The Best Web Hosting Companies – Our Top Picks
Over time we have received a whole lot of email asking about web hosting. Most want to know what or who we use and or who we feel has the best deals. We thought this carefully and have concluded that a review is in order, however we are not going to tell you who ranks where or why, but instead we will tell you a bit about the different types of hosting and what companies we feel make the out list of trusted and reliable web hosting companies.
From this list you should be well armed to make the right choice for your hosting needs and budget. Searching for the top web hosting companies which meets all of your needs and budget can be a difficult task, especially when you are new to the hosting world.
Even if you are familiar with web hosting services and features, choosing the right option or company can be stressful and challenging. The last thing you want to do is move your hosting just to find out there are some serious problems or support is poor or non existent.
Most web hosting companies can get your website up and running, but the key factor here is can they provide you with quality support, do they have the top hosting applications, is there software up-to-date, do they have the appropriate platforms like Linux and Windows, do they offer any bonuses or other perks to assist in your success online. All these facts add up and help you decide weather or not Joe Blow Web Hosting is right for you.
The demand for web hosting has spawned a wide range of niche markets ranging from shared hosting to dedicated hosting, as well as hybrids in between, each type of web hosting presents its own set of pros and cons. Below you will find a description of the different types of web hosting as well as a list we have determined that are reliable and capable of offering you the best options for web hosting on the planet.
Shared Hosting
Just as the name implies, shared hosting is where you share bandwidth, operating system, memory, CPU time, disk space capacity and various other network resources with other paying customers on the server.This generally equates to a low cost monthly fee, easy to maintain even for the the inexperience user. Generally this option comes packed with a full array of useful features.
The low cost and simplicity of set-up and hands free maintenance is what makes shared hosting a viable option for most individuals and small companies. Shared hosting is the most common web hosting service on the planet. I would say that the majority of the websites you see online are running on this type of platform.
Even though a lot of websites run on shared hosting, this type of web hosting is not necessarily the best solution for everyone. If your website requires an excessive amount of CPU, RAM or other resources, or you need special software plugins and drivers, a shared hosting environment will most likely not be for you.
The bottom line is shared hosting is the cheapest solution available, it’s great for small to medium size websites and email domains, it can be used for emergencies or as a backup hosting solution. Good solution for a beginner.
Dedicated Hosting
Dedicated web hosting gives you the most control, flexibility, and Responsibility. Instead of sharing the server with other clients, the servers is exclusively yours. In other words your the only website on the server and you have total control over performance and set-up.
With this option you have to choose what operating system will be used such as Linux, Unix or Windows. You must install your own software applications, choose what security mechanisms and software will be in place to protect your investment from predators.
It is also the option that requires the most experience and knowledge to maintain and administer the server. Dedicated hosting is recommended for experienced users only. If your not sure about your skill level then most likely this option is not for you.
VPS Hosting
Virtual private server (VPS) represents a recent technology that is rapidly growing in the web hosting industry. A VPS is created by software that partitions a single physical server to establish multiple virtual servers within it.
VPS bridge the gap between shared web hosting and dedicated hosting, giving the user independence from other clients of the VPS service in software terms but at less cost than a physical dedicated server.
A VPS generally provides better performance and security than your typical shared platform at a much cheaper price than a dedicated server. VPS can runs its own operating system, customers have superuser-level access to that operating system, and can install almost any software that runs on the OS they wish.
Virtual Private Servers are an excellent solution when it comes to getting the immense power, resources, great performance, RAM and dedicated control you need from a dedicated server but at cheaper price. It offers developers and hosting resellers an excellent way of maximizing their web hosting investment.
Certain software does not run well in a virtualized environment including some firewalls and anti-virus clients, make sure you discuss what your going to run on your VPS with the provider prior to purchase. some VPS providers place restrictions on what software can be used, but they are generally relaxed in comparison to shared hosting options.
Due to all the facts mentioned above many view a VPS as a compromise between shared and dedicated web hosting. Many look at VPS as a stepping stone on their way up to dedicated server.
Managed Hosting
Having a dedicated hosting solution allows the client to have full control of the server but dedicated servers can be challenging to operate technically and require that you have a great deal of knowledge about server maintenance and system administration.
Managed web hosting solutions take the dedicated model to a higher plane. This is an option for websites with a strong online presence that require a dedicated server to fulfill it’s needs. As with a dedicated server, you get your choice of operating system, routing equipment, network connectivity and complete administrative control. However, most of the server administration is performed by the web host rather than the company that owns the dedicated server.
It has all the dedicated hosting features, but adds extra services like reporting and monitoring, load balancing, security administration, set-up, system administration, software updates and patches, and providing support 24/7/355 support for any hardware or software issues. This is the most hands-off solution available. Although cost efficient under the right circumstance, the largest problem with managed hosting is its higher cost, it’s considerably more expensive than most other forms of web hosting.
Managed hosting services are geared towards clients who lack the technical abilities needed to handle a dedicated server, or for those who do not have the time to fully manage the server.
Reseller Hosting
A reseller plan is where you purchase a service plan from a hosting provider equipped with a certain amount of disk storage, bandwidth and features. You then take this service plan, divide it up in to your own service plans to sell web hosting to customers looking to build a online website.
