There’s no such thing as a website without a web host—but the best web hosting costs money. From personal vanity sites to multimillion-dollar online stores and everything in between, there’s a wide range of hosting needs depending on what you want to achieve with your website.
All web hosting plans have different features and price points. Some offer plug-and-play hosting and website design, while others offer technical innovations to deal with high-traffic surges. Knowing which one will work best for you and your business can save you money and tech-induced headaches.
Read on for information that will help you determine the best web hosting cost and provider for your needs.
How much does web hosting cost?
Website hosting costs are calculated based on the amount of resources you need to handle website traffic. For example, enterprise website hosting plans tend to be more expensive because they need more RAM and processing power than a smaller store with lower traffic.
Prices can be as little as $2 to $5 per month, but the common expense for online store owners is between $5 and $50 per month.
Here’s a breakdown of average hosting costs for the most common types of web hosting plans:
| Hosting Plan | Website Hosting Cost Range Per Month |
|---|---|
| WordPress Hosting | $3 to $10 |
| Shared Hosting | $5 to $20 |
| Dedicated Hosting | $70 to $1,000 |
| VPS Hosting | $20 to $90 |
| Cloud Hosting | $50 to $2,000+ |
4 factors that affect website hosting cost
Your web hosting costs depend largely on the features you need and the functionality of the hosting plan. For example, a cloud hosting provider with RAM and CPU dedicated to your website will cost more than shared hosting, where you share those processing resources with other hosted websites.
Considerations that go into calculating your web hosting costs include the following.
Hosting plan features
Access to tools to help create your website and 24/7 support will cost more overall. You’ll also pay more for features like higher bandwidth and storage space since the provider will need additional resources to host your website.
Contract period
The duration of your hosting agreement impacts website hosting costs. For example, a monthly plan is generally more expensive than a yearly plan since hosts offer a small discount for paying in full. Similarly, multiyear plans often are the most cost-effective in terms of monthly rates, but require long-term commitment.
Consider the full cost of hosting after any introductory discounts expire to determine its affordability. Sometimes plans with a higher upfront cost tend to work out to be more cost effective in the long term.
Type of hosting service
Different hosting offers will suit different types of websites, from basic business websites to complex ecommerce stores.
We can break these types of web hosting down into two categories:
- Managed hosting: Managed hosting covers the setup, configuration, and maintenance of your website. This tends to be the most expensive subscription option since the provider takes all of those tasks off your plate.
- Self-managed hosting: With self-managed hosting services, you’re responsible for all server management tasks. This tends to be the cheaper option upfront, but it may end up being more expensive after accounting for long-term costs like IT support (either in-house or outsourced).
Server location
The location of the server hosting your website also influences how much you’ll spend on hosting. Servers in heavily populated areas, like Tokyo or New York City, may be more expensive due to operational costs and demand.
Consider choosing a website host with servers closer to your target audience to reduce network latency and improve load times. This will make your website hosting costs cheaper.
Types of web hosting and their costs
Nearly all web hosting options out there fall into one of four primary categories. If you can identify which category makes the most sense for your own needs, then you’re that much closer to finding the right web hosting company.
Shared hosting plan
Shared hosting is a popular form of hosting because it is consistently affordable and user-friendly. Shared hosting starts from around $5 per month, and may run as high as $20 per month depending on the level of service you require.
A shared hosting plan lets multiple websites use a single server. You’ll likely never know which sites you’re sharing resources with, but the nature of this arrangement is that multiple sites share the infrastructure in order to be accessible to the internet-using public. Companies that offer shared web hosting have often invested in large server farms that store and transmit their client’s website data.
A basic website builder and other bespoke tools often are available from shared hosting providers, so you can achieve whatever you need. The best providers will also offer you an attentive support staff to have your back whenever your site encounters issues.
All that said, shared hosting is not without its drawbacks. Once a website achieves a certain level of traffic or server load, its performance and loading times will inevitably suffer. That’s because those hosting resources are shared across every website using that particular hosting provider. As a site successfully scales its operation on a shared hosting provider, it might need to look elsewhere to find a better solution that won’t sacrifice performance.
