Featured Partners
3
IONOS
Starting price
$US2 ($2.95 AUD) per month
Drag-and-drop interface
Yes
SSL certificate included
Yes
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When covering investment and personal finance stories, we aim to inform our readers rather than recommend specific financial product or asset classes. While we may highlight certain positives of a financial product or asset class, there is no guarantee that readers will benefit from the product or investment approach and may, in fact, make a loss if they acquire the product or adopt the approach.
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Reviewed By
Reviewed By
Website hosting and upkeep can be costly, but there are plenty of reliable budget-friendly options available as well. In this guide, we’ll feature our pick of the best cheap web hosting services in 2024 for your Australian business.
Forbes Advisor compared the best web hosting providers and found 11 great options that balance performance with affordability. If budget isn’t an issue, check out our guide to the best web hosting services overall.
All prices are listed as they appear on the hosting websites. Where prices are in US dollars (not AUD) we have converted the price into AUD.
Note: The below list represents a selection of our top category picks, as chosen by Forbes Advisor Australia’s editors and journalists. The information provided is purely factual and is not intended to imply any recommendation, opinion, or advice about a financial product. Not every product or provider in the marketplace has been reviewed, and the list below is not intended to be exhaustive nor replace your own research or independent financial advice. For more information on how Forbes Advisor ranks and reviews products, including how we identified our top category picks, read the methodology selection below.
Featured Partners
On Bluehost.com’s Website
Starting price
$4.47 AUD per month
Storage and Bandwidth
Unmetered bandwidth and SSD storage starts at 10GB
Extras and inclusions
Free domain name and SSL for a year, free CDN
On HostGator’s Website
Starting price
$US3.75 ($5.62 AUD) per month
Storage and Bandwidth
Unmetered
Extras and inclusions
Free domain registration for a year, free website and domain transfer, free SSL certificate, free email
3
IONOS
On IONOS’s Secure Website
Starting price
$US2 ($2.95 AUD) per month
Drag-and-drop interface
Yes
SSL certificate included
Yes
The Forbes Advisor Small Business team is committed to bringing you unbiased rankings and information with full editorial independence. We use product data, strategic methodologies and expert insights to inform all of our content and guide you in making the best decisions for your business journey.
We reviewed several web hosts using a complex process to help determine the 11 best cheap web hosting services. Our ratings consider factors around pricing, general features, additional features, customer ratings and reviews and a final review by our team of experts. Our Australian-based editorial team then applied an additional layer of localisation and research to ensure relevance to the local market. All ratings are determined solely by our editorial team.
$US3.14 or $4.82 AUD per month
(with 36-month commitment)
30 days
180 days risk-free
Free SSL certificate, 100% uptime guarantee, free website transfe
$US3.14 or $4.82 AUD per month
(with 36-month commitment)
30 days
180 days risk-free
Free SSL certificate, 100% uptime guarantee, free website transfe
Mochahost is best for entrepreneurs who are already web-savvy and don’t need a lot of support to get their business online. It offers a wide range of features, including unlimited storage and bandwidth. You also get a free SSL certificate, which is required for any website that accepts payments.
Enjoy a 100% uptime guarantee, 24/7 support and free website transfers. One of the best features setting it apart from its competition is the LifeTime Discount Guarantee: choose a three-year package and renew at a discounted rate for life.
Soho: Pay $US3.18 or $4.88 AUD per month on the cheapest plan, Soho. Also billed quarterly, semi-annually, annually or every two years. Commit for three years and pay slightly less at $US3.14 or $3.14 AUD per month and renew at the same rate.
For information on additional plans at higher prices, visit MochaHost.
With MochaHost, access customer support 24/7, as well as its knowledge base and step-by-step interactive tutorials. Support is available via live chat, ticket and phone.
MochaHost has a 100% uptime guarantee.
Web-savvy entrepreneurs who don’t need a lot of help getting their website up and running.
