5 Best Cheap Web Hosting in 2024 ($5 or Less, Domain Name Included, Small Business Friendly)

Our #1 best cheap web hosting goes to QUAPE, with premium speed, features, and support – plans start from $1.99/mo!

We have bought & tested over 30 web hosting brands. To help you make an informed decision, we checked their performance, feature, support, and pricing; then narrowed down to the 5 best cheap web hosting that actually doesn’t suck!

Pros and cons of QUAPE

Pros and cons of DreamHost

We were impressed with their average response time of 118.4 ms, scoring a solid A+ rank.

Their downsides? They only have servers based in the US, so may not be the best choice for those with audiences in Asia or Oceania since you can see that speeds are slower there.

Pros and cons of BlueHost

With a global average of 153 ms, Bluehost emerged as another A+ ranked web host, performing incredibly well in the West US (23 ms), East US (78 ms) and Canada (92 ms).

Their response times in the other locations are decent too, mostly scoring below 180 ms. The slowest location at Bangalore was 330 ms, suggesting that those targeting audiences out in Asia and Oceania may not get the best speeds. However, they do offer a free CDN built directly into the account, available at just a click, which will help get these speeds up to scratch.

Pros and cons of GreenGeeks

At a worldwide average of 118.6 ms, GreenGeeks scored a fantastic A+, faster than Google’s recommended response time and than most of the hosts on this list!

However, their data centers are based only in Chicago (US), Phoenix (US), Toronto (CA), Montreal (CA) and Amsterdam (EU). So, if you’re targeting Asia, you might not be able to experience them at their optimum speed.

Pros and cons of HostPapa

HostPapa’s worldwide average response time was 143 ms. That earns this host a solid A+ rank.

To sum it up, HostPapa’s servers respond quickly for ALL your site visitors

Cheap web hosting are web hosting services that cost $5 or less per month. This price range allows users access to either Shared or WordPress hosting. The important features included regardless of this low price include SSD NVMe storage, unmetered bandwidth and free email accounts. Free CDN, free SSL and domain name and a 99.9% uptime guarantee are also included in reputable cheap web hosting.

How are cheap web hosting plans so affordable?

Cheap web hosting plans are made so affordable because the web host places limits on certain features. They also share their server resources between multiple users. This is instead of allocating you dedicated features and this further reduces costs. Most budget-friendly web hosts offer introductory discounts for new signups in order to attract new customers. New users have the chance to purchase hosting plans at a dramatically reduced discount that can go as high as 80% off.

Are there hidden costs with cheap web hosting?

Reputable cheap web hosting providers do not incur hidden costs. A hidden cost refers to unexpected fees or charges that are not initially disclosed when you sign up for a service. In the context of web hosting, this includes unexpectedly high renewal rates or charging extra for key features like SSL certificates, CDN, or emails. A good cheap web hosting provider clearly spells out the renewal price of their plans on the pricing section of their website. They also provide detailed transparent breakdowns of what’s included. They also allow you to select or deselect add-ons during the checkout process to ensure you only pay for what you want.

You save more by opting for cheap yearly web hosting plans when the host is offering an introductory discount. Web hosts typically offer higher introductory discounts to users who commit to a longer-term plan that lasts beyond 12 months to save them money. This usually means that paying one lump sum for a 12 month (1 year), 24 month (2 years) or 36 month (3 years) plan will result in a lower ‘per month’ fee than purchasing a plan that renews on a monthly basis. It’s important to only commit to a long-term web hosting plan when you’ve done the research to make sure the web host is a good fit for your long-term website needs.

There are 3 main limitations of cheap web hosting. The first is limited resources. Cheap web hosts offer limited storage and bandwidth. This leads to bottlenecks in website performance for fast growing websites since they outgrow such allocated resources quickly. The second limitation of cheap web hosting is limited features. Advanced features such as Wildcard SSL certificates, advanced firewall, dedicated IPs require additional fees. eCommerce features such as shopping carts, payment gateways and plug-ins may also require you to upgrade to a pricier plan. The third limitation is slow support. Web hosts reserve priority support for higher-tier customers. Certain cheap web hosts require you to wait up to 48 hours to receive a response from their customer support.

