The best web hosting for small business should be affordable while providing you with all the tools, apps, and plugins you need to build and manage a successful website. Having a website is essential today, and these providers make the process of setting up and managing your site simple.
In this guide, we’ve assessed and reviewed the best hosting for small business websites. We’ve looked at the providers’ plans, features, security, and server speed, among other key details, to help you make an informed decision and find the best website hosting for small business for your needs.
Best Website Hosting for Small Business
The Best Small Business Web Hosts
Here’s our complete list of the best website hosting services for small business, together with their best features and the advantages they offer over their competitors:
- DreamHost — $2.59/month — Best small business website hosting provider for new users
- BlueHost — $2.95/month — Best web hosting service for online stores and WordPress websites
- InMotion — $2.49/month — Fast and reliable web hosting for small business
- Liquid Web — $17.50/month — Fully managed hosting solution that’s ideal for migrating WordPress websites
- A2 Hosting — $2.99/month — Best security and speed-focused web hosting for small business
- InterServer — $2.50/month — Best affordable small business web hosting solution
- IONOS — $1/month — Best website and email hosting for small businesses with robust website-building tools
- HostArmada — $2.49/month — Best cloud VPS hosting for small business
- NameCheap — $1.48/month — Best cheap shared hosting with a 100% uptime guarantee
- HostPapa — $2.95/month — Best web hosting service for small businesses for secure managed WordPress hosting
- Show Full Guide
The Best Web Hosting for Small Business Reviewed
Here are our in-depth reviews of the best website hosting services for small businesses so you can see exactly what each provider offers and make an informed decision.
1. DreamHost — Best Small Business Website Hosting Service for New Users
Starting Price | $2.59/month (3 years) |
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Uptime | 100% |
Bandwidth | Unlimited |
Storage | 50GB SSD |
Free Domain | ✅ |
Money-Back Guarantee | 97 days |
Pros
- Affordable
- One-click WordPress install
- Free WP website migration
- Unlimited storage with upgrade
- Robust web design and web development features
Cons
- Control Panel takes some getting used to
- Malware removal tool is a paid add-on
2. BlueHost — Best Small Business Web Hosting Service for Online Stores and WordPress Websites
Starting Price | $2.95/month |
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Uptime | 100% |
Bandwidth | Unlimited |
Storage | 10GB SSD |
Free Domain | ✅ |
Money-Back Guarantee | 30 days |
Pros
- Hundreds of professional themes
- Free SSL, regular malware scanning, and daily website backups
- Wide variety of features for online stores
- Free onboarding to get started with website building
- Access to WordPress Academy with dozens of tutorial videos
Cons
- Storage limits on all plans
- Content-heavy sites can slow loading
3. InMotion — Fast and Reliable Web Hosting with a Full Security Suite
Starting Price | $2.49/month (3 years) |
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Uptime | 99.99% |
Bandwidth | Unlimited |
Storage | 100GB SSD |
Free Domain | ✅ |
Money-Back Guarantee | 90 days |
Pros
- Super-fast servers
- Free one-click installs for plugins and hundreds of web apps
- Easy-to-use cPanel and an intuitive drag-and-drop website builder
- Automatic site backup
- Marketing tools to help promote your website
Cons
- Lacks some advanced features
- The back-end UI could be updated
4. Liquid Web — Fully Managed Hosting Solution, Ideal for Migrating Existing Sites
Starting Price | $17.50/month (annual) |
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Uptime | 99.999% |
Bandwidth | 2TB |
Storage | 15GB |
Free Domain | ❌ |
Money-Back Guarantee | 30 days |
Pros
- Fully managed hosting service with 24/7/365 tech support
- Smooth WP migrations handled by Liquid Web’s team
- Proactive server performance monitoring that ensures 99.999% uptime
- WP hosting servers optimized for speed
- Excellent VPS web hosting options with the ability to choose memory and CPU combinations
Cons
- No shared hosting option
- No website builder, so less useful for creating a site from scratch
5. A2 Hosting — Best Web Hosting Service for Small Business Focused on Security and Speed
Starting Price | $2.99/month (annual) |
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Uptime | 99.9% |
Bandwidth | Unlimited |
Storage | 100GB SSD |
Free Domain | ❌ |
Money-Back Guarantee | 30 days |
Pros
- Over 15 different hosting plans to choose from
- Out-of-the-box optimized WordPress installs
- Turbo Servers for 20x faster site loading speeds
- A2 Optimized plugin that guarantees improved site performance
