Top 7 Cheap Web Hosting Services

Pricing, Performance, and Feature Comparison (2023)

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Maddy Osman

Maddy Osman

Web Developer & Writer

Everyone loves a good bargain, whether it’s for food, clothing, or even web hosting. And while usually quality might suffer with cheaper prices, we can confidently say this doesn’t apply to web hosting services.

We actually recommend small business and personal website owners to start with affordable web hosting plans, as it allows them to test out multiple features, tools, and even web hosts without the stress of a big price tag. Over time, even the most affordable plans that hosting providers offer have improved enough to be sufficient for most website owners today.

Still, not all of the cheapest web hosting plans are created equal. That’s why we put together our list of the best low-cost web hosting plans on the market today.

In this guide, you will learn what cheap website hosting really is, what to expect from it, and the best cheap web hosting providers.

The Best Cheap Web Hosting Service in 2023

There are tens if not hundreds of affordable web hosting service providers out there. Unlike most other reviewers, we have been a customer of many of them to test their performance and monitor their customer support over the past 5 years.

Having spent over $30,000 of our own money over the years doing this, we have got a very clear picture of who you should spend your hard-earned money with and who you should avoid. Our performance tests focus on uptime (the percentage of time your website is actually available to everyone on the internet) and response time (meaning how quickly the web server responds if someone wishes to access your website)

Below is a short summary of the 7 best affordable web hosting providers in 2023:

Web Host Monthly Price From Avg. 1-Year Uptime (higher is better) Avg. Response Time (lower is better)
Hostinger $2.99 99.96% 318 ms
Dreamhost $2.59 99.86% 1,815 ms
A2 Hosting $2.99 99.98% 295 ms
Namecheap $1.98 99.93% 329 ms
InMotion $2.49 99.99% 331 ms
Bluehost $2.75 99.91% 661 ms
iPage $1.99 99.66% 1,830 ms

Just so you know, we’re taking the introductory price into account when determining which web hosts have the cheapest plans. However, we’ve taken care to point out the renewal prices below.

1. Hostinger – Best Overall

Hostinger offers excellent reliability and server response time at an affordable starting price with its shared hosting plans. They also have cloud hosting and VPS-hosting plans to cater for bigger websites with more traffic. As a bonus, all of their plans include an AI-powered website builder which is intuitive to use. In this article, we will focus on the most affordable”Premium Web Hosting plan”. It’s used to host up to 100 websites, offers weekly backups and 100 GB SSD storage. There is also 24/7 chat support and free malware scanner to keep your site safe from any trouble. It also comes with a free domain, unlimited SSL certificates and free email accounts.

You can use our promo code WEBSITESETUP to get 7% off on all plans that are 12 months or longer.

Performance Data: Our 2022 records show that Hostinger had an average uptime of 99.96% and an average server response time of 318 ms, which are excellent. 

Introductory Price: $2.99/month (four-year commitment).

Renewal Price: $7.99/month (four-year commitment), $8.99/month (two-year commitment), $9.99/month (one-year commitment), or $11.99/month (monthly payments).

Visit Hostinger.com

2. DreamHost – Best Monthly Plan

Dreamhost’s shared hosting plans and prices.

DreamHost’s 97-day money-back guarantee is one of the most generous in the industry, providing you with three months to test its services and features. And what’s even better is that this guarantee applies to DreamHost’s cheapest “Shared Starter plan”. DreamHost is our preferred choice if you just want to tip your feet into the water with your first website as their monthly payment plan is very reasonably priced compared to other hosting providers. The most affordable plan supports one website with 50 GB of storage. There is no limit on your traffic and you can either use their in-house website builder or install WordPress with 1 click. Their hosting is below average from the performance side, but nothing to worry about for someone just starting out.

Performance Data: In 2022, DreamHost reported an average uptime of 99.86% and an average response time of 1,815 ms, which are below par.

Introductory Price: $2.59/month (three-year commitment).

Renewal Price: $5.99/month (three-year commitment), $6.99/month (one-year commitment), $4.95/month (monthly payments).

Visit DreamHost.com

3. A2 Hosting – Best Hosting Performance

A2 Hosting’s plans and prices.

A2 Hosting is mostly known for their exceptional performance in the hosting world. The “Startup plan” is definitely no exception – it’s perfect for professionals who’ll benefit from its speedy response times, dependable uptime and advanced features. To get into details, the Startup plan hosts 1 website (which they will migrate for free if you’re coming from another hosting provider), 100 GB storage and unlimited bandwidth. There is also a free website builder if you’re just starting out. On the flipside, you do have to take care of your own backups and domain name.

Performance Data: In 2022, A2 Hosting delivered an average uptime of 99.98% and an average server response time of 295 ms, which are phenomenal.

Introductory Price: $2.99/month (one-year commitment).

Renewal Price: $9.99/month (three-year commitment), $9.99/month (two-year commitment), $9.99/month (one-year commitment), or $11.99/month (monthly payments).

Visit A2Hosting.com

4. Namecheap

Namecheap’s shared hosting plan prices.

Namecheap is mostly known as a domain registrar but does offer hosting services as well. From our list, it has the lowest overall starting price with its “Stellar shared hosting plan”. If you leave out free hosting (which is very limited in general), this plan is as cheap as it gets while still offering good performance. You can host up to three websites, get 20 GB of SSD storage, two weekly backups (not automatic, so make sure to back up your website often), and unmetered bandwidth. They even offer a free domain in some cases. For that affordable price, they offer reliable uptime and excellent server response time.

Performance Data: Namecheap has excellent uptime (99.93% in 2022) and server response time in the same period (329 ms).

