What is offshore web hosting?
Technically, any web hosting package with servers outside of your own country could be called offshore hosting, but the term is specifically used to refer to intentionally hosting a website outside of your own country for specific benefits. There are a few benefits you can gain through offshore hosting, with the most notable being increased privacy.
How offshore web hosting protects you
So, why go for offshore hosting? Can’t you just purchase domain privacy to make sure people can’t find out who owns your site?
If you’re only concerned about making sure regular people can’t find out your address or email, buying from a regular web host that offers domain privacy can be effective. However, your identity will still be connected to your website. Your web host will know who you are and your government will be able to access information about you. Your website will also be beholden to the laws of the country you’re in.
Offshore hosting, on the other hand, allows you to host your website specifically in countries with few legal restrictions on digital content. Many offshore companies also offer anonymous payment methods, like cryptocurrency, so that your website isn’t directly connected to you in any way. This allows you to avoid legal trouble and other potential issues that might arise from your website being connected to your personal identity.
Other benefits of offshore hosting for websites
Offshore website hosting can have other benefits as well:
- 👉 Tax benefits if you choose a company with favorable tax laws
- 👉 Lower prices in some instances (although some offshore hosting can actually be more expensive)
- 👉 Ability to run businesses that are restricted in your country, such as for-profit businesses (e.g., gambling) or political content/ideas
If you have a large audience in a specific country or want to build an audience in a specific country, an offshore host with a data center in that country can also provide faster load times for your visitors.
Now that we understand what offshore web hosting is, let’s take a look at the five best companies to purchase it from!
Five best offshore web hosts
1. Shinjiru
Shinjiru is an offshore website hosting company that offers a wide range of plans, including budget-friendly plans, VPS hosting, and dedicated server plans. It even offers specialized WordPress plans.
Shinjiru also accepts Bitcoin, offering maximum anonymity.
⚙️ Features/benefits
The following features are available on the Bulgaria Linux Basic plan, the most affordable of Shinjiru’s budget plans:
- 100GB SSD storage
- Ten email accounts
- Unmetered bandwidth
- One click installer
- Eight offshore jurisdictions
- LiteSpeed technology
- 24/7 ticketing and phone support
- Ability to pay with Bitcoin
- Free site migration
💵 Cost
The most affordable Shinjiru plan is the Bulgaria Linux Basic plan, which you can get for as little as $3.95 per month if you invest in a 36-month plan.
👎 Drawbacks
The one drawback of using Shinjiru’s budget offshore hosting plans is that they don’t offer DDoS protection. However, you can get DDoS protection by signing up for one of the other plans.
🎯 Who this host is best for
Shinjiru is best for users who want long-term offshore hosting and users who want to build their offshore-hosted sites with WordPress. Shinjiru is also great if you want to choose between a variety of data center locations.
2. Koddos
Koddos offers a range of offshore web hosting plans, including plans for offshore resellers, offshore servers, and Hong Kong servers. All plans are contract-free and you can pay with a variety of cryptocurrencies, ensuring your anonymity.
⚙️ Features/benefits
The following features are available on the Koddos Mini Plan A, the most affordable of its offshore web hosting plans:
- 20GB Raid-10 Storage
- Two domains
- Two parked domains
- Unlimited MySQL, Email & FTP
- No contract
- Free site migration
- 24/7 tech support
- Ability to pay through Bitcoin and several other cryptocurrencies; check out the full payment methods list for more details
💵 Cost
Koddos’s offshore web hosting plans start at $8.95 per month, billed monthly.
👎 Drawbacks
The main drawback of Koddos is that there aren’t as many options as you’ll get from a service like Shinjiru. Notably, there are no WordPress-optimized plans.
Koddos is also more expensive than some of the other options on this list, with plans starting at $8.95 per month and no option to decrease the cost by signing up for a longer term.
🎯 Who this host is best for
Koddos’s lack of contracts and ability to pay with a variety of cryptocurrency options make this a great choice if you really want to maximize your privacy.
3. The Onion Host
The Onion Host offers a variety of offshore hosting plans with data centers located in Bulgaria. These include shared hosting and three different types of VPS hosting, allowing you to choose the plan that best meets your website’s security and data needs.
You’ll also be glad to know that The Onion Host accepts payment through a variety of cryptocurrencies (though not quite as many as Koddos) to ensure more complete privacy.
