What are the best web hosts in 2024?

Whether you are interested in blogging, a showcase site or e-commerce, you will need to find the best web host for your site. In 2024, there are many offers on the market and finding the one that is right for you takes time. It is for this reason that we have decided to present to you a comparison and a ranking of the best suppliers that we have tested. Without further ado, let's get to the heart of the matter.

What criteria define a good web host?

Some criteria were taken into account to be able to establish a comparison and a ranking of the best web hosts on the market. In our opinion, these are the different aspects that should not be overlooked if you want to find the supplier you need for your site. To help you form your own idea on the subject, here they are.

Performances

The most important criterion when looking for the best web host is the performance offered. Indeed, these guarantee the efficiency and reliability of your hosted sites. Generally, the performance of a server depends on its configuration. To do this, you must take into account the number of CPUs, the allocated disk space or the number of RAM.

A high-performance host promotes the rapid loading of your pages. Speed ​​allows users to have a better experience on your site. In fact, the average waiting time for an Internet user is 3 seconds. Beyond this period of time, he will prefer to look for information elsewhere.

However, there is not much benchmark to evaluate the performance of a hosting service. The reason is that even if the configurations seem correct, other settings may slow down the servers. However, you can always use customer feedback to form an opinion.

Security

Security is another important point when it comes to choosing the best web host in 2024. Indeed, a good hosting service provider must ensure the protection of the sites it hosts against attacks. It must also provide secure options such as the SSL certificate.

Distributed denial of services or DDoS attacks can put your business at risk. To achieve this, hackers directly target servers with the aim of making them unavailable. This may involve bandwidth saturation or maximum use of resources. To avoid this, always favor hosts offering an anti-DDoS protection system. This is the case for the best web hosts in our comparison.

Finally, access to the service dashboard must also be protected by a double authentication system and by firewalls. This will make the server on which your website is hosted less vulnerable to attacks.

For more information on this subject, do not hesitate to consult our guide including a number ofrecommendations to improve the security of a site.

Offers and prices

The next criterion for evaluating the quality of a web hosting service will concern the offers it offers. In fact, the more varied they are, the more likely you are to find the one that suits you best. Furthermore, there will always be alternatives that are cheaper and will save you money.

The reason is that not all webmasters have the same hosting needs. For example, a high-performance and expensive type of hosting will not be necessary if you are launching your first website. Other more accessible alternatives will allow you to better learn the world of the web.

High prices don't always mean the best quality. Indeed, certain services charge quite high prices for services that are little different from those of their competitors. So, finding the best value for money will also allow you to find the right web hosting service.

Visit Hostinger, our favorite host

Support client

Finally, the last, but not least, criterion to take into account when looking for the best web host is customer support. This must be responsive to be able to manage technical problems. Indeed, no host is entirely safe from possible malfunctions. Therefore, a quality supplier must offer efficient and rapid technical assistance in order to minimize the impacts that this could have.

Excellent customer support should be reachable easily and at all times. This is why you should favor those who are available 7 days a week. Generally, you can contact them by phone, by email or by opening a ticket on their platform. Some providers also make live chat available to their customers.

The response time for having an advisor on the phone counts a lot in the evaluation criteria of a host and its technical support. For some, the response time is 10 to 15 seconds, for others it is within a minute. However, avoid as much as possible those who take several hours to respond to their customers. In addition to the waste of time this causes, it above all shows a lack of professionalism, in our eyes, at least.

What are the different types of web hosting?

Now that you know the parameters to take into account when choosing the best web host, we will now see the different types in detail. In fact, there are 4 types of web hosting. Each of them has its own specificities. Therefore, it is important for you to master them to be able to determine which one you need.

Shared

Shared hosting is undoubtedly the most common service in this area. In fact, the majority of hosts offer it (see ourranking of the best shared hosting providers). As the name suggests, it is a shared server. In other words, your website will be hosted on a common server with those of other clients.

This type of hosting is ideal when you are starting out in the world of the web. The reason is that it is often inexpensive. Furthermore, the resources it offers are more than sufficient if you only host a single site with few visitors.

Visit Hostinger, our favorite host

However, it also has some disadvantages. First, its limits can quickly be reached if you or other hosted sites experience sudden traffic spikes. In some cases, this can even put the server at risk and the availability of your site may be impacted. Then, it can also put your activities at risk, because in the event of attacks targeting other sites, yours could also be affected.

VPS

The VPS or Virtual Private Server is a range of hosting above. It is much more efficient than shared hosting. The difference is that you will have a private section in the server that you will not share with anyone. In other words, it is a reduced version of a dedicated server which we will see below.