Best for: Personal blogs or small ecommerce websites.
Pros of shared hosting plans:
- Low cost (as little as $5 per month)
- Easy for beginners to use
- No technical knowledge required
Cons of shared hosting plans:
- Limited resources
- Slower load times during high traffic periods
WordPress hosting plan
The open-source software platform WordPress accounts for an outsized portion of the internet. Some 43% of the internet runs on this technology. You can expect to pay around $10 per month for a managed WordPress hosting plan.
WordPress has been a leading content management system for more than 10 years, forming the backbone for all sorts of websites—from casual personal blogs to for-profit media businesses to ecommerce websites. However, WordPress is not a one-size-fits-all solution. Although flexible, WordPress isn’t ideal for ecommerce due to the complicated nature of handling carts and checkout. If you want to sell online, an out-of-the-box platform like Shopify is the better option.
Many shared hosting plans offer WordPress installation plug-ins that make it easy to use free WordPress software in conjunction with any web host. If you go this route, you’ll incur whatever costs are associated with shared hosting. Plus, some providers may charge a one-time or recurring fee for using their system to rapidly install WordPress. Always do your homework to parse the fine print of the provider’s hosting costs.
“If the site uses a content management system, it might be worth looking for a host that specialises in that,” says Dave Smyth, independent UX/UI designer. “These packages are sometimes more expensive than non-specialised hosting, but there can be performance, support, and security benefits to choosing these.”
Best for: WordPress sites.
Pros of WordPress hosting:
- Affordable (around $10 per month)
- Pre-configured for WordPress websites
- Easy to use with automatic updates
Cons of WordPress hosting:
- Restricted customizations
- Traffic limits
Dedicated hosting
With dedicated hosting, your hosting provider leases you an entire physical server that you don’t share with anyone else, so you can use all its dedicated resources exclusively for your website.
Entry-level dedicated servers can cost as low as $70 per month. Enterprise-grade servers can easily run past $1,000 per month, depending on the provider and your needs.
In comparison to other hosting options, this solution offers the best website performance, security, and stability. It’s perfect for websites that need specific server configurations and advanced security measures. With a dedicated website hosting plan, you get an unparalleled degree of control, so you can even make your own software and apps.
Hosting on a dedicated server is faster and handles high traffic volumes without impacting performance. But keep in mind: It’s also one of the more expensive options and requires more technical knowledge, so it may be best for more tech-savvy users.
Best for: High traffic websites or larger ecommerce sites.
Pros of dedicated hosting:
- Full control over server’s resources
- Top-notch performance
- Enhanced security
Cons of dedicated hosting:
- Expensive with plans going up to $1,000 per month
- Requires advanced technical skills or a hired professional
Virtual private server (VPS) hosting
VPS hosting is about using virtualization technology to provide you with your own set of private resources on a server that has multiple users. A tiered plan in this arena will cost $20 to $90 per month.
The technicals go like this: Your hosting provider installs a virtual layer on top of the server’s operating system, partitioning the server in such a way that every individual user gets to install their own operating system and software.
This solution is markedly more secure and stable than shared hosting. It’s a good choice of hosting service for websites that are beginning to outgrow their shared hosting resources but don’t need the resources of a dedicated server.
VPS hosting providers offer accessibility similar to if you had a dedicated server, but at a much lower cost. The websites hosted on this category of shared server can never interfere with the others, and it easily scales to accommodate higher-traffic websites. At the same time, much like dedicated hosting, VPS hosting is a more expensive route and more technically involved than other options.
Best for: Mid-tier ecommerce websites.
Pros of VPS hosting:
- Better performance compared to shared hosting
- Easy to scale up or down as your website grow
Cons of VPS hosting:
- Requires some technical knowledge
- Limited performance compared to fully dedicated servers
Cloud web hosting
Cloud web hosting effectively decentralizes your hosting solution using a collection of virtual and physical servers that act as the host. This protects your site from surges in traffic and spikes in demand for your data. It’s the most expensive option, with a tiered plan starting around $50 per month and going up from there.
Cloud hosting gets its name because it uses remote cloud resources, like a privately owned network of high-performance computers, to deliver websites and internet applications to whomever seeks them.
