Last Updated on February 1, 2023 by Obaro Alidou K.
If you are looking for the best cheap web hosting for your online projects, here is your best chance. You’ll understand in this guide the real meaning of “cheap web hosting” and then get analysis to find the best cheap hosting providers ever made in the world.
First, you should…
Make No Mistake!
Whether you want to start a blog, launch an online store, or build your business website, you need to make the difference between “Cheap web hosting” and “Poor hosting”. Most people just consider the price only as a metric for deciding whether a host is cheap or not. But you know what? They are all wrong. There are other factors that should be considered too for the costumers’ satisfaction.
Thankfully, I’m here to clear them all so that you know every secret about cheap web hosting and how to get one that shines. Let’s get into the business…
What is Cheap Web Hosting?
“Cheap web hosting” first means you’ll pay less than required. When you are getting a quality hosting service (I insist on this) for a fraction of the price, then it is cheap hosting. So the low price is not necessarily what makes a web host “cheap”. It is a combination of both low cost and quality service.
Difference between Cheap Web Hosting and Poor Hosting
Let’s consider the following two scenarios:
Scenario 1: You are paying $5/mo for a hosting service that provides you the most important features, acceptable performance and level of security, and OK tech support.
Scenario 2: You grabbed a $1/mo hosting deal that includes restrictions on important features, slow loading servers, regular downtimes, zero security, and unreachable tech support.
The result: In scenario 1, you have what I call “cheap web hosting”.
In scenario 2, the price is lower but you are getting nothing in return for your bucks in addition to frustration. That is what I call “poor web hosting”. And, unfortunately, that is what most people on the internet are promoting.
So first, cheap web hosting is not related to the cost only, but to the quality of service as well. The kind of quality that makes you feel like you are not paying enough.
To make it simple, cheap web hosting is low cost hosting with premium service.
Secondly, “cheap web hosting” also means “no hidden fee” and “zero cancellation fee as well. I recommend that you always ask the support about it before buying. If you notice they don’t want to answer, then you’ll need to dig into the (TOS) to find out.
The lowest cost is not what makes a web host #cheap#. It is a combination of both low cost and quality service.Click To TweetHow Much Does Cheap Web Hosting Cost?
There is no universal cost for cheap hosting. However, after having dealt with dozens of hosting companies since 2008, I have learned a thing or two.
A cheap web hosting deal with great performance, top of the line security, and one of the most helpful support, should not exceed $70 for the first year, and $150/year when renewing (for the entry-level plan of course). This is what comes out after I have tested 98+ web hosting companies and hundreds of servers on worldwide locations.
As you now know what cheap web hosting means and how much it should cost, I think the following inescapable question is…
How To Get Cheap Web Hosting That Doesn’t Suck?
OK! You know what it is but now, how do you get it?
The answer is quite simple: Just find the best one. The question now is…
How Do You Find The Best Cheap Web Hosting?
Best usually depends on your needs, expertise, projects, and budget. But, as we are dealing with “cheap web hosting”, it is easier to define “best”.
The best here is the web host which is Fast, Reliable and provides a responsive 24h/7 technical support via live chat and/or phone (I hate tickets) for a fraction of the price.
Fast means your website loads under 1s-3s, and reliable means your website is secure and available to users nearly all the time.
For a hosting company to achieve that, it should have…
Solid Hosting Platform
By “solid hosting platform”, I mean a feature-rich infrastructure made with cutting-edge server technologies and some top security rules. For cheap hosting to be quoted as one of the best web hosts, it should at least supply clients with:
- The best server configuration (NGINX / LiteSpeed Web Server)
- The latest HTTP/2 Protocol and PHP7.x
- Secure system (Application and Network Firewalls)
- Virus & Malware Removal (free)
- Data centers all around the globe
- A CDN
- Free backups and…
- A Redundant Network (to avoid website crashes).
Keep in mind that all the security capabilities above (Application and Network Firewalls) must be free of charge.
If a pretended “cheap web host” (flattering prices) comes to you and lacks one of those features, please, look for a better deal if you really care about your business. If not, you will regret sooner or later.
