10 Best Shared Hosting for Web Designers: Top Picks and Ultimate Guide (2023)

Welcome to our ultimate guide on the 10 best shared hosting options for web designers. As a web designer, choosing the right shared hosting service is crucial for the success of your projects. In this guide, we will cover essential features, top picks, and helpful tips to make the best decision for your needs.

Top Shared Hosting Providers for Web Designers

As a web designer, you’re likely always on the hunt for the best shared hosting providers to complement your projects. Your priorities are focused on performance, reliability, customer support, and cost. Let’s dive into some of the top shared hosting providers for web designers.

BlueHost

BlueHost is a popular choice among web designers because of its feature-rich offerings and user-friendly interface. With over 2 million websites hosted, it’s a trusted provider that ensures a seamless hosting experience to its users. Let’s dive into what makes it a top pick:

Key Features: Free domain, SSL Certificate, cPanel, Cloudflare integration
Performance: Linux-based servers, SSD storage, optimized servers for faster load time
Reliability and Uptime: 99.9% uptime guarantee, regular server monitoring, and maintenance
Customer Support: 24/7 chat, phone, and email; extensive knowledge base
Hosting Plans and Pricing: Affordable plans starting at $3.95/month; scalable options
Ease-of-Use: Intuitive cPanel, one-click WordPress install, website builder, and auto-updates
Extras: Enhanced security features, freebies, marketing credits, and access to premium WordPress themes

BlueHost caters to the needs of web designers, offering an optimal hosting solution that offers great performance and reliability without breaking the bank.

HostGator

HostGator is a top choice for many web designers because of its affordable plans, extensive features, and overall reliability. This well-established hosting provider has a proven track record, making it a favorable option for both beginners and experienced designers. Let’s take a closer look at what makes HostGator one of the best shared hosting providers for web designers.

Key Features: HostGator offers unlimited bandwidth, storage, and email accounts with its shared hosting plans, making it ideal for web designers who need these resources.
Performance: The company boasts high-speed servers and utilizes the latest technology to ensure optimal performance for your websites.
Reliability and Uptime: HostGator guarantees a 99.9% uptime, which means your websites are practically always online and accessible.
Customer Support: Available 24/7 via phone, live chat, and email, the company’s support team is renowned for its helpful and knowledgeable representatives.
Hosting Plans and Pricing: Affordable plans starting from $2.75/month put HostGator among the budget-friendly shared hosting options available in the market.
Ease-of-Use: The user-friendly control panel with one-click script installations makes managing your hosting account a breeze, even for newcomers.
Extras: You’ll also benefit from free SSL certificates on all shared plans and a free domain for one year on select plans.

With its perfect blend of affordability, reliability, and functionality, HostGator is certainly worth considering as a top choice for shared hosting for web designers.

SiteGround

SiteGround is a highly recommended shared hosting provider known for its top-notch performance and excellent customer support. It has something to offer to web designers, whether they are beginners or experienced professionals.

Key Features: SiteGround offers free website builder, SSL certificates, and daily backups as standard features in all plans.
Performance: SiteGround is known for its lightning-fast speed and performance, thanks to their custom-built caching mechanism, called SuperCacher.
Reliability and Uptime: With a 99.99% uptime guarantee, you can be sure that your website is always up and running without any glitches.
Customer Support: The SiteGround team is renowned for their responsive and helpful live chat and ticket support system, available 24/7.
Hosting Plans and Pricing: Starting from just $3.95/month, their plans cater to different requirements, allowing web designers to scale up as their projects grow.
Ease-of-Use: The intuitive control panel or cPanel ensures that users can easily manage their hosting account and websites.
Extras: SiteGround offers additional features like free Cloudflare CDN, free site transfer, and managed WordPress hosting on all plans. No wonder it remains a favorite within the web designers’ community.

A2Hosting

A2Hosting is another top-notch shared hosting option for web designers. Known for speed and customer support, they offer everything needed to create and maintain professional-looking websites. Here’s what you can expect with A2Hosting:

Key Features: Optimized for WordPress, Joomla, and Drupal; unlimited SSD storage; free site migrations; and more.
Performance: High-speed SwiftServers, solid-state drives (SSDs), and other features ensure optimal site performance.
Reliability and Uptime: A2Hosting guarantees a 99.9% uptime, backed up by their industry-leading Service Level Agreement (SLA).
Customer Support: 24/7/365 support through phone, email, and live chat to ensure web designers always have help on hand.
Hosting Plans and Pricing: Shared hosting plans include Lite, Swift, and Turbo, catered to different website needs and budget.
Ease-of-Use: The intuitive cPanel control panel makes managing your website a breeze, even for beginners.
Extras: Free SSL certificate, website builder tools, and developer-friendly tools like Git and WP-CLI integration.

