We have done the research for you, so you don’t have to 😉. Here, we have hand-picked the eight best web hosting providers in South Africa by evaluating them on the above-stated parameters.
Top Web Hosting Service Providers in South Africa
1) HostPapa – Best Overall Web Hosting provider in South Africa
Hostpapa is a leading web hosting company that has been on the market already for over a decade. Their goal is to offer a fully featured web hosting package powered by renewable green energy and quality customer service. The company’s shared hosting packages have a user-friendly control panel (cPanel) and quality server hardware that guarantees fast load speeds. You’ll also get a one-click installer for over 400 apps, including the most popular CMSs like WordPress and Joomla.
Features:
Email addresses accounts. Unlimited websites and domains. Mobile-responsive design. SpamAssassin and SpamExperts Free SSL Certificates. ECommerce compatible. 24/7 FTP access. phpMyAdmin Unlimited MySQL databases. Custom cronjobs and error pages. Powerful hardware. Subdomains DNS management. File manager. DDoS attack prevention and responses. Dedicated IP address.
24/7 Monitoring and Free Site Migration:
HostPapa offers free migration for all your website files, databases, and email accounts without downtime. It helps minimize your site’s traffic impact, and cPanel server migration will be undertaken overnight. 24/7 monitoring is not included.
Pricing:
Here are HostPapa’s three most affordable shared web hosting plans:
Key Specs:
Free Domain Name: Yes. Refund Policy: 30-day money-back guarantee. Customer support: 24/7 live chat, email, phone, and knowledge base. Uptime: 99.9. Data Centers: Multiple servers in the US, Canada, and Europe. Backups: Automated backups are available. Visit HostPapa »
2) Hostinger – Best for Enhanced Security Features
Hostinger is a Lithuania-based web hosting company whose primary mission is to provide quality web hosting services to its customers. The brand was established in 2011 and, in 2020, was recognized as one of the fastest-growing web hosting providers. Hostinger’s shared hosting plans come with up-to-date Litespeed SSD services that guarantee fast page speeds and security specs such as in-house developed WAF, SSL certificate, DDoS protection, and auto updates. Besides shared hosting, there’s also VPS, WordPress, and cloud hosting.
Features:
1 to 100 websites. Offers free email accounts. Suitable for WordPress. Easy DNS management. GIT access and SSH access. Access manager. MySQL manager. FTP account. Webmail access. Parked domains. Easy PHP configuration. Offers 1-click installer. Cloud Linux.
24/7 Monitoring and Free Site Migration:
Hostinger performs 24/7 server monitoring, and you can access real-time information about their server uptime. They will also take care of website migration for free and multiple sites. Technical support will complete all migrations within 6 to 24 hours.
Pricing:
Here’s an overview of Hostinger’s shared hosting plans:
Key Specs:
Free Domain: Yes (starting from Premium Shared Hosting plan). Refund Policy: 30-day money-back guarantee. Customer support: 24/7/365 live chat, tutorials, and knowledge base. Uptime: 99.9. Data Centers: Europe (the Netherlands, the UK, Lithuania), Asia (Singapore, India), North America (the US), and South America (Brazil). Backups: Weekly. Visit Hostinger »
3) Bluehost – Best for eCommerce
Bluehost was established in 2003. It has become one of the -known hosting brands in the industry. Moreover, they’re one of the officially recommended hosts by WordPress. Their intuitive Bluehost Maestro dashboard and cPanel as a control panel make them a popular web host among beginners. And if you’re an e-commerce site owner, you can use Bluehost’s online store and marketplace features. Besides shared internet solutions, they also offer dedicated hosting and VPS servers.
Features:
1 to unlimited websites. Free CDN and SSL protection. MySQL databases. Google My Business option. Spam Expert support. Parked domains and subdomains 1-click app installer. Website Builder. Domain manager. Malware detection. Automated security updates.
24/7 Monitoring and Free Site Migration:
Bluehost will transfer one WordPress site free of charge. Other migrations services cost you $149.99 for up to 5 websites and 20 email accounts. It also offers 24/7 on-site monitoring.
