Question: How do I choose a web hosting provider, and which one(s) do you recommend?"
Answer: There are literally hundreds of web hosting providers to choose from, and it's hard to know which ones are good or bad.
I've listed several reputable web hosting providers below, with a comparison of their features. These are providers that I've either used before or would recommend using for getting your website pages on the Internet.
A web hosting provider is a company that stores your web pages and makes them viewable on the Internet. They also provide domain registration services so you can reserve a domain name (e.g. www.yourcompany.com) and create personalized email accounts like you@yourcompany.com.
Recommended Web Hosting Providers
| Web Host | Domain Name |
Email Addresses |
Monthly Bandwidth |
Storage | Databases | Add-on Domains |
Monthly Price |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1&1 |
Free | 600 | 300 GB | 10 GB | 10 | None | $3.99 |
| Dotster |
Free | 10 | 250 GB | 5 GB | 1 MySQL | None | $5.25 |
| HostMonster |
Free | Unlimited | 3000 GB | 300 GB | 100 MySQL 100 PostgreSQL |
Unlimited | $5.95 |
| StartLogic | Free | Unlimited | 3000 GB | 300 GB | 25 MySQL | 10 | $5.95 |
| techhosting |
Free | Unlimited | 1000 GB | 100 GB | Unlimited MySQL | 7 | $5.95 |
| Lunarpages |
Free | Unlimited | 3500 GB | 350 GB | Unlimited MySQL | 10 | $6.95 |
| Blue Host |
Free | 2500 | 3000 GB | 300 GB | 50 MySQL 50 PostgreSQL |
Unlimited | $6.95 |
| Hostgator |
Free | 20 | 200 GB | 50 GB | Unlimited MySQL | Unlimited | $6.95 |
| IX Web Hosting |
Free | 5000 | 3500 GB | 500 GB | 100 MySQL 100 PostgreSQL |
8 | $6.95 |
| iPowerWeb |
Free | 2500 | 3000 GB | 300 GB | 1 MySQL | 6 | $6.95 |
* Last updated on Jan 10, 2008 - visit each provider to view additional hosting plan options
Which web hosts do I recommend?
I've used both Lunarpages and HostMonster to host my own sites, so I can attest to their reputability and dependability. They both have a rich set of features with very affordable price tags. Lunarpages comes with $700 worth of Coffee Cup web site development software, which makes it a very attractive option for someone who needs to create a new web site template. Both Lunarpages and Hostmonster are very responsive with technical support and continually upgrade their features with faster hardware, increased bandwidth, storage, email accounts, etc.
Web Hosting Providers You Might Want to Stay Away From:
You might be surprised to see big names like GoDaddy and Yahoo on this list, but I really feel they're lacking in features compared to the web hosting providers listed above (and Yahoo is just plain too expensive).
If you're one of the web hosting providers on this list, you may use the Contact Form to plead your case or let me know about improvements you've made. :)
| Web Host | Monthly Bandwidth |
Storage | Databases | Add-on Domains |
Monthly Price |
Reason |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GoDaddy |
5 GB | 250 GB | 10 MySQL | No | $3.99 | Low bandwidthSmall storage No add-on domains |
| Dot5 |
3000 GB | 300 GB | Unlimited MySQL | 6 | $4.95 | Extremely Slow No Fantastico Scripts |
| HostRocket |
Unlimited | 100 GB | 10 MySQL | 10 | $4.95 | $29.95 Setup Fee (should be free) |
| FatCow |
3000 GB | 300 GB | 5 MySQL | Unspecified | $6.95 | Too few databases Too many unknowns |
| Yahoo |
200 GB | 5 GB | Unlimited MySQL | None | $7.71 | Low bandwidth Small storage Too expensive No add-on domains |
* Last updated on Jan 10, 2008
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- 9474 reads
Bishop Russell F. Coates, Jr. (not verified) Says: Mon, 2007-08-13 16:32
Dear Ricky,
I Stumbled upon your forum on Web Hosting Comparisons and found the information to be very useful since I am seeking a new Web Host for our site. Presently, we use Yahoo Web Hosting. Initially, it didn't seem like a bad service, but I know realize that there are better hosts who don't charge as much as Yahoo.
I liked what I read about Lunarpages on their site. My only question is that we have a URL address through Yahoo that has been out there for several years and I would not want to change to a different URL. I didn't read anything on the Lunarpages site about migrating our URL to Lunarpages. Do you know offhand if that can be done with them? I know I could call their phone line to get an answer, but I would have preferred to email them, however they don't list an e-mail address. I was hoping that you might have an answer. Thank you!
Sincerely,
+Bishop Russell F. Coates, Jr., FDP
Rocky Hill, CT
Ricky Says: Mon, 2007-08-13 18:27
I've worked with the folks at Lunarpages and they can definitely help you transfer your existing domain over to their service. They've always been very helpful to me via phone or email - just use support@lunarpages.com.
As with any domain transfer, you should expect about a 24 hour period where your site is down due to the transfer. It can be as little as a few hours, or as long as 24 hours, which gives the DNS servers time to adjust to the new IP address (each domain name is associated to a unique numeric IP address, and that IP address changes behind the scenes when you switch web hosting providers).
Once you've transferred your domain, you'll be able to access it using the same internet address that you're currently using.
Hope this helps, and feel free to post any other questions you may have.
Computer Repair Guy Virginia Beach (not verified) Says: Tue, 2007-08-14 03:40
1and1 does list how many databases they offer for the $3.99 account, you just have to click on "more core features..." link to display it. They currently offer 10 100MB MySQL databases. You do get what you pay for. I have been using 1and1's Business Linux Hosting for $9.99 a month and get much more bandwidth, storage and databases.
Ricky Says: Tue, 2007-08-14 08:52
Thanks for taking time to point that out - I'll update their profile above
(moved 1&1 Web Hosting from the Steer Clear List to the Recommended List).
Anonymous (not verified) Says: Wed, 2007-08-15 01:22
What about nearlyfreespeech.net? They charge you for only what you use, with accounts similar to a prepaid phone. They charge $0.01/mb/month storage and $1.00/GB bandwidth, and a mysql process costs $0.01 a day allowing you unlimited databases. This is defginitely grat for smaller sites, who may not need everything in these packages.
web hosting provider (not verified) Says: Sun, 2008-01-13 03:31
I think HostGator is the best.
Evert (not verified) Says: Tue, 2008-06-03 10:44
Hmm, either HostMonster has upped their rates, or you have a typo there: they charge $6.95 a month...
free home page (not verified) Says: Thu, 2009-08-06 03:15
Thanks for the comparisons. But from my personal experiences i will advise not to use those who offer unlimited or few K GB bandwidth, as soon you will realize many times your website is offline or responding very slow.
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