top web hosting providers

Top 7 Web Hosting Providers for Your Blog

One of the major factors that determine the success of your blog or website is how fast and reliable it is. Speed and reliability are dependent on where your blog is being hosted. Hence, choosing a hosting company is an important decision.

However, as of 2021, there were over 330,000 hosting providers. There is no telling how much this number has gone up today. With this number of providers available, it can be very hard to determine which provider to choose. But, in this article, we will be looking at the top 7 hosting providers.

top web hosting providers

1. Bluehost

Bluehost is a prominent name in the web hosting industry and currently powers more than 2 million websites on the internet. 

Recommended by WordPress, Bluehost offers technology that optimizes WordPress websites for design, speed, and performance.

Top Features of Bluehost

  • All-in-one Dashboard: Users can build and manage their website from one location. 
  • WordPress Integration
  • Speed and Reliability: Websites hosted on Bluehost are fast, and users never have to worry about downtime.
  • Themes and Plugins: Users have access to themes, plugins, and other useful tools.
  • Multiple Hosting Plans: Users are treated to 3 types of unique hosting plans i.e. shared hosting, dedicated hosting and VPS hosting.
  • Ease of Domain Transfer
  • E-commerce Hosting Plan

         Pricing of Bluehost

Bluehost offers three plans for its hosting package.

  • Shared Hosting: $4.95/month. It is a great plan if you're starting out.
  • VPS: $29.99/month. It is a plan when your website starts getting good traffic.
  • Dedicated: $89.98/month. This plan is suitable for high traffic websites.

         Pros of Bluehost

  • 24/7 Customer Support.
  • One-click WordPress Installation and Integration.
  • Free Domain Registration for Shared Hosting.
  • Free SSL Certificates.

Cons of Bluehost

  • The renewal rate is higher than the initial price paid for the individual hosting plan.
  • Aggressive Upselling: Several services and products will be pitched to you during sign-up.

Bluehost is dependable and perfect for both beginners and professionals. With a review score of 4.2 stars from 7,995 reviews on Trustpilot, Bluehost remains one of the most favorite hosting companies around.

2. WP Engine

WP Engine is the prime platform for hosting WordPress websites. It boasts revolutionary technology that ensures website speed, security, and reliability, making it easy for users to build all sorts of websites, including eCommerce. 

WP Engine currently hosts more than 1.5 million websites, with customers in more than one hundred and fifty countries.

Top Features of WP Engine

  • Speed and Performance: WP Engine boasts servers around the world, free CDN, WordPress-optimized caching, and Evercache.
  • Advanced Security: This includes free SSL and regular malware scans and firewalls.
  • Free Automated Site Migration.
  • Scalability: WP Engine ensures websites remain stable during surges in visitor numbers.
  • Simplified Site Management: This includes an intuitive interface, two-factor authentication, and daily/on-demand backups.
  • Developer-Friendly Tools.
  • Support: Expertise in WordPress-related issues, offering round-the-clock assistance.
  • Easy-to-use built-in social sharing buttons.
  • Mobile-friendliness.
  • Lightweight contact forms.
  • Speedy load time.
  • 24x7 client-support

         Pricing of WP Engine

WP Engine offers three unique hosting packages: WordPress Hosting, eCommerce Solutions for Woo, and Advanced Solutions.

  • WordPress Hosting: $20(USD)/mo annually and $24(USD)/mo monthly.
  • eCommerce Solutions for Woo: $50(USD)/mo annually and $60(USD)/mo monthly.
  • Advanced Solutions: $600(USD)/mo annually and $600(USD)/mo monthly.

         Pros of WP Engine

  • Genesis Framework is included in all their plans.
  • Extensive and Proactive Security.
  • Free WordPress Migration Tool.
  • Access to Customizable Tools.
  • 24/7 Support.

Cons of WP Engine

  • WP Engine's premium features are more expensive than others.
  • Restrictions on the use of some third-party plugins.

