- By Joe Fylan
- Last updated: January 4, 2020
On a tight budget and want the best value hosting for your WordPress website you can afford? Whether you’re managing a personal or small business website, being on a budget doesn’t mean you have to forgo fast and reliable web hosting.
And, even if you’re not on a tight budget, there’s no need to pay for an expensive hosting plan you won’t make full use of — after all, managed WordPress hosting isn’t for everyone.
So, if you want the best deal on hosting, read on for some of the cheapest WordPress hosting plans from leading companies that won’t require you to compromise on performance, support or features.
Best Cheap WordPress Hosting Plans at a Glance
Before we get to the details of each host and what they’re offering, here are the key details of these plans in an easy-to-compare format:
- DreamHost: From $2.59 per month for unlimited one website, 50GB of storage, and unmetered bandwidth.
- HostGator: From $2.75 per month for one website, unlimited storage, and unmetered bandwidth.
- A2 Hosting: From $2.94 per month for one website, unlimited storage, and unmetered bandwidth.
- Bluehost: From $2.95 per month for one website, 50GB of storage, and unmetered bandwidth.
- SiteGround: From $3.95 per month for one website, 10GB of storage, and unmetered bandwidth.
- GoDaddy: From $5.99 per month for one website, 100GB of storage, and unmetered bandwidth.
- InMotion Hosting: From $6.39 per month for two websites, unlimited storage, and unmetered bandwidth.
It’s worth pointing out that to get the prices listed above and elsewhere in this guide, you’ll often have to pay for at least 12 months, and sometimes up to 36 months, in advance when signing up (choosing to pay monthly usually results in higher fees).
Also, it’s important to be aware that these companies regularly run promotions and discounts, which means the title of the best cheap WordPress hosting service provider can change regularly.
How to Choose the Best Budget Web Host
When it comes to finding the cheapest WordPress hosting, monthly fees aren’t the only costs to consider. Extras such as a free domain name and an SSL certificate can also help to bring costs down.
Upfront Payments and Introductory Discounts
Before you make a decision, find out how many months you’ll need to pay for upfront to access the best deals, and don’t forget to check the amount you’ll be paying when renewing your subscription after any introductory discounts have run their course.
What Does Unlimited Mean?
Choosing a plan with unlimited storage and bandwidth could save you from having to upgrade too soon, but be sure to read the small print from each host to find out exactly what they mean by unlimited. For example, SiteGround recommend their entry-level plan for sites that receive less than 10,000 unique visits per month on a regular basis.
However, for anyone just starting out these entry-level plans should be more than adequate.
If you’re migrating an existing website or have any questions, use the live chat service to contact any hosts you’re interested in to find out whether your current traffic and storage requirements would work with their cheapest plan.
Nice but Not-Essential Extras
Some features, such as automatic backups and WordPress software updates as well as website migrations are nice extras. However, if they’re not provided by the cheapest web host you’re interested in, they are things you can take care of and implement yourself relatively easily with the right tools.
So, now you know what to look for when searching for cheap WordPress hosting, here are the best plans available today in more detail.
Best Cheap WordPress Hosting Plans in Detail
These affordable plans have more to offer than just the highlights covered earlier. Read on to find out exactly what you get for your money at the budget end of the web hosting spectrum.
(listed in order of minimum-price-per-month first)
DreamHost
The entry-level DreamHost shared hosting plans are advertised as being suitable for most websites — including blogs and portfolios. Considering these plans have fast storage, unlimited bandwidth, daily automatic backups, and other useful features, this claim sounds accurate.
The entry-level DreamHost shared plan starts at $2.59 a month making it the cheapest option in this collection. As the DreamHost Shared Starter plan includes a free domain name and SSL certificate, as well as coming with WordPress pre-installed, you should have everything needed to get your site up and running as quickly as possible. Not only that, but it’s great value too. There’s also a 100% uptime money-back guarantee in place, which isn’t common at this price point.
What the $2.59 DreamHost Shared Starter Hosting Plan Includes:
- Hosting for one website.
- Free domain name.
- Free SSL certificate.
- 50GB of storage.
- Unlimited bandwidth.
- WordPress optionally pre-installed with automatic updates.
- Daily website backups.
- Unlimited MySQL databases.
- DreamHost Control Panel.
