Without hosting, you can’t have a website. You can’t have an e-commerce store that attracts potential customers or a blog that attracts your visitors.
If you are new to utilizing a website for your business, you may have a tough time figuring out how much does web hosting costs in 2023.
You don’t want to waste your hard-earned dollars on a low site that would eventually crash and turn away your customers.
On the other hand, you don’t want to spend your budget on a website that is way more powerful than what you truly need. There is a need for balance as a wrong web hosting decision could lead to undesired results.
Aside from this, many web hosting providers have various prices that can confuse you. For instance, you could see a catchy deal of $2.75 per month but upon going further, you realize that you have to pay for a 3-year plan to get it at that price.
If you are often baffled by how web hosting costs work out, then you are at the right place. Here, we will give a detailed analysis of web hosting costs. We will also take a look at the features that can add more to the costs and son hidden costs such as renewal fees and setup.
Let’s dive in.
How Much Does Web Hosting Cost?
Knowing the cost of web hosting helps you to make the proper budget for your website. Various elements that influence the cost of web hosting include:
- The Web Hosting Type – The average price of the web hosting type differs. Each comes with its features and benefits for users.
- The Web Hosting Provider – The web hosting provider also influences the price. Each web hosting provider targets its consumers with a unique pricing plan. So, choose the hosting provider that meets your budget.
- The Length of Plan – Many web hosting providers often offer a cheaper plan when the subscription period is longer.
- The Features – Each hosting type comes with its unique plans which often affect the cost. For instance, an expensive plan can result in more storage.
Now that you know what influences the price of web hosting, let’s take a look at the various web hosting types in the next segment.
Types of Web Hosting
1. Shared Hosting
Shared Hosting is the most popular type of web hosting plan for businesses such as blogging, side hustle, small businesses, or hobbyists. It is the type of web hosting where you share the same server with other users.
Here, you have access to the same resources including storage, processing power, and bandwidth. Since you share a server with users, the cost is lower, and can get your website up and running.
On average, many web hosting providers offer a shared hosting plan for less than $10 per month. When selecting a hosting package, always check the plan you want. Some are more expensive than others.
A basic plan is cheaper than a premium plan. For instance, Bluehost’s basic plan comes at $2.95 per month while the Premium plan is offered for sale at $13.95 a year.
Pros of Shared Hosting Plan
Aside from its budget-friendly feature, here are some advantages of the plan.
- Low maintenance
- Great support
- Easy to Manage
Cons of Shared Hosting Plan
Although it is an affordable plan, shared hosting also has its setbacks.
- Shared server
Sharing the same server poses a performance and security threat to users as they are vulnerable to crashes and malicious attacks.
- Limited Resources
It is not suitable for a website that needs lots of resources for its operations.
- Lack of scalability
Shared hosting doesn’t allow your website to grow due to shared resources.
Our Choice for Shared Hosting
- BlueHost
Bluehost is a popular choice for shared hosting options. It offers a wide selection of plans with each having its unique features and benefits. Their plans include:
- Basic Plan which costs $2.95 per month
- Plus Plan which costs $5.45 per month
- Choice Plus Plan which costs which costs $5.45 per month
- Pro Plan which costs $13.95 per month
Depending on your budget, the subscription period ranges between 1 and 3 years. The features of all plans include resources, domain name, SSL certificates, Sitelock, and Google business email.
2. VPS Hosting
Virtual private server (VPS) hosting is a great choice for websites with heavy traffic. It gives each user a dedicated hosting space and resources.
It is a suitable choice for users who want absolute control over their hosting environment.
Most VPS hosting providers give users full root access to their operating system and software.
The prices are often influenced by central processing units, solid-state drive storage, and random access memory. The average price ranges from $20-$40 per month.
Pros
- Dedicated server
- Speed
- Customizable
- Handles traffic well
Cons
- Requires technical knowledge
- More expensive than shared hosting
Our Choice for VPS Hosting
- Kamatera
Kamatera offers a VPS hosting plan for $4 per month. It features a type-A server with 1 vCPU, RAM size of 1024 MB, and SSF storage of 20GB.
