10 Best Web Hosting for Small Business: Top Services in 2024
A small business website is an effective way to reach your target audience and sell online. Different hosting providers offer various services to suit unique business needs. We’ve compiled a list of the 10 best web hosting for small business owners.
Written by Grace Micere (Writer)
Reviewed by Valentina Bravo (Editor)
Facts checked by Simona Ivanovsk (Formatter)
Last Updated: 2024-04-16T10:41:17+00:00
All our content is written fully by humans; we do not publish AI writing. Learn more here.
Finding the best web hosting for small business can be tricky because of all the available options. However, it is important to have a website, so your target customers can discover your business, view your products and make purchases with a few clicks.
A business website is key to your success. The right web hosting provider should offer reliable customer support, automated backups, adequate storage space and more. We researched multiple web hosting options to come up with this list of the 10 best web hosting services for small businesses.
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03/07/2022
Added Cloudways to our list of recommendations.
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04/10/2024
Updated to include current information about features and pricing.
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04/16/2024 Facts checked
Article rewritten with updated information on features and pricing.
The 10 Best Website Hosting for Small Businesses
We researched multiple providers and came up with this list of the top 10 website hosting services for small businesses. Each service boasts specific strong points and caters to various business needs. Here’s a tabulated breakdown of the services that each provider offers.
The Best Website Hosting Companies Compared
| Service: | 99% Uptime | 24/7 Support | Unmetered Bandwidth or Storage | Pricing | Free Plan |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| HostGator | From $2.75 monthly | ||||
| Bluehost | From $7.45 monthly | ||||
| GoDaddy | From $5.03 monthly | ||||
| DreamHost | From $4.95 monthly | ||||
| InterServer | From $2.50 monthly | ||||
| Liquid Web Hosting | From $17.50 monthly | ||||
| A2 Web Hosting | From $11.99 monthly | ||||
| Hostwinds | From $5.24 monthly | ||||
| Mochahost | From $3.18 monthly | ||||
| IONOS | From $4 monthly |
1. HostGator — Best Overall Web Hosting for Small Business
it’s easy to use and beginner-friendly.
More details about HostGator:
- Pricing: No free plan is available, but there’s a 30-day money-back guarantee. Paid plans start from $3.75 per month.
- Website: hostgator.com
Pros:
- Windows & Linux servers
- Reliable uptime
- User-friendly
Cons:
- Slow support responses
- Paid backup restoration
HostGator won this round, emerging as the best small business hosting service. The service offers 99.9% uptime, which ensures you don’t miss out on site visitors or sales. You’ll get a free SSL certificate and unmetered bandwidth with all its plans.
Users can access 24/7 phone and live chat customer support on all plans. HostGator offers unmetered monthly bandwidth, making it ideal for users with loaded site content. It offers both Windows and Linux options, but we recommend Linux since it’s free and will help you save on licensing costs.
2. Bluehost — Best for Beginners
More details about Bluehost:
- Pricing: No free plan is available, but there’s a 30-day money-back guarantee. Paid plans start from $7.45 per month.
- Website: bluehost.com/
Pros:
- Free content delivery network
- Beginner-friendly interface
- Free website migration
Cons:
- No Windows server
- No cloud hosting
- No monthly plans
We found Bluehost’s airy interface design easy to use for beginners. This means you don’t need any coding knowledge to set up your website. It is a Linux-based web host, so no Windows servers are offered. All plans have access to chat support, with the more advanced plans having access to phone and priority support as well.
You’ll get free CDN, custom WordPress themes and an SSL certificate (free for the first year). It’s free to migrate your existing site with Bluehost. The service offers 99.9% uptime and unmetered bandwidth. There’s a 30-day money-back guarantee for users who don’t like what it offers.
3. GoDaddy — Best Combination of Web Hosting and Website Builder
with multiple templates to get you started.
More details about GoDaddy:
- Pricing: No free plan is available, but there’s a 30-day money-back guarantee for annual plans. Paid plans start from $5.04 per month.
- Website: godaddy.com
Pros:
- Microsoft-integrated email
- User-friendly interface
- 24/7 support
Cons:
- Expensive renewal prices
- No cloud hosting
- Annoying upsells
If you’re looking for a web host with a reliable website builder to get you started in no time, then GoDaddy is the way to go. It has an AI builder tool to help you set up your website fast. GoDaddy has a friendly user interface that beginners and pros alike can use without any major hiccups. It offers reliable and responsive 24/7 customer support on all its plans.
