When building an online company, many people get caught up in the idea of profit and web design, and they forget about the logistical aspects of the process. Making your website go live can only happen after you have found a web hosting provider. There are many different providers that offer shared hosting, which we will be discussing below.
What is Shared Hosting?
First of all, it is important to become familiar with the technical terminology. Shared hosting is when hundreds of clients rent a portion of the same server. They are all sharing the same resources from the web hosting provider.
Shared hosting is best used for first-time virtual businesses or for websites that do not get much web traffic. An example of what shared hosting is used for is someone’s personal portfolio. Shared hosting tends to be the cheapest option in terms of plans.
HostGator
HostGator is a web hosting provider that tends to cater to small businesses. HostGator offers clients an uptime of 99.98%. If this were to drop below 99.90%, the company would give you a month’s free credit. HostGator provides 24/7 customer support via phone and live chat, but not through email.
The company offers three different unmanaged shared hosting plans for you to try. The first, ‘Hatchling,’ starts at $2.75 per month. The second plan, ‘Baby,’ starts at $3.95 per month. The third plan, ‘Business,’ starts at $5.95 per month.
Hostinger
Hostinger is a very affordable web hosting provider. The first unmanaged shared plan that they offer is called ‘Single Shared Hosting.’ It costs $0.99 per month for first-time users, and then $2.15 per month after renewal. This plan is great for individuals who only need a single website hosted. The next plan is called ‘Premium Shared Hosting.’ It costs $2.89 per month and $3.49 per month after renewal. It offers an unlimited number of websites. The third option is called ‘Business Shared Hosting.’ It costs $3.99 per month and $7.95 after renewal. This plan also offers unlimited websites, along with daily backups.
Hostinger provides clients with a 99.90% uptime, which meets industry standards. They also have customer service agents who are available over the phone, live chat, and email.
GreenGeeks
GreenGeeks is a web hosting provider founded in 2008. They have a mission to protect the environment while guaranteeing their customer’s satisfaction. GreenGeeks is 300% renewable, based on its purchase of wind energy credits. GreenGeeks’ web hosting plans provide uptime of 99.98% and an average speed of 445ms per loading page.
GreenGeeks offers three unmanaged shared hosting options, the ‘Lite,’ ‘Pro’ and ‘Premium’ plans. These range in price from $2.95 per month to $11.95 per month if you sign up for three years in advance. Regularly, the prices would range from $9.95 to $24.95 per month.
GreenGeeks makes sure to stay up to date with all the newest technology, such as PHP7, SSD, and CDN. They do this to ensure the security and efficiency of your website are never compromised. The customer service at GreenGeeks is available to clients 24/7 through phone, live chat, or their ticket system. The technicians are well-known for being knowledgeable about the industry and are quick to resolve problems.
A2 Hosting
A2 Hosting is a provider that is known for its speed. When tested, it was shown by clients that A2 Hosting has an average load time of 317ms per page. This is important because potential clients can be lost if they have to wait for a second longer than they want to.
A2 Hosting also has three unmanaged shared hosting plans, their ‘Lite,’ ‘Swift,’ and ‘Turbo’ plans. The Lite plan starts at $2.96 per month but renews at $8.99 per month. The Swift plan starts at $3.70 and renews at $9.99 per month. Finally, the Turbo plan starts at $7.03 per month and renews at $18.99 per month. The Lite plan includes a single website, which the other two have unlimited websites.
DreamHost
DreamHost is the final web hosting provider that we will be reviewing today. The company features two unmanaged shared hosting plans for clients. The first one is called the ‘Shared Starter’ plan. It costs $2.59 per month if you sign up for it 3 years in advance. The second plan they have is called the ‘Shared Unlimited.’ This plan starts at $4.95 if you sign up for the 3 years. As the names suggest, the first plan is for a single website, while the second plan is for unlimited websites.
Which Plan is The Winner?
After reviewing these five hosting providers, we decided that GreenGeeks web hosting was the clear winner. The company provides a variety of shared hosting plans, which cater to different clientele. They offer very fast speed and uptime percentage, which is important when appealing to visitors to the site. In addition to all of this, GreenGeeks words to reduce the carbon footprint of the web hosting industry. It is a web hosting provider that has achieved sustainability, and it does not compromise customer satisfaction in order to do so.
