Web Hosting Reviews: Shared, WordPress & VPS Hosts

If your domain is your digital address - hosting is your digital real estate. Your hosting server is where your website will live online. Good hosting is critical to building a successful project online.

But choosing the right web hosting company is tough. There are dozens if not hundreds of providers. And choosing one to host your website - your digital presence is a big deal. Oh - you also want them to be affordable and convenient.

There is no such thing as an overall "best" option for everyone. There is no "best web hosting" - there is only the best option for you based on your goals, expertise, resources & situation.

Highlights from Web Hosting Reviews

Here are the companies that are usually a good fit for most based on my experience.

Name	Best if you want...	Plans!
InMotion	…high-performance & independent-owned w/ great support.	Explore!
HostGator	…overall value w/ good pricing, support & unmetered features.	Explore!
SiteGround	...good support & advanced features w/ plans to grow.	Explore!
Bluehost	...name-brand hosting w/ good support, pricing & interface.	Explore!

I've also reviewed larger brands such as GoDaddy, Bluehost, 1&1 Hosting and DreamHost in addition to up and coming brands such as Web Hosting Hub and HostPapa. I've written guides/quizzes to help sort & choose the best shared, WordPress, email, blog, and VPS hosting.

Factors in Web Hosting Reviews

I've been able to look at a range of web hosting companies as part of my or my clients' projects. There's a lot of factors that go into my web hosting reviews, but the main factors are:

Price - How competitive is their short-term pricing? What about their long-term pricing? Are they offering real value or just a short-term "bait" type pricing?

Features - What do they offer beyond core hosting features (aka the "3 D's - domains, database and disk space)? Do they package bonus features (such as backups) or charge separately?

Ease of Use - How do they make the sign-up and setup process less daunting? Do they make it worse with upsells?

Support - How much does the company invest in support? Individual experiences can be anecdotal, but it's usually possible to tell if a company views support as an investment rather than a cost.

Performance - How well do their servers perform? Are they going to be a speed bottleneck?

Culture - What does the company value? Are they all about lock-ins and upsells or do they value long-term relationships?

Customer Focus - What's the company's ideal customer? Are they looking for WordPress developers or beginners?

Next Steps

Browse my web hosting reviews below (based on how recently they were published). Or -

Take my shared hosting quiz which will generate the best web hosting company for you based on your goals & preferences.

Go Take The Web Hosting Quiz!

Web Hosting Hub Review: The Good, Bad & My Experience

Updated February 12, 2019 By Nate Shivar

Disclosure - I receive a commission when you make a purchase from the companies mentioned on this website. All data & opinions are based on my experience as a customer or consultant to a customer.

Web Hosting Hub is a hosting company founded in 2010 by InMotion Hosting – it’s older, more well-known parent company.

According to InMotion’s comparison page, Web Hosting Hub was founded to attract “more of the start-up, and professional blogger market.” In practical language, that means Web Hosting Hub offers one product – shared linux hosting (ie, hosting that can run the most common types of websites and apps, such as WordPress without having to sustain large amounts of sustained traffic).

Check out Web Hosting Hub’s current plans & pricing here.

As many more well-known brands change pricing and get bought up by large corporations (ie, Bluehost, 1&1 and GoDaddy), there’s been an increased interest in independent companies with clear features, simple setups, and affordable pricing.

Web Hosting Hub claims to be that provider. Some of my personal projects run on HostGator right now. But since this site runs on a VPS server with InMotion, I thought I’d try Web Hosting Hub with a hobby site that needed its own shared space. Since I’ve had that site there for more than a year – I decided to update this Web Hosting Hub review.

[Read more…]

InMotion Hosting vs. GoDaddy Web Hosting: InMotion Compared Part 1

Updated January 22, 2019 By Nate Shivar

Disclosure - I receive a commission when you make a purchase from the companies mentioned on this website. All data & opinions are based on my experience as a customer or consultant to a customer.

I did a full review of InMotion Hosting based on the broad advantages & disadvantages of the company. However, I wanted to specifically look at InMotion Hosting vs. GoDaddy Web Hosting, simply because GoDaddy is the consumer brand among most people who are looking to start their own website.

View InMotion’s Current Plans & Pricing

View GoDaddy’s Current Plans & Pricing

GoDaddy is a global brand that does a lot of advertising (that’s an understatement). I’ve maintained an account there, and a couple of my clients use it, so I’ve had a a good bit of experience with them dating back 2009.

