What Is Web Hosting and How Does It Work?

We may receive a commission from our partners if you click on a link to review or purchase a product or service. Click to Learn More

Once seen as something of a luxury, websites have become an absolute necessity for any company or individual who wants to make an impact in the online sphere. And if you’re looking to launch your own website, you’re going to need more than just the tools to build it – you’ll need somewhere to put it, too. Fortunately, with the help of web hosting providers, you’ll be able to get your website live on the web easily and affordably.

Whether you’re a seasoned veteran or a wide-eyed rookie, it’s worth remembering that getting a website on the internet takes more than just a budget and a keen eye for design. You also have to enlist a web hosting provider that can actually deliver your site to the internet’s many users.

If you’re unsure about what web hosting is, how it works, or – all importantly – how much it costs, read on for our comprehensive guide to web hosting.

What Is Web Hosting?

Simply put, web hosting means storing all the data that makes up your website on a remote server location. After you design and build a site, it has to “live” somewhere for it to exist on the internet. That’s where web hosting comes in – after all, you wouldn’t buy a TV if you didn’t have a house to put it in, and you can’t launch a website without a server to host it on.

While some website builders provide web hosting within their pricing plans (which we’ll talk about later), getting a standalone web server hosting provider has its own set of benefits. Depending on which type of hosting plan you get set up with, you can take advantage of everything from lower prices and improved speeds to easy scalability and secure servers.

When it comes to the cost of these web hosting providers, you can expect to be billed on a monthly basis. Prices range widely from provider to provider and plan to plan, which means nailing down exactly what you need from a web hosting provider is essential to making the right decision. You can spend anywhere from $2 to $10 a month on simple shared or personal hosting plans, whereas heavy-duty business plans on dedicated servers can run you as much as a few hundred, or even a few thousand dollars a month.

Web Hosting Providers and Plans

There are a number of helpful web hosting providers that will give you the technical support you need to launch your website without breaking the bank. Take a look at a few of the best web hosting providers below, and read on for a basic comparison of some of their features and pricing plans.

BlueHost
HostGator
GoDaddy Web Hosting
1&1 Web Hosting
InMotion
WPEngine
A2 Hosting

In addition to the variety of providers you can choose from, you’ll also find that each brand has a number of plans, offering everything from basic to enterprise-level hosting at different price points. Whether you’re a huge company that needs to manage increased traffic or a small business that’s simply trying to improve their online presence, one of these providers will have the features and cost you need to get the job done.

When it comes to web server hosting, it’s also important to note what type of plan you need, which will depend on what you’re looking for in a website. Each type has a specific set of benefits and downfalls, depending on what you’re using them for. These types include:

Shared hosting – sharing a server with other websites. Cheaper option with potential for slower speeds, great for beginners
Dedicated hosting – getting a server all to yourself. Much more expensive, but gives you much more control. Great for larger, scaling companies
Cloud hosting – hosted across a variety of servers. Less downtime thanks to multiple servers, great for fast growing companies
VPS hosting – sharing a server, but you get your own “area.” Perfect in-between option from shared and dedicated hosting
WordPress hosting – plans that cater to WordPress designed sites. Some providers are designed specifically for this purpose, and we’ve crafted a guide to the best WordPress hosting plans.

Want to know more? Check out the Best Web Hosting ProvidersIn This Guide:

Web Server Hosting Explained
Web Hosting Providers and Plans
Web Hosting for Personal Sites
Web Hosting for Small Businesses
Web Hosting Costs When Using a Website Builder

Have you used a web hosting service before?

Yes

Web Hosting for Personal Sites

The key to understanding web hosting is to know what you’re using it for, and most people are using it for personal websites. If you aren’t expecting a huge amount of traffic or a life-or-death situation if a server goes down, it’s safe to say that a shared hosting plan will suffice for your particular needs.

As the name suggests, shared hosting involves sharing a server with other websites. Just like with roommates, shared hosting allows you to cut costs by splitting the cost of the server among the other users. However, if the other sites take up too many online resources, you could end up with a slowed down site. Fortunately, most providers will manage this discrepancy – as long as you’ve got a good one.

Take a look at this handy table to get a better idea of what you can expect from the major brands as far as a shared hosting plan is concerned.

