Best Web Hosting Australia 2023

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| Reviewed by Jimmy Jimmy Parker

Last Updated on July 23, 2023

Welcome to Hosting Foundry, as a collective of Australian web agency owners (most of us are based in Brisbane), between us we have accounts with around 35+ web hosts.

Top 10 Web Hosting Services for Australia

  1. SiteGround – Best Web Host
  2. HostPapa – Best for Value
  3. Hostinger – Best Affordable Host
  4. Crucial – Great Australian Green Website Host
  5. A2 Hosting – Best Host for eCommerce
  6. Digital Pacific – Great Australian Web Host
  7. GreenGeeks – Best Green Web Host
  8. WPHosting – Best Australian WordPress Host
  9. BlueHost – Best Host for Beginners (US-based)
  10. Cloudways – Best Hosting for Developers

Web Hosting CompanyCost/moFeaturesView Plans
siteground2AUD $4.99
  • Incredibly fast data centre in Sydney
  • Very user-friendly
  • Robust security
  • Fantastic support
  • 30-day money back guarantee.
  • Recommended by WordPress, for WordPress
View plans
HostingAUD $2.36
  • 100 GB disk space
  • 30-day money-back guarantee
  • Very affordable
  • No servers in or near AU though
View Plans
HostingerAUD $2.99
  • Free SSL
  • Free Domain
  • Zyro Website Builder
View Plans
A2HostingAUD $22.90
  • Good performance
  • Green hosting
  • 100% Australian
View Plans

We’ve been in the industry for over a decade, building and hosting sites both for clients and our own projects. So you might say we know a thing or two about hosting sites (and creating them).

The main things to look out for when researching the best Australian web hosting providers are ease of use, support, and performance/speed. Using our combined experience we each analysed and reviewed the top website hosts for Australia, and then merged our results to give you our final top 10 web hosts, individually reviewed, saving you both time and money if you had to do the research yourself. Enjoy!

Best Web Hosting in Australia 🥇 2023

1. SiteGround: Best Web Host

SiteGround review

SiteGround logo
  • Website: www.siteground.com
  • Price: AUD $4.99
  • Disk Space: 10 GB
  • Support: Phone, Live Chat, Support Tickets
  • Speed: <150ms

SiteGround is our favourite web hosting service for Australians! While they’re a tad more expensive than some competitors, they back it up with more and better customer service options, robust security, insane performance, and they can proudly wear the label “Recommended by WordPress”!

One aspect SiteGround excels at is speed optimisation. They even built a custom caching plugin, called “PowerCacher”, to maximise performance for WordPress sites. It’s really impressive.

SiteGround offers other options like shared hosting, cloud hosting, eCommerce hosting, and reseller hosting. Their cheapest plan is AUD $$4.99 per month and comes with an account for one site, unlimited bandwidth, 10GB SSD storage, free SSL, and an intuitive website builder. Perfect if you’re looking for the best Australian web hosting for your small business or personal blog.

Robust Security

SiteGround might be slightly more expensive than other providers, but you’re paying for peace of mind. Their in-house security system actively monitors your site for malware and other threats. They also have a separate team that combs through the software daily for new vulnerabilities and promptly updates it.

Intuitive Interface

SiteGround offers one of the best control panels from a UI/UX perspective. The dashboard is user-friendly and provides all the tools and resources you need to manage your website effectively. Everything is just a click away, whether you’re going through emails or managing files.

Responsive Support

Do you need fast assistance? Contact SiteGround’s customer service team! Phone and live chat support give instant replies, while ticket responses typically reach you within ten minutes.

SiteGround Support

They also have a knowledge base with hundreds of articles and tutorials, so you can find answers to most of your questions without reaching out to support.

Fast Performance

With multiple servers across the globe (Sydney is the one to choose for Australian sites), SiteGround can give your website the boost it needs to load quickly regardless of a visitor’s location. They also provide SSDs on all their plans for faster loading speeds.

If your target market is global, you can always enable their CDN integration with Cloudflare, which will serve your site from Cloudflare’s closest node to your site visitors… and it’s free! SiteGround is also hands-down the best WordPress host in Australia.

Their basic “StartUp” plan starts at AUD $$4.99 per month.

Honestly, they’ve been around for a while now, and have proven time and time again that they know how to provide very high-quality hosting services at competitive prices. You can’t go wrong with SiteGround!