GreenGeeks

GreenGeeks is an eco-friendly shared hosting provider that offers incredible performance and reliability for web designers. By harnessing renewable energy, GreenGeeks not only provides quality hosting but also contributes to a greener environment. Let’s check out what they have to offer:

Key Features: SSD-based storage, free SSL certificates, free domain name, unlimited bandwidth
Performance: Optimized LiteSpeed web servers, PowerCacher caching solution, latest PHP versions, and expert server monitoring ensure smooth functioning
Reliability and Uptime: GreenGeeks guarantees 99.9% uptime backed by robust infrastructure
Customer Support: An efficient support team is available 24/7 via live chat, phone, or email, along with a helpful knowledge base
Hosting Plans and Pricing: Three shared hosting plans – Lite, Pro, and Premium – cater to different needs and budgets
Ease-of-Use: Intuitive cPanel and Softaculous installer simplify the management of your hosting account and installation of applications
Extras: 300% green energy match offsets the carbon footprint of your website, ensuring a more sustainable approach

As a web designer, GreenGeeks can be the perfect choice for you, providing top-notch hosting services along with contributing to a greener, more environmentally conscious world.

InMotion Hosting

InMotion Hosting is a popular choice for web designers, offering an array of features and benefits. You can enjoy fast performance, reliable uptime, and dedicated customer support with this provider. Let’s take a closer look at some key aspects of InMotion Hosting:

Key Features: Free domain, Free SSL certificate, Unlimited disk space, and bandwidth, and over 400 free applications.
Performance: SSD storage, Max Speed Zones, and free CDN integration ensure optimal loading speeds for your website.
Reliability and Uptime: 99.9% uptime guarantee, providing confidence in your site’s availability.
Customer Support: 24/7/365 U.S-based expert support available through live chat, phone, or email.
Hosting Plans and Pricing: Different hosting plans tailored to specific needs – ranging from shared hosting to dedicated servers. Prices start at $2.49 per month for their basic shared plan.
Ease-of-Use: InMotion’s offered control panel, cPanel, is user-friendly and has a variety of tools and applications to make managing your website simple.
Extras: Free website builder, automatic backups, and a 90-day money-back guarantee to ensure customer satisfaction.

iPage

iPage is a shared hosting provider known for its affordability and user-friendly features. Catering to web designers of various skill levels, iPage strikes a balance between performance and ease of use.

Key Features: One-click WordPress installation, unlimited bandwidth, vDeck control panel, free domain registration
Performance: SSD storage for fast page loading, advanced caching to improve website speed
Reliability and Uptime: 99.9% uptime guarantee to ensure your website stays online
Customer Support: 24/7 support through live chat, phone, and ticket system
Hosting Plans and Pricing: Offering budget-friendly shared hosting plans starting at just $1.99 per month
Ease-of-Use: Beginner-friendly control panel and site builder tool for easy website management
Extras: Free SSL certificate, malware scanning, and access to various CMS and e-commerce tools for a well-rounded hosting experience

iPage is an ideal choice for web designers looking for an affordable option that provides enough features without compromising on performance and support.

Hostinger

Hostinger has made its mark as a top shared hosting provider for web designers due to its affordable pricing and exceptional performance. Here’s an overview of what you can expect from Hostinger:

Key Features: Hostinger offers powerful features such as LiteSpeed web server, custom hPanel, free SSL certificates, and daily backups.
Performance: With LiteSpeed web server and advanced caching options, it ensures fast loading time for your websites.
Reliability and Uptime: Hostinger guarantees a 99.9% uptime, ensuring your website’s consistency and availability for your users.
Customer Support: Its dedicated customer support team is available 24/7 through live chat and email tickets, providing quick and efficient assistance.
Hosting Plans and Pricing: Hostinger offers extremely competitive pricing with plans starting at just $1.99 per month, making it ideal for web designers on a budget.
Ease-of-Use: The easy-to-use custom hPanel and access to website builders make it straightforward for web designers to manage their websites.
Extras: Hostinger provides additional features, such as free domain registration, Cloudflare protection, and a 30-day money-back guarantee to ensure your satisfaction with their services.

DreamHost

DreamHost is an outstanding choice for web designers, providing top-notch performance, reliability, and customer support. With more than two decades of experience, they offer state-of-the-art hosting solutions perfect for web designers and their clients.

