How much does website hosting cost in 2024?

Website hosting is an essential feature for any business or individual building a website. It is the service that allows a website to be accessible online.

When you start thinking about website hosting, one of the first questions you’ll probably ask is, how much does website hosting cost? Fortunately, the answer to that question does not have to be complicated, though there are some factors to consider.

In this article, we’ll explore the cost of website hosting, taking into account the different features and plans you might want to consider.

Types of website hosting

There are a few types of hosting to choose between, with different prices and features.

You can click on the options in the list below to skip ahead.

Shared hosting
Virtual private servers (VPS)
Dedicated server hosting

Shared hosting

Shared hosting is the most affordable option as it involves sharing server resources with other websites. Other websites on the same server may impact your performance.

Provider	Cheapest plan	Most expensive plan
Bluehost	£2.30/month	£10.88/month
Siteground	£11.99/month	£34.99/month
Hostgator	$9.99/month	$14.99/month

These prices are based on a 12-month plan and are correct as of 07 August, 2023.

As you can see, prices vary between hosting platforms so you’ll want to see which of the plans best suits you. Features will differ between plans meaning that, even though a plan seems like better value based on cost, it may not offer the full range of functions you require.

You can visit our best website hosting providers page if you want to compare plans in a little more detail.

Virtual private servers (VPS)

With VPS, a portion of a larger server is dedicated to your site. This means that, though the server is shared, your performance will be impacted by other sites.

Provider	Cheapest plan	Most expensive plan
Bluehost	$419.88/year	$1127.88/year
Hostgator	$19.95/month	$149.95/month

The prices above are based on a 12-month plan and are correct as of 07 August 2023.

Like shared hosting plans, VPS plans vary considerably in cost. What you get with one provider may be a lot more, or a lot less than you get with another. Either way, you can see that this form of hosting is a fairly heavy investment and is more likely to be relevant to larger-scale websites.

Dedicated server hosting

This is the most expensive option, providing your site with an entire server without any other websites. This option offers a higher level of performance and control.

Dedicated servers are available from a range of providers, though will sometimes require you to get a bespoke quote.

As of 07 August 2023, Bluehost advertisers their own dedicated hosting plans from £70.18/month for the most basic. Hostgator’s equivalent plan currently costs $89.98/month.

Website hosting cost factors

There are several factors to consider when it comes to how much website hosting will cost you. If you need more basic information, you might want to check our what is website hosting page.

Otherwise, take a look below to find out more about some of the factors affecting web hosting costs.

Traffic and bandwidth
Site storage
Website complexity and scalability
Additional services and features

You can click on any of the options above to skip ahead for more information.

Traffic and bandwidth

Depending on what plan you choose, you may have limitations on traffic and bandwidth. For example, many providers set an upper limit of 10,000 sessions/month with their cheaper plans. Typically, you will be able to support more sessions the more you pay.

If you are launching a brand new site, you are unlikely to hit 10,000 sessions quickly, though you will monitor performance in case you do.

Site storage

The amount of storage you need for your website’s files, databases, emails and media could affect the cost of your hosting.

As with site traffic allowances, the cheapest plans will offer the lowest level of storage, with 10GB or 20GB being common. You can normally pay more to get more storage. Bear in mind that the type of site you run will be an important factor here; a site with a lot of media will need more storage than one with just text content.

If you are launching a photography website, for example, then you might be more likely to hit storage issues.

Website complexity and scalability

More complex websites with more advanced features, such as ecommerce functionality, for example, will normally require more robust hosting.

You should check to see what sort of plan you will need to match the needs you have. In particular, if you know that your site is likely to be more complex than others, you should consider how advanced you need your hosting to be.

Additional services and features

You may more for additional services or features. Things like SSL certificates, domain registration, site backups and website builder functionality are all likely to increase your cost.

Additionally, advanced security features, such as data and identity protection, may be charged to you as additional products on top of your website hosting.

If you need these things, all of which are either required or recommended, you should compare plans with these features in mind. One provider may seem cheaper at first but could end up costing more if you’re forced to pay for these additional functions separately.

How much does website hosting cost? Final thoughts

The cost of your website hosting will depend on a range of factors. What type of hosting you want, how much traffic you expect, how much storage you need – these are all things you need to consider.

Hosting providers offer a range of plans to match the varying needs of website owners. Broadly, at least one of these plans will be suitable for businesses and individuals, depending on what they need. However, you will know better than anyone else what you need.

If you are creating a business website, we recommend that you put together a list of everything you’ll need from it. Once you have that list, you can begin to assess which of the plans is most suitable.

Bryn Glover

Bryn is the founder and editor of WebsiteJumpStart. He has worked in the digital field for over a decade and was editor for Startups.co.uk - the UK's leading small business website - and for NerdWallet UK before launching WebsiteJumpStart to help people and businesses get online with ease.

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August 7, 2023 No Comments

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