In this guide, we’ll be quickly defining what shared hosting is—and diving into my in-depth reviews (comparisons) of the best shared hosting plans on the market in 2023.
What is Shared Hosting?
Shared hosting is a web hosting model by which many websites are hosted on a single server, with the main benefit being that shared hosting plans are often the lowest cost hosting solution available (because the cost of those server resources are “shared” amongst the many different customers using a server).
Shared hosting is the most popular form of hosting plan for new bloggers because it’s so affordable (often $2.00/mo to $5.00/mo)—and all of the most reputable hosting companies offer finely tuned shared hosting plans that provide all of the features you need in order to position your blog for success.
What is web hosting?
In case you need a quick refresher, web hosting is the service that “hosts” your website, keeping it visible on the Internet. Web hosting refers to the server(s) that your website lives on, which are connected to the Internet and display your content when people land on its URLs. Web hosting companies purchase powerful (physical) servers with tons of storage and then sell monthly access to those servers for a fraction of the cost.
That’s where shared hosting plans really come into play as the best way to keep your hosting costs low (by sharing server space and resources with other websites).
While shared hosting does have clear advantages, especially in the first couple years of starting a blog and growing it, these plans also come with some drawbacks—particularly as your blog grows.
What is Shared Hosting? 10 Best Shared Hosting Plans in 2023 (to Blog on a Budget)
- What is Shared Hosting?
- Advantages (and Disadvantages) of Shared Hosting Plans
- Bluehost’s Shared Hosting Plans: $2.95/mo
- Dreamhost’s Shared Hosting Plans: $2.59/mo
- Hostinger’s Shared Hosting Plans: $1.39/mo
- Green Geeks Shared Hosting Plans: $2.95/mo
- A2 Hosting’s Shared Hosting Plans: $3.92/mo
- HostGator’s Shared Hosting Plans: $2.75/mo
- SiteGround’s Shared Hosting Plans: $6.99/mo
- iPage’s Shared Hosting Plans: $1.99/mo
- HostPapa’s Shared Hosting Plans: $2.95/mo
- InMotion’s Shared Hosting Plans: $3.99/mo
- How to Pick the Best Shared Hosting Plan for Your Needs
Disclosure: Please note that some of the links below are affiliate links and at no additional cost to you, I’ll earn a commission. When you purchase hosting using my affiliate link, the company compensates me, which helps keep my content (like this guide) free of charge to you. Know that I only recommend products and services I’ve personally used and stand behind.
Now, let’s talk about the pros and cons of choosing shared hosting plans.
What are the advantages of shared hosting plans?
Shared hosting is the most popular type of hosting plan for bloggers and small businesses today. But is it your best option? The answer depends. Let’s take a look at some of the pros and cons of shared hosting plans and find out.
If you’re a solo blogger (or small business owner) looking for affordable web hosting to power your website on a budget, then shared hosting is going to be your best bet today. Why?
The advantages of shared hosting far outweigh the disadvantages for those just starting a blog. What advantages?
- Very affordable. Not only do you share resources with other users on a shared hosting plan, but you also get to split the “bill” in a sense. This shared server arrangement makes shared hosting plans affordable to everyone.
- User-friendly. Most hosting companies offer an easy-to-use control panel that allows you to easily manage your website and the technical aspects of how your hosting is configured.
- Easy to scale. Shared hosting plans usually come with multiple tiers that cater to different stages of a website’s growth. When your blog outgrows the resources available at a certain tier, it’s easy to upgrade to the next.
What are the disadvantages of shared hosting plans?
While shared hosting arguably offers the best hosting solution for relatively new and growing websites, you need to be aware of its limitations once you’re reaching a lot of readers. Here are the most important to consider:
- Lower load speeds. Compared to having a hosting plan with a dedicated server, shared hosting servers have lower speeds (and slower overall performance) due to the fact that resources are being shared.
