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If you’re looking to launch a serious blog that reaches a wide audience and makes money, your first step is purchasing a hosting plan. Your host is basically where your blog lives on the internet; for a monthly fee, you can own your domain and design your website however you want.
Selecting the right hosting platform is crucial to ensuring an optimal user experience for your readers. The best hosting sites offer fast site speed, strong security, and prompt customer service. Plus, they work within your budget, an especially important consideration for new bloggers who haven’t started making money yet.
To help you sort through your options and launch your blog as fast as possible, I’ve reviewed the seven best blog hosting sites to start your blog.
7 best blog hosting sites
- Bluehost: Best Blog Hosting for Beginners
- Siteground: Best Customer Service
- Dreamhost: Best for Site Upgrades
- Hostinger: Best for Affordability
- Hostgator: Best for Small Businesses
- A2 Hosting: Best for Speed
- InMotion: Best Blog Hosting for Affordable VPS
1. Bluehost: Best blog hosting for beginners
If you’re seeking blog hosting that offers top tier, 24/7 customer support, look no further than Bluehost.
By far one of the most popular web hosting platforms out today, Bluehost’s success can be attributed to its user-friendly design that meets the needs of beginners and experts alike.
It also happens to be the top host recommended by WordPress, with simplified set up options available and advanced WordPress functionalities — making it perfect for bloggers. Additionally, Bluehost provides WooCommerce plans, with site migration for both available for a fee.
A few noteworthy features of Bluehost are its great analytic SEO tools, daily automatic backups, and access to SSH (Secure Socket Shells) on certain plans.
Bluehost promo pricing starts at just $3.95/mo. (regularly $7.99/mo.)
Keep reading for the pros and cons, or check out my full Bluehost review here.
PROS
- Recommended by WordPress
- 30-day money back guarantee
- Free domain & SSL certificate
- 24/7 support by phone or chat
- Daily automatic site backups
- Site migration available (for a fee)
CONS
- No uptime guarantee (but they do have a 99.99% uptime)
2. Siteground: Best customer service
A second WordPress recommended blog host is Siteground. This fast and secure hosting provider boasts an impressive fan base that has littered the internet with great reviews.
Siteground is an excellent host for complex sites. It’s an ideal option for consumer websites and enterprise businesses.
Those looking to use their site to make money blogging will be glad to find that WordPress is integrated into all its hosting plans.
The advantage to choosing Siteground as your shared hosting provider is its lightning-speed servers and industry-leading security.
They also are a leader in customer service thanks to their expert technical support team that is often available for live chats with little wait time to resolve any issues you have.
Siteground promo pricing starts at $6.99/mo.
Learn more with my in-depth Siteground review.
PROS
- Recommended by WordPress
- 30-day money back guarantee
- Expert-level technical support team
- Includes free SSL, email accounts, CDN, & backups
- Lightening-fast hosting speed
- Top-tier security
CONS
- Renewal price may increase after promotional pricing expires
3. Dreamhost: Best for site upgrades
The third and final WordPress-recommended hosting site is Dreamhost.
Much like Bluehost and Siteground, Dreamhost is a leading option for a WordPress-supported blog with easy set-up capabilities.
Dreamhost is one of the best blog hosting sites not just for bloggers, but also for nonprofit 501(c)(3) organizations. It offers a free unlimited shared hosting plan (including unlimited storage, bandwidth, sites, and email hosting) to charitable foundations.
Dreamhost is recognized for its competitively priced shared hosting plans. Those seeking an affordable virtual private server (VPS) and cloud hosting upgrade options will also find this blog hosting platform appealing, with its basic VPS plan starting at just $10 a month.
Dreamhost promo pricing starts at $2.49/mo.
Check out my comprehensive Dreamhost review for more on this popular hosting service.
PROS
- WordPress recommended
- 97-day money back guarantee
- Transparent pricing (no hidden fees)
- Affordable VPS & cloud hosting upgrade pricing
- 24/7 email support, live chat available during business hours
- Free unlimited shared hosting plan for nonprofit 501(c)(3) organizations
CONS
- No direct telephone support; you must request a callback (it does offer fast support via chat or email)
- No unlimited email account with starter plan
4. Hostinger: Best affordable blog hosting for beginners
If affordability is at the top of your checklist when searching for the best hosting blog site, Hostinger is a name you’ll want to remember.
With its single shared hosting plan’s promotional price starting at just $0.99/month, this hosting platform is one of the most budget-friendly out there.
Keep in mind, however, that the renewal cost will increase. When purchasing a plan, it is most economical to purchase the longest term available to receive the greatest discount.