⚙️ Features/benefits
The following features are available with the Basic shared hosting plan from The Onion Host:
- 10GB SSD storage
- Unmetered bandwidth
- DDoS protection
- Free site migration
- 24/7 tech support
- Ability to pay through Bitcoin, Ethereum, Litecoin, and a range of other cryptocurrencies
💵 Cost
The Basic shared hosting plan from The Onion Host costs $5 per month and you can purchase it as a monthly, quarterly, biannual, or annual plan.
👎 Drawbacks
The Onion Host only has data centers in Bulgaria and the Netherlands, giving you somewhat less choice in where your servers are located than some of the other options on this list of the best offshore web hosting companies.
🎯 Who this host is best for
The Onion Host is a great choice if you want affordable offshore hosting with the option to start on a month-to-month plan and invest in a longer-term plan down the line.
4. Hostinger
Hostinger is a more traditional web host known primarily for the affordability of its web hosting plans. The company also supports offshore hosting, allowing you to switch the location of your servers at any time. You can choose data centers in Lithuania, the Netherlands, and Singapore.
You’ll also find that Hostinger has a wide range of hosting plans available, including WordPress-optimized plans. This gives you maximum flexibility when building – and growing – your website.
⚙️ Features/benefits
The following features are available on the Hostinger Single Web Hosting plan:
- 50GB SSD storage
- 100GB bandwidth
- DDoS protection
- Options for managed WordPress
- Ability to change your server’s data center location at any time
- Free site migration
- 24/7 support
- Ability to pay with a wide range of cryptocurrencies
💵 Cost
The Single Web Hosting Plan, Hostinger’s most affordable hosting option, is available for just $1.99 per month when you purchase a 48-month plan. However, the cost rises when you choose a shorter term, going all the way up to $9.99 per month when you choose a month-by-month plan.
👎 Drawbacks
The main drawback of Hostinger is that if you want access to the best prices, you’ll need to commit to a full 48-month (four years) plan.
🎯 Who this host is best for
Hostinger is the best choice if you’re committed to running your offshore site for a long period, as this allows you to access incredible deals on your hosting.
5. Phanes Cloud
Phanes Cloud is a web hosting company based in the Netherlands that offers a variety of plans, including reseller hosting plans. It also offers VDS (more commonly referred to as VPS) plans for websites that need a high level of resources and/or security.
You’ll also find that Phanes Cloud offers a wide enough variety of plans to scale with your site as it grows, with the smallest plan allowing 50K visitors per month and the largest allowing two million visitors per month – and you can gain access to even more resources through one of those VDS plans I mentioned earlier.
⚙️ Features/benefits
The following features are available on the Startup plan:
- Unlimited NVMe (SSD) storage
- LiteSpeed technology
- 50K unique visitors per month
- 1GB memory
- Ability to pay with a variety of cryptocurrencies
💵 Cost
The Startup plan for Phanes Cloud costs €4.99 per month, with options to purchase on a month-to-month, quarterly, semi-annual, or annual basis.
👎 Drawbacks
The big drawback of Phanes Cloud is that you won’t get access to tech support on the Startup plan, so if you’re not fully confident in your ability to run your website yourself 100% of the time and deal with technical issues, you’ll need to sign up for a more expensive plan.
Another drawback is that Phanes Cloud only offers pricing in Euros. This means that if you’re outside of the European Union, you’ll have to factor the exchange rate into your budget.
🎯 Who this host is best for
Phanes Cloud is ideal for European users who want an offshore web hosting company with data centers in The Netherlands.
Best offshore web hosting: how to choose the right company
So, what’s the best offshore web host for your business? 🤔
That depends on what you want:
- If you’re committed to hosting your site for a long time and you want excellent cost savings for a long-term plan, choose Hostinger or Shinjiru.
- If you want affordable month-to-month options, choose The Onion Host – or, if you’re European, consider Phanes Cloud.
- For contract-free web hosting with maximum privacy, choose Koddos.
Building a website for the first time? Check out our 6-step process for building a WordPress website!
Keep reading the article at CodeinWP. The article was originally written by Dianna Gunn on 2023-07-03 07:00:00.
The article was hand-picked and curated for you by the Editorial Team of WP Archives.