For anyone who wants to set up shop on the internet, there is one thing needed before your site goes live, a web host.

While some web hosts only offer the opportunity to secure a website, others come with features that work with both individuals and companies to maximise their online experience, allowing them to have a domain, website hosting email, and WordPress support all in one place.

Below, I’ll check out the best web hosting has to offer in Australia along with some features that you can expect when you find the one that fits your online needs. 

Table of Contents:

• Why you Need a Web Host
• Picking a Web Host 101: What to Look Out For
• Top 6 Best Cheap Web Hosting in Australia
• Free Vs. Paid Web Hosting
• What you Score with Paid Web Hosting

Top Best Cheap Web Hosting in Australia

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I’m here with an ultimate list of 6 of the best that you can find on the web. Those that made it to our list are not only filled with all the top features for web hosts, but also come with a cost-effective price tag too.

Below, I’ll explain all the details to help you find the one that’s best for you and your hosting needs.

1. Hostinger – Best Bang for your Buck

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With Hostinger, you won’t have to sacrifice quality for the low cost. You’ll still get access to a long list of advanced features and unbeatable customer care. For as low as $1.85 per month, you can score up to 10GB of SSD storage, around-the-clock support, and even access to multiple servers located across the globe. 

You can find all types of web hosting options with Hostinger, including shared and cloud-based hosting options. When you choose Hostinger, you’ll have access to some of the best tools on the web, along with a solid user experience that doesn’t require any hard development skills.

Users can create their website the way that they want it and set it all up to work like a charm from start to finish. Just in case things get a little fuzzy, you can get a hold of support and get all the kinks worked out so that your site is up and running smoothly in no time. 

When it comes to web hosts that won’t cost an arm and a leg, Hostinger is one of the best, giving users advanced options without the high ticket price.

2. A2 Hosting – Best for Reseller Hosting

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A2 Hosting has been around the web for many years now, giving those who need a web host a solid option from which to choose. It has plans that are suitable for all levels of users and provides one of the fastest plans that you can find on the web today. 

It offera three different plans for shared hosting, including lite, swift, and turbo. Though the turbo plan is the fastest of them all, lite still gives the competition a run for its money and comes with unlimited storage space and unlimited bandwidth. Plus, when it comes to customer service, A2 offers more than a few ways to get in touch, including live chat, email, and phone. 

For those who need a guarantee that their site will be up and running, A2 Hosting guarantees it will have your website up and running 99.9% of the time. While its prices are a little higher than what you might pay for other hosts, it offers unlimited storage space and more for, the cheapest price that you can find on the web (trust me, I’ve looked!)

For those who might have doubts if this web host is the one for them, it offers a money-back guarantee at any time throughout the time you use the service. It does charge renewal rates, which tend to be double what you started with, though for all the features, it’s still a great deal.

3. Digital Pacific – Best Feature-Packed Host

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Digital Pacific has been around since 2000, making its way around the globe throughout the years and becoming one of the most widely spread hosts around. It offers everything from personal to business plans, all starting at just $6.90 per month. Its premium plans shoot all the way up to 75GB of storage, though you can find the cheapest hosting plan with 10GB of bandwidth, 2 email accounts, and 1GB of storage. 

For businesses that have seasonal traffic, Digital Pacific could be the best bet, with its high scalability and a long list of options. Its uptime is guaranteed 99.9% of the time and, from what I could dig up, there seems to be a high level of customer satisfaction all around.

It not only offers customer care via email but also via phone. Customer care is up and running 24/7, there for clients who need it no matter the hour. 

It is an eco-friendly hosting company as well, perfect for any Aussies looking to take steps to reduce their carbon footprint. Digital Pacific is a solid choice for many reasons and comes with features galore that will help create the perfect webpage no matter what your business is.

4. SiteGround – Best WordPress Compatible Hosting

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There is a little something for everyone at SiteGround. Businesses of all sizes can check out its plans, including affordable plans perfect for startups up to all-inclusive and brag-worthy plans for large-scale businesses. No matter what size you are, there are features you’re sure to enjoy, with custom scripts and WordPress plugins to make the most out of your site. 

Setup and transfers are all free and websites are secured with free SSL as soon as sites go live. Performance is renowned and all those who are new can try SiteGround and get their money back after 30 days if they’re unsatisfied for any reason. 

