The best web hosting services of 2024: Expert tested and reviewed

2 weeks ago 4

33 years of experience
30 hands-on product reviewers
10,000 square feet of lab space

If you want to build a website, there are dozens of web hosting providers you can turn to. At the most basic level, you'll need a domain name that pairs with a reliable host. Your web host must be able to securely store your content, manage your data, and provide a backend file management system or FTP access.

These days, you don't need to be a programmer or very tech-savvy to run a website. However, choosing the right web hosting service can be challenging, considering the many options available to you.

Also: The best VPNs

Many web providers offer far more than just hosting. You can also opt for a content management system (CMS), SEO assistance, website templates, and security add-ons. These features often make web hosts stand out from their competition, and even if you don't need it now, it also helps if their services are scalable.

Below, you will find our top recommendations for web hosting services, ranging from providers that give you a quick and easy way to build your website all the way up to companies that provide full data center infrastructure capabilities as a service.

What is the best web hosting service right now?

ZDNET has conducted extensive research and hands-on testing with many of the top web hosting services. Our pick for the best web hosting service overall is Hostinger. Hostinger offers inexpensive plans, starting at only $1.95/month (three months free) during its holiday promotions. If you want to go up a level, Hostinger's premium plan has everything you need: a website builder, WordPress integration, templates, emails, SEO, marketing help, and more.

Read on for the rest of our picks for the best web hosting services of 2024.

Best web hosting services of 2024

Hostinger

Best web hosting service overall

Hostinger's premium plan ($2.49 per month, three months free) is excellent value for the money if you want to operate multiple websites for personal or business reasons under one account.

The premium plan supports up to 100 websites. It offers 100GB of storage, up to 100 email addresses and forwarders, free SSL website security, templates, unlimited bandwidth, and a free domain name.

While there's no dedicated IP address, this won't bother most website owners. Furthermore, you'll be given basic e-commerce capabilities and one-click WordPress installation and migration. The same WordPress installation can be used to support multiple WordPress websites.

Review: Hostinger

If you need a theme, Hostinger also provides a drag-and-drop website builder and 150 templates. The plan includes Google Analytics integration, SEO tools, and standard DDoS protection.

Overall, we consider Hostinger's premium plan an excellent option for most website owners and small businesses. Business options begin at $3.49 per month, with three months added for free.

A downside, however, is that you can only access more advanced features -- such as daily backups and increased performance -- with more expensive subscriptions. In addition, while many customers applaud Hostinger's customer service, there are reports of bounceback and slow loads by some clients operating multiple websites. As a user and operator of one WordPress-based website, I've found Hostinger's service to be reliable, quick, and easy to learn.

Show Expert Take Show less

DreamHost

Best web hosting service for professionals

DreamHost's easy-to-use interface and customer support stand out to business owners and new webmasters alike. The hosting provider offers WordPress hosting, shared hosting, virtual private servers, dedicated servers, cloud hosting, and more.

We particularly like that DreamHost offers Google Workspace integration, domain integration, and Google Cloud support. The company also provides a great set of resources and guides that can help you grow your businesses cost-effectively. A free SSL certificate is available on all plans.

Review: DreamHost

Nick Farnborough, the co-founder of Clavis Social, told ZDNET that he has "tried almost every host out there over the years and ultimately found DreamHost to be the best overall package, taking into account cost, performance, and ease of use."

Customers online, too, have applauded this web host's customer support and value for the money, although some also note that reaching customer support teams can be challenging.

Prices begin at $2.95 per month for a basic, shared plan, with email available for an additional monthly fee. Dreamhost also provides advanced plans for larger web projects. If you want dedicated resources, you can opt for a VPS plan that is suitable for scaling and resource-heavy projects.

Show Expert Take Show less

Ionos

Best budget web hosting service

Ionos is one of our top picks for affordable, long-term web hosting. The web hosting provider offers reliable, stable uptime with daily backups included on all plans. Free wildcard SSL certificates, email, one domain, and 24/7 support are also included.