Shared Hosting Plans

PlanMonthly CostWebsitesDisk Space
StartUp$4.99110 GB
GrowBig$7.49Unlimited20 GB
GoGeek$12.49Unlimited40 GB

Pros:

  • 24/7 Technical Support
  • Sydney data-centre
  • Free SSL, Free CDN
  • Robust security protocols
  • Recommended by WordPress
  • Very user-friendly
  • SSD Storage
  • Daily Backups
  • 30-Day Money-Back Guarantee

Cons:

  • Slightly more expensive than some competitors

View plans

2. HostPapa: Best for Value

HostPapa review

HostPapa Logo
  • Website: hostpapa.com.au
  • Price: AUD $2.36
  • Disk Space: 100 GB
  • Support: Phone, Live Chat, Tickets
  • Speed: <150ms

HostPapa is the real deal when it comes to value, they deliver good hosting at a much lower cost compared to the competition. However, it does come with a bit of a performance hit.

For only AUD $2.36/mo, you get an account that allows for 1 site, unlimited bandwidth, 100 GB SSD storage, and a bunch of free stuff like a free domain name and free site transfer if needed.

When it comes to actually building a site, they have a 1-click installer for all your favourite content management systems like WordPress and Joomla (over 400 apps in total).

Moving on to customer support, which is usually lacking in budget hosts, but not here. HostPapa has a 24/7 service through phone, live chat, and support tickets.

You can’t go wrong with HostPapa. Everyone from small businesses to enterprise-level companies love this web hosting provider for its rock-solid uptime (99.98%), affordable prices, and top-notch customer service.

Give it a test drive today and see why HostPapa offers one of the best web hosting services in Australia. If you’re unsatisfied with their service, you can always take advantage of their 30-day refund policy. No risk, no fuss!

Hostpapa features

Streamlined Design

With its user-friendly interface and intuitive features, HostPapa makes it easy to get your website up and running. They have a one-click installer for popular content management systems like WordPress, Joomla, and Drupal.

When registering your domain name, HostPapa will even provide a list of available names similar to your input. No more trawling through dozens of domain name registrars!

Solid Customer Support

Unlike other similarly priced web hosting providers, HostPapa has a reliable 24/7 phone service. They also have a live chat function and email support tickets, so you’re always covered. If you want in-depth tutorials on using their features, you can join one of their weekly webinars or book a private training session with their hosting experts.

Multiple Hosting Options

Whether you need shared, VPS, cloud, WordPress, or reseller hosting, HostPapa has a plan to suit your needs. They even provide web design solutions if you need a little help getting started.

Shared Hosting Plans

PlanPrice / MonthWebsitesDisk Space
Starter$2.951100 GB
Plus$5.0610100 GB
Pro$5.06UnlimitedUnlimited

Truly a no-brainer in our book!

Pros

  • A lot of freebies
  • 100 GB of disk space
  • Great 24/7 support
  • Charges in AUD
  • 30-day money-back guarantee

Cons

  • N/A

View Plans

3. Hostinger: Best Affordable Host for Bloggers

Hostinger review

Hostinger logo
  • Website: hostinger.com
  • Price: USD $1.99
  • Disk Space: 10 GB
  • Support: Live Chat
  • Speed: <150ms

Hostinger is an excellent choice for bloggers just starting out. They offer an affordable “Single” plan with all the essential features needed to get your blog up and running. This option includes a free domain and SSL certificate.

As your blog grows, you can upgrade to one of their more powerful plans. Their “Premium” and “Business” plans come with unlimited websites, bandwidth, and email accounts — perfect for when you’re ready to expand your blogging empire.

Hostinger reviews

Free Website Migration

If you’re moving your website from another host, Hostinger will transfer it for free. All you have to do is contact their support team with your current login details, and they’ll take care of the rest. This is a solid feature if you’re not comfortable transferring your website yourself.

User-Friendly Control Panel

All of Hostinger’s plans come with an easy-to-use control panel. Even if you don’t have website experience, you’ll have no trouble managing your site with this intuitive platform. You can do everything from changing your domain name to creating email accounts and installing WordPress.

Solid Support

Don’t worry if you run into any problems while setting up your website. Hostinger’s customer service team is available 24/7 to help you work out any issue. You can contact them via live chat, email, or ticket system.

You can also browse their extensive knowledge base to find answers to common questions. If you’re a visual learner, they also have a few helpful video tutorials.

