How Much Does Website Hosting Cost?

The cost of web hosting is about $1 to $15 per month when you are using shared hosting. This is the most cost-effective option for people who are new to website building. Each web hosting provider will have its own plans with its own cost. 

There are many options available for hosting, such as shared hosting, VPS hosting, dedicated hosting, managed hosting, cloud hosting, and colocation. So in this article, we are going to cover these web hosting plans and give you a much more detailed idea about how much website hosting actually costs based on your goals and business.

What Are the Types of Website Hosting?

Shared Hosting

Shared Hosting is an option where many websites are kept on the same server. Shared Hosting is the most affordable type of hosting because you are sharing resources and facilities with other people. 

It’s almost like when you are sharing the same Netflix account with your buddies because Sunday brunches are so much more important for your monthly finances than owning your own account.  

Anyways, shared hosting, unlike sharing Netlfix passwords, is totally okay and legal. Shared hosting is perfect for personal blogs, affiliate websites, early-growth websites, and small business websites. 

What’s included in monthly shared hosting subscriptions?

Your monthly subscription to your chosen host provider allows you to gain access to particular resources. You will be sharing these resources with other users on the same server. 

You will have access to resources like:

  • RAM (Random Access Memory)
  • CPU (Central Processing Unit)
  • Storage (capped at an X GB)
  • Bandwidth  (also limited to X Mbps)

Add-on Services on Shared hosting

Generally shared hosting plans offer add-on services:

  • Free domain name
  • Free SSL certificate
  • Security and anti-malware scans
  • User-friendly control panel
  • Auto-backups

The compromise of using a shared hosting option is that all of the hosting infrastructures are used by all other users. 

This means that if someone uses more of the resource, your website can be slower or suffer. This is because you might only have access to a limited amount of resources at the moment. 

This is a rare occurrence as these sites efficiently redistribute resources when a spike occurs. It is something to keep in mind. 

This type of hosting is best used by websites with less than 30,000 monthly viewers. 

Pros

  • Cost-effective – plan options start from $1 per month
  • No specialized technical knowledge is needed
  • Out-of-the-box native management features
  • Pre-configured server environment
  • Managed server admin and maintenance

Cons

  • Mostly support specific programming languages and environments like HTML and PHP.
  • Bandwidth limitation means you pay extra if you use more than a certain traffic threshold.
  • Limited storage space and expensive upgrades
  • Traffic surges happening on other websites can directly impact the availability of your website.

The price range for shared Webhosting is $0.99 to $6 per month.

WordPress Hosting

WordPress has transformed from a free blogging platform to a full-blown website hosting platform.

Even though you can easily set up a free WordPress site at WordPress.com, you will still need to subscribe to the premium plans to run a functional website for commercial use. 

Pros

  • Free domain name for a year
  • Unlimited email support
  • Google analytics integration
  • Premium themes
  • Live chat support

Cons

  • Have to join the advertising program to run ads
  • This is done through shared ad revenue
  • Affiliate links, memberships, and donations are regulated
  • WordPress users do not have complete control of their monetization options. 

This brings us to another point, if you want unlimited monetization options, freedom, and full control of your website, then it is best to use WordPress.org. Therefore you have to download the core software and think of the cost of other external resources such as: 

  • A domain name
  • Web hosting plan
  • WordPress plugins
  • WordPress themes

The costs for these plans range from $4 to $45 per month. 

Cloud Hosting

Cloud hosting makes websites accessible using cloud resources. In other words, your website is not hosted on one single server but on connected virtual and physical cloud servers. Therefore using cloud web hosting ensures better flexibility and scalability because your site is accessible on multiple servers. 

Think of it as accessing your regular documents or PDF files on multiple devices because you uploaded to the cloud, ie. iCloud or Google Drive. The same goes for your site, so instead of renting space from one server, the resources you use will come from different ones. 

The huge benefit of cloud hosting is that if one server went down, your website wouldn’t be affected as another would compensate. 

Services included:

  • Instant scalability
  • Higher uptime
  • Access to the most recent hardware
  • More security
  • Value-added cloud services 

What type of users should use Cloud Web Hosting?

Cloud hosting is great for enterprise websites. These are sites that need a large amount of storage and computing capacity.

Cloud hosting is also making a move to using a mixture of public and private clouds to grow its infrastructure which offers better cost-effective scalability. 

Why is cloud hosting beneficial?

What is really amazing about cloud hosting is that when your website is gaining more traffic, you can upscale and use more resources. But it goes both ways, so if you are experiencing a dip in traffic, you can scale back and then pay less. 

Other hosts offer a fixed amount, regardless of how your website performs. 

You can access and change your cloud hosting through an admin panel. This allows you to change your site in real-time.

Cloud hosting is attractive for websites that have varying traffic loads. You can use their pay-per-use pricing and adjust everything as you go.