As you might expect, this performance comes at a price. This type of accommodation is therefore also much more expensive than the previous one. However, this difference is largely made up for by the options and efficiency offered by the VPS.

Using this type of hosting is suitable for both beginners and more experienced users. However, it is generally those with more advanced needs who use this service. However, you must make sure to determine your needs before choosing one. The reason is that making changes along the way, especially in the event of sudden heavy traffic, is often complicated.

Cloud

Cloud hosting service is a fairly new technology. However, it is currently offered by the best web hosts in 2024. Its concept relates to connecting several servers together. This principle is also known as cloud computing.

In terms of performance, the cloud presents very good results. Server unavailability remains rare and its speed is more than satisfactory. Its main advantage is its ability to cope with sudden traffic peaks that other types of hosting fear.

However, we are still going up in prices, because access to this service is much more expensive than those we have seen previously. You will therefore need to prepare financially before opting for it.

Dedicated

Finally, there is dedicated hosting which is also the most powerful in this area. As its name suggests,an entire server will be dedicated to you. You can then host a large number of websites there. On the other hand, you can also manage it as you see fit.

However, it is a type of accommodation that is primarily aimed at those with significant resource needs. Generally, it is experienced webmasters who use it. It is often useless to turn to this solution, unless you welcome millions of visitors to your website each month.

As it is the best deal in web hosting, its price can reach colossal sums. In fact, you must count on more than €100/month for such services.

Top 5 best web hosting

We were able to see the selection criteria for choosing a quality web host as well as the different types of hosting. We will now establish a top 5 of the best services available on the market. Several years of testing have allowed us to evaluate the quality of each of them. It is also thanks to these experiences that we were able to establish this ranking of the best hosts in 2024.

1. Hostinger

Hostinger is the first in this Top 5 of the best web hosts in 2024. Indeed, after years of testing, this provider has impressed us on almost every level. This key player in the field has come a long way since its creation in 2004 and today has more than 29 million users all over the world.

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Performances

We tried it for more than 3 years and the least we can say is that it performs well. Firstly, its availability rate is really not far from 100%. Indeed, technical problems are rare on this platform. The resources available are more than satisfactory, even when you opt for a basic subscription.

We particularly liked the LiteSpeed ​​available on all their offers. This is a feature that allows you to increase server performance tenfold to gain speed and efficiency. This will allowreduce loading times and therefore optimize the speed of your website.

Security

Aware of the importance of security, Hostinger offers several solutions to protect its customers. First, you have the option of encrypting your data using the SSH protocol when offering Premium Shared. Then, an SSL certificate is also made available to you to guarantee the integrity and security of visitors who visit your website.

Other security-related modules are also deployed by this web hosting provider. These include Suhosin PHP hardening and Apache mod_security, among others.

Offers and prices

© Hostinger

We were particularly surprised by the offers and prices applied by the number one in this ranking. Indeed, Hostinger's prices remain very competitive for such quality. Its value for money is therefore one of the decisive elements which placed it at the top of this top 5 aimed at determining the best web hosting service.

It offers a varied range of offers. In other words, you can choose between shared hosting, VPS, cloud and even special hosting services like theirspecial servers for Minecraft.

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Support client

We evaluated the quality of its customer support during our tests and found it to be quite responsive. Support via online chat service available 7 days a week, 24 hours a day is efficient. A professional and dedicated team is available to resolve technical issues. The only downside on this point remains the absence of telephone support which nevertheless makes it possible to communicate more easily.

2. o2switch

If you are looking for a100% French web host, o2switch is the one you need. Furthermore, it is one of the best web hosting services in 2024.

Its Data Centers and offices are located in France and more precisely in Clermont-Ferrand. With nearly 20 years of experience, o2switch is among the most experienced hosts in our ranking.

Performances

To evaluate the performance of this provider, we tested it for several months. On this point we can tell you that it has the necessary assets to be well ranked among the best web hosts. It notably has a type 4 Data Center which is the highest in this area. The advantage this brings is an availability rate approaching 100%.

Its speed test was excellent with a TTFB of less than 150ms and total load times of less than 1.4s on our test site. These results are more than satisfactory, because they prevent visitors from having to wait and thus work in your favor for your natural referencing.

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Security

o2switch could not be so well positioned in our ranking if it did not also provide security. Its main advantage is that its Data Centers are located in France very close to its offices. Thus, they are subject to permanent surveillance. In fact, technicians regularly check that they are working well.

An anti-DDoS system and efficient firewalls are also available to prevent hacker attacks. In addition, this is already included in the subscription and at no additional cost.