GoDaddy integrates Microsoft 365 apps and emails into your workflows with just a few clicks. It has 99.9% uptime and a free SSL certificate for all the websites you create. You get unmetered bandwidth, automatic daily backups and access to global data centers for faster website loading. It’s free to migrate your WordPress site.
If you require more advanced website backup features, use one of the best online backups for small businesses.
4. DreamHost — Best for Setting Up WordPress Websites
More details about DreamHost:
- Pricing: No free plan is available, but there’s a 30-day money-back guarantee for annual plans. Paid plans start from $4.95 per month.
- Website: dreamhost.com
Pros:
- All plans: no limit bandwidth
- WordPress staging feature
- Robust security features
Cons:
- No phone support
- No Windows server
- No WordPress money-back guarantee
DreamHost users have access to unmetered bandwidth, a free SSL certificate, automatic daily backups and 24/7 ticketing support. Live chat and callback support are available during working hours. In addition, a free WordPress website builder comes with each plan to help launch a small business website in no time.
DreamHost gives you automated WordPress migrations and security updates so you don’t have to worry about doing it manually. The WordPress staging feature lets you pre-test any changes you’d like to make to your site before launching them. DreamHost offers Linux-based small business web hosting.
5. InterServer — Best for Free Pre-Existing Website Migration
site migrators making up 70% of its customers.
More details about InterServer:
- Pricing: No free plan is available, but there’s a 30-day money-back guarantee. Paid plans start at $8 per month, with a starting rate of $2.50.
- Website: interserver.net
Pros:
- Unlimited storage
- Unlimited professional emails
- Unlimited shared hosting domains
Cons:
- Few data centers
- No free domain name provided
InterServer gives users 99.9% uptime, a free SSL certificate, unlimited ultra SSD storage and unlimited business emails on all plans. The free website migration feature allows you to migrate pre-existing websites with just a few clicks. The free SitePad website builder helps users create their small business websites quickly and easily.
InterServer customer support is available 24/7 and includes live chat, email and phone support. Second to the SSL certificate, InterServer has a built-in malware database called Inter-Insurance. This helps protect against website hacking and malware, and allows you to restore your site data if your security is compromised.
6. Liquid Web Hosting — Best Managed WordPress Hosting Provider
More details about Liquid Web Hosting:
- Pricing: Plans start from $17.50 monthly. No free plan is offered. A 30-day guarantee is available for Cloud VPS, Cloud Dedicated and Private VPS hosting products.
- Website: liquidweb.com
Pros:
- High-performance servers
- Responsive customer support
- Multiple control panel options
Cons:
- Limited refund options
- No shared hosting plans
Using Liquid Web Hosting gives you access to 99.99% uptime and both Linux and Windows servers. The service offers a reliable, 24/7 customer support structure that lets users speak to a human agent within 59 seconds. Customer support is available through chat, phone and help desk platforms. It has 10 global data centers that help customer websites load faster.
Liquid Web Hosting gives users the option to use cPanel, InterWorx or Plesk control panels to manage their sites. However, this provider has limited bandwidth and storage. In addition, no shared hosting plans are offered, making it more expensive to host a small business website.
7. A2 Web Hosting — Ideal for Experienced Developers
More details about A2 Web Hosting:
- Pricing: No free plan is available, but there’s a 30-day money-back guarantee. Paid plans start from $12.99 per month.
- Website: a2hosting.com
Pros:
- Free website migration
- Multiple server locations
- Unconditional money-back guarantee
Cons:
- Lacks a Windows server
- No free domain
A2 Web is a Linux-based hosting service offering 99.99% uptime, free site migration and SSL certificates. It uses Turbo in the higher tiers to achieve a site loading time that’s 20 times faster than its competitors, which is ideal for better SEO rankings. All plans except the basic one have unlimited bandwidth and storage capacity.
With A2 Web Hosting, you’ll have access to 24/7 phone, live chat and email support year-round. There’s a website builder and website staging feature to help you create and launch your business website. You can create unlimited email accounts and choose the data center closest to you for faster website loading.
8. Hostwinds — Best for VPS Hosting and Website Monitoring
you assess your site’s performance over time.
More details about Hostwinds:
- Pricing: No free plan is available, but there’s a short, 72-hour money-back guarantee. Paid plans start from $5.24 per month.