Pricing:
Here are the three cheapest plans offered by Bluehost: You can also opt for their Pro Plan ($13.95/month), which offers more unlimited features and scalability.
Key Specs:
Domain Name: Yes, for free. Refund Policy: 30-day refund policy. Customer support: 24/7 live chat, knowledge base, and phone. Uptime: 99. Data Centers: Multiple servers in the US, Europe, China, the UK, and India. Backups: Available for an extra fee. Visit Bluehost »
4) A2 Hosting – Best for Fast Loading Times
A2 Hosting was launched in 2003 and now provides hosting services for thousands of people in over 200 countries worldwide.They offer 20 times faster Turbo Servers, 40% faster CPU performance, and top-notch NVMe SSD drives that help to provide better SEO rankings, handle more than nine times more traffic, and increase conversion rate. Moreover, using A2 Hosting’s free website builder, you can create a website using a drag-and-drop editor and apply custom themes.
Features:
1 to unlimited websites. Offers turbo servers. MySQL and MariaDB databases. Free SSL certificates. Anycast DNS. Cloudflare CDN. Easy site cloning and staging. Cloud Linux OS. 24/7 network monitoring. SSH and FTP access. Subdomains, addon, and parked domains. WordPress and eCommerce compatible.
24/7 Monitoring and Free Site Migration:
A2 Hosting’s Guru Crew Support team will take care of any site migration for free. All your databases and files will be transferred without downtime. In addition to 24/7 monitoring, A2 Hosting’s servers are protected by Imunify360, which scans threats and malware.
Pricing:
A2 Hosting offers four shared web hosting packages. Here are the three most affordable ones:
Key Specs:
Free Domain: No. Refund Policy: Anytime money-back. Customer support: 24/7 Guru Crew support by live chat, phone, ticketing, and knowledge base. Uptime: 99.9. Data Centers: Servers in Europe (Amsterdam), Asia (Singapore), Africa (Kenya), Australia, and the US (Michigan, Arizona). Backups: Available. Visit A2 Hosting »
5) Xneelo – Best for Quality Customer Service
Xneelo (formerly Hetzner) was founded in 1999 and is one of the best-known South African web hosting companies currently serving over 500 000 websites. All their shared hosting packages come with a free SSL certificate, unlimited traffic, and easy installation for all popular CMSs like WordPress, Drupal, and Joomla. Besides shared servers, Xneelo offers managed WordPress hosting and reseller hosting.
Features:
Provide mailboxes. Email aliases. Offers FTP accounts. Multiple domains and parked domains. Databases (SSD-backed. HTTP/2 enabled. Offers full root access. Linux and Windows OS support. All standard tools are available (disk clean, file manager, custom error pages, URL redirects, and many more.
Pricing:
Xneelo offers four shared hosting plans. Here are the most affordable ones:
Key Specs:
Free Domain Name: No. Refund Policy: Prorated refund. Customer support: 24/7 live chat and help center. Uptime: 99.9. Data Centers: South Africa (Johannesburg) Backups: Free backups. Link: https://xneelo.co.za/web-hosting/
6) 1-Grid – Best for Plesk Control Panel
With over 20 years of experience, 1-Grid specializes in South African hosting services. They offer instant account setup, so you can sign up and move into your new online home without waiting. Their ISO and DDS-compliant data centers offer fast server speeds and reliable uptime with repairs and maintenance. You can easily install all the popular CMSs from your Plesk control panel. Besides shared website hosting, 1-Grid offers domain registration, website building, dedicated server, and reseller hosting.