The area of reseller web hosting is the perfect arrangement for those seeking e-commerce venture, or selling web hosting and other related services. If you can do website design, you can easily offer your clients a complete package that includes design and hosting.
There are basically three different models of reseller hosting to choose from:
1. The first type is where you contract with a hosting provider to sell their server space under your brand, it is based on per sign ups, you sell a number of hosting packages and pay a certain amount of the fees to the hosting company.
2. The second type involves a Carte-Blanche approach where you pay a set fee and receive certain resources that you are free to resell.
3. The last and most profitable of the resellers options is where you lease a dedicated server and resell the web space, making all the profits for yourself. This plan can allow the user to earn an substantial amount of income. As my wife says it has substantial profit potential.
Finally another good use of reseller accounts is if you have a network of websites you wish to host. The reseller package will add to your organizational skill in keeping everything in order and tidy a breeze. Therefore a reseller hosting plan can either allow you to create your own web hosting business or host multiple domains from one easy to manage place. Can vary greatly in price, but more expensive than shared hosting
On the flip side of the coin a reseller account means you have to provide support for your clients. Most likey this means email support, live chats to phone support if you business grows. The biggest problem with the resellers option is you will have to monitor that your clients are adhering by the terms of service, managing the billing cycles and billing issues that surface.
Co-Located Web Hosting
This is where you build or purchase your own custom server and have it installed in a datacenter, users generally do this because a dedicated or managed server provider can not meet their needs. The host in the data center will plug the newly built server into the network thus providing you with access to the network and infrastructure.
The web host provider is responsible for maintaining the network infrastructure, the data center and related equipment such as routers, cables and so on while you are responsible for the server via remote access. Some co-location hosting providers offer separate management contracts for the day to day maintenance of your server.
The positive side to Co-location is it provides the ultimate in flexibility, choice and control. The flip side of that coin is your totally responsible for the equipment. That means if a hard drive craps out on you then your the person they call for repairs, all this while your customers on that server are screaming that their websites are down. Most data centers will monitor and manage your system as a part of the deal, but any problems will have to be dealt by the owner unless a maintenance contract has been signed and in force at some not so cheap rates by the hour.
Conclusions
As you can see there are many types of web hosting service available to choose from. Your chose will determine how well your website is going to perform, therefore it’s a serious decision you will have to contend with, making a choice can be overwhelming. We feel it’s one that only you can make, with the right information that is.
The good thing is that we have narrow that search down for you with a list of Top Rated Hosting Companies that have great reputations and offer a wide range of features, you are certain to land a solution that adequately renders all the website hosting solutions you are seeking if their listed on this page. Again we are not listing these companies in any order of preference other than alphabetically. We feel these all great companies to purchase hosting from. It all depends on your needs and budget. This is a great list of web hosting providers, armed with the above information you are in good shape to make the right choice.
Best Companies for Shared Web Hosting
A1 Web Hosting Solutions
BlueHost
FatCow
GoDaddy
Host Gator
Host Monster
JustHost
Inmotion Hosting
iPowerweb
Lunarpages
Webhostingpad
Yahoo
Best Companies for Dedicated Web Hosting
Acenet
Aplus
FDCServers
DedicatedNow
Inmotion
Lunarpages
Singlehop
ServerPronto
1 & 1
XLHost
Best Companies for VPS Web Hosting
Acenet
Dotster
FDCServers
Inmotion
HostICan
JaguarPC
LiquidWeb
NS
1 & 1
XL Host
UltraHosting
Best Companies for Reseller Web Hosting
Arvixe
Cirtex Hosting
Cyberhostpro
emonsterhost
Green Reseller Web Hosting
HostGator
Hostdime
Hostupon
KVCH Hosting
JaguarPC
Best Companies for Blog Hosting
Fiber Network Hosting
Premium WP Hosting - These guys are really good, this is all they do is Blog Hosting.
I have tried a few hosting solutions in my time and I can honestly say this list is very close to my personal list of favorites. Good call
[...] from your existing web host provider to ensure a compatible infrastructure, there are tons of Web Hosting Reviews on the Internet to conduct an [...]
Yes for example
http://www.a1whs.com
Since: December 17, 2005
Outages: 19
Total Uptime: 99.822%
Is the uptime status from 3rd party site like siteuptime.com. Now over 4 years an uptime of 99.8% overall speaks for itself.
Outages can never be eliminated fully, you will end up with one day that is a bad day !!
as i am using shared hosting will that effect my website up time?
The best uptime would be 100%, but because things can and do break, many hosts offer 99.9% uptime guarantees. This means that if your site is not accessible for more than 43 minutes in a single month, they will reimburse you, depending on their terms of service. No one offers 100 Percent uptime, it’s not possible.
Anyway, I believe the answer to your question is variable. If your own shared hosting with any of the listed companies above I feel your just fine, there will be some down time. These companies do monitor their servers closely for issues and try to nip problems soon as detected. There security is much better than what most of us can provide.
However shared hosting can technically increase your risk of downtime. The more people using a server the higher the odds are there will be issue.