How much does website hosting cost?

Hosting ranges from inexpensive shared plans to managed servers that cost much more, and the difference is in resources, support, backups and who is responsible for what. Match the plan to what the site does, and check renewal prices.

I do not quote a number because plans change constantly and differ by provider and country. The useful question is what each tier gives you.

Common kinds of hosting

  • Shared hosting. Many sites share one server. Cheap and enough for small, simple sites. You have limited control and share resources with neighbours.
  • Managed platform hosting. The provider runs the stack for a specific system and handles updates and backups. You pay for the convenience.
  • Virtual or dedicated servers. More power and control, and you or your developer must secure and update them.
  • Static or edge hosting. For sites that are built into plain files, often very inexpensive and fast.

What to check beyond the monthly price

  • The renewal price after the introductory period.
  • Whether backups exist, how often, and how you restore them.
  • Where the servers are, which matters for data protection rules.
  • Support that actually answers, and what is out of its scope.
  • Whether you can leave: can you take your site and data elsewhere?

The cheapest plan is not always the cheapest outcome. A site that goes down during a campaign, or cannot be restored after a mistake, costs more than a better plan would have.

All questions