{"id":106930,"date":"2024-09-26T23:26:16","date_gmt":"2024-09-26T23:26:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/arielle.com.au\/?post_type=review&p=106930"},"modified":"2026-05-11T01:48:55","modified_gmt":"2026-05-11T01:48:55","slug":"best-website-hosting-providers-in-australia","status":"publish","type":"review","link":"https:\/\/arielle.com.au\/best-website-hosting-providers-in-australia\/","title":{"rendered":"11 Best Website Hosting Providers In Australia (2026 Guide)"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Changing web hosting providers is complex, clunky and expensive. Which is why you need to choose the right one from the start. I’m here to help. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

You’ll find a bit of nerd talk in this review, but I promise it won’t be overwhelming. Just enough to help you compare different providers and help you make the right choice.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/div>\n\n\n\n

1. Crazy Domains<\/a>.<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Monthly prices starting at $7.50.<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

You want to know what\u2019s crazy about Crazy Domains<\/a>? <\/p>\n\n\n\n

They have servers in Australia, Europe, Asia, India, New Zealand, the Middle East, the UK, and the USA. No other web hosting provider in this review has a comparable geographic spread.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/div>\n\n\n\n

Pros.<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

For websites that attract international audiences from all over the world, having this kind of server spread gives you greater consistency over speed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

My tests registered an average speed of 867ms. It might not be as fast as GoDaddy\u2019s 292ms (see below), but anything less than one second is generally considered fast.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

GoDaddy only has servers in the USA, Netherlands, and Singapore, which impacts their global network consistency.<\/span><\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n

Being fast is one thing, but being consistently fast is another. You see a wider range of speeds when using faraway servers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I\u2019d rather see a much less volatile range of speed with a less volatile moving average.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Expert Tip.<\/h3><\/div>

For business plans, Crazy Domains promises up to four times faster hosting. We\u2019ve yet to test this, and there is no reference to what this is being benchmarked against. So the jury is still out on this.<\/p><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n

Malware protection is included in all hosting packages, so you won\u2019t feel coerced into purchasing any hidden bolt-ons at the checkout.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

And if things don\u2019t work out, you\u2019ve got a 60-day money-back guarantee.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Important!<\/h3><\/div>

Not that this matters to the hedonists among you, but Crazy Domain says it uses low-power servers, resulting in a 16% reduction in power usage.<\/p><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n

It\u2019s not like they\u2019re making a big difference like GreenGeeks, who are carbon neutral, but it\u2019s a step in the right direction towards a greener future.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/div>\n\n\n\n

Cons.<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Crazy Domains<\/a> is on the stingy side when it comes to SSD storage. Their basic plan comes with 10GB, and if you want to unlock greater storage, it\u2019s going to cost you $19.50 per month for 50GB.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The average Internet webpage is 230MB, so you\u2019re covered for around 40 to 50 pages of content.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Let\u2019s not forget that Hostinger offers 50GB right off the bat with their basic plan. A2 Hosting (see below) offers 100GB. Yep, 100 big ones.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

So if you\u2019re a content creator, or if you publish visual media regularly, Crazy Domain will start to verge on expensive.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The price isn\u2019t the cheapest, being almost twice as much as Hostinger.<\/span><\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n

Your hosting under the basic plan covers you for one website, whereas Hostinger lets you host up to 100.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Only those looking to host a single site will find Crazy Domains good value for money. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

That said, you don\u2019t get the freebies like domain registration. And you only get an SSL certificate for your first year.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Hostinger and Dreamhost provide SSL certificates every year.<\/span><\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n

There is no telephone support with Crazy Domains, either. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

They\u2019ve got a telephone line for sales, though.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Because making money is more important than keeping you online \u2013 at least, that\u2019s my cynical view, but perhaps there\u2019s some truth in there. What do you think?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/div>\n\n\n\n

Verdict.<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

For Australian web traffic, Crazy Domains<\/a> is as good as it gets. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

It’s the best web hosting provider for people who plan to host one simple site (e.g., personal blog, small company website).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But if you need huge amounts of storage, be prepared to spend a little extra (or choose Hostinger, below).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/div>\n\n\n\n
How Does Crazy Domains Stack Up?<\/th>Score<\/th><\/tr><\/thead>
Features<\/td>6\/10<\/td><\/tr>
Ease Of Use<\/td>7\/10<\/td><\/tr>
Performance<\/td>7\/10<\/td><\/tr>
Support<\/td>7\/10<\/td><\/tr>
Pricing<\/td>8\/10<\/td><\/tr>
OVERALL<\/strong><\/td>7\/10<\/strong><\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
<\/div>\n\n\n\n
\n
Click For A Great Price<\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n
<\/div>\n\n\n\n

Specifications.<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
<\/div>\n\n\n\n
Uptime:<\/td>99.9%<\/td><\/tr>
Customer Support:<\/td>Webchat – Yes
Telephone Support – No
24\/7 Availability – Yes<\/td><\/tr>
DDoS Protection:<\/td>Yes<\/td><\/tr>
Free SSL Certificates:<\/td>1st Year<\/td><\/tr>
Free Domain Registration:<\/td>No<\/td><\/tr>
Bandwidth:<\/td>Unmetered<\/td><\/tr>
Speed:<\/td>867ms<\/td><\/tr>
Server Locations:<\/td>Australia, Europe, Asia, India, New Zealand, the Middle East, the UK, and the USA.<\/td><\/tr>
Basic Plan SSD Storage:<\/td>10GB<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
<\/div>\n\n\n\n

2. Hostinger<\/a>.<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Monthly prices starting at $2.99<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Hostinger is an employee-owned web hosting service and domain registrar that offers fast shared hosting to beginners. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Advanced and enterprise users, meanwhile, get private dedicated servers, and even cloud hosting. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Hostinger even throws in a free drag-and-drop website builder, but you’ll probably never use it.<\/span><\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n
<\/div>\n\n\n\n

Pros.<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Hostinger’s lowest-tier package<\/a>, Premium, packs some serious firepower for a package starting at $2.99.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Are you currently paying more?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Does your current host allow you to stack up to 100 different websites under the same plan? <\/span><\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n

