In order to set up a well functioning website, every person needs two things, a registered domain name and a web hosting service provider to rent server space from. In simple terms, web hosting is like renting out a virtual space for your server to store all your website files.
Most website owners usually choose to rent out from web hosting service providers rather than make their own personal space as the latter is a very expensive investment and requires an in depth technical knowhow to manage and maintain a website personally.
Here is a list of top ten website hosting services:
1. Host Gator
Established in the year 2002, Host Gator has gained a staggering amount of popularity in a very short span of time. The reason for their rising popularity is that unlike other web hosting providers, Host Gator tries to make the experience of web hosting simple and affordable. As a result, Host Gator has provided over 2 million domains, which is saying a lot as compared to other services that have been in the website hosting business for a longer time.
Host Gator may not be well advertised but it offers a very easy to use interface that customers swear by.
Host Gator offers:
- Reseller Hosting
- VPS Hosting
- Dedicated Servers
Services | Ratings |
Customer support | 5/5 |
Safety | 4/5 |
Affordable prices | 5/5 |
Ease of use | 5/5 |
Uptime | 5/5 |
You can check out their current prices athttp://www.hostgator.com/.
2. iPage
iPage is another top notch hosting service that is ideal and famous for its starter packages. It is one of the most sought for web hosting services as it provides the most affordable packages and is an ideal choice for budget conscious customers who want high quality services at economical prices.
They offer:
- Essential Hosting(their own exclusive package)
- VPS Hosting
- Dedicated Hosting
iPage even provides an added platform for users to create their websites via the templates that iPage has. It is a very easy to use control panel that can be handled easily by amateurs as well as tech geeks.
Services | Ratings |
Ease of use | 4/5 |
Security | 4/5 |
Affordability | 5/5 |
Uptime | 99.62% |
Customer support | 3.5/5 |
3. Bluehost
Founded in the year 1996, Bluehost has so far received mixed reviews. While its affordable pricing is its top selling feature, Bluehost is well known for its shared hosting services. As far as dedicated hosting services are concerned, there are many better alternatives out there.
Especially when dealing with customer support, clients have reported several unsatisfactory reports. Bluehost is currently hosting 1.6 million domain names.
Bluehost works perfectly for small to medium size businesses.
Bluehost has also had several upgrades in its cPanel, which has made Bluehost a much better hosting service in terms of its ease of use.
The biggest selling feature is Bluehost currently is the fact that it is officially promoted by WordPress this tie up has made Bluehost reliable in the eyes of WordPress users.
Services | Ratings |
Ease of Use | 4/5 |
Features | 4.5/5 |
Customer Support | 4/5 |
Uptime | 99.9% |
Affordability | 4.5/5 |
4. InMotion
InMotion hosting service is another top of the line hosting service provider that is known for its speedy services. It is a good option for people who are on the lookout for shared hosting services.
InMotion is specially known for its business plans as all the services that it provides are mostly targeted at small to medium businesses.
You can check out their current plans athttp://www.inmotionhosting.com/business-hosting?AID=10284765&PID=5603899.
In terms of their customer support services, InMotion has had an almost perfect track record.
Their control panel is pretty basic, which means that in terms of ease of use it is just the right call.
With such smooth services, InMotion is a little pricey in terms of its packages, charging almost the double of Host Gator’s prices.
If you value quality more, then InMotion is the easy choice between the two. However, for start up businesses running on a tight budget, Host Gator is the better alternative.
Services | Ratings |
Ease of Use | 5/5 |
Affordability | 3/5 |
Speed | 5/5 |
Uptime | 99.9% |
5. Just Host
Just Host has been serving the online market since the year 2002 and as suggested in its name it has proven to be a service that focuses on all your hosting needs. Their control panel is very easy to use and they take pride in their simplicity.
As far as pricing is concerned, Just Host comes with a promise of a huge range of features including a 100$ Google Adwords credit and a 50$ Facebook advertising credit.
One of the biggest drawbacks, that has put Just Host under the cynical gaze of the public, is that it only provides Linux Hosting and not Microsoft Hosting which can be a huge cause for concern for technically specific websites that are based on .Net.
It even offers multiple domains in its packages, which makes Just Host ideal for users who are in the market for opening multiple websites in one go.
Service | Ratings |
Affordability | 4/5 |
Ease of Use | 4/5 |
Security | 5/5 |
Features | 5/5 |
Customer Support | 5/5 |
6. HostMonster
HostMonster has been in the website hosting business ever since 1996. Host Monster gives the control back to its users. It does so because just like other top Hosting services, it provides a cPanel control panel that is an ideal solution for users who want complete control over all their website data.
