Best Web Hosting in Australia

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Top 10 best Australian web hosting companies and WordPress web hosting reviews with speed tests. Here’s my list of the best Web and WordPress hosting services in Australia ⇣

From $2.99 per month

Get up to 83% OFF SiteGround's plans

Key Takeaways:

SiteGround is the best web hosting provider in Australia, offering fast speed, excellent customer support, and an extensive range of plans suited for various website needs.

It’s essential to consider different website management features such as content management systems, domain registration, and e-commerce capabilities.

Factors such as website performance, uptime guarantees, and customer service play a significant role in selecting the right web hosting provider for your online business.

Looking for the best web host in Australia for your website, online store, or WordPress blog? Good! Because here I am going to show you which web hosting company is the best for small businesses and startups operating in Australia.

Reddit is a great place to learn more about good web hosting options. Here are a few Reddit posts that I think you’ll find interesting. Check them out and join the discussion!

Here is a quick summary comparison of the top 10 website hosts I have reviewed.

Web Host Price (USD)Australia Servers Website
SiteGroundFrom $2.99 per monthYes, in Sydneywww.siteground.com
HostingerFrom $2.99 per monthNo, in Singaporewww.hostinger.com
WP EngineFrom $20 per monthYes, in Sydneywww.wpengine.com
KinstaFrom $35 per monthYes, in Sydneywww.kinsta.com
CloudwaysFrom $11 per monthYes, in Sydneywww.cloudways.com
A2 HostingFrom $2.99 per month No, in Singaporewww.a2hosting.com
Digital PacificFrom $9.90/moYes, in Sydneywww.digitalpacific.com.au
VentraIPFrom $3/moYes, in Sydney & Melbournewww.ventraip.com.au
WP HostingFrom $19/moYes, in Sydneywww.wphosting.com.au
BluehostFrom $2.95 per month No, in the USwww.bluehost.com

At the end of this article, I explain why the web hosting company in Australia you use can have a big impact on the potential success of your website.

Top Web Hosting For Australia in 2024

Here are the ten best web hosting in Australia right now:

1. SiteGround (Best web hosting in Australia)

best and worst web hosting options in australia: siteground
  • Website: www.siteground.com
  • Price: From $2.99 per month
  • Australia Data Center: Yes, in Sydney

SiteGround is trusted by thousands of websites around the world. They have been in the business for a very long time and are known for their customer support.

Siteground offers reliable web hosting services for businesses of all sizes. They offer Cloud Hosting, Shared Hosting, WordPress, and fully managed agency WordPress hosting.

All their hosting plans offer free WordPress website migration using their migratory plugin. You can also contact their customer support team and ask them to migrate your site from any other web host to Siteground.

Their customer support team is known for its fast response time and is rated as one of the best in the web hosting industry. I used to host some of my websites with Siteground. They used to reply to almost all my technical support questions in under 10 minutes. You can reach their customer support team via phone, email, and support tickets at any time of the day.

siteground features

They offer a one-click install for hundreds of different software scripts such as WordPress and Joomla. They also offer a one-click install for free SSL on all their hosting plans. The best thing about SiteGround is its dedication to speed and performance. Servers are powered by Google Cloud Hosting Platform, NGINX Direct Delivery, and SuperCacher’s powerful in-house caching solution based on Nginx reverse proxy and Memcache.

Speed Test From Australia:

siteground australia speed test

Pros:

  • Really great support with fast response times.
  • Free WordPress site migration using their plugin.
  • 30-day money-back guarantee.
  • Free Cloudflare CDN.
  • Free daily automatic backups, and restore.
  • Unlimited MySQL databases, Emails, and Bandwidth.

Cons:

  • Higher renewal prices.

Basic Plan Specs:

  • One website.
  • 10 GB Disk Space.
  • Unlimited bandwidth.
  • Free site migration.
  • Free Let’s Encrypt SSL.
  • Free Cloudflare CDN.

Price: From $2.99 per month.

Among SiteGround’s three hosting plans, the most popular one is the GrowBig Plan, which is geared towards online entrepreneurs who own multiple websites and expect hundreds of thousands of visits on a monthly basis.

However, if you are just starting out with your online business, I highly recommend SiteGround’s StartUp Plan. Even though this is the service’s basic plan (good for a single website only), it already offers unmetered traffic, free email, unlimited databases, free SSL certificate and CDN, and e-commerce-ready functionality, which is really a killer deal in my opinion.