Although Hostinger’s plans are cheap, its user-interface is not. It provides users with a premium host feel for a fraction of the cost.
Pricing isn’t the only positive about this affordable blog hosting platform. With more than 29 million users across 178 countries, the platform also provides excellent worldwide 24/7 customer support.
In addition to a robust technical support department, Hostinger is optimized for WordPress and offers a simple blog set up option. Users will be happy to learn that this blog hosting provider has a 99.9% uptime guarantee.
Hostinger promo pricing starts at $0.99/mo. (normally $7.99/mo.)
I also take a deeper dive into Hostinger in this in-depth review.
PROS
- Optimized for WordPress
- 30-day money back guarantee
- 24/7 customer support
- Free domain and SSL certificate
- Monthly and annual plans
- Affordable promo pricing
CONS
- No phone support
- Base shared hosting plan only offers 1 email account
5. Hostgator: Best for small businesses
One of the more popular blog hosting sites, Hostgator offers simplified hosting, extensive how-to-guides, and all the add-on features you need to create a simple yet visually stunning website for your business or personal blog.
The hosting platform also offers Windows hosting and Linux options, as well as various affordable upgrade options for those seeking cloud hosting, a VPS, managed WordPress, or a dedicated server.
Hostgator provides plans for almost any need, but it especially caters to small businesses. All plans include free access to cPanel or plesk, access to tech support by phone, email, and live chat, as well as a free domain and SSL.
Hostgator promo pricing starts at $2.75/mo (regularly $6.95/mo.)
Head to my full HostGator review for more.
PROS
- 45-day money back guarantee
- Great email, phone, and live chat tech support
- Free domain, SSL certificate, and access to cPanel or Plesk w/ each plan
- All plans include uptime monitoring and regular backups
CONS
- Does not support SSD storage on all plans (but servers can be equipped with faster drives)
6. A2 Hosting: Best for speed
Already have your site built but having issues with speed? Migrating to A2 Hosting will likely eliminate that issue.
A2 Hosting is an industry leader when it comes to hosting speed. Whether you’re on a shared plan or need a VPS or dedicated host, A2 hosting’s loading speeds will impress. This hosting service also offers a 99.9% uptime commitment.
All A2’s hosting plans include free site migration, and easy 1-click installs for CMS tools like WordPress, Magneto, and Drupal.
Additionally, you’ll get a free domain name and an SSL certificate with the purchase of any hosting plan. Plans also include free malware scanning and automatic patching updates. Some plans include regular site backups
A2 Hosting’s pricing starts at $2.99/mo for annual plans and $9.99/mo for month-to-month plans.
Learn more about A2 hosting in my full review.
PROS
- 30-day money back guarantee
- Fastest speeds on the market
- Free domain, SSL certificate, malware scanning, patching updates, and migrations with every plan
- Receive additional 2 free years of hosting with purchase of 3 year hosting plans
CONS
- Promo pricing ends on renewal (purchase longer hosting terms to receive best pricing)
7. InMotion: Best blog hosting for affordable VPS
My final platform on this list of the best blog hosting sites is InMotion.
There are many reasons why InMotion has a legion of dedicated followers. The site hosting platform offers free backups and SSH access with every plan.
Newbies will love that the company offers 24/7 telephone customer support. All plans also support WordPress.
In addition to these features, InMotion provides a full 90-day money back guarantee, one of the most competitive on the market.
If you’re in the market for a VPS, InMotion is one company to consider. Its VPS pricing beats many other plans on the market.
That combined with their strong technical support and money back guarantee makes InMotion a safe bet for upgrading your hosting without much risk.
InMotion pricing starts at $5.99/mo.
PROS
- 90-day money back guarantee
- 24/7 customer support
- Extensive self-help knowledge base
- Affordable VPS upgrade packages
- Free and unlimited email
CONS
- Interface not super-flashy
- Month-to-month payments may not be available for all plans
Choosing the best hosting plan for your blog
Unlike other businesses, you can start a blogging business with little to no investment up-front. The main expense you’ll need to plan for is your hosting platform, so you want to explore your options and choose the one that best fits your needs.
I tend to recommend Bluehost or Siteground for most new bloggers, since they’re easy-to-use, integrate easily with WordPress, and are affordable. Plus, both have dedicated customer service teams that can help you set up your blog.
But if you have specialized needs or are a small business, you might consider another of these best blog hosting sites. Whether your priority is site speed, security, customer service, affordability, or another factor, these blog hosting providers will fit the bill.
Want to make sure you’re starting your blog the right way? Head to this guide to learn exactly how to start a blog, step by step.