Customers report great customer service, uptime, easy setup, and web hosting transitions. This web host doesn't offer many of the more advanced features of competitors, but if you're after a basic, low-cost, long-term service, this could be the best option for you.

The top deal at the moment is for Ionos Plus, a website hosting package suitable for larger, scalable projects and WordPress installs. On a one-year plan, you will only pay $1 per month, and you can operate unlimited websites with unlimited databases and storage.

This plan includes one-click installations of around 70 apps, including WordPress and Drupal, and you will also receive a wildcard SSL certificate. However, be aware of a potential price hike after the holiday promotional period ends, as it typically costs $12/month.

Basic "Essential" plans supporting one website and with ten databases, alongside 10GB of storage space, are typically $6/month, but will only cost you $4 per month on an annual plan. A free domain name for one year and email is included.

Show Expert Take Show less

A2 web hosting

Best web hosting service for beginners

A2 is an excellent web hosting option for beginners who want to learn the ropes without spending a fortune.

A2 provides a 24/7 customer team if you need help deciding on a plan. For only $1.75 per month, A2's basic shared hosting Ignite package includes one website, free migration, unlimited email accounts, ample storage (100GB), staging, backups, and a website builder.

What we particularly like about this option is the potential to upgrade as your project grows, with extra speed, storage, and capacity available when you are ready. Turbo options, starting at $4.95 per month, offer unlimited websites, unlimited storage, and automatic backups with more computing resources made available to customers.

In summary, you can start small, but if you need more space or resources, A2 offers a range of options -- including VPS and dedicated hosting -- to accommodate growth and changing resource needs.

Customers applaud the firm's 24/7 phone, email, and chat support, with assistance available during migration and beyond.

Show Expert Take Show less

GreenGeeks

Best web hosting service for the environmentally-conscious

GreenGeeks is a great web hosting option if you want to sign up for a sustainable, eco-conscious service.

GreenGeeks has developed its marketing around the concept of being environmentally friendly, with three times the power your hosting demands replaced with wind power credits and tree planting.

It's not just the environmental factor, however -- GreenGeeks prides itself on speedy, reliable service. Although the company's website could use some modernization and an overhaul, the important part is the hosting, which includes standard hosting, WordPress installs, commerce, VPS, and dedicated tiers.

Basic plans cost $1.95 per month, with options to upgrade and grow over time. The basic web hosting plan only covers one website with 25GB of storage, but once you move up a level or two, you can expect support for unlimited websites, managed WordPress installations, 50GB or 100GB of storage, a free SSL certificate, and more.

Customers applaud GreenGeeks' customer service, although there are reports of 'hidden' fees related to specific products.

Show Expert Take Show less

GoDaddy

Best web hosting service for GoDaddy domain customers

GoDaddy has offered as wide an array of services as possible for individuals and small businesses needing an internet presence. It's widely known, and many customers enjoy the service.

GoDaddy is a great option if you prefer to stick with a well-known brand. It's also recently introduced AI-based services to help you find the right domain name and to assist you with branding.

Pricing begins at $5.99 per month for one website. Specific plans may qualify you for a free domain name and SSL certificate. GoDaddy automatically applies WordPress applied, and offers malware-scanning services. Each plan comes with a one-click WordPress installation, a cPanel, and daily backups.

Review: GoDaddy

Customer service is reasonable, and if you need a technical lead to get something accomplished, customers say you can usually find someone able to assist you. Unfortunately, the refund policy is restrictive, and we would say the host's website is cluttered, making it difficult to find exactly what service you need -- and for what price.

ZDNET author David Gewirtz has decades of experience with GoDaddy, and he has come to respect how this web host provides the key services most customers want. They're not the best at anything, but they do a good job with almost everything.

"GoDaddy, in my opinion, is the best web host," Gerrid Smith, director of E-commerce of Joy Organics, told ZDNET. "They promise a minimum of 99.9% availability. To prevent malicious activities and repel DDoS attacks, their security team works around the clock."

