Oh boy, it’s another “best web hosting” review! But stick around a bit because I’ll try to avoid the typical affiliate marketing B.S. for this one.
Let’s not repeat the same names that almost every commission-first review website puts up…
I wanted to tell you how great BlueHost and HostGator are, but really, I just couldn’t overlook the hundreds of complaints about their outsourced support here, here, and on other non-affiliate sites.
And since this post is about Reddit recommendations, these two providers are particularly not popular on Reddit.
Many Redditors will tell you to steer clear of any hosting company owned by the EIG/Newfold Digital conglomerate, which include BlueHost, HostGator, iPage, Web.com, Domain.com, and more than a 100 other brands. The most obvious reason being their poor, outsourced and consolidated support service.
So, which web hosting providers are recommended by Redditors?
Best Web Hosts According to Reddit
I put together a short list of what I believe are the most reliable web hosting companies that are often given a thumbs up on Reddit — and here they are:
1. KnownHost
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I learned about KnownHost from Redditors a few years ago while scanning posts for hosting recommendations. They were quite reputable then, and they still are one of the most respected web hosts around tech-related subreddits.
KnownHost may not get a lot of recognition on review sites (marketing isn’t one of their strengths), but I think they deserve to be at the top of this list because they offer solid services, affordable prices, and one of the most helpful support teams I’ve seen among US-based hosts.
Whether you need low-end shared hosting, premium managed WordPress hosting, or high-performance VPS hosting, you get good bang for your buck from these guys.
2. CloudWays
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Most tech-savvy folks on Reddit are not big fans of shared hosting unless it’s for a personal, small or temporary project. What they’d recommend instead is using a virtual private server (VPS) or a cloud server that gives you higher performance, custom software stack and easier scalability.
But managing your own server is a risky undertaking if you don’t have plenty of experience with Linux server administration. And that’s a problem that CloudWays can take care of for you.
CloudWays is a custom-built cloud server hosting platform for PHP apps and sites. You just select which cloud provider and plan you want to use (tip: DigitalOcean has decent deals), select the app you want to host (e.g. WordPress), provide some basic details, and within minutes your own virtual cloud server will be ready to go.
All server software installations and configurations are done automatically. You’ll be able to manage your server instance and all related features (caching, staging, files, databases, backups, etc.) from a visual interface that isn’t hard to learn.
I think CloudWays is a great web hosting solution for small business because of the higher performance and cost effectiveness of cloud hosting. You can scale your server resources up or down any time so you don’t have to overpay for resources you don’t need.
3. SiteGround
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SiteGround has been around for a while and they’ve built a strong reputation for offering serious reliability and support.
Their platform is simple enough for a beginner to launch a new website with minimal effort. You also get access to a useful collection of educational articles and guides.
The prices are a little bit on the higher end of the scale, but considering all of the built-in and out-of-the-box features included, in addition to outstanding 24/7 support service, I think their pricing is rather admissible.
You should note that the discounted plan prices listed on their website are only valid for the first invoice. They do mention this on the checkout page, and they also list the regular (renewal) price alongside. I’ve seen some customers complain about the high renewal cost, although to be fair, the company is transparent about the one-off discount.
4. Krystal
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Krystal is one of the hidden gems you can stumble upon on Reddit and a few other sites. This is a UK-based company that I keep at the top of my list of reliable and affordable web hosts.
The biggest reason to trust this provider with your website — in my opinion and that of some Redditors — is their skilled and professional support agents. The team is based in the UK and will not fail you when you need serious and urgent technical assistance.
If you are starting a small business website and looking for a web host that understands the value of good customer service, I haven’t seen many companies that top Krystal in this regard.
5. FastComet
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FastComet is another solid web host you can depend on if you are starting out with a modest budget.
Their shared hosting plans pack all the essential features you’d need in a hosting service, built on top of a redundant cloud infrastructure that is well optimized and guarded against various security threats.
With the simplicity of their platform and around-the-clock technical support, I think FastComet web hosting is a particularly good choice for beginners. I would recommend this provider for hosting a new or a relatively small WordPress site.
However, due to the low server resource and database limits, I would not advise using their shared hosting for a heavy site (e.g. e-commerce) or a high-traffic site. In such cases, you should either consider their VPS hosting or find another provider that is more generous with server resources and database quotas.
6. Hostinger
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Hostinger is one of the top names in the web hosting industry that is active on Reddit (they have their own community there). Despite some criticism of their marketing tactics, their hosting service is pretty solid for the relatively low price they charge.
I was recently looking for a cheap web hosting service for one of my new WordPress sites, and I decided to go with Hostinger. It’s been a few months now and everything has been going smoothly. I only had to contact the support team once, and the agent was very friendly and helpful.
The only thing I can mildly complain about is their custom-made control panel (hPanel). Although it’s got everything I need for managing a WordPress site, I still prefer cPanel as I’m more accustomed to its interface and tools.
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