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Is it possible to get a monthly hosting subscription for the cost of a Starbucks coffee?
Sure, of course, it is.
While there are plenty of cheap hosting providers out there, it’s important to balance cheap with reliability.
If cheap web hosting if what you’re after, we’ve got you covered.
We’ve reviewed the offerings of the top hosting providers with the main criteria of being cheap.
Here are 3 great options for under $4 CAD per month.
For all of our other hosting recommendations, navigate to our web hosting category page.
Table of Contents
1. HostGator
Highlights
- 2 million+ websites hosted
- 24 x 7 Support – Phone / Live Chat
- In business since 2002
- Based in Houston, Texas
- Public company owned by EIG
HostGator Reviews and Rating
HostGator tracks customer satisfaction with Shopper Approved and has a score of 4.3 out of 5 from over 11,000 verified customers.
HostGator Features
- Free domain (first year)
- Free site transfers
- Unlimited bandwidth
- 9% uptime guarantee
- One-click installs such as WordPress
- Free SSL certificate
HostGator Cheapest Plan
Hatchling Plan – Introductory Offer
- 1 website
- 1 year free domain registration
- Unlimited disk space and bandwidth
- Free SSL Certificate
- $150 Google Ads credit matching your spend
- $100 Bing Ads credit
- 45 day money back guarantee
~$3.50 CAD per month (36 month term)
Bills in USD at $2.75 per month
Renewal prices may vary.
HostGator Data Centers
HostGator mainly uses a Houston data center to serve customers with a secondary data center in Provo, Utah. In both cities, HostGator’s data centers are colocated in larger data centers.
- Houston, Texas
- Provo, Utah
Summary
With over 2 million websites hosted and 1,000 employees, HostGator has a very cheap offering, allowing you to get web hosting and a free domain (1 year) for under $4 per month.
HostGator was originally started in 2002 by Brent Oxley in his dorm room at Florida Atlantic University.
Over the last 18 years, the company has grown tremendously and also changed hands.
In terms of reliability, HostGator guarantees a 99.9% uptime availability and is rated 4.3 out of 5 by over 10,000 verified customers.
In terms of support, reps are available 24 x 7 x 365 either by phone or live chat, so rest assured if you have any challenges HostGator is ready to help.
They remained a private company until 2012, when they were sold to hosting conglomerate, Endurance International Group.
2. Bluehost
Highlights
- One of the largest web hosts in the world
- 2 million+ websites hosted
- 24 x 7 Support – Phone / Live Chat
- In business since 2003
- Based in Orem, Utah
- Public company owned by EIG
Bluehost Reviews and Rating
Bluehost comes in at a 3.6 out of 5 on G2 based on over 170 reviews.
Bluehost Features
- Free domain (first year)
- Free site transfers
- Free CDN
- One-click installs such as WordPress
- Free SSL certificate
Bluehost Cheapest Plan
Basic Plan – Introductory Offer
- 1 website
- 50 GB SSD Storage
- Unlimited bandwidth
- Free Domain registration for 1 year
- Free CDN
- Free SSL Certificate
- $100 Google Ads credit when you spend your first $25
$3.93 CAD per month (36 month term)
Renewal prices may vary.
Bluehost Data Centers
Bluehost operates their data centers in-house, with their gigantic primary data center based in Orem, Utah. There is also a secondary data center in Provo, Utah.
There is no official word but Bluehost also apparently operates data centers globally.
- Orem, Utah
- Provo, Utah
Summary
Bluehost is one of the largest web hosts in the world, hosting over 2 million websites.
Their introductory Basic plan offer gets you set up with a domain for one year and hosting for under $4 per month.
Started in 2003 by Mike Heaton, Bluehost has grown substantially and was sold to Endurance International Group in 2010.
Their focus has remained on supporting their customers and adding offerings to cater to the market, such as their deep focus on WordPress and introduction of the Bluehost marketplace, which gives you access to hundreds of free and premium themes.
With 24 x 7 phone and live chat support and Bluehost’s team of over 750 employees behind you, they are committed to seeing you succeed.
3. WHC
Highlights
- Canadian business privately owned and operated
- Canadian data centers
- 130,000+ websites hosted
- 24 x 7 Support in English and French – Phone / Email / Live Chat
- In business since 2003
- Based in Montreal, Quebec
WHC Reviews and Rating
WHC has an amazing rating on Google of 4.9 / 5 by over 2,000 clients.