Another important metric for a cheap web host to be one of the best is…
Generous Server Resource Limitations
I won’t be focusing on jargon like RAM and CPU because these are the least important part of the puzzle for most websites. Sure, they play a vital role, but unless you have a huge resource demanding or high traffic site, you’ll not experience any RAM or CPU issues.
Therefore, I will focus on what is more likely to affect every website:
- File Limits
- Concurrent Connections
The ideal cheap web host allows room for growth on its servers.
If you’re not aware, inodes represent the number of files you can upload to your hosting account and the Entry Process (or Concurrent connections) is the number of simultaneous connections your website can support without becoming slow or crashing.
A good cheap web hosting provider should allow you a minimum of 100K-150K inodes and 10-20 Entry process limits on its lowest plan (I insist, on the lowest plan). Higher plans should come with larger inodes and EP.
Cheap Web Hosting Companies to Avoid
You know how to get a quality cheap web hosting offer…but, what about some mistakes to avoid? Apart from the cost, here are the top #2 mistakes people make when browsing for cheap web hosting deals. I made them when I first started and it sucked— so don’t do the same!
#1. EIG Hosting Brands
EIG has bought 80+ hosting brands including the most popular names like Bluehost, iPage, HostGator, Site5, etc. and then killed them all.
How? After they buy a hosting company, they fire the existing staff, stop investing in software upgrades, and take clients’ money to run intensive ad campaigns. As a matter of fact, the bought company starts getting worse over time. That is exactly what happened to the famous Bluehost, HostGator, and iPage to name just a few.
Hand-picked post: EIG Hosting: 80+ Hosting Brands And Why They Suck.
#2. GoDaddy Web Hosting
YES, it might surprise you, but GoDaddy should not be on your list for the best cheap web hosting hunt.
Why? GoDaddy is a domain name registrar and not a web hosting company. The company specializes in domain registration. So domain selling and management is their primary concern, which is even why they are one of the best domain registrars in the market.
However, when it comes to web hosting, GoDaddy fails to provide even the basics. First, as web hosting is a second business for them, they don’t put in the love required to build an outstanding hosting platform. Secondly, they lack some of the most important features like the latest software and hardware (PHP7.x, HTTP/2, LiteSpeed, NGINX, etc.). Plus the support staff is there not to assist but to lead you to outdated resources when you need help.
Furthermore, GoDaddy doesn’t provide email hosting. So when you purchase your pretended “cheap web hosting” account from them, you can’t expect to have a professional email like [email protected]. It is a paid add-on which will cost $59.88/year for one email address. It is frustrating when you know it is included for free with most cheap web hosting offers like FastComet and A2 Hosting.
At the end of the day, when you gauge the pros and cons, you easily realize that you are paying up to 3x more (for poor service) than what you would from a specialized website hosting provider.
GoDaddy Is Not The Cheap Web Host You Expect
In addition to the lack of features and performance, GoDaddy is far from being that cheap offer you think. Here is a detailed bill for your hosting with GoDaddy.
GoDaddy hosting fee: $83.88 ($119.76 if you want backups)
.com regular price: $17.99/year
WHOIS guard: $9.99
Email address: $59.88
Total domain price with features: $87.86
So, if you get your “cheap web hosting” and domain from GoDaddy, it will cost $83.88 + $87.86 = $171.74
Ok; let’s say you buy hosting only, then the cost will be: $83.88 + $59.88 (for email) = $143.76. And, that doesn’t include backups of your website. So in case you want auto-backups, there is an additional $35 which brings the bill to $179.64 or $207.62 (with regular domain cost included). The worst is that GoDaddy charges for regular virus scans and even for SSL certs which are offered for free with most cheap web hosting companies like A2 Hosting and FastComet.
Finally, with GoDaddy, you are paying more than you should with a specialized hosting provider, the support is rude, you’ll be missing important features, and your website will be vulnerable to malicious attacks. YES, I love GoDaddy, but for domain management only and not for hosting
Coming back to our “best cheap web hosting” deals, what I’m going to reveal will surprise you. From my experience over 12 years into the hosting field, I ‘m not going to recommend what most people do on the internet (iPage, Bluehost, HostGator, etc.) as I know they suck.