Whereas most other hosting solutions store data centrally on a single server, cloud hosting sees multiple instances of that data deployed across multiple servers. Given this structure, cloud hosting may sometimes also be referred to as “cluster server hosting.”
Best for: Enterprise ecommerce websites.
Advantages of cloud hosting plans:
- High availability. This refers to how easily the provider can recover from a server failing. With cloud hosting, your website is more likely to remain up and functional, even if one or more servers fail.
- Traffic load balancing. This refers to maintaining harmony between the amount of traffic heading to a site and the amount of infrastructure that supports it. You might imagine a highway that magically adds lanes to itself during rush hour and shrinks down during less busy times—that’s what traffic load balancing refers to in a cloud hosting paradigm. Since cloud resources can be dynamically allocated, cloud hosting can easily support site scalability.
- Better security. This refers to the protections offered by cloud hosting’s many redundancies. If something goes wrong, whether by accident or as the result of a malicious cyberattack, there are multiple copies of the data stored on different servers that can act as backup.
Cons of cloud hosting:
- Technical know-how required
- Costs can fluctuate depending on usage
How much should you spend on hosting?
Choosing how much to spend on a web host means looking at a few key factors related to your website, including:
- Traffic volume: Estimate your current and expected traffic. Higher-traffic websites require more resources.
- Your Budget: Decide how much you can comfortably spend. Factor in monthly or yearly costs and project any increases as your site grows.
- Storage and bandwidth: Make sure your provider can handle your website’s files, databases, and emails. Look for plans that allow easy upgrades without downtime or hassle.
- Technical expertise: Managed hosting options can be more expensive but require less technical know-how since you’re paying for the web hosting service to handle those responsibilities.
Here are a few different web hosting scenarios to consider:
| Type of Site | Traffic | Budget | Recommended Plan |
|---|---|---|---|
| Personal blog | Low | $3 to $5 per month | Shared hosting |
| WordPress portfolio | Low | $2 to $10 per month | WordPress hosting |
| Small ecommerce website | Moderate | $20 to $40 per month | Shared or VPS hosting |
| Scaling ecommerce site | High | $100 to $200 per month | Dedicated hosting |
| Software or web app | High | $100 to $200 per month | Dedicated hosting |
Top web hosting providers
Notice that many of these hosting packages have a low intro fee of around $3. Then, the hosting costs increase when you renew. These prices reflect the basic plans for each host, but prices can vary depending on if you upgrade to a premium plan with more features.
Shopify’s price starts higher because it’s part of a complete ecommerce package. This package comes with a free domain name, unlimited bandwidth, checkout functionality, and 24/7 customer support. Basically, with Shopify, you get everything you need to sell online from day one.
Want a breakdown of the leading ecommerce web hosting services and their hosting costs? Check out 9 Best Ecommerce Hosting Solutions in 2025.
| Web Hosting Service | Shopify | HostGator | Bluehost | InMotion Hosting | A2 Hosting | SiteGround |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Starting Price | $29 per month, billed annually | From $3.75 per month | From $2.95 per month | From $2.75 per month | From $2.99 per month | From $2.99 per month |
| Renewal Price | Same as the starting price | From $10.99 per month | From $11.99 per month | From $10.99 per month | From $12.99 per month | From $17.99 per month |
| Standout Features | Unlimited products, multichannel selling, high-converting checkout, in-depth analytics | Free domain registration for first year, free website transfer | Free domain for the first year, free website migration tool | Free website transfer, free domain on select plans | Free site migration, enhance security with HostGuard | Free domain, site transfer, and CDN |
| Storage Limit | Unlimited | Unlimited | 10 GB | 100 GB | 10 GB | 10 GB |
| Website Builder | Yes | Yes, through WordPress | Yes, through WordPress | Yes, through WordPress | Yes | Yes |
| Money-Back Guarantee | 3-day free trial, or one-month trial for $3 | 30 days | 30 days | 90 days | 30 days | 30 days |
| Free SSL Certificate | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Free Business Email | No | No | No | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Uptime Guarantee | 99.9% | 99.9% | 99.9% | 99.99% | 99.9% | 99.9% |
Additional web hosting costs and add-ons
When calculating your web hosting plan’s total cost, consider any additional features that may not be included in the base price.