- Live chat and email ticket support.
- 97-day money-back guarantee.
If you outgrow DreamHost shared hosting but are happy with their overall service, you can upgrade to their premium DreamPress managed WordPress hosting plans for higher performance servers and more features.
Find out more about the cheapest web hosting plans from DreamHost
HostGator
The HostGator plans cover the full spectrum, from shared packages and reseller plans to cloud hosting and custom dedicated servers. However, it’s the low cost $2.75-a-month Hatchling plan we’re interested in for this guide.
The unlimited storage and bandwidth allocations are certainly eye-catching while the ability to contact the support start via live chat, email, and telephone is appealing too.
What the $2.75 HostGator Hatchling Plan Includes:
- Hosting for one website.
- Free SSL certificate.
- Unlimited storage.
- Unlimited bandwidth.
- One-click WordPress installation.
- Instant manual backups via cPanel.
- Unlimited email accounts.
- Unlimited MySQL databases.
- cPanel control panel.
- 24/7 telephone, live chat, and email ticket support.
- 45-day money-back guarantee.
The Baby and Business plans on the shared tier offer affordable upgrade options from the Hatchling plan, while those who need more performance may want to consider the HostGator managed WordPress hosting service. Starting at just $5.95, these WordPress optimized services are well worth a closer look, thanks to the increased performance and extra features.
Find out more about the cheapest web hosting plans from HostGator
A2 Hosting
In terms of brand recognition, A2Hosting aren’t up there with the big names in web hosting, such as Bluehost, GoDaddy, and HostGator, but they do offer a very competitively priced WordPress hosting service. The free SSL certificate and site transfer service on the entry-level Lite plan help to give A2 Hosting a slight edge over some of the competition in this collection.
As well as the live chat and telephone support channels, the shared plans also include email ticket support, something that isn’t always available on the entry-level plans from other hosts.
What the $2.94 A2 Hosting Lite Plan Includes:
- Hosting for one website.
- Free SSL certificate.
- Unlimited storage.
- Unlimited bandwidth.
- WordPress installation and automatic updates.
- CloudFlare CDN included.
- 25 email accounts.
- Five MySQL databases.
- cPanel control panel and Softaculous one-click installer.
- 24/7 telephone, live chat, and email ticket support.
- Anytime money-back guarantee.
Don’t let the lack of brand name recognition put you off — A2 Hosting have a good reputation in the industry and receive positive feedback from users. As well as their cheap web hosting services, A2 Hosting also specialize in offering higher-end VPS, dedicated server and cloud hosting packages for when your website outgrows the entry-level plans.
Find out more about the cheapest web hosting plans from A2 Hosting
Bluehost
Bluehost are one of the biggest names in web hosting, and with prices starting from $2.95 per month it’s not hard to see why.
WordPress users should appreciate having this software pre-installed and updated automatically, but you may miss the free WordPress website migration and backup service that some other hosts in this price range offer. However, as mentioned you get enable these features yourself by installing a plugin like Jetpack.
What the $2.95 Bluehost Basic Plan Includes:
- Hosting for one website.
- Free domain name for 1st year.
- Free SSL certificate.
- 50GB of storage space.
- Unlimited bandwidth.
- Optional WordPress preinstallation and automatic updates.
- SiteLock CDN.
- Five email accounts.
- Unlimited MySQL databases.
- cPanel control panel and Softaculous one-click installer.
- 24/7 telephone and live chat support.
- 30-day money-back guarantee.
For an extra $2.50 per month, you can upgrade to a plan that supports multiple website hosting and other useful features, such as automatic backups.
Find out more about the cheapest web hosting plans from Bluehost
SiteGround
SiteGround have built a very strong reputation in the web hosting industry since their launch in 2004. With their cheapest plans starting at $3.95 per month, SiteGround are just slightly more expensive than the lowest-priced options in this collection.
However, you do get access to everything you’re likely to need, including some nice extras for WordPress users, such as basic caching and a free website transfer from another host.
What the $3.95 SiteGround StartUp Plan Includes:
- Hosting for one website.
- Free SSL certificate.
- 10GB of storage.
- Unmetered bandwidth but recommended for sites that receive up to around 10,000 visits per month.
- One-click WordPress installation and automatic updates.
- Cloudflare CDN.