- Lack of customization options. Different websites often have different hosting needs. Some hosting plans have to be tailored to meet those unique situations. With shared hosting plans, there’s usually no way to customize your hosting configuration to meet specific needs.
- Resource restrictions. Despite most hosting companies offering unlimited resources (especially bandwidth and storage), it’s all dependent on their overall server usage at a given time. When you read the fine print, this is usually part of the company’s fair usage policy—so if your blog is suddenly getting hundreds of readers at a time, you might experience unexpected technical issues or you’ll be automatically bumped up to a higher pricing tier with your hosting plan.
Alright, now that we’ve defined what shared hosting is, compared the pros and cons of shared hosting plans, let’s dive into the best shared hosting plans on the market today—so you can choose the plan that’s right for your needs.
10 Best Shared Hosting Plans in 2023 (to Host Your Blog on a Budget)
Now that you know what shared hosting is (and its advantages), let’s quickly look at some of the best shared hosting service providers on the market. Remember, hosting needs differ, so as you read through the reviews, make notes of the ones that seem like a fit for you.
1. Bluehost: $2.95/mo
If ever there’s a name that you’ll keep bumping into as you research web hosting, Bluehost is it. This veteran web hosting company has been offering shared hosting plans for over 20 years (founded in 1996) and has become one of the most trusted in the business. Having been around the block a couple of times, they know how to combine price and value when it comes to their shared hosting services.
So, how does Bluehost fare when it comes to their plan options?
Features in Bluehost’s Shared Hosting Plans
When it comes to features, Bluehost tops the charts for offering the best shared hosting plans on the market. This is one of the reasons why their platform is home to over 2 million websites being hosted from all around the globe.
Compared to other hosting providers, Bluehost offers a more generous selection of features and functionality within their plans. Here’s a sneak peek of what to expect.
With the Basic Shared Hosting Plan (budget-friendly) you get:
- 1 Website
- 50 GB SSD Storage
- Unmetered Bandwidth
- Free SSL Certificate
- Standard Performance
- 1 Included Domain
- 5 Parked Domains
- 25 Sub Domains
The Plus Shared Hosting Plan (with the best features) you also get:
- Unlimited Websites
- Unlimited Storage
- Unlimited Domains
- Unlimited Parked Domains
- Unlimited Sub Domains
Take it up another notch and you get the Choice Plus Shared Hosting Plan which offers:
- Domain Privacy
- Access to Spam Experts
- Site Backup – CodeGuard Basic
For most small business websites, the plan I tend to recommend most is the Choice Plus plan, which also comes with the added benefit of domain privacy and regular site backups in case your blog ever experiences major issues—so that you can revert to a previous backup of your site and relaunch quickly.
The Pros of Bluehost’s Shared Hosting
Apart from being one of the 3 hosting companies officially recognized as WordPress partners, are there any other advantages to going with Bluehost for your shared hosting? Here are a few key reasons to evaluate Bluehost:
- Affordable shared hosting plans. Bluehost’s plans are priced to be within reach for everyone – even those starting out and running on a shoestring budget.
- Free domain name. Upon signing up for a year, Bluehost throws in a free domain name.
- Excellent reliability. This is probably where Bluehost scores the highest scores. Despite hosting a large number of websites on their servers, they have less downtime than most hosting companies.
- Industry leading customer support. Customer support is critical to offering your own users a great experience. Again, Bluehost does an exceptional job of responding to issues quickly. Customer support is 24/7 and you can reach their contact center via phone, live chat, and email.
The Cons of Bluehost’s Shared Hosting
Despite Bluehost being one of the best web hosting services, their shared hosting plans do have some drawbacks:
- Higher renewal price. When it comes to renewing your hosting plan, don’t expect to pay this same introductory rate. Bluehost (like most other companies do with their best hosting plans), increases the price of your plan after the initial term expires.