Introductory Price: $1.58/month (two-year commitment).

Renewal Price: $3.50/month (two-year commitment), $3.74/month (one-year commitment), or $4.48/month (monthly payments). 

Visit Namecheap.com

5. InMotion Hosting

InMotion’s shared hosting plans and prices.

InMotion Hosting caters to most customers’ needs by offering shared, WordPress, VPS and dedicated hosting. Our focus is on their Core plan as it’s the most affordable of their offerings. Besides the expected web hosting functionality for up to 2 websites, InMotion provides additional benefits with its “Core shared hosting plan”, like marketing tools and a 90-day money-back guarantee. You also get 100 GB of SSD disk space, malware and DDoS protection, unlimited bandwidth and 24/7 live support. You’ll have to foot the bill for your domain, though and keep track of your backups.

Performance Data: In 2022, InMotion Hosting delivered an average uptime of 99.99% and an average server response time of 331 ms, which are stellar.

Introductory Price: $2.49/month (three-year commitment).

Renewal Price: $8.99/month (three-year commitment), $9.49/month (two-year commitment), or $9.99/month (one-year commitment).

Visit InMotionHosting.com

6. Bluehost

Bluehost’s plans and prices.

Bluehost is one of the most popular hosting providers globally and recommended by WordPress.org. They offer a wide variety of hosting products so if your site takes off, you will be well taken care off with their more premium plans. Without too many bells and whistles, Bluehost’s Basic plan is just that — basic. It offers support for 1 website and provides you a free domain name for the first year. However, the storage it offers is below average at 10 GB and there is no malware scanning or daily backups which would be a nice touch at this price point. However, Bluehost has been around since 2003 so your website will definitely be in good hands with them.

Performance Data: In 2022, Bluehost delivered an average uptime of 99.91% and an average server response time of 661 ms — not bad, but not great.

Introductory Price: $2.95/month (one-year commitment).

Renewal Price: $9.99/month (three-year commitment), $9.99/month (two-year commitment), $10.99/month (one-year commitment), $12.99/month (six-month commitment), $13.99/month (three-month commitment), or $14.99/month (monthly payments).

Visit Bluehost.com

7. iPage

iPage’s Go plan pricing.

iPage is a hosting provider primarily focusing on affordable shared hosting. What’s unique about iPage is that it doesn’t distinguish its shared hosting plans by tiers, unlike the other web hosts on this list. It just offers a singular “Go plan”. However, the Go plan is a lot of value for the money, offering unlimited websites and storage. They also provide you with a free domain for a year and a free website builder. As is the norm in today’s world, 24/7 support is also included. Keep in mind, though, that daily backups and domain privacy protection are not included so make sure to take care of those yourself.

Performance Data: In 2022, iPage delivered an average uptime of 99.66% and an average server response time of 1,830 ms, among the worst results we have on record.

Introductory Price: $1.99/month (three-year commitment).

Renewal Price: $7.99/month (three-year commitment), $8.99/month (two-year commitment), or $9.99/month (one-year commitment).

Visit iPage.com

What Counts as Cheap Web Hosting?

Cheap hosting usually refers to hosting plans that are lower priced, have fewer features, and cater to smaller websites. Based on our research, the cheapest hosting plans cost from $1.98/month to $5.99/month. The low prices are usually only available if you choose a longer-term contract. You’ll get a much better price if you pay your plan two, three, or even four years in advance. This will mean more money leaves your pocket upfront, but you save more in the long run.

Shared hosting is the most common type of cheap hosting plan. Signing up for a shared hosting plan means your website will share server resources with a number of other websites.

And while these shared plans have fewer features than more expensive hosting options, they’re perfect for anyone wanting to run a single website or two.

Small businesses and personal blogs that don’t expect much web traffic work great with shared hosting plans.

Some hosting platforms also offer free options, but these plans often include conditions that may not appeal to some customers. For instance, they usually restrict websites to around 300 visits per month and don’t include access to a 24/7 customer support team.

Advantages of Cheap Web Hosting

The primary advantages of cheap web hosting are its affordability and ease of use.

Affordability

The lower barrier to entry means pretty much anyone can afford a hosting plan and build a website nowadays. And as we’ve mentioned, cheaper hosting plans are perfect if you’re thinking of building a website for your small business or personal blog.

Ease of Use

Cheap hosting plans provide the necessities for hosting a website. That means that once you’ve paid for your plan, what’s left is to set up your website and go live.

There are no additional services to configure, simplifying the setup process compared to more expensive hosting options like VPS or dedicated hosting.

Disadvantages of Cheap Web Hosting

On the downside, cheap web hosting plans offer fewer resources and security features.

Limited Resources

A common thread among most cheap hosting plans is the limited resources available to customers. This limitation manifests differently depending on the web host, but some commonalities exist.

Most cheap hosting plans come with the following limitations:

  • Less disk space(i.e., less storage)
  • Less RAM
  • Reduced bandwidth

These resource limitations affect your website’s scalability (and growth potential).

Final Thoughts

Cheap hosting isn’t synonymous with bad hosting. On the contrary, we recommend beginners, small business owners, and entrepreneurs start with low-cost web hosting plans.

Not only will you save money, but you’ll also have most (if not all) of the tools you need to build a high-performing website.

The only drawback is many of these hosting plans aren’t built to scale, so you may find yourself butting up against the plan’s limitations. But that may be a blessing in disguise.

Starting with a cheap hosting plan lets you familiarize yourself with running a website or online store without the added pressure of an expensive price tag.

Once your website receives more traffic, you can always upgrade it to a more advanced plan.