Best Cheap Shared Hosting Providers in USA for 2023 [Reviews]

• Type: Shared Hosting
• Cost: Mostly between $ 6 and $ 30 per month
• Suitable for: Small to medium websites and blogs with low to moderate traffic
• Level of difficulty: Easy (control panel assists in the main functions)
• Overall rating: Good value for money and caters to the vast majority of sites
• Where to hire: Get to know the Best Websites Hosting (up to 75% off)

What is shared website hosting?

Known as web hosting (or shared hosting), shared website hosting is the most popular and economical of all types of hosting. In this type of hosting, your site is hosted on a server that stores hundreds of other sites, which share the same resources. In some cases, there is a specific amount of resources for each account (or site). In other cases, this feature is set to "unlimited," meaning there is no set limit, but there are other types of restrictions. To facilitate the understanding of all these technical terms, we will explain them below.

What does the term "shared" mean?

By making an analogy, if the internet were a city, the sites would be inside the houses. This is because they depend on a unique address to be located and have a particular size. For example, if you have a large family and you want a home with lots of space and resources, you will have to choose one that matches your needs. In this comparison, the address of your home would be the domain of your website, and the home would be the hosting. Continuing with this analogy, we can imagine a shared hosting server as being a building, in which several residents share the same common ground and features to all the condominiums, such as space, water, and electricity. You could throw a party in your house and leave it crowded, but you would be subject to the rules of coexistence and the limits set by your neighbors, represented by the trustee. The same thing happens on a shared site hosting server: you can use it at will, but you must respect the limits imposed by the neighborhood. In this case, the role of a trustee would be made by the hosting company. Now that we understand the concept, let's get back to the practical vision. A hosting server is nothing more than a computer, configured exclusively to store the files necessary for the sites to function and make them available through the internet. On a shared hosting server, you can use the space and resources of that server, within the established limits and without harming other sites hosted on the same server.

Unlimited Shared Hosting: Does It Exist?

Some companies advertise their shared web hosting plans as being unlimited. This does NOT mean, however, that you can use all the resources on that server indefinitely. An unlimited hosting means that there is no set limit to the resources question, but they (the limits) exist. In this case, it is very important to differentiate unlimited from infinity. The resources are unlimited because they do not have an established limit, but they are finite because they are subject to the capacity of storage of the machines and the rules of coexistence imposed by the company.

For whom shared web hosting is indicated?

Shared web hosting is indicated for people and companies that have a small or medium website, with a volume proportional visits. For example, if you own a local business, a blog or an institutional website, this hosting is right for you. Small virtual stores can also run on a shared site hosting, as long as it has the SSL security certificate. The main advantage of this hosting is the price: the cheapest among the types of web hosting. You can host a website in this plan for values starting at $ 6 / month (see plans). A very interesting value for those who want to be present on the internet, without spending too much. There are also those who offer free hosting, but it has fewer features than paid. On the other hand, the hosting of sites has restrictions. Because it is a shared hosting, all features are shared with other clients that are hosted on the same hosting server. In practice, this hardly makes a difference to most sites, except those with a lot of access or very heavy, that should be hosted on another plan. In addition, what you hire is what you will be entitled to use. The plan resources will not be shared with other clients, but the server. But of course, compared to other types of hosting, you will have lesser disk space, transfer, among others, which allows the company to offer the plan for such a competitive price. The point here is to assess if they meet the needs of your site.

Shared Hosting Features

A hosting is made up of many features, but some are more important than others. Understand what key features mean in a shared website hosting:

Domains and sites

Each hosting plan allows you to host a number of websites. Sometimes you will see the term "number of domains", which usually has the same meaning. For those who do not know, domain is the address of a website on the internet (ex: www.mysite.com). So when choosing a plan, consider how many sites or domains you may have in your hosting, especially if you want to host more than one site. Plans that allow more sites are usually cheaper than hiring them separately. This limit does not include parked domains, which are those that point to the parent domain. For example, your site has the domain www.mysite.com and www.mysite.com. One would be the main one while the other would be secondary (or parked). It's only role is to redirect the user to the primary domain. That's why he does not count on that limit.

Disk Space

This feature concerns the space that can occupy in your hosting. In most cases, this space is only for your site, which includes codes, texts, and various files. In some cases, however, it is also used for databases and email. When evaluating disk space on the hosting, check this question. And look for the hosting that offers enough space for your site, but also have an interesting space for emails and databases, if those features are also important to you.

Traffic, bandwidth, transfer

Hosting companies often refer to this feature in several ways. Generally speaking, the most important thing is to know that it is always associated with a number of visits to your site. There are plans that limit the number of visits, which is easier to understand and monitor. Other companies, in turn, use the term "bandwidth" or "transfer", which are usually "unlimited". In such cases, the limit is usually of simultaneous requests on the server, described only in the terms and conditions of the hosting. If you have a site with low to moderate traffic, this feature will never be a problem.

Email

Having an email with your domain is one way to give more credibility to your brand and several companies offer free email service in their hosting plans. In emails, there are two items you need to pay attention to: number of accounts allowed and space. Many companies sell plans with hundreds of email accounts, but the space is so small that it's practically useless. Space is very important in this case, because, the bigger the space, the more emails you can store, without worrying. About this, it is worth remembering that some companies use a defined space for emails, while others use the same space allocated to your site. Depending on the case, if the space is too large, even worth more than in the plans with separate space.

Operating system

One issue that must be considered when hiring a hosting is the server operating system. In most hosting, you have to choose between Linux and Windows. To make this decision, you need to know how your site will be built. If it is built in PHP, as is the case with WordPress, Linux hosting is more appropriate. On the other hand, if it was built in ASP or .NET, one must hire a Windows hosting. It is important to clarify that the server operating system has no relation to the operating system of the computer where the site will be created. Nor is there a conflict if you access your Linux hosting from a Windows computer. In other words, if you are using a Windows computer to create a WordPress site, your hosting should be Linux.

Support

Although not a feature, support is a very important point in a hosting service. You need to be able to rely on it to clear up doubts and solve problems whenever you need them. So, find out if the hosting supports 24x7 (24 hours a day, 7 days a week). Also analyze which are the service channels offered by the company, such as chat, telephone, and e-mail.

How much does shared website hosting cost?

In general, shared website hosting plans are among the cheapest in the list of business plans. The reason for this is clear: in this plan, dozens of customers share the same server, which makes the service cost-effective. In general, annual plans start at $ 6 a month for promotional value with coupon (see offers here). But what about quality? This will depend on a number of factors, ranging from attending the company to the quality of the machine (server). Meet the largest companies in the world in the area of hosting, in our comparative web hosting.

Katheryn Stockett

Katheryn is a corporate attorney and finance specialist, conducting research daily to get you closer to financial security and freedom (even if you're just getting started). Her +600 articles published in Collaborative Research Group have already helped thousands of readers on the internet. .