If you are doing business in the UK and its environs, it makes sense for you to get a web host with servers located in the UK. The closer the servers are to your target audience, the better their web experience. However, server proximity is not the only factor to consider.
In our experience as web hosting experts, there are a lot of essential factors to consider when choosing a web hosting company to serve your online business needs. These include server response time, location, customer support, pricing, uptime, and hosting addons.
A good UK hosting provider will tick all these boxes satisfactorily and may even offer some extra services. In this article, you will find a rundown of the best UK web hosting services so you don’t have to spend hours searching the internet and comparing features.
The Top UK Web Hosting Providers
- Hostinger – Best Managed UK Shared Hosting
- HostArmada – Best UK Hosting Overall
- FastComet – Best Speed and Performance UK WordPress Hosting
- IONOS – Best Small and Medium-Sized Businesses UK WordPress Hosting
- ChemiCloud – Best User-Friendly UK Web Host
- Verpex Hosting – The Best UK Reseller Web Hosting Provider
The Best UK Web Hosting Services of 2024 (Bought and Tested)
Using a web host that provides managed shared hosting allows you to focus more on your business and host websites without any prior experience or knowledge. And if you want to do just that, then Hostinger is an excellent solution for you. This web host comes with fully managed UK shared hosting services, UK data centers, and feature-rich plans that give you great value for money.
- Overall Score: 4.6
- Pricing: 4.6
- Features: 4.6
- Performance: 4.6
- Support: 4.7
- User Friendly: 4.7
Pricing: Hostinger’s entry-level web hosting plan costs $1.99/month (on a four-year billing period) for hosting for one website, 50GB of SSD storage, unlimited free SSLs, weekly backups, one email account, and unlimited bandwidth. You can try all of the provider’s plans risk-free for 30 days.
Features: Some of the many features that you’ll get with Hostinger include AI tools, DDoS protection, a malware scanner, WAF, a secure access manager, a website builder, backups, emails, free SSL certificates, Google Analytics, marketing integrations, automatic website migration, 150 designer-made templates, and more.
Performance: Hostinger comes with reliable and stable performance and fast loading speeds. It offers a 99.9% uptime guarantee and data centers all over the world, including ones in the UK. Some of its plans also come with a free CDN and ObjectCache, which will boost your performance even further.
Support: With Hostinger, you’ll get excellent customer support available 24/7 via email and live chat, along with many written guides and tutorials on how to use certain tools and complete tasks.
User Friendly: Not only does Hostinger come with fully managed services, but it also has a no-code website builder, an AI copywriting tool, AI SEO tools, AI heatmaps, an intuitive hosting dashboard, one-click installs, and guided setups.
Pros & Cons
- Fully managed shared hosting plans.
- A powerful data center in the UK.
- Easy-to-use tools and feature-rich plans.
- The longer-term plans offer better deals (but the monthly options still provide great value for money).
HostArmada offers fast and secure cloud-based web hosting solutions at affordable plans. With plans starting at $2.99, you get free SSL, domain, and website optimization. They are the best overall because of their affordability, reliability, and solid features. For instance, they offer fast website loading speed, cutting-edge cloud technology, multiple layers of security firewalls, and 24/7 technical support. They also have a server in London, UK, and another in Frankfurt, Germany.
- Overall score – 5
- Features – 5
- Support – 5
- User-friendliness – 5
- Pricing – 5
- Reliability – 4.9
Features – 5: HostArmada offers a wide selection of hosting packages, from shared to dedicated hosting. Every hosting plan has a free feature suite that provides more value than the price tag. For instance, the shared hosting plan offers free SSL certificates, SSD storage, and cloud server technology. You also get daily backups, website migration, cPanel control panel, and web server caches for free on all shared hosting plans.
Support – 5: As a HostArmada web hosting client, you get 24/7 customer support via phone, ticket, and chat. The support agents are always available to assist you with any issue or task. Some of the services you can expect from the support team include free website optimization, website transfer, email setup, SSL installation, and cPanel assistance. The company promises to respond to every ticket within 10 minutes of receipt.
User-friendliness - 5: Thanks to HostArmada’s optimization service and compatibility with all open-source applications, all the plans are user-friendly. You can install WordPress CMS on your site with the 1-click WordPress Installer. The host also offers automated services such as automated daily backups and web server caching to secure your data and ensure your website loads faster. They also provide the native cPanel to easily manage and customize your website.
Pricing – 5: HostArmada offers four main types of hosting solutions: shared, reseller, VPS, and dedicated hosting. You can use the smallest hosting plan for as low as $2.99/mo by signing up for the three-year plan. This plan (Start Dock) offers hosting for one website, 15 GB SSD storage, 2 GB RAM, and 2 cores CPU. You also get seven daily backups, free domain and SSL, and WAF & IP firewall.