Pros

  • Limited downtime
  • On-demand access to resources
  • Lower Latency
  • Pay-per-use pricing
  • Scalability and customization
  • Access to value-added services
  • Resources pooling 

Cons

  • Limited customization (this is dependent on the CSP and the cloud type)
  • Shared security responsibilities
  • Cloud expertise needed
  • Suboptimal resources usage (this can end up in higher costs)

The pricing depends entirely on usage per month.

Dedicated Hosting

With dedicated hosting, you gain exclusive rental rights over a web server. Unlike shared hosting or cloud hosting, dedicated allows you to have the physical server allocated only for your website. 

As you will have full root and admin access, you will be allowed to do anything you want within your territory. Dedicated web hosting is the most pricey option out of them all. But you do gain technical capacity that handles higher website traffic. 

Your server capacity will allow how much traffic your site will be able to handle. This can also be increased. 

This means that you still pay the full price even if you need to use the full capacity of the server. 

Who should use dedicated hosting?

Dedicated hosting is recommended for users who are very familiar with handling physical servers and understands how to use to keep them secure and keep regular maintenance. If your company has an IT team managing the dedicated hosting for you, then you will be fine. 

Otherwise, if you are new to website building we recommend checking out shared or cloud hosting.

If you decide to rent an unmanaged dedicated server, then you will need to do the following:

  • Installation of the operating server (Linux or Windows)
  • Add any tools needed to run your operations
  • Create a security perimeter that will protect your infrastructure

You also have access to more advanced web applications, because of how hands-on dedicated hosting is, it is best for mature websites with stable high-traffic numbers.

Pros

  • Non-constrained customization
  • Full-access control over the hosting server
  • Guaranteed resources available
  • Better privacy and security
  • More stable and predictable site performance

Cons

  • Cost – this is the most costly web hosting plan.
  • Needs technical resources and experience in management
  • Continuous maintenance is needed

The cost ranges from $70 to $130 per month (this is an average).

VPS Hosting

Virtual private hosting is a great progression once you have used a shared hosting plan. In the case of VPS hosting, you still share the server space. But your website will be hosted in an independent space of a virtual real estate.

There are two essentials when using VPS hosting:

  • Private – You gain access to private hosting resources (CPU, Bandwidth, and RAM). This means that you don’t share these with other users
  • Virtual – The server is not physically present but more a server that hosts other sites independently.

An easy way to imagine this is to imagine that the VPS hosting is an apartment you rent in a building. 

You can do whatever you like inside your flat. But you can’t change anything about the building. 

A great bonus for VPS hosting is that you can use any software and any programming language. 

Your caps on storage and bandwidth will be more, so your website can host more traffic.

It is good to note that VPS hosts do still have limited elasticity. But they can allow for more disk space if your site experiences traffic spikes. 

This is only sometimes the case, as this can affect other sites that use the same server.

VPS hosting allows for more customization and scalability than other shared hosting plans. Therefore you will need to be more involved in the maintenance and configurations if you decide on an unmanaged plan. 

Pros

  • Dedicated server space
  • Stable and scalability is good
  • Root access to the server
  • Allows any software to be installed
  • A lot more cost-effective than using a dedicated server

Cons

  • You are responsible for software patches and security
  • Server performance tuning tasks are your responsibility 
  • Needs technical expertise for installation and management
  • There are still control and configuration limitations

The cost ranges from $10 to $60 per month (average cost).

How much do Popular Web Hosting Services cost?

WPX 

WPX is dedicated to offering a high-speed and custom server. They own the servers that you will be hosted on.

Pricing 

  • Business – $20.83 per month / $249.99 per year
  • Professional – $41.58 per month / $499.00 per year
  • Elite – $83.25 per month / $999.00 per year

WPX only takes on a few users per server so that you can experience the best service. Thus your website can run large amounts of traffic. 

The basic structure of WPX includes the following:

  • Free malware removal
  • Support responsiveness within 30 seconds
  • If the site is offline, then free fixes to problems are available
  • Site speed optimization is free
  • 30-day Money back guarantee
  • A 99.95% uptime is guaranteed

BlueHost

BlueHost is perfect for designing a new website to developing what you have already built. BlueHost is perfect for finding solutions to assist in boosting your WordPress site. 

Pricing:

  • Basic – $9.99 (12 months per term)
  • Plus – $14.99 (12 months per term)
  • Plus choice – $18.99 (12 months per term)

Pro – $28.99 (12 months per term)

The structure of BlueHost includes the following:

  • Free domain and site builder
  • Support around the clock
  • WordPress installation with one simple click
  • 30- day Money back guarantee
  • Full-service website
  • SEO services
  • Pay-per-click services
  • Website migration

GoDaddy

GoDaddy is one of the most popular hosting sites around. They have exciting features to offer. 

Pricing

  • .com – $19.99 per month
  • .net – $21.99 per month 
  • .org –  $20.99 per month
  • .io – $62.99 per month

Renewal costs will be the same cost.

