Website Hosting Cost Guide 2024 (2024)

Shared hosting is a beginner-level hosting plan. The highly competitive shared hosting industry means consumers benefit from a low monthly price. Pricing generally ranges from $2.51 per month for entry-level to $4.62 for a midtier option. With shared hosting users share their web server with other websites. The number of other websites could range from a few hundred to thousands.

The advantage of shared hosting is the affordable pricing. The disadvantages are spotty service, no guarantee of uptime, possible security risks and limited resources making it difficult for websites to scale. This option is best for websites with low traffic, static pages and new websites.

Virtual private server (VPS) hosting is the next level of hosting. On average, the cost of VPS plans is in between the cost of shared hosting and dedicated hosting. Users can expect to pay anywhere from $20 to $100 per month. With VPS, users still share server space with other websites. However, there are fewer websites sharing the same space. This allows websites to manage higher volumes of traffic and increases the level of site security.

Users will also have more control over their hosting environment, which is better for privacy than shared hosting. This should be the lowest level of hosting for e-commerce websites. Disadvantages of VPS is an increase in costs and the possibility of an occasional slow uptime.

Dedicated hosting dedicates an entire server to the user. This gives users complete control over their server’s environment allowing them to customize the operating system, software and general configurations. Dedicated hosting prices generally start around $100 per month. Websites with their own dedicated servers run faster, can manage a high traffic volume and experience less downtime because of the large bandwidth, storage space and RAM. Dedicated servers are also more secure making them imperative for larger businesses with sensitive data.

Cloud hosting is a cluster of servers working together instead of relying on a single server like traditional hosting services. Its main advantage is the extreme infrequency in which the servers go down. Cloud hosting does a great job of balancing traffic to maintain website performance even when traffic is high. Instead of a flat rate monthly fee like traditional hosting, cloud hosting users generally use a pay-as-you-go model and only pay for what they use.

When building and maintaining a website, there are more costs involved than just web hosting. For example, additional costs often include a domain name (around $15 per year), an SSL certificate, premium themes or templates, premium plugins and additional third-party integrations and tools.

Here’s a brief overview of the other costs related to website hosting:

• Domain name: A domain name is a web address, such as forbes.com. While many of the top web hosting plans include a free domain name, you can buy a domain name separately from a domain name registrar, such as Namecheap or Domain.com for around $12 to 15 per year.
• Secure sockets layer (SSL) certificate: The SSL certificate is a security feature that helps prevent unauthorized individuals from accessing sensitive data. As with domain names, many hosting plans include it for free while others provide it for an additional cost anywhere from $10 to $200 per year.
• Premium theme and/or template: Themes and templates allow users to customize their websites. While most hosting plans do provide at least a handful of free customizable templates, some users end up purchasing more advanced templates for even more customization in website design. Premium WordPress themes for example can cost anywhere between $20 to $200-plus.
• Premium plugins: Plugins add features or extend the functions of an existing application to further customize your website. Basic plugins are generally free while premium plugins generally cost between $5 to $50 or more depending on the plugin.
• Marketing tools and integrations: Like plugins, marketing tools and integration can further customize your website to help expand your website’s reach and convert visitors into customers. Marketing tools vary greatly in price and can be a one-time purchase or a monthly subscription.

With the exception of Web.com, the hosting companies we examined all start their introductory rate around $2.99 a month. Once that introductory rate expires, however, prices jump up from DreamHost’s $6.99 per month to SiteGround’s $14.99 per month. All the plans include 24/7 customer service, WordPress hosting and free business email. Beyond that, you will need to examine what hosting service provides the features you want and stays within your budget.

For a complete breakdown of the leading web hosts and associated costs, check out our article on the best website hosting companies.