Everyone loves a good bargain, whether it’s for food, clothing, or even web hosting. And while many of us are wary of bargain pricing, we can confidently say this doesn’t apply to web hosting services.
We actually recommend first-time website owners start with affordable web hosting plans, as it allows them to test out multiple features, tools, and even web hosts without the stress of a big price tag.
Still, not all of the cheapest web hosting plans are created equal. That’s why we put together our list of the best low-cost web hosting plans on the market today.
In this guide, you will learn what cheap website hosting really is, what to expect from it, and the best cheap web hosting providers.
- Best Cheap Web Hosting Plans in 2023
- What Counts as Cheap Web Hosting?
- Advantages of Cheap Web Hosting
- Disadvantages of Cheap Web Hosting
- Final Thoughts: Cheap Web Hosting
The Best Cheap Web Hosting Plans in 2023
- Namecheap
- Hostinger
- iPage
- InMotion
- DreamHost
- HostGator
- Bluehost
- A2 Hosting
- one.com
- GoDaddy
| Web Host | One Month | One Year | Two Years | Three Years | Four Years |
| Namecheap | $4.48 | $22.88 | $37.88 | – | – |
| Hostinger | $9.99 | $35.88 | $54.96 | – | $95.52 |
| iPage | – | $35.88 | $59.76 | $71.64 | – |
| InMotion | – | $41.88 | $71.76 | $89.64 | – |
| DreamHost | $4.95 | $35.40 | – | $93.24 | – |
| HostGator | $11.95 | $47.40 | – | $98.83 | – |
| Bluehost | – | $33 | – | $178.20 | – |
| A2 Hosting | $11.99 | $35.88 | $119.76 | $179.64 | – |
| one.com | – | $59.88 | – | – | – |
| GoDaddy | $11.99 | $83.88 | $155.76 | $215.64 | – |
Before we dive into our list of the cheapest hosting plans, here are some things to keep in mind:
- Term Length: The low prices are usually only available if you choose a longer-term contract. You’ll get a much better price if you pay your plan two, three, or even four years in advance. This will mean more money leaves your pocket upfront, but you save more in the long run.
- Introductory Price: Most hosting companies use a new-customer price for their plans. This is usually a one-time discount that applies to purchases by new customers. However, once your plan is up for renewal, the price will revert to the standard amount.
Just so you know, we’re taking the introductory price into account when determining which web hosts have the cheapest plans. However, we’ve taken care to point out the renewal prices below.
1. Namecheap
Namecheap has the lowest overall starting price on our list with its “Stellar shared hosting plan”. This hosting plan offers exceptional value at an unbeatable price. It includes a host of features, reliable uptime, and excellent server response time.
This plan includes:
- A free domain name for certain top-level domains
- Hosting for three websites
- 20 GB SSD
- 30 domain-based mailboxes
- Unmetered bandwidth
- Two backups weekly
- Free SSL for the first year
- Spam protection
This plan doesn’t include:
- Unlimited mailboxes
- Automated backups
Performance Data: Namecheap also has excellent uptime (99.93% in 2022) and server response time in the same period (329 ms).
Introductory Price: $1.58/month (two-year commitment).
Renewal Price: $3.50/month (two-year commitment), $3.74/month (one-year commitment), or $4.48/month (monthly payments).
Best Cheap Web Hosting Plan For: Entry-level website owners looking for a great value.
2. Hostinger
Hostinger also offers excellent reliability and server response time at an affordable starting price with its “Single Web Hosting plan”.
This plan includes:
- One website
- 100 GB bandwidth
- 24/7 support
- Unlimited free SSL certificates
- 9% uptime guarantee
- Weekly backups
- 50 GB SSD storage
- DDoS protection with Cloudflare
- Malware scanner
This plan doesn’t include:
- Free domain name
- Daily backups
- Secure shell (SSH) access
Performance Data: Our 2022 records show that Hostinger had an average uptime of 99.96% and an average server response time of 318 ms, which are excellent.
Introductory Price: $1.99/month (four-year commitment).
Renewal Price: $3.99/month (four-year commitment), $4.99/month (two-year commitment), $5.99/month (one-year commitment), or $9.99/month (monthly payments).
Best Cheap Web Hosting Plan For: Beginners whose websites may require more storage space.
3. iPage
What’s unique about iPage is that it doesn’t distinguish its shared hosting plans by tiers, unlike the other web hosts on this list. It just offers a singular “Go plan”.
This plan includes:
- Unlimited websites
- Unlimited storage
- Free SSL certificate
- Free domain for a year
- Free email address
- Free website builder
- 24/7 support
This plan doesn’t include:
- Daily backups
- SiteLock security
- Domain privacy protection
Performance Data: In 2022, iPage delivered an average uptime of 99.66% and an average server response time of 1,830 ms, among the worst results we have on record.
