Website Hosting Cost: How Much Should I Pay?

Website hosting costs can be complicated to untangle if you’ve never tried to build a website before. There are many factors involved: the type of web hosting you want, the company you choose, how long you decide to buy hosting for and what extras you buy.

This guide will provide a detailed breakdown of the costs associated with the most common types of web hosting, including side-by-side comparisons of popular hosting companies’ prices. I’ll also discuss extras and the hidden costs of hosting a website because the bottom line isn’t always straightforward.

How much does web hosting cost?

Web hosting services provide space on a web server, a specialized computer that makes websites accessible from the internet. Each type of web hosting uses a different server configuration, which determines the amount of resources -- such as RAM or CPU power -- and technical support available for your website.

Because of these variabilities, the type of web hosting you choose is the most important factor in determining website hosting costs.

Here’s an overview of what you can expect to pay for different kinds of web hosting:

• Shared hosting: Most shared hosting plans cost $2 to $5 per month to start, rising to $10 to $30 per month upon renewal.
• WordPress hosting: Most WordPress hosting costs $2 to $5 per month for the first term and $10 to $30 per month upon renewal.
• Website builder hosting: Traditional web hosts typically offer website builder hosting for $2 to $5 per month to start and $10 to $30 per month upon renewal. Website builder companies like Squarespace usually charge $15 to $50 per month.
• Cloud hosting: Conventional web hosting companies charge $30 to $400 per month for cloud hosting. Some companies, like Amazon Web Services, provide modular cloud hosting plans starting as low as $5 per month.
• Dedicated hosting: Dedicated hosting plans cost anywhere from $50 to $700 per month.

Shared hosting

Shared website hosting costs typically start at $2 per $5 a month, rising to $10 to $30 per month upon renewal. Some companies, like SiteGround, charge as much as $45 per month for higher-tiered shared hosting plans.

In shared hosting, many websites share one server’s resources, such as processing power and bandwidth. Customers renting space on a shared server pay only for their portion of it, making this the most affordable type of web hosting.

Shared hosting is best for blogs, for-fun hobby sites and small business websites. The amount of traffic your site can handle depends on the plan, but as a general rule, shared hosting plans can accommodate up to 400,000 visitors per month.

The following table shows exact costs for shared hosting from several popular web hosts:

WordPress hosting

WordPress hosting costs roughly the same as shared hosting. Some hosts charge an extra $1 to $2 per month for the additional software support. A few hosts offer WordPress hosting as virtual private server -- VPS -- hosting or cloud hosting for a higher fee. 

WordPress hosting is shared hosting optimized for WordPress, a content management system, or CMS, for building websites without requiring code. These plans come with WordPress pre-installed on your server. They may also offer automated software updates and other benefits.

WordPress hosting is best for folks looking to create a blog, for-fun hobby site or small business website with WordPress.

Here’s a breakdown of WordPress hosting costs at major hosting companies:

Website builder hosting

Website builder hosting costs vary, with shared website builder hosting often being close in price to regular shared hosting and cloud website builder hosting being more expensive -- often $15 or more per month.

Website builders are tools for creating a website without installing anything, managing software updates or learning code. Website builder hosting comes with one of these builders pre-installed.

There are two types of website builder hosting:

• Shared website builder hosting offered by traditional hosting companies like Hostinger. Shared website builder hosting is best for folks looking for a low-cost, low-effort way to create a blog, for-fun hobby site or small business website.
• Cloud website builder hosting offered by specialized website builder companies like Squarespace. Cloud website builder hosting is best for folks creating blogs, for-fun hobby sites and small business websites who are prepared to pay more for higher-quality tools and the ability to accommodate rapid site growth.

Here’s a roundup of what website builder hosting plans cost from major hosting companies:

Cloud hosting

Cloud hosting costs from conventional hosting companies vary from $30 per month on the low end to $400 per month at the high end. Cloud hosting stores your site on multiple servers, allowing for greater uptime and faster loading speeds around the globe. Cloud hosting is also easy to scale, as your site can pull resources from more servers to accommodate high traffic levels. 

Cloud hosting is best for medium- to large-size businesses and small businesses expecting rapid growth. 

Companies like Amazon Web Services have complex, modular hosting options where you can buy only what you need for a few dollars. However, these plans often have limited technical support. Traditional hosting companies charge more for cloud hosting because they offer more robust support and features.

Here’s a quick overview of the cost of cloud hosting at three traditional web hosting companies:

VPS hosting

VPS hosting costs vary based on the type of VPS hosting you choose:

• Self-managed VPS hosting involves managing the server’s software yourself or hiring a system administrator to do it. This option may cost only a few dollars more than shared hosting each month, or it may cost upward of $30 per month.
• Managed VPS hosting involves the hosting company managing the software for you. There are some companies offering this service for as little as $10 per month, but many managed VPS hosting plans cost $50 or more each month.

Some companies, like Bluehost, offer self-managed plans where you’ll receive technical support to set up your server but be responsible for completing the setup and maintenance yourself.

VPS hosting gives you access to a virtual server with dedicated resources like bandwidth and processing power. Although you’re technically still sharing a server, your website is partitioned from other sites, allowing you to customize server settings and enjoy greater security and resources.