Customer care is there to help with setup or to clear up any doubts, available 24/7 all year around. SiteGround offers lots of integrations and customisable coverage to get the fastest speed and guaranteed performance for reliability while on the web.

5. GreenGeeks – Best Eco-Friendly Hosting

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Known as an eco-friendly and fun option for web hosting, GreenGeeks has climbed to the top since its first days on the web, creating plans for all that start as low as $5.25 per month. There is unlimited space and bandwidth with all plans, something that you can’t find with other web hosts out there. 

As the type of package goes up in price, it also goes up in speed, trailing up to 250ms and coming with unlimited websites too. GreenGeeks knows that it takes energy to run a site, which is why it’s set out to use only renewable energy, giving users something that they can feel good about. 

Like most other top hosts on our list, you won’t find a high price for reliability, with a 99.9% guarantee that your website will be up and working whenever you need it. It offers SSD hard drives for a fast-running site at all times and even offer secure sites for all those that join.

6. WPHosting – Best Host for Experienced Users

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This WordPress hosting platform was born out of Australia, coming with a noteworthy reputation and options that are suitable for all kinds of businesses. Not all users out there want to use WordPress but, for those that do, WPHosting could be the best option. 

It offers plans for startups all the way to corporate, which comes with 20GB of storage space and unlimited bandwidth. While the cheapest plans come with limited features, it’s one of the best and cheapest plans that you can find for small businesses. It does offer SSL certificates and spam filtering options for all plans, though they are an addition to your monthly fee. 

When users choose WPHosting, they can pick and choose the features that are best for them and even find those that fit their budget without going overboard. When support is needed, you can find it any time day or night all year round. For those looking for a simple web host that won’t cost a fortune, WPHosting could be the best option, coming with all of the best features without the extra costs.

Free Vs. Paid Web Hosting

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While browsing some ideas about how you can get on the web, you may have come across some websites that offer free hosting. Free can be a good thing but, as the old adage suggests, you get what you pay for. If you’re on the fence about choosing free or paid web hosting, check out the pros and cons of going free and some clear differences between affordable hosts and free hosts. 

Consider These When Going Free

Nothing in life is free. In one way or another, hosts are going to make money, sometimes in ways that require you to sacrifice some of your online convenience. If you’re considering going free, here are a few things you might have to get used to. 

Ads 

As I said, web hosts are going to make their money somehow. One of the main ways that they do that is through ads. These are not ads that you get a benefit from, but rather ads that are there and pop up when visitors come to your site. No matter if it is direct traffic, you’ll get zero benefits and have to deal with possibly losing traffic because of it. 

While this may be okay for individuals who are up and coming, businesses want to steer clear of ads, as it looks unprofessional and could make visitors turn the other direction. When surfers are on the hunt for something, the last thing they want to encounter on the websites they are visiting are pop-ups and annoying ads. 

Shared Branding

Remember I said that hosts have to make money somehow? Well, branding is just another way that they attempt to do so. There are a few ways that free hosts out there will require branding, including adding their logo to your website or even adding their name to the end of your domain. 

Again, you might get by with something like this if you’re looking for a way to add a personal website but, that’s not always the case with a business website. Startups and companies should consider how this will affect their company brand and whether or not it’s worth it when they’re first starting out. 

Limited Support 

Lots of free hosts out there give you the tools to create a website, then send you off on your own and leave you to fend for yourself. While they will ensure that your website is up and running and at least accessible, they will not usually provide any other kind of assistance. 

That means that if you’re new to the web development game, or are unsure of how to get certain tasks up and running, you won’t have anyone to call. Instead, you may have to get comfy and watch some YouTube videos. 

No Uptime Guarantee 

Companies need their websites up and running at all times to ensure that potential customers can access them. Without a website that’s running smoothly and constantly available, businesses can lose traffic and never get it back. 

Web hosts that offer free hosting do not usually offer an uptime guarantee and can schedule maintenance and updates as often as they like. On top of that, they can take as long as they like, as they don’t have a guarantee to live up to. When you go free, you may experience outages at a higher rate than you might be comfortable with. 

Limited Bandwidth 

Bandwidth is a powerful thing these days. The more you have, the faster your website loads and gets things up and running. If you’ve surfed the web, you know how frustrating it can be to visit a site that’s slow to load and gives you a blank screen no matter what you click. Just as much as it frustrates you, it will likely also frustrate those who visit your site. 