You know, we really ought to be sharing our web host subscriptions like we do our Netflix subscriptions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Other hosts, like GoDaddy, literally only allow you to host one website under their base package. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

If you\u2019re a website builder, you can offer hosting to your clients and charge a small markup to give them a fully comprehensive website management service.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Important!<\/h3><\/div>

Hostinger offers excellent website loading speeds of around 377ms due to their Litespeed web technology, a speed which is second only to GoDaddy (discussed later).<\/p><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n

GoDaddy\u2019s base package will cost you over twice as much at $7.95, hardly a justification for the imperceptible speed difference.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Hostinger has great server location coverage, including servers in Singapore and Indonesia. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Some web hosting providers literally concentrate their resources in the USA or Europe \u2013 leaving us Aussies under-serviced.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The closer you are to servers, the greater your speed.<\/span><\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n

Hostinger also offers free domain registration and a free SSL certificate. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

For comparison, Namecheap charges an annual fee of $5.99 for an SSL certification (more details on what they are in the FAQs section).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Expert Tip.<\/h3><\/div>

The lowest-tier package also includes <\/strong>automatic weekly backups of your website, whereas other hosts will charge you for the luxury.<\/p><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n

You’ve also got 50GB of storage with the basic plan, so content-rich websites need not worry about limits. A typical plan has around 10GB to 20GB, some have as low as 5GB<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/div>\n\n\n\n

Cons.<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Although Hostinger stipulate unlimited bandwidth<\/a>, there is a fair use policy<\/a> \u2013 but almost all website hosts use some kind of trickery to suck you in.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Like it or lump it, that\u2019s the industry we\u2019re dealing with. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

You can count on my signature if you\u2019ve got time to set up a petition and organise a rally. However, your time is better spent researching to find the actual policy and its limitations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Hostinger states: <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cShared hosting accounts are allotted up to 3GB for database usage, while cloud hosting accounts have a 6GB limit.\u201d<\/span><\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n

Doesn\u2019t sound like it\u2019s unlimited, does it?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Most web hosts use this marketing phraseology (I cover the difference between unlimited bandwidth<\/em> and unmetered bandwidth<\/em> later in this article).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Hostinger also dispenses with the most popular control panels widely used across other web hosts (cPanel and Plesk).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

hPanel is available, and while it\u2019s an intuitive control panel and easy to use, you might already be familiar with the widely adopted cPanel. I suspect those who are will begrudgingly adopt this new control panel.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Important!<\/h3><\/div>

The lack of telephone support puts Hostinger at a serious disadvantage. <\/p><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n

In the past, I\u2019ve had serious issues when migrating from one host to another, and other challenges in the day-to-day operations of my site.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If your website is down, especially if it’s generating a tonne of revenue, you can\u2019t afford to hang around waiting for someone to get back to you a few hours later.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Expert Tip.<\/h3><\/div>

Serious businesses should consider paying for Liquid Host, which guarantees 100% uptime and has a 59-second guaranteed response time on the telephone. <\/p><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n

Basic hosting plans cost you over ten times as much, though.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/div>\n\n\n\n

Verdict.<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Hostinger is the best web hosting service<\/a>, a superb all-round option that pleases most of the people most of the time, and prices are totally reasonable, perhaps because they’re employee-owned.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The biggest detractor is the inability to get through to a human on the telephone like you can with Liquid Web, GoDaddy, and Bluehost. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

It’s rare you’ll need to, but it’s a feature you may wish you had if your online trading comes to a sudden halt.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/div>\n\n\n\n
How Hostinger Stack Up?<\/th>Score<\/th><\/tr><\/thead>
Features<\/td>8\/10<\/td><\/tr>
Ease Of Use<\/td>7\/10<\/td><\/tr>
Performance<\/td>9\/10<\/td><\/tr>
Support<\/td>8\/10<\/td><\/tr>
Pricing<\/td>8\/10<\/td><\/tr>
OVERALL<\/strong><\/td>8\/10<\/strong><\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
<\/div>\n\n\n\n
\n
Click For A Great Price<\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n
<\/div>\n\n\n\n

Specifications.<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
<\/div>\n\n\n\n
Uptime:<\/td>99.5%<\/td><\/tr>
Customer Support:<\/td>Webchat – Yes
Telephone Support – No
24\/7 Availability – Yes<\/td><\/tr>
DDoS Protection:<\/td>Yes<\/td><\/tr>
Free SSL Certificates:<\/td>Yes<\/td><\/tr>
Free Domain Registration:<\/td>Yes<\/td><\/tr>
Bandwidth:<\/td>Unlimited<\/td><\/tr>
Speed:<\/td>377ms<\/td><\/tr>
Server Locations:<\/td>USA, UK, Brazil, Lithuania, Netherlands, India, and Singapore.<\/td><\/tr>
Basic Plan SSD Storage:<\/td>50GB<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
<\/div>\n\n\n\n

3. Bluehost<\/a>.<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Monthly prices starting at $4.42.<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Bluehost is one of the stalwarts of the industry and has been around since 2003, and they’re trusted by over two million people. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

It’s the longest-running WordPress-recommended host, but what does being a veteran of the hosting space mean for you?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/div>\n\n\n\n

Pros.<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Bluehost packages<\/a> come at an excellent price. Despite not being the cheapest, the basic package costs just under $4.50 per month when paid for annually.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

They offer a free domain with most hosting plans. That\u2019s not something that Crazy Domains, Namecheap, and Liquid Web offer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Expert Tip.<\/h3><\/div>

A free domain can save you around $20 to $50 + GST annually. <\/p><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n

This is especially ideal for bootstrapped startups and freelancers. You want to minimise the costs you sink to dip your toes in the water to see if your venture is viable.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It\u2019s great that Bluehost has telephone support despite its somewhat limited operating hours (7 am-12 am EST).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If you\u2019re in Australia, you can call them from around 8 am till 4 pm, which is fairly decent. Although that’s not quite as generous as GoDaddy\u2019s 24\/7 service for their Melbourne and Sydney offices.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Bluehost also has an awesome uptime guarantee of 99.98% (yes, to two decimal places). <\/span><\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n

Other hosts like Namecheap and Crazy domains guarantee only 99.9%. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