VPS hosting is best for medium- to large-size business websites needing to accommodate several hundred thousand monthly visitors or large amounts of data. You may also want VPS hosting if you want control over your server’s configuration -- though some advanced server customization options may not be available.

Here’s a comparison of VPS website hosting costs at various companies:

Dedicated hosting

Dedicated hosting costs depend on the type of dedicated hosting you choose:

• Self-managed dedicated hosting, where you are wholly responsible for configuring the server software -- or hiring someone to do it. This type of hosting often starts at $80 to $100 per month.
• Managed dedicated hosting, where the hosting company manages digital server configuration and maintenance. This type of hosting often starts at $90 or more each month.

Dedicated hosting provides an entire physical server for your website. You get the server’s full processing power, storage space and bandwidth, allowing your site to accommodate millions of viewers. You’ll also get total control over your server’s digital configuration.

Dedicated hosting is best for websites expecting millions of monthly visitors or storing massive amounts of data. You may also want to choose dedicated hosting if you want complete control over your server’s software and settings.

Here’s a quick comparison of dedicated hosting from some of the best web hosts:

Hidden web hosting costs and other expenses of hosting a website

Domain name

A domain name is the name of a website. For example, our domain name is CNET.com. Like web hosting, a domain name is essential to making your site available online.

Many web hosts offer a free domain for the first year. However, you’ll almost always have to pay for your domain in subsequent years, and some web hosts require you to buy a domain separately from the outset.

The cost of a domain can depend on the domain extension you choose and the company you register it with. Most domains with common extensions like .com and .net cost $10 to $20 per year.

SSL certificate

Secure Socket Layer, or SSL, is a security protocol that encrypts website data, including data submitted to your site.

SSL certification is essential even if your website won’t be accepting sensitive data. Google prioritizes ranking sites with SSL certification. Some browsers and VPNs also look for SSL certification and won’t allow users to visit sites without it.

Most web hosting companies include SSL certification in their plans now. A handful of companies still charge separately for it, often charging $20 to $40 per year.

Extensions

Extensions -- called plugins on WordPress or apps on Wix and Shopify -- are tools for increasing your site’s functionality. Extensions allow you to do things like:

• Book appointments
• Build and sell online courses
• Integrate your website with social media platforms

Some of these may be free. WordPress, in particular, has many free options -- almost 60,000 of them.

Other extensions cost money -- sometimes a lot of it. To give you an idea, let’s look at some premium WordPress plugins:

• WP Rocket: $59 per year
• Simply Schedule Appointments: $99 per year
• MemberPress: $179.50 for the first year, $359 per year after renewal

As you can see, there’s a wide price range for plugins. You can expect to find similar variations in the app or extension marketplaces for services like Squarespace and Shopify.

Themes and templates

Themes or templates dictate your site’s appearance. Most CMS options and website builders have many free themes -- though you may need to find and install them yourself on a CMS like WordPress.

You can also buy a premium theme to create a more unique look. Paid WordPress themes often cost $20 to $100, while themes for sites like Squarespace and Shopify typically cost $200 to $400.

E-commerce features

Website builders like Squarespace often limit e-commerce functionality to certain plans. This means you’ll need to pay more to host a website with a store than to host a site without one.

CMS options like WordPress may require extensions for e-commerce functionality. WooCommerce, a popular e-commerce plugin for WordPress with over 5 million active installs, is free, but you’ll need to buy paid WooCommerce extensions -- often costing $50 to $100 per year -- to sell certain types of products or use certain payment gateways.

Marketing tools

Marketing is essential to a website’s success. Every business needs three types of marketing tools every business needs to succeed online: search engine optimization or SEO tools, social media tools and email marketing tools.

SEO tools help you optimize content for search engines by controlling the descriptions shown in search results and selecting keywords you want to rank for. These tools are often built into website builders, but they may be restricted to higher-tiered plans. If you’re using WordPress, you’ll need an SEO plugin. These plugins can be free or paid, with paid options costing $100 or more each year.

Social media integrations help you build community and increase visibility by making it easy for people to follow your social profiles and share your content on social media. These integrations are often built into website builders, but they’re not always available on all plans. If you’re using WordPress, you’ll need a plugin. There are many free social media plugins, as well as paid plugins typically costing $50 to $100 per year.

Email marketing tools help you build deeper connections with your audience through email campaigns. These tools are usually paid extensions or third-party services. You may be able to start for free, but you’ll need to upgrade once you exceed a certain number of subscribers or monthly emails. Paid plans often start at $10 to $20 per month.

So what should you pay for web hosting?

The cost of website hosting depends on the type of web hosting you choose:

• Shared hosting and WordPress hosting typically starts at $2 to $5 a month and rises to $10 to $30 each month, with some plans costing as much ast $40 or more each month.
• Website builder hosting costs are similar to shared hosting if you choose a traditional web host. If you choose a website builder company like Squarespace, the price can be anywhere from $15 each month to $2,300 each month.
• Cloud hosting plans from traditional hosting companies can cost anywhere from $10 each month to $400 or more each month. Some companies offer modular cloud hosting plans with complex pricing models starting as low as $5 each month.
• VPS hosting costs anywhere from $10 each month to $145 each month.
• Dedicated hosting costs anywhere from $50 each month to $700 or more each month.

Once you understand the type of hosting you want and the website hosting cost you’re willing to accept, you can check out our list of the best web hosts to find a company to work with.