The 10 Best Web Hosting Services of 2023
- IONOS: Best for startups
- HostGator: Best perks
- Bluehost: Best for new websites
- DreamHost: Best for WordPress beginners
- InMotion Hosting: Best for reliability
- MochaHost: Best for lifetime SSL certificates
- GoDaddy: Best for easy site setup
- Hostwinds: Best for content-heavy sites
- InterServer: Best for website security
- TMDHosting: Best for fast-growing businesses
Why You Can Trust Forbes Advisor Small Business
The Forbes Advisor Small Business team is committed to bringing you unbiased rankings and information with full editorial independence. We use product data, strategic methodologies and expert insights to inform all of our content and guide you in making the best decisions for your business journey.
We reviewed 16 web hosts using a detailed methodology to help you find the 10 web hosting platforms. Our ratings consider factors that included pricing, general features, additional features and a review by our panel of experts. All ratings are determined solely by our editorial team.
Forbes Advisor Ratings
| COMPANY | FORBES ADVISOR RATING | BEST FOR | STARTING PRICE | STORAGE AND BANDWIDTH | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 Ionos |
4.6  |
Best for Startups | $1 per month (billed annually; renews at $10 per month) | 10GB of storage and unlimited traffic | |
 HostGator |
4.4 |
Best perks | $2.75 per month (three-year term) | Unmetered | |
 Bluehost |
4.3 |
Best for new websites | $2.95 per month (billed annually, renews at $10.99 per month) | Unmetered bandwidth and SSD storage starts at 10GB | |
 DreamHost |
4.3 |
Best for WordPress Beginners | $2.95 per month (three-year term) | 50 GB of storage and unlimited bandwidth | |
 InMotion Hosting |
4.1 |
Best for Reliability | $2429 per month with a 36-month contract or $3.49 per month with a 12-month contract | 100GB of storage and unlimited bandwidth | |
 MochaHost |
3.9 |
Best for lifetime SSL certificates | $2.29 per month (three-year term) | Unlimited disk space and traffic | |
 GoDaddy |
3.7 |
Best for easy site setup | $5.99 per month (three-year term) | 10GB storage, unmetered bandwidth | |
 Hostwinds |
3.7 |
Best for content-heavy sites | $5.24 per month (renews at $6.99 per month) | Unlimited | |
 InterServer |
3.7 |
Best for website security | $2.50 per month (no contract) | ||
 TMDHosting |
3.7 |
Best for fast-growing businesses | $2.99 per month (one-year term) | Unlimited SSD storage and unlimited bandwidth |
What Is Web Hosting?
Web hosting is a service that allows anyone to essentially rent space on the internet, and websites must have web hosting to be accessible online. Some content management systems (CMS), such as Squarespace and Wix, include web hosting as part of their monthly fee, whereas if you’re building a site on WordPress, you’ll need to purchase web hosting from a web hosting provider, such as MochaHost or IONOS. Learn more about what web hosting is.
How Does Web Hosting Work?
Think of web hosting as the process of finding your website a home. The contents of your website—the domain name, HTML code, images, text and so on—all need a place to live. Web hosting provides a place for this content to live on a server.
In short, a server is a computer that connects users to your website. In other words, the server is like a large condo building or office building and web hosting is the process of renting office space or buying a condo in that building.
Web Hosting vs. Domain Hosting
Before you can find a home for your website via web hosting, you first need a domain name. While related, web hosting and domain hosting are very different services. Web hosting is the process of connecting your website to a server, whereas domain hosting is the process of securing a domain name or web address for your website.
Following our earlier analogy, if web hosting is akin to renting space in a building then domain hosting is like putting a nameplate outside your door with your name and address. The domain is what people use to navigate to your address on the Internet.
Many service providers provide both domain hosting and web hosting, which can provide one-stop-shop convenience but, depending on your needs, you may want to consider separating the services. Regardless, before you can even consider web hosting, you first need a domain name via a domain registrar.
How To Choose the Best Web Hosting Service for You
When choosing the best web hosting service, consider factors such as pricing, storage space and bandwidth limits, customer service, server location options, security features and whether it has automatic backups. Another thing you need to consider is its scalability. Migrating a website, even when a web hosting service does it for you, isn’t an easy task. Does the host offer a wide range of options that will scale with your site? Additionally, how easy is your web host to use?
Essential Web Hosting Features
We recommend that you look for a web hosting provider with the following key features, regardless of your specific website needs:
- Reliability and performance: Look for a hosting provider with good uptime, preferably 99.9% or higher so your site won’t experience outages. Most hosts provide a contractual guarantee where they’ll reimburse you part of your premium for outages.
- Security: Make sure your web host has DDoS protection, SSL certificates and other security features so your site is safe from malicious attacks.
- Customer service: Look for a host with 24/7 customer support, so you can easily get help if something goes wrong. What support options are available? Chat, phone, ticket and email support are typical for web hosts.
- Storage and bandwidth: Storage and unmetered bandwidth are two of the most important factors to consider when choosing a web host. The more storage you have, the more content you can store, such as videos and images. Bandwidth affects how quickly your website loads and how much data is transferred when visitors view your site. Look for a host that provides unlimited storage and bandwidth.
- Backups: It’s important to have regular backups of your website, so make sure the web host you choose offers automatic backups. If a hosting provider doesn’t automatically back up your website, consider investing in a third-party backup service.
Ease of Use
Look for a web hosting provider with an intuitive user interface and control panel. This will save you time in the long run if you need to make changes or updates to your website. A good web host should offer one-click installations for popular content management systems (CMS), such as WordPress or Drupal, and a drag-and-drop website builder if you’re not comfortable with coding.
Scalability
Finally, it’s important to consider scalability when choosing a web hosting service. How will you grow your website in the future? Will your host’s services be able to keep up with your growth? Does the host offer an easy way to scale up, such as offering VPS and dedicated hosting options? A good web host should be able to handle the growth of your website. Similarly, if you’re taking a break for a while, can you drop to a lower-tiered plan?