You might not think that makes a huge difference, but that works out at about three additional days of uptime throughout the year.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Can you stop trading or your online activities for three days every year?<\/span><\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n

An uptime guarantee of 99.98% guarantees your site will run for at least 364.3 days per year. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Important!<\/h3><\/div>

If you want 100% guarantees, Dreamhost and Liquid Web have covered you and will actively compensate you for any downtime.<\/p><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n

Bluehost is heavily focused on attracting the WordPress and WooCommerce market, and with each account, they automatically install and update WordPress.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Their bespoke web hosting services provide a suite of plugins and tools designed specifically for optimising these websites. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

If you’re in that space, you’ll benefit from their additional features and support.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Such features include Yeost SEO, store creation, gift cards, and web analytics.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/div>\n\n\n\n

Cons.<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

The speed of Bluehost isn\u2019t all that it’s cracked up to be (maybe it is for those in other corners of the world). Website page loading speeds surpassed one second.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Important!<\/h3><\/div>

In Australia, when using Bluehost, our closest server location is in China. That\u2019s potentially why we’re not getting our bang for our buck.<\/p><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n

It\u2019s not the king of speed that will send visitors packing, but it might impact their engagement levels on your pages.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As for what\u2019s included in their plans, they\u2019re hardly feature-rich. The basic plan covers only one website, and the pro plan covers only five websites.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Wait a minute. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Hostinger\u2019s basic plan covers you for up to 100 websites \u2013 and it\u2019s more than twice as fast.<\/span><\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n
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Important!<\/h3><\/div>

Bluehost will cost you an arm and a leg if you’re managing multiple websites. <\/p><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n

Those starting new projects and needing time to warm up domain authority don\u2019t want to be encumbered with hosting costs while you\u2019re in the build phase of your enterprise.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The basic package doesn\u2019t come with telephone support, nor do they carry out backups or malware scanning \u2013 features which I would argue are basic.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

While you get a free domain in your first year, the renewal rates are ridiculously high, at around $20 per year. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

At Hostinger, renewal will cost you between $10 to $15 per year for popular extensions like .com.<\/span><\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n

Bluehost offers you a Free SSL<\/a> certificate for the first year \u2013 Namecheap and Liquid Web don\u2019t. You have to pay a monthly fee for those, starting at $5.99 per year.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Even so, others are non-discriminatory and offer you a free SSL certification yearly.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/div>\n\n\n\n

Verdict.<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

If you’re building WordPress sites or WooCommerce stores, Bluehost is a front-runner<\/a>. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

However, anyone who owns a suite of websites will want to find a more cost-effective solution. Multiple subscriptions soon get expensive.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/div>\n\n\n\n
How Does Dreamhost Stack Up?<\/th>Score<\/th><\/tr><\/thead>
Features<\/td>6\/10<\/td><\/tr>
Ease Of Use<\/td>7\/10<\/td><\/tr>
Performance<\/td>6\/10<\/td><\/tr>
Support<\/td>7\/10<\/td><\/tr>
Pricing<\/td>7\/10<\/td><\/tr>
OVERALL<\/strong><\/td>6.4\/10<\/strong><\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
<\/div>\n\n\n\n
\n
Click For A Great Price<\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n
<\/div>\n\n\n\n

Specifications.<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
<\/div>\n\n\n\n
Uptime:<\/td>99.98%<\/td><\/tr>
Customer Support:<\/td>Webchat – Yes
Telephone Support – (Plus membership and above: 7 am to 12 am EST)
24\/7 Availability – Yes<\/td><\/tr>
DDoS Protection: <\/td>Yes<\/td><\/tr>
Free SSL Certificates:<\/td>1st Year<\/td><\/tr>
Free Domain Registration:<\/td>Yes<\/td><\/tr>
Bandwidth:<\/td>Unmetered<\/td><\/tr>
Speed:<\/td>1.1 seconds<\/td><\/tr>
Server Locations:<\/td>India, USA, UK, China.<\/td><\/tr>
Basic Plan SSD Storage:<\/td>10GB<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
<\/div>\n\n\n\n

4. Dreamhost<\/a>.<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Monthly prices starting at $2.59.<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

You’ll be hard-pressed to find a budget-friendly host that offers a 100% uptime guarantee. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

But is the promise of 100% uptime worth sacrificing a little speed? With data centres based exclusively in the US, those on different continents are the most impacted by slower speeds.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/div>\n\n\n\n

Pros.<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Dreamhost is the second-cheapest<\/a> web hosting service in this review, with hosting plans starting at $2.95 per month. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The cheapest is Namecheap, whose prices start at $1.98 per month.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But Namecheap doesn\u2019t promise a 100% uptime guarantee.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

With multiple data centre locations, redundant cooling, emergency generators, and constant monitoring, Dreamhost can do just that.<\/span><\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n

If they don\u2019t, they recompense the customer in line with the established guidelines.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A failure to provide 100% uptime will result in customer compensation in line with the terms of service.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Okay, so they\u2019re not going to reimburse you for lost sales, but a web hosting company that pays out is willing to take a hit themselves.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

That kind of financial pressure keeps them on their toes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Customers receive DreamHost<\/a> credits equal to their hosting cost for each hour of service interruption.<\/span><\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n

Dreamhost also offers a free SSL certificate regardless of whether it\u2019s your first or tenth year. You can also register a domain for free, too.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

You have little to lose, as they offer a 97-day money-back guarantee. The likes of Bluehost and Hostinger only offer 30 days. Ninety-seven days is by far the most generous I\u2019ve come across.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

SSD of 50GB is also generous and ten times what VentraIP offers (5GB).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/div>\n\n\n\n

Cons.<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Dreamhost is a great budget-friendly option<\/a>, but it does not deliver high performance. Their servers are slow.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Website page speed averages around 1.75 seconds, dangerously close to the three seconds experts unanimously agree<\/a> drive traffic away.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Important!<\/h3><\/div>

I suspect it\u2019s down to the servers being exclusively located in the USA.<\/p><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n

Australians are likely to suffer more due to the geographic distance. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

If you want a stable connection, VentraIP (discussed shortly) has a server based in Sydney, which provides us Aussies with reliable web hosting!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Important!<\/h3><\/div>

Don\u2019t buy into the marketing spiel about Dreamhost offering unlimited bandwidth or unmetered traffic.<\/p><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n

If you go over your allocated transfer bandwidth for a month, they bill you at the rate of $1 per additional 10GB.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I find their acceptable use policy<\/a> wholly unacceptable \u2013 not because of the charges but because of the smoke and mirrors surrounding the mention of \u201cunlimited\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

You must also pay for malware bolt-ons like DreamShield Protection, which costs an additional $3 per month.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Malware protection is included in Hostinger and Crazy Domain hosting plans.<\/span><\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n

Even though there is no telephone support, they came back to me in less than 30 seconds and they were helpful when I deliberately asked a couple of dumb questions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Expert Tip.<\/h3><\/div>

When choosing your hosting plan, there\u2019s a tiny imperceptible drop-down arrow in the upper-right corner that allows you to switch from a shared plan to a starter plan.<\/p><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n

There appears to be no difference in price. The only difference is that one allows you to host unlimited websites.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

So many people will miss that and look elsewhere.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/div>\n\n\n\n

Verdict.<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

The promise of 100% uptime, unlimited website hosting, and free SSL certificates is enticing, but the trade-off of sluggish speeds and lack of malware protection means your performance will, at times, suffer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Why would you want to pay an additional $3 per month for malware protection (a cost that is higher than the hosting service itself)?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/div>\n\n\n\n
How Does Dreamhost Stack Up?<\/th>Score<\/th><\/tr><\/thead>
Features<\/td>6\/10<\/td><\/tr>
Ease Of Use<\/td>6\/10<\/td><\/tr>
Performance<\/td>6\/10<\/td><\/tr>
Support<\/td>6\/10<\/td><\/tr>
Pricing<\/td>9\/10<\/td><\/tr>
OVERALL<\/strong><\/td>6.6\/10<\/strong><\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
<\/div>\n\n\n\n
\n
Click For A Great Price<\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n
<\/div>\n\n\n\n

Specifications.<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
<\/div>\n\n\n\n
Uptime:<\/td>100%<\/td><\/tr>
Customer Support:<\/td>Webchat – Yes
Telephone Support – No
24\/7 Availability – Yes<\/td><\/tr>
DDoS Protection:<\/td>Yes<\/td><\/tr>
Free SSL Certificates:<\/td>Yes<\/td><\/tr>
Free Domain Registration:<\/td>Yes<\/td><\/tr>
Bandwidth:<\/td>Unlimited<\/td><\/tr>
Speed:<\/td>1.75 seconds<\/td><\/tr>
Server Locations:<\/td>USA<\/td><\/tr>
Basic Plan SSD Storage:<\/td>50GB<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
<\/div>\n\n\n\n

5. Namecheap<\/a>.<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Monthly prices starting at $1.98.<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Namecheap, as the name implies, is unsurprisingly \u2013 you guessed it \u2013 cheap. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

In fact, it’s the cheapest web hosting service in this review. But is there a compromise in quality? Let\u2019s take a closer look.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/div>\n\n\n\n

Pros.<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

If you self-identify as a cheapskate, your eyes will be drawn immediately to the price tag of $1.98 per month. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Rub your eyes \u2013 pinch yourself if you must. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

You\u2019re not dreaming.<\/span><\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n

When ogling the prices of Namecheap packages<\/a>, it’s a little like wearing beer goggles, when the effects of alcohol make a person seem more attractive. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The stellar prices can distort our logic in this same way. But get up close and personal, and you start to see some imperfections (which we\u2019ll discuss in a moment).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/path><\/path><\/svg><\/div>

Important!<\/h3><\/div>

Namecheap\u2019s basic plan allows you to host three websites, and the next plan up, the Stellar Plus, allows you to add unlimited websites and mailboxes for only a dollar extra per month.<\/p><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n

Wow!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

All that for around $3 per month.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In fact, I\u2019ve not been totally honest, because you can get these plans even cheaper when you sign up for the 2-year plan. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The basic plan (Stellar) comes at $1.58 per month, and the Stellar Plus works out at $2.28 per month.<\/span><\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n

Based on that, you\u2019d expect some significant catch, but you get a free SSL certificate for the first year, a 100% uptime guarantee, and free domain registration.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It\u2019s well worth the extra dollar per month for the Stellar Plus package because that gives you access to AutoBackup \u2013 their proprietary technology that archives your all-important files.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In the worst-case scenario of losing your site, you\u2019d never have to rebuild it from scratch with outdated versions. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

You get access to six daily, three weekly, and five monthly backups.<\/span><\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n

Not only does Namecheap back your website up, but your account files, databases, emails, and settings are all stored too.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Plus, while 20GB is a modest amount of SSD storage, it\u2019s a damn site better than the 10GB you get with Bluehost or the paltry 5GB you get with VentraIP.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/div>\n\n\n\n

Cons.<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Namecheap performed pretty poorly in our speed tests, and that\u2019s likely due to the servers being based in the US, the UK, and the Netherlands.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A website page download speed of just under two seconds is noticeable. <\/span><\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n

It\u2019s right on the verge of the point where visitors consider clicking the back button.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

When it comes to managed WordPress hosting, as opposed to the standard shared hosting, they boast 0.7 seconds loading time<\/a>, suggesting that they\u2019re faster than Bluehost and GoDaddy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But these results have not been independently verified, so I remain dubious.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

By the way, if you want to tap into a UK server, you have to pay an extra dollar per month. Seems a poor excuse for picking a man\u2019s (or woman\u2019s) pockets every month.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I also found it confusing that their mid-tier plan, Stellar Plus, has unlimited space, but the upper tier has a limit of 50GB.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Why on earth would the mid-tier plan offer greater storage?<\/span><\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n

I asked the question, but the response I got from Namecheap was that there is extra caching with the premium tier.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I was also peeved to learn that free SSLs are not included in the EasyWP Starter subscription. Namecheap does a clever job of only revealing this to you once you\u2019ve signed up.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Even though an SSL certificate costs around $5.99, I still can\u2019t condone the lack of transparency. They know what they\u2019re doing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/div>\n\n\n\n

Verdict.<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Namecheap is the cheapest<\/a> standalone hosting service I could find, but if you\u2019re not price-sensitive, you might want to consider choosing a web hosting provider that provides a faster service. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

If you’re blogging for a hobby or setting up one of your first websites, Namecheap is a sound choice.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/div>\n\n\n\n
How Namecheap Stack Up?<\/th>Score<\/th><\/tr><\/thead>
Features<\/td>6\/10<\/td><\/tr>
Ease Of Use<\/td>7\/10<\/td><\/tr>
Performance<\/td>7\/10<\/td><\/tr>
Support<\/td>5\/10<\/td><\/tr>
Pricing<\/td>9\/10<\/td><\/tr>
OVERALL<\/strong><\/td>6.8\/10<\/strong><\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
<\/div>\n\n\n\n
\n
Click For A Great Price<\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n
<\/div>\n\n\n\n

Specifications.<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
<\/div>\n\n\n\n
Uptime: <\/td>100%<\/td><\/tr>
Customer Support:<\/td>Webchat – Yes
Telephone Support – No
24\/7 Availability – Yes<\/td><\/tr>
DDoS Protection:<\/td>Yes<\/td><\/tr>
Free SSL Certifications:<\/td>1st Year<\/td><\/tr>
Free Domain Registration:<\/td>Yes<\/td><\/tr>
Bandwidth:<\/td>Unmetered<\/td><\/tr>
Speed:<\/td>1.88 seconds<\/td><\/tr>
Server Locations:<\/td>USA, UK, Netherlands.<\/td><\/tr>
Basic Plan SSD Storage:<\/td>20GB<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
<\/div>\n\n\n\n

6. Liquid Web<\/a>.<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Monthly prices starting at $17.50.<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Liquid Web<\/a> is one of the few web hosts that doesn\u2019t rely on woolly marketing phraseology like \u201cunmetered bandwidth\u201d and \u201cunlimited bandwidth\u201d to plug its products. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

So if it\u2019s not offering unlimited anything, then what is it offering?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/div>\n\n\n\n

Pros.<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Let me kick off with that point specifically. Here we have a host for serious business, with prices starting at $17.50 per month (ten times as much as Namecheap).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Did you spit your proverbial coffee out?<\/span><\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n

Here, wipe it up with this: Liquid Web offers 2TB (or 2,000GB) of bandwidth. All the other hosts out there claim to offer unlimited or unmetered bandwidth, but we already know those guys give you the sucker punch in their \u201cfair usage\u201d policies.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

LOL.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It\u2019s a wonder the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission doesn\u2019t crack down on this blatant false advertising.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Hostinger states, \u201cShared hosting accounts are allotted up to 3GB for database usage.\u201d 3GB versus 2,000GB?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Which do you think is more apt to carry out the heavy lifting of your website?<\/span><\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n

Each website is different, but businesses need approximately 100Mbps per 1,000 users.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

You\u2019ll quickly run out of bandwidth on other plans. Can you afford to run out?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I wanted to hammer that point home, but there\u2019s so much more to shout about. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/path><\/path><\/svg><\/div>

Important!<\/h3><\/div>

Liquid Web offers lightning-fast website loading speeds of 400ms, almost as fast as GoDaddy\u2019s (292ms), the fastest in this review.<\/p><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n

You\u2019ve also got unlimited access to tech experts. And the best part? They commit to answering your call within 59 seconds.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

They self-certify as the most helpful humans in hosting. I don\u2019t disagree. Oh, and they guarantee 100% uptime like Bluehost and Dreamhost.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

To do this, they’ve pumped a lot of resources into proactively monitoring server performance, and they detect most issues before they cause disruptions or downtime.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/div>\n\n\n\n

Cons.<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Liquid Web is expensive, but is it really? When you weigh up the value you\u2019re getting, many would argue that it\u2019s inexpensive.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If Hostinger will hold you ransom to an unlimited-but-not-really-limited cap of 3GB of bandwidth, that means they\u2019re only offering 0.15% of what Liquid Web is.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Granted, if you\u2019re a startup or freelancer, you\u2019re much better off signing up to Namecheap and saving yourself a few bucks every month.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/path><\/path><\/svg><\/div>

Important!<\/h3><\/div>

You don\u2019t get free SSL certificates or free domain name registrations with Liquid Web. It\u2019s not a hosting service that\u2019s operating in the same space as those with broader appeal.<\/p><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n

It\u2019s a service aimed at keeping businesses operational, to protect their omni-channel presence.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Yes, the packages are confusing. There are eight main plans, ranging from $17.50 to $912.50 per month.<\/span><\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n

Move on swiftly if you\u2019re not prepared to pay this kind of money.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Their plans go up to 10TB of bandwidth.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/div>\n\n\n\n

Verdict.<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

I could go on at length about the business packages that Liquid Web offers<\/a>, but I don’t want to overwhelm you. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

If you’re prepared to spend a little more, you gain a whole lot more.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If your websites generate tens of thousands of dollars in revenue, what\u2019s $20, $50, or a few hundred bucks a month? A sound investment to keep you operational, that\u2019s what. You’re buying peace of mind.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/div>\n\n\n\n

Specifications.<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
<\/div>\n\n\n\n
Uptime:<\/td>100%<\/td><\/tr>
Customer Support:<\/td>Webchat
Telephone Support
24\/7 Availability<\/td><\/tr>
DDoS Protection:<\/td>Yes<\/td><\/tr>
Free SSL Certificates:<\/td>No<\/td><\/tr>
Free Domain Registration:<\/td>No<\/td><\/tr>
Bandwidth:<\/td>Metered (but refreshing to see some transparency)<\/td><\/tr>
Speed:<\/td>400ms<\/td><\/tr>
Server Locations:<\/td>USA, Netherlands.<\/td><\/tr>
Basic Plan SSD Storage:<\/td>15GB<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
<\/div>\n\n\n\n

7. VentralP<\/a>.<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Monthly prices starting at $7.<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

You want a custom plan? VentraIP enters the chat. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

You have complete control over your resource limitations that suit your hosting needs \u2013 with the freedom and flexibility to change this anytime after you\u2019ve activated your plan. It’s also an Australian web hosting provider.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/div>\n\n\n\n

Pros.<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Ever been locked into a plan only to find yourself looking for ways to get out of it? You don\u2019t need to do that with VentraIP.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

You can ramp up your disk space (starting at 5GB and going up to 100GB), your CPU usage, and memory.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

No other plans in this review allow you to do that.<\/span><\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n

However, the custom plans don\u2019t always work out as competitive. If you want 50GB of storage, plans start at $19 per month. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Hostinger gives you that for $2.99 \u2013 A2 Hosting (discussed shortly) gives you a whopping 100GB with prices starting at $2.99.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/path><\/path><\/svg><\/div>

Important!<\/h3><\/div>

The customisability is welcome, but the economics behind it… not so much.<\/p><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n

There are other standard plans (without the customisation) starting at $7 per month.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

All plans come with a free SSL certificate, indefinitely. They won\u2019t start suddenly billing you the following year like Namecheap.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The website loading speeds are super-fast. Their data centre is based in Sydney after all!<\/span><\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n

Local servers are more reliable and will give you consistent speeds. If most of your online business is domestic trade, go with a host with an Australian server. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/path><\/path><\/svg><\/div>

Expert tip.<\/h3><\/div>

The only other hosting service in this review with Aussie servers is Namecheap.<\/p><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n

You get hourly backups of your web files too, which is the most superb version control being offered in this review.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

They even offer reseller hosting plans, something many hosts refrain from dabbling in.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/div>\n\n\n\n

Cons.<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

If you have an international reach, your traffic might be consistent for Aussie users but substandard for those on the other side of the world.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

VentraIP has no European or American servers.<\/span><\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n

The storage in the basic plan is about the most minimal money can buy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But why would you want to pay $7 for 5GB of storage when you can pay a lot less with A2 Hosting and unlock 100GB?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It\u2019s a no-brainer for me.<\/span><\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n

VentraIP isn\u2019t the best hosting provider as far as value for money is concerned. Their basic packages are so watered down that you\u2019ll need to upgrade to a medium tier to get a comparable basic service.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Their Starter+ is in \u201cfree trial\u201d territory, and I wouldn\u2019t advise anybody to part with $7 a month for it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/path><\/path><\/svg><\/div>

Important!<\/h3><\/div>

It\u2019s a web host that\u2019s 100% Australian-owned and operated, and I really want to love it, but charging an extra $30 a month for priority technical support is utter madness.<\/p><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n

You might as well go with Liquid Web and get access to the best experts in the marketplace and a response time of less than 59 seconds.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What next, a charge on mouse clicks?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Come on, guys, you can do better than this.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/div>\n\n\n\n

Verdict.<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Despite being an Australian web hosting company, something which we should always make an effort to support to keep the money circulating in our own country, it has a long way to go to be viewed in the same light as the market leaders.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Their speeds are great, but the bolt-on charges suck. The price isn\u2019t consistent with the service being offered.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/div>\n\n\n\n

Specifications.<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
<\/div>\n\n\n\n
Uptime:<\/td>99.9%<\/td><\/tr>
Customer Support:<\/td>Webchat – Yes
Telephone Support – Yes
24\/7 Availability – Yes<\/td><\/tr>
DDoS Protection:<\/td>Yes<\/td><\/tr>
Free SSL Certificates:<\/td>Yes<\/td><\/tr>
Free Domain Registration:<\/td>Yes<\/td><\/tr>
Bandwidth: <\/td>Unlimited<\/td><\/tr>
Speed:<\/td>480ms<\/td><\/tr>
Server Locations:<\/td>Sydney, Australia.<\/td><\/tr>
Basic Plan SSD Storage:<\/td>5GB<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
<\/div>\n\n\n\n

8. A2 Hosting<\/a>.<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Monthly prices starting at $2.99.<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

A2 Hosting packs a serious punch and does things that few other hosts do at this price. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Take a look at any Reddit forums and you\u2019ll find tonnes of fanboys singing their praises, and rightly so.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/div>\n\n\n\n

Pros.<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

A2 Hosting comes at an excellent price, regardless of the package you pay for. The Startup package comes as low as $2.99, and the Turbo Max (the highest tier) starts as low as $14.99.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/path><\/path><\/svg><\/div>

Important!<\/h3><\/div>

Regardless of which plan you opt for, SSL certificates are included, as is the 24\/7\/365 guru crew support.<\/p><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n

Submit a ticket, email them, chat with them, call them. Get in touch with them however you prefer \u2013whether it\u2019s at 3:00 am, New Year’s Eve, or February 29th.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Where A2 Hosting is superior is its generous SSD storage of 100GB in the base package. Remember, VentraIP charge $7 and only offers 5GB.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If you want to spend a little more, you can opt for the Turbo Boost package for $6.99 per month, giving you unlimited NVMe storage.<\/span><\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n

No cap.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

(And I mean that in both senses \u2013 no cap as in the American slang that\u2019s infiltrating Aussie lingo these days, meaning \u201cno lie\u201d.)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/path><\/path><\/svg><\/div>

Expert Tip.<\/h3><\/div>

A2 Hosting offers you a hassle-free 30-day money-back guarantee. And they genuinely mean it. <\/p><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n

They don\u2019t interrogate you if you want to part ways, and you don\u2019t have to send what I refer to as a shitter-gram<\/em> (strongly worded emails that can\u2019t be ignored) just to get your money back.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/div>\n\n\n\n

Cons.<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Website loading speeds on A2 Hosting were just below one second. It\u2019s acceptable, but it\u2019s not lightning-quick. If you\u2019re publishing lots of visual media, every millisecond counts.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Get yourself a subscription with GoDaddy that can deliver speeds up to 292ms.<\/span><\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n

That\u2019s even more exceptional considering they don\u2019t have an Aussie server. Our closest one for GoDaddy is Singapore.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

You don\u2019t get a free domain with A2 Hosting. If you want the full package (including a free domain and SSL certificates), VentraIP has you covered.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/div>\n\n\n\n

Verdict.<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

With lots to love and little to loathe, A2 Hosting has become one of the top web hosting companies in the industry since its launch in 2001. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The storage space is a huge draw.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If you\u2019re a photographer uploading high-resolution images or a videographer uploading 4K or 8K footage, you won\u2019t run out of space for a long time with A2 Hosting.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/div>\n\n\n\n

