Best ecological web hosting: comparison of green hosts

As you may know, web hosting is not the most ecological thing there is. This is why more and more people (individuals or professionals) are looking to obtain green web hosting. The goal is to reduce the impact we have on the environment. Which hosts make strong commitments at this level? There are not very many of them yet. Below, you will find our 2024 ranking of the best eco-friendly web hosting.

We will also answer questions surrounding such type of accommodation in order to raise your awareness on the subject.

Why are web hosting bad for the environment?

To properly begin this comparison and ranking, we would like to explain to you how web hosts have a negative impact on the environment.

According to studies,data centers represent 2% of global carbon emissions. To give you an idea, it's as much as the aeronautics industry!

The worst part of this observation is that this is clearly not going to evolve in the right direction in the years to come. By 2040, one projection estimates that data centers will account for 14% of global carbon emissions.

What makes web hosting produce so many carbon emissions? Well in data centers, the servers are running at full power and getting hot. They must therefore be constantly cooled in order to preserve the integrity of the components. Therefore, significant air conditioning power is required.

Based on this observation, if you want to stop this trend, it may be interesting to turn to a web host who makes commitments to ecology and the protection of our planet.

The best eco/green web hosting of 2024

What is the best host offering so-called green hosting? We will answer this question by giving you our top 3 for 2024. We will also detail for each host selected, the commitments that have been made.

1) PlanetHoster

PlanetHoster is, in our eyes, the greenest and most efficient web host at the moment. It is based in Canada but has a data center both in Canada and in France (in Paris).

PlanetHoster's ecological commitment

The PlanetHoster host is committed at different levels to making its service as green as possible. This obviously involves supplying energy to its data centers. For its Canadian data center, PlanetHoster relies on electrical energy generated exclusively by hydroelectric dams.

For its French data center, the host ensures that the electricity used to power the servers and the air conditioning system comes from 100% renewable energy.

In addition to all this, PlanetHoster makes sure to respect server life cycles. the different PlanetHoster hosting sites are also all virtualized, which reduces electricity consumption (compared to dedicated physical servers).

Go to the PlanetHoster website

PlanetHoster takes its definition of green hosting even further by encouraging its employees to carpool or use public transport/biking. Within its offices, emphasis is also placed on selective sorting of waste, non-use of paper (where possible), as well as the use of LED lighting and timers to avoid waste. .

For more details on PlanetHoster's ecological approach, do not hesitate to click on the button available just above.

Presentation of PlanetHoster hosting

We will now tell you about the green hosting offered by PlanetHoster. In total, the host has opted for simplicity by only offering two different plans:

• The World (unlimited shared hosting):available from €5 including tax/month
• HybridCloud (dedicated cloud-based hosting):available from €41.67 including tax/month.

We clearly specify “available from” because you will have the possibility of customizing the power of your hosting when ordering. For example, you can add CPUs, RAM, or even disk space.

© PlanetHoster

If you are lookingto create a website for the first time, we recommend opting for “The World” plan. It will offer you an ideal compromise between ecology, price, and performance.

You will have access to 8 CPUs, 16 GB of RAM, unlimited disk space, backups every 12 hours, a free domain name, as well as free SSL certificates.

Better yet, if you are already committed to another host, you will be able to migrate your site for free to the ecological host PlanetHoster. Following a feasibility study by its technical teams, the process can be carried out, at your request, by PlanetHoster agents.

As for the customer support offered, we must emphasize that it is extremely responsive. You can also reach him by phone, live chat, or by opening a ticket. And this, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

Discover PlanetHoster’s offers

To find even more information regarding PlanetHoster's ecological hosting, do not hesitate toread our full test. If you are already convinced by its green hosting offer, consider using our promotional code “PHA-presse-citron“. This will give you 15% off!

If you are wondering how to use it, consider readingour article dedicated to PlanetHoster promotional codes.

2) Infomania

Infomaniak is a web host based in Switzerland. Just like PlanetHoster, it has decided to greatly reduce its impact on the ecology by implementing a certain number of measures. What are they? We will detail the broad outlines of the commitments made by Infomaniak below.

What makes Infomaniak a green host?

By clicking on the button available below, you can find Infomaniak's 20 commitments for the environment.

We will detail the main ones for you so that you can clearly see what efforts are made on a daily basis by the host.

The first obviously concerns the energy used to power its data center. 60% of the electrical energy used is of hydraulic origin, and 40% of renewable origins. The objective announced by Infomaniak is clear: to supply all of its installations with electricity from 100% renewable sources by 2025.

In addition to this, Infomaniak is committed to offsetting 200% of its CO2 emissions. The Swiss host is also certified by the MyClimate organization (a non-profit foundation of Swiss origin).

Obviously, Infomaniak, at its level, encourages its employees to use soft mobility and a bonus exists to reward those who do so.

Go to the Infomaniak website

Presentation of Infomaniak hosting

Now that you know the ecological commitments of the Infomaniak host, we will briefly present its different offers and its service in a global manner.

It is good to note that Infomaniak has a datacenter in Switzerland, which is ideal because it is close to France and Europe in general.

Infomaniak offers several plans that will meet different needs:

• Web hosting:from €5.75 per month
• Web + Mail :from €7.25 per month
• Unmanaged (or managed) cloud:from €29.00 per month.

No matter which offer you choose, you will be able, just like at PlanetHoster, to personalize its technical characteristics.

© Infomaniak

In all cases, you will have at least access to free SSL certificates, external backups, 100 GB of SSD disk space. On the other hand, what you will not have by opting for this ecological web host is a free domain name.

