other features

For a full list of features see Hostinger's website

Our testing shows that Hostinger is more than capable of hosting the average website on a shared hosting plan. Hostinger score slightly lower than average on LCP which has been said to be linked to how well your site ranks in search results but they're not slow but they do score higher on requests per second which can help a site that has more traffic but is less reliant on search traffic.

Read our full Hostinger review for a more in-depth analysis

The best web hosting for small businesses

SiteGround on a TechRadar Pro Background — (Image credit: Future)

SiteGround ⭐⭐⭐⭐½

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User scores
Attributes	Notes	Rating
Value for money	The value for money is there considering the quality of the hosting and features	★★★★☆
Ease of use	One click installers and great support make SiteGround easy to use. It's still aimed more at people who are expected to know a little more than the basics but beginners can use them too.	★★★★☆
Features	SiteGround's daily backups and CDN are essential features and come standard	★★★★★
Speed test	Higher than average	★★★★☆
Datacenter locations	You can host one site in multiple data center locations around the world from one hosting account. (US: Virginia, Iowa, Texas, California) (Europe: UK, Spain, Netherlands, Germany, France) (APAC: Australia, Singapore)	★★★★★

As a small business owner you want to establish a strong online presence for your business, ensure that your site loads quickly, and is secure because you need to maximize sale opportunities at all costs but how do you do this when you have limited technical knowledge regarding web hosting? SiteGround is the answer.

SiteGround's Grow Big plan is user friendly and has all the tools you need for your businesses such as a reliable email service with free spam protection and webmail. You can also install a shopping cart of your choice and benefit from the speed of Google Cloud's infrastructure which also brings with it green credentials.

SiteGround has won multiple awards for their customer service and you can receive this support 24/7 along with an instant AI assistant. SiteGround's client area has all the tools you need in one place including a file manager, site scanner, SuperCacher for speed, and staging environment.

Storage might look a little low compared to other hosts like Hostinger but it's not really comparable because Hostinger and many others require you to reserve some storage for backups not giving you full use of your resources. SiteGround doen't do this and gives you the full storage to use at your own leisure. You'll find this limitation with other hosts too, so be sure to always check the small print.

This will cost you $4.99 a month for the first year and $29.99 a month thereafter. While you get a bigger discount with the 12 month plan, over 24 months you can save more as the whole two years calculates to $299.76 ($12.49) rather than paying for the first year at $4.99 a month and then the second year at the full price.

Key features

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Feature	Header Cell - Column 1
Number of sites	Unlimited
Storage	20 GB
Monthly visits	100,000
Traffic	Unmetered
Domain	Free (one year, value $19.99)
Email	Unlimited accounts
CDN	Free
Security	WAF
Multiple users	Add collaborators
Backups	On demand
Money-back guarantee	30-days

For a full list of features see SiteGround's GrowBig plan

Test results

These test results are from SiteGround's StartUp plan which is one level below the GrowBig plan. We did this because we wanted a fair comparison across a range of plans that are equally resourced with a similar cost. We are currently doing further testing with the GrowBig plan but results take time to come in and when they do, these will be updated.

The results showed us that SiteGround is more than capable of providing fast speeds for websites and maintaining uptime which is critical for online stores. This is especially good because SiteGround offers unlimited websites which if not managed properly can cause disruption. This shows that SiteGround is really responsible with how they allocate resources for customers. For a more in depth review of SiteGround see our full SiteGround review

Best for blogs and portfolios

Dreamhost Logo and image on radar background

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DreamHost ⭐⭐⭐⭐

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User scores
Attributes	Notes	Rating
Value for money	Some of the lowest prices we see for good quality hosting	★★★★★
Ease of use	We didn't find anything difficult to use in our testing	★★★★☆
Features	We cannot give them 5 stars here but this shouldn't be a mark against them	★★★☆☆
Speed test	Again we cannot score them highly on speed but in this category it's not a defining statistic	★★★☆☆

Say you're a brilliant designer, photographer, or writer and you want a website to feature your work without taking time away from your creativity and without needing to fork out a decent chunk of money. DreamHost has got you.