Instead, I will recommend the companies that have a solid reputation, reliable hosting platforms, extra security layers, tireless support teams to troubleshoot your issues day and night, and reasonable prices.
The VALUE provided is my focus and should be yours as well.
#5 Best Cheap Web Hosting [2022]: Performance, Server Resources, And Quality of Service
| Inodes limits | Entry Process | Speed | Cost/mo | ||
| FastComet | 250k-500K | 20-40 | 0.668S | $3.95 | Visit |
| A2 Hosting | 600k | 15-100 | 0.350S | $2.99 | Visit |
| Hostwinds | 250k-600K | 10-20 | 0.722S | $3.29 | Visit |
| ChemiCloud | 100k-300k | 10-30 | 0.617S | $3.95 | Visit |
| InterServer | 400k | 25-50 | 0.433S | $5 | Visit |
#1. FastComet
FastComet is a hidden gem from the hosting industry which has a great server configuration.
It uses the latest NGINX web server technology and has 10 datacenters around the world (Chicago, Dallas, Newark, Toronto, London, Frankfurt, Amsterdam, Tokyo, Singapore, and Mumbai, MH, India). So, no matter where your readers or clients are located, you’ll reach them with ease.
FastComet Features
- Free SSL Certificates
- Free Private DNS
- Free Application Installation
- Free Template Installation
- Free Website Builder (with 300+ free templates)
- Free Cloudflare CDN
- 45 days money back guarantee
- No hidden fee
- No cancellation fee.
Server Security and Reliability
For Security, FastComet offers:
- Free Web Application Firewall
- Free Network Firewall
- Redundant network
- Free Malware removal
- Full account isolation per client
- Free BitNinja server security
- Free daily backups
- Responsive 24h/7 VIP support
- Free DDoS protection
Performance & Cost
FastComet servers are also PHP7 and HTTP/2 ready to make sure your online project runs smoothly and securely.
FastComet’s FastCloud Extra Plan even includes 5 additional layers of caching for speed optimization including:
- Memcached
- Varnish
- Apache Mod_LSAPI
- OPcach, and
- APC
The result is “solid site speed” and uptime (see screenshot below).
The price starts at $3.95/mo and you don’t need to pay for three years upfront to get the discounted price ($3.95 x 12 = $47.4 for the first year). You can take advantage of a 60% OFF deal here! That is what cheap means.
FastComet Inodes & Entry Process Limits
| Inodes | Concurrent Connections | |
| FastCloud | 250,000 | 20 |
| FastCloud Plus | 350,000 | 30 |
| FastCloud Extra | 500,000 | 40 |
[Discover why you should try FastComet]
#2. A2 Hosting
A2 Hosting is a popular hosting provider with custom server optimization that makes the company stand out. It is a Green Hosting with the fastest servers I have seen in the market. It also comes with most developer features you could expect.
Server Technology and Reliability
A2 Hosting has the best server optimization for speed and reliability. It uses:
- LiteSpeed Webserver
- Memcached
- In-house A2 Optimized
- Turbo Server up to 20x faster to make sure you get the fastest speed
- Quadruple redundant network
Your applications (WordPress, Joomla, OpenCart…) are preinstalled with A2 Optimized to hand-hold all the additional caching processes.
On top of all this, they also provide Railgun Optimizer on Turbo Plan to ensure your websites run fast no matter your traffic size.
A2 Hosting Security, Performance, and Uptime
A2 offers what I call the web hosting security combo…
- Free Dual Firewalls
- Free HackScan
- Perpetual Security
- Malware scan & removal
- Free SSL Certificates to secure your users’ data
For up to date performance, A2 Hosting support PHP7 and the latest HTTP/2 protocol which makes your website load faster as stated by Google.
A2 also has a quadruple redundancy network enhanced with RAID 10 Technology.
If you already have a website or blog and you want the best speed at an affordable price, here is your best bet. A2 Turbo servers run at 325ms-380ms (0.35s average).