3. Cloud Hosting
Cloud web hosting is a notable choice for large-scale projects such as an eCommerce website.
Unlike other web hosting types, it utilizes multiple virtual servers, providing users with scalability options.
That is, if one server is down, another server can keep the website running. It is accessible and handles high traffic well, thanks to its multiple servers.
Many web hosting providers offer this web hosting plan for between $10-$100 per month.
Pros
- Reliable
- Scalability
- Handles Traffic Well
Cons
- Limited Control
The web host handles the hosting environment leaving users with limited control.
- Security Vulnerabilities
It is susceptible to security issues when a wrong configuration happens
- Cost
It is more expensive than other hosting types.
Our Choice for Cloud Hosting
- A2
A2 is renowned for offering superb cloud hosting services. Its packages come in two types with each having different features.
- Runway 1
The Runway 1 plan costs $4.99 per month. The subscription plan ranges between one, twelve, and thirty-six months.
Some of its features include superior speed, operating system, one-click installer, administrative level roof access, and expert-managed hardware and network.
- Lift 4
The Lift 4 plan costs $39.99 per month. The subscription period also ranges between one, twelve, and thirty-six months.
Some of its features include cPanel control, rebootless updates, 4GB storage, a smart system notification system, and security patches.
4. WordPress Hosting
WordPress Hosting is primarily designed for some specialized services that use WordPress sites.
It offers security-enhanced and customized speed to enable a better WordPress performance.
WordPress websites are unique from other hosting types due to their one-click installer. They also provide a great support team to their users.
Depending on the provider, The average WordPress hosting plan amounts to $70 per month.
Pros
- Specific features such as improved security and performance
- Dedicated support team to help you solve issues
- Automatic updates
Cons
- It is only for WordPress as it prevents you from having a website on other platforms.
- You may not need the pre-installed plugins and themes.
Our Choice for WordPress Hosting
- BlueHost
If you are looking for a reliable WordPress hosting solution, BlueHost is your best shot. It offers various packages, with each having its features.
These packages include:
- WordPress Hosting plan which costs $4.95 per month
- WordPress Builder plan which costs $4.95 per month
- Online store plan which costs $15.95 per month
Common features of these plans include customized themes and plugins, superior speed and performance, automatic updates, and professional support.
5. Dedicated Hosting
As the name implies, dedicated hosting means you have the whole server dedicated just for you. Meaning, you have absolute control over the hosting environment.
Here, you can customize your website as you desire including the software, configuration, and operating system.
Due to the purpose it is designed for, the average cost is higher than other hosting types. Depending on the package, it often ranges between $80-$400 per month.
Although it is flexible, you must have advanced technical knowledge to manage this hosting plan.
A dedicated hosting plan is a good choice when you intend to have a website that deals with heavy traffic such as an eCommerce platform.
Pros
- Full control
- Can deal with heavy traffic
- Flexibility
Cons
- Technical Skills
Dedicated hosting requires advanced technical skills before you can use it.
- Cost
It is the most expensive web hosting type.
- Management
Since it doesn’t always come with professional support, you may have to manage it yourself.
Our Choice for Dedicated Web Hosting
- Inmotion
When it comes to dedicated hosting, Inmotion is a credible web hosting provider that offers various packages for users.
Each package has its unique features with which users can operate.
These packages include:
- Essential that costs $139.99 per month
- Advanced that costs $189.99 per month
- Elite that costs $259.99 per month
- CC-1000 costs $439.99 per month
- CC-2000 costs $539.99 per month.
The subscription period of these plans ranges between one, three, six, and twelve months.
The features attached to all plans are cPanel & WHIM, free website transfer, multi-layer defense, Linux experts, tier 1 network, free SSL certificates, custom firewall, backup manager, rebootless upgrades, and managed hosting, easy one-click installs, and remote KVM.
Additional Factors that Contribute to Web Hosting Cost
Various factors contribute to the cost of web hosting. Such factors include:
- Domain Name
Simply put, your domain name is your website’s name. It is the address your customers will input into the browser when searching for your brand.