- No free site migration. Sometimes in the life of your website, you may want to switch hosting services. It’s a somewhat common occurrence. And while some hosting companies offer free migration to attract new customers, Bluehost doesn’t. You’ll have to pay a $149.99 website migration fee (up to 5 websites and 20 email accounts).
- Up-selling. During the signup process, Bluehost will offer you multiple different add-ons to purchase with your shared hosting plan. While you can easily uncheck those you don’t need, it can be a little confusing for first-timers.
If you’re looking for cheap shared hosting plans, Bluehost is definitely worth considering. Not only will you get guaranteed reliability and access to a skilled technical support team, but you’ll also enjoy fast load speeds and great uptimes—again, at very affordable prices on their plans.
2. Dreamhost: $2.59/mo
For many would-be bloggers, a website is an expensive hobby that’s often out of reach due to high hosting costs. That doesn’t have to be the case though—as Dreamhost is one of the most affordable and greatest hosting providers around.
Dreamhost is one of the oldest web hosting companies in the industry (founded in 1996). Host to over 1.5 million blogs and websites, the company is also one of the most trusted in the hosting industry. In fact, they are one of only 3 web hosting companies officially recognized as by WordPress as a hosting partner. Well, numbers and accolades aside, what does Dreamhost offer in terms of shared hosting?
Features in Dreamhost’s Shared Hosting Plans
Dreamhost’s Save Money Plan offers users 2 shared hosting options—the Shared Starter and Shared Unlimited.
The Shared Starter, which comes at a super affordable $2.59/mo (as its name suggests) has enough features to get you started, plus more:
- 1 Website
- Free Domain included
- Unlimited Traffic
- WordPress Pre-Installed
- Fast SSD Storage
- Free SSL Certificate
- Add email for $1.67 per email account
- 3 year, 1 year and even monthly hosting plans are available
The Shared Unlimited plan ($4.95/mo) offers the advantage of unlimited websites and email.
One reason Dreamhost has managed to attract so many customers, apart from their competitive rates, is the fact that they offer a very robust feature set for the bargain price point. As you can see, Dreamhost’s shared hosting plans have more than enough features to power a personal blog or small business website.
Pros of Dreamhost’s Shared Hosting Plans:
- Great customer support comes. Get assistance via 24/7 live chat and email.
- Clear and transparent pricing. Dreamhost’s shared hosting plans aren’t as confusing as you get from other brands. You get what you pay for.
- 97-day money-back guarantee. You read that right! While most hosting companies only offer limited trials or 30-day money-back guarantees, Dreamhost offers a whopping 97 days to test drive their shared hosting plans. If you’re not happy, you get your full payment back.
Cons of Dreamhost’s Shared Hosting Plans:
- No cPanel. While Dreamhost has their own proprietary control panel, it can be quite confusing – particularly if you’re used to the intuitive and easy to use cPanel.
- Limited auto-installer scripts. Most hosting companies have scripts that auto-install apps (like your favorite CMS) onto the server. While Dreamhost does support a one-click installation of WordPress, there aren’t many other novel installs out of the box.
- No free migration. Already have a website hosted on another platform? Dreamhost can move it over to their servers. Unfortunately, if you’re using one of their shared hosting plans, you’ll have to pay a $99.00 website migration fee.
So, would I recommend Dreamhost’s shared hosting plans? Absolutely!
In fact, I still use Dreamhost to host some of my websites today, including my girlfriend’s blog, Vegan Anj. In my experience, they’re definitely one of the best shared hosting providers on the market (especially for newer bloggers). But if you’re still not sure, check out this comparison between Bluehost vs Dreamhost to make your final decision.
3. Hostinger: $1.39/mo
If you’re looking for the most budget-friendly shared hosting plan that also delivers in performance, Hostinger’s $1.39/mo shared hosting plan is your best pick. Founded in Lithuania back in 2007, Hostinger and its subsidiaries are home to over 29 million websites worldwide. So what makes this hosting company attract so many customers?