Get started with SiteGround

2. Hostinger (Cheapest web hosting in Australia)

hostinger homepage
  • Website: hostinger.com
  • Price: From $2.99 per month.
  • Australia Data Center: No, in Singapore (still good latency).
  • Phone: Not available.

Hostinger has made a name for itself by offering one of the cheapest web hosting services on the Internet.

  • Very affordable prices, from just $2.99/month.
  • Data centers are available around the world.

They offer solutions for businesses of all shapes and sizes. All of Hostinger’s web hosting plans allow unlimited websites, unlimited bandwidth, unlimited MySQL databases, and unlimited email accounts.

They also offer free Weekly Automatic backups. Their support team can be reached via email and support tickets.

Speed Test From Australia:

hostinger australia speed test

Pros:

  • Very affordable pricing for everyone.
  • Unlimited bandwidth, storage, and websites.
  • Free domain name.
  • 24/7/365 support is available.

Cons:

  • Much higher renewal prices than the sign-up prices.

Basic Plan Specs:

  • Unlimited websites.
  • Unlimited databases.
  • Unlimited bandwidth.
  • Unlimited emails.
  • 24/7/365 support.

Hostinger Pricing: From $2.99 per month.

Hostinger has developed quite a reputation for offering budget-friendly hosting plans, and it certainly lives up to its promise. For instance, the price difference between its cheapest plan (Single Plan at $2.99/month) and the priciest (Business Plan) is only $8.99/month. If you have some extra flexibility in your budget,

I recommend that you go for the mid-tier plan (Premium Plan). It offers hosting for 100 websites and 100 emails, unlimited bandwidth and databases, and 100 GB of SSD storage. If not, the 1-website hosting option, the Single Plan, is your best bet. 

Get started with Hostinger

3. WP Engine (Best managed WordPress hosting in Australia)

wp engine homepage
  • Website: wpengine.com
  • Price: From $20 per month
  • Australia Data Center: Yes, in Sydney.
  • Phone: 1-877-973-6446

WP Engine is the trusted platform of choice for professional bloggers. They host some of the biggest news sites on the internet.

  • WP Engine hosts some of the biggest websites on the internet.
  • Trusted by over 60 thousand customers.

All their hosting plans come with 35+ Genesis Themes for free. Genesis Theme Framework and Genesis Themes make it super easy to make professional-looking websites without writing any code.

You also get premium CDN on every plan, which boosts the speed of your website. WP Engine provides managed WordPress hosting. That means you can just set it and forget it. If you don’t like dealing with all the maintenance tasks that come with using WordPress, WP Engine is the best platform for you.

WP Engine’s offerings are highly scalable. Whether you get a few hundred visitors per day or literally millions per month, they have the infrastructure to deal with it.

Speed Test From Australia:

wp engine australia speed test

Pros:

  • Trusted by big brands like Microsoft and Gartner.
  • Over 35 Genesis Themes and Genesis themes, frameworks come free with every plan.
  • 24/7 live support is available via phone, email, and support tickets.
  • Easily scalable solutions.
  • Free CDN service and SSL are included with every plan.

Cons:

  • It can be a little expensive for beginners.

Basic Plan Specs:

  • One website.
  • 25k visitors/month.
  • 50GB Bandwidth.
  • Free CDN.
  • Genesis Framework and 35+ Genesis Themes.

Price: From $20 per month.

I love the fact that when it comes to pricing, WP Engine offers a lot of options. For starters, it allows you to browse the pricing if you pay per month (slightly pricier on a monthly basis) or pay in advance annually (cheaper per month). On top of that, you can actually customize your plan by adding features depending on your specific requirements.

If you can afford it, I recommend the Professional Plan, which I think offers the most value for its price. Still, the Startup Plan already offers a lot and is far from being a bad deal.

Get started with WP Engine

4. Kinsta (Best premium WordPress host)

Best and Worst Web Hosting Options in Australia: kinsta
  • Website: kinsta.com
  • Price: From $35 per month.
  • Australia Data Center: Yes, in Sydney.
  • Phone: Not available.

Kinsta is one of the absolute best-managed WordPress web hosting providers. They are trusted by some very big brands like ASOS, Freshbooks, Tripadvisor, and Ubisoft.

