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The Real Truth About Best Shared Web Hosting Services (2024)

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Shared web hosting by far is the most popular type of hosting used by WordPress users. Despite the popularity, people often do not understand what is Shared WordPress Web hosting? Nobody ever talks about the truth behind those catchy “unlimited, easy, and affordable” phrases. Before making any decisions, we highly recommend you to read through this article so you know what is shared WordPress hosting, and what are the advantages/disadvantages of shared web hosting. Our hope is that our guide will help you make the best decision for your company.

Shared hosting is when multiple websites share a large server. By having multiple sites on the same server, web hosting companies can provide the service at much more affordable rates. This is by far the most economical option when it comes to web hosting. To put things in perspective, a dedicated web server starts at somewhere around $150 per month and can go into thousands of dollars per month whereas you can find shared web hosting for anywhere from $3.95 per month to $9.95 per month.

One of the biggest catch with most shared hosting companies is their marketing efforts. They boast unlimited disk space, unlimited bandwidth, unlimited domains, and basically unlimited everything. If you live in this world, then you know the only unlimited thing we have is the amount of lies that will come out of people's mouth. There is no such thing as unlimited when it comes to web hosting. Shared web hosting option is created for smaller websites which includes new bloggers, small businesses, etc. If every site used their quota, then shared hosting would not work. But since only very few do, it works out very nicely for everyone. Users get a very affordable deal, and hosting companies make a good profit. Long story short, it is the best option for people just starting out. But if your website starts to get popular and use up tons of server resource, then the companies will ask you to upgrade. Having dealt with numerous hosting companies, some of them don't ask so politely. They simply suspend your account, and then send you an email. Others are not courteous enough to do that either. They would simply suspend your site and let you find out on your own. Yeah that's why you should pick the shared hosting company that has a good reputation.

Reputation is by far the only thing you should look at when it comes to shared WordPress web hosting. Chances are that you don't use most of the features they have available for you, so using the feature list to choose a web host doesn't help you at all. Often hosting companies bloat up that features list by adding the most obvious of things. Because most people don't understand the industry jargon, they look at the size of the feature list to make an uneducated decision. To choose a good shared web hosting company, the only thing you should look at is their reputation in the industry. That is the single most important factor because most shared hosting companies have the same offers.

  • There is a huge cost advantage because the maintenance fees of the server is shared by thousands of websites. The hosting fee is around $3.95 - $9.95 / month.
  • Competition has led to improvements in technology. Most shared WordPress web hosting comes with easy to use admin panel like cPanel, Fantastico, etc.
  • Most popular companies employ highly skilled professionals. This allows you to peacefully concentrate on your business and not worry about maintenance and uptimes.
  • Most larger companies offer multiple services, so as your site grow you can upgrade without any hassle. We have been with the same web hosting company since 2007.
  • Compared to dedicated servers, you will notice a relatively slower server response times on shared web hosting servers.
  • When companies get greedy, overselling can be a huge issue. This can cause regular site downtimes and lagging. Again this is where reputation of the web hosting company comes in play.

Best Shared Web Hosting Services


One of the oldest web hosts started in 1996, Bluehost has become the largest brand name when it comes to WordPress hosting. They are an official 'WordPress' recommended hosting provider. With Bluehost, you never have to worry about your website being slow even when there is a lot of traffic. Their 24/7 expert support is always there to help when you need it by phone, email, or live chat. They are rated #1 in web hosting for small businesses. On top of that, they are offering WPBeginner users an exclusive 63% off discount, a Free Domain, Free SSL, and a free Site Builder with templates. Read full review of Bluehost»

SiteGround is one of the most popular and highest rated hosting provider in the WordPress community. They provide unique in-house WordPress speed and security solutions to make your site as fast and secure as possible. They are known for the best 24/7 support in the industry. This is also why we use SiteGround for hosting the WPBeginner website. SiteGround features include automatic upgrades, daily backups built-in WP caching, free CDN, free SSL, one-click staging and GIT version control. They are also one of the few companies offering location specific hosting with 6 data centers in USA, Europe, Asia, and Australia. On top of all this, they have а special 63% discount for WPBeginner readers. Read full review of SiteGround»