Features in Hostinger’s Plans
When it comes to getting the best hosting services, competitive pricing alone is not good enough. You also need to pick a hosting plan that gives you all the features you need to successfully run your website.
So what features do you get with one of the world’s cheapest shared hosting plans?
Hostinger’s cheapest shared hosting plan, the Single Shared Hosting comes with (amongst other features):
- 1 Website
- 1 Email Account
- Bandwidth – 100 GB
- 10 GB storage
- 2 subdomains
- 1 MySQL database
- LiteSpeed Cache
- DNS management
- Cloudflare
- 1 FTP account
- No backup
Notable add-ons that come with the Premium Shared Hosting plan include:
- Unlimited number of Websites
- Unlimited Email Accounts
- Unlimited bandwidth
- 20 GB storage
- 100 subdomains
- Unlimited FTP accounts
- Weekly backups
- No free SSL certificate
As for the Business Shared Hosting, it comes with everything the Premium plan has but with the addition of:
- Free SSL certificate
- Daily backups
- 40 GB storage
As you can see, Hostinger’s feature set is powerful enough to power small to medium-sized business blogs quite well. No wonder customers are flocking to the platform.
Pros of Hostinger’s Plans
With so many affordable hosting plans around, what are the pros of going with Hostinger? Here are the top 4:
- Very good performance. Despite the low price, Hostinger has some very impressive performance metrics – particularly fast load speeds and good uptime.
- Excellent customer support. Hostinger’s customer support is exceptional in that they have a multilingual support team. And if you don’t mind getting your hands dirty, you can troubleshoot and solve your problem with their comprehensive knowledgebase (tutorials, articles, and training).
- Easy-to-use interface. It may not be cPanel, but Hostinger’s control panel offers an easy-to-use and intuitive dashboard. Large icons also make it easy for you to find your way around.
- Money-back guarantee. Despite being almost free, Hostinger offers users a 30-day money-back guarantee. And on top of that, the package comes with a free domain (one year). Now that’s a sweet deal you can’t afford to miss.
Cons of Hostinger’s Plans
As you can expect, cheap web hosting can never be perfect. So what flaws lie under Hostinger’s tantalizing shared hosting deals.
- No free domain and SSL certificate for the base package
- Lacks phone support
With more pros than cons, Hostinger’s shared hosting plans are definitely worth the investment—especially since you get world-class customer support on a very low budget. If you’re launching (or running) a personal blog or website for a small business, Hostinger’s low-cost shared hosting plans have you covered.
4. Green Geeks: $2.95/mo
Yes, they’re called GreenGeeks because they are a green company that believes in sustainable business. Unfortunately, however, web hosting is a power-intensive business. So how does GreenGeeks balance this with their environment-conscious philosophy?
GreenGeeks works around this conundrum by purchasing 3 times the wind energy credits needed to make up for the energy used by their servers to run your website. By so doing, they replace an average of 615,000 kWh per year.
So, does being “green” equate to being more efficient at the expense of performance? Let’s find out.
Features of GreenGeeks Plans
If you’re just starting out and need the basics to get a website up and running, GreenGeeks’ Lite plan has you covered. The $2.95 (first year) plan comes with:
- 1 Website
- 1-Click App Installer
- Unlimited Web Space
- Unlimited Data Transfer
- Free Domain Name
- Free Wildcard SSL
- PowerCacher Included
If you need more server resources, the Pro plan ($5.95) will give you 2x more than the Lite plan. And if you anticipate more traffic and file transfers (a sign that you’re doing well), upgrade to the $11.95 premium plan and you’ll get 4x more performance.