They have 3 plans for shared hosting, with the most popular one costing only USD $2.89/mo (discounted from $10.99/mo). And because they run a lot of sales, we rate them as the best cheapest web host in Australia.

Shared Hosting Plans

PlanMonthly CostWebsitesDisk Space
Single Shared HostingUSD $1.99150 GB
Premium Shared HostingUSD $2.99100100 GB
Business Shared HostingUSD $3.99100200 GB

Pros:

  • Responsive support
  • High-quality hosting
  • Singapore server for us Aussies
  • 30-day money-back guarantee

Cons:

  • USD costs

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4. Crucial: Best Local Eco-friendly Website Host

Crucial review

Crucial logo
  • Website: www.crucial.com.au
  • Price: AUD $22.90
  • Disk Space: 50 GB
  • Support: Phone, Support Tickets
  • Speed: <100ms

Crucial is definitely on the pricier side, but they take a spot on our list of the best Australian hosts for two reasons: reliability and versatility. They provide essential features like unlimited data transfers, 24/7 support, and a whopping 50GB of storage.

This company is also one of the few local green hosting providers. They’re an excellent option if you’re looking to offset your website’s carbon footprint.

crucial

A Wealth of Hosting Options

Crucial offers shared hosting, reseller hosting, and various VPS hosting services like cPanel VPS, Linux, Windows, and “Blaze” SSD VPS. The last option is an insanely fast cloud hosting service with excellent scalability. All these options come with a 99.9% Uptime Guarantee, so you can rest assured that your site will stay up and running.

Solid Local Servers

With its Sydney-based SSD servers, Crucial provides excellent local hosting options. This is especially beneficial if you’re catering to Australians.

What if you have a global audience? While they lack overseas data centres, Crucial offers a Cloudflare plugin that boosts your website’s loading speeds for visitors from other countries.

Strong Security

Safety is crucial if you want a website that reaches the top of search engines. With DDoS protection, daily backups, and a free SSL certificate included with all plans, Crucial will keep your website well-protected against online threats.

Convenient Site Management

All Crucial’s hosting options come with cPanel — one of the most popular control panels on the market. Even if you’re a beginner, you’ll have no trouble managing your website with this user-friendly platform. You can start with the basics and gradually learn more advanced features like email spam filter configurations, domain redirects, and more.

Their cheapest plan is AUD $22.90.

Green Hosting Plans

PlanMonthly CostWebsitesDisk Space
Web Hosting$22.9250 GB
Web Hosting Plus$32.93100 GB
Web Hosting Advanced$42.94150 GB

Pros:

  • Australian Host!
  • 24/7/365 Support
  • Green Hosting

Cons:

  • Quite expensive
  • No overseas servers

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5. A2 Hosting: Best Web Hosting for eCommerce

A2 Hosting review

A2 hosting logo
  • Website: www.a2hosting.com
  • Price: USD $3.92
  • Disk Space: Unlimited
  • Support: Phone, Live Chat, Support Tickets
  • Speed: <250ms

A2 Hosting is quickly becoming one of the most popular hosting providers in Australia, and it’s not hard to see why. They’re extremely fast, offer unlimited disk space, and have outstanding customer service. They also provide free site migrations, so they’ll take care of everything when you move your website from another host.

Don’t like your typical list of website builders? You can try A2 Hosting’s “Easy Website Builder” for a more unique experience. It comes with over 100 templates and drag-and-drop functionality so that you can create a beautiful website without any coding knowledge.

Speedy Turbo Plans

With A2 Hosting’s “Turbo” plans, you can expect your website to load 20 times faster than traditional hosting. If you run an eCommerce store or any other type of high-traffic website, this is an excellent option.

Keep in mind that it doesn’t beat SiteGround’s “SuperCacher” feature, but you’re trading a bit of speed for the unlimited disk space. This is something to consider if storage is a priority for you.

A2 Hosting

Comprehensive Reseller Plans

Are you a web designer or developer who manages multiple client websites? If so, you’ll be happy to know that A2 Hosting has some of the best reseller plans on the market.

With these options, you get your own control panel and can create custom hosting packages for your clients. You can also brand your control panel and invoices with your company logo.

Outstanding Customer Service

Just a quick look at A2 Hosting’s customer service, and you’ll see why they’re one of the best hosts in Australia. They have 24/7/365 chat support, so someone is always available to help you with any issues. Many users note that their customer service team is responsive, friendly, and knowledgeable.