$US3.75 ($5.76 AUD) per month
(for first 36 months)
30 days
Free SSL certificate, free website transfer
$US3.75 ($5.76 AUD) per month
(for first 36 months)
30 days
Free SSL certificate, free website transfer
HostGator is one of the best-known web hosting providers and for good reason. It offers a wide range of features, including unlimited storage, bandwidth and domains as well as a free SSL certificate. The number of files is limited to 250,000. All of HostGator’s plans include unlimited email addresses, too.
The company also offers a 30-day money-back guarantee and 24/7 support. It’s important to note that if you register a free domain through HostGator but cancel your account, there’s a fee to keep your domain. This prevents users from host-hopping to maintain a free domain. Renewal fees vary depending on the length of your contract, but a three-year term will break down to a very affordable $US7.99 ($12 AUD) per month.
The cheapest hatchling plan costs $US3.75 ($5.76 AUD) per month when billed up-front for 36 months. It renews at $US9.99 a month or $15.33 AUD. For more plans, visit Hostgator.
Each HostGator plan comes with 24/7/365 live chat and phone support.
HostGator offers a 99.9% uptime guarantee.
Businesses or individuals who already have a live website, but are looking for a new web host.
$1 AUD per month
(with 36-month contract)
30 days
Renews at intro rate, free SSL certificate, 10 free business email accounts
$1 AUD per month
(with 36-month contract)
30 days
Renews at intro rate, free SSL certificate, 10 free business email accounts
MilesWeb is one of the cheapest hosting providers on our list—and one of the best cheap hosting services out there. Plans cost as little as $1 AUD per month with a 36-month commitment, and we like the fact that plans are listed in Australian dollars for local users. The cheapest plan includes 1 GB of storage and unlimited bandwidth, so it’s geared towards basic business websites used to maintain an online presence—not an e-commerce site or those with a lot of web pages or content. Unlike other top web hosts that increase the price upon renewal, MilesWeb lets you lock in your introductory rate, so it’s cheap forever.
The entry-level Ignite plan costs as little as $1 AUD per month, for 36 month lock-in, and renews at the same rate. For more plans, visit MilesWeb.
MilesWeb offers 24/7/365 support via email and live chat.
Its uptime guarantee is 99.95%.
Businesses with simple, informational websites that needs a web presence at an ultra-affordable price.
$US2.95 ($4.53 AUD) per month
(with 12-month contract)
30 days
Free CDN, free SSL certificate, free nightly backups
$US2.95 ($4.53 AUD) per month
(with 12-month contract)
30 days
Free CDN, free SSL certificate, free nightly backups
Plans start at $US2.95 ($4.53 AUD) per month with a 12-month contract and increase to $US11.95 ($17 AUD) per month upon renewal. This includes 50 GB of storage, a free SSL certificate, a free CDN, unlimited databases, Softaculous WordPress installer and free nightly backups. For businesses that also want professional email that uses their own domain name, it comes with up to 50 free email accounts so you don’t have to worry about paying separately for your staff’s email.
With the Lite plan, pay $US2.95 ($4.53 AUD) per month when billed annually, and renew at $US11.95 ($17 AUD) per month. Billed month to month, pay $US11.95 ($17 AUD) per month and renew at the same rate. For more plans, visit GreenGeeks.
Access GreenGeeks live chat 24/7/365.
GreenGeeks has a 99.9% uptime guarantee.
GreenGeeks is a good web hosting service for businesses that want peace of mind, with its nightly backups and performance-improving CDN at no extra charge. Its Earth-friendly initiatives such as a 300% green energy match are a nice bonus to feel good about too.
$34.55 AUD per year
30 days
Free SSL certificate, host three sites, low-cost VPS hosting
Namecheap is a leading domain name registrar and web hosting provider known for its low pricing. Plans start at $2.99 AUD per month with a 12-month contract and renew at $5.64 AUD or $67.77 AUD per year and includes 20 GB of storage, unmetered bandwidth, free SSL certificates, a beginner-friendly website builder and 24/7 technical support. It stands out as one of the best values for those who need hosting for more than one site, such as a business with multiple locations or brands as even its cheapest plan comes with hosting for up to three sites.