Introductory Price: $1.99/month (three-year commitment).
Renewal Price: $7.99/month (three-year commitment), $8.99/month (two-year commitment), or $9.99/month (one-year commitment).
Best Cheap Web Hosting Plan For: Personal blogs and small business websites.
4. InMotion Hosting
Besides the expected web hosting functionality, InMotion Hosting provides additional benefits with its “Core shared hosting plan”, like marketing tools and a 90-day money-back guarantee.
This plan includes:
- Free SSL
- Support for two websites
- 100 GB SSD
- Unlimited bandwidth
- 10 email addresses
- Hack and malware protection
- DDoS protection
- 24/7 live chat support
This plan doesn’t include:
- Unlimited storage
- Unlimited email addresses
- Free domain name for the first year
- Automatic backups
Performance Data: In 2022, InMotion Hosting delivered an average uptime of 99.99% and an average server response time of 331 ms, which are stellar.
Introductory Price: $2.49/month (three-year commitment).
Renewal Price: $8.99/month (three-year commitment), $9.49/month (two-year commitment), or $9.99/month (one-year commitment).
Best Cheap Web Hosting Plan For: Professionals who want built-in marketing tools.
5. DreamHost
DreamHost’s 97-day money-back guarantee is one of the most generous in the industry, providing you with three months to test its services and features. And what’s even better is that this guarantee applies to DreamHost’s cheapest “Shared Starter plan”.
This plan includes:
- One website
- 50 GB storage
- Free domain with longer plans, with some limitations
- Unlimited traffic
- WordPress installation
- Free automated WordPress migrations
- WP Website Builder
- Free SSL Certificate
- Automated daily backups
- Domain privacy protection
This plan doesn’t include:
- Unlimited emails
- Unlimited storage
Performance Data: In 2022, DreamHost reported an average uptime of 99.86% and an average response time of 1,815 ms, which are below par.
Introductory Price: $2.59/month (three-year commitment).
Renewal Price: $5.99/month (three-year commitment), $6.99/month (one-year commitment), $7.99/month (monthly payments).
Best Cheap Web Hosting Plan For: Beginners and professionals who want more time to test out a host’s services.
6. HostGator
With reliable uptime, above-average response time, and an intuitive website builder, the “Hatchling shared plan” that HostGator offers is great for first-time website owners.
This plan includes:
- One website
- One-click WordPress installs
- Unlimited email addresses
- Unmetered bandwidth
- Free SSL certificate
- Free domain for one year with at least a one-year commitment
- 24/7 chat support
This plan doesn’t include:
- SiteLock Security for malware protection
- CodeGuard daily, automated backups
- SEO tools
Performance Data: HostGator promises its customers a 99.9% uptime guarantee, and it delivered for the most part in 2022 with an average of 99.9%. Server response times were less impressive at 663 ms for the same time period.
Introductory Price: $2.75/month (three-year commitment)
Renewal Price: $7.99/month (three-year commitment), $9.99/month (one-year commitment), $11.95/month (six-month commitment), or $11.95/month (monthly payments)
Best Cheap Web Hosting Plan For: Beginners and small businesses looking for a website builder.
7. Bluehost
Without too many bells and whistles, Bluehost’s Basic plan is just that — basic.
This plan includes:
- 10 GB SSD storage
- Free CDN
- One website
- Free domain name for the first year
- Custom WordPress themes
- Free SSL for the first year
This plan doesn’t include:
- Malware scanning
- Daily backups
- Domain privacy
Performance Data: In 2022, Bluehost delivered an average uptime of 99.91% and an average server response time of 661 ms — not bad, but not great.
Introductory Price: $2.95/month (one-year commitment).
Renewal Price: $9.99/month (three-year commitment), $9.99/month (two-year commitment), $10.99/month (one-year commitment), $12.99/month (six-month commitment), $13.99/month (three-month commitment), or $14.99/month (monthly payments).
Best Cheap Web Hosting Plan For: Beginners who want an easy-to-customize WordPress website.
8. A2 Hosting
A2 Hosting offers a “Startup plan” that’s perfect for professionals who’ll benefit from its speedy response times, dependable uptime, and advanced features.
This plan includes:
- One website
- 100 GB SSD storage
- Free and easy website migrations
- Unlimited email accounts
- Unlimited bandwidth
- Free website builder for single-page websites
- Free SSL certificate
This plan doesn’t include:
- Free domain name
- Automated backups
- Traffic surge protection
- Pre-configured website caching
Performance Data: In 2022, A2 Hosting delivered an average uptime of 99.98% and an average server response time of 295 ms, which are phenomenal.
Introductory Price: $2.99/month (one-year commitment).
Renewal Price: $9.99/month (three-year commitment), $9.99/month (two-year commitment), $9.99/month (one-year commitment), or $11.99/month (monthly payments).
