- Maddy Osman
- Jan 14
- 7 min read
Updated: 7 days ago
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The best website hosting providers give your site the speed, security and reliability it needs to run smoothly. And with a platform like Wix, you get free web hosting when you create your website using the website builder or AI website builder.
Finding the right website hosting provider can feel overwhelming, with so many options available for different budgets and needs.
This guide will walk you through what to look for in a hosting provider, highlight some of the best website hosting providers and share tips on how to build a website from scratch.
Wix hosting keeps your website running smoothly and securely from day one. With reliable performance, strong security and built-in tools for SEO, analytics and marketing, your site is ready to grow without limits. Plus 24/7 support means help is always just a click away.
TL;DR: best website hosting providers
This guide will walk you through what to look for in the best website hosting providers, from uptime and loading speed to security, support and pricing. It explains how different hosting features impact performance, reliability and scalability as your site grows.
You’ll also learn how to choose a hosting solution that fits your goals, technical comfort level and budget so you can launch and manage your website with confidence.
The table below provides a quick website hosting comparison for the providers we’ll cover in the next section.
Provider | Free plan | Starting price (per month) | Key features |
Wix | Yes | Free plan available; paid plans starting at $17/month. | Free hosting, free global CDN, built-in HTTPS and SSL, eCommerce hosting |
SiteGround | No | $2.99/month | Free SSL, daily backups, site builder, 24/7 monitoring |
Hostinger | No | $12.99/month | CDN with some plans, LiteSpeed Cache, 24/7 live chat support |
DreamHost | No | $2.89/month | SSD storage, automated backups |
InMotion Hosting | No | $4.99/month | NVMe SSD storage available, DDoS protection, 24/7 live support |
Editor's note: The information presented in this article is true as of January 14th, 2026, unless mentioned otherwise.
Learn more: Does Wix host websites?
Best website hosting providers
01. Wix
Wix easily earns our top spot as one of the best website hosting providers. When you create a website with Wix, you get scalable multi-cloud web hosting with an uptime of 99.99% and global CDN infrastructure. That means your site stays live even during traffic spikes and your web content gets delivered fast to visitors accessing your website from anywhere.
On the security side, Wix offers built-in protections like HTTPS, automatic SSL, anti-DDoS measures, caching and round-the-clock monitoring. If you experience any challenges, a dedicated on-call incident response team is ready to jump in and help.
On top of free website hosting, Wix also offers:
Site History for automatic backups
Integrated Wix analytics
eCommerce hosting capabilities
Website templates tailored for different niches
Pricing: Free plan available. Paid plans start at $17/month.
Learn more: How to host a website for free
02. SiteGround
SiteGround is a reliable web hosting provider that helps you build a strong online presence. It offers different hosting options, such as WordPress, eCommerce, cloud and reseller hosting, as well as professional templates.
The web host has an uptime of 99.99%, which allows your website to remain accessible. Built-in caching, SSD storage and a free CDN also keep load times fast.
Security is a top priority for SiteGround. It provides free SSL certificates, daily backups, DDoS protection and 24/7 monitoring to protect against cyber threats.
Pricing: No free plan. Paid plans start at $2.99/month.
03. Hostinger
Hostinger is an affordable website hosting provider whose options include web, WordPress, cloud and eCommerce plans. The web host offers a 99.9% uptime guarantee, a site builder, pre-built templates and LiteSpeed Cache for quick load times. Higher-tier plans also get free CDN and NVMe storage.
Security features include free SSL certificates, standard DDoS protection and daily and weekly backups to protect your data. You also get access to 24/7 expert support through live chat and email.
Pricing: No free plan. Paid plans start at $12.99/month.
04. DreamHost
DreamHost is a reliable web hosting service that offers various hosting options, including managed WordPress, VPS, shared and online store plans.
The provider offers an uptime guarantee of 100%, with SSD storage and optimized servers for quick load times. On the security front, you get free SSL certificates, constant monitoring and automated backups.
You can quickly put your site together with the AI website builder and templates. Plus, the customer support team is available 24/7 through live chat and email.
Pricing: No free plan. Paid plans start at $2.89/month.
05. InMotion Hosting
InMotion Hosting offers 99.99% uptime and multiple data centers. You can pick from various web hosting plans, such as VPS hosting, shared hosting and dedicated servers.
Security features include free SSL, automatic backups and protection against hacking, malware and DDoS. Customer support is also available 24/7 through live chat.
Some plans also feature advanced caching for quick load times, NVMe SSD storage and phone support. No matter which plans you choose, you get access to the BoldGrid website builder and customizable templates.
Pricing: No free plan. Paid plans start at $4.99/month.