Additionally, it also offers some of the cheapest VPS hosting plans available, with pricing that starts at under $10.39 AUD per month.
With the Stellar Plan, pay $34.55 AUD per year and renew at $67.77 AUD per year. For more plans, visit Namecheap.
Namecheap offers 24/7 support via live chat.
Shared plans receive a one-day service cycle prolongation for each hour its service is down.
Since Namecheap’s cheapest plan includes hosting for up to three websites, it’s the ideal solution for those hosting multiple sites on a budget.
$US2.59 ($4 AUD) per month
(with three-year commitment)
97 days
Top-rated tech support, free domain name, free SSL certificate
$US2.59 ($4 AUD) per month
(with three-year commitment)
97 days
Top-rated tech support, free domain name, free SSL certificate
DreamHost is widely regarded as one of the best web hosting providers for its competitively priced feature-rich plans that include everything you need to build and manage a WordPress website. Plans start as low as $US2.59 ($4 AUD) per month and include everything you need to build and manage a website.
The Shared Starter plan starts at $US2.59 ($4 AUD) per month with annual billing and renews at $US5.99 ($9.19 AUD) per month after the promotional period ends. This includes a free domain name (with private registration), a free SSL certificate, one-click WordPress installation, free business email that uses your custom domain and industry-leading technical support that is there for all of your WordPress-related questions and needs.
Shared Starter:Pay $US2.59 ($3.79 AUD) per month when billed every three years and renew at $US5.99 ($9.19 AUD) per month. Billed month-to-month, pay $US4.95 ($7.60 AUD) per month. For more plans, visit Dreamhost.
DreamHost offers 24/7/365 customer support via live chat and email.
DreamHost has a 100% uptime guarantee.
DreamHost is one of the best cheap hosting service providers for those who are new to WordPress as it offers some of the best technical support in the industry.
$4.51 AUD per month
30 days
Free SSL certificate, website builder
Bluehost is one of the most popular web hosting providers on the Australian market. While it’s not the cheapest on our list, it is a good all-around web host that offers just about everything most businesses need to build and manage a professional website. Plans start at $4.51 AUD per month with a 36-month commitment and renew at $10.73 AUD per month. Plans include a free domain name and SSL certificate, and a user-friendly website builder that rivals the leading site builders such as Wix and Squarespace.
The Basic Plan will see you pay $4.51 AUD per month when billed every year on a three-year contract, and this plan auto-renews at the regular price of $US6.99 or $10.73 AUD. There are three additional plans available that you can check out at Bluehost.
Access customer support 24/7/365 via phone or live chat.
Bluehost doesn’t mention an uptime guarantee but states most issues are resolved within 15 minutes.
Bluehost is a top web host for businesses that are looking for a good all-around web hosting service for WordPress.
$US0.90 ($1.38 AUD) per month
(paid annually)
45 days
Free domain, free SSL certificate, free business email
$US0.90 ($1.38 AUD) per month
(paid annually)
45 days
Free domain, free SSL certificate, free business email
If you’re a WordPress user, then StableHost is the best provider for you. It offers unlimited disk space and bandwidth, as well as a free SSL certificate and 24/7/365 support. Enjoy a 99.9% uptime guarantee, and some plans have no limit on the number of websites or email accounts. However, the best feature is it’s optimised for WordPress.
StableHost also offers free domains for the first year, and it’s known for its excellent customer support. Within 20 minutes, you’ll have a response from its support team round-the-clock.
With the entry-level Mini Plan, pay $US0.90 ($1.38 AUD) per month for the first year and renew at $US1.50 ($2.19 AUD) . For more plans, visit StableHost.
Each plan comes with 24/7/365 email and chat support. Its Platinum plan also comes with VIP support.
StableHost has a 99.9% uptime guarantee.
Start-ups and new businesses will find StableHost to be a good choice as plans include everything you need to get your site up and running, as well as extras that businesses need such as free business email.