When it comes to normal consumer hosting plans, their cheapest plan is $3.92 and includes 1 site, 25 email accounts, and a free site transfer if you’re coming from another web host.

Hosting Plans

PlanMonthly CostWebsitesDisk Space
StartupUSD $2.991100 GB
DriveUSD $5.99UnlimitedUnlimited
Turbo BoostUSD $6.99UnlimitedUnlimited
Turbo MaxUSD $12.99UnlimitedUnlimited

Pros:

  • Anytime Money-back guarantee
  • Great server in Singapore for Aussie sites
  • 24/7/365 Support
  • Free SSD
  • Free SSL
  • Unlimited Data Transfer + Storage

Cons:

  • USD costs

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6. Digital Pacific

Digital Pacific review

Digital Pacific logo
  • Website: digitalpacific.com.au
  • Price: AUD $9.90
  • Disk Space: 1 GB
  • Support: Phone, Support Tickets
  • Speed: <200ms

Digital Pacific is one of the few 100% Australian-owned and operated web hosting companies. They’re based in Sydney and have been in business since 2000.

They offer multiple hosting plans, so you can find one perfect for your website — whether it’s a personal blog or a large eCommerce store. All their options come with free setup, SSH access, reliable hardware, daily backups, and DDOS protection. If you ever need help, their customer service team is available 24/7.

Digital Pacific

Free Domain Registration

If you’re starting a new website, Digital Pacific will register your domain name for free. All you have to do is choose your desired domain name and add it to your cart when you sign up for hosting. This is a great way to save money when setting up your website.

Manage Your Accounts Easily

Digital Pacific offers three control panel options: CPanel, WHM, and Plesk. We recommend CPanel, as it’s the most user-friendly option. However, you may prefer WHM or Plesk if you’re more tech-savvy.

No matter what control panel you choose, you’ll be able to manage all of your websites and hosting accounts from one location. This centralised interface makes it easy to keep track of everything, especially if you have multiple sites.

Generous Money-Back Guarantee

Digital Pacific offers a 30-day money-back guarantee on all of its hosting plans. If you’re unhappy with their service, you can cancel within the first month and get a full refund. This is a great way to try out their service risk-free.

Their cheapest “Personal” plan is $9.90/mo, and includes 1 GB as mentioned before, as well as 1 domain/site, 2 email accounts, daily backups, and DDOS protection.

Their primary data centre is in Sydney, and they don’t have any overseas servers like Hostinger or SiteGround.

Pros:

  • Green hosting
  • Australian web host

Cons:

  • Expensive
  • No overseas servers

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7. GreenGeeks: Best Eco-friendly Host

GreenGeeks logo
  • Website: www.greengeeks.com
  • Price: USD $3.95
  • Disk Space: Unlimited
  • Support: Phone, Live Chat, Support Tickets
  • Speed: <250ms

As the name suggests, GreenGeeks is a web hosting company focusing on being eco-friendly. They offset their energy use by three times the amount of energy they consume, so you can rest assured that your website runs on green servers.

GreenGeeks lacks overseas servers, but you can install their Cloudflare plugin to improve your website’s global reach.

Complete Hosting Solutions

They offer numerous hosting plans, all of which come with free domain name registration, unlimited bandwidth, and a free SSL certificate. You’ll also get a free website builder and access to their drag-and-drop site builder.

Greengeeks

Reliable Customer Support

No matter the time of day, GreenGeeks’ knowledgeable customer service team is available to help you via live chat, phone, or email.

If your issue is less technical, you can quickly browse through their resources to find answers to common questions. GreenGeeks also has in-depth tutorials on WordPress, cPanel, Emails, Joomla, Elementor, Magento, Drupal, and more.

Secure Platform

GreenGeeks’ multi-layered protocols keep your website safe from attacks. They offer zero-day vulnerability fixes, tailor-fit security rules, and proactive monitoring.

Many of their clients are large businesses that require strict security protocols. So, you can trust that your website will be in good hands with GreenGeeks.

Built for Speed

If your business, eCommerce store, or blog needs speedy load times, GreenGeeks is an excellent option. Many in the industry know this platform for its highly optimised servers. They use a powerful combination of SSDs, PHP7, LiteSpeed, LSCache, MariaDB, and HTTP/2, to bring your site’s loading times down and provide a consistent uptime.