Best Cheap Web Hosting Plan For: Professionals and small business owners looking for advanced features.
9. One.com
While its “Beginner plan” is affordable, and its uptime and response time are above average, one.com doesn’t offer too much in terms of features. We recommend choosing another plan unless you’re a European user looking for a WordPress hosting alternative.
The cheapest plan includes:
- One website
- 50 GB SSD storage
- Unlimited email accounts
- Daily backup
- Free domain for the first year
- Free SSL
This plan doesn’t include:
- One-click WordPress installation
- Free migrations
- SiteLock Find malware scanner
- SEO tool marketgoo
Performance Data: From January to September 2022, one.com delivered a fantastic average uptime of 99.99% and a competitive average server response time of 542 ms.
Introductory Price: $4.99/month (one-year commitment).
Renewal Price: $6.99/month (one-year commitment).
Best Cheap Web Hosting Plan For: European users looking for a WordPress alternative.
10. GoDaddy
Despite being the most expensive hosting plan on this list, the “Economy plan” offered by GoDaddy comes with various free add-ons for the first year.
While great for first-time website owners, more advanced users may wish to go elsewhere, as these add-ons quickly increase in price after the first 12 months.
This plan includes:
- One website
- 25 GB storage
- 10 databases
- Unmetered bandwidth
- Daily backups
- Free one-click WordPress install
- Two free Microsoft365 mailboxes for the first year
- Free domain name for the first year
- Free SSL certificate for the first year
- DDoS protection
This plan doesn’t include:
- Malware scanning
- Free website migration
Performance Data: In 2022, GoDaddy delivered a decent average uptime of 99.96% and an amazing average server response time of 292 ms.
Introductory Price: $5.99/month (three-year commitment).
Renewal Price: $9.99/month (multi-year commitment) or $11.99/month (monthly payments).
Best Cheap Web Hosting Plan For: Small businesses, beginners, and entrepreneurs who want an easy-to-use platform.
What Counts as Cheap Web Hosting?
Cheap hosting usually refers to hosting plans that are lower priced, have fewer features, and cater to smaller websites. Based on our research, the cheapest hosting plans cost from $1.98/month to $5.99/month.
Shared hosting is the most common type of cheap hosting plan. Signing up for a shared hosting plan means your website will share server resources with a number of other websites.
And while these shared plans have fewer features than more expensive hosting options, they’re perfect for anyone wanting to run a single website or two.
Small businesses and personal blogs that don’t expect much web traffic work great with shared hosting plans.
Some hosting platforms also offer free options, but these plans often include conditions that may not appeal to some customers. For instance, they usually restrict websites to around 300 visits per month and doesn’t include access to a 24/7 customer support team.
Advantages of Cheap Web Hosting
The primary advantages of cheap web hosting are its affordability and ease of use.
Affordability
The lower barrier to entry means pretty much anyone can afford a hosting plan and build a website nowadays. And as we’ve mentioned, cheaper hosting plans are perfect if you’re thinking of building a website for your small business or personal blog.
Easy to Use
Cheap hosting plans provide the necessities for hosting a website. That means that once you’ve paid for your plan, what’s left is to set up your website and go live.
There are no additional services to configure, simplifying the setup process compared to more expensive hosting options like VPS or dedicated hosting.
Disadvantages of Cheap Web Hosting
On the downside, cheap web hosting plans offer fewer resources and security features.
Limited Resources
A common thread among most cheap hosting plans is the limited resources available to customers. This limitation manifests differently depending on the web host, but some commonalities exist.
Most cheap hosting plans come with the following limitations:
- Less disk space(i.e., less storage)
- Less RAM
- Reduced bandwidth
These resource limitations affect your website’s scalability (and growth potential).
Increased Security Risks
In most cases, affordable hosting plans require you to share a server with other website owners. While that keeps the cost down, it also opens your website up to more security risks.
For example, if another website on that server is infected with malware, it could spread to other websites — including yours — leading to downtime, loss of data, or worse.
Plus, many hosting providers only offer advanced security features on more expensive plans. So, cheaper plans are less protected, even though they’re often at greater risk.
Final Thoughts: The 10 Best Cheap Web Hosting Plans in 2023
Cheap hosting isn’t synonymous with bad hosting. On the contrary, we recommend beginners, small business owners, and entrepreneurs start with low-cost web hosting plans.
Not only will you save money, but you’ll also have most (if not all) of the tools you need to build a high-performing website.
The only drawback is many of these hosting plans aren’t built to scale, so you may find yourself butting up against the plan’s limitations. But that may be a blessing in disguise.
Starting with a cheap hosting plan lets you familiarize yourself with running a website or online store without the added pressure of an expensive price tag.
Once your website receives more traffic, you can always upgrade it to a more advanced plan.