Key Features: Unlimited websites, storage, and bandwidth; free domain, SSL certificate, email, and privacy protection
Performance: High-quality SSD storage, custom control panel, and user-friendly interface
Reliability and Uptime: 100% uptime guarantee and outstanding server performance
Customer Support: 24/7 in-house customer support via live chat and email; extensive knowledge base and help center
Hosting Plans and Pricing: Shared, VPS, dedicated, and managed WordPress hosting options; pricing starts at $2.59/month for shared hosting
Ease-of-Use: One-click installer for popular CMS platforms and easy website builder for non-tech-savvy users
Extras: 97-day money-back guarantee and eco-friendly features such as energy-efficient data centers and carbon neutral operations

Overall, DreamHost is a great web host for web designers who want reliable, efficient, and affordable hosting solutions.

NameCheap

NameCheap has gained a strong reputation as a domain registrar, but it’s also a reliable shared hosting provider tailored for web designers. With competitive pricing and excellent performance, NameCheap is a top choice for many.

Key Features: Free SSL certificates, automatic backups, unmetered bandwidth, and website builder for easy website creation.
Performance: NameCheap uses SSD storage for faster page loads and offers a 100% uptime guarantee.
Reliability and Uptime: They have a 99.9% uptime guarantee, ensuring your website is consistently available.
Customer Support: NameCheap provides 24/7 live chat support and an extensive knowledge base for quick problem-solving.
Hosting Plans and Pricing: Their plans are affordable, starting at just $2.88/month for the Stellar plan.
Ease-of-Use: The cPanel interface makes managing your hosting service simple, even for beginners.
Extras: NameCheap offers a free website builder, making it easy for web designers to build and launch a website quickly and efficiently.

What are the Essential Features for Web Designers in a Shared Hosting Service?

As a web designer, you have specific needs when it comes to shared hosting. It’s crucial to choose a service that provides ample resources, reliable uptime, and a host of other essential features. Let’s break down the most vital features:

Resources: Be sure the service offers enough bandwidth, storage, domains, and email accounts. Opt for unlimited plans if possible, to support your clients’ needs and your growing business.
Reliability and Uptime: Seek hosting with a minimum 99.9% uptime guarantee. Downtime can damage your clients’ websites and hurt your professional reputation.
Ease of use: Look for an intuitive control panel, such as cPanel or Plesk, that allows you to manage websites, domains, email accounts, and databases with ease.
One-click installations: Choose a provider offering one-click installers for popular content management systems (CMS) like WordPress, Joomla, and Drupal.
Scalability: Your provider should offer scalable options, so you can easily upgrade your plan without needing to migrate to a new service.
Support for programming languages and frameworks: Ensure the hosting service supports HTML, CSS, JavaScript, PHP, Python, MySQL, and other essential languages or frameworks you rely upon.
Customer support: Opt for a service with stellar customer support via phone, email, or live chat, so you can quickly resolve issues and get back to designing websites.
Security features: Your hosting provider should offer SSL certificates, daily backups, and malware scanning to protect your projects and client information.
File access & management: Choose a host that supports FTP, SFTP, or SSH access, making it easy to store, edit, and manage files remotely.
Price: Lastly, consider pricing and avoid free hosting options that may lack features or compromise on performance, security, and customer support.

What are the Best WordPress Hosting Options for Web Designers?

For web designers working primarily with WordPress, it’s crucial to have a reliable hosting solution that offers robust performance and client satisfaction. Here’s a list of the best WordPress hosting options for web designers:

SiteGround: Known for its excellent customer support and optimization for WordPress, SiteGround provides a seamless experience for web designers. With free SSL certificates, daily backups, and a user-friendly staging tool, it stands out as a top choice.
Bluehost: As an official WordPress hosting partner, Bluehost offers a one-click WordPress installation, free SSL certificate, and 24/7 customer support. For web designers that value simplicity and dependability, Bluehost is a go-to option.
WP Engine: This managed WordPress hosting provider focuses on performance, scalability, and security. With built-in caching, a global CDN, and automatic backups, WP Engine is ideal for designers that require top-tier WordPress hosting.
Flywheel: Tailored specifically for designers and agencies, Flywheel offers a streamlined workflow, easy site migrations, and collaboration tools. For web designers working in teams, Flywheel is a smart choice.
Kinsta: Powered by the Google Cloud Platform, Kinsta provides lightning-fast performance, scalability, and exceptional security features. For designers demanding a premium hosting experience, Kinsta should be on their radar.
A2 Hosting: Offering optimized servers for WordPress and a Turbo Boost feature for faster site performance, A2 Hosting caters to web designers seeking faster loading times. They also have top-notch customer support and an anytime money-back guarantee.

Ultimately, the best WordPress hosting option for you will depend on your unique needs, goals, and preferences. Consider the benefits of each provider to make the most informed decision for your web design projects.