HostMonster has won awards for its customer support services, making it ideal for amateurs who want support for when they set up their website for the first time and even for later support.
As far as pricing is concerned, HostMonster has provided a fair deal for users who are on the lookout for affordable as well as quality hosting services.
Their basic shared hosting page provides you space to create unlimited domains and as much disk space and bandwidth that you need.
HostMonster’s confidence in its services can be easily determined by its anytime money back guarantee in case users suffer any form of unsatisfactory results, which says a lot about their level of services.
Services | Ratings |
Ease of use | 5/5 |
Affordability | 4/5 |
Uptime | 99.9% |
Customer Support | 5/5 |
Security | 5/5 |
7. AN Hosting
It is a popular and powerful hosting service that provides unlimited domains bandwidth and disk space. It is a well known Drupal Hosting platform. AN Hosting was established in the year 2001, which can be translated as fairly recent as compared to other well established platforms.
The Mega plan of AN hosting is believed to be the star of their website. They offer two different hosting plans which are a Business Hosting plan and a Personal Hosting plan depending on your needs.
Their Mega plan includes 500 GB storage and a 5000 GB bandwidth all at a shockingly low rates of $6.95 per month.
They even offer a 30 day guarantee of money if users are not satisfied with their hosting experience, which is saying a lot.
Their Control Panel can be easily customized according to the needs of the users which is a feature that not many hosting services provide.
Services | Ratings |
Affordability | 5/5 |
Ease of Use | 4/5 |
Customer Support | 5/5 |
Control Panel | 5/5 |
Uptime | 5/5 |
8. SiteGround
Established in the year 2003, by a group of IT professionals, SiteGround is a relatively new web hosting service. It has currently had business with over 150,000 websites and is an ever growing platform.
They offer:
- Shared hosting
- Dedicated hosting
- VPS hosting
- Reseller Hosting
- Cloud Hosting
SiteGround is well known for its customized server needs. Their philosophy is simply. They believe that every website has its own specific server requirements that cannot be fulfilled by one size packages. SiteGround takes the initiative to create customized packages for its customers depending on the needs of their website.
Services | Ratings |
Customizable Services | 5/5 |
Speed | 5/5 |
Customer Support | 5/5 |
Security | 5/5 |
Uptime | 4/5 |
SiteGround offers smooth up gradation services. Here is a list of their current packageshttp://www.siteground.com/web-hosting.htm.
9. GoDaddy
GoDaddy is another web hosting platform that has received mixed feelings over the years. It is one of the most advertised hosting services (remember those Super Bowl ads). Therefore, it is a known service even among people who know squat about website hosting services.
Over the years GoDaddy has improved on its services and it does provide many economical packages however some additional services that it charges for can be a drag for website owners.
GoDaddy began as a domain registrar and later on took its first steps into the world of web hosting services. It even releases domain name auctions, which is one of the most attractive services of GoDaddy as it gives users the opportunity to bid for small domain names that are a rarity in the market.
As far as back end hosting management is concerned, GoDaddy has certainly improved in simplicity, however, services like Host Gator will still be considered more reliable for users who are not too equipped with the technical knowhow of renting a hosting service.
As far as limitations are concerned, even in its Deluxe plan, GoDaddy only offers a maximum of 25 websites to run on a single rented server space.
Services | Ratings |
Affordability | 3/5 |
Ease of Use | 4/5 |
Security | 4/5 |
Customer Support | 4/5 |
Backup Services | 5/5 |
10. FatCow
FatCow has been in the website hosting market since 1988. Their years of experience in the field have certainly not made FatCow the best hosting service but has made it a sought for services in the shared hosting services department.
FatCow may be the right call for novices, who want a basic level website up and running in no time. They even provide SSL certification packages for e-commerce websites.
However, when it comes to VPS hosting and Dedicated Hosting, FatCow is not the right call. Their packages are very rudimentary and make the website setup process fairly easy for newbies.
This is one of the main reasons that FatCow still enjoys the authority that it does.
They are currently running a $49 per year package which is one of the cheapest packages available in the market. However, as far as a permanent hosting solution is concerned FatCow is definitely not the solution.
Services | Ratings |
Customer Support | 3/5 |
Customization | 3/5 |
Affordability | 5/5 |
Reliability | 3.5/5 |
Simplicity | 4/5 |
Reviewing the above list will give you enough information to decide on a hosting platform that will be perfectly tailored for your needs. All you need to do is set up your requirements and pick a hosting platform that meets those requirements and you are good to go.