- Professional support available 24/7/365
Cons
- A2 Website Builder is a paid add-on and only with Shared Hosting plans
- Website backups are a paid add-on
6. InterServer — Best Website and Email Hosting Service for Small Business
Starting Price | $2.50/month |
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Uptime | 99.9% |
Bandwidth | Unlimited |
Storage | Unlimited |
Free Domain | ❌ |
Money-Back Guarantee | 30 days |
Pros
- Best-value-for-money small business hosting web solution
- Unlimited storage and bandwidth on all plans
- Unlimited business email accounts
- Over 450+ one-click install cloud apps
- Powerful InterShield Security included for free
Cons
- No free domain name registration
- Not the fastest page loading speeds
7. IONOS — Best Affordable Small Business Web Hosting Solution
Starting Price | $1/month (6 months) |
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Uptime | 99.9% |
Bandwidth | Unlimited |
Storage | 10GB |
Free Domain | ✅ |
Money-Back Guarantee | 30 days |
Pros
- Best small business email and web hosting on a budget
- Affordable and highly scalable
- Fully managed WP hosting options
- Fast servers with close to 100% uptime
- Free SSL, free email, and daily backup and recovery
Cons
- Dated backend panel
- Customer service could be improved
8. HostArmada — Best Cloud VPS Hosting for Small Business
Starting Price | $2.49/month (3 years) |
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Uptime | 99.9% |
Bandwidth | Unlimited |
Storage | 15GB SSD |
Free Domain | ❌ |
Money-Back Guarantee | 45 days |
Pros
- Unlimited bandwidth and databases
- Free website migration and a free, intuitive drag-and-drop site builder
- Expert help for installing all the apps and plugins you need
- Superb website security and protection against malware and DDoS attacks
- Data centers in locations around the world
Cons
- No money-back guarantee with monthly plans
- Limited storage on all shared and WP hosting plans
9. NameCheap — Best Cheap Shared Hosting with a 100% Uptime Guarantee
Starting Price | $1.48/month (annual) |
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Uptime | 100% |
Bandwidth | Unlimited |
Storage | 20GB SSD |
Free Domain | ✅ |
Money-Back Guarantee | 30 days |
Pros
- Single dashboard to manage all your sites
- Hundreds of WP themes and a free website builder
- Managed hosting solutions that are easy to scale as your traffic grows
- Superb website security and privacy
Cons
- Price increase on renewal
- Only two weekly backups on the starter plan
10. HostPapa — Best Web Hosting for Small Businesses for Managed WordPress Hosting
Starting Price | $2.95/month (3 years) |
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Uptime | 99.9% |
Bandwidth | Unlimited |
Storage | 100GB SSD |
Free Domain | ✅ |
Money-Back Guarantee | 30 days |
Pros
- Free WordPress site installation and updates
- Easy one-click installer for over 400 apps and plugins
- Free SSL certificate and enterprise-level security
- Access to fully optimized servers on higher tiers for lightning-fast site loading speed
Cons
- No staging area on the cheapest plan
- No auto-backups for free
The Best Small Business Website Hosting Services Compared
Here’s a quick side-by-side comparison of the best web hosting sites for small businesses so you can get a better idea of what you can expect to get for your money from each of the top web hosting companies:
Web Hosting Service Provider | Starting Price | Uptime | Bandwidth | Storage | Free Domain | Money-Back Guarantee |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
DreamHost | $2.59/month (3 years) | 100% | Unlimited | 50GB SSD | ✅ | 97 days |
BlueHost | $2.95/month | 99.88% | Unlimited | 10GB SSD | ✅ | 30 days |
InMotion | $2.49/month (3 years) | 99.99% | Unlimited | 100GB SSD | ✅ | 90 days |
Liquid Web | $17.50/month (annual) | 99.999% | 2TB | 15GB | ❌ | 30 days |
A2 Hosting | $2.99/month (annual) | 99.9% | Unlimited | 100GB SSD | ❌ | 30 days |
InterServer | $2.50/month | 99.9% | Unlimited | Unlimited | ❌ | 30 days |
IONOS | $1/month (six months) | 99.9% | Unlimited | 10GB | ✅ | 30 days |
HostArmada | $2.49/month (3 years) | 99.9% | Unlimited | 15GB SSD | ❌ | 45 days |
NameCheap | $1.48/month (annual) | 100% | Unlimited | 20GB SSD | ✅ | 30 days |
HostPapa | $2.95/month (3 years) | 99.9% | Unlimited | 100GB SSD | ✅ | 30 days |
How We Review And Test Hosting Providers
15 Providers Tested
20 Data Points Measured
300+ Hours Testing
500+ User Reviews Read
To be able to offer our readers factual information and only the best web hosting solutions, we evaluate and test the most popular hosts in the market. Here are the main factors we focus on:
- Features: We ensure the provider includes basic features like a custom domain, an SSL, generous storage and bandwidth, and email accounts, as well as advanced tools like domain protection, staging, automated backups, and more.