3. GoDaddy

GoDaddy ranks high among companies that offer cheap and reliable hosting services. They are also prominent for their domain sales. GoDaddy offers several types of hosting services to meet the diverse needs of clients, including:
- Web Hosting
- Windows Hosting
- Web Hosting Plus
- VPS Hosting
- Dedicated Servers

Top Features of Godaddy

  • Free SSL Certificate: Users get free SSL certificates alongside each hosting package.
  • Dedicated WordPress Hosting.
  • Dedicated VPS Hosting.
  • High-Powered Dedicated Server Hosting.
  • Easy-to-Use Control Panel: cPanel access to install apps, manage backups, and security.
  • 1-Click Domain Name Setup.
  • 1-Click Access to over 150 Free Apps.
  • 24/7 Network Security: Around-the-clock monitoring of network security and DDoS protection.
  • Automated Daily Backups: This comes with paid options.
  • Global Data Centers: State-of-the-art data centres in North America, Europe, and Asia-Pacific.
  • User-Friendly Interface: GoDaddy's dashboard is designed to simplify domain and hosting management, making it suitable for new website administrators.
  • Extensive Domain Selection: Users can buy their domain names on GoDaddy directly.
  • Customer Support: 24/7 customer support through multiple channels.

         Pricing of Godaddy

GoDaddy's Web Hosting plans include:

  • Web Hosting Starter: £2.99/month.
  • Web Hosting Economy: £4.99/month.
  • Web Hosting Deluxe: £7.99/month.
  • Web Hosting Ultimate: £13.99/month.

         Pros of Godaddy

  • Diverse Web Hosting Packages.
  • Expert Hosting Support.
  • Superior Load Times and Performance.
  • 99.9% Uptime Guaranteed.
  • Hosting Security.

Cons of Godaddy

  • GoDaddy’s Shared Hosting is not ideal for high-traffic websites.
  • Aggressive Upselling of Related Services.
  • One of the major drawbacks of Godaddy is the price of renewal is more than the initial purchase price.

4. DreamHost

 DreamHost has a wide range of hosting solutions, including shared hosting, virtual private servers (VPS), dedicated hosting, and managed WordPress hosting. They offer one-click installations for popular web applications and also sell domains.

Top Features of DreamHost

  • Super Easy to Use: DreamHost boasts an easy-to-use custom control panel for managing web hosting and access to all DreamHost products.
  • 24/7 Expert Support: Users are serviced by US-based experts available anytime, day or night. Customers also have access to a rich knowledge base and a community forum.
  • DreamHost Web Hosting comes with a WP Site Builder for building WordPress sites.
  • 1-Click Installer for a host of applications, including WordPress.
  • 100% Uptime Guarantee due to multiple data center locations, redundant cooling, emergency generators, and constant monitoring.
  • Solid State Drives (SSDs): Ensuring speed as SSDs are 200% faster than HDDs.

         Pricing of DreamHost

DreamHost offers various pricing tiers to cater to different needs:

  • Here, for $2.59 per month, you can get Shared Hosting plans.
  • DreamPress plans start at $16.95/month.
  • However, VPS plans start at $13.75/month.

         Pros of DreamHost

  • Fast & Reliable.
  • Shared and DreamPress web hosting plans (annual or longer) come with a free domain name.
  • Shared and DreamPress web hosting plans come with free WHOIS Privacy protection.
  • Free Email Hosting.

Cons of DreamHost

  • Cpanel might take time to get used to.

5. HostGator

HostGator is a prominent hosting company with over 2 million websites hosted on its platform. Their services target both professionals and newbies with tools designed to grow with their customers. Their hosting services are grouped under 2 major categories: Hosting and Pro Hosting.

HostGator boasts several hosting options divided into two categories to meet the diverse needs of clients. These packages include an impressive set of features that cater to diverse hosting requirements. These options include:

- Shared Hosting
- WordPress Hosting
- Dedicated
- VPS

Top Features of HostGator

  • Free Domain: The first year of domain registration is free.
  • Free Site Transfers: Easily transfer your site from your old hosting to HostGator.
  • Reliable Hosting with a 99.9% Uptime Guarantee.
  • WordPress, Joomla, and Drupal, CMSs can be installed in one click.
  • Ease of Integration: Integrating apps is easy.
  • Free SSL Certificate

         Pricing of HostGator

HostGator's pricing is broad. Each hosting option has its own pricing system.

  • Shared Hosting plans: Hatchling, Baby, and Business plans at $3.75/mo, $4.50/mo, and $6.25/mo, respectively.
  • WordPress Hosting plans: Starter, Standard, and Business plans at $5.95/mo, $7.95/mo, and $9.95/mo, respectively.
  • Dedicated Hosting plans: Value Server, Power Server, and Enterprise Server at $89.98/mo, $119.89/mo, and $139.99/mo, respectively.
  • VPS Hosting plans: Snappy 2000, Snappy 4000, and Snappy 8000 at $23.95/mo, $34.95/mo, and $59.95/mo, respectively.