DreamHost has been around for 18 years, and is known for making web hosting easy. You get a custom dashboard, 1-click WordPress install, automatic WordPress updates, unlimited space, unlimited bandwidth and free SSDs which makes your site 200% faster. DreamHost powers over 1.5 million WordPress blogs and websites. They're also an officially recommended WordPress hosting provider. WPBeginner users get an exclusive 72% off and a free domain + free SSL certificate. Read full review of DreamHost»

Hostinger is becoming well-known name in the WordPress hosting industry. They offer affordable hosting, 24/7 live chat support, and a robust platform to host your website. Hostinger comes with automatic 1-click WordPress install, managed automatic updates, enhanced security, free CDN, WordPress speed acceleration, and free site migration. They also offer geolocation specific hosting with a choice of 7 data centers in USA, Europe, Asia, and South America. Hostinger serves over 29 million users in 178 countries. On top of all this, they have a special 80% discount for WPBeginner readers combined with free SSL and a free domain name. Read full review of Hostinger»

HostGator hosts over 10 million domains and is one of the most popular web hosts in the industry. With 1-click WordPress installation, 99.9% up time guarantee, and 24/7 support, it's a smart choice for every website owner. We consider them one of the best web hosting for businesses. They're offering our readers an exclusive 62% off discount, a free domain name, and free SSL certificate. Read full review of HostGator»

GreenGeeks has become a well-known brand in the WordPress hosting industry with their blazing fast website performance, 24/7 U.S. based support, and an environmentally responsible platform. They offer automatic 1-click WordPress install, managed updates, enhanced security, free CDN, free site migration, and the choice of over 5 different data center locations. GreenGeeks power over 600,000 websites and customers love them. On top of all this, they have a special 60% discount for WPBeginner readers combined with free SSL and a free domain name. Read full review of GreenGeeks»

InMotion hosting has been a well-known industry brand with reliable performance for business class hosting. With award winning technical support and 99.9% uptime, they are a user favorite. Their unmatched U.S. based support is always there to help. InMotion Hosting's WordPress Hosting is optimized for active bloggers and offers great scalability for your blog's growth. They're offer our users an exclusive 57% off + free domain and free SSL. Read full review of InMotion Hosting»

A2 Hosting is a popular host known for their ultra-fast and reliable WordPress hosting, and guru technical support. In 2002 they were founded as a developer-friendly hosting company that offers all the flexibility and advanced features you need to create your website. Since then, they've grown to offer a wide variety of hosting plans to suit anyone from beginner bloggers to big businesses. Their expert support team is available 24/7/365 to help you get started. A2 Hosting is an excellent choice for bloggers and website owners that need 99.9% uptime, top-notch support, and plenty of room to scale. Read full review of A2 Hosting»

We hope that this guide helped you choose the best shared web hosting service for your website. If you have a shared hosting question that we didn’t cover in our tutorial, then please send us a message using our contact form. One of our team members will respond back within 24 hours.

Disclosure: Our content is reader-supported. This means if you click on some of our links, then we may earn a commission. See how WPBeginner is funded, why it matters, and how you can support us. Here's our editorial process.

Editorial Staff

Editorial Staff at WPBeginner is a team of WordPress experts led by Syed Balkhi with over 16 years of experience in WordPress, Web Hosting, eCommerce, SEO, and Marketing. Started in 2009, WPBeginner is now the largest free WordPress resource site in the industry and is often referred to as the Wikipedia for WordPress.

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Reader Interactions

26 CommentsLeave a Reply

  1. Syed Balkhi says

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  2. Dennis Muthomi says

    I agree that shared hosting is an excellent place for beginners to start, just as I did with Bluehost. The low costs allowed me to launch my first ever blog without much investment.
    Over time, I outgrew the limited resources of shared hosting as my traffic increased. I switched to a VPS plan that provides more computing resources to keep up with my site’s demands.
    I am not against on shared hosting, but if you have a bigger blog that is on a shared server then its better to look for an upgrade.

    • Mrteesurez says

      Your idea is great, that is the to me the best practice, shared hosting is just for starting, growing website will soon used up the features in offered in shared hosting but do remember that one has to start from somewhere.
      Thanks for sharing your experience with us.