Pros of GreenGeeks Plans
- Free site migration
- Very fast servers
- Environmentally-friendly hosting
- Automatic backups
- Comes with cPanel
- 30-day money-back guarantee
- 24/7 support via live chat, phone, and email tickets
- E-commerce capabilities
Cons of GreenGeeks Plans
- High renewal fees
- Fewer data centers than other hosting services
GreenGeeks has certainly found a great way of distinguishing themselves from the pack – by being a sustainable business. But going green certainly doesn’t mean compromising on performance. On the contrary, GreenGeeks has found a unique way of offering exceptional hosting while helping take care of Mother Nature. That, in my books, is definitely a shared hosting company to partner with.
5. A2 Hosting: $3.92/mo
Founded in 2001, A2 Hosting is an independently owned and operated WordPress hosting company based in Michigan. Although there are no verified statistics showing the number of websites hosted on this platform, one thing is sure—A2 hosting is making waves in the hosting industry. Gaining a name for itself for fast performance, A2 has fast grown to be one of the most popular shared hosting companies around.
Features in A2 Hosting’s Plans
When it comes to A2’s feature set, most users have given it very good ratings. Just take a look and you’ll see why:
A2 has 3 shared hosting plans that you can choose from depending on your needs. Their base plan, the Lite Plan comes packed with features like:
- 1 Website
- Unlimited SSD storage
- Unlimited bandwidth
- 25 Email accounts
- Free site migration
- Easy cPanel Control Panel
- Free SSL Certificate
- 5 databases
- Anytime money-back guarantee
Upgrading to the Swift plan will get you additional features such as:
- Unlimited websites
- Unlimited Email accounts
- Backup restore
If you decide to go all out and splurge on the Turbo plan you also get:
- Turbo hosting. 20x faster due to more resources and fewer users per server
- A2 optimized site accelerator. This is a powerful pre-configured caching tool that helps your website load faster
With a rich feature set you’ll be hard-pressed to find elsewhere, it’s no wonder A2 has fast become the go-to shared hosting solution for many. And even though their plans are a bit pricier, they are all well worth it.
Pros of A2 Hosting’s Plans
Besides having some of the fastest shared hosting servers on the market, A2 Hosting also has a few other advantages over the competition. Here are a few of them:
- Choice of server locations. A2 Hosting gives you a say in choosing where you want your website hosted. However, you can only choose from the places where they have servers, namely America (East or West Coast), Europe, and Asia.
- Unmetered storage and bandwidth. Technically speaking, you get unlimited resources with A2 Hosting. However, if you reach the extremely high thresholds (which rarely happens) your website risks being taken offline temporarily.
- Windows-based hosting. Unlike most other hosting companies, A2 also offers Windows-based servers.
- Committed to “green” hosting. A2 uses powerful and energy-efficient servers to ensure that they leave the smallest carbon footprint as possible.
- Multilingual support. Get free support from the “Guru Crew” via phone, live chat, and email. Support’s response times are also quite impressive.
Cons of A2 Hosting’s Plans
- On-demand backups have to be paid for
- Pricier than the competition
If you’re looking for a mid-priced shared hosting provider that offers great performance, then look no further than A2 Hosting. Even though you’ll have to fork out a bit more than you would with the competition, you still get more bang for your buck with A2’s advanced hosting solutions.
6. Hostgator: $2.75/mo
When shopping around for great hosting deals, you’re bound to encounter the little blue and yellow ‘gator. Yes, I’m talking about one of the most popular hosting companies around—Hostgator.
Having been around longer than most competitors, the company has managed to reliably serve over 8 million users. And no, being one of the oldest shared hosting companies is not the only reason people flock to Hostgator. The company has also managed to pack quite a number of nifty features into some pleasingly affordable plans.
Features of HostGator’s Plans
Hostgator offers 3 shared hosting plans that are not only very affordable bust come with a generous 45-day money-back guarantee.