Show Expert Take Show less

Wix

Best web hosting service for simple e-commerce

If you've ever watched a YouTube video, you've seen a Wix ad. They are everywhere. With millions of subscribers, Wix has momentum and can certainly grab your attention.

When selecting a website builder, why would you go with Wix over WordPress? The answer is simplicity. WordPress offers tremendous depth and customization options with plugins and widgets, but Wix quickly gets you up and running with an attractive site.

There is nothing like the thousands of plugins and themes offered by WordPress in the Wix world, but if you want a well-designed site and an e-commerce solution, this is a great option.

We selected this provider due to our experience with assisting a small online business owner: the learning curve was easy with no payment or downtime issues. That said, if you're used to CMS backends, the restrictive website builder can be somewhat frustrating.

Free versions, however, do contain Wix banners. You can start there, and if you like the system, convert to a paid plan and link up your chosen domain name. Plans begin at $17 per month with a free domain name thrown in.

Show Expert Take Show less

Hostinger is ZDNET's top choice because it offers excellent features at outstanding price points, with a large selection of tools to make the process easy, even for beginner webmasters. That said, our other top picks are also worthy competitors.

Web hosting service	Starting price per month	Free SSL	Money-back guarantee deadline
Hostinger	$2.49+	Yes	30 days
DreamHost	$2.95+	Yes	97 days
Ionos	$1.00+	Yes	30 days
A2 Hosting	$1.75+	Yes	30 days
GreenGeeks	$1.95+	Yes	30 days
GoDaddy	Free, $5.99+	Specific plans	30 days
Wix	Free, paid plans starting at $17/month	Yes	14 days

Use this guide to make the process of selecting your new web hosting provider simpler.

Choose this web hosting service...	If you want...
Hostinger	A one-size-fits-all hosting provider that will accommodate multiple businesses, side gigs, and personal websites, for less. It is a great way to streamline the website build and management process quickly.
DreamHost	Shared web hosting packages and a wide array of features and services. Web designers and developers can take advantage of an over three-month money-back guarantee period.
Ionos	An affordable, long-term hosting provider. Ionos has extremely positive user reviews, with many applauding easy transitions and strong customer support.
A2 Hosting	A web hosting plan for beginners. A2 plans are cheap, easy to understand, scalable, and include a website builder.
GreenGeeks	A web host that is eco-conscious. GreenGeeks provides easy-to-understand hosting packages and will plant a tree with each sign-up.
GoDaddy	A web hosting platform that tightly integrates with GoDaddy's impressive array of services. It does a good job with almost everything, including pricing and customer service.
Wix	A website with a simple setup and a focus on e-commerce. Wix gets you up and running with an attractive site quickly.

When selecting your new web hosting provider in 2024, consider these crucial factors:

Reliability: We always recommend you choose a web hosting provider with a long history of stable, reliable service. After all, your website could end up being the central hub of your business for promotion and customer communication, so constant downtime can harm your reputation.
Affordability: Your budget must be based on the purpose of your web hosting package. A single, small slice of hosting real estate for a personal blog does not cost the same as running a large e-commerce store. Set a budget you can easily afford to find the right provider.
Contract terms: The best deals are available for longer hosting periods, but you may only want to sign up for a few months or years. Check out the plans on offer and decide if they align with your goals.
Scalability: Consider your website's most important functions or uses. If you expect to grow your business over time and have heavy traffic, you need to be able to scale hosting capabilities over time. Choose a provider with upgrade options.
CMS support, templates: New website owners may want to launch their website without hiring a designer to create a custom template from scratch. See if your new host offers an easy-to-use CMS platform for backend updates, and whether website design templates are available.
Customer support: Customer support is extremely important when you sign up for a web hosting service. Whether you are a beginner or want to run many websites, you should choose a provider with different options and a reputation for solid support.

When we compiled this list, we began with web hosts ZDNET authors are personally familiar with. ZDNET does extensive testing on and research into web hosting providers, taking into consideration user reviews, competitor analysis, personal usage and experiences, and more.