The structure of GoDaddy includes the following:

  • A 99.9% uptime guarantee
  • Network security around the clock
  • Simple control panel 
  • Resource availability – if you need extra power, you can increase your CPU/RAM, I/O, and storage with one click to buy it.
  • More than 150 apps are available to assist in your website creation, forums, and blogs.
  • You will get 1 GB database storage – you can receive unlimited MySQL databases with all Linux-based web hosting plans.
  • Easy domain name setups 
  • There are CPU, memory, entry processes, and I/O available when you need access to them. This means there is always room for your website to grow. 

HostGator

HostGator is an all-inclusive website host with affordable plans.

Pricing:

  • Hatchling – $2.75 per month
  • Baby – $3.38 per month
  • Business – $5.08 per month

The structure of HostGator includes the following:

  • Unmetered bandwidth
  • Domain Registration
  • SSL certificate
  • One-click installations
  • Unmetered storage
  • Refund within 30 days
  • eCommerce tools
  • Support around the clock, every day of the year
  • $100 Google AdWords
  • 99.9% uptime guaranteed
  • Control panel access

(There is currently a sale on)

DreamHost

DreamHost is a reliable and Flexi-hosting site that will help transform your website. 

Pricing

  • Shared starter – $2.59 per month 
  • Shared unlimited – $3.95 per month 

The shared starter plan is ideal for new WordPress sites or small ones starting out and for sites that still need to get a lot of traffic. 

The shared unlimited plan is ideal for many WordPress and large sites. Email hosting @ your domain is also included. 

There are a few more perks included in the shared unlimited plan. But they are always available when you need to upgrade. 

The structure of DreamHost includes the following:

  • Website (one to unlimited – depending on the plan)
  • Free domain included
  • Unlimited traffic
  • WordPress pre-installed
  • Quick SSD storage
  • WP website builder
  • Free automated WordPress migrations
  • Free SSL certificate
  • Free domain privacy
  • Email from $1.67 per month to unlimited email at your domain
  • 97-day money-back guarantee

Other Costs You Must Consider When Building A Website

Domain Name

Choosing a domain name can be very tricky if your business name is already taken or includes trendy keywords in your niche. Little did you know that these words could make your ideal domain name worth thousands of dollars! 

For instance, when we were filming our Building Your Website from Scratch Course, we found domain names that were just ridiculously expensive on NameCheap. Try to type in “gardening flowers”, the .com version costs $4000 alone!

 The reason why a domain name like “gardeningflowers.com” is so expensive is that it has competitive keywords that would be super beneficial for SEO especially for sites that want to rank in the gardening niche. 

Set up a domain in simple steps 

First, you will need to determine if your domain name is available. You can search on sites such as NameCheap or NameSilo and from there, you can buy it and register it. if you want to learn how to set up your domain in simple steps, we also have our full tutorial on domain and hosting. 

Register a domain name

When registering your domain name, you need to provide ICANN contact information. 

Once your domain name is registered, the information you provided to ICANN will become available to the public. 

If you prefer to keep your information private, you will need to pay extra for domain privacy. This is available through your domain registrar. 

By paying for domain privacy, you can protect yourself from the public. This helps to protect you from spammers and identity thieves.

Web Design

Web developers could set up a site for you from scratch that includes web design too. The price for setting up a functioning site can range anywhere from $1000 – $5000! For small businesses, entrepreneurs, or content creators those prices would be way out of budget. 

Alternatively, you could cut the cost by doing your domain and hosting installation yourself and outsourcing your web design to someone else. 

If you scroll on Pinterest for web design templates, you could easily get a pretty site done for $400- $600. You could also easily hire someone on freelance sites such as Fiverr or Upwork to get that done for you under $1000 as well. 

The cheapest way to get a web design done is to follow a simple tutorial on YouTube, and use basic page builders such as Elementor on WordPress. If you spend just 20 minutes on our latest tutorial on our Elementor for beginners, you can easily get your web design done for free.

SSL Certificate

Keeping your website safe protects your customer’s information, thus you have to purchase an SSL Certificate. Otherwise, your site will be marked as an unsafe site and your visitors will bounce to other websites. 

When you are choosing any popular hosting plan, they usually come with SSL Certificates too. But you can also read our latest post on how we installed our SSL certificate. We walk you through how to do it step-by-step.

Extensions and Plugins

The majority of the plugins are free. That being said, we sometimes use the pro version to keep our site up and running. There are extra plugins that can add more value to your site. Using a plugin like YOAST can help to optimize your search engine ranking. 

Conclusion

Your website hosting can options could sound almost endless.

We have been using WPX for all of our sites and so far we got no problems with their service. If you want to read other website hosting services to WPX and do more comprehensive research, we recommend our latest post on WPX alternatives and prices.

Thulisa Sigwabe
Thulisa Sigwabe

Thulisa is our Content Marketer and Creator here at WPHub. She creates WordPress tutorials and reviews popular plugins and tools to help you build and monetize your website faster.

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