- Ease of use: It’s important that, regardless of their experience managing a site, all users can quickly and easily navigate the hosting provider’s dashboard. All providers on our list either offer an easy-to-navigate custom panel or a widely used cPanel.
- Performance: We ensure the provider offers at least a 99.9% uptime guarantee and uses up-to-date and functional servers. We test this by setting up a site with each provider, testing site loading speed and traffic handling capabilities, and monitoring the uptime.
- Customer Support: We ensure that users can reach customer support 24/7 via various support channels. We also contact them to test whether the support agents are knowledgeable and efficient.
- Value for Money: We evaluate the features within the package and the price point it retails for. We only recommend plans that offer the best value for money.
What is Small Business Hosting?
A website hosting service provider stores and delivers all the assets that make up your website, including documents, images, and videos. You can often also store and manage email accounts on your web host’s servers.
The best web hosting site providers are geared towards businesses will generally offer a range of hosting options, scalable WordPress packages, ecommerce tools, and dedicated support – and the best web host for small business will offer much more.
Which Hosting Package is Best for Small Businesses?
There are many different hosting packages, from shared hosting and VPS (Virtual Private Server) hosting to dedicated hosting. The one that’ll be the best fit for your business depends on your industry and the size and content architecture of your site.
If you’re migrating an existing website, you can also opt for shared hosting, but you have to pay closer attention to what’s included in the package.
Ideally, you want one with free website migration, one-click installation for all your plugins, enough storage to store all your content assets, and unlimited bandwidth so you don’t have to worry about the website slowing down due to increased traffic.
What’s also worth noting is that there are separate hosting solutions for online stores – ecommerce websites – which can significantly differ from one provider to the next.
Still, they’re a much better option for ecommerce than regular hosting solutions since they’re optimized for platforms like Shopify and WooCommerce and offer native integration with a wide variety of apps you’ll need to run your business.
You should also keep in mind any industry-specific rules, regulations, and policies your business must abide by. For example, a healthcare website must adhere to HIPAA compliance rules regarding the protection, backup, and storage of patient data, which often necessitates a custom hosting solution on a dedicated server.
Different Types of Small Business Hosting – From Shared to Dedicated Hosting
When looking for web hosting services for a small business, it’s worth being aware of all the different types of hosting on offer from web hosts. The main types of web hosting for small business are:
- Shared hosting – An affordable solution in which you share a server with other customers, splitting the RAM and CPU. It’s great for less-trafficked sites and businesses looking to keep costs down.
- WordPress hosting – Shared hosting that has been specifically optimized for WordPress, so it’s fast and secure.
- Managed WordPress hosting – This upgraded service has the host managing updates, security, and optimization for you. It’s more expensive but many technical processes are handled for you.
- VPS hosting – Having a virtual private server means your site has its own allocation on a shared, physical server, so you have greater control and the capacity to handle more traffic.
- Dedicated hosting – Dedicated hosting means you have a physical server committed to use for your site, giving you better performance and greater security.
- Cloud hosting – Cloud hosting sees your assets being hosted over a network of servers. You can rapidly scale up capacity based on demand and only pay for the resources you use.
How Much Bandwidth and Storage Do You Need for Web Hosting for Small Business?
Bandwidth and storage requirements are directly tied to the amount of monthly traffic your website receives and the content on the site, so it’s a key consideration when looking for the best web hosting for small business.
If you’re looking for an affordable option, we’d recommend getting at least 10GB of bandwidth, which should support 20,000+ monthly visits.
As for storage, 5GB should suffice for a static website with limited content, but if you’re running a blog on your site, your best bet is a plan with 100GB+ of SSD storage.
What’s also worth considering is whether the hosting plan is easy to scale. As your business grows, you may find the resources available on your plan are too limited. It’s always a good idea to opt for a hosting provider that lets you upgrade your subscription and access more resources if you need them – upgrading to VPS or dedicated hosting, for example if you need it.
How Much Does the Best Small Business Web Hosting Cost?
Acquiring the best small business hosting for your company can come at an extremely wide range of price points. If you’re hosting a blog with a relatively limited amount of traffic, then it might cost just a few dollars a month.
Packages that include commerce features can cost $15 to $20 per month or more at standard rates and will allow you to promote your wares and make sales.