Reliability – 4.9: HostArmada leaves no stone unturned to ensure your website’s speed and performance. They use tools and techniques like website optimization, web server cache, SSD storage, and the latest PHP and MySQL version to provide fast website speeds. They also have a data center in the United Kingdom (London) business hub to help you deliver the best web experience to your visitors. If you are targeting other European regions, you can switch to the Frankfurt data center in Germany.
Additional Parameter: Cloud SSD-Based Platform: HostArmada uses a combination of cloud-based servers and SSD storage to deliver impressive uptime on loading speed. They also utilize the latest, industry-standard hardware components to provide up to 99.9% uptime for all customers’ websites and to ensure that there will be no data loss due to failures in the hardware components. In addition, the host employs a high-speed, redundant network to improve high-speed connectivity and unmatched network performance.
Pros & Cons
- Cloud-based hosting technology
- Lightning-fast website loading speed
- Free website optimization
- Complementary web security tools and features
- 99.9% uptime guarantee
- 24/7 available technical support
- Cost savings are only available on the longer duration plans
- A 45-day money-back guarantee is not available on the monthly plan
- The cost of plans doubles upon renewal
If you’re looking for managed SSD Cloud VPS for WordPress, FastComet offers a top-notch hosting service with a global network, low latency, and complete control over your cloud infrastructure. With its user-friendly interface, efficient support, and intelligent control panel, it’s an ideal option for users with varying levels of technical expertise.
- Overall score – 4.7
- Features – 4.7
- Support – 4.8
- User-friendliness – 5
- Pricing – 4.8
- Reliability – 4.8
Features – 4.7: FastComet’s hosting plans are powered by AMD EPYC™ and boast impressive features such as ultra-fast SSD storage, Non-Volatile Memory Express (NVMe) Solid State Drives (SSDs), 7x faster queries and file access, unlimited websites, and a free domain name. FastComet also provides users with a Getting Started Kit and Development Tools for easy installation and access.
Support – 4.8: FastComet’s support squad is top-notch, offering round-the-clock assistance to clients via live chat, phone, and ticketing platforms. The team’s prompt response time, expertise, and willingness to aid customers in resolving any concerns are commendable.
User-Friendliness – 5: FastComet VPS hosting is designed to be user-friendly, offering a range of tools and features to help users get started quickly and efficiently. The platform includes a Getting Started Kit and Development Tools, making installation and account management a breeze. Users can also take advantage of the 1-click marketplace in cPanel/WHM to install WordPress easily.
Pricing – 4.8: FastComet’s VPS plans start at Cloud 1, costing $46.16 monthly for a Single CPU Virtual Core, 2 GB ECC RAM, 50 GB SSD space, and 2 TB bandwidth. The plans offer various options for different levels of resources and customization to meet the changing needs of users. FastComet accepts major credit cards and PayPal for plan purchases.
Reliability – 4.8: FastComet guarantees 99.9% uptime and offers complimentary daily and weekly backups, a firewall, free SSL certificates, 24/7 unlimited support, cPanel control panel, 24/7 uptime monitoring, and CloudLinux + Imunify360 Security. Their decentralized infrastructure provides concentrated raw power, with no single point of failure, and 11 state-of-the-art data centers in North America, Europe, India, Singapore, Japan, and Australia.
Additional Parameter: Drag-and-Drop SiteBuilder: FastComet comes with an easy drag-and-drop site builder that allows users to create beautiful, mobile-friendly, and SEO-friendly websites without any technical knowledge in a day, not weeks.
Pros & Cons
- Reliable uptime with 99.9% guarantee and daily backups
- Ultra-fast SSD storage and unlimited websites
- Efficient support with 24/7 unlimited assistance via various channels
- The pricing may be high for some users
- The plans may have limited resources for some users with higher demands
IONOS is a leading cloud hosting provider specializing in providing a portfolio of affordable solutions for small and medium-sized businesses. The web host currently hosts over 8 million websites in their regional servers in Europe and the US. Aside from web hosting, they offer website development and domain registration services.
- Overall score – 4.8
- Features – 4.9
- Support – 4.8
- User-friendliness – 5
- Pricing – 5
- Reliability – 4.8
Features – 4.9: The key features of IONOS are ample storage spaces, free domain, SSL and professional email, daily backup and recovery, and round-the-clock customer support. Other features include site scams, DDoS protection, one-click app installation, SFTP accounts, and site marketing tools.
Support – 4.8: IONOS offers effective support for all customers. This support is available via chat, email, and phone. The personal support agent will assist you with issues and provide expert recommendations like website optimization and marketing. Interestingly IONOS offers this personalized support for free to all its clients.
