Recommended Hosting
These are my favorite WordPress webhosts at multiple price points. In my opinion the offer a combination of value, performance & support that sets them apart from similarly-priced competitors.
Budget (Shared) - Hostinger
- Litespeed Servers (fast)
- Litespeed Cache
- Free SSL 1 domain ($5/additional)
- Shared server resources & IP address
Try Free: Hostinger offers a limited free hosting plan.
Upgraded (VPS) - Cloudways
- Monthly billing (pay as you go)
- Unlimited Domains
- Free SSL Unlimited Domains
- Private IP address and server resources
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Hostinger
Hostinger is a no-frills host that preforms way above expectations. Thanks to the Litespeed server stack and included LS Cache plugin, it outperforms many pricier shared hosts.
It’s an incredible value, but it comes with a few caveats. Premium support costs extra, you only get ticket-based support with base packages. Also, auto-renewed SSL certificates cost a one-time fee of $5/domain (you get one free).
Recommended Plan: WordPress Starter (100 domains / $3.99+/month)
Cloudways
Cloudways is a VPS (Virtual Private Server) host. Unlike shared hosting, a VPS gives you dedicated server resources and typically has better performance than shared hosts. Cloudways is a ‘managed’ VPS, which means 24/7 live chat and support is included. Setup is quite simple, and it’s optimized for WordPress.
Overall, VPS’s are more expensive than shared hosting, but you pay monthly rather than paying for a multi-year subscription up front. In many cases, this is a better option because you’re not locked into a long-term plan. You can also instantly scale to a more powerful server if your site goes viral.
Watch my Cloudways Setup tutorial to learn more.
Recommended Plan: Digital Ocean $10/month 1-core VPS.
Which host to choose for your first site?
In the end, don’t sweat your hosting decision too much. As long as your webhost has good WordPress support and a reputation for quality service, it should work fine.
New sites don’t need expensive hosting because you won’t get much traffic early on. You can always upgrade to a higher tier of hosting in the future.
A 2-year subscription to Hostinger’s ‘premium’ shared hosting is probably the sweet spot, with a total cost under $75, and a 30-day refund policy.