Other features include, (starting from the Hatchling Plan):
- Free Domain Name
- One-click WordPress Installation
- Unmetered Bandwidth
- Free SSL Certificate
The Baby Plan gives you the same as the Hatchling Plan plus:
- Unlimited Domains
With the Business Plan you get everything from the Baby Plan plus:
- Free Upgrade to Positive SSL
- Free Dedicated IP
- Free SEO Tools
Another reason Hostgator has become one of the top shared hosting companies is that they throw in a number of handy features with every plan. Some of the features are:
- 100+ free mobile-responsive templates
- Free domain name
- Domain transfers
- $100 Google Adwords credit and a $100 Bing Ads Credit
Now, if those are features to drool over. Not only do they help you build a powerful website, but with Hostgator’s shared hosting plan, you also have extra tools to help you achieve your blogging goals.
Pros of HostGator’s Plans
- Easy to use – even for beginners
- Affordable, feature-rich hosting plans
- Excellent uptime and fast load speeds
- Exceptional customer service and in-depth tutorials
- Free site (including cPanel) migration (as long as you migrate within 30 days of sign up)
Cons of HostGator’s Plans
- Extra fees for backups and access to other apps like Gmail
- Renewal fees shoot up
Coming with tons of extras, superb reliability and excellent customer support, Hostgator’s shared hosting plans are definitely a great option for small to medium-sized websites. With plans starting as low as $2.75, there’s really no reason to wait before investing in your website. Be sure to compare Bluehost vs HostGator before making your final decision, too.
7. Siteground: $6.99/mo
SiteGround is another web hosting company that has built a name for itself in the web hosting industry. Home to more than 1.8 million websites and blogs, Siteground has proven to be one of the best shared hosting platforms you can invest in (though their pricing did increase in 2020 and 2021, making them a bit pricier than some of their competitors today). Still, their service is so great the company is even recommended by WordPress itself.
Aside from offering some of the most reliable shared hosting plans around, here some other features to look forward to.
Features of Siteground’s Plans
Like most web hosting service providers, Siteground also has 3 shared hosting plans for you to choose from:
Their first plan, the StartUp plan gets you:
- 1 Website
- 10 GB storage
- Approximately 10,000 visits monthly
- Free WordPress install
- WP Auto-updates
- Free SSL certificate and HTTPS
- Free Email
- Free Cloudflare CDN
- Unmetered traffic
- Free daily backup
- Unlimited MySQL databases
The popular GrowBig plan adds:
- Unlimited websites
- 20GB storage
- 25,000 monthly visits
- Free on-demand backups
- Free website migration
- You can add other admins
Upgrade to the highest-tier plan, the GoGeek, and you also get:
- 30 GB Web Space
- Approximately 100,000 monthly visits
- Free WP Transfer by Experts
- WordPress SuperCacher
- Advanced On-demand backup
- 1-click WordPress Staging
- Advanced Priority WP Support
- Pre-Installed Git for WordPress
Wondering why Siteground’s shared pricing plans are a bit steeper than their competitors? It’s because Siteground takes a lot of the heavy lifting out of hosting and building your blog with their powerful features and tools. It’s also because, in addition to everything their plans offer, you also get:
- Free pre-installed WordPress (after signing up with one of their WordPress hosting plans)
- A site-building wizard,
- Managed WordPress hosting options (with auto-updates of software and plugins)
- Hands-on support for your WordPress website
Pros of Siteground’s Shared Hosting Plans
Apart from great features, there are many other advantages of using Siteground as your web hosting service provider. Here are some of them:
- Free website migration. For the GrowBig and GoGeek accounts only.
- Excellent performance. With response times between 0.056 and 0.138 seconds and uptimes averaging 99.99%, you’ll hardly find any reason to complain.
- Free SSL. With Google clamping down on websites without SSL certificates, getting a shared host plan that throws it in for free is a great bargain. Security-wise, Siteground offers top-class security for all its plans.
- Comes with CloudFlare CDN. CloudFlare helps by storing your large files on different servers across the globe. This makes it so that files are stored closer to visitors, thereby enabling faster access.
- Caters to every level of users. Siteground has tools for all users, from novices tom power users.
