I want to help my clients choose web hosting that is in their best interests and fits in their budget, even if it’s not with me.
Many of my clients choose to take a cheaper promotional or introductory offer for their first term with a larger company and then switch to me before it renews at a higher price. If this is you, I only charge a flat $20 migration fee to make that switch before your renewal fee is up. Sometimes these promotional or introductory offers are worth it by including free SSL certificates for the first term or free email accounts for a year. Just be aware of the fine print when making your order. GoDaddy is particularly predatory toward people who don’t know how to make websites and will offer incredibly great rates and deals for the first term and then gouge you at renewal.
The table below compares pure web hosting plans (as in just a space to build a website) listed in ascending order of annual cost. It all depends on what you need; if you’re creating an online store, you’ll need eCommerce which often increases the cost.
| Web Host Provider | Monthly Cost | SSL | CMS | eCommerce | Total Annual Cost | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Google Sites | $0 | Free | Purchase Separately | No Capability | $0 + Email | |
| AuRise Creative | $8 | Free | Included | WordPress (free) | WooCommerce (free) | $96 |
| DreamHost’s Shared Starter Plan | $6.99 | Free | $19.99/yr | WordPress | DIY Install* | $103.87 |
| HostGator’s Hatchling Plan | $8.95 | Free | Included | DIY Install* | DIY Install* | $107.40 |
| Bluehost’s Basic Plan | $9.99 | Free | Purchase Separately | DIY Install* | DIY Install* | $119.88 + Email |
| GoDaddy’s Economy Plan | $8.99 | $6.67 | Purchase Separately | DIY Install* | DIY Install* | $187.92 + Email |
| MailChimp Website Core Plan Free plan does not allow you to connect custom domains | $10 | Free | Purchase Separately | MailChimp | Included | $120 + Tax + Email |
| SiteGround’s Startup Plan | $14.99 | Free | Purchase Separately | WordPress | DIY Install* | $179.88 + Email |
| Wix Combo Plan | $16 | Free | Purchase Separately | Wix | Requires upgrade, see Wix Business Plan below | $192 + Tax + Email |
| GoDaddy’s Basic Managed WordPress Plan | $9.99 | $9.99 | Purchase Separately | WordPress | Requires upgrade | $238.75 + Tax + Email |
| WordPress Business Plan The Personal and Premium plans do not allow you to add plugins, which makes the Business Plan the closest offer to these other providers | $25 | Free | Purchase Separately | WordPress | via WordPress Plugin | $300 + Tax + Email |
| Wix Business Basic Plan | $27 | Free | Purchase Separately | Wix | Included | $324 + Tax + Email |
| Shopify Basic Plan | $29 | Free | Purchase Separately | Shopify | Included | $348 + Tax + Email |
* These hosts allow do-it-yourself installations of popular Content Management Systems (CMS) and eCommerce platforms. If you want to host with one of them and have me install WordPress on it for you, I simply charge a flat $20 + tax.
I personally dislike GoDaddy’s hosting environment because they make caching complicated for web developers. Their caching system is okay, but I have methods that do a better job with handling site performance and their hosting environment disallows my methods because they want to control it. However, if you don’t need custom web development work and are content to use a templated website, they are a leading web hosting provider in the field.
Want to host with me? Great! If you’re unsure of what you need, check out my web hosting FAQ to help identify what you’re looking for.
Editor's Note: This article was originally published on , and was last reviewed on . Added GoDaddy’s managed WordPress plan to the table and updated some content. (9/20/2022) Updated pricing for WordPress.com to reflect their current prices and added DreamHost and SiteGround to comparison table.