  • Free CDN & SSL with every plan.
  • Trusted by brands like Asos, Freshbooks, Tripadvisor, and Ubisoft.

All their plans come with a free site migration service. You can ask them to migrate your site from other WP hosts to Kinsta for free.

You also get free CDN service on all plans. Their platform is built on Google Cloud Platform, so you can choose to host your website in one of the 18 global locations available.

They offer free daily backups on all their plans. They also offer free SSL you can install with just one click.

Kinsta’s WordPress hosting uses Nginx and PHP 8 which make their servers faster than regular ones.

Speed Test From Australia:

kinsta australia speed test

Pros:

  • Free SSL and CDN services are included with all plans.
  • Free site migration.
  • Support is available via email, phone, and support tickets.
  • Trusted by companies like Ubisoft and Ricoh.
  • Support for WordPress multisite.
  • Automated daily backups.

Cons:

  • Can be a little expensive for beginners.

Basic Plan Specs:

  • 25k visits/month.
  • 10GB SSD storage space.
  • 50GB bandwidth.
  • FREE CDN and SSL.

Price: From $35 per month.

There is a reason Kinsta’s hosting plans are a bit pricey – this service does already provide lots of features, integrations, and other inclusions even in its entry-level and low-tier plans. I think it is cool that Kinsta plans are designed to be flexible (upgradable or downgradable anytime, zero fixed term contracts).

That is why I still recommend the Starter Plan ($35/month), and if ever you see the need to upgrade to a better plan later, you can just shift to a better plan or select an optional add-on.

Get started with Kinsta

5. Cloudways (Best cheap Australian WordPress hosting)

cloudways
  • Website: cloudways.com
  • Price: From $11 per month
  • Australia Data Center: Yes, in Sydney.
  • Phone: Not Available.

Running your website on a VPS(Virtual Private Server) not only gives you a boost in speed but also offers complete control of the server. But it can be really difficult to learn to manage a VPS server on your own unless you are a developer.

Cloudways is a cheap web host and brings you the best of Managed web Hosting and VPS servers. They are one of the best web hosting services in Australia where you get to host your website on your own VPS hosting server and get great technical support 24/7.

  • 24/7 technical support is offered by experts.
  • Host your website on a VPS server and gain full control.

Cloudways doesn’t host your website on their own servers. Instead, they allow you to pick a cloud VPS hosting provider they support such as Amazon Web Services, Digital Ocean, and Linode.

Once you pick a VPS provider, you get to control your website very easily through CloudWays WordPress hosting and you also get great technical support available 24/7.

Not only that, but you also get free Cloudways CDN for your website on all their plans. They also offer free site migration and free SSL certificates.

Speed Test From Australia:

cloudways australia speed test

Pros:

  • Choose from 5 different VPS providers.
  • 24/7 technical support is available via email and live chat.
  • Free website migration and SSL are available on all plans.
  • Free CloudWays CDN.
  • Host your websites on VPS servers.
  • Full control over your website and the server.

Cons:

  • Not recommended for beginners.

Basic Plan Specs:

  • 1 GB RAM.
  • 1 Processor Core.
  • 25 GB Storage.
  • 1 TB Bandwidth.
  • Free CDN and SSL.
  • Cloudflare Enterprise addon

Price: From $11 per month.

Cloudways’ pricing structure is unique because it does not follow the conventional web hosting plan structure (entry-level plan, mid-tier, premium, etc). Instead, it offers options based on a specific VPS service provider, as I mentioned earlier.

If you want those closest to Australia, you can go for Amazon Web Services (Sydney data center), Google Cloud Platform (Sydney), or Vultr (Sydney). If you expect customers outside Australia, then it would be ideal to pick data centers that also serve international markets.

Get started with Cloudways

6. A2 Hosting (Fasters servers hosting for Australia)

a2hosting
  • Website: a2hosting.com
  • Price: From $2.99 per month
  • Australia Data Center: No, in Singapore.
  • Phone: 1-888-546-8946

A2 Hosting has been around for a very long time and is trusted by thousands of website owners around the world.

  • Data centers are available around the world.
  • Trusted by thousands of website owners.

A2 Hosting service offerings include Dedicated Hosting Servers, Shared Hosting, Cloud Hosting, Email Hosting, and much more.

Their support team is available 24/7/365 via Email, Phone, and Support Tickets. They offer unlimited storage and unlimited bandwidth on every plan. All their plans come with a cPanel control panel which makes it easy for you to control your website and its content.