$US2.50 ($3.66 AUD) per month
30 days
Unlimited email accounts, free website migration, free SSL certificates and unlimited SSD storage
$US2.50 ($3.66 AUD) per month
30 days
Unlimited email accounts, free website migration, free SSL certificates and unlimited SSD storage
InterServer is the perfect solution for anyone who needs an unlimited number of email accounts. This web host offers a variety of plans and services, including asp.net, reseller, boost and cloud VPS, but shared plans will almost always be the cheapest no matter which host company you choose.
InterServer plans start at $US2.50 ($3.66 AUD) per month and come with unlimited ULTRA SSD storage, 450-plus cloud apps, free site migration, free SSL certificates, unlimited email accounts, a website builder and global content caching. Plus, its InterShield Security helps protect your site from attacks, viruses and malware.
Its standard plan costs $US30 ($44 AUD) for 12 months, which then renews at $US84 ($123 AUD) for 12 months. Domain registration costs an additional $US7.99 ($12 AUD), and Whois privacy costs an additional $US5 ($7.32 AUD).
Your plan comes with 24/7 managed support.
InterServer has a 99.9% uptime guarantee.
Businesses that need lots of email accounts or hosting for multiple websites will find InterServer to be the perfect host.
$US1 ($1.46 AUD) per month (first 6 months)
30 days
Free SSL certificate, free domain, business email
$US1 ($1.46 AUD) per month (first 6 months)
30 days
Free SSL certificate, free domain, business email
At just $US1 ($1.46 AUD) per month for the first six months—then $US12 ($18 AUD) per month thereafter—IONOS offers one of the lowest monthly plans for web hosting. There are no limits on storage or speed, so you won’t have to worry about uploading too many media files or getting too much traffic. Plus, get a free SSL certificate, free domain and free email with any of its hosting plans. Domain registration alone usually costs $8 to $30 AUD per year through third-party providers.
Hosting plans also include a 30-day money-back guarantee, 24/7 free support, a direct line to your personal consultant, a 99.9% uptime guarantee and an easy-to-use interface.
The cheapest plan on offer is the Plus plan at $US1 ($1.46 AUD) per month for six months, then $US12 ($18 AUD) per month. You can see more web hosting plans at IONOS.
Each IONOS plan comes with 24/7 support. There’s the IONOS Help Centre, with DIY instructions and video tutorials, or you can call or email customer support. You also have the option to chat with a sales representative during business hours.
IONOS has a 99.9% uptime guarantee.
Start-ups with a small initial budget.
per month
(with 48-month contract)
30 days
Free SSL certificate, weekly backups, website builder
per month
(with 48-month contract)
30 days
Free SSL certificate, weekly backups, website builder
Hostinger offers three shared hosting plans, starting at $US2.99 ($4.37 AUD) per month with a 48-month commitment. The cheapest plan, which is now the Premium Plan, comes with a free domain name, 100 GB of SSD Storage and unlimited bandwidth. This package is perfect for businesses or entrepreneurs, but there are no daily back-ups (weekly instead) and no free dedicated IP address.
Hostinger offers a 30-day money-back guarantee, as well as 24/7/365 chat support. The best feature, however, is its 99.9% uptime guarantee.
Hostinger has revamped its plans and its entry level hosting package is now the premium offer. Commit for 48 months and pay $US2.99 ($4.37 AUD) per month and renew at $US7.99 ($12.26 AUD) per month. For more details on pricing and plans, visit Hostinger.
24/7/365 support is available via live chat.
Hostinger has a 99.9% uptime guarantee.
Businesses or entrepreneurs who are after high uptimes and professional service.
To find the best cheap web hosting services of 2024, we looked at a variety of factors, including price, features, uptime and customer service. We also compared general features and unique features, giving weight to the ones customers find the most beneficial. After comparing these data points, we looked at real customer reviews to see if experiences live up to marketing hype, including a final review by our panel of experts.
For pricing, we looked at the starting price for a web hosting service’s plan, especially how much it was per month on a monthly, annual and three-year basis. We also considered how expensive a plan became upon renewal, giving higher ratings to those services that kept their prices in line with their original pricing. Finally, if a service offered a free trial of its service, we gave them credit for that as well. Pricing accounted for 15% of our weighted scoring.