Cons of Siteground’s Plans
- Steep renewal rates. Once your plan expires, renewing your plan will cost you way more than the signup price. For example, the price for the StarterUp plan shoots from $6.99/mo to $14.99/mo.
- No free domain. Most shared hosting companies throw in a free domain to make their offer more attractive. Unfortunately, Siteground doesn’t include it. It really would have made the deal sweeter.
If security and performance top your list of criteria for choosing a web hosting service then you’re better off with Siteground. That’s if you don’t mind the higher pricing. Overall, however, Siteground provides shared hosting plans that rank among the top.
8. iPage: $1.99/mo
iPage (founded in 1998) is one hosting company you need to consider as you shop around for shared hosting. Although not as popular as some of the web hosting companies it preceded, iPage boasts a user base of over a million websites.
Interestingly, iPage’s selling point is that they offer a “one size fits all hosting plan” designed to fit many use cases. But how does this one size fits all shared hosting plan stack up against the competition? And more importantly, will it meet your hosting needs? Well, let’s start by looking at the plan’s features to find out.
Features of iPage’s Plans
- Unlimited disk space
- Scalable bandwidth
- Unlimited domain names allowed
- 1-click WordPress installer
- Free online store
- Free email addresses (with SPAM filters)
- Unlimited MySQL databases
- Free SSL certificate
- Free domain for 1 year
iPage’s one size fits all plan has a feature set that can actually help it live up to its bold claim. From a simple blog to a company website to an e-commerce store, iPage’s shared hosting plan can be tailored to suit exactly what you need.
Pros of iPage’s Plans
- Superb security
- Good performance
- Excellent customer support via phone, live chat, and email
- Affordable and efficient hosting
Cons of iPage’s Plans
- No cPanel
- Unimpressive load speeds
So does iPage live up to its one size fits all claim? If you’re running a small to medium-sized website, iPage’s shared hosting plan will definitely meet all your needs. From security to web building and e-commerce tools, iPage has it—and at a very affordable starting price of $1.99/mo.
9. HostPapa: $2.95/mo
HostPapa is another veteran web hosting service provider that has been around since 2006. Boasting over half a million websites on their US and Canada based data centers, the company has been enjoying good success in recent years. One of the reasons HostPapa has gained fame is that its features lean more toward SMB website needs. As a cherry on top, their pricing is also competitive. So what features does HostPapa’s shared hosting offer?
Features of HostPapa’s Plans
Depending on your needs, you can choose from one of the 3 shared hosting plans offered by HostPapa:
The Starter plan ($3.95/mo) actually comes with more features than you’d get from other basic plans. Features such as:
- 2 websites
- A whopping 100GB of SSD storage
- Unlimited bandwidth
- Robust security
- Free domain registration
- Free website migration
- cPanel
Upgrade to the more popular, yet surprisingly cheaper ($2.95/mo), Business plan and you’ll also get:
- Unlimited subdomains
- Unlimited email accounts
- Unlimited MySQL databases
If you decide to splurge on the higher-priced Business Pro plan, the added features you get include:
- 300% performance improvements
- 4x more CPU resources
- Premium Wildcard SSL
- Domain privacy
HostPapa’s shared hosting plans definitely pack a big punch when it comes to performance. Hosting your business website with them will ensure you have more than enough firepower to take your website to great heights.
Pros of HostPapa’s Plans
- Free one on one training
- Softaculous (with over 400 apps)
- Good performance (good speed and 99.95% uptime)
- Multichannel and multilingual customer support
Cons of HostPapa’s Plans
- Average customer support
- Increase in renewal fees
For small businesses, HostPapa is a great web hosting option as its feature set and performance are good enough to handle the traffic and file transfers associated with business websites.
10. InMotion: $3.99/mo
Founded in 2001, InMotion has been around for close to 20 years. In internet years, that’s an eternity. And because of that (and the over 300,000 customer base), it’s one shared hosting platform that has a lot to prove in order to maintain its dominance on the market. But is that the case?