They offer one-click installation for software scripts like WordPress, Joomla, and Magento. They also offer free SSL for all of your websites.

Speed Test From Australia:

a2 hosting australia speed test

Pros:

  • Unlimited bandwidth and unlimited storage on all hosting plans.
  • Free SSL you can install with just one click.
  • All their servers use SSD.
  • Anytime money-back guarantees on all plans.
  • cPanel Control panel.
  • 24/7/365 support is available.

Cons:

  • Not as many features are offered as other web page hosts.

Basic Plan Specs:

  • One website.
  • 5 databases.
  • 100 GB SSD Storage.
  • Unlimited Email accounts.
  • Free SSL.
  • Anytime money-back guarantee.

Price: From $2.99 per month.

A2 Hosting’s Startup Plan is already pretty generous – although it is only good for one website, you do get unlimited emails and unlimited transfers, as well as free SSL certificates and a free website builder. But if you want to create a smooth buying experience for your online shoppers, you better get the Turbo Plan, which is still affordable.

It features A2 Hosting’s turbo-boosted speed, plus other added performance and security features. Note that the pricing is good only if you commit to three years.

Get started with A2 Hosting

7. Digital Pacific (Best Australian-owned web hosting)

digital pacific homepage
  • Website: digitalpacific.com.au
  • Price: Starting at $9.90 per month.
  • Australia Data Center: Yes, in Sydney.
  • Phone: 1300 MY HOST (694 678)

Digital Pacific is a web-hosting company based in Australia. They offer Shared Web Hosting, VPS servers, and Dedicated Hosting Servers. All are based in Australia.

  • Primarily based in Australia.
  • 24/7 Australian Support.

When you call Digital Pacific support, you can be assured someone in Australia will pick up the phone. Their support is available 24/7.

All their plans offer cPanel to help you manage your website easily. They offer one-click installation for software scripts like WordPress.

Speed Test From Australia:

digital pacific australia speed test

Pros:

  • Green hosting servers.
  • 24/7 Australian support is available via email and phone.
  • Their basic plan comes with 2GB Disk Space and 10GB Bandwidth.
  • Solutions for businesses of all sizes.

Cons:

  • Only annual plans. You can’t pay monthly.

Basic Plan Specs:

  • 2 GB Disk Space.
  • 10 GB Bandwidth.
  • 2 Email Accounts.
  • cPanel control panel.
  • 24/7 support.

Price: Starting at $9.90 per month.

If you consider yourself an SMB (small and medium-sized business) website owner, you can opt for Digital Pacific’s Business Hosting options. The Business Basic Plan is pretty solid already, in my humble opinion. But for a little flexibility, I recommend that you go for the Business Standard Plan.

It is a bit pricey but with this plan, you won’t have to worry about limits to emails, bandwidth, or database.  

Get started with Digital Pacific

8. VentraIP (Cheapest Australian-owned web hosting company)

Best and Worst Web Hosting Options in Australia: Ventra ip
  • Website: ventraip.com.au
  • Price: Starting at $7 per month.
  • Australia Data Center: Yes, Sydney and Melbourne.
  • Phone: 132485

VentraIP is an Australia-based reliable web host company. All their servers are based in Australia.

  • Best Australian web hosting service for small businesses with Australian data centers.
  • Trusted by 150,000 customers.

VentraIP offers a 45-day money-back guarantee on all their plans. All their plans offer unlimited email accounts, unlimited bandwidth, and unlimited databases.

Their basic plan offers 5GB SSD storage and a 2GB RAM allowance. You also get free SSL you can install with just one click on all your domains. They also offer free automated daily backups and free CDN service.

Speed Test From Australia:

ventraip australia speed test

Pros:

  • Australia-based website hosting company.
  • The Australian support team is available 24/7 via email, phone, and support tickets.
  • Free Cloudflare CDN and SSL Certificates.
  • Free daily automated backups.
  • Has been in business for 10 years.

Cons:

  • Other hosts offer a lot more disk space for the same price.

Basic Plan Specs:

  • 5GB SSD Disk Space.
  • Unlimited Bandwidth.
  • Unlimited Email Accounts.
  • Unlimited MariaDB Databases.

Price: Starting at $7/month.