And InMotion is a rapidly growing hosting company out of Los Angeles that has generated a good bit of press and won several awards for their hosting services.

For quite a while now, I have been receiving reader questions about InMotion. I have client websites on GoDaddy, but currently use an InMotion VPS server for shivarweb.com. So I thought I’d compare them head to head. Let’s dive in and look at InMotion Hosting vs. GoDaddy Web Hosting.

[Read more…]

1&1 Hosting vs. HostGator: My Comparison & Experience With Both

Updated January 17, 2019 By Nate Shivar

Disclosure - I receive a commission when you make a purchase from the companies mentioned on this website. All data & opinions are based on my experience as a customer or consultant to a customer.

1&1 IONOS hosting and HostGator are two of the oldest and biggest hosting brands in the world. I wanted to compare 1&1 IONOS Hosting vs. HostGator specifically after receiving several reader questions about the 1&1 brand (mainly b/c 1&1, like GoDaddy does a ton of advertising).

View 1&1 IONOS Current Promo

View HostGator’s Current Promo

Many of my sites (this one uses InMotion VPS) run on HostGator hosting (see HostGator’s plans here), and I’ve had the opportunity to use 1&1 hosting (see 1&1’s plans here) with several client sites, in addition to a recent side project that uses 1&1 hosting. After using each for quite a while, here’s my experience with how 1&1 and Hostgator compare on pricing, features, performance, usability, and customer service.

WordPress.com vs. WordPress.org: Which Should You Use?

Updated March 10, 2018 By Nate Shivar

Disclosure - I receive a commission when you make a purchase from the companies mentioned on this website. All data & opinions are based on my experience as a customer or consultant to a customer.

So you’re exploring starting a website. And you’ve chosen WordPress as your software of choice. It powers more than 25% of the Internet. It’s famous for its versatility and ease of use.

But for anyone unfamiliar with the WordPress world – there’s a point of confusion. WordPress.com vs. WordPress.org – which should you use? What’s the difference? What’s the best fit for your website?

Here’s a concise overview of what you should think about before getting started. [Read more…] about WordPress.com vs. WordPress.org: Which Should You Use?

eHost Hosting Review: Pros, Cons & Comparisons

Updated March 8, 2017 By Nate Shivar

Disclosure - I receive a commission when you make a purchase from the companies mentioned on this website. All data & opinions are based on my experience as a customer or consultant to a customer.

eHost is a web hosting brand owned by Endurance International. They offer shared Linux hosting (what nearly all starter website owners need) in the form of single unlimited plan. They have been around for a while, but were only recently relaunched by their parent company.

Their datacenter is located in Houston, TX within (what appears to be) the same facilities as their sister brand HostGator. Like most shared hosting companies, eHost also provides email, a website builder, and various complementary services to web hosting.

You can check out eHost’s plan and current pricing here.

I’ve had several readers email to ask my opinion about eHost, so I decided to give them a shot in my recent shopping tour of entry-level web hosts.

Here’s my eHost Hosting review – structured with pros & cons based on my experience as a customer. [Read more…] about eHost Hosting Review: Pros, Cons & Comparisons

Arvixe Hosting Review: Pros, Cons & Alternatives

Updated March 29, 2016 By Nate Shivar

Disclosure - I receive a commission when you make a purchase from the companies mentioned on this website. All data & opinions are based on my experience as a customer or consultant to a customer.

Arvixe is a web hosting brand owned by Endurance International. They offer a full spectrum of hosting services from shared hosting to dedicated servers (even Windows hosting).

They have been around since 2003, and made their name in the mid-2000s with the ability to choose between US and European data centers. They were purchased by Endurance in 2014.

Their datacenter is located in Austin, TX. Like most shared hosting companies, Arvixe also provides email, a website builder, and various complementary services to web hosting with 24 hour support and a 60 day money back guarantee.

You can check out Arvixe’s plans and current pricing here.

I’ve had several readers email to ask my opinion about Arvixe, so I decided to give them a shot in my recent shopping tour of entry-level web hosts.

Here’s my Arvixe Hosting review – structured with pros & cons based on my experience as a customer. [Read more…] about Arvixe Hosting Review: Pros, Cons & Alternatives