A great domain name is often an extension of your brand and easy to remember. It comes in various forms such as .com domain name, net., .org, .biz, or country-related names such as .uk, or .us.
Domain names often incur extra charges such as privacy protection to protect your data and address from the WHOIS listing.
When choosing a domain name, it’s not often advised to keep registration details with web hosting providers. Instead, you should register your domain with services such as GoDaddy or Domain.com.
It is easy and reduces the potential cost of transferring your domain name to a new web hosting provider.
Finally, you should watch out for a domain renewal fee during registration as you may pay more than you originally budgeted for. A good domain name costs between $10 – $20 per year.
- SSL Certificates
An SSL certificate is essential for encrypting all data that is transferred from the web server to the browser.
Its sole aim is to prevent unauthorized users from gaining access to sensitive information.
Besides, having this certificate can improve your rank on the search engine.
Although many web hosting services offer free SSL certificates and help your budget, a paid SSL comes with more advanced features such as longer validity.
Several factors often determine the cost of a paid SSL.
Such factors include the domains and subdomains the SSL will cover. The cost of a single domain SSL varies between $7-$860 per year.
Meanwhile, the cost of a multiple domain SSL, also known as Wildcard SSL certificate ranges from $50-$1000 per year.
- Site Lock
Not all web hosting providers include SiteLock as a part of their services. While some offer the service for free and include it in their package, others charge some dollars every month.
Sidelock offers various features such as web application firewalls, malware scans, DDoS attack protection, and more to its users.
- Extension
Extensions help the functionality of the website. From improving the security to creating pop-up messages or contact forms, the overall functionality of the website remains unaffected.
Many of these web hosting providers have their set of extensions included in the package.
For instance, WordPress utilizes plugins as its web extensions. While many WordPress plugins are available for free, other plugins such as OptinMonster or WB Rocket have better features.
If it is about getting extensions at a third-party marketplace, CodeCanyon is your best bet.
The price of an average extension varies between $5-$50 per month, while some hosting providers charge this as a one-time fee.
- Automated Site Backup Services
Just like any computer device, backing up the operations of your web files in another location other than the server is essential.
While some web hosting providers do this for free, others may charge some dollars to enable you to save your backup to another location.
The best thing is to understand whether the hosting provider offers it as a free feature or not. Besides, you should note that you can backup your website all by yourself.
However, you would need a bit of technical knowledge to do that effectively. If you can’t do this by yourself, you can go for the one offered by your web hosting provider.
- ECommerce Features
In many cases, the eCommerce website costs more money than a regular website which you can use for blogging and all.
It requires some additional features that enable users to buy and sell from you.
The cost of these features largely depends on the type of store you want to set up and the number of products and services you intend to sell.
Nonetheless, the average price of eCommerce features is $15 per month.
When setting up your eCommerce platforms, you should consider their cost first.
Most free eCommerce platforms such as WooCommerce and PrestaShop offer you basic functionality that comes with additional features like free and premium extensions.
Meanwhile, the paid versions come with additional features and can cost between $49-$249 per year. When setting up these platforms you should consider these essential features:
- Payment Gateway
Have a secured payment gateway to build your customer’s trust and encourage more users to visit your sites for eCommerce purposes.
Depending on the type of store, the average cost varies. It ranges from $15-$25 per month for a medium-sized online store.
- Inventory Management
You can set up and manage your inventory with software such as Ordoro or Zoho. While it is free on some platforms, others may charge up to $1000 per month for the feature.
- Themes
When it comes to stopping customization of the website, the most essential feature that does this is themes.
Themes help to customize the website to make it more appealing, engaging, and attractive to the users. Most web hosting providers provide free themes for their users.
For instance, WordPress offers over 8000 themes for different types of websites to users. Aside from the free themes, some web hosts also provide premium themes which you have to pay for.
The paid options come along with regular updates and support from the developers. They offer to check the theme to ensure its proper functioning.
Conclusion
The price of web hosting services differs based on the provider, the type, the subscription period, and features. Select a plan that works for you and meets your needs.