1. HOSTGATOR CLOUD: Best Host Overall ($2.99/mo)
HostGator Cloud ReviewLOAD TIME: 473ms (3rd out of 30)
UPTIME: 99.98% (1st out of 30)
DOMAIN COST: FREE
SUPPORT: Took only 1 minute to get in touch with their support via live chat. Responsive, knowledgable and quick = smooth experience.
Why we recommend HostGator:
HostGator Cloud averaged an uptime of 99.98% which is one of the best in the industry (last 3 months they’ve been at a steady 100%).
Their 473ms average speed is the second best out of all websites we’ve reviewed. And it’s stable, too..
Their regular cost is $13.99/mo, but HostGator has generously given our reader’s exclusive access for only $2.99 / month. (Need a domain name? Only a penny.) That makes their Cloud offering one of the cheapest web hosts out there.
Visit www.HostGator.com
Useful (FREE) extras: Global CDN, Anti-Malware Scan and Daily Backups.
Or read why we rated HostGator Cloud #1st in our reviews.
2. A2 HOSTING: Best Load Time ($3.92/mo)
A2 Hosting ReviewLOAD TIME: 361ms (1st out of 30)
UPTIME: 99.96% (5th out of 30)
DOMAIN COST: $14.99
SUPPORT: 24/7 US based support via live chat and phone. Took 2 minutes to get in touch. Accurate and helpful answers.
Why we recommend A2 Hosting?
A2’s 99.96% uptime is great.
But their average page loading times of only 361ms is excellent. That officially makes them the fastest web host we’ve seen. By a long shot.
A2 sweetens the deal with a friendly, US-based support team that’s available at all hours of the day (seriously — give them a try). They cost $3.92/mo. The catch? You gotta be willing to sign up for 24 months. They do, however, have a nice 30-day guarantee. So well worth the gamble.
3. SITEGROUND: Best for WordPress ($3.95/mo)
LOAD TIME: 542ms (4th out of 30)
UPTIME: 99.98% (2nd out of 30)
DOMAIN COST: $14.95
SUPPORT: Most knowledgeable and friendly support, especially towards WordPress (via live chat).
Why we recommend SiteGround?
Their 99.98% uptime is great. And testing their StartUp plan, we got the average of 542ms for page loading times, which is not bad at all for a starter pack. It is fair to point out that these speed results were achieved without utilizing SiteGround’s custom built-in caching system – the SuperCacher, which apparently manages to speed up a website’s performance up to several times and is available on the higher plans – GrowBig and GoGeek.
SiteGround is also popular for their in-house hand crafted solutions for security and server monitoring, but our favourite aspect about them is their outstanding support. They’re insanely fast both on chat/phone and ticketing, and are by far the most knowledgeable team we’ve dealt with… and out of 30+ companies, that’s saying a lot!
They’re especially awesome with WordPress support and what’s more SiteGround’s managed WordPress hosting is among the few officially recommended by WordPress.org.