What are Good Alternatives to Shared Hosting for Web Designers?

As a web designer, you might be exploring alternatives to shared hosting for your projects. Two great alternatives are VPS (Virtual Private Server) hosting and dedicated server hosting. Let’s take a closer look at what these options have to offer and why they might be suitable for your needs:

VPS Hosting

Flexibility: VPS hosting provides you with root access, allowing you to customize your virtual server instance according to your needs. This makes it a great fit for web designers seeking more control over their hosting environment.
Scalability: Unlike shared hosting, VPS hosting ensures guaranteed resources (CPU, RAM, storage) for your virtual server. This allows you to scale your server resources as your website traffic grows, ensuring optimal performance at all times.

Dedicated Server Hosting

Unlimited Resources: Dedicated server hosting provides you with an entire physical server for your exclusive use. This means that you can access the server’s full resources (CPU, RAM, storage), ensuring peak performance for your websites and applications.
Enhanced Security: With a dedicated server, your data is isolated from other users, reducing the risk of unauthorized access. Additionally, you have more control over the server’s security settings, allowing you to implement stronger security measures if needed.

VPS and dedicated server hosting are two excellent alternatives to shared hosting for web designers, providing more flexibility, scalability, and enhanced security. The choice between these options will depend on your specific needs and budget.

While VPS hosting is typically more affordable, dedicated server hosting provides maximum performance and control. Consider your project requirements carefully to choose the best option for your needs.

How to Choose the Right Shared Hosting as a Web Designer?

As a web designer, finding the right shared hosting service plays a crucial role in the success of your projects and client satisfaction. To help you make an informed decision, consider the following factors when choosing a web host:

Performance & Uptime: Ensure that the shared hosting service offers fast loading times, optimal performance, and a minimum of 99.9% uptime guarantee. Speed is important for user experience and SEO, so look for a host that uses advanced technologies like SSDs, LiteSpeed web servers, and global CDN.
Ease of Use: User-friendly control panels, such as cPanel or Plesk, streamline the process of managing your websites, databases, and email accounts, and ensure effortless day-to-day operations.
Scalability: Look for a host that offers a range of plans and the ability to upgrade easily as your needs grow. This will save you from the hassle of migrating to a new provider in the future.
Security: Effective security measures (e.g., SSL certificates, automatic backups, and malware scans) are vital in protecting your clients’ websites from hackers and data breaches.
Support for Design & Development Tools: Check that the web host supports the tools you use for designing and developing websites, such as popular content management systems, website builders, and various programming languages.
Customer Support: Opt for a company that provides excellent customer support via live chat, phone, and email, ensuring that you receive prompt assistance whenever you need it.
Pricing & Refund Policy: Compare the costs of different hosting plans and consider any promotional discounts or long-term pricing options. Additionally, verify their refund policy to see if they offer a money-back guarantee or a trial period.

FAQs about Shared Hosting for Web Designers

Below you can find the answers to the 7 frequently asked questions about shared hosting for web designers:

Is shared hosting suitable for web designers?

Yes, shared hosting is suitable for web designers, especially those starting off with small- to medium-sized projects. It’s an affordable option that provides essential features and resources for creating and launching websites.

How does shared hosting affect website performance?

Shared hosting can affect website performance due to limited resources since multiple websites are hosted on the same server. However, reputable shared hosting providers are known to manage server resources effectively to reduce performance issues.

Is shared hosting appropriate for large projects or high-traffic websites?

For larger projects or high-traffic websites, web designers may want to consider upgrading to a virtual private server (VPS) or dedicated server hosting plan, as shared hosting may not provide enough resources for optimal performance.

Can I host multiple websites on a shared hosting plan?

Many shared hosting providers offer multiple domains or addon domain options, which allow web designers to host more than one website on a single shared hosting account.

Is it easy to migrate my website to another hosting plan or provider?

Most hosting providers, including shared hosting companies, offer migration services or tools to assist you in transferring your website to another hosting plan or provider with minimal downtime.

What about website security in shared hosting?

Shared hosting providers usually offer basic security features. However, it’s always advised to implement additional security measures, such as using strong passwords, SSL certificates, and keeping software up-to-date, to further protect your website.

Can I easily upgrade or downgrade my shared hosting plan?

Generally, upgrading or downgrading a shared hosting plan is a straightforward process with most hosting providers. It often involves selecting a new plan, and the provider takes care of transferring your files and configurations to the new plan.

Conclusion

Finding the best shared hosting for your web design needs is critical to the success of your projects. Evaluate the essential features, explore the best options available, and select the hosting plan that meets your requirements.

Feel free to share your experiences in the comments below – which shared hosting did you choose, and how has it worked for you?