User-friendliness – 5: All IONOS web hosting plans have an easy-to-use interface and user-friendly tools and plugins to help you manage and enhance your website. You can easily add an online store to your WordPress site with a single click. Check out the IONOS Managed WordPress hosting plan if you need more assistance.
Pricing – 5: IONOS has a complicated pricing method. The cheapest plan costs only $1/mo for the first 12 months, then $12/month afterwards. This plan allows you to host unlimited websites and offers unlimited storage and databases. Other features include enhanced CPU, domain, SSL, and email for a free and daily backup. The long-term cheap plan starts at $4/mo for the first year and renews at $6/mo. The plan offers 10 GB storage, 10 databases, hosting for one website SSL and email for a free and daily backup.
Reliability – 4.8: Websites hosted with IONOS perform better due to IONOS’ dual platform technology. This technology keeps the web servers and storage on the same platform. They also offer full instant memory and RAM scalability to ensure your website continues to perform during traffic spikes. UK website owners will also enjoy better raw performance using the London data center.
Additional Parameter: Personal consultant: IONOS assigns a personal consultant to every customer. The consultant can be reached during business hours via chat, email, and phone and will provide expert recommendations, explanations, and assistance for free on web hosting and marketing issues. The consultant is like a free business guide that the web host offers to help you succeed online.
Pros & Cons
- Personal consultant
- DDoS protection
- Backups of up to six days of data
- Wildcard SSL and site scan
- Content delivery network
- Affordable hosting plans
- Complicated pricing model
- Higher renewal costs
ChemiCloud, an attractive web hosting provider for the UK, offers unique features, superior security, and excellent performance. Each plan includes free SSL certificates, SSD servers, one-click installations, robust performance measures, and a 99.9% uptime guarantee. ChemiCloud also provides various customer support options and a user-friendly cPanel. However, it has limited storage capacity.
- Overall Score: 4.5
- Pricing: 4.7
- Features: 4.5
- Performance: 4.5
- Support: 4.5
- User Friendly: 4.5
Pricing: Chemicloud has a few web hosting types, but shared hosting is the cheapest. The beginning plan costs $2.99/month, including 20GB NVMe disk space, 1GB RAM, unlimited bandwidth, 1 CPU core, free domain registration and free site transfers.
Features: ChemiCloud comes with various features, like free SSL certificates, free domains, a free CloudFlare CDN, SSD servers, and one-click installations for WordPress and similar apps.
Performance: ChemiCloud prioritizes its performance so you don’t experience any lagging issues. It utilizes strong CPU cores, SSD servers, NVMe storage, and a 99.9% uptime guarantee to prevent high downtime rates.
Support: ChemiCloud has a few customer support options that allow you to reach the expert team through live chat, a ticketing system, a knowledge base, and video tutorials.
User-friendly: ChemiCloud is beginner-friendly thanks to its modern cPanel, intuitive UI, and one-click installations that contribute to one straightforward hosting experience.
Pros & Cons
- Many free features (free migration and a free website builder).
- Various customer support options.
- A 99.9% uptime guarantee.
- Limited storage.
If you are looking for a reliable and affordable UK-based reseller web hosting provider, Verpex is an excellent choice. They offer unbeatable plans with great benefits, including their Reseller Hosting, which is designed for scale and allows up to 300 accounts on one account. With plans starting at $1.80/month, you get 15-200 cPanel accounts, up to 4 GB RAM per cPanel account, a 24/7 migrations team, 100,000 visits per cPanel, and a 45-day money-back guarantee.
- Overall score – 4.4
- Features – 4.8
- Support – 4.7
- User-friendliness – 4.6
- Pricing – 4.6
- Reliability – 4.5
Features – 4.8: Verpex offers 50 cPanel accounts, SSD disk space, unlimited bandwidth, 2GB-4GB LVE RAM per cPanel, 24/7 tech support, free SSL certificates, free migrations, free domain registration/transfer, custom nameservers, LiteSpeed web server, and a white-label server WHM control panel. They also provide malware protection and a choice of location to ensure user-friendliness.
Support – 4.7: Verpex’s customer support team is available 24/7/365 via live chat, email support, and phone support. They guarantee 99.95% support case resolution and provide expert technical support to assist with any issue or task. Verpex’s WHM control panel, in combination with cPanel, allows for reliable and easy hosting of multiple clients. Additionally, they can migrate all of your existing websites over to your Verpex reseller hosting, and it’s entirely free!
User-friendliness – 4.6: Verpex offers a user-friendly cPanel with a powerful dashboard for managing website needs. Their cloud hosting plans come with a free SSL certificate that is easy to install. Plus, they have a 45-day money-back guarantee if you are not satisfied with their service.
