Updated 04-15-2013

Web Hosting Reviews & Prices

Web hosting services give you a presence on the web, by enabling you to build or upload a site on your very own domain. Create a blog, store, photo gallery, personal page, and more. While many things go into making a good web host, we've noticed that our visitors particularly appreciate a good value. That's why we've given our highest ratings to sites that offer not just quality web hosting, but also inexpensive pricing. To measure web hosting quality, we signed up for each service and then went about doing the things a normal user would do. We tested Wordpress installations, shopping cart programs, and site builders. We also contacted technical support at each web host to determine the quality of customer service. Of course, a web host must perform well too. We used Pingdom's website uptime monitoring tools to gauge the reliability and server response time for each web host. You'll find that reliability data in each review and on the performance tab. For more information on how we did our web hosting reviews, check out our web hosting FAQ.

Web Hosting Reviews & Prices


Service Name: Cheapest Price: Storage/Data Transfer: Money-Back Guarantee: Domain: Email Addresses: Support: Bottom Line:
Hostmonster$3.95/moUnlimited30 daysFree for 1 yearUnlimitedEmail, Phone, ChatGreat balance of price, features and support: includes exclusive 50% discount
HostGator$3.71/moUnlimited45 days$15/yrUnlimitedEmail, Chat, PhoneReliable web host with a 25% exclusive discount (code: NEXTDISCOUNT), particularly strong for advanced users
Yahoo! Small Business$2.62/mo for 12 mos, then $3.49/mo100 GB/1000 GB per month30 daysFree for 1 year250Email, PhoneBest choice for beginners serious about web hosting; great interface and support; 25% off first 12 mo
FatCow$3.15/moUnlimited30 daysFree for 1 yearUnlimitedEmail, Phone, ChatLow cost plan with good reliability; easy shopping cart creator; green host; 60% exclusive discount
Network Solutions$2.99/mo with NextAdvisor discount300 GB/Unlimited30 daysFree for 10 years1000Email, Phone, ChatGood price and great performance, but a few quirks keep it from being a gold standard; offers Windows hosting
Service Name: Cheapest Price: Storage/Data Transfer: Money-Back Guarantee: Domain: Email Addresses: Support: Bottom Line:
GreenGeeks$4.95/moUnlimited30 daysFree for lifeUnlimitedEmail, Phone, ChatGreen host with solid reliability, free domain privacy, but clunky beginner tools; better for intermediate and advanced users
BlueHost$4.95/moUnlimited30 daysFree for 1 yearUnlimitedEmail, Phone, ChatNice service and features, exclusive discount, but it's a pricier version of Hostmonster
1&1 Web HostingUnlimited plan: $4.99/mo for the first 12 months, then $6.99/moUnlimited90 daysFree for 1 year500Phone, EmailA good bargain with strong tools and Windows hosting, but the outsourced support is only average
Lunarpages$4.95/moUnlimited30 daysFree for 1 yearUnlimitedEmail, PhoneEasy online site builder for beginners but tricky control panel; strong performance, offers Windows hosting
iPage$1.99/mo for three mos, then $2.95/moUnlimited30 daysFree for 1 yearUnlimitedEmail, Phone, ChatInexpensive one-year plan and fast server response time; uptime not the best; exclusive discount
Service Name: Cheapest Price: Storage/Data Transfer: Money-Back Guarantee: Domain: Email Addresses: Support: Bottom Line:
Myhosting.com$3.95/moUnlimited30 daysFree for 1 year10Email, PhoneVery basic web host at a reasonable price, but questionable uptime, lacks features and options for intermediate and advanced users.
Just Host$3.25/moUnlimitedProrated refundFree for 1 yearUnlimitedEmail, ChatA mid-priced option with solid performance but poor customer support and policies
Dreamhost$8.95/moUnlimited97 daysFree for 1 yearUnlimitedEmail, ChatFor intermediate to advanced users; fast data transfer and free domain privacy but very limited support
HostPapa$3.95/moUnlimited30 daysFree for lifeUnlimitedPhone, Chat, EmailGreen hosting and domain privacy are pluses, though interface was challenging and support uneven
InMotion Web Hosting$5.95/moUnlimited30 daysFree for 1 yearUnlimitedEmail, Phone, ChatAdequate web hosting but needs upgrades; limited MySQL databases, advanced features.