Offers and prices

The offer proposed by this hosting provider constitutes both its strength and its weakness. In fact, this excellent web host only offers one which is entitled “unique offer”. It's perfect for those who don't want to get lost in an ocean of choices. Additionally, only offering one offering allowed them to focus on its quality.

However, those who like a wide range of offers will not find what they are looking for. Even if the o2switch service is efficient, it cannot meet the needs of everyone.

Support client

The customer support offered by o2switch is quality, even if telephone support is only available Monday to Friday from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. The same goes for online chat. However, the provider makes up for it by putting you in touch with a technician within a minute of your call or message.

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You can also open tickets when you encounter technical problems. Moreover, this is the alternative that we used the most during our tests and we found it to be very responsive. In fact, a response will be sent to you within 1 to 20 minutes after creating the ticket.

Readour full opinion on o2switchto find even more information about it.

3. PlanetHoster

PlanetHoster comes third in this ranking which aims to determine the best web host in 2024. This Canadian brand has given us

Performances

From a performance perspective, PlanetHoster has more than one trick up its sleeve. Indeed, it offers several solutions that are almost unlimited in terms of resources. It stands out in particular for the fluidity of media sharing such as videos and photos.

You also have the ability to manage resources according to your needs. You can therefore host an unlimited number of sites and allocate the appropriate configurations such as the number of CPUs, RAM or even disk space.

Visit PlanetHoster

Security

To come second in this ranking of the best web hosts in 2024, this provider was able to count on the quality of its security system. Indeed, it is made up of different aspects to ensure the protection of the sites it hosts as well as their visitors.

Like the majority of cutting-edge hosts, PlanetHoster offers an SSL certificate. A domain name protection system is also in place. This helps prevent malicious people from intercepting your personal data or that of your visitors. Finally, other important features such as anti-malware protection enhance security.

Offers and prices

© PlanetHoster

For us, this supplier does not offer varied enough offers. Even if his quality is not far from that of Hostinger, his lack of versatility did not allow him to climb to the highest step of the podium in this top 5.

In fact, it only has two offers: the hybridCloud and the World offer. As its name suggests, the first is a cloud hosting service. As for the world offer, it is shared hosting offering very good isolation between the hosted sites.

Despite everything, the World offer is extremely competitive and truly represents the workhorse of this excellent web host. The value for money is almost unbeatable and people looking for more advanced performance can always turn to the HybridCloud offer, more expensive, but very solid.

Visit PlanetHoster

Support client

PlanetHoster's customer support is renowned for its quality and we were able to verify this during our tests. You can contact them by phone and you will often have a response time of less than 30 seconds. This is an achievement when some hosts sometimes take more than 1 hour to respond. Whenever we had any technical issues, prompt assistance and effective solutions were provided to us by their technicians.

You can also open a ticket so you can receive assistance whenever you need it. The processing time is as fast as ever and the precise responses save you valuable time.

4. EX2

Although it is not the best-known web host in this comparison, Ex2 offers satisfactory services. It is a compatriot of PlanetHoster, because it is based in Canada and more precisely in Quebec. On his site, he indicates that he has several tens of thousands of sites hosted.

Performances

As we did for previous hosting providers,we tested EX2 to see what it's worth.

From what we have seen, its availability rate is not far from 99.99%, which is not bad at all. When it comes to speed, its PageSpeed ​​score is in the 91% range for a full load in 1.4 seconds. Its TTFB is 207 ms. We can therefore say that the performance of this host is correct.

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Security

Security is another essential criterion to be able to claim the title of best web host. On this point, EX2 seduced us with numerous alternatives to ensure the protection of hosted sites. First, it offers you a free SSL certificate which reassures your visitors about the reliability of your websites.

Second, all of its data centers are protected by firewalls and backed by anti-DDoS protection. This way, your data will always be safe from attacks. However, the absence of double authentication guaranteeing the security of the customer area makes it lose points in our eyes.

Offers and prices

© Ex2

EX2 is one of the hosting providers that offers the most offers with 6 choices in total. This in itself can be an advantage. However, we judge that some plans are not really different from each other.