If you or your business are banking on traffic, then you want all the bandwidth you can get. While free hosts will offer some bandwidth, they can’t usually compete with those that offer paid hosting options. 

Upgrades for a Price 

Web hosts know that the more options they offer, the more customers they can get. It’s for that reason that many of them offer upgrades, though they do so for a price. With paid hosts, many upgrades and updates are automatic, and there is no fee charged to make sure that you are a part of it. 

Free hosting offers limited options in hopes that users will see features or performance that they like with paid versions and eventually upgrade. Either, that or, they will offer certain features for a fee and keep the hosting account free. Either way, it winds up not benefitting those who are looking for a solid host with lots of useful options.  

What you Score with Paid Web Hosting

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Now that you know a bit about what you can get with free hosting, let’s take a look at paid hosting and some guaranteed features that you’ll get when you choose to go with a paid version. 

It’s More Reliable 

One of the key benefits of going with a paid web host is that they are reliable. Most of them guarantee uptime and offer a certain level of bandwidth, speed, storage, and more. One of the best things as a buyer is that there are tons of web hosts out there, which drives up the competition. That means that you can most likely find what you need from a host for an affordable price. 

It’s Customizable 

When you have your business and your website, you want it to be you. Each company has its own way of doing things, which should be reflected in everything that they do. When you pay for hosting, you’ll have options to customise the look of your website along with the options that you need to make things run smoothly for yourself, your admin, and visitors to your website. 

Customer Care 

When you pay for a hosting service, you’ll not only get customer service but, also technical support. Things can happen on the web and, if you’re not an expert, you might be left scratching your head and unsure of what to do. 

Customer care and technical support can make all the difference with your experience and can either ensure that you get the assistance you need when things are not working out as planned. 

Your Own Spot 

If you’re looking for a way to grow your brand, establish your name and get it out there, then a paid host is a better option. They won’t try to steal your light and will rather attempt to give you your own space on the web that is only for you and your needs. 

In most cases, you have a domain name that is 100% yours, and, even if you are sharing, you’ll have your very own space to call home that doesn’t feature anyone else’s name but your own. 

The Opportunity for Growth 

When starting out, it’s not sure how things are going to go. Things can either go really far up or start rolling downhill. Because you’re never sure when you’re first starting out, it’s good to know that options are there no matter what happens. Paid hosts will typically offer more advanced packages, those that will allow you to grow. 

As you or your brand starts to take off, you may need more pages or more speed, both of which paid hosts can offer when you want or need an upgrade. 

Security 

Online protection is a necessity these days, whether it’s using a VPN, using password managers, or making sure that you use two-factor authentication. Not only do you need to arm yourself but, you should also go with a host that offers robust security as well. 

Free web hosts do not always offer ways to protect your website, something that is a clear disadvantage. However, when you go with a paid web host, you’ll typically get advanced security options, including monitoring and SSL encryption so that you can rest assured your site is safe for all who visit. 

Features 

Free web hosting doesn’t come with a lot of extras. As a matter of fact, it comes with a lack of features and may prevent you from creating a true masterpiece of a website. Paid web hosts are always updating their list of features, sometimes including those that aim to improve your business. 

Some advanced features you can typically find with paid hosts include social media sharing options, backup options, and even some SEO features that help improve your position on search engines and more.

Going Free

Even if after reading everything you’re set on finding hosts that offer free services, that’s totally okay. Free hosting is not a bad thing and can be useful for a handful of people. Some of those who can surely benefit from free hosting include creating a website for: 

• Hobbies 
• Personal blogs
• Sharing info with friends or family 

These are just a few examples of those who could benefit from going free. However, those with online stores, businesses, bloggers with a large following, and more will benefit more when they go with a paid provider. 

Paid Doesn’t Have to Be Expensive

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Just because you choose to go with a paid web host doesn’t mean it has to be expensive. As a matter of fact, there are a ton of hosts out there that offer affordable options, including unlimited storage and super-fast bandwidth.

As we pointed out with our top 6 cheap web hosts, there are a ton of options, some of them starting right above $1 a month. Not only will you have a reliable provider, but also rest assured that your site will be up and running, secure, and updated as technology and features change.

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