Pricing – 4.6: Verpex offers various reseller hosting plans, including the Start-Up Reseller, Pro Reseller, and Ultimate Reseller. The pricing ranges from $9.59/mo to $32.20/mo, and they offer up to a 90% discount for first-time clients, along with a 45-day money-back guarantee. Their plans come with free SSL certificates, free migrations, and free domain registration/transfer.
Reliability – 4.5: Verpex is a reliable web hosting provider with infrastructure located on five continents, ensuring superfast performance, SSD storage, unlimited bandwidth, and the latest cloud servers from the top public providers. They also offer free SSL certificates, advanced firewalls, and malware protection solutions for all sites, along with daily backups to guarantee reliability.
Additional Parameter: Default AutoSSL: Verpex ensures that each website hosted with them comes with a free AutoSSL. Once you publish your website and go live, their automatic SSL checker deploys a free SSL in less than an hour.
Pros & Cons
- Global infrastructure
- Superfast performance
- Advanced security features
- Limited choice of data centers
Best UK Web Hosting Providers: Final Recommendations
When it comes to choosing the best web hosting provider in the UK, it can be overwhelming to sift through all the options available. That’s why we’ve narrowed it down to the top 6 and evaluated them based on important factors such as features, support, pricing, ease of use, and reliability.
After careful consideration, our top pick is HostArmada. They offer the best combination of features, affordability, and user-friendliness. With various payment options, their cheap plan allows individuals and businesses of all sizes to enjoy their reliable services. Their user-friendly interface makes it easy to manage your website needs without any hassle.
One of the things that set HostArmada apart is its commitment to providing fast website speeds with a 99.99% uptime guarantee. They achieve this by using tools and techniques such as website optimization, web server cache, SSD storage, and the latest PHP and MySQL version. Plus, their data center located in the United Kingdom’s business hub, London, helps ensure that visitors receive the best web experience possible.
Overall, HostArmada is the best choice for those who want reliable, fast, and affordable web hosting in the UK. Whether you’re a beginner or an experienced user, their customizable features and user-friendly interface make it easy to create and manage your website.
Types of Web Hosting and Which Is the Right One for You?
If you’re planning to launch a website, one of the critical decisions you’ll make is choosing the right type of web hosting. Here are some of the most popular types of web hosting and who they’re best suited for:
Shared Hosting: Shared hosting allows multiple websites to use a single server, which helps reduce costs. While this is an affordable option, it could potentially slow down your website’s loading time and limit resources. Shared hosting is an excellent choice for small businesses and individuals who want an affordable hosting plan.
VPS Hosting: Virtual Private Server (VPS) hosting is a type of hosting where a server is divided into multiple virtual servers. Each VPS has its own resources, including memory, CPU, and storage. VPS hosting is ideal for businesses that need more resources and control over their hosting environment.
Dedicated Hosting: With dedicated hosting, you get an entire physical server dedicated to your website. This option provides the most resources and control, making it perfect for large businesses with high-traffic websites.
Cloud Hosting: Cloud hosting uses a network of servers to host websites. It’s a scalable option that provides high performance and reliability, making it ideal for businesses that require flexibility and security.
Factors to Consider When Choosing a Web Hosting Plan
When selecting a web hosting plan, there are several factors you should consider. Here are some of the most critical factors to keep in mind:
- Uptime guarantee
- Server location
- Customer support
- Scalability
- Security features
- Price
Reseller Hosting vs. Shared Hosting
Reseller hosting is a type of hosting where the account owner can sell hosting plans to other users. Shared hosting, as discussed earlier, allows multiple websites to use a single server. While reseller hosting provides more control and flexibility, shared hosting is a more affordable option for businesses with a limited budget.
Ranking comparison between the Top Providers
How Do We Rank and How Should You Choose Your Web Hosting Provider?
- Price to value ratio10%
- Uptime, speed, and performance25%
- Features20%
- Brand reputation30%
As a hosting review expert, we used a simplified valuation process to help web owners make informed decisions about various hosting providers. The ranking method we use consists of a combination of both real-time performance and user reviews to properly evaluate providers. We also consider factors such as price to value ratio which represents the balance between cost and service quality, it carries a 10% weight.
Furthermore, other factors such as uptime, speed, and performance that form the basic part of website accessibility were also considered. A 25% weightage was allocated to this factor. Additionally, features such as security and backup options which are very important factors carry a 20% weightage. Ease of use, customer support carries a combined 15% weightage. We also consider brand reputation which gives us the overall idea of each provider’s quality, this carries a 30% weight.
- Price to value ratio (10%)
- Uptime, speed, and performance (25%)
- Features (20%)
- Ease of use and customer support (15%)
- Brand reputation (30%)
By considering these factors, we are able to provide a comprehensive evaluation of each provider, helping website owners choose the right one for their needs.