Web Hosting

Planning to set up a website? The first thing you'll need is a quality web host. We've reviewed the top options, assessing their performance, pricing, features, support and usability to help you pick the right host for your site. In addition to selecting a top all-around host, we've also singled out great hosts for beginners, advanced users, those who plan to set up online stores, and those in search of a great bargain. Whether you need tons of features, great support, a super-low price or unbeatable performance, we can help you pick out the right host for your site. Check out our detailed reviews below to find out which company is right for you or use our easy web host chooser to see which companies meet all your top criteria.

BEST
Overall

BEST
Bargain

BEST FOR
Beginners

BEST FOR
Advanced

BEST FOR
eCommerce

Updated 05-30-2013

Web Hosting Reviews & Ratings


Services: Our Ratings: Bottom Line:
Hostmonster Rating:stars
Great balance of price, features and support: includes exclusive 50% discount
HostGator Rating:stars
Reliable web host with a 25% exclusive discount (code: NEXTADVISOR), particularly strong for advanced users
Yahoo! Small Business Rating:stars
Best choice for beginners serious about web hosting; great interface and support; 25% off first 12 mo
FatCow Rating:stars
Low cost plan with good reliability; easy shopping cart creator; green host; 60% exclusive discount
Network Solutions Rating:stars
Good price and great performance, but a few quirks keep it from being a gold standard; offers Windows hosting
GreenGeeks Rating:stars
Green host with solid reliability, free domain privacy, but clunky beginner tools; better for intermediate and advanced users
BlueHost Rating:stars
Nice service and features, exclusive discount, but it's a pricier version of Hostmonster
1&1 Web Hosting Rating:stars
A good bargain with strong tools and Windows hosting, but the outsourced support is only average
Lunarpages Rating:stars
Easy online site builder for beginners but tricky control panel; strong performance, offers Windows hosting
iPage Rating:stars
Inexpensive one-year plan and fast server response time; uptime not the best; exclusive discount
Myhosting.com Rating:stars
Very basic web host at a reasonable price, but questionable uptime, lacks features and options for intermediate and advanced users.
Just Host Rating:stars
A mid-priced option with solid performance but poor customer support and policies
Dreamhost Rating:stars
For intermediate to advanced users; fast data transfer and free domain privacy but very limited support
HostPapa Rating:stars
Green hosting and domain privacy are pluses, though interface was challenging and support uneven
InMotion Web Hosting Rating:stars
Adequate web hosting but needs upgrades; limited MySQL databases, advanced features.
Register.com Rating:stars
Discounted first year; frustrating limitations for advanced users, counterintuitive for beginners
Intuit Websites Rating:stars
Pricey and limited plan aimed at small businesses, includes full-featured site builder, good uptime
GoDaddy Rating:stars
Easy for beginners but very limited; a lack of blog and shopping cart are disappointing

NextAdvisor Web Hosting Blog Headlines

The Best Tools To Get Your Home-Based Business Off The Ground
Jun 5, 2013 - There are myriad challenges in starting a business from your home. Just getting the infrastructure in place to conduct business can seem like a daunting task, much less actually creating a successful operation. Fortunately, the proliferation of cloud services has

Web Hosting Deal: Get 51% Off HostGator
May 29, 2013 - If you've been looking for an excuse to start your own website, this is a good one. HostGator is currently offering their web hosting services for 51% off, but only for today, so make sure you take advantage now. All

Which Web Hosts Allow the Most Programming Languages
May 8, 2013 - Q: I want a personal web host but I want to be able to use whatever programming language I want. Which ones let you do that? A: There are a few web hosting services that allow you to use a

Get 30% Off HostGator Web Hosting
Apr 30, 2013 - Looking to create your own website or launch your business this spring? HostGator is offering NextAdvisor readers 30% off their web hosting services, as well as $1 off the purchase of any domain name. That is 30% off your first

Web Hosting and WordPress: Which Services Allow the Popular Blogging Software?
Apr 19, 2013 - Q: I want to set up a WordPress blog, which web hosting services will let me set up a WordPress blog? A: Most web hosts are compatible with WordPress, making your decision a little easier. The only major web hosting

Web Host Chooser

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Finding the Right Web Host

We have rigorously tested each of these web hosts. To measure uptime and server response time, we put up identical web sites at each hosting service we review, and have monitored all of them every five minutes continuously for more than three years. 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. You can see reliability data for the web hosts in the performance section of our compare chart. If you have specific criteria you need your web host to satisfy, check out our web host chooser, which will help you figure out which web hosts are right for you.

Website Domain Registration

All of our top 5 web hosts provide free or low cost domain registration. These web hosts bundle the domain registration with the actual hosting of the web files, creating a cohesive all-in-one package. Registering a domain gives you exclusive rights to the domain as long as you—or your web host—is paying for the domain.

How to Create a Website

After you've set up your web hosting account, you can decide how you want to build a website. Most web hosts offer you a way to build a site right in your web browser. There are also site-building programs from companies like Adobe, Apple, and Microsoft (as well as free options) that provide greater flexibility. If you want an easier start, try creating a blog. Most web hosts allow you to do this in just a few clicks, and you can incorporate it into a more full-featured site later, when you're ready.

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Disclosure: NextAdvisor.com is a consumer information site that offers free, independent reviews and ratings of online services. We receive advertising revenue from most of the services we review. Our editors thoroughly research and whenever possible test each service we review and offer their honest opinions about each one. We are independently owned and operated and all opinions expressed on this site are our own.