Whether your application is based on WordPress or any other CMS, you have got it covered. You’ll still get a fantastic loading time.
For uptime, you’ll get a 99.99% for sure.
Another great aspect of A2 Hosting is…
Tech Support
A2 Hosting offers one of the most user-friendly supports through their so-called “Guru Crew Support”. They act kindly and in a professional way. Regardless of your issue; if it is about WordPress or any other CMS, they have got you covered.
A2 Hosting also provides…
- Free server rewind backups which is a unique feature.
- Free website migration from experts
- Anytime Money back guarantee
- No cancellation fee
- No hidden fee
A2 has a different money back guarantee. While most companies offer a 30 days guarantee, A2 Hosting gives you a Hassle-free Money back guarantee.
It means, even after 30 days, you’ll still get a refund if you cancel your order.
A2 Hosting Inodes & Entry Process Limits
| Inodes | Concurrent Connections | |
| STARTUP | 600,000 | 15 |
| DRIVE | 600,000 | 35 |
| TURBO BOOST/MAX | 600,000 | 35-100 |
A2 Hosting has the best inodes limits for cheap web hosting from the industry. You are allowed to use 600,000 inodes no matter your plan. For the entry process, the minimum is 15 on the STARTUP plan. But when you purchase the DRIVE or one of the Turbo plans, that minimum becomes 35! Now, depending on the server’s load, you are allowed to use up to 100 if you get a sudden traffic spike (fantastic).
Keep in mind that theoretically, a 20 entry process could allow your website to handle up to 100 visitors at the same time as most will pause some seconds to read a post.
A2 Hosting, in my opinion, is the world’s fastest and most reliable Cheap Web Hosting provider for WordPress.
#3. Hostwinds
Hostwinds is a feature-rich host with one of the best practices: They host only 60 clients per server instead of thousands like many other companies. They use SSD-based servers, redundant networks and the latest cPanel to make the platform as easy to use as possible. The coolest thing is that Hostwinds provides a free dedicated IP address, which is normally a paid addon from most cheap web hosting providers.
Hostwinds Features
- Free domain name for the first year
- Free SSL Certificates
- Unlimited SSD Storage
- Free website migration
- Unlimited Bandwidth
- Unlimited email addresses
- CDN included
- Latest cPanel
- 150+ Cloud Apps with 1-click installation
- Free Dedicated IP address
- Only 60 clients per server
- 30 days money-back guarantee
- Free website builder
- 24/7 live chat support
- From $3.29/month
Server Security, Reliability, and Performance
- Free Web Application Firewall
- Free Network Firewall
- Redundant network
- Free Malware scan
Hostwinds also excels at the latest PHP7 and HTTP/2 versions along with the latest MySQL. They might not be the fastest cheap web host but still, the loading time is better than the industry average.
Hostwinds Inodes & Entry Process Limits
| Inodes | Concurrent Connections | |
| BASIC | 250,000 | 15 |
| ADVANCED | 250,000 | 15 |
| ULTIMATE | 250,000 | 15 |
#4. ChemiCloud
ChemiCloud is a customer-centric host. Its top selling points are quality of service, support, and server technology. With a cloud-based hosting infrastructure sustained by 7 datacenters strategically located around the globe, they make sure you won’t miss your audience wherever it is located. ChemiCloud even gives you a free domain name for life!
ChemiCloud Features
- Free Domain Name for Life
- Unlimited Bandwidth
- Unlimited Email accounts
- Free Website Transfer
- 45 Days Money Back
- Free Let’s Encrypt SSL
- Multiple Server Locations
- Free Daily Backups
- LiteSpeed WordPress Accelerator
- WP-CLI Pre-Installed
- Priority support
- And more
[Get it free domain name for life!]