		Plan name	Score	Verdict	Starting Price	Type

Bluehost	InMotion	HostGator	A2 Hosting	1&1 Hosting	GoDaddy	WPEngine
Starter	Launch	Hatchling	Startup	Essential	Economy	Startup
4.5	4.5	4.0	4.0	4.0	3.5	3.0
A feature-rich, cost-effective hosting service with lots of plans	Best overall web hosting service we would recommend, with stellar customer support	A good hosting service with unbeatable uptime	Robust option with decent uptime performance	Great hosting for experts who don’t need too much support	Feature-packed, but poor overall value for the cost	Solid web hosting provider, but only for WordPress sites
$3.79 per month for 36-month term	$14.99 ($3.59/mo for first year)	$10.99 ($3.75/mo for first year)	$2.99	$6 ($4 for first year)	$5.99	$25
Shared	Shared	Shared	Shared	Shared	Shared	WordPress
check	check	check	check	close	check	check
check	check	check	check	close	check	check
check	check	close	close	check	check	check
check	check	close	close	check	check	close
close	check	check	check	check	check	check
10	25	10	1	1	1	1
25	Unlimited	Unlimited	5	10,000	25	Unlimited
5	Unlimited	Unlimited	25	25	Free for first year	None
~15,000	150,000	“Ideal” for 40K	Unattainable	Unlimited	None	25,000
50GB	Unlimited	Unlimited	Unlimited	100GB	100GB	10GB
99.98	99.97	99.99	99.95	99.98	99.97	99.95
See Deals	See Deals	See Deals	See Deals	See Deals	Click Here	See Deals

Web Hosting for Small Businesses

Choosing hosting for a personal website is one thing. But, if you’re looking to get your small business set up online, you’re going to need something a little more heavy-duty to manage your traffic.

Small businesses are far more at risk if they’re affected by website outages than personal sites. This makes it all the more necessary to have a rock solid web hosting plan in place, and is why we recommend a VPS hosting plan to keep your website online.

With VPS hosting, you’re still sharing a server with other websites, but you’re allotted your own specific area to function within. This means you won’t be entirely affected by what those other sites do, and you’ll have a bit more freedom when it comes to your website.

Plus, you’ll be able to keep costs low when you want to increase storage or bandwidth, which makes VPS hosting great for small, growing businesses.

For a better idea of what VPS hosting entails as far as brands, features, and price are concerned, check out this comprehensive table to get a better understanding of what you’re working with.

		Plan name	Score	Verdict	Starting Price

Bluehost	InMotion	HostGator	A2 Hosting	1&1 Hosting	GoDaddy
Standard NVME 4	VPS 8 vCPU	Snappy 2000	Power	VPS S	1 vCPU
4.5	4.5	4.0	4.0	4.0	3.5
A feature-rich, cost-effective hosting service with lots of plans	Best overall web hosting service we would recommend, with stellar customer support	A good hosting service with unbeatable uptime	A robust hosting option, though uptime performance is a little below average	Great hosting for experts who don’t need too much support	Feature-packed, but poor overall value for the cost
$46.99 per month for 36-month term	$56.99 ($22.99/mo for first year)	$53.99 ($34.99/mo for first year)	$25	$5 ($4 for 3 mos)	$14.99 ($8.99 for first 36 mos)
VPS	VPS	VPS	VPS	VPS	VPS
check	check	check	check	close	check
check	check	close	check	close	close
check	check	check	check	check	check
Unlimited	Unlimited	Unlimited	Unlimited	250	Unlimited
1	3	1	2	1	1
4GB	16GB	4GB	4GB	2GB	2GB
100GB NVMe	N/A	100GB	75GB	80GB	40GB
Unmetered	Unlimited	Unmetered	2TB	Unlimited	Unlimited
Unlimited	Unlimited	Unlimited	Unlimited	100	Multiple
2	8	2	4	2	1
99.98	99.97	99.99	99.95	99.98	99.97
Click Here	Click Here	Click Here	Click Here	Click Here	Click Here

Web Hosting Costs When Using a Website Builder

While all this talk of servers may have already eased your uncertainties, another easy and affordable way to host your website is by doing so through a website builder. Not only will you be treated to unique features that make managing and designing your website easy, you’ll also enjoy some of the lowest website hosting prices you can find, without all the technical to-do.

The cost of this option is so low because the price of building a website typically includes hosting within the plan. Sometimes you’ll have to pay to lock down your specific domain name – which is certainly an important aspect of the process – but you’ll still be paying less than if you were using a dedicated server.

For a more comprehensive look at the cost of web hosting when using a website builder, take a look at this table explaining the price of Wix website builder across its many plans.

About our links

If you click on, sign up to a service through, or make a purchase through the links on our site, or use our quotes tool to receive custom pricing for your business needs, we may earn a referral fee from the supplier(s) of the technology you’re interested in. This helps Tech.co to provide free information and reviews, and carries no additional cost to you. Most importantly, it doesn’t affect our editorial impartiality. Ratings and rankings on Tech.co cannot be bought. Our reviews are based on objective research analysis. Rare exceptions to this will be marked clearly as a ‘sponsored’ table column, or explained by a full advertising disclosure on the page, in place of this one. Click to return to top of page

Written By

Conor Cawley

Conor is the Lead Writer for Tech.co. For the last eight years, he’s covered everything from tech news and product reviews to digital marketing trends and business tech innovations. He’s a feature, reviews, and news contributor for Android Police, and he has hosted tech-focused events for SXSW, Tech in Motion, and General Assembly, to name a few. He also cannot pronounce the word “colloquially” correctly.

You can email Conor at conor@tech.co.

More about