If you have limited technical skills and budget, DreamHost offer an affordable hosting solution that also has a streamlined set up and with tonnes of practical advice you'll be able to create and manage your site with ease. WordPress comes pre-installed so you don't have to figure any of that out and DreamHost's Liftoff website builder is powered by AI. You also get an AI business advisor if you want help and advice on how to make more money from your work.

DreamHost has everything you need that the other hosts provide but they come in at almost half the price at $5.99 a month after renewal! That's because they don't include some features that you probably don't need like email and a CDN for super fast speeds. The first year is even cheaper at $2.59 a month.

DreamHost's Shared Hosting plan provides all the essential tools to get a blog or portfolio online and nothing else keeping hosting a site simple and cost effective.

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Key features
Feature	Header Cell - Column 1
Number of sites	1
Domain	Free (one year)
Site visits	Unlimited
WordPress	Pre-installed
Website Builder	Powered by AI
Storage	50 GB SSD
Support	24/7
Money-back Guarantee	97 days

For a full list of features see DreamHost's Shared Starter plan

Test results

Our test shows that DreamHost takes every so slightly longer to load a page and slightly longer to respond compared to the other hosts but they're half the price and those metrics are not that important for a blog or portfolio. Uptime is great and requests per second are impressive too considering the cost of the plans. There really isn't anything to complain about here.

The best for agencies

ScalaHosting logo on grey background

ScalaHosting (Image credit: ScalaHosting)

ScalaHosting ⭐⭐⭐⭐½

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User scores
Attributes	Notes	Rating
Value for money	The standard plans are well resourced you get a lot extra thrown in with SPanel	★★★★☆
Ease of use	There's a 20-30 minute learning curve for SPanel but once you climb it you'll benefit from the features	★★★★☆
Features	End user chat support in a hosting panel and the ability to request features is a bonus	★★★★★
Speed test	TBC	TBC

When you need high-performance websites for better SEO results and pages that load quickly for every customer and client reliably, cloud infrastructure is a solid choice. You also have an agency to run so you don't want to be dealing with server management like regular maintenance, monitoring, hardware setups, and dealing with technical issues. So, leave it to ScalaHosting's managed VPS plans and their seasoned support team.

Custom built servers on enterprise-level hardware with self-healing capabilities, and on demand scaling ensure that you get high-performance all day every day. If you're migrating to ScalaHosting you don't need to worry about that either as they will migrate any number of sites for free.

SPanel is a defining feature of ScalaHosting that is specifically designed for VPS and if you want a feature you can request it through the Cloud Democracy project. If other web masters vote on your request you can see it implemented to help you and others in providing an easier management solution. SPanel also provides end-user live chat support freeing up your time even further to be able to focus on your business. With the Build #2 plan coming in at $44.95 a month for the first year and then $91.95 a month after you're buying more than just hosting for good value.

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Key features (Build #2)
Feature	Header Cell - Column 1
CPU	4 cores
RAM	8 GB
Storage	100 GB NVMe
Bandwidth	Unmetered
CDN	Cloudflare
Support	Apache, NGINX, OpenLiteSpeed, LiteSpeed enterprise, and more
Data center locations	US, Europe
Apache Logs access	Yes
Security	SShield
Flexibility	Fully configurable

For a full list of features and other specifications see ScalaHosting's Managed VPS plans

Test results

In previous tests ScalaHosting performed well but the results do not compare apples to apples as we tested ScalaHosting's most basic Mini plan and those results are not suitable in this context. We have used this plan and are confident that it delivers we just want to wait until the results come in over a longer period of time before we list them officially.

The best web hosting for developers

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(Image credit: Future)

Namecheap ⭐⭐⭐⭐

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User scores
Attributes	Notes	Rating
Value for money	The value is good if you don't require everything for every project	★★★★★
Ease of use	Not exactly built for beginners but the features are not hard to use	★★★☆☆
Features	There are features for everything at a good price but none stand out as industry leading	★★★★☆
Speed test	Our site speed was average in our speed test	★★★☆☆

Namecheap started off as solely a domain registrar and over the years they've been adding more and more products and services for developers. On the hosting side, there's shared, reseller, VPS, and dedicated servers all at a price that justify the moniker Namecheap.