  3. Dayo Olobayo says

    Thanks for emphasizing on the importance of good reputation when searching for a hosting company. Many people, including myself, just look at the listed features and select one that is exciting. I hope every beginner can get to read this before purchasing any hosting plan.

  4. Mrteesurez says

    Thanks for this insightful post.
    As a beginner that is just starting out, shared hosting is the first option to opt for, to try out how things works in the side of blogging or web hosting, that was how majority of us started then. It’s affordable, minimal and easy to setup especially with Cpanel.
    But I want to ask, assuming the website started growing and becoming big, which of the two is appropriate to upgrade to, between Dedicated server or VPS ?

  5. Ayanda Temitayo says

    Thanks for highlighting common misconceptions about shared hosting! It’s true that many beginners are drawn in by enticing phrases like “unlimited bandwidth,” unaware of their limitations. While shared hosting offers an affordable entry point, it’s crucial to consider your website’s specific needs for optimal performance and growth.

    However, if you anticipate high traffic volumes, resource-intensive applications, or require complete control over server settings, a shared hosting plan might not be the best fit. In such cases, exploring VPS or dedicated hosting options could be more appropriate.

    • Mrteesurez says

      Hi Ayanda!
      You are absolutely right about the limitations of shared hosting. In my experience, upgrading to VPS or dedicated hosting can make a significant difference in performance and reliability, especially as your site grows. It’s also worth considering managed hosting services, which can provide additional support and maintenance, allowing you to focus more on your content and less on technical issues.

  6. Moinuddin Waheed says

    Thanks for clearing doubts and confusion regarding shared hosting.
    it is true that most of the beginners who are just starting out don’t know the truth behind catchy phrases like unlimited bandwidth and others.
    Having said that, at times it is not just okay to use shared hosting in terms of affordability but also in terms of need.
    in my country India, many educational institutions need to have websites, they don’t bother about traffic or anything else, they just need to have their presence online.
    For them shared hosting is the best choice and no need to upgrade.

  7. THANKGOD JONATHAN says

    Yes I see. Shared hosting is very cheap but comes with some drowbacks and downsides.
    Someone need to leave shared hosting/servers as much as possible.
    Great post. I love it.

    • WPBeginner Support says

      It all depends on the site’s needs for if they would need to leave shared hosting or not. :)

      Admin

  8. James says

    After paying for Shared host using bluehost will there be any other payment after installing WordPress? If yes please I need details.

  9. Ziba Burrow says

    I have started the journey of food blogging and I can’t tell you enough how much I appreciate the time you take to be so thorough and write articles like this for people like myself. THANK YOU

  10. Lyn says

    I’m new to web hosting. I want the shared hosting option, how do I do that with Bluehost for example? On their site I don’t see an option to choose shared hosting.

    • WPBeginner Support says

      On the hosting provider’s site, you should have the option to select the type of hosting you are wanting to use.

      Admin

  11. Abbas says

    I want to start a blog on wordpress. I have a blog on blogger on blogspot domain. How I can transfer my blog from blogger to wordpress.

  12. Theresa Tucker says

    Is WordPress simply a way to blog? I can blog and showcase my designs through my Stampin’ Up account.
    In a “social media training” video one of the other demonstrator said that it’s worth it to register your domain if you want to keep it.
    Is that what WordPress does for me?
    Do I need to register THAT? Should I have a dot com web address?
    I’m sorry I’m trying to figure out what I need to do.
    Thank you.

  13. H Saleem says

    Hi, I am a total beginner to WordPress and have been researching this topic for quite some time but still unclear. Please explain,
    1) Is normal shared web hosting the same as shared WordPress hosting?
    2) All hosting plans give one click WordPress installation from cPanel, so what is cPanel’s WordPress installation’s place in shared web hosting vs. shared WordPress hosting? Thank you.

  14. Chetan says

    Well detailed blog, I have a question that if I get shared host plan and if traffic increase and in the middle of the year I wish to go for VPS plan or , then will my half money adjust in upgrading plan or I have to pay full amount for new plan?.

    • WPBeginner Support says

      It would depend on your specific host for how they handle that type of upgrade. If you reach out to their support they should be able to let you know.

      Admin

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