Some of us have been running production websites for decades, with sites that have served millions of pages. Others have used web hosts for personal blogs, writing projects, and to help individuals launch small businesses.

We chose these providers because we believe they offer some of the best services in the market. These are the main factors we considered:

Features offered: Deciding on the best web hosting provider requires you to decide which features to prioritize. We've included options for CMS implementation, e-commerce, design services, SEO services, cybersecurity functions, and more.
Price: Naturally, the price point is a very important factor when we choose our web hosting provider recommendations. We have included options suitable for varying budgets, all the way from personal blogs to small businesses and large enterprise setups that will need to scale.
Contracts: We have endeavored to include a range of subscriptions and plans, including flexible options suitable for different web projects.
Stability: We have included only reputable web hosting providers that provide stable services with minimal downtime. After all, there's no point in having a speedy, responsive website if downtime is a constant problem.
Security: It is important that web hosting services take security seriously, so we have avoided hosts known for frequent security problems and those that lack transparency.
Customer experiences: If you are going to sign up for a long-term web hosting service, you need to know how the company treats and supports its customers. We have examined customer reviews and feedback.

Web hosting services FAQs

Wix and Squarespace are two web hosts we would recommend for beginners, although many are out there. The two platforms offer an abundance of creative templates, so users can gain experience in web development with an attractive site. If you have experience with CMS platforms, you could also look at WordPress.com.

Yes. There are many sites that allow for free hosting, but you will have a generic, branded domain. For example, if you were to have a free WordPress website, your domain would be [yourwebsitename].wordpress.com.

Be careful, though. Many of the free offers end after a period of time, and then you're stuck on a service that will likely charge you a considerable additional fee to keep using it. Or, the website host may allow you to have a free website on the condition that you allow ads to be displayed.

Web hosting can cost as little as a few dollars per month. Large-scale projects that require vast storage space and those that expect heavy volumes of traffic may need more support and resources, which will bump up the price. Enterprise-grade hosting can exceed hundreds of dollars per month, but this is overkill for many website owners.

No. A web host is the space you rent or own that stores files, whereas a web domain, such as www.mywebsite.com, is the address visitors need to visit your website. You need both for a functioning website.

If we're talking web hosts, we have to talk about WordPress. About 63% of websites with content management systems use the open-source CMS.

The WordPress ecosystem is huge, and finding the right WordPress host is a challenge on its own. Beyond WordPress.com, the service offered by the creators of the CMS, there are numerous managed hosting providers and even more hosting providers that specialize in providing a WordPress-optimized server for your website. Nearly every hosting provider will allow a WordPress install, considering its popularity.

Our recommendations include IaaS providers you probably know intimately, such as Amazon. They are highly credible vendors that have been providing infrastructure for years.

If you're just starting, you might not want to go all-in with an IaaS provider, although they offer the most flexibility. Some, like Amazon and Digital Ocean, allow you to point-and-click configure virtual WordPress machines or almost any other open-source content management system you may want. This might be overkill for SMBs, though.

A website builder is a type of software that lets you craft your business website, generally without programming knowledge or experience. Many allow you to choose from templates and then modify those templates to suit your look and layout.

Nearly all web hosting providers include some kind of website-building software, but for most hosting plans, it's often an afterthought. By contrast, the website builders listed in this section are provided by web hosting companies that have made point-and-click website building tools with excellent customer support and solid up-time.

You do sacrifice some control when choosing a website builder solution, but if you've never done any web development, and you want a beautiful, usable website quickly, these services are for you. One warning: There are a lot of lock-ins here. You won't be able to transfer the look of your site (and sometimes the content) to another hosting provider easily. Keep that in mind when you choose a website builder.

A web host is a service provider, such as Wix or GoDaddy, that provides the space, storage, and resources required to keep a website online, typically under a rental agreement. A web server is a computer system that stores files and shares them to become accessible to the web.

There are countless web hosting providers out there, and not all of them can make the list of our top recommendations, despite offering excellent service. Below, you will find other hosts to consider that may be more suitable for your unique situation: