The table includes details for popular hosting providers such as Hostinger, Bluehost, DreamHost, SiteGround, HostGator, A2 Hosting, InMotion Hosting, WP Engine, Kinsta, Cloudways and GoDaddy.
Please note that the average page load speeds are provided in seconds where available, and some entries may have limited or no data for certain fields. This table should give you a good overview of the top hosting options and their key features to help you make an informed decision.
| Name | Cost for Shared and VPS Hosting | Pros | Cons | Average Page Load Speed (ms) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hostinger | Shared: $2.99, VPS: $4.498 | Affordable pricing, fast loading speeds, good customer support, free domain with annual plans, optimized for WordPress.9 | Aggressive upselling of add-ons, higher renewal costs, limited features, and lack of scalability.10 | 40011 |
| Bluehost | Shared: $2.75, VPS: $31.9912 | Easy to use interface, Free domain for the first year, Responsive live chat support, Recommended by WordPress.org, 30-day money-back guarantee13 | Higher renewal rates, Less control over data backups, Some upsells appear on dashboard13 | 40011 |
| DreamHost | Shared: $2.59, VPS: $1014 | Unlimited data storage, unlimited bandwidth, user-friendly interface, free SSL certificates, 100% uptime guarantee, recommended by WordPress.org.15 | Occasional slowdowns due to shared resources, lack of phone support, higher renewal rates after the initial term.16 | 1.7517 |
| SiteGround | Shared: $3.99, VPS: $4.0018 | Quick website building process; Free site and email migration; Custom control panel; Award-winning customer support; 99.9% uptime guarantee; Built-in caching for improved speed.19 | Higher renewal rates; No free domain; Limited storage.19 | 220 |
| HostGator | Shared: $2.75, VPS: $23.9521 | – Unlimited Disk Space – Unlimited Bandwidth – Host Unlimited Domains (except Hatchling Plan) – cPanel Interface – 99.9% Uptime Guarantee – 45 Day Money Back Guarantee22 | – Limited VPS options – Price increases upon renewal – Server limitations23 | 66024 |
| A2 Hosting | Shared: $3, VPS: $2.9925 | Excellent uptime, high-speed hosting, low-cost introductory prices, AI-powered performance optimizations, helpful customer support, free website migrations.26 | High renewal prices, no free domain, inconsistent customer service.27 | 2.5525 |
| InMotion Hosting | Shared: $2.49 – $13.99, VPS: $19.99 – $59.9928 | Wide range of features, Speedy shared hosting plans, 90-day money-back guarantee, Unmetered bandwidth on most VPS and dedicated plans29 | No backups included with shared hosting plans, Not all plans are easy to use29 | 2.9330 |
| WP Engine | Shared: $20, VPS: $19431 | Fast load times, good uptime, user-friendly account dashboard, ability to handle traffic spikes, premium WordPress themes, daily backups, expert support staff.32 | Expensive compared to shared hosting, some features are paid extras, no phone support on entry-level plan.32 | 29233 |
| Kinsta | Shared: $30, VPS: up to $1,50034 | Fast load times, excellent support, user-friendly dashboard, free migrations, scalable servers, automatic daily backups.35 | Higher pricing compared to some competitors, no email hosting, no phone support.36 | 1.2637 |
| GoDaddy | Shared: $6.99, VPS: $4.9938 | Wide variety of services, unmetered bandwidth, 30-day money-back guarantee, reliable uptime (99.96% average), good customer support options.39 | Higher renewal prices, lack of free site migrations, inconsistent customer support, basic plans lack key features like DDoS protection.39 | 34140 |
| Cloudways | $11 – $1056/mo (Cloud Hosting) | Excellent uptime and speed performance. Easy server management. Outstanding customer support. High scalability. Easy server cloning and site staging. Host unlimited applications | Increasing prices. Limited trial period | 1.59s |
Grumble’s Personal Experience:
I started with Hostgator over 15years ago. These days, their load speed is around 10s for a basic ecom site homepage. With Google saying load speeds need to be under 2s because people click away rather than wait, they are not a viable option. My experience with Bluehost is similar when I tested a client site. They are popularly promoted because Bluehost affiliate commissions are high, not because they are good.