- Website: hostwinds.com/hosting/shared
Pros:
- Unlimited subdomains
- Free nightly backups
- Unlimited storage & bandwidth
Cons:
- Limited Windows server options
- No e-commerce hosting services
- Short money-back guarantee period
Hostwinds is a web hosting provider offering 99.99% uptime, unlimited bandwidth and unlimited storage with all its plans. You also get free nightly backups and unlimited subdomains with your plan. Hostwinds doesn’t have a free version and its money-back guarantee only lasts 72 hours, so be sure of your choice before paying for any plans upfront.
Hostwinds provides free SSL certificates, unlimited email accounts, instant setup and a Weebly website builder. You get 24/7 support via live chat and a ticketing system. Hostwinds owns its own servers, making it a more secure option than providers that rely on third-party servers.
9. Mochahost — Best Renewal Rate Offers
small business website hosting services.
More details about Mochahost:
- Pricing: No free plan is available. Paid tiers start from $3.18, and all annual and multi-annual plans include a generous, initial 180-day money-back guarantee.
- Website: mochahost.com/
Pros:
- Unlimited traffic & storage
- Locked-in introductory rates
- Free-forever SSL certificate
Cons:
- Erratic price increments
- Unreliable customer service
Mochahost provides unmetered bandwidth and unlimited site traffic capacity. One of the most admirable features it offers is the free-forever SSL certificate. This means you’ll never have to pay for an SSL certificate while subscribed to Mochahost. You’ll also get free site migrations and weekly backups with all plans.
Mochahost offers global hosting options, as well as both Linux and Windows hosting services. The provider guarantees 99.9% uptime and a generous, initial 180-day money-back guarantee. The website builder feature helps users create their site from scratch.
10. IONOS — Best Introductory Rate and Large-Scale Cloud Hosting
More details about IONOS:
- Pricing: No free version is available. Paid tiers start from $4, with a $6 monthly renewal rate. Each plan comes with a 30-day money-back guarantee.
- Website: ionos.com
Pros:
- Fast site loading speed
- Linux & Windows options
- Easy-to-use site creation tool
Cons:
- No free migration
- Limited email options
- Limited storage & bandwidth
IONOS offers 99.9% uptime and a free Wildcard SSL certificate with all plans. You get 24/7 access to customer support via live chat, phone and email. It has both Windows and Linux servers, making it accessible to a wider audience. IONOS storage and bandwidth are limited for lower tier plans but are scalable as you upgrade to higher tiers.
There are free daily backups for all plans and backups in case you lose your site to cybercrime. You can only create one professional email per website, with 2GB storage on all plans. However, you could opt to use one of the best email providers for small businesses along with this tool. Website migration isn’t free like it is with several IONOS competitors.
What Is Web Hosting?
Web hosting is simply purchasing or renting space for your website files to live on the World Wide Web. These files are uploaded from a local computer to a web server, where resources like RAM, bandwidth and hard drive space are allocated to your site. There are different types of servers, including:
- Virtual private servers (VPSs) — These use a physical server to create virtual, isolated environments on a shared server resource.
- Dedicated servers — These are physical servers that are assigned to only one organization. They aren’t shared among multiple organizations.
- Advanced cloud server platforms — These are virtual servers that run in a cloud computing environment and that multiple users can access on demand. These perform similar functions as physical servers but deliver computing resources over the internet.
- Advanced WordPress options — These servers are specifically designed to manage WordPress websites. They include managed, shared, dedicated, cloud and VPS WordPress hosting options.
- Custom server builds — These are built to fit a specific business’s unique data management needs.
The main types of hosting companies available cater to enterprise-level businesses, medium-to-large companies, small businesses and even personal websites. In this article, we focus on the best web hosting for small businesses.
Our article on the best small business servers has more in-depth information.
How to Choose the Best Web Hosting Sites for Small Business
To choose the best web hosting sites for a small business, consider factors like uptime, storage, bandwidth, customer support reliability, security features and the domains offered. You should also look for providers that offer frequent backups. Read on to learn about the essential features to consider:
- Uptime: An effective hosting service provides 99% uptime and above. We recommend going with a service that offers 99.9% uptime in testing.
- Storage and bandwidth: A high storage and bandwidth capacity will help handle your web traffic and website content. We prefer services that offer high capacity to allow for site scalability.
- SSL certificate: This certificate helps protect your website from cybercriminal attacks and rank better on SERPs. We recommend a provider that offers a free (or paid) SSL certificate for each website created.