Specifications.<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
<\/div>\n\n\n\n
Uptime:<\/td>99.9%<\/td><\/tr>
Customer Support:<\/td>Webchat – Yes
Telephone Support – Yes
24\/7 Availability – Yes<\/td><\/tr>
DDoS Protection:<\/td>Yes<\/td><\/tr>
Free SSL Certificates:<\/td>Yes<\/td><\/tr>
Free Domain Name:<\/td>No<\/td><\/tr>
Bandwidth:<\/td>Unlimited<\/td><\/tr>
Speed:<\/td>980ms<\/td><\/tr>
Server Locations:<\/td>USA, Netherlands, Singapore.<\/td><\/tr>
Basic Plan SSD Storage:<\/td>100GB<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
<\/div>\n\n\n\n

9. GoDaddy<\/a>.<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Monthly prices starting at $7.95.<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

GoDaddy is the original gangster of domain registrars. It was founded in 1997, and it ditched its butt-ugly, goofy daddy mascot from its logo in 2018. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

It\u2019s undergone quite an evolution since its conception.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It\u2019s the largest hosting company in the world<\/a>, hosting over 15% of all websites. However, it\u2019s in the process of handing over the keys to Bezos and Amazon Web Services. Eugh.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/div>\n\n\n\n

Pros.<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Like many, GoDaddy was the first host I ever used. You pop in a Google search and GoDaddy is likely to be the one at the top of the list.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It has blazing-fast website loading speeds of 292ms. <\/span><\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n

That\u2019s exactly the kind of stable speed you need when you\u2019re an e-commerce site. You don\u2019t want to give customers a single reason to abandon their shopping carts.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Give them speed, and they give you money.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This impressive speed paves the way for seamless transactions. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/path><\/path><\/svg><\/div>

Important!<\/h3><\/div>

It\u2019s even more impressive considering their server locations are only in the USA, Netherlands, and Singapore. Sadly, there are no Aussie servers like Namecheap and VentraIP.<\/p><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n

But who cares if they can deliver on what truly matters?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Included in all packages is telephone support, a free SSL certificate, and domain registration. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The basic plan comes with 25GB of SSD storage, which is better than most, although not as amazing as A2 Hosting\u2019s 100GB.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

So, why does GoDaddy feature towards the back end of this review?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/div>\n\n\n\n

Cons.<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

GoDaddy loves to pester you with constant phone calls, trying to upsell you. They’ll still pester you if you ever part ways until you block their number.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I wish they put as much effort into developing a great customer service team. They\u2019re seriously lacking where competitors are thriving.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

They have nothing on VentraIP\u2019s guru crew or Liquid Web\u2019s tech experts.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

When submitting a ticket, expect a wait time of up to 48 hours.<\/span><\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n

The chat support is inconsistent, too. A default response from a human adviser consists of signposting you to the FAQs forums to do it yourself.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Back when I was a complete noob to the web hosting game, I had serious issues trying to change my nameservers when migrating from another host manually.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The process wasn\u2019t convoluted by any stretch, but it wouldn\u2019t have been difficult for the adviser to intervene and roll up their sleeves instead of turning me away.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

At least they have telephone support, though. Hostinger, Dreamhost, and Namecheap are only available through chat and ticketing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/div>\n\n\n\n

Verdict.<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

GoDaddy is a brand you can trust, make no mistake about that. Despite their size, they’re not some faceless, inaccessible corporation. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

With blazing-fast speeds, free domain registration, and free SSL certificates, it’s a solid all-rounder that more than covers most.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/div>\n\n\n\n

Specifications.<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
<\/div>\n\n\n\n
Uptime:<\/td>99.9%<\/td><\/tr>
Customer Support:<\/td>Webchat – Yes
Telephone Support – Yes
24\/7 Availability – Yes<\/td><\/tr>
DDoS Protection:<\/td>Yes<\/td><\/tr>
Free SSL Certificates:<\/td>Yes<\/td><\/tr>
Free Domain Registration:<\/td>Yes<\/td><\/tr>
Bandwidth:<\/td>Unmetered<\/td><\/tr>
Speed:<\/td>292ms<\/td><\/tr>
Server Locations:<\/td>USA, Netherlands, Singapore.<\/td><\/tr>
Basic Plan SSD Storage:<\/td>25GB<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
<\/div>\n\n\n\n

10. Cloudways<\/a>.<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Monthly prices starting at $12.63.<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Cloudways by Digital Cloud offers managed cloud hosting that caters to the technophiles out there, and it\u2019s a host that offers true scalability.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/div>\n\n\n\n

Pros.<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Cloudways doesn\u2019t have any physical data centre and instead acts as an intermediary, enabling you to host your data at different centres. You can choose from around 65 data centres around the world.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This makes it super easy to scale your business across different regions when demand and traffic increases.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

With Cloudways, you can pay as you go on an hourly or monthly basis and simply stop paying when you deactivate.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

That\u2019s true flexibility.<\/span><\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n

I like the pricing page and how they list the packages instead of showing them side by side. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The only differences between the plans are RAM, processors, storage, and bandwidth. So it’s simpler to decide based on your system requirements.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Important!<\/h3><\/div>

VentraIP has a never-ending list of features, and while they\u2019re trying to create an impression that it\u2019s a feature-rich hosting provider, all that information is bamboozling.<\/p><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n

At Cloudways, help is always given to those who ask for it. You\u2019re only 90 seconds away from being able to get in touch with a human.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Time is money. Who wants to spend it waiting in call queues?<\/span><\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n

My favourite feature that\u2019s unique to Cloudways is the real-time server monitoring application that’s available on your own dashboard.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Liquid Web offers real-time monitoring, but they don\u2019t give you visibility. You have to trust that they\u2019re doing what they say they are.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

With Cloudways, you can see for yourself how you\u2019re performing versus your hosting plan limitations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/div>\n\n\n\n

Cons.<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

When looking through their website, they make a tonne of claims about performance and power and reliability and flexible and ironclad security. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

They talk about how they’re powered by a fully optimised stack with built-in advanced cache and CDN.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But what the hell does this mean for us buffoons?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Without context, it\u2019s hyperbole. <\/span><\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n