SiteGround had good performance but their customer service wasn’t great and extortionate fees pushed me away. A2 has customer service issues with small clients. InMotion looked good but their pricing wasn’t as competitive as I expected and the reviews were mixed. WPEngine has great ratings and an expensive offering. GoDaddy is a nightmare of incompetence and dishonesty. They sold a client 3 ssl certificates because they didn’t know how to install them, so just sold him another plan. I got him full refunds and used Cloudflare for free. $600USD refunded.
Kinsta is also on the spendy side and we’re all about saving money where we can. Cloudways used to be great, then they sold out to DigitalOcean and it all went downhill rapidly. Server speed halved and customer service was poor and ill informed. The original Cloudways team actually hired experts, not cheap Asian labor.
After the takeover, I moved a site from Dloudways VPS to Hostinger Shared and my load speed halved!
I typically get a load time with mot hosting of 1-1.5s, with Hostinger, I am usually under 1. For $29 per year for 12 sites – THAT is value for money.
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Citations:
[1] https://cybernews.com/best-web-hosting/
[2] https://www.whatsthehost.com
[3] https://www.cnet.com/tech/services-and-software/best-web-hosting/
[4] https://www.websiteplanet.com/blog/best-web-hosts-for-new-zealand/
[5] https://www.top10.com/hosting
[6] https://www.zdnet.com/article/best-web-hosting/
[7] https://www.pcmag.com/picks/the-best-web-hosting-services
[8] https://www.websitebuilderexpert.com/web-hosting/hostinger-pricing/
[9] https://www.wpbeginner.com/hosting/hostinger/
[10] https://stewartgauld.com/top-10-disadvantages-of-hostinger/
[11] https://www.quicksprout.com/hostinger-vs-bluehost/
[12] https://cybernews.com/best-web-hosting/bluehost-review/bluehost-pricing/
[13] https://webhostingcat.com/pros-and-cons/bluehost-pros-and-cons/
[14] https://www.dreamhost.com/blog/shared-vs-vps-hosting/
[15] https://webhostingcat.com/pros-and-cons/dreamhost-pros-and-cons/
[16] https://larryludwig.com/dreamhost-review/
[17] https://www.tooltester.com/en/blog/dreamhost-vs-bluehost/
[18] https://hostscore.net/review/in-depth-study-are-sitegrounds-expensive-prices-fair/
[19] https://gizmodo.com/best-web-hosting/siteground
[20] https://startblogging101.com/siteground-review/
[21] https://www.tomshardware.com/service-providers/web-hosting/hostgator-vps-and-shared-hosting-review
[22] https://webhostingcat.com/pros-and-cons/hostgator-pros-and-cons/
[23] https://hostscore.net/review/hostgator/
[24] https://nz.hostadvice.com/hosting-company/hostgator-reviews/
[25] https://www.01net.com/en/web-hosting/a2-hosting/pricing/
[26] https://gizmodo.com/best-web-hosting/a2-hosting
[27] https://www.cnet.com/tech/services-and-software/a2-hosting-review/
[28] https://www.webhostingsecretrevealed.net/blog/web-hosting-guides/inmotion-hosting-review/
[29] https://www.techradar.com/reviews/inmotion-hosting
[30] https://down.com/web-hosting/inmotion-hosting/
[31] https://cybernews.com/best-web-hosting/wp-engine-vs-bluehost/
[32] https://winningwp.com/wp-engine-for-wordpress-hosting-review/
[33] https://wpchestnuts.com/wp-engine-review/
[34] https://billwidmer.com/kinsta-review/
[35] https://wpmayor.com/kinsta-managed-wordpress-hosting-review/
[36] https://davidlykhim.com/kinsta-review/
[37] https://darrelwilson.com/review/kinsta-hosting-review/
[38] https://www.websitebuilderexpert.com/web-hosting/godaddy-hosting-costs/
[39] https://websitesetup.org/hosting-reviews/godaddy/
[40] https://cybernews.com/best-web-hosting/godaddy-review/