Shared Hosting Plans

PlanMonthly CostWebsitesDisk Space
LiteUSD $2.95150 GB
ProUSD $4.95UnlimitedUnlimited
PremiumUSD $8.95UnlimitedUnlimited

Pros:

  • Super green hosting
  • Scalable
  • Very secure
  • Great speed optimisation

Cons:

  • USD costs
  • No servers near Australia

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8. WPHosting: Great Australian Web Host for WordPress

whosting logo
  • Website: wphosting.com.au
  • Price: AUD $19
  • Disk Space: 5 GB
  • Support: Phone, Live Chat, Support Tickets
  • Speed: <100ms

WPHosting is one of the best local WordPress hosts. Everything from their knowledgeable support team to their server setups will help you make the most out of the platform.

While not the most affordable option on the list, WPHosting provides excellent value for your money. Their robust security, daily backups, and free SSL certificate are just some of the features that make this service worth the price.

WP Hosting

Fully Optimised for WordPress

You’ll notice the WordPress focus as soon as you sign up. They use SSDs, Gzip, PHP7, and MariaDB to make your site as fast and secure as possible. Many big-name brands trust WPHosting with their WordPress sites, so you know you’re in good hands.

One-Click WordPress Installations

Installing WordPress on your hosting account is a breeze with WPHosting. Their one-click installer will have you up and running in no time. If you run into any issues, their customer support team is available 24/7.

Local Servers

WPHosting’s servers operate in Sydney, so you won’t have to worry about slow loading times for Australian visitors. For more speed, you can apply for their high-performance dedicated servers that start at $89/month.

WordPress Hosting Plans

PlanMonthly CostWebsitesDisk Space
Start Up$1915 GB
Business$29410 GB
Corporate$49620 GB

Pros:

  • WordPress hosting
  • Australian company
  • Very fast
  • DDOS protection
  • Daily back-ups

Cons:

  • Quite expensive
  • Only WordPress focused

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9. BlueHost: Great Host for Beginners (US-based)

BlueHost review

BlueHost logo
  • Website: www.bluehost.com
  • Price: USD $3.95
  • Disk Space: 50 GB
  • Support: Phone, Live Chat, Support Tickets
  • Speed: <200ms

Are you a startup or small business owner looking for an affordable web hosting solution? Not the most tech-savvy? Bluehost is a great solution for you.

The company recently had a slight hiccup in their reliability since EIG acquired them in 2010, but they seem to have worked out the kinks and now provide users with more uptime than ever before.

As one of the first web hosting companies, BlueHost has over two decades of industry experience. Their security protocols are top-notch, and they offer various features to help you build and grow your website.

Bluehost website

Free Domain

When you sign up for Bluehost’s hosting plans, you’ll get a free domain for the first year. This feature can be a big money-saver if you’re just starting out with your website. You’ll also get an SSL certificate to help improve your site’s speed and security.

WordPress Compatibility

Bluehost is a solid option if you’re looking to host WordPress websites. With a one-click installation and fully optimised servers for the platform, they make it easy to establish your website. Bluehost also comes recommended by the WordPress team themselves.

User-Friendly Interface

Bluehost’s easy-to-use control panel makes managing your hosting account a breeze. Even if you’re new to web hosting, you can easily find your way around the control panel.

Comprehensive Resources

From live chat and ticket submissions to video tutorials and an in-depth knowledge base, they provide all the support you need to get your website going.

Keep in mind that some users report long wait times on live chat, so it might be worth submitting a ticket if you need help with something urgent.

Pros:

  • Very experienced
  • Huge brand
  • Great with WordPress
  • Competitive pricing

Cons:

  • USD costs
  • No servers near Australia
  • Rocky history

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10. Cloudways: Best Hosting for Developers

Cloudways review

Cloudways logo
  • Website: www.cloudways.com
  • Price: USD $10
  • Disk Space: 25 GB
  • Support: Phone, Live Chat, Support Tickets
  • Speed: <100ms

As its name implies, Cloudways is a cloud-based service with a focus on speed, affordability, and most importantly, scalability! Developers will find Cloudways easy to use, thanks to its wide range of features and flexible pricing plans. Even if you’re not the most tech-savvy person, you can probably find your way around the control panel without too much trouble.

Solid Server Base

Cloudways has a unique approach to web hosting, with its server base spread out across the world. They partner with industry giants like Google Cloud Platform, Digital Ocean, Vultr, and Amazon AWS to provide fast and reliable service. With about 60 data centres to choose from, you’ll be able to find a server that’s close to your target audience.