Yes, cheap web hosting is good for small businesses looking to establish their online presence with a website. Cheap web hosting is a great starting point for meeting their important needs without requiring a large upfront investment. The key is to look for cheap web hosting that fits your required resources, features and budget. Ensure the cheap web host you choose also offers more powerful options that your small business can easily upgrade to when the time comes.

The best type of cheap web hosting depends on the type of business or site you’re operating. For example, online stores, WordPress blogs and web apps require different needs.

What makes the best cheap hosting for online stores?

An online store is an eCommerce website where visitors can browse and shop products or services. Cheap VPS hosting plans that cost below $10 per month are the best recommendation for small online stores. VPS hosting offers excellent resource scalability to accommodate business growth or busy sales periods. Online store owners unlock more resources (CPU, RAM) by simply upgrading to the next tier and this allows them to handle more traffic.

What makes the best cheap hosting for WordPress blogs?

WordPress blogs are websites that use WordPress CMS to publish and update content that’s written about specific niches. Cheap WordPress hosting plans that cost below $5 per month are recommended for small WordPress blogs. Look for plans that are specifically optimized for WordPress so that you can get the most out of this platform. Features such as WordPress acceleration and auto updates ensure that the WordPress blog runs fast and stays secure.

What makes the best cheap hosting for web apps?

A web app is a software or service that can be used by visitors via a web browser. Cheap dedicated server hosting plans that cost below $80 per month are recommended for small web apps. This is because they offer dedicated and scalable resources. Dedicated resources (CPU, RAM, storage, bandwidth) are required for web apps to work smoothly for visitors. This scalable type of web hosting also allows you to add more resources to your server to improve web app performance and accommodate higher traffic.

Can I host business emails with cheap web hosting?

Yes, you can host business emails together with your website with cheap web hosting.

This is preferred since bundling your website and email hosting is cheaper than purchasing each component separately. Most cheap web hosts offer website hosting with email hosting included in their plans.

Yes, cheap web hosting includes a free domain name in most cases. Most cheap web hosts will provide you with a free domain name of your choosing if you sign up for a hosting plan term that is 12 months or longer. Your domain name will be free for the first 12 months upon signing up. Once that time has elapsed you will need to pay the renewal fee each year.

Yes, you can host multiple domains with cheap web hosting. A “hosted domain” is a website with their own files, email accounts and DNS records. Many cheap hosting providers allow users to host multiple domains on a single account. This feature means you can run several websites without buying separate plans for each. Every hosted domain maintains its own content and settings.

Yes, cheap web hosting plans include unlimited features in many cases. Many cheap web hosts offer unlimited features like unlimited storage, bandwidth, email accounts, and databases. There are also cheap web hosting that offer free unlimited SSL certificates. It’s important to read the fine print in all cases. “Unlimited features” usually have certain restrictions or fair usage policies.

Yes, cheap web hosting does come with cPanel as the default control panel in many cases. When you sign up for a cheap web host that utilizes cPanel, you will be given the log-in credentials to a cPanel account. You will then use cPanel as the interface to manage your website. You do not own the cPanel license. Check our guide on the best cheap cPanel hosting for a list of the best cheap web hosts that offer cPanel in their plans for free.

Yes, cheap web hosting includes website builders for free. Choosing a web host that provides a website builder in their cheap plans allows you to build a functional website without needing knowledge of code. Website builders offer easy drag-and-drop editors to help you build an attractive site with minimal hassle. They include hundreds of customizable themes and mobile-responsive templates. Website builders also offer integration with useful website analytics and marketing tools.

Cheap Linux hosting refers to Linux web hosting plans that cost below $5 per month. Linux hosting refers to servers that are installed with a Linux-based operating system, such as Debian, Ubuntu or CentOS. Linux hosting is more economical than Windows hosting plans. See our cheap Linux hosting shortlist for top providers.

Cheap Windows hosting refers to Windows web hosting plans that cost below $9 per month. Windows hosting refers to servers installed with a Windows-based operating system, such as Windows Server Standard or Windows Server Datacenter. The cost of these plans is inclusive of the Windows licensing fee.

Cheap reseller hosting refers to reseller web hosting plans that cost below $20 per month. Reseller hosting refers to a service that lets individuals or companies buy web hosting in bulk and then sell it to others. This type of web hosting is ideal for web designers, web developers, or marketing agencies on a budget. See our shortlist of cheap reseller hosting providers for brand recommendations.