Here is the list of all the offers offered by EX2:

• Green hosting (shared):EX2 offers 4 shared hosting offers. The Mini offer at €2.99/month, Personal at €5.29/month, Business at €6.49/month and Private at €19.99/month. For these prices you will be entitled to a free domain name, a free transfer, an SSL certificate and unlimited bandwidth.
• WordPress hosting:It consists of WordPress Basic at €4.49/month, WordPress Plus at €7.99/month and WordPress Pro at €12.99/month. Each plan is differentiated by the number of possible visitors per month, the available SSD disk space or the number of sites that can be hosted
• CMS hosting:it allows you to choose between Joomla CMS (without being part of thetop 3 of the best Joomla hosts), Moodle and Drupal for a price of €7.98/month.
• E-commerce hosting:This is a hosting offer designed specifically for the creation of online stores. By paying €19.98 monthly, you can choose between PrestaShop and Magento. You will also benefit from a domain name and an IP address.
• Dedicated server:It includes 4 pricing options, Start at €53.99/month, Pro at €68.38/month, Advanced for €125.99 per month and Ultimate for a total of €224.99. They commit you to 1 month or 1 year with EX2 and give you access to 16 GB of DDR3 RAM, 4 TB of SATA disk and an Intel Xeon E3 server for the basic version.

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Support client

EX2 customer support very responsive. It is available 7 days a week and 365 days a year as indicated by the supplier on its official website. However, it does not offer support over the phone. This is a disadvantage, especially for those who prefer to explain their technical issues orally.

However, you can contact them via live chat, by mail or simply by opening a ticket with all the details of the problem encountered. We used all of these alternatives during the period we tested it. Overall, this service remains correct and meets customer expectations.

5. LWS

LWS is a French hosting provider. We tested it for several months to see what it really is worth.

LWS is the oldest player in our comparison. Indeed, its creation dates from 1999. On its official website, it presents itself as web hosting accessible to all. Proof of this is that LWS says it has hosted more than 680,000 sites since 1999.

But what is it really worth? Is its service up to par? These are some of the questions we will try to answer.

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Performances

We took the time to thoroughly test LWSto evaluate its performance. Overall, this service has great stability as well as more than adequate speed. All this is the result of its Type 3 Data Centers. During our test, the loading time of the first byte was 345 ms and the page fully loaded after 1.3 s.

LWS does not measure up to the best web hosts of 2024 from a pure performance point of view. Now the speeds that can be obtained remain more than competitive.

Security

In terms of security, LWS offers you anti-DDoS protection that can ward off potential attacks. A double authentication system will also allow you to secure access to your dashboard.

Unsurprisingly, each subscription also comes with free backups made on a secure NAS server and an SSL certificate in order to be able to activate the HTTPS protocol (important thing) on ​​your site.

Offers and prices

© LWS

LWS is one of the best hosting services in 2024 and its customer support has a lot to do with it. Indeed, he is rather reactive even if his availability is not his strong point.

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You can reach him by email and telephone. Email support is available 24/7 while telephone support is available Monday to Friday from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m.

Conclusion

To finish this comparison of the best web hosts, it is time to choose the big winner. It is therefore without appeal thatHostingeris declared the best web hosting service. Its performance, its speed, the variety of its offers and its quality-price ratio place it above the rest.

However, the other suppliers present in the top 5 are also worth a look. Some offers are more suitable for beginners, others for more advanced webmasters. The choice is therefore up to you, but it is important to carefully determine your needs to find the one that suits you best.

However, the majority of these suppliers offer a 30-day money-back guarantee. You will therefore be able to try a service while having the possibility of getting a full refund if it does not satisfy you. So you no longer have any excuse not to look for the host that suits you best.

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Questions about web hosting

To make this guide to web hosting as complete as possible, here is a series of questions and answers.

What is the best web host to start with?

Hostinger seems to us to be the best choice if you are looking for web hosting that is easy to use and will make your job easier if you are just starting out. It allows you to install several hundred CMS (including WordPress), in just a few clicks.

This host also has the advantage of offering shared plans that are very competitive from a price point of view. It is actually possible to equip yourself for less than €3/month, and even obtain a free domain name for the first year.

Despite low prices, and as we have seenby testing Hostinger at length, the web host offers good performance and gives you the guarantee of an availability rate close to 100%.

How to transfer a site from one web host to another?

The process may vary depending on the web host you wish to migrate your site to. Now overall, know that this approach is relatively accessible. You will need to create a backup of your site and its database, download and then put everything back online on your new web hosting.

If you don't want to go through the hassle, you can count on free site transfer from companies likeHostinger,o2switchor evenPlanetHoster. By opting for one of them, you will not have to do anything on your side. Everything will be done by a professional.

What is the cheapest type of web hosting?

Shared hosting is the most affordable option. This is explained by the fact that you will share the resources of a single physical server with several dozen other clients, which allows the host to pool costs and offer a truly competitive price. For shared hosting, you generally have to count on a monthly cost of 2 to 6€ depending on your resource needs (CPU, RAM, disk space, etc.).

Conversely, dedicated servers are the most expensive because they will allow you to have your own physical server. You won't have to share it with anyone else.