Flexible Pricing

As mentioned, Cloudways uses a flexible pay-as-you-go pricing model. You can choose from various options to perfectly match the resources you use, making it easy to find a plan that fits your budget.

Scalable Solutions

Another area where Cloudways shines is its scalability. As your website grows, you can easily upgrade your plan to get more resources. This is perfect for businesses that expect a lot of growth in the near future.

Cloudways website

Free Migration

If you’re looking to switch to Cloudways from another hosting provider, they offer free migration services. Their team will transfer your website for you, so you don’t have to worry about losing any data.

24/7 Support

Like most on our list, Cloudways provides 24/7 support to its client. You can reach out to their team via live chat, email, fill-up form, or phone.

Many users report quick and helpful responses from the support team. Knowledgeable staff is always available to help you with any problems you might be having, so you can resolve your issue and get back to doing business quicker.

Pros:

  • Lightning fast
  • A LOT of providers to choose from
  • Great responsive support
  • Super scalable

Cons:

  • USD costs
  • Slightly more tricky to setup

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What are the types of web hosting?

researching web hosting services

Before we can get into the specific features like add-on domains, support, uptime, etc. We need to decide what type of website hosting we need. This largely depends on what kind of website you want to put on the host, and what future plans you have keeping potential resource-heavy features in mind (like forums, e-commerce, directories, etc.). We’ve listed the most common web hosting types below, and we give you examples of what type of website they’re suited for.

  • Shared Hosting: Shared hosting in Australia, as the name suggests, is a type of hosting where your website shares space and resources with a bunch of other sites on the same physical server in Australia. This is the hosting category you usually find when you search for Australian cheap web hosting, and cheap it definitely is! Shared web hosting is recommended for most small business sites, small blogs, travel blogs, portfolios, nonprofits, real estate agents, personal sites, etc.
  • VPS Hosting: VPS stands for Virtual Private Server. In essence, VPS hosting in Australia looks a lot like a dedicated server within a shared hosting system. It basically takes a physical server and uses partitioning to split the server into different isolated parts that can each run its own operating system, giving you the advantages of a (slightly less powerful) dedicated server for a fraction of the cost.
  • Dedicated Server Hosting: Dedicated hosting is reserved for businesses in need of high-performance servers, usually used for large e-commerce sites, real estate directories, massive forums, etc. They come with quite the price tag but are very very powerful! If you’re looking for the best Australian dedicated servers, the best thing to do would be to contact whatever web host you’re interested in directly, as they would be more than happy to help!
  • Cloud Hosting: Australian cloud hosting is our favourite type of web hosting. It uses a technology where multiple machines act as a single system, and its potential power is only limited by how many machines you can chain together, it’s super powerful. Shared hosting & Australian dedicated servers both depend on a single machine, meaning that if something goes horribly wrong with those servers, the possibility of losing data is quite big. Cloud hosting is different, if one machine fails, another one can just fill its place in the system.
  • Reseller Hosting: This type of hosting is mostly used by web designers, web agencies, or generally people that want to offer their own hosting services to their client-base. Most of the people looking for reseller hosting in Australia would be web designers. Instead of them letting their clients sign up for a random web host by themselves, they bulk buy hosting, and then onsell it to their clients, set it up, deploy/migrate the client’s site, and then just bill them on a monthly/yearly basis.
  • WordPress Hosting: Managed WordPress hosting is shared hosting’s more expensive brother, but specialised for WordPress. Aside from server configs that are completely set up for WordPress websites, it’s really all about offering peace of mind for the businesses or bloggers that don’t want to deal with ANY of the technical aspects of running/maintaining a WP site. Managed WP hosting is perfect for businesses/bloggers that have medium to larger sites and don’t have the technical skills in-house to deal with potential issues.

How to choose a web hosting service?

Aside from this comparison of the best Australian web hosting providers, we also built a best web hosting comparison for Canada, best UK web hosting, best web hosts for Malaysia, and Singapore. While researching Australian hosting companies to create your own comparison, ask yourself the following questions:

Do I need a server close to my location?

While the location is obviously important (the closer your target market is to where the website is hosted, the faster your site should load for that target market), it’s definitely not as easy as just picking the closest location. For example, if your visitors are from Australia, you might think that the best web hosting service would have to be an Australian one… not necessarily the case as your “close” server might be massively under-powered, giving you worse performance compared to a quality host located in the US.