True to its reputation for being the cheapest Australian-owned web hosting service, VentraIP does not offer any plan more expensive than $19 per month. Among its plans, my personal pick is the Freedom+ Plan, which goes for $13 per month.

It comes with unlimited premium bandwidth, unlimited email addresses, and a free Comodo SSL certificate. It is ideal for small businesses or e-commerce companies.

Get started with VentraIP

9. WP Hosting (Best Australian-owned WordPress hosting)

wp hosting
  • Website: wphosting.com.au
  • Price: Starts at $19/month.
  • Australia Data Center: Yes, in Sydney.
  • Phone: 1300 974 678

WP Hosting is an Australian-based website hosting company that offers Managed WordPress hosting at affordable prices.

  • Free DDoS attack protection.
  • Australian data centers.

They offer a free website migration with every plan. They will migrate your website for free with Zero Downtime. Their 100% Australian support team is available around the clock via phone, email, and support tickets.

They also offer free daily backups for all websites. You also get “Always On” DDoS attack prevention.

Speed Test From Australia:

wp hosting australia speed test

Pros:

  • 100% Australian customer support available 24/7.
  • Australian Data Centers.
  • Affordable WordPress hosting service.
  • Free Daily backups with 15-day retention.
  • Free CDN service.

Cons:

  • Phone support not available on the basic plan.

Basic Plan Specs:

  • 5GB Disk Space.
  • Unlimited Bandwidth.
  • Free Daily Backups.
  • Free CDN service.

Price: Starts at $19/month.

WordPress hosting services tend to be pricier than most web hosting plans. WP Hosting’s is no exception. If you own a small to medium sized online business, I recommend that you check out WP Hosting’s Business Plan.

If you buy this plan, you get unlimited traffic to your site, daily backups, 10 GB of SSD storage, and full tech support.

Get started with WP Hosting

10. Bluehost (Best WordPress hosting for beginners)

bluehost
  • Website: bluehost.com
  • Price: From $2.95 per month
  • Australia Data Center: No, in the US
  • Phone: International 1-801-765-9400

Bluehost is one of the most recommended website hosts for professional bloggers. They are recommended by the official website for WordPress.

  • Recommended by the official WordPress website.
  • Trusted by thousands of website owners.

Bluehost web and WordPress hosting services for businesses of all sizes. All plans offer unlimited bandwidth and free Let’s Encrypt SSL. Their support team is available 24/7 via email and phone. They also back up your website automatically every day.

Bluehost has been in business for over 10 years. They are trusted and recommended by professional bloggers. They offer 5 email accounts on the basic account and unlimited email accounts with unlimited storage on the Choice Plus plan. With the Choice Plus plan which is only $5.45/month, you also get 40 GB SSD storage and free CDN, unlimited websites, and more.

Speed Test From Australia:

bluehost australia speed test

Pros:

  • Get a free domain name for the lifetime of your subscription when you sign up.
  • Free Let’s Encrypt SSL certificate for all your websites.
  • Unlimited bandwidth even on the basic plan.
  • 24/7 award-winning support team available via email and phone.
  • Recommended by the official website behind WordPress.

Cons:

  • Renewal prices are higher than sign-up prices.

Basic Plan Specs:

  • One Website.
  • 10 GB SSD Storage.
  • Unlimited Bandwidth.
  • Free Let’s Encrypt SSL.
  • 5 Email Accounts.
  • Free Domain Name.

Price: From $2.95 per month.

If you are new to running a WordPress website, Bluehost’s Basic Plan is the best option for you. At $2.95/month, you already get unmetered bandwidth for your single website, which is a good deal. But I always recommend thinking long-term, even if you are a beginner.

So if you agree with me, you might as well opt for the $5.45/month Choice Plus Plan. With this plan, you get to enjoy unmetered bandwidth, along with unlimited site space and databases.

Get started with Bluehost

Why Australian Web Hosting Matters

There are a lot of things that make a website slow 🐌.

But there’s one that has the biggest impact.

It’s called Latency.

If you want your website to be fast, you need to take care of latency.

Latency: The One Thing That’s Making Your Site Slow

When you visit a website, your browser has to connect to the target website’s server to download the contents of the web page.

The time it takes to download the contents of the web page depends on a lot of factors. But the most important one of them is latency.

Latency is the amount of time it takes for your web browser to connect to the webserver of the website you are trying to access.

This time depends on how far you are physically located from the target website’s server.