For the average user, it makes it hard to compare what\u2019s actually being offered.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Just give us the facts, and we’ll make up our own minds about how you measure up versus the other industry veterans.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Expert Tip.<\/h3><\/div>

You’ll find more information on their pricing page. Disregard the marketing and promotional nonsense.<\/p><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n

Cloudways packages are expensive, starting at $12.63, but cloud hosting is a separate service in its own right. But now is not the right time to digress and discuss the differences.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But on paper, cloud hosting can seem costly compared to shared hosting and WordPress site solutions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Important!<\/h3><\/div>

The average website loading speed was the slowest at 2.1 seconds. That\u2019s dangerously close to the 3-second threshold where 50% of users will abandon a website.<\/p><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n

<\/div>\n\n\n\n

Verdict.<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Only go for Cloudways if you’re up to speed with the benefits of using a cloud hosting service. Better value-for-money packages exist for hobbyists, freelancers, and SMEs alike.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/div>\n\n\n\n

Specifications.<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
<\/div>\n\n\n\n
Uptime:<\/td>99%<\/td><\/tr>
Customer Support:<\/td>Webchat – Yes
Telephone Support – Yes
24\/7 Availability – Yes<\/td><\/tr>
DDoS Protection:<\/td>Yes<\/td><\/tr>
Free SSL Certificates:<\/td>Yes<\/td><\/tr>
Free Domain Registration:<\/td>No<\/td><\/tr>
Unlimited Bandwidth:<\/td>No<\/td><\/tr>
Speed:<\/td>2.1 seconds<\/td><\/tr>
Server Locations:<\/td>No Physical Data Centres.<\/td><\/tr>
Basic Plan SSD Storage:<\/td>25GB<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
<\/div>\n\n\n\n

11. HostPapa<\/a>.<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Monthly prices starting at $2.95.<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

HostPapa is a cheap web hosting solution on par with Hostinger, Dreamhost, Namecheap, and A2 Hosting for its budget-friendly prices. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Its infrastructure is basic, but there\u2019s nothing overtly offensive about its product offering. Storage is where HostPapa trumps them all.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/div>\n\n\n\n

Pros.<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

HostPapa\u2019s monthly prices are competitive \u2013 great if you\u2019re looking to host a blog or a startup business.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

With their basic plan, they give you a generous 100GB of storage. That\u2019s higher than any other in this review, like A2 Hosting.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

You\u2019ve also got access to telephone support, and their award-winning PapaSquad Support Team is available 24\/7\/365.<\/span><\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n

They\u2019re an international team, though. You won\u2019t get through to a fellow Aussie like with VentraIP.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

HostPapa offers a free SSL certificate, free domain registration, and decent speeds.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/div>\n\n\n\n

Cons.<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

HostPapa\u2019s base package only covers you for one website, so serial entrepreneurs and website owners with multiple sites need to look elsewhere.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I hate to burst your bubble if you\u2019re looking for unlimited bandwidth. It doesn’t exist. Despite the marketing spiel, you don\u2019t actually get that with HostPapa.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

They\u2019re one of the most pedantic when it comes to so-called fair usage. <\/span><\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n

According to their policy, there is \u201cno defined upper limit\u201d, but that doesn\u2019t stop them from imposing an upper limit.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

They\u2019ve been known to send out automated messages and shut down small blogging websites, basically holding people to ransom until they upgrade their package and pay a much higher monthly fee.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

When you have little technical knowledge, what else can you do?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Their ethics and business practices are questionable.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/div>\n\n\n\n

Verdict.<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

HostPapa, for all its freebies, just doesn\u2019t set the world on fire. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

It seems to lack an identity, a certain je ne sais quoi <\/em>that distinguishes it from all the other hosting services in this review, apart from the 100GB storage.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

They offer shared hosting, reseller hosting, WordPress hosting, and dedicated hosting \u2013 everything but cloud hosting.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/div>\n\n\n\n

Specifications.<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
<\/div>\n\n\n\n
Uptime:<\/td>99.9%<\/td><\/tr>
Customer Support:<\/td>Webchat – Yes
Telephone Support – Yes
24\/7 Availability – Yes<\/td><\/tr>
DDoS Protection:<\/td>Yes<\/td><\/tr>
Free SSL Certificates:<\/td>Yes<\/td><\/tr>
Free Domain Registration:<\/td>Yes<\/td><\/tr>
Bandwidth:<\/td>Unlimited<\/td><\/tr>
Speed:<\/td>610ms<\/td><\/tr>
Server Locations:<\/td>Canada, USA.<\/td><\/tr>
Basic Plan SSD Storage:<\/td>100GB<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
<\/div>\n\n\n\n

What To Look For In A Web Hosting Service.<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

There’s a whole heap of marketing jargon that web hosting services like to throw out there, like DDoS protection \u2013 which is pretty standard across all services.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

24\/7 customer support is a nice-to-have, but how often do you plan on calling up your host? <\/span><\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n

You might need them a little when setting up, but I doubt it’s ever going to be an emergency.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As for uptime guarantee is much of a muchness, with most promising and delivering above 99%. And almost all web hosting providers offer you a free site transfer or migration.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

So, here’s where the difference lies:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/div>\n\n\n\n

1. Loading Speeds.<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

If your web pages take longer than three seconds to load, over 50% of your traffic will move on<\/a>. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Amazon carried out a study back in 2006 that found that every 100ms<\/a> in added page load time cost them 1% in sales. Walmart carried out a similar study that saw a +2% conversion per one-second load time improvement.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Speed converts.<\/span><\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n

Although many web hosting services boast lightning-fast speeds, they rarely offer any guarantees or display transparent information about their average speeds, partly because there are so many variables.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The biggest one? Server location.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Important!<\/h3><\/div>

The closer your traffic is to your server location, the faster the loading speed.<\/p><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n

If you’re living in Australia, you’ll want a hosting service like VentraIP which has a server based in Sydney. Failing that, find a host with a server location in Singapore.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/div>\n\n\n\n

2. Unlimited Bandwidth Versus Unmetered Bandwidth.<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

You’ll often hear of a hosting company offering unmetered bandwidth and unlimited bandwidth, both of which are slightly different.<\/p>\n\n\n\n