- Daily website backup creation.
- Unlimited email accounts.
- Unlimited MySQL databases.
- cPanel control panel and Softaculous one-click installer.
- 24/7 telephone, live chat, and email ticket support.
- 30-day money-back guarantee.
If your website starts getting more popular, or if you need to host multiple sites, it only costs $2 more per month to upgrade to the next plan. SiteGround offer a full range of hosting services, so you’ll never have to worry about moving to another host as your website gets bigger or receives more visitors.
If you like the sound of SiteGround but aren’t sure if you can justify their slightly higher prices, read our comparison of Bluehost, GoDaddy, and SiteGround to see if it’s worth the extra expense.
Find out more about the cheapest web hosting plans from SiteGround
GoDaddy
At $5.99, the entry-level GoDaddy Economy hosting plan is a little more expensive than some of the other options here, but extras like the free domain registration help make it more affordable.
In the past, GoDaddy had a less-than-stellar reputation for support and customer service, but, over the past few years, they’ve made a lot of effort to rebuild their brand. Through sponsoring and being a regular presence at WordPress WordCamp conferences, as well as working closely with WordPress businesses, GoDaddy have made a real effort to turn their image around.
In addition to their relatively new high-performance WordPress managed hosting service, it’s good to see that GoDaddy still offer a general-purpose shared hosting plan that WordPress users on a budget can take advantage of.
However, the generic shared plans are lacking some WordPress-related features — such as automated backups — that are found elsewhere at this price point. Because of this, their slightly more expensive WordPress shared hosting packages may be more attractive.
What the $2.99 GoDaddy Economy Plan Includes:
- Hosting for one website.
- Free domain name if you pay annually.
- 100GB of storage.
- Unlimited bandwidth.
- One-click WordPress installation.
- One year of free Microsoft Office 365 business email service.
- 10 MySQL databases.
- cPanel control panel and Softaculous one-click installer.
- 24/7 telephone and live chat support.
- 30-day money-back guarantee.
If you use WordPress, it’s well worth exploring the different types of hosting from GoDaddy to ensure you’re not missing out on any features you’ll appreciate — even if they will cost you a few dollars more each year.
Find out more about the cheapest web hosting plans from GoDaddy
InMotion Hosting
Although more expensive than the cheapest WordPress web hosts in this collection, InMotion Hosting do offer free domain name registration, an SSL certificate, and website migration when you sign up.
What the $6.39 InMotion Hosting Launch Plan Includes:
- Hosting for two websites.
- Free domain name.
- Free SSL certificate.
- Unlimited storage.
- Unlimited bandwidth.
- Unlimited email accounts.
- Two MySQL databases.
- cPanel control panel and Softaculous one-click installer.
- 24/7 telephone, live chat and email ticket support.
- 90-day money-back guarantee.
If you need to find a home for two websites, then the entry-level $6.39 Launch plan from InMotion Hosting means you can still get a great deal without upgrading to a more expensive plan, as is the case with some of the other hosts in this guide.
Find out more about the cheapest web hosting plans from InMotion Hosting
Final Thoughts
DreamHost currently offer the cheapest web hosting, with prices starting from $2.59 a month to host one website. If you need to host multiple websites, then the $3.95-a-month Baby plan from HostGator that supports unlimited websites and gives you unlimited storage and unmetered bandwidth to work with is the best value option.
Knowing you’ve found the cheapest deal possible on web hosting can be very satisfying, but it’s important not to compromise too heavily in other areas.
Results from seven days of testing with Pingdom (read the full comparison).
For example, paying just over $1 extra a month for the $3.95 SiteGround StartUp plan, compared to the lower-priced plans from some other companies, gives you access to impressive loading times. In one of our tests, the SiteGround StartUp plan outperformed comparable plans from Bluehost and GoDaddy when it came to website loading times, performance under stress, and uptime.
If you’re still not sure which type of hosting you need, be sure to check out our guide to choosing the best WordPress hosting.
Used/using any of the above? Thoughts on each?
Joe is an experienced WordPress user who enjoys sharing the tips and knowledge he’s picked up from using this fantastic platform for many years. You can find out more about Joe on his website.
Keep reading the article at WinningWP. The article was originally written by Joe Fylan on 2020-01-04 04:12:31.
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