Shared hosting is one of the most popular forms of web hosting and is an affordable option that’s best suited for blogs and smaller businesses’ websites. When using a shared hosting plan, your website shares resources of a singular server with a selection of other websites. Since multiple websites are sharing one server rather than hosting on one each (like with dedicated hosting), it means hosting providers can offer cost-effective shared hosting plans.
If you’ve determined that shared hosting is the most optimal hosting solution for your website, then the next step is to choose a suitable plan. There is a mountain of different web hosts that all offer shared hosting plans at differing price points. Many of these hosting providers also provide various additional features such as SSL, SEO tools, email marketing tools, and security tools. Some web hosts even have built-in website builders that can help you create an attractive, working website with minimal hassle. To help you choose from the huge range of choices, we’ve narrowed it down to just three of the top shared web hosts with the best shared hosting plans in 2023.
Did you know that the global shared hosting market is predicted to reach $56.7 billion by 2027?
- Hostgator – Affordable and beginner-friendly
- A2 Hosting – Fast servers and impressive uptime
- Bluehost – Best for eCommerce websites
Not sure if shared hosting is right for you? Here are some pros and cons of this hosting solution:
Pros
Cheap – As mentioned before, shared hosting is an incredibly cheap hosting solution due to providers being able to host multiple websites on a single server. If you’re newly entering the world of web hosting and you have a tight budget, then shared hosting is an excellent choice.
Less responsibility – With shared hosting plans, usually the hosting provider is responsible for most maintenance and admin tasks. This is highly beneficial for beginners who may be unfamiliar with the more advanced aspects of managing a website. With shared hosting, you can have a stress-free hosting experience while your web host takes care of the server setup, software updates, and security fixes.
Cons
Less control – It’s important to keep in mind that with less responsibility, comes less control. Usually, with shared hosting, users don’t have root access which means that you don’t have unrestricted access to your server. If you’re a more advanced user who wants control of your server’s configuration, file modification, and resource allocation, then shared hosting likely isn’t suited to you.
Performance issues – The main issue that arises from shared hosting is commonly known as the ‘bad neighbour effect’. As you’re sharing a server’s resources with other websites, if any see an unexpected influx in traffic, then resources will be drawn away from other sites, including yours. So, with shared hosting, you’re at risk of having your resources depleted from a ‘bad neighbour’ which can negatively impact your website’s speed and overall performance.
Alternatively, you can see if dedicated or VPS hosting is better suited to your website!
We’ve researched and handpicked the top best shared hosting plans and web hosts to help you choose the most suitable one for your website. These hosting providers have been selected based on their user experience, features, security, support, and overall performance.
Hostgator
Hostgator is a budget-friendly web host that offers a great selection of plans including VPS, dedicated, and most importantly, shared hosting. This web host is ideal for first-timers as it utilizes user-friendly tools so that even complete beginners can build a perfect and functional website.
Hostgator’s shared hosting plans are not only highly affordable, but they are also crammed with fantastic features that will benefit your site regardless of whether it’s a small blog, large eCommerce store, or anything in between.
Hostgator’s shared plans give you unmetered bandwidth, SSL, one-year domain name registration, unlimited subdomains, advanced email tools (e.g autoresponders), and cPanel support. If you opt for the Business plan then you can also benefit from unlimited websites, dedicated IP, positive SSL upgrade, and various SEO tools.
You can also upgrade any of Hostgator’s shared plans with the SiteLock security tool. This tool will scan your website and will alert you if it detects any malware or harmful code. Additionally, SiteLock can be set to automatically remove malware as well as help prevent hacks and automated attacks, so you don’t have to worry about your website being vulnerable to malicious cyberattacks.
Hostgator also has a website builder available to help you effortlessly set up a beautiful and practical website. This clever AI tool will ask you select questions and then will craft a template based on your replies. After that, you’re able to use the drag-and-drop interface to edit images, text, font, and colours until you are satisfied with the result. This tool makes it much easier for beginners to build a website from scratch as it doesn’t require any technical knowledge. If you’re new to web development then you will definitely benefit from this easy-to-use website building tool.
If you have any issues or questions regarding your hosting plan, then you can contact Hostgator’s helpful support team who are available 24/7. Additionally, you can check out Hostgator’s knowledge base for guides and tips along with a detailed walkthrough of getting started with shared hosting.
A2 Hosting
A2 Hosting is a first-rate web host that has a 99.9% uptime commitment in addition to speed-optimized servers, making it an excellent choice for those who value high performance when it comes to their websites.
All of A2 Hosting’s shared plans provide you with free site migration, unlimited email accounts, dedicated IP, SSL, and cPanel support. There is also a selection of security features included with all shared plans such as a virus scanner, reinforced DDoS protection, 2FA, dual firewall, and brute force defence.
If you have a bigger budget then you can choose the Turbo Boost plan which gives you additional features including automated backups, traffic surge protection, unlimited websites, and unlimited SSD storage. You also have access to A2 Hosting’s high-speed Turbo Servers which claim to boost SEO rankings, lower your bounce rate, increase conversion rates, and handle up to 9X more traffic.
A2 Hosting also generously offers its custom website builder for all shared hosting plans at no extra cost. This tool has been designed to help you create your website with ease and includes accessible features like a text editor, a template selected (with hundreds of templates to choose from), and contact/sign-up forms. This build-in website builder is fairly basic, however, it’s a nice bonus that can aid beginners with the setup of their website.
A2 Hosting’s friendly ‘Guru Crew’ support team is available 24/7 via email, ticket, live chat, and phone support to answer any questions or resolve any problems you might run into. Alternatively, you can head to the knowledge base which is full of tutorials, FAQs, and guides which are laid out in an easy-to-navigate category format.
Bluehost
Bluehost is a widely known web host that has grown popular mainly due to its WordPress endorsement. This means that those who are setting up a blog will appreciate the additional WordPress features included in all of Bluehost’s plans. However, this web host also includes bonuses that are tailored to eCommerce websites, making it a superb choice for all business types.
Bluehost’s shared hosting plans include one-year domain registration, a domain manager, SSL, CDN (content delivery network), and custom WordPress themes. If you’re after even more features then you can upgrade to the Pro plan which provides you with unlimited SSD storage, unlimited websites, optimized CPU resources, domain privacy, dedicated IP, and automated backups.
All plans also come equipped with Bluehost’s website builder which is a convenient tool that allows you to swiftly create a unique website using a no-fuss drag-and-drop interface. Features packed in this website builder include a loaded image library, custom CSS, live editing, 1-click WordPress access, custom fonts, and hundreds of quick-start templates to choose from.
Bluehost’s website builder also features various add-ons that will be highly beneficial for eCommerce websites in particular. These features include PayPal integration, shipping plugins, product page templates, manual order creation, contact forms, confirmation emails, social media buttons, and email marketing campaigns.
Bluehost has an expert support team available 24/7 through phone or live chat. This team is highly-experienced and on the ball, so you can expect both quick and thorough responses. You can also check out Bluehost’s vast knowledge base which is jam-packed with how-tos, instructions, and informative articles.
A final note
If you’re still not sure whether shared hosting is the right choice for you, then have a look at our full list of the different types of web hosting solutions!