         Pros of HostGator

  • Affordable Pricing.
  • Extensive Knowledge Base.
  • Intuitive Interface.
  • One-Click Installations of Applications.
  • Varied Add-On Services.
  • Money-Back Guarantee.

         Cons of HostGator

  • High Price for Renewal.
  • The Speed of Websites on Shared Hosting is not Reliable.
  • Upselling of Other Related Hosting Services.

6. ScalaHosting

Scala Hosting is an innovative web hosting company leading the future of cloud hosting. 

Among several hosting options, including web hosting and WordPress hosting, their Managed Cloud VPS provides all-around service, including regular maintenance, monitoring, hardware setup, software installations, technical issue resolutions, and more to clients.

Top Features of SCALAHOSTING

  • SPanel Control Panel: Users can manage multiple websites from one location because of a feature of Scala Hosting's custom-built control panel. Users can ditch the old cPanel and migrate all their websites to SPanel with an intuitive interface for easy navigation.
  • Managed VPS Hosting: Perfect for startups, growing businesses, and users with limited technical experience, focusing on their business while the hosting provider handles everything technical.
  • WordPress Manager: A proprietary tool for seamless WordPress website management, offering automatic updates, security enhancements, efficient caching, etc.
  • Free Migration: Scala Hosting provides free website migration for users transferring from other hosts.
  • SShield Security: A security system that detects and blocks 99.998 percent of attacks.

         Pricing of SCALAHOSTING

Scala Hosting offers a variety of VPS hosting plans to cater to different needs.

  • Web Hosting Plan and WordPress Hosting Plan: Mini, Start, Advanced, and Entry Cloud plans go for $2.95/mo, $5.95/mo, $9.95/mo, and $14.95/mo, respectively.
  • Managed VPS Hosting Plans: BUILD 1, BUILD 2, BUILD 3, and BUILD 4 start at $29.95/mo, $63.95/mo, $121.95/mo, and $179.95/mo respectively.

         Pros of SCALAHOSTING

  • High Performance.
  • Faster Loading Times.
  • Customer Support: Highly responsive support team, with live chat option.
  • Innovative Technology: SPanel, SWordPress Manager, and SShield security system put Scala Hosting ahead.
  • Diverse Hosting Options.
  • Affordable Pricing.

         Cons of SCALAHOSTING

  • Only VPS plans have access to all-SSD performance.
  • Managed VPS Hosting is expensive.
  • Scala Hosting lacks a website builder.

7. A2 Hosting

A2 Hosting boasts twenty times hosting speed and customer support tagged as "Guru Crew Support." 

They provide industry-leading security and promise easy and quick setup for their services. Their robust hosting plans ensure they are able to provide services to a wide range of clients’ needs.

Top Features of A2 HOSTING

  • Ultra-Fast Server: A2 Hosting boasts impressive server speeds for better SEO rankings, lower bounce rates & higher conversion rates.
  • Guru Support: A dedicated support group available 24/7.
  • Free Website Migration.
  • Reliability: A 99.9% uptime commitment minimizes the risk of website downtime.
  • Service Customization: A2 Hosting offers several customized hosting plans, including business, e-commerce, blog, agency, LMS, personal website, and non-profit web hosting.

         Pricing of A2 HOSTING

A2 hosting has the following affordable hosting plans for all customers.

  • Shared Hosting starts at $2.99/month.
  • VPS Hosting begins at $39.99/month.
  • Dedicated Hosting starts at $155.99/month.

         Pros of A2 HOSTING

  • Relatively Affordable.
  • Extensive Knowledge Base.
  • Intuitive Interface.
  • One-Click Installations of Applications.
  • Varied Add-On Services.
  • Money-Back Guarantee.

Conclusion:

Whenever I visit to any page through Google, if it does not load fast, I quit it, rather waiting for it to load. And the reason is nobody wants to wait, not even Google. Any website which does not load faster, Google does not like to put them high on SERP. Good user experience is important and if none finds value in your site and quit it, it will hardly get any visitor. So, choosing a good and reliable web host provider is important for success of your blog or website. Above detailed guide will help you in making an informed decision.