Editor's note: The information presented in this article is true as of January 14th, 2026, unless mentioned otherwise.
What to look for in a hosting provider
Some of the key features to look for in a web hosting provider include:
Uptime: a hosting provider's uptime percentage reflects how often your website is accessible to users. The closer it is to 100%, the better. That way, you won't lose potential customers or sales because of preventable downtime.
Loading speed: a slow-loading site can frustrate visitors and increase bounce rates, which can hurt your search engine optimization (SEO) performance. A good hosting service will offer features like optimized servers, lazy loading and a content delivery network (CDN) to keep your site quick and responsive.
Learn more: What is CDN?
Helpful customer service: when something goes wrong, you want a support team that will help you solve the issue quickly. The best hosting providers offer 24/7 support through chat, email or phone.
Website security: look for hosting plans that include SSL certificates, regular backups and malware scanning to protect your data and keep your website safe from cyber-attacks.
Check out our article on the best SSL certificate providers to buy from.
Pricing: the cheapest plans may lack critical elements like robust security or responsive support, which might compromise your website. Look for plans that balance affordability with quality. Flexible pricing tiers can help you start small and upgrade as your site grows.
Types of hosting solutions
SaaS solutions like Wix offer many types of hosting. Some of the most common are:
Shared hosting
Shared hosting is the most common and most affordable web hosting option. In this setup, your website shares server space and resources, like storage, bandwidth and processing power, with other websites. This makes it perfect for personal blogs and small websites.
Learn more:
VPS hosting
Virtual private server (VPS) hosting divides a server into multiple virtual servers. That way, you get dedicated resources while still sharing the physical server with other websites. VPS hosting is ideal for growing businesses that need more performance and scalability than what shared hosting can offer but aren’t ready for a dedicated server.
Dedicated hosting
With a dedicated hosting plan, you get an entire physical server exclusively for your website. As a result, it's ideal for large-scale websites or applications that handle high traffic or require top-tier security and customization. While it’s the most expensive option, the benefits in terms of website performance and site reliability can be well worth the investment.
Cloud hosting
Cloud hosting services work the same way as other web hosting options that house your site on a physical server. The only difference is that your website is hosted on a virtual server.
Learn more:
Managed hosting
Managed hosting simply means the hosting provider handles server maintenance, updates, security and backups, so you can focus on running your website.
"What often gets forgotten when talking about choosing a website builder is the capabilities of the infrastructure that’s promised to you—the reliability of the hosting, the level of security in place to protect your visitors’ data and, of course, your site's speed. Even if infrastructure is not the first thought that comes to mind when creating a website, if it’s not robust enough, it can cause major headaches for website owners when trying to scale a website later on." - Esin D. Habif, product marketing lead (outbound) at Wix
How to choose the best website hosting provider for your needs
Follow these steps to choose the best website hosting provider for your business or personal site:
Identify the type of website you want to host: a simple blog might thrive on shared hosting, but an online store may require VPS or dedicated hosting for better performance and security.
Determine your budget: web hosting costs can vary widely. Look for an affordable plan that offers solid uptime, responsive customer support and essential tools.
Check for scalability options: as your website grows, so will its demands. Look for hosting providers that can help you upgrade your storage and bandwidth—or even switch to a more robust hosting type.
Assess if your website needs additional features: for example, if your website handles sensitive data or requires secure remote access, a virtual private network (VPN) might be worth considering.
How to launch your website
Here’s a brief website launch checklist you can use to get your site up and running in no time:
01. Find the perfect domain name
Your domain name is your website’s online address. It should match your brand and be easy to remember. You can use a domain name generator to get creative suggestions and perform a domain name search to make sure the name you like is available. After that, pick a web hosting service.
Learn more:
02. Create a mobile-friendly website
According to a 2024 study by DataReportal, 93.7% of people age 16 and older use smartphones to browse the internet. So, choose a responsive design that automatically adjusts your web pages to different screen sizes.
Also, make sure your site is accessible to everyone. That means clear menus, alt text for images and proper color contrast to improve the user experience.
Learn more:
03. Monitor your website performance
Once your website is live, the work isn’t over. Monitor its performance regularly with tools like GTmetrix or Pingdom to identify and resolve issues before they impact visitors.
Best website hosting providers FAQ
What is the best company to host your website?
Wix is a top choice for hosting websites, offering reliable hosting and intuitive website building tools in one package. Hosting is included automatically when you create your site, so there’s no need for third-party services or extra costs.
What are uptime guarantees and why do they matter?
Uptime guarantees indicate the percentage of time a web hosting provider promises your website will be accessible online. Higher uptime, ideally 99.9% or more, means fewer interruptions, keeping your site available to visitors, protecting revenue and maintaining trust in your business.