Aspiring bloggers on shoestring budgets are often on the hunt for web hosting service providers that offer a solid package with affordable monthly payment options. As we all know, rookies often get ripped off, especially in the digital world. How do you make informed choices on web hosting services peddling month-to-month plans without feeling conned in the end?
For a website owner like you, it is a top priority to have a hosting provider that is secured, apart from a consistent uptime performance and world-class customer support. Monthly hosting billing options are suitable for newbies to explore (hint: if you haven’t read it yet, we have a complete guide on how to host a website). However, most of the web hosting providers are a bit expensive and creates a massive impact on investment for the website owners.
Paying monthly might look a more costly compared to long term contract with one web hosting. With that in mind, I’ve tracked down the most affordable web hosting options for a variety of needs of the users and not getting locked into a long term deal.
What should you expect from paying a monthly hosting plan?
Here’s the good news with a monthly plan for a hosting service. There’s no lock-in period and no crippling upfront investment.
But here are some things that you should consider:
- Price is higher when you get a per month plan. Hosting service providers regularly offer discounts when you purchase multiple months at a time or an extended contract, usually a one to a three-year contract.
- Free domain is usually offered by hosts when you get an annual plan.
- Some hosting providers charge a separate one-time setup fee if you get a monthly plan.
Affordable Monthly Web Hosting
1. A2 Hosting
A2 Hosting is a fast and reliable web hosting that offers monthly billing package at a low cost. You can get their monthly plan starting from $9.99 only without a setup fee.
However, this plan is only applicable to a single site. A2 Hosting also offers a 50% discount to your first month of subscription.
Though the price is a bargain, it comes along with good features:
- Unlimited data transfer
- Free SSL and SSD Solution
- Free SSL Certificate
- 24/7 all year round customer service
- 99% uptime guarantee
- PHP version 7.x available
- HackScan protection to secure your server, including firewalls and DDoS protection
- 3 available different data centers in the USA, Europe, and Asia.
A2 offers web hosting cheap plans to support unlimited sites for only $12.99 per month. You could also browse the matchup of A2 vs. SiteGround, A2 vs. Hostgator, A2 vs. BlueHost, A2 vs. InMotion Hosting, and A2 vs. GoDaddy Hosting to know how it fared against its legendary competitors.
2. Cloudways
Cloudways is an easy to use web hosting platform which lets you focus on the growth and expansion of your website. It is a tool that helps you connect and manage your hosting through the use of various cloud platforms like:
- Digital Ocean
- Linode
- Vultr
- Amazon Web Services
- Google Cloud Platform
Usually, using cloud platforms may require you to have some technical know-how, but in Cloudways offers a simple dashboard to make it user-friendly without using any special skills and knowledge. Get the dibs on our in-depth review of Cloudways.
Some features that they offer are:
- 24/7 support
- Easy word press install
- PHP 7 ready servers
- Managed security including firewalls and free SSL certificates
- One free migration
Monthly billing transactions are Cloudways’ default offer. You can sign up for Cloudways hosting, starting from $11/month, that uses DigitalOcean as a cloud platform on their cheapest option. The good thing about Cloudways, you can upgrade or downgrade your plan whenever you need it. Also, don’t forget to have a look at the face-off of Cloudways vs. Siteground.
3. WPX Hosting
WPX Hosting is a managed WordPress hosting provider. So, you can only purchase their service if you have a WordPress website.
WPX hosting monthly rate can start from $24.99, which supports 5 WordPress websites in a month. Their plans are costlier than the previously mentioned web hosting providers, but they also offer the best features with great performances too!
Some of the great features that you can avail on WPX Hosting are:
- Free SSL Certificates
- Unlimited free migrations
- Malware scanning (and removal if needed)
- 24/7 support (in 30 seconds you’ll get a responsive staff from their team)
- Automatic daily backups
- PHP 7+
Most of the users recommended WPX Hosting because of their high reputation on the security of your website and gave you the fully working site at no additional cost.
Therefore, their subscription plan might be higher than the others, but their offered features are worth every penny.
4. Kinsta
Kinsta is also a managed WordPress hosting provider that uses Google Cloud Platform infrastructure. Check out our full review of Kinsta.
It is listed as one of the most expensive hosting providers just like the WPX Hosting; they also offer a variety of features like:
- PHP 7+
- Nginx
- LXD containers
- MariaDB
Main features include:
- Daily backups
- DDoS detection, hardware firewalls, uptime monitoring for more security features
- Easy staging sales
Kinsta pricing plan starts at $30 per month for a single site.
5. Hostwinds
Hostwinds is one of the fastest web hosting providers that offer a plan with unlimited bandwidth and storage.
Their cheapest plan starts at $6.99 per month to support a single site and starting from $8.99 per month to host four sites. If you want to avail Hostwinds that can support unlimited site, you can purchase their monthly plan starting from $10.99 per month.
Hostwinds offer features like:
- Free dedicated IP address
- Softaculous auto-installer
- Free migrations
- Free SSL certificates
Aside from Hostwinds, check out our video on hosts offering free SSL. There’s also a unique way to pay Hostwinds; you can pay them with cryptocurrency (a variety of different coins, including all major coins).
Conclusion
So, have you cleared up your mind on which cheap web hosting is right for you?
The best cost-effective options to support your web hosting dilemma are A2 hosting, Cloudways, Hostwinds. We also have ran down on the best GoDaddy Hosting Alternatives, be sure to check it out too!
Of those three best options, Cloudways has the best offer, they provide a unique type of hosting based on cloud hosting, and it is easy-to-use, especially for the beginners in this business.
But if you are willing to spend more money on your web hosting, I suggest choosing Cloudways as it offers the most secure servers, along with dependable customer support that’s always available whenever you need it.