If, for example, you live in Australia and you are trying to connect to a server in the United Kingdom, there will be some latency between the connection.

The worst part about latency is that it adds up.

latency

Every image, CSS file, JavaScript file, or video your web browser requests is delayed by latency.

This is true for your website as well.

As you can see in the above image, the time it takes to download a web page increases as the physical distance between the server and the user increases.

The easiest way to solve this problem is to host your website in a location that is the closest to most of your website visitors if not all.

Why You Should Host Locally

Although reduced latency is one of the biggest benefits of hosting your website locally, there are other benefits as well.

For example, when you call up your web host, you can be assured that a person in Australia will answer.

When you host your website with a local web host, your support calls won’t be transferred to some random call center. They will be answered by someone native to your country.

If you are wondering whether or not you should host your website locally, try to figure out where most of your website visitors are located.

If you own a local GYM, then most of your website visitors will probably be in the same country or even the same city.

On the other hand, if most of your website visitors are from some other country like Canada, then it makes sense for you to host your website in Canada and not in Australia.

Worst Web Hosts (Stay Away!)

There are a lot of web hosting providers out there, and it can be hard to know which ones to avoid. That’s why we’ve put together a list of the worst web hosting services in 2024, so you can know which companies to steer clear of.

1. PowWeb

PowWeb

PowWeb is an affordable web host that offers an easy way to launch your first website. On paper, they offer everything you need to launch your first site: a free domain name, unlimited disk space, a one-click install for WordPress, and a control panel.

PowWeb offers only one web plan for their web hosting service. This might look good to you if you’re building your first website. After all, they offer unlimited disk space and have no limits for bandwidth.

But there are strict fair-usage limits on server resources. This means, if your website all of a sudden gets a huge surge in traffic after going viral on Reddit, PowWeb will shut it down! Yes, that happens! Shared web hosting providers who lure you in with cheap prices shut your website down as soon as it gets a small surge in traffic. And when that happens, with other web hosts, you can simply upgrade your plan, but with PowWeb, there’s no other higher plan.

Read more

I would only recommend going with PowWeb if you’re just starting and are building your first website. But even if that’s the case, other web hosts offer affordable monthly plans. With other web hosts, you might need to pay a dollar more every month, but you won’t have to sign up for an annual plan, and you’ll get better service.

One of the only redeeming features of this web host is its cheap price, but to get that price you’ll need to pay upfront for 12 months or more. One thing I do like about this web host is that you get unlimited disk space, unlimited mailboxes (email addresses), and no supposed bandwidth limits.

But it doesn’t matter how many things PowWeb does right, there are just too many poor 1 and 2-star reviews plastered all over the internet about how terrible this service is. All those reviews make PowWeb look like a horror show!

If you are looking for a good web host, I would highly recommend looking elsewhere. Why not go with a web host that’s not still living in the year 2002? Not only does its website look ancient, it still uses Flash on some of its pages. Browsers dropped support for Flash years ago.

PowWeb’s pricing is cheaper than a lot of other web hosts, but it also doesn’t offer as much as those other web hosts. First of all, PowWeb’s service isn’t scalable. They only have one plan. Other web hosts have multiple plans to make sure you can scale your website with just one click. They also have great support.

Web hosts like SiteGround and Bluehost are known for their customer support. Their teams help you out with anything and everything when your website breaks down. I’ve been building websites for the last 10 years, and there’s no way I would ever recommend PowWeb to anyone for any use case. Stay away!

2. FatCow

FatCow

For an affordable price of $4.08 per month, FatCow offers unlimited disk space, unlimited bandwidth, a website builder, and unlimited email addresses on your domain name. Now, of course, there are fair-usage limits. But this pricing is only available if you go for a term longer than 12 months.

Although the pricing seems affordable at a first glance, be aware that their renewal prices are much higher than the price you sign up for. FatCow charges more than twice the sign-up price when you renew your plan. If you want to save money, it would be a good idea to go for an annual plan to lock in the cheaper sign-up price for the first year.

But why would you? FatCow may not be the worst web host in the market, but they are also not the best. For the same price, you can get web hosting that offers even better support, faster server speeds, and more scalable service.

Read more

One thing I don’t like or understand about FatCow is that they only have one plan. And even though this plan seems to be enough for someone who’s just starting, it doesn’t seem like a good idea for any serious business owner.