For features, we looked at what kind of limitations a web hosting service puts on its users, specifically around storage and bandwidth, something that many users need plenty of. Those that offered unlimited bandwidth and/or storage fared best in this category and those with limitations or that charge for more storage and bandwidth took a hit in our rankings. We also expected each service to provide an option for a free domain for users.
In the additional features category, we gave providers credit if they offered services like easy installation, free business email addresses and money-back guarantees. We weighted all features as 40% of our total score.
We wanted to know what actual users of the web hosting services thought of them, so we turned to reviews left on third-party review websites. We specifically looked for providers that received numerous positive reviews (more than 300 on a site) and reviews that were better than average (at least 3.5 out of 5). This allowed us to gain the fullest picture of reality and reduce bias. These reviews accounted for 20% of the total score.
Turning to those same reviews, our experts also looked at four specific criteria: ease of use, stand-out features, popularity and value for the price. Based on customer reviews of these four topics, they came up with a final rating for our list of cheap web hosts, which made up 25% of the total score.
You will note that we have included a star rating next to each product or provider. This rating was determined by the editorial team once all of the data points above were considered, and the pros and cons of each product attribute was reviewed. The star rating is solely the view of Forbes Advisor editorial staff. Commercial partners or advertisers have no bearing on the star rating or their inclusion on this list. Star ratings are only one factor to be considered, and Forbes Advisor encourages you to seek independent advice from an authorised financial adviser in relation to your own financial circumstances and investments before you decide to choose a particular financial product or service.
Web hosting is a service that provides businesses and individuals with servers to store their website and its related data, such as images, documents, videos and more. Web hosting services provide users with access to their website through the internet. Websites are hosted on computers called servers, which are connected to the internet. The hosting company provides an interface and technical support to manage the server so that users don’t have to worry about any of the technical aspects.
Hosting works by storing a website’s data on a server that is connected to the internet. When someone visits the website, they can access the data stored on the server. The hosting company’s user-friendly interface and accessible technical support ensure that users are freed from the burden of having to manage any of the server’s complex components.
The hosting company also maintains and updates the server, ensuring that it runs smoothly and efficiently. This helps ensure that the website runs without any issues. Additionally, web hosting companies provide security measures to protect data from malicious attacks and may also offer additional services such as domain name registration, email hosting and SEO support.
Our list of the best cheap web hosting companies focuses on monthly cost, term lengths and overall value. You should keep a few factors in mind when you’re choosing the best host for your website, cheap or otherwise.
Web hosting services seem to shift between unlimited and unmetered in regard to storage and bandwidth, with little explanation. If you read the fine print of the terms and conditions from each host, you’ll usually find the answer.
If your storage is unlimited, it often comes with conditions. For example, if you use too many resources on a shared server, as it relates to others on the server, the web host may ask you to remove files from your site.
Unmetered bandwidth usually means that the hosting company isn’t paying much attention to your site visitor numbers but, if it goes above a certain amount, such as 300,000 in a month, the host may ask you to upgrade to a virtual private server (VPS).
Even when you find a web host that promises 100% uptime, unlimited storage or $US1 ($1.46 AUD) per month, it can change the terms at any time. It’s a good idea to read any changes a web host makes to its policies to make sure it’s still a good fit for your website needs.
It’s common to see 99.90% to 100% uptime in web host marketing. What difference does 0.10% make? First, those uptime guarantees don’t apply to scheduled downtime for maintenance. If you notice your site is down, but the web host let you know it was going to happen, it doesn’t count. Unplanned downtime is when hosting companies scramble to get service back up because otherwise, they owe a lot of people free months.
If your website is up only 99.90% of the time, it’s about the equivalent of 44 minutes of downtime per month. Bump that uptime to 99.99% of the time, and you might have four minutes or so of downtime per month.