To our great regret, Infomaniak does not offer such a thing. You will therefore need to plan to purchase a domain name.

If you would like to find our full opinion on this host, do not hesitate to go tothe article we dedicated to him.

Although the customer support of the Swiss host is less available than that of PlanetHoster, you will still be able to get satisfactory answers. You'll just have to be more patient.

Discover Infomaniak accommodations

3) Ex2

To conclude our presentation of the best ecological web hosting, we are going to return to Canada to tell you about Ex2.

Like PlanetHoster, Ex2 is based in Canada but has the advantage of offering data centers in France and Canada.

What are Ex2’s ecological commitments?

Unlike its two direct competitors for the title of best green web host, Ex2 offers a specific hosting plan geared towards the ecological.

As you can see by reading the following image, this accommodation is powered by 100% renewable energy. All CO2 emissions from its servers are offset. The objective is clear: 0 carbon.

Ex2 takes its convictions even further by partnering with Solar Aid. For the purchase of green accommodation, Ex2 is committed to donating 3 solar lamps to families in Africa who do not have access to electricity.

To find all the information concerning this humanitarian and environmental approach, we strongly advise you to take a look at the Ex2 website:

Go to the Ex2 website

Overview of Ex2 hosting services

Ex2’s “Go Green” green hosting plan is offered for €5.79/month.

At this price, you will obviously have access to 24/7 support. That's not all!

You will also have access to:

• 150 GB SSD disk space
• 50 email accounts
• Free SSL certificates (find ourguide to installing an SSL certificate easilyif you need help)
• Daily backups
• An administration panel running on cPanel
• A free domain name (.com, .net, .fr, etc.)

© Ex2

If you are already committed to another web host and would like to switch to Ex2's green hosting, please note that the host offers a free migration of your site (provided you commit to 1 year or more).

To find all the details of the offer, take a look at the Ex2 website:

Discover Ex2’s offers

Otherwise, you can also read ourtest complet d’Ex2to learn more about the host.

What is a green host or ecological web hosting?

The Internet is taking up more and more space in our lives. And every day, thousands of new sites are created. To run this little world, you need web hosts, and therefore data centers (data centers).

As we were able to specify in the introduction to our article, the proper functioning of these data centers requires a lot of electrical energy. Whether to power the servers or to cool them.

A green or ecological web host (it's up to you), it is a player in the hosting market which is committed to putting in place a certain number of things in order to reduce its impact on the environment.

This involves the use of renewable energies, the encouragement of more ecological approaches within the company (travel, electricity consumption, printing, etc.), or even by offsetting CO2 emissions.

A so-called green web host therefore encompasses a set of measures and commitments made, which have one and the same goal: to make web hosting more environmentally friendly.

Conclusion

And that's the end of our article presenting you the best ecological web hosting of 2024. PlanetHoster is very clearly a pioneer in the field and an example to follow for many other hosts.

In addition, you will have access to excellent quality service. Excellent performance, maximum stability, lots of features, everything you could dream of is here!

The icing on the cake is that by opting for one of its green hosting options (The World or HybridCloud), you will be entitled to a 14-day money-back guarantee.

We might as well tell you that you won't risk anything by trying them.

Discover PlanetHoster

FAQ

Finally, we still want to answer certain questions that regularly arise on the Internet about ecological web hosting. If your question remains unanswered, do not hesitate to let us know.

What is the best French and green web host?

We tested quite a few different hosts before being able to create this ranking of the best so-called green web hosting. And what came out of it was thatthe PlanetHoster hostis the best at this little game. In addition to having made strong ecological commitments, it has the advantage of offering quality accommodation at unbeatable prices.

What type of accommodation to choose?

Everything will depend on your needs. If you are looking for green web hosting to get started and create your first website, it is better to turn to a shared plan. If, on the other hand, you have more substantial needs, it may be interesting to go with a dedicated server orCloud hosting. Please note that in any case, you will not be blocked. You can definitely upgrade your accommodation by changing plans.

Which eco-friendly web hosting is the cheapest?

The web host that offers the best quality/price ratio (and is practically the cheapest) is that ofPlanetHoster : The World.

It only costs €5/month including tax and will give you access to excellent performance as well as a free domain name for life. We advise you to come and read our comparison of the best ecological web hosts to learn more about it.

What is ecological or “green” web hosting?

To put it simply, ecological (or eco-friendly) web hosting is hosting that implements different strategies aimed at reducing the environmental impact of its activities. This can involve the use of carbon-free energies, offsetting its carbon emissions, optimizing its equipment, responsible use of cooling systems in its data centers, or even helping with access to soft mobility. for its employees.

What are the benefits of environmentally friendly web hosting?

The No. 1 benefit linked to choosing web hosting that respects our planet is the reduction of CO2 emissions. This is made possible thanks to the company's use of renewable or carbon-free energies (solar, wind, hydro, nuclear, etc.), but also the adoption of a certain number of other measures.

Beyond the ecological aspect, the companies presented in our comparison will bring you: fair prices, good performance, access to responsive customer support, as well as numerous features to make it easier for you to manage your hosting and website.

How to transfer your site to green web hosting?

Contrary to popular belief, migrating a site to an environmentally friendly web host is anything but complicated. This is partly true because web hosts likePlanetHosteroffer to migrate your website for free. All you need to do to make sure this offer applies to you is contact customer support.

You will thus be fixed and if possible, the technical teams of the host will take care of transferring your website to your new PlanetHoster hosting. Generally allow 24 to 48 hours depending on agent availability.