- Domains: Choose a hosting provider that gives you free domains to help cut down on costs. If you can’t find one that suits your needs, look for a service offering savings on longer-term contracts.
- Customer support: You should be able to receive prompt assistance whenever you run into an issue with your hosting provider. We recommend a service with responsive phone, email or live chat support.
- Emails: Choose a provider that offers business-level email addresses for a more professional look. If that’s not an option, go with one that at least allows you to connect to your domain.
- Backup frequency: Choose a provider offering daily or at least weekly site backups to help with site recovery in case of a cyberattack.
- Site migration: The ideal hosting provider should have easy site migration options, preferably for free.
How Much Does Web Hosting for a Small Business Cost?
The cost of web hosting for a small business will vary depending on the type of hosting you choose and the features it offers. For instance, shared hosting is a beginner-friendly option since it’s much cheaper than the other options.
The amount of time you commit to the service may also dictate the cost of the service. The longer the subscription period, the cheaper it should be. Here’s a breakdown of what it costs to use various HostGator hosting options.
| Hosting Type | Price (Monthly) |
|---|---|
| Shared | $3.75-$6.25 |
| VPS | $36.99-$95.99 |
| Dedicated | $91.98-$141.99 |
The price of hosting will also depend on the specs and features you choose for your business.
Is There Free Website Hosting for Small Business?
Yes, you can find free website hosting for small business. Providers like Weebly, Wix and WordPress let you create a website with the basics, such as a free SSL certificate, a domain name, and limited storage and bandwidth. The downside to free hosting is that you only have access to a limited set of features and will need to purchase paid plans as your business grows.
Niche-Focused Business Hosting
Different kinds of web hosting solutions cater to various online business needs. Let’s take a closer look at them.
- Best hosting for blogs — The provider should only offer the basic features required to set up and run a successful personal blogging website. Features such as an SSL certificate, business email and a custom domain name are essential.
- Best hosting for artists — An artist’s website acts as an online gallery to display their work. The provider should offer features such as large storage and bandwidth capacities, online selling and robust security features.
- Best photography hosting — If you have a big online portfolio, you’ll need a hosting service offering a large storage capacity. You should also opt for one with fast loading speeds to eliminate the need to lower image quality.
- Best e-commerce hosting — The service should have top-notch performance, site loading speeds, content management tools, marketing features and a business email service.
- Best WooCommerce hosting — For businesses that are scaling their performance, a WooCommerce hosting service will work better than the typical shared hosting. WooCommerce sites are heavier than others and require more resources like bandwidth, storage, speed, security and overall site performance.
- Best PCI-compliant hosting — When selling online, you’ll need a hosting provider that’s compliant with the Payment Card Industry Data Security Standards (PCI DSS).
Community Feedback: The Best Web Hosting on Reddit
Bluehost and A2 Web came highly recommended on reddit as the best web hosting services. Bluehost is both affordable and easy to use, while A2 excels in customer service and SSD LiteSpeed server speed. DreamHost was reported to be a great e-commerce host for the first few years of use, after which the prices hiked a bit too frequently for the reviewer’s comfort.
GoDaddy received several negative reviews from users who claimed it was expensive upon renewal, with many suggested add-ons at checkout. Double-check before purchasing any plans to avoid paying for unnecessary add-ons.
Final Thoughts
The best web hosting for small business is affordable and offers all the features you need to get started. It should have features such as business emails and SSL certificates; significant storage, bandwidth and loading speeds; and frequent backups to safeguard your site data.
HostGator is our top choice for small business hosting because it’s beginner-friendly and affordable, with reliable uptime and both Windows and Linux servers. You also get 24/7 customer support no matter which plan you’re using.
Do you use any of the hosting providers on this list? Which is your top choice and why? Let us know in the comments, and as always, thanks for reading.
FAQ: Small Business Web Hosting Service
The best web hosting for small business is HostGator. It is beginner-friendly and affordable, with reliable uptime and both Windows and Linux servers.
Choose a website host that caters to your specific business needs. For instance, if you run an e-commerce site, choose one that offers content management and marketing tools to help boost your business. A photographer will need a provider offering ample storage and bandwidth capacities.
Shared hosting is best for beginners because it is cheaper and provides basic features to help you get started.
Shared hosting is best for startups since it is easy to use and more affordable than other hosting types.
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