Server location can impact the speed of one’s website for some users. If you have a bakery in Melbourne, most of your site visitors are likely to be local, so you would want to choose a host with servers in Australia or nearby. Server location shouldn’t impact search engine optimisation (SEO), so it shouldn’t affect your ranking in search engines. Some experts disagree, though, and believe server location can affect rankings.
If you’re doing your due diligence, you might have noticed the word inodes in a web hosting company’s policies. An inode is a data structure that includes all the attributes of a file. It includes information about a file or directory, such as file name, permissions and time of last change. Sometimes web hosts won’t limit storage but will limit the number of inodes (HostGator limits inodes to 100,000 for shared plans).
Premium web hosts offer more features, such as unlimited storage, bandwidth and email accounts, as well as better performance and security. However, these features come at a higher price.
Affordable web hosts offer more basic features, such as shared hosting, which is more affordable but doesn’t offer the same level of performance and security. However, if you don’t need the extra features, an affordable web host can be a good option.
Be sure to read the fine print of any web hosting company’s terms of service. Many companies will change their terms over time, and some of those changes could have an impact on your website. For example, a company could change its policy on unlimited storage and bandwidth to limit the amount of storage and bandwidth you can use.
Additionally, some companies will change their terms to allow themselves to increase prices after you’ve signed up for service. Be sure to read the terms of service carefully and pay attention to any changes that are made.
When you’re choosing a web hosting company, customer support is an important factor to consider. If you have a problem with your website, you’ll want to be able to contact customer support and get help resolving the issue—especially if you’re based in Australia and the web host is overseas.
Be sure to read customer reviews of web hosting companies to get an idea of their customer support. You can also test out a company’s customer support by contacting it with a question before you sign up for service.
Make sure the company you choose has customer support that is available 24/7. You never know when you’ll need to contact customer support, and you don’t want to have to wait for a response. Additionally, make sure the company offers multiple ways to contact customer support, such as by phone, email and live chat. This will give you the flexibility to choose the best method for you.
When you’re choosing a web hosting company, you’ll want to make sure the company offers easy setup and use. You don’t want to sign up for a company that is difficult to use or set up. Be sure to read customer reviews of web hosting companies to get an idea of their ease of use. You can also test out a company’s control panel to see how easy it is to use.
The location of the server can affect the speed and performance of your website. If the server is in a different country than your target audience, it can take longer for your website to load, or your audience may not be able to access your website at all. For these reasons, it’s important to choose a web hosting company with servers located in the same country as your target audience.
Additionally, if you’re targeting a global audience, you’ll want to choose a web hosting company with servers located in multiple countries. This will ensure that your website is accessible to as many people as possible.
A free trial can be a great way to test out a web hosting company before you commit to paying for service. Be sure to read the terms of the free trial carefully, as some companies will require you to enter a credit card number.
Additionally, many web hosting companies offer money-back guarantees. This means you can sign up for service and get a refund if you’re not satisfied. Be sure to read the terms of the money-back guarantee carefully, as some companies will only refund your money if you cancel within a certain period of time.
When it comes to web hosting, the cost can vary greatly depending on the type of hosting you need. Shared hosting is usually the most affordable option, but it can also be the least reliable. This is because your website will be hosted on a server with other websites, meaning the performance of your website can be impacted by the performance of other websites.
Dedicated hosting is more expensive but offers better performance and reliability. It means that your website is the only one hosted on a server, so you don’t have to worry about the performance of other websites impacting yours.
Cloud hosting is also an option and can offer more flexibility than dedicated hosting but it typically costs more than shared or dedicated hosting.
No matter what type of hosting you choose, be sure to compare the features and prices of different web hosting companies before making your decision. This will help you find the best deal for your budget. And remember: choosing a web hosting company with excellent customer service and reliable servers can be worth the extra cost.