No serious business owner would think that a plan that is suitable for a hobby site is a good idea for their business. Any web host that sells “unlimited” plans is lying. They hide behind legal jargon that enforces dozens and dozens of limits on how many resources your website can use.

So, It begs the question: who is this plan or this service designed for? If it’s not for serious business owners, then is it just for hobbyists and people building their first website? 

One good thing about FatCow is that they offer you a free domain name for the first year. The customer support may not be the best available but is better than some of their competitors. There’s also a 30-day money-back guarantee in case you decide you’re done with FatCow within the first 30 days.

Another good thing about FatCow is that they offer an affordable plan for WordPress websites. If you’re a fan of WordPress, there might be something for you in FatCow’s WordPress plans. They are built on top of the regular plan but with some basic features that might be helpful for a WordPress site. Same as the regular plan, you get unlimited disk space, bandwidth, and email addresses. You also get a free domain name for the first year.

If you are looking for a reliable, scalable web host for your business, I wouldn’t recommend FatCow unless they wrote me a million-dollar check. Look, I am not saying they are the worst. Far from it! FatCow may be suitable for some use cases, but if you are serious about growing your business online, I can’t recommend this web host. Other web hosts might cost a dollar or two more every month but offer a lot more features and are much more suitable if you run a “serious” business.

3. Netfirms

Netfirms

Netfirms is a shared web host that caters to small businesses. They used to be a giant in the industry and were one of the highest web hosts.

If you look at their history, Netfirms used to be a great web host. But they are no longer what they used to be. They got acquired by a giant web hosting company, and now their service no longer seems competitive. And their pricing is just outrageous. You can find better web hosting services for much cheaper prices.

If you still believe for some reason that Netfirms might be worth a try, just look at all the horrible reviews about their service on the internet. According to the dozens of 1-star reviews I’ve skimmed, their support is terrible, and the service has been going downhill ever since they got acquired.

Read more

Most Netfirms reviews you’ll read all start the same way. They praise how good Netfirms was about a decade ago, and then they go on to talk about how the service is now a dumpster fire!

If you take a look at Netfirms’ offerings, you’ll notice that they are designed for beginners who are just getting started with building their first website. But even if that’s the case, there are better web hosts that cost less and offer more features.

One good thing about Netfirms plans is how generous they all are. You get unlimited storage, unlimited bandwidth, and unlimited email accounts. You also get a free domain name. But all these features are common when it comes to Shared Hosting. Almost all shared web hosting providers offer “unlimited” plans.

Other than their Shared Web Hosting plans, Netfirms also offer Website Builder plans. It offers a simple drag-and-drop interface to build your website. But their basic starter plan limits you to only 6 pages. How generous! The templates are also really outdated.

If you’re looking for an easy website builder, I wouldn’t recommend Netfirms. Many website builders on the market are much more powerful and offer a lot more features. Some of them are even cheaper…

If you want to install WordPress, they offer an easy one-click solution to install it but they don’t have any plans that are optimized and designed specifically for WordPress sites. Their starter plan costs $4.95 a month but only allows one website. Their competitors allow unlimited websites for that same price.

The only reason I can think of to host my website with Netfirms is if I was being held hostage. Their pricing doesn’t seem real to me. It’s outdated and is much higher when compared to other web hosts. Not only that, their cheap prices are only introductory. That means you’ll need to pay much higher renewal prices after the first term. The renewal prices are twice the introductory sign-up prices. Stay away!

Questions & Answers

What are the best and worst web hosting options in Australia amongst all the web hosting companies?

Choosing the right web hosting provider can make or break your online business. Some of the best Australian web hosting companies include SiteGround, Hostinger, and WP Engine.

These companies offer various hosting packages and website host options based on your website’s specific requirements. However, it’s essential to be aware of the worst website hosting companies in Australia, such as Crazy Domains, who have a reputation for providing poor customer support and server performance issues.

It’s always best to do your research before choosing a website hosting company to ensure that it meets your website management needs, performance requirements, and budget.

What hosting features should I consider while choosing a web hosting provider, and what are the best and worst web hosting options in Australia based on these features?

Several hosting features are crucial when choosing a web hosting provider. A 99.9% uptime guarantee ensures that your website will be up and running without any downtime. SSD servers and a content delivery network (CDN) can speed up your website’s loading times, providing a better user experience.