Performance

You have to balance the quality of the web host with the location you’re targeting. In the case of an Australian market, a server in Singapore from a quality web host could easily outperform a lot of the more local website hosting companies.

What is a CDN?

A content delivery network (CDN) is a geographically distributed collection of servers that collaborate to offer fast streaming of internet content. It’s basically a system that distributes content like HTML pages such as stylesheets, javascript files images, videos, and more across a network of servers to then serve that content to any user from the nearest server location. In short, it makes your site load faster 🙂

How much disk space do I need?

This is pretty straightforward, the more you pay, usually the more storage you get (though this usually works differently for managed hosts where they calculate according to the amount of monthly visitors).

disk space

You should get enough storage for any small business site or a small blog, no matter who you go with (5-10GB is plenty). If you’re planning a massive site (eg. e-commerce, forums, etc.), you might want to consider moving anything non-essential off-site where you can.

When do I have to back up my website?

For anyone who has worked on computers long enough will understand the importance of backing up your data. A lot of people overlook this crucial aspect. While running a site, it is essential to regularly back up your database and other files at regular intervals. It is also a good idea to do a backup whenever you make massive changes to your site’s design or content.

What is the uptime of the web host?

Most web hosts promise optimal server uptime, up to 99.9% uptime is often guaranteed. This may not always be true; this is why checking reviews and customer testimonials are important. Again, research, research, research!

What is an SSL certificate?

SSL stands for Secure Socket Layer, and it’s the most common technology to keep an internet connection safe and protect any sensitive data transferred between two systems (it’s the “s” in HTTPS).

SSL certificate

The majority of web hosting providers give you an SSL certificate for free, but not all. And yes, you need one.

What is customer support like?

This is an important one that I consider to be one of the main aspects that determines how good a web hosting provider is. What type of support do they provide, what strategies are they using, and how skilled is their support team? The most effective method of finding this information is to look for Australian web hosting reviews, as support is usually the thing most people will complain about, this is exactly what we have done for our website hosting reviews. Ideally, you want live chat and phone support. 24/7 support is a very nice bonus!

How many websites can I host?

Most web hosting starter plans come with space for a single domain. If you’re planning to host additional domains (excl. sub-domains as these are usually unlimited), make sure to choose a hosting plan that allows for multiple addon domains.

Web Hosting Questions

What is the best web hosting service for beginners in Australia?

Most people do point to Bluehost as the best web hosting service for beginners. While we agree they are great, our vote would still go to HostPapa. Most web hosting companies are very similar in features, and as such, the majority can be used by beginners without any issues.

That being said, if you’re an absolute beginner, you might want to look into some of the top website builders for Australia. They’re basically web design tools + web hosting in one, super useful.

What is the best web hosting service in Australia?

We believe SiteGround is the best hosting for Australia. They have very competitive pricing, great features, and responsive support. Just like most other web hosts, they also provide one-click installers for all major CMSs’ like WordPress and Joomla.

Which web host is fastest in Australia?

Kinsta is probably the fastest web host we know. However, other web hosts and managed WordPress hosting providers like WP Engine or Cloudways are very fast as well. Most of the fastest web hosts are usually managed WordPress hosting companies and come with a higher price tag.

What is the top Australian web hosting for WordPress?

The best web hosting for WordPress is SiteGround. SiteGround is suggested by WordPress itself and offers a WordPress-specialised experience at affordable prices. Their support is also top-notch.

What is the best hosting for small businesses in Australia?

The best hosting for small businesses are the web hosts that offer great start plans at great prices and with good customer support. We would recommend SiteGround, but HostPapa or Hostinger would work very nicely too.

Can I host my own website?

You can host your own website on your computer. The easiest way to do this would be the install the full WampServer stack, and then find an online tutorial on how to download and install WordPress locally

How much does web hosting cost in Australia?

The cost of web hosting can vary wildly depending on your needs. A shared hosting environment is very cheap and can be found from $3/mo, whereas managed WordPress hosting can go into the hundreds. While there are free web hosts around for Australia, free hosting does come with downsides like bad support and forced ads. You can also have a look at free website builders in Australia.

What is domain hosting in Australia?

Domain hosting is not a real thing. The term is a combination of domain registration and website hosting. It’s what people use when they’re looking for web hosting but don’t know how to search for it, so they search for something like “best domain hosting Australia”.