Let’s take a look at what their shared hosting plans have to offer and see if age has made the company better – or not.
Features of InMotion’s Plans
One of the factors that have led to InMotion’s success is the fact they don’t skimp on features. Here’s what to expect from their shared hosting plans:
The Launch package, meant for those who are just starting out includes, among other features:
- 2 websites
- Unlimited storage and bandwidth
- Unlimited email (rare in base packages)
- Robust security
- Marketing tools
Taking it up a notch, you get the Power plan. And with that you get:
- 6 websites
- 2x the performance
The Pro plan gives you
- Unlimited websites
- 4x more performance
- Pro-level support
If features are anything to go by, InMotion Hosting is definitely doing a great job of proving that being a veteran makes them have an edge over the competition.
Pros of InMotion’s Plans
- Free migrations
- Free backups
- Excellent performance
- 90-day money-back guarantee
Cons of InMotion’s Plans
- Verification can take time
- Pricier than most of the competition
While InMotion’s shared hosting plans may seem pricey, you do get way more value than the money you invest in any of the hosting packages. If you’ve got room in your budget, this is definitely an investment you won’t regret if you have long-term plans for your website(s).
How to Pick the Best Shared Hosting Plan for Your Needs
Now that you’ve compared all of the best shared hosting plans on the market, you’re closer to settling on the perfect one for your needs. So how do you determine which shared hosting plan is best for you?
Here are a few tips to point you in the right direction:
- What do you need? Before rushing out to sign up for the first cheap hosting plans you can find, determine your short-term and long-term blogging needs as related to hosting (performance, bandwidth and speed). This will help you focus on factors that are more important.
- Are you planning on scaling in the future? If yes, then save yourself headaches down the road by settling for a shared hosting plan you can grow with.
- Do you need plenty of support? If you’re not technically savvy, you’ll need to opt for an easy to use hosting service. Better still, get one with excellent customer support.
Answering these simple questions will go along way in helping you eliminate the hosting services that won’t give you the experience. More importantly, it will help you pick the best shared hosting plan for you.
Shared Hosting Gets Your Blog Online Without Breaking the Bank
Getting the right sharing hosting plan in place to power your blog is crucial to your success.
Nothing is more frustrating than being stuck with a shoddy hosting service that limits your website’s performance or functionality.
However, by comparing these picks for the best shared hosting plans (and using the tips for choosing your right plan) in this guide, this process should be a whole lot easier.
If you have any questions about how to choose the right hosting provider, please drop me a comment below and when you’re ready for writing—be sure to try out my blog title generator, paragraph rewriter and domain name generator!
Use My Free Keyword Research Tool
Try my free AI-Powered Keyword Tool to get dozens of research-backed ideas for keywords & topics to write about on your blog today.
Really amazing post with much helpful information. Thank you very much for writing great stuff about web hosting services for us.
Thanks for the kind words, Jerry! Glad you found this shared hosting breakdown helpful… the world of web hosting can be an (unnecessarily) complicated one 😂
Hey, This is one amazing and informative article. I personally prefer A2 as the best shared hosting provider.
Thanks for weighing in on this one, Nishi! I like A2 Hosting as well, they’re pretty budget-friendly and have solid technical support.
Great article Ryan, my daughter is a writer, I want to get her set up on a shared hosting platform, she’s a complete novice so support is essential, obviously if her writing takes off, she will need to look at moving to more appropriate plans but to begin with a basic package that helps her build a good website with everything she realistically needs from scratch. Appreciate any particular recommendations.
Ah, that’s great! It sounds like getting her writing online with a blog would be an excellent first step to getting her ideas/talents out there into the world 🙂
I’d actually recommend following along with my step-by-step tutorial on starting a blog right here: https://www.ryrob.com/how-start-blog/
Am very impressed by this Post.. Really really thanks for sharing this.
You’re welcome!