SSL certificates
Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) certificates verify a website’s identity and encrypt the connection between your hosting server and a user’s browser. This can prevent hackers from intercepting the connection and picking up sensitive details that are submitted through your website, such as credit card numbers and billing addresses.
SSL certificates are often free. Shopify, for example, offers free SSL certificates whether you’re buying or connecting a domain to Shopify. Other website hosts charge up to $200+ per year.
Website migration
If your current host can’t promise fast site speeds or the plan becomes too expensive, you might consider migrating your website to another hosting provider. This process may incur fees of $150 or more, though some hosts will cover a portion of the cost of the migration process to lure you in.
Extra storage and bandwidth
Enterprise ecommerce websites have a huge library of content on their website, from product images to advanced analytics tools. This, combined with large traffic volumes, means the host will need to use additional resources (such as a CDN) to host your website. This comes at additional cost.
Domain registration
Many hosts offer domain registration services, but it’s a separate cost from website hosting. Prices typically range from $10 to $50 per year, depending on the domain extension (.com, .org, etc.) and any promotional offers.
Note that you can’t buy domains—you lease them from the registrar. You’ll need to pay a renewal fee each time the domain expires. Most domain name registrars increase the price after your first term.
Improved security
Advanced website protection like DDoS prevention, malware scanning, and improved firewalls usually cost extra. However, these tend to be smart investments for online business owners: It can cost much more to rectify a data breach or security issue than it costs to put into place preventative web security measures.
Email hosting
Email hosting lets you use your website host’s server and your custom domain to host emails. Sometimes bundled into the cost of web hosting plans, sometimes separate, the cost of email hosting typically ranges from $1 to $15 monthly.
Can you host your website for free?
You can host a website for free using website builders like WordPress.com or HubSpot. However, there’s a tradeoff between cost and functionality.
Site load speeds tend to be slower with free hosting plans because you’re sharing the server with several other websites. They may not also offer advanced features such as SSL certificates, email hosting, and custom domains. Most free hosting providers require you to use a subdomain (such as yourwebsite.wordpress.com), which can hinder your brand credibility.
Read more
- What Is an SSL Certificate- Definition and Explanation
- What Is a Domain and How Do Domain Names Work?
- What Is a Subdomain? A Complete Guide
- 10 Most Popular Domains
- How To Choose the Best Domain Name in 2024 (7 Tips & Tools)
- Domain SEO Explained- Choosing an SEO Friendly Domain Name
- How To Register a Domain Name in 5 Simple Steps
- Domain Price - How Much Does a Domain Really Cost?
- How to Buy a Domain Name- Domain Registration Guide
Website hosting cost FAQ
Are hosting costs charged annually or monthly?
Depending on your hosting provider, hosting costs can be charged either monthly or annually. Providers also typically offer a discounted rate on annual hosting fees, since it guarantees you’ll be using their service for a full year.
How much does web hosting cost a month?
The price varies depending on the type of web hosting and the range of services being provided. Shared hosting typically costs between $5 and $20 a month, virtual private server (VPS) hosting typically costs $20 to $40 per month, and cloud web hosting costs typically start at $50 per month and go higher depending on a client’s needs.
How much does it cost on average to host a website?
On average, basic shared hosting plans typically range from $3 to $10 per month, while more robust options like VPS or dedicated hosting plans can cost anywhere from $20 to $100+ per month.
Why is it so expensive to host a website?
Website hosting costs reflect the infrastructure, resources, and services needed to keep sites online and secure. While basic plans can be affordable, prices increase for higher performance, more storage, and advanced features to support growing websites and heavier traffic.
What are hosting fees?
Hosting fees are charges paid to companies that store website files on their servers and make them accessible online. These fees cover server space, bandwidth, security, and support services needed to keep a website functional and available to visitors 24/7.
How much does email hosting cost?
Email hosting is a separate service from web hosting but can be included in a web host’s services. It typically costs $1 to $15 per month, but the cost can vary depending on the email hosting provider you’re using and whether they offer other services.
