A web host rents you space on servers that keep a website online. Shared hosting puts many small sites on one server and is the cheapest way to run a blog or business site. Managed WordPress hosting adds automatic updates, caching, backups and specialist support. Cloud and VPS hosting give you a dedicated share of a server for busier sites and custom applications.
Introductory prices are heavily discounted, and renewal rates are often two to four and a half times higher, so compare renewal rates rather than first-term prices. Beyond price, check what is included (free migration, backups, SSL and email), how a plan copes with traffic spikes, and what support you get when the site goes down, because that is when the difference between hosts shows.
At a glance
| Tool | Best for | Starting price | Free trial |
|---|---|---|---|
 SiteGround | Best for small businesses that want daily backups and email on every shared plan | $3.99/mo | No |
 Cloudways | Best for developers and agencies that want managed servers on a cloud provider they pick | $14/mo | 3 days |
 Hostinger | Best for bloggers and small businesses running several WordPress sites on a small budget | $3.99/mo | No |
 WP Engine | Best for businesses that want WordPress updates, backups and staging handled for them | $28/mo | No |
 Bluehost | Best for new WordPress site owners who want hosting, a domain and SSL from one company | $4.99/mo | No |
5 of 5 tools
The ranking
In order, with what each tool is for and what it costs. Use the filters above to narrow the list.
Best for small businesses that want daily backups and email on every shared plan
SiteGround is a Bulgarian web host running shared and cloud hosting on Google Cloud, with daily backups, email and a CDN on every shared plan. Shared plans are prepaid at a promotional rate for 12 months and then renew at the regular rate.
$3.99/mo
starting price
Best for developers and agencies that want managed servers on a cloud provider they pick
Cloudways is managed cloud hosting from DigitalOcean for WordPress, Magento, Laravel and PHP apps, on a server from a provider you choose. Servers are billed hourly in arrears, from $14 a month for 1 GB on DigitalOcean, with email and the CDN as add-ons.
$14/mo
3-day free trial
Best for bloggers and small businesses running several WordPress sites on a small budget
Hostinger is a Lithuanian web host selling shared, cloud and VPS hosting, managed through its own hPanel control panel. Every term is paid upfront, and terms of 12 months or longer carry an introductory price that renews higher.
$3.99/mo
starting price
Best for businesses that want WordPress updates, backups and staging handled for them
WP Engine is a managed WordPress host for businesses and agencies, with staging, backups, a CDN and automated updates on every plan. Its Essential plan is priced by sites and monthly visits, and its 20% annual discount covers year one, with no published renewal price.
$28/mo
starting price
Best for new WordPress site owners who want hosting, a domain and SSL from one company
Bluehost is a US web host for WordPress, selling shared plans that hold 10 to 100 websites and a managed cloud tier. Shared plans are prepaid at an introductory rate that renews higher, while Bluehost Cloud renews at its sign-up price.
$4.99/mo
starting price
Head to head
Feature-by-feature matchups between leading Web Hosting tools, with a clear verdict.
Methodology
We compare the tools on this page using what can be checked from the outside: published pricing and plan limits, documented features, and each vendor's own security, compliance and support documentation. This is desk research, not hands-on testing. Where something can only be judged by using a product, we say so rather than imply we measured it.
What we weigh here:
How the order is set:
Buyer's guide
Shared hosts quote a first-term price that renews higher, so the advertised rate says little about year two. Hostinger's Premium costs $3.99 a month for the first 12 months and renews at $10.99; SiteGround's StartUp also starts at $3.99 but renews at $17.99, about four and a half times as much. Compare renewal prices. Not every host works this way: Cloudways bills servers by the hour, Bluehost Cloud renews at its sign-up price, and WP Engine's 20% annual discount covers the first year, with no published renewal price.
The lowest first-term rates need the longest prepayments: Hostinger's Unlimited drops from $4.99 a month on 12 months to $3.99 on 48 months, all paid upfront. The money-back guarantees at Bluehost, Hostinger and SiteGround last 30 days, so a four-year prepayment is a bet on a host you haven't yet seen through a problem. Buying 12 months first keeps the bet small, and a longer term can still lower the renewal later: SiteGround's StartUp renews at $14.99 a month on 24 months, against $17.99 on 12.
Support varies by plan as well as by host. Bluehost's Starter has 24/7 chat but no phone support, which starts on Business. Hostinger and SiteGround list 24/7 support on every plan, with priority support on SiteGround's GoGeek. WP Engine includes 24/7 technical support on Essential and 1-minute target response times on Enterprise, and Cloudways sells Advanced Support for $100 a month.
Hosts size plans by sites, storage and sometimes visits. Bluehost describes Starter as ideal for about 40,000 visits a month, and WP Engine meters Essential by estimated visits, from 25,000 a month, with overages possible above that. Cloudways servers have no visit limit; the server's size sets the ceiling instead. Signs that a site has outgrown its plan include slow responses at peak times, resource-limit warnings from the host, or revenue that makes an outage expensive.
FAQ
Budget on the renewal price, not the introductory rate. Renewing on a 12-month term, Hostinger's shared plans cost $10.99 or $16.99 a month, Bluehost's Starter and Business $11.99 and $15.99, and SiteGround's StartUp, GrowBig and GoGeek $17.99, $29.99 and $44.99. Their 12-month introductory rates, from $3.99 to $10.69 a month, apply to the first term only. Managed cloud on Cloudways is billed hourly, from $14 a month for a 1 GB DigitalOcean server, and WP Engine's managed WordPress costs $35 a month billed monthly for one site and 25,000 visits.
It can be for a small site, provided the plan covers what the site needs. Shared plans are sized for modest traffic: Bluehost describes its Starter plan as ideal for about 40,000 visits a month. Every shared plan at Bluehost and SiteGround includes free SSL and a CDN, but the entry plans differ on backups and staging. Hostinger's Premium and Bluehost's Starter back up weekly, while SiteGround's StartUp backs up daily and leaves staging to GrowBig. Signs that a site has outgrown shared hosting include slow responses at peak times, resource-limit warnings or revenue that makes an outage expensive.
Because the first term is sold at a discount and renewals are billed at the regular rate. Bluehost says its special offers are good for the initial term only, and SiteGround says its discount applies to the first term. The step varies: Bluehost's Business goes from $7.99 to $15.99 a month after 12 months, about double, Hostinger's Unlimited from $4.99 to $16.99, and SiteGround's StartUp from $3.99 to $17.99, about four and a half times. Check the renewal rate before buying. Cloudways bills servers by the hour, so there's no term to renew, and Bluehost Cloud renews at its sign-up price.
Not on the first purchase, unless you already know the host. The lowest first-term rates need the longest prepayments: Hostinger's Unlimited costs $3.99 a month on a 48-month term, all paid upfront, against $4.99 on 12 months, and the money-back guarantees at Bluehost, Hostinger and SiteGround last 30 days. Buying 12 months first costs a little more in year one and keeps the commitment small. A longer term can still pay off later: at renewal, Bluehost's Starter costs $9.99 a month on a 36-month term against $11.99 on 12 months, and SiteGround's StartUp $14.99 on 24 months against $17.99 on 12.
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