Server Security, Reliability, and Performance
ChemiCloud provides one of the safest website hosting systems out there which comes with:
- Redundant network
- Reliable Cloud Platform
- Advanced Firewall Protection
- Account Isolation
- Free Unlimited SSL
- Proactive Server Monitoring
- Imunify360 Proactive Defense
- Web Application Firewall
- Malware Detection
When it comes to performance, they have put in the time and love to meet the requirement for smooth loading time. In fact, ChemiCloud supports:
- The latest PHP7.x
- HTTP/2 protocol
- MariaDB for MySQL
- OPcache/APC
- Memcached
- QUIC protocol
All these translate into a fast server response time of 617ms average and roughly 100% uptime.
ChemiCloud Inodes & Entry Process Limits
| Inodes | Concurrent Connections | |
| Starter | 100,000 | 10 |
| Pro | 200,000 | 20 |
| Turbo | 300,000 | 30 |
[Get ChemiCloud 60% OFF + Free Domain For Life!]
#5. InterServer
InterServer is one of the best web hosting providers, especially when you are using WordPress. It is my top #2 recommendation for beginners (after FastComet) and also takes the 2nd place in speed after A2 Hosting.
Server Configuration, Security, and Performance
InterServer looks a bit like A2 Hosting. They use LiteSpeed Web Server technology on their shared hosting which is one of the cheapest in the market. With most companies, you’ll need to upgrade to a pricier plan to get LiteSpeed.
However, as InterServer offers only one shared hosting plan, you get LiteSpeed out of the box on a cheap plan! They even support:
- PHP7
- Latest HTTP/2 protocol (incredible for a cheap hosting deal)
InterServer offers everything needed for a secure web hosting environment as well, including:
- Free Firewalls to protect your websites
- Free Unlimited SSL Certificates
- Redundant Network
- InterShield Security is their in-house security system to scan, track, block, and destroy any malicious attacks. And you know what? It is free.
Discover InterShield Security here.
With LiteSpeed Server, needless to tell you that your website will absolutely load fast (433ms).
Tech Support, Hosting Features, and Price
InterServer also provides support through live chat, tickets, and Phone. Most of the time, you’ll get answered through live chat in less than 2 minutes. The support is knowledgeable and really friendly.
Furthermore, InterServer provides features like…
- Free unlimited website migration
- Unlimited SSD space
- Unlimited websites, emails, and FTP
- Free website builder with hundreds of free templates to launch a new website in less than 30 minutes.
- Global CDN
- Free Auto-Backups
- 30 days money-back guarantee
- No cancellation fee
- No hidden fees.
One of their selling points I really appreciate is the pricing model. In fact, InterServer has a…
Price Lock Guarantee
Like managed WordPress hosts including Kinsta and BIONICWP, InterServer also has a fixed price model. So, the price you pay today is the price you’ll be paying forever! I really like that. No gimmicks, no renewal price.
[See All InterServer Features]
Inodes & Entry Process Limits
| Inodes | Concurrent Connections | |
| Unique plan | 250,000 | 25-50 |
[Get Special First month for $0.01 Now!]
Best Cheap Web Hosting Comparison Table
| Inodes limits | Entry Process | Speed | Cost/mo | ||
| FastComet | 250k-500K | 20-40 | 0.668S | $3.95 | Visit Host |
| A2 Hosting | 600k | 15-100 | 0.350S | $2.99 | Visit Host |
| Hostwinds | 250k-600K | 10-20 | 0.722S | $3.29 | Visit Host |
| ChemiCloud | 100k-300k | 10-30 | 0.617S | $3.95 | Visit Host |
| InterServer | 400k | 25-50 | 0.433S | $5 | Visit Host |
Conclusion
Never focus on the price only when choosing a cheap web host. If done this way, you are surely being bound with poor service, a lack of features, and security issues. Instead, focus on the quality of service provided as well. Plus, you should be given room for growth through server resources like inode and entry process. Cheap should not be poor — so always look for value—don’t sacrifice quality.
Can’t go through the pain of digging into the details? Then, save time and a lot of money by just choosing one from these hosts: FastComet A2 Hosting InterServer
Now I challenge you. Try one company from this list and dare tell me a different story.
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Any question about server technology? What is your preferred cheap hosting company and why? Comment down below and share your experience, we are here to share and help.
Cheers!
Obaro