Reliable Web Host – Comparison of the Top 3 Web Hosts

We did a review on more than a dozen of popular web hosts based on the 12 selection factors and found a few of them consistently score well in these areas. You will read about the top 3 cheap reliable web hosts here.

1. HostGator


HostGator is one of the most popular web hosting companies in the world and has been winning many awards at different web host review sites such as FindMyHost.com Editor's choice Award, WebHostDirectory.com #1 Reseller Hosting Award, WebHost-Guru.com's 2008 Green Host of the Year and many others.

Founded in 2002, it now hosts millions of websites. Take a look at the HostGator’s shared hosting plans.

Hostgator Plans

Name Platform Price Space Bandwidth Domains

Hatchling Linux $6.95 350 GB 3000 GB 1

Baby Linux $9.95 600 GB 6000 GB Unlimited

Swamp Linux $14.95 1000 GB Unlimited Unlimited

HostGator uses cPanel which is one of the best control panels. They do support PHP4 & 5, SSH, Cron jobs, Python, Ruby On Rails etc and provides Fantastico script installer. All packages include POP3 accounts also.

Uptime is 99.9% which sets the industry standard. What we like about the site is the 24/7 customer and technical support. Whenever you need any help, the friendly customer service officer will be there to help you.

2. BlueHost


BlueHost is another top but cheap reliable web host. Similar to HostGator, BlueHost also uses the cPanel. Other features like PHP, Perl, Fantastico, MySQL etc are also included. Take a look at BlueHost’s packages.

BlueHost’s package is very easy to understand. It provides unlimited diskspace and bandwidth. Take a look at the different plans.

3 Months: $9.95/month + $30.00 Setup + Domain ($10.00 if purchased from BlueHost)

6 Months: $8.95/month + $30.00 Setup + Domain ($10.00 if purchased from BlueHost)

12 Months: $7.95/month (no setup fee, free domain included)

24 Months: $6.95/month (no setup fee, free domain included)

The customer support is friendly and professional and we like the way they constantly upgrade their services and software capabilities.

3. IX Web Hosting


IX Web Hosting is one of the oldest web hosts around. In terms of size, it is definitely within the top 10. They now host over 490,000 domains. If you are looking for a budget plan to host a small site, their $4.95/month package is something you might want to consider. Small ecommerce and personal sites can be supported easily by this budget plan. Take a look at their different packages.

Name Platform Price Space Bandwidth Domains

Expert Plan Linux $4.95 Unlimited GB Unlimited GB Unlimited

Business Plus Linux $7.95 Unlimited GB Unlimited GB Unlimited

Business Plus Windows $9.95 Unlimited GB Unlimited GB Unlimited

Unlimited Pro Linux $12.95 Unlimited GB Unlimited GB Unlimited

Unlimited Pro Windows $15.45 Unlimited GB Unlimited GB Unlimited

IX Web Hosting uses H-Sphere control panel. While it is not as common as cPanel, it is also quite easy to understand and use. IX Web Hosting packages offer good value for money but their uptime loses out to the top 2 reliable web hosts we mentioned. In fact, the last time it was tested with a 3rd party service provider, the uptime was only 98.7%.

Advisory: Some of the products I mention are done with affiliate links, for which I receive compensation if you make a purchase. In some cases, I may have received a review copy. In no case do those situations either cause you to pay extra for a product purchase, or cause me to give a favorable review or recommendation of a product that I think is crap or fails to deliver on its promises.

Reliable Web Host – How To Choose A Cheap Reliable Web Host

Are you looking for a cheap reliable web host for your website or blog? When you are choosing a reliable web hosting company, there are certain factors that come into play. Right here, we are going to show you what the important selection factors are.



1. Bandwidth limit

The bandwidth limit is often referred to the traffic limit. It basically is the “space” that is needed to accommodate your visitors or traffic. Having a high bandwidth means that your website can receive more visitors.

2. Diskspace

If you are familiar with your PC hard drive, that is what the diskspace means. This diskspace basically hosts your website files, web pages, images, scripts and so on.

3. Uptime

All good reliable web hosts should have a minimum uptime of 99.5%. The web host should have a refund policy if they cannot meet this requirement.

4. Scripts Allowed and Provided

Do they allow you to install scripts such as PHP or Perl? If they do not allow you, then it can be very troublesome if you need to run these on your website. Also, make sure that they provide FTP, MySQL, .htaccess, crontabs as these are quite common.

5. SSL (secure server) and Shopping Cart

Do they provide such functionalities? These are important if you plan to run an ecommerce site.

6. Technical Support

Do they provide 24/7 technical support? Can you access to help anytime you want via LIVE chat? This is what makes the difference between a fly-by-night service and a professional and reliable web host.

7. cPanel

cPanel is the most popular control panel in the market because of its user-friendliness and rich features. Make sure your web host provides that.

8. Email Forwarding

Does it allow you to create catch-all email address so that you can receive all emails sent to your domain name?

9. Number of Domains and Subdomains

Do they allow you to host multiple domains and subdomains? Some web hosts have a limit on this and can be rather restrictive if you intend to create multiple websites on multiple subdomains.

10. Price

The price of the web host should be of great concern to you right? However, never compare web hosts based on how much you need to pay. Always compare different packages offered by each web host to have a more objective comparison. For example, Web Host A may only charge you $7/mth for a 500MB (diskspace) and 5GB (bandwidth) but Web Host B charges $10/mth and offers a 1GB (diskspace) and 10GB (bandwidth). On the surface, you are paying more for Web Host B’s package but you get double the diskspace and bandwidth.

11. Minimum Contract Period

You should check out the minimum contract period of each web host. Most offer a monthly, quarterly and annual plan. The longer you stay with them, the cheaper it is. Very often, the prices you see in advertisements are the monthly prices based on an annual package. If you go for the monthly option, it is always more expensive. If you have never tried a web host before, you might want to consider the monthly option so that you can leave anytime if you find the service poor.

12. Other Users’ Reviews

Reading other users’ reviews give you a good feel of how professional and reliable a web host is.

Advisory: Some of the products I mention are done with affiliate links, for which I receive compensation if you make a purchase. In some cases, I may have received a review copy. In no case do those situations either cause you to pay extra for a product purchase, or cause me to give a favorable review or recommendation of a product that I think is crap or fails to deliver on its promises.