Service Name: Cheapest Price: Storage/Data Transfer: Money-Back Guarantee: Domain: Email Addresses: Support: Bottom Line:
Register.com$4.95/mo5GB storage
20GB transfer
30 daysFree for 1 year1Email, Phone, ChatDiscounted first year; frustrating limitations for advanced users, counterintuitive for beginners
Intuit Websites$19.99/mo5GB storage
100GB transfer
30 daysFree for 1 year5Phone (first 90 days)
Email
Pricey and limited plan aimed at small businesses, includes full-featured site builder, good uptime
GoDaddy$3.99/mo1GB disk space
150GB transfer
Prorated refund$9.99/yr1Email, PhoneEasy for beginners but very limited; a lack of blog and shopping cart are disappointing
Service Name: MySQL Databases: Available OS: Shell Access: Google Adwords: Wordpress: Programming Languages: Host-Based Backup:
HostmonsterUnlimitedLinuxYes$100YesPHP, Perl, Python, Ruby, CGI, SSIYes
HostGatorUnlimitedLinux/WindowsYes$100YesPHP, Perl, Python, Ruby, CGI, SSI, ASPYes
Yahoo! Small BusinessUnlimitedLinuxNo$50NoPHP, PerlYes
FatCowUnlimitedLinuxNo$100YesPHP, Python, CGIYes
Network Solutions25Linux/WindowsNoNoneYesPHP, Perl, Python, Ruby, Java, Zend,CGI, SSI, JSP, ASP, .NETNo
Service Name: MySQL Databases: Available OS: Shell Access: Google Adwords: Wordpress: Programming Languages: Host-Based Backup:
GreenGeeksUnlimitedLinuxYesNoneYesPHP, Perl, Python, Ruby, CGI, SSIYes
BlueHostUnlimitedLinuxYes$100YesPHP, Perl, Python, Ruby, CGI, SSIYes
1&1 Web Hosting25Linux/WindowsYesNoneYesPHP, Perl, Python, Ruby, Zend, SSIYes
LunarpagesUnlimitedLinux/WindowsYes ($2/mo)$50YesPHP, Perl, Python, Ruby, CGI, SSINo
iPageUnlimitedLinuxNo$100YesPHP, Perl, Python, CGI, SSI, ASPYes
Service Name: MySQL Databases: Available OS: Shell Access: Google Adwords: Wordpress: Programming Languages: Host-Based Backup:
Myhosting.com3LinuxYes$25YesPHP, PerlNo
Just HostUnlimitedLinuxYes$50YesPHP, Perl, Python, Ruby, CGI, SSIYes
DreamhostUnlimitedLinuxYes$75YesPHP, Perl, Python, RubyYes
HostPapaUnlimitedLinuxNo$100YesPHP, Perl, CGI, SSIYes
InMotion Web Hosting2LinuxNo$75YesPHP, Perl, Python, CGI, SSIYes
Service Name: MySQL Databases: Available OS: Shell Access: Google Adwords: Wordpress: Programming Languages: Host-Based Backup:
Register.com1LinuxNoNoneYesNoneYes
Intuit Websites0N/ANoNoneNoNoneNo
GoDaddy0N/ANo$100NoNoneNo
Service Name: User Level: 44-Month Avg. Reliability: 44-Month Avg. Response Time: 77MB Download Test: Number of Domains: SiteBuilder: Ecommerce Components:
HostmonsterBeginner to Advanced99.83%.822s49sUnlimitedIntermediateGood
HostGatorBeginner to Advanced99.98%.256s1m 08s1EasyExcellent
Yahoo! Small BusinessBeginner99.95%.803s1m 04s1EasyExcellent
FatCowBeginner to Advanced99.76%.448s4m 56sUnlimitedIntermediateExcellent
LunarpagesBeginner to Advanced99.97%.905s48s3IntermediateExcellent
Service Name: User Level: 44-Month Avg. Reliability: 44-Month Avg. Response Time: 77MB Download Test: Number of Domains: SiteBuilder: Ecommerce Components:
Network SolutionsBeginner to Advanced99.76%.663s2m 18sUnlimitedn/aGood
1&1 Web HostingBeginner to Intermediate99.98%.429s1m 22sUnlimitedEasyExcellent
Myhosting.comBeginner to Advanced99.30%.519sN/A Test Pending50IntermediateExcellent
GreenGeeksIntermediate to Advanced99.87%.911s25MB maximum file sizeUnlimitedIntermediateFair
BlueHostBeginner to Advanced99.84%.821s48sUnlimitedIntermediateGood
Service Name: User Level: 44-Month Avg. Reliability: 44-Month Avg. Response Time: 77MB Download Test: Number of Domains: SiteBuilder: Ecommerce Components:
iPageBeginner to Advanced99.56%.419s4m 38sUnlimitedEasy to IntermediateExcellent
Just HostIntermediate to Advanced99.86%.863s50sUnlimitedIntermediateVery Good
DreamhostIntermediate to Advanced99.84%.339s55sUnlimitedIntermediateNone
HostPapaBeginner to Intermediate99.88%.433s2m 22sUnlimitedIntermediateGood
In Motion Web HostingBeginner99.89%.522s1m 17s8 (w/ 6 parked)n/aGood
Service Name: User Level: 44-Month Avg. Reliability: 44-Month Avg. Response Time: 77MB Download Test: Number of Domains: SiteBuilder: Ecommerce Components:
Register.comBeginner99.81%.566s47s1IntermediateFair
Intuit Web HostingBeginner99.88%.1463s53s1EasyVery Good
GoDaddyBeginner to Intermediate99.97%.151sn/a1n/aExcellent


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