Sample shared hosting introductory pricing
Web Host | Price | Term |
---|---|---|
MochaHost | $3.14 AUD | Per month for 36 months |
HostGator | $US3.75 ($5.76 AUD) | Per month for 36 months |
MilesWeb | $1 AUD | Per month for 36 months |
GreenGeeks | $US2.95 ($4.53 AUD) | Per month for 12 months |
The cost of web hosting can vary depending on the company you choose and the features you need. Most companies offer promotional pricing for new customers. Read the terms of the promotional pricing carefully, as some companies will require you to sign up for a long-term contract to get the promotional price. Compare the promotional price to the company’s regular price to make sure you’re happy with the discount.
Many companies will increase the price of your web hosting when you renew your service. Be sure to compare the renewal price to the promotional price to make sure you’re getting a good deal.
The cost of web hosting can also vary depending on the type of web hosting you choose. Shared web hosting, for example, is typically less expensive than VPS or dedicated web hosting.
There are a few things you can do to reduce the cost of web hosting.
First, try to sign up for a longer-term contract. Many companies will give you a discount if you sign up for 12 months or more of service. Second, try to find a company that offers discounts for paying upfront. Many companies will give you a discount if you pay for 12 months or more of service in advance.
Third, you can try to find a company that offers a free trial. This will allow you to test out the company’s service before you commit to paying for it. Finally, you can try to negotiate a lower price with the company. If you’re bringing over multiple websites, the company may be willing to give you a lower price.
If you only need a basic, one-page sales funnel or website, you may want to consider using a website builder instead of web hosting. Website builders are typically much cheaper than web hosting, and they’re much easier to use.
With a website builder, you typically get everything you need to create and launch your website in one package. This includes a domain name, website templates and hosting.
There are some downsides to using a website builder, however, the most obvious of which is that you won’t have as much control over your website. Additionally, website builders rarely offer the same level of customer support as web hosting companies.
Check out our list of the Best Free Website Builders and Best Website Builder for our full list of recommendations. These include Weebly, GoDaddy, Wix, Mailchimp and IONOS.
Featured Partners
On Bluehost.com’s Website
Starting price
$4.47 AUD per month
Storage and Bandwidth
Unmetered bandwidth and SSD storage starts at 10GB
Extras and inclusions
Free domain name and SSL for a year, free CDN
On HostGator’s Website
Starting price
$US3.75 ($5.62 AUD) per month
Storage and Bandwidth
Unmetered
Extras and inclusions
Free domain registration for a year, free website and domain transfer, free SSL certificate, free email
3
IONOS
On IONOS’s Secure Website
Starting price
$US2 ($2.95 AUD) per month
Drag-and-drop interface
Yes
SSL certificate included
Yes
Forbes Advisor has picked our favourite cheap web hosts, and they include IONOS, HostGator and MochaHost, among others. As always, price is just one metric you should be exploring so make sure the web host meets all of your needs.
.
The cheapest way to host a website is through a shared hosting plan. Shared hosting plans start at around $2 AUD per month and offer limited storage and bandwidth. Shared hosting plans are best for blogs or small businesses with few pages that don’t require a lot of storage space.
It is possible to host a website for free but it’s not recommended. Free hosting plans often come with strict storage and bandwidth limitations, as well as a lack of customer support. If your website experiences high traffic or you need to add features such as an SSL certificate, you’ll likely have to upgrade to a paid hosting plan.
Website hosting can be expensive because it’s in demand. Most web hosts offer similar features and resources, so the best way to stand out is to offer more features, which often come at an additional cost. Web hosts also have to pay for the servers and infrastructure that power their websites, as well as 24/7 customer support.
Not necessarily. While some web hosts offer cheap hosting plans with limited features, others offer affordable plans with plenty of storage space and bandwidth as well as robust customer support. It’s important to compare features and prices before selecting a web host to find the best value for your needs.
Shared hosting is an okay option for new small Australian businesses because it’s affordable and easy to set up. However, you’re sharing resources with other websites, so your site might not be as fast or reliable as it could be. If your website starts to experience high traffic, you’ll likely need to upgrade to a VPS or dedicated server plan.
Kathy Haan, MBA is a former financial advisor-turned-writer and business coach. For over a decade, she’s helped small business owners make money online. When she’s not trying out the latest tech or travel blogging with her family, you can find her curling up with a good novel.