The best web hosting services of 2023

DreamHost features: cPanel: No, proprietary panel | SSL: Free | SSH: Yes | Backups: Yes | Money-back guarantee: 97 days | Support: 24/7 chat, ticket, and call-back

DreamHost’s easy-to-use interface, efficiency, and customer support stand out to business owners and new webmasters alike. The hosting provider offers WordPress hosting, shared hosting, virtual private servers, dedicated servers, cloud hosting, and more. 

Nick Farnborough, co-founder of Clavis Social, told ZDNET that he has “tried almost every host out there over the years and ultimately found DreamHost to be the best overall package taking into account cost, performance, and ease of use.” 

We particularly like the fact that DreamHost offers G Suite integration, with domain integration and Google Cloud support. The company also provides a great set of resources and guides that can help customers grow their businesses, all in a cost-effective way. 

Prices begin at $2.95 per month.

Bluehost features: cPanel: Yes | SSL: Free | SSH: Some plans | Backups: Basic, plus more on select plans | Money-back guarantee: 30 days | Support: 24/7 chat, phone, email

Bluehost fits into the category we call “standard-fare” hosting providers, in that it offers a wide range of services, ranging from basic shared hosting up to virtual private servers and dedicated machines. However, Bluehost maintains a strong focus on WordPress in its offerings with one-click installation.

We particularly like how this hosting service segments their WordPress offerings, ranging from basic shared hosting offerings to their higher-performance pro plan, and then on to a WooCommerce-based shopping cart solution. All solutions come with some level of backup, an Office 365 mailbox, and malware detection and removal is also available. 

“In my experience, Bluehost has provided the greatest web hosting services,” Henry Waddilove, managing director of Novus Business Connections, told ZDNET. “You may easily maintain, transfer, buy, and manage your domains with their domain manager. All Bluehost plans are optimized for WordPress performance and use encrypted connections to keep your personal information, e-commerce transactions, and other sensitive data safe.”

Web hosting plans begin at $2.95 per month and Bluehost will provide you with a free domain for the first year and a free SSL certificate on eligible plans.

GoDaddy features: cPanel: Some plans | SSL: Some plans | SSH: Some plans | Backups: Some plans | Money-back guarantee: 30 days for annual plans, 48 hours for monthly plans | Support: 24/7/365 US-based ticket and phone

GoDaddy has made a business of offering as wide an array of services as possible for individuals and small businesses in need of an internet presence. 

ZDNET author David Gewirtz has decades of experience with GoDaddy, and he has come to respect how this web host provides the key services most customers want. They’re definitely not the best at anything, but they do a good job with almost everything. 

“GoDaddy, in my opinion, is the best web host,” Gerrid Smith, director of E-commerce of Joy Organics, told ZDNET. “They promise a minimum of 99.9% availability. To prevent malicious activities and repel DDoS attacks, their security team works around the clock.”

Pricing begins at $2.99 per month, customer service is reasonable, and although not 24/7, if you need a technical lead to get something accomplished, you can usually find someone with a clue (after jumping through a few hoops, of course). However, the refund policy is extremely restrictive.

AWS (Amazon Web Services) features: cPanel: Yes | SSL: Free | SSH: Yes | Backups: Automated backup schedules | Money-back guarantee: Within 48 hours | Support: Depends on plan

AWS is a huge player in the cloud computing universe. Perhaps the best example of AWS’s power and capability is this: Most of Netflix runs on AWS. When you realize the size of the Netflix library and the incredible demand for Netflix programming, you can begin to understand the scale of AWS.

What makes AWS a truly special web host is how the company has sliced and diced nearly every kind of cloud-based resource, ranging from storage to mail sending to specific, AI-based workloads, and then can sell them to IT operations in very incremental workload-based levels. 

You can rent a virtual server operation to run Netflix, or you can rent a small virtual Linux install with minimum RAM for a few bucks a month, or set up a system to support remote workers. It’s all there. Plus you can mix and match services, as long as you have a valid payment method on file.

Google Cloud features: cPanel: Yes | SSL: Yes | SSH: Yes | Backups: Yes with disaster recovery | Money-back guarantee: 30 days | Support: Depends on plan

Beyond Google’s software-as-a-service offerings (specifically Google Workspace), Google Cloud provides IaaS capabilities for those interested in managing their infrastructure using Google’s cloud and cloud technology. When you realize that Google Cloud uses the same infrastructure as Google’s search and YouTube operations, you see how Google Cloud suddenly becomes a very credible contender.

Google Cloud does offer a similar range of cloud services as the other web hosts but also offers cloud-based capabilities based on Google’s search and large data management infrastructure. If you want to tap into Google’s unique skill set for a challenging project at scale, Google Cloud is a viable option.

You can sign up for a free trial to begin, with $300 in credit applied for you to try out different services and applications.

Wix features: cPanel: No | SSL: Free | SSH: No | Backups: Site history | Money-back guarantee: 14 days | Support: 24/7 English call-back

If you’ve ever watched a YouTube video, you’ve seen a Wix ad. They are everywhere. With 6 million premium subscribers, they’ve got some momentum — and are certainly capable of grabbing attention.

When selecting a website builder, why would you go with Wix over WordPress? The answer is simple: Simplicity. WordPress offers tremendous depth. Wix gets you up and running with an attractive site quickly. 

There is nothing like the thousands of plugins and themes offered by WordPress in the Wix world, but if you want a well-designed site and you need an e-commerce solution, this is a great option. I selected this provider when I assisted someone in setting up a small online business, and the learning curve was easy, with no payment or downtime issues.

Free versions, however, do contain Wix banners.