If you need additional security or the capacity to handle additional traffic, VPS (Virtual Private Server) hosting can cost anything from $20 to $145 per month, while dedicated hosting can cost from $70 to $260+ per month at standard rates.
Keep in mind that renewal prices may be higher than introductory rates and you may need to pay extra for additional services.
What you’ll need really depends on how you define small business – Instagram was less than two years old and had 13 employees when it was purchased by Facebook for $1bn, after all.
Unfortunately, there are hidden costs when it comes to website hosting – so if you don’t carefully read the offer before accepting it, you may end up paying more than you initially thought.
Website hosting companies will often have an introductory discount offer, after which you’ll be charged full price for the service.
So, while $1/month might look like a great deal, you may find yourself paying $14/month after the introductory offer expires.
Other extra costs can come from domain name registration, email hosting, and website builders. Some hosting providers offer these for free with their higher-tier subscription plans, but some only provide them as add-ons.
If you don’t carefully review what’s included in your package, you may end up paying extra for domain name registration and other key services you need to set up and launch your website.
Because of this, we recommend comparing the features available on different plans before you make your final decision. You might just find that the higher-priced subscription tiers are actually more cost-efficient when you add up the price of services you wouldn’t have access to on cheaper tiers.
How to Choose the Best Business Web Hosts
For example, the best web hosting for a small ecommerce business won’t be the same as the best website and email hosting solution for a company offering consultancy services.
Here’s a rundown of the most important factors to weigh up when choosing the best website hosting service for your small business:
Bandwidth and storage
The best web hosting services for small businesses won’t limit the amount of monthly traffic or SSD storage available for your website.
This means you won’t have to worry about scaling up and paying extra for the service as your business grows and you start attracting more website visitors.
If you anticipate larger volumes of traffic, though, read our guide to the best VPS hosting for more advice.
Uptime guarantee
Having a commitment to a reliable, unbroken service is paramount, so make sure the web hosting provider you pick has a very high uptime guarantee at 100% or close to it.
Server speed
Server speed is crucial since it directly impacts how fast your website will load.
For more complex sites with a ton of content, videos, gifs, and other advanced elements, it’s best to opt for a higher-tier pricing plan that ensures your website will be hosted on servers optimized for speed.
If you need local servers for your market, see our guides to the best Australian web hosting companies and the best WordPress hosting in the UK.
Security
Website security is another area you can’t afford to skimp on. Choose a provider that offers a free SSL certificate, regularly checks for and removes malware, and offers protection against hacking, DDoS attacks, and other digital threats facing small business websites.
Professional business email
You should always have an address that ends with your domain name to help build trust with your audience and instill confidence in potential partners.
Opt for a hosting provider that lets you generate addresses for your entire team.
Website builder and free domains
Even if you already have a website and simply want to migrate it, it’s always a good idea to have access to an easy-to-use website builder.
This allows you to expand and add new pages to the site and easily fine-tune, rearrange, or replace existing ones.
Having a free domain bundled in is an added bonus.
Website staging area
The best web hosting services offer a fully featured staging area. This is crucial for businesses that want to experiment with apps and plugins or update the site’s architecture.
It allows you to apply the changes and see them in practice without disrupting your live website, so you can make sure everything works and looks good before you push it live.
Customer feedback and experience
While we test and research providers as much as we can, we can’t replicate the experience of long-term customers who’ve managed numerous sites and set up countless integrations over months and years.
Given this, it’s worth getting a sense of customer feedback on providers and looking for providers that offer excellent customer support via multiple channels.
Pricing and plans
Compare different pricing plans and make sure the one you choose includes all the features you need and provides good value for money. Compare similar plans from different providers and opt for the one that’s the most cost-effective.
It’s also worth looking at money-back guarantees and renewal pricing to frame the real, long-term cost.
Can a Small Business Use a Free Web Host?
There are quite a few “free” web hosting services on the market, but free services often come at a cost. After all, building and maintaining servers for web hosting costs money, and these providers need to make a profit somehow, or they’ll go out of business.
They mostly do it by displaying advertisements on your website and limiting your bandwidth and access to crucial features, so you’ll eventually have to upgrade to their paid web hosting plans.
So, while you might be tempted to opt for a free web hosting solution due to your tight budget, you should be aware that this is almost never a better option.
With premium plans starting at as little as $1/month, there’s no reason to stunt your business’ growth by opting for an inadequate free plan that limits your bandwidth and storage. We really can’t recommend even the best free website hosting for small business use cases when cheap business website hosting is available.