WHC Features
- Easy Website Drag and Drop Builder
- cPanel control panel
- 9% uptime guarantee
- 30 day money back guarantee
WHC Cheapest Plan
Starter Plan – Introductory Offer
- 1 website
- Unlimited storage and bandwidth
- Starter email included with unlimited mailboxes
- Free Cloudflare CDN
- One-click install for 300+ apps
- $100 Google Ads credit
- cPanel control panel
- Free site migration
$3.89 CAD per month (36 month term)
Renewal prices may vary.
WHC Data Centers
Web Hosting Canada covers the country with 2 data centers, one on the East Coast and one on the West Coast, providing great coverage coast to coast.
- Montreal, Quebec
- Vancouver, British Columbia
Summary
Web Hosting Canada, also known as WHC, has a strong introductory offer that gets you their Starter web hosting plan for only $3.89 pre month.
If you’re looking for a solid Canadian host, with Canadian data centers, look no further.
WHC has been around since 2003 and is one of the most reliable Canadian web hosts.
With data centers on both coasts and a 24 x 7 support team that speaks both English and French, WHC is a great partner to choose for your next online endeavour.
Current Promo: Up to 50% off your first term. See full details on their website.
Business owners and startups are always looking to cut costs, but does that mean you should do it with your hosting?
Hosting is a critical part of your website and one of the cornerstones of your online business.
So, when does it make sense to go with cheap hosting?
What are the terms and conditions and features offered by the cheapest hosting providers?
Let’s dive into everything you need to know about cheap hosting for your website.
What’s Considered a Cheap Web Host?
If you browse the leading hosting companies’ websites, you’ll see that most have the same offering.
These service providers have a range of products at different price-points to suit different needs.
The cheapest hosting option (other than free hosting) is a shared package.
With shared hosting, you’re sharing server space with several other sites.
The hosting company manages the server, allotting server resources to your sites, like disk space and bandwidth and having all site share CPU and memory from the server.
However, while shared hosting is the most affordable option, it comes with certain limitations.
If one of the other sites on the server starts consuming a large amount of resources, your site may start running slower and in some instances the provider will pull the server down.
Unfortunately, when it goes down, your website goes down with it, creating downtime that’s not your fault.
The hosting company’s terms of service will clearly state that any downtime caused by other sites on the same server as you are not their responsibility and therefore out of your and their control.
What to Be Aware of When Looking for the Cheapest Price for Hosting?
When selecting your hosting provider, it pays to shop around and read the provider’s terms and conditions before committing to a deal.
Many providers try to pull you in with an affordable three-year deal at a super-discounted rate. Sure, it looks affordable at face-value, but do you know what you’re getting for your subscription?
The point is that if you’re picking the cheapest hosting available, be sure that the offering is suitable for your needs
What are the Main Features You Should Look for Before Looking at Price?
1. Support
How many support options do you get with your service provider?
Do they have options for live chat, email, and phone support?
When things go wrong, and your site is down, who can you contact to find out what’s going on?
Check for commitments on response times to support tickets and how quickly they resolve server issues relating to downtime.
2. Storage and Bandwidth
Most shared hosting solutions offer users “unlimited bandwidth.”
However, if you check the terms and conditions, they write in a line that says unlimited usage is subject to “reasonable” use policies and restrictions.
3. Backups
Look for hosting providers that offer manual backups you can download to local storage solutions.
It’s also important to sign up with a provider offering automated backups as well.
Automatic backups are the easiest way to recover your site after a failure.
4. Speed and Performance
When signing up for the cheapest hosting service, make sure you’re ok with the fact that the shared server may have tons of sites on it and you’re not going to get optimal load speeds.
5. Security and Privacy
Every hosting service goes into detail explaining their security protocols and why they offer the safest service.
New customers can’t put these claims to the test without signing up for the hosting service.
Look for services that offer add-ons like easy SSL support with low cost renewals, as well as things like Two Factor Authentication to protect access to your hosting account itself.
6. Domain and Email Options
Some providers offer you a free domain when registering for hosting.
Keep in mind that these costs have been integrated into the monthly fee the host will be charging.
Also, if you cancel your hosting service, understand what will happen with the free domain you got, which in some cases will be paying a fee to keep it.
Disclosure: We are a professional review site that receives compensation from the companies whose products we review. We tested and reviewed the web hosting sites ranked here. We are independently owned and the opinions expressed here are our own.