Features:
Websites (1 to unlimited). MySQL database (+Wizard). Offers PHP 7+ and Python. Support for phpMyAdmin Anti-virus and spam filtering. Auto responders support. FTP file manager. Custom error pages. Dedicated IP address. Mod_Rewrite URL rewriting. SSL protection. Manage DNS zones, create aliases, and add or remove subdomains
Pricing:
1-Grid offers three website hosting plans with no contract (if you sign up with them annually, you can save 10%):
Key Specs:
Free Domain: Yes, free co.za domain (for the 1st year). Refund Policy: 30-day money-back. Customer support: 24/7 live chat, WhatsApp, email, and knowledge base. Uptime: 99. Data Centers: South Africa (Cape Town). Backups: Automatic backups. Link: https://1-grid.com/web-hosting/
7) Truehost – Best for Unlimited Email Accounts
Established in 2016, Truehost aimed to offer better pricing, quality customer support availability, and top-notch computing resources for South African people. All their shared hosting plans come with cPanel as a control panel and advanced security measures that keep your website’s data safe. You’ll get NVMe SSD drives, Litespeed web servers, and Intel Xeon processors that help to keep your site speed fast.
Features:
1-click installer. Websites (3 to unlimited). Free SSL certificate. Unlimited databases and subdomains DDoS protection, WAF, anti-phishing, and automated updates.
24/7 Monitoring and Free Site Migration:
Truehost offers free migrations that cover websites, applications, servers, and reseller accounts, among others. Most migrations take up to 24 hours, and some bulk migrations may come with a fee, but these are rare cases. Shared hosting plans don’t include 24/7 monitoring, but this is an option for their VPS hosting plans.
Pricing:
Truehost is one of the most affordable South African hosts on this list. Their cheapest plan starts from R25/month (approximately $1.36/month):
Key Specs:
Free Domain: Yes. Refund Policy: 30-day money-back. Customer support: 24/7 chat, WhatsApp, ticketing, email, phone, social media, and knowledge base. Uptime: 99.999. Data Centers: Several servers in South Africa. Backups: Automated backups. Link: https://truehost.co.za/web-hosting/
8) Cloud.co.za – Best for Linux Cloud Servers
Cloud.co.za started in 2013 and is mainly focused on offering quality cloud hosting solutions. Their Linux cloud hosting packages are equipped with high-powered hardware, so your applications will get the best possible performance. Some of the most notable features include full root access, Intel processors, full DNS, and rDNS control, and complete backup control. Cloud.co.za also offers VPS cloud hosting, reseller, and domain registration services.
Features:
No setup fees. 1-click application installer and VPS management. Quality hardware. High-availability SSD storage. Powered by Kernel-based Virtual Machine (KVM. All major Linux distros.
Pricing: Cloud.co.za offers a variety of Linux cloud hosting packages:
Key Specs:
Free Domain: No. Refund Policy: 30-day money-back guarantee. Customer support: 24/7 ticketing, chat, and knowledge base. Uptime: 99.9. Data Centers: Multiple servers in South Africa, Europe, Brazil, and the US. Backups: Redundant storage backups. Link: https://cloud.co.za/cloud-servers/
FAQ:
❓ What are the best hosting companies in South Africa?
The best web hosting in South Africa is:
HostPapa – Best Overall Web Host Hostinger – Best for Enhanced Security Features Bluehost – Best for eCommerce A2 Hosting – Best for Fast Loading Times Xneelo – Best for Quality Customer Service
🏅 How to select the best web hosting provider?
Here are some key criteria that you should keep in mind before committing to a web hosting provider:
Uptime and Speed – these are the core measures of every hosting provider. Before you commit, check a host’s uptime (at least 99.9%) and speed (aim for under 900 ms) statistics and guarantees. Security – Nowadays, every good web hosting provider comes with DDoS and SSL protection. So, you need to make sure to have these included. Unlimited bandwidth and disk space – ensure that the host has enough bandwidth and disk space or an option to upgrade. Most web hosting providers offer a user unlimited bandwidth nowadays. Customer Service – ensure that the web hosting provider will have 24/7/365 customer support. Price and Refund Policy – when choosing a web hosting plan, don’t put too much thought into the price. Instead, aim for a host who offers value for money and has a good customer satisfaction guarantee. Type of Web Hosting – if you’re a beginner and your website is a hobby site or a small business website that doesn’t get much traffic, then go with shared hosting. Once your website grows and gets more visitors, upgrade to a virtual private server (VPS) hosting. However, if you are already an established business with lots of traffic and data, consider choosing dedicated servers.