Server location and data centers can impact data transfer speeds, and add-ons can provide additional functionality and features. Some of the best web hosting options in Australia include SiteGround, which offers excellent server performance and an extensive range of add-ons, and Hostinger, which offers affordable hosting plans and a CDN to speed up your website.

On the other hand, reseller hosting providers like Netfirms are known for poor performance, and Crazy Domains has a reputation for offering subpar server performance and uptime guarantees.

What are the best and worst web hosting options in Australia based on customer support and migration services?

Customer support plays a vital role in web hosting, as it can reduce downtime, provide quick solutions to issues, and ensure that you can reach a support representative any time you need help.

Some of the best web hosting options in Australia based on customer support include Digital Pacific, which offers 24/7 telephone support and excellent customer service, and SiteGround, which offers 24/7 technical support and efficient ticket handling.

On the other hand, Crazy Domains is known for poor customer service and support, including slow response times and uninformed representatives. When it comes to migration services, SiteGround offers free website migrations and comprehensive migration tools, while Bluehost charges an additional fee for website migration services.

It’s essential to consider customer support and migration services, along with other factors, before selecting a web hosting provider.

What are the best and worst web hosting options in Australia based on website management features such as content management systems, e-commerce capabilities, domain registration, and data transfers?

Choosing the right web hosting provider with website management features that suit your business needs is crucial. Bluehost and WP Hosting are some of the best web hosting options in Australia for website management as they offer easy integration with popular content management systems like WordPress, allowing for easy website management.

For e-commerce, Kinsta offers excellent e-commerce capabilities with a fast and secure hosting platform, while VentraIP offers free domain registration with every hosting plan. SiteGround and Cloudways offer reliable data transfers, and Digital Pacific provides a secure and easy-to-use website management portal.

On the other hand, FatCow and Netfirms fall short when it comes to website management features, as they do not offer robust content management systems or e-commerce capabilities.

What are the best and worst web hosting options in Australia based on website performance factors such as load times, user experience, internet connection, and search engine optimization?

Website performance is a crucial factor in determining the success of your online business. The best web hosting options in Australia for performance include SiteGround, which provides fast load times and superior user experience, and Kinsta, which delivers an optimized hosting platform for WordPress websites.

WP Engine offers exceptional search engine optimization (SEO) tools and features, which can improve your website’s visibility and increase traffic. On the other hand, FatCow and Netfirms have been known to deliver subpar website performance value, and their hosting packages are not optimized for website performance.

Test sites like Bitcatcha can help you compare website performance metrics for different hosting providers to help you make an informed decision. It’s essential to choose a web hosting provider that prioritizes website performance for a seamless user experience and successful online business.

Our Verdict

If your website is slow, most of your visitors will leave and never come back.

Choosing a web host that will be nearest to most of your customers/visitors is the first and maybe the most important step towards making your website faster.

Can’t decide which Australian web page hosting company to go with?

Our recommended web host to use for Australian web sites is SiteGround.

SiteGround: The Best Web Host for 2024
From $2.99 per month

SiteGround stands out in the web hosting industry - they're not just about hosting your website but about enhancing your site's performance, security, and management. SiteGround's hosting package blends advanced technology and user-friendly features, ensuring your website operates at its best. Get premium website performance with Ultrafast PHP, optimized db setup, built-in caching & more! The ultimate hosting package with free email, SSL, CDN, backups, WP auto-updates, and much more.

If you are a professional blogger who uses WordPress, go with WP Engine. Australian web hosting providers have servers in Australia and offer Managed WordPress hosting. That means you don’t have to deal with managing the server.

If, on the other hand, you are looking for affordable shared web hosting solutions, I recommend going with Bluehost vs SiteGround hosting. They are both recommended by the official WordPress website as good web hosts. Their support team is available around the clock and can be reached via Email and Phone.

Mathias Ahlgren is the CEO and founder of Website Rating, steering a global team of editors and writers. He holds a master's in information science and management. His career pivoted to SEO after early web development experiences during university. With over 15 years in SEO, digital marketing, and web developmens. His focus also includes website security, evidenced by a certificate in Cyber Security. This diverse expertise underpins his leadership at Website Rating.

The "WSR Team" is the collective group of expert editors and writers specializing in technology, internet security, digital marketing, and web development. Passionate about the digital realm, they produce well-researched, insightful, and accessible content. Their commitment to accuracy and clarity makes Website Rating a trusted resource for staying informed in the dynamic digital world.

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