And then, if there is a service that's related to hosting Namecheap will do it. For example, SSL, CDNs, 2FA, domain privacy, marketing tools for sites, business email, WordPress and VPS management, and of course, domains.

This wide range of products and pick-and-mix like options allows you to manage client websites with multiple suppliers providing different levels of functionality for complex to simple builds.

The hosting is cheap. Take the Quasar VPS plan for example, 4 vCPU cores and 6 GB RAM is $15.88 a month after renewal. Keep in mind that the plan is unmanaged and doesn't come with a web panel so there will be additional expenses if you require those things which is why if you've got a bunch of different projects with differing requirements that you want to manage under one roof, Namecheap is the best option.

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Key features (Quasar VPS)
Feature	Header Cell - Column 1
CPU	4 vCPUs
RAM	6 GB
Storage	120 GB SSD RAID 10
Bandwidth	3000 GB
Management	Basic + £120/ year, Complete +£300/year
Web panel	cPanel solo + $130/year
OS	AlmaLinux, Ubuntu, Debian
Domains	.com $6.49 1st year ($14.98 after)
Business email	5 mail boxes, $5.99/ month

For a full list of features and plans see Namecheap

Test results

Our tests show that Namecheap is slower than average and the hosting plans can handle fewer requests per second but it's unfair to really compare them to hosts that cost considerably more. These are the results for our shared hosting tests and we're currently doing more with the VPS plans.

Honourable mentions

These hosts were not picked in my top 5 but that doesn't mean they're not some of the best hosting providers out there. My top five are based on some of the most popular use cases so these are some of the best hosts for some other areas that are more general or on the flip side of that very specific like Minecraft hosting or the best shared plan.

Best Green web hosting: GreenGeeks ⭐⭐⭐⭐

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User scores
Attributes	Notes	Rating
Value for money	Plans are good value with low starting prices	★★★★☆
Ease of use	Not difficult to use and if you do have problems there's support	★★★★☆
Features	Plenty of in-house features for security, speed, and management	★★★★☆

See our full GreenGeeks review

Best for Minecraft: Shockbyte ⭐⭐⭐⭐½

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User score
Attributes	Notes	Rating
Value for money	There have been some price increases recently but still good value for money	★★★★☆
Ease of use	Lots of out-of-the-box features that require no skills to use	★★★★★
Features	Important and vital features including DDoS protection supported	★★★★★
Speed test	We had no lag or downtime playing Minecraft	★★★★☆

See our full Shockbyte review

Best shared hosting: Hostgator ⭐⭐⭐⭐½

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User scores
Attributes	Notes	Rating
Value for money	HostGator is affordable but the add-ons could get pricey if you pick a cheaper plan	★★★★☆
Ease of use	We found it easy to get started and navigate through the dashboard	★★★★☆
Features	HostGator has just about every feature you'll need from a web host	★★★★★
Speed test	HostGator performed the best in our speed test compared to the other hosts for shared hosting	★★★★★

See our full HostGator review

Best managed WordPress: WP Engine ⭐⭐⭐⭐

WP Engine is a professional web host which focuses entirely on delivering the best managed WordPress hosting around (although it does have some great WooCommerce plans, too). It's not cheap, but if you're more interested in power than price, then WP Engine is well worth a very close look. If you're looking at the lower end plans I recommend SiteGround because they offer better value for money over WP Engine but if you have a monster site and you want to squeeze every last millisecond and request from your WordPress site, I'd suggest WP Engine.

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Attributes	Notes	Rating
Value for money	WP Engine is expensive and although it comes with lots of features, some could be included as part of the overall price	★★★☆☆
Ease of use	Not the easiest to use for beginners but still straightforward enough	★★★★☆
Features	Lots of great features but a lot comes at an extra cost	★★★★☆
Speed test	WP Engine performed exceptionally well in our speed test	★★★★★