Post updated for 2019. Now I do know, that there are some good aussie web hosts in Australia , but if you are starting out with a new website or blogging site and need some cheap hosting then it would be wise to do research before buying your webhosting.
I have used a mix of aussie hosts and US based web-hosting providers in my list below and prices for blogging software and web-hosting can certainly differ a lot between these hosts.
US web-hosts can be quite competitive and affordable compared to some of our local Australian companies.
I posted this price table below in 2017, but prices and features have been regularly updated. [ This post was updated on 09 January 2018 ]
Affordable Wordpress Hosting in Australia
I got this question asked to me on this blog ..
“I am planning to start a blog, most likely using the wordpress blogging platform and I am looking for a good web host (Australian preferable since most of my content will be for Australians).
– I have received many similar questions since then – so I decided to do this post
I have purchased .com.au domains from smarty host (local aussie provider –now netregistry) when I started my bloggin journey, they used to provide a website hosting service as well which i never tested out .
Net-registry are pretty good with their domain names service, however if you want to compare Australian web hosting prices against the US based providers. Some of the US based providers are definitely more affordable even with domain name prices(check my blog post where I recently bought .au domain name from Godaddy at a nice discount price here).
Godaddy also sell SSL certificates which help you secure your website and get https in your url (this help in ranking your website). Their custom plans also feature SSD hard drives now.
Below, I will also include smarty host(netregistry) in my comparison chart for Australian + US hosting providers packages.
Dedicated servers are not listed as they are more pricey and only shared plans which are affordable have been featured here for bloggers and beginner websites .
I will rank them in order of my ratings and preference with the best at the top of this list as per my experience with them, except for smarty host who I don’t use for hosting but just domain names – who is right at the top.
I have been using the rest of the Hosting companies mentioned for the last 10+ years while blogging. Some of these hosting plans listed below, also offer a bonus free domain name.
Australian Vs US hosting Comparison for blogs and websites
To keep it simple I have just added four columns – Click the discount link below to claim the most current discounts
| Hosting Provider | Features | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Namescout
[now rebel.com] Easy Builder package 1 web hosting |
| $2.50 a month
(normally |
| Wphosting.com.au
|
| $19 a month |
| Hostmonster
Free 1 click installs For blogs, shopping carts, and more Special Deal Now: |
| $3.95 month |
| Godaddy
Go Daddy’s has Reliable Web Servers and their 24/7 available tech support is always handy. They have a free trial website builder package. Price: AUS$ – 30%* off! Get going with GoDaddy! $1.00 Deal (normally$10.99) – Clickhere
+ Free Domain name Plan They also provide discounted domain name deals. |
| $4.99 month |
Dreamhost
In addition to shared web hosting, Dreamhost also offers virtual private servers, dedicated hosting and WordPress optimised and Cloud web hosting Special deal Now:Price: Normally$9.95 a month ($119.40 yearly) Our Current promo offer: $4.95 a month($59.40 yearly @$60 Discount) +Free lifetime domain registration (Use this promo code: startwebsite )*Promo code also applies to two year plans taken.This promo code adds 1 extra FREE lifetime domain registration to any plan signed up for with it! |
| $4.95 month Use promo code startwebsite to get dicount from $60 based on hosting package period you buy |
| Hostgator
HostGator is a leading provider of webhosting, reseller hosting, VPS Servers, and dedicated servers Link Deals Below:
(Discounts pre-applied in our custom links) |
Now 20% off! | $5.56 month |
| Bluehost
Web Host – 24/7 USA-based support. Free 1 click installs for blogs Install WordPress with a click of a button at Special Promotion Offer for October 2017 from Digital GROG + BLUEHOST
+ Free Domain Name |
| $3.95 month |
| SmartyHost (Now NetRegistry)
Affordable “Australian-based Web Hosting” and domains Provides Domain Name Registration & Websites. Offer- Please check – Apply discount code 123 and you will get 10% off the order |
| $10 a month($150 paid yearly in advance) |
| Step 1 – Choosing the Hosting Platform |
|---|
Most popular blogging platforms Overview
- WordPress 60%
- Joomla Drupal more 20%
- Wix Weebly Squarespace 20%
The figures in bar counter diagram are figures from self hosted managed CMS platforms aggregated from online resources.
The below figures in circle chart are for websites from data received form survey done online.
Wordpress facts
WordPress is the most popular CMS in the world and is used by nearly 75 million websites. According to WordPress, more than 409 million people view more than 23.6 billion pages each month and users produce and whopping 69.5 million new posts every month. It also powers more than 25% of the world’s websites.
The first thing to do when you are starting your own website rather than hiring a website designer or web developer, is to get the WordPress platform to build your website.
This platform is regularly updated to keep you safe from hackers and upto date with the latest version of wordpress.
I say this because I have also used Joomla and Drupal website builders which are good content management systems, but they are not as good as the WordPress platform in ease of use and flexibility to customise as per your needs.
The ranking above is based on my use of these service providers based on price, reliability, affordability, up-time, features, ease-of-use, server speed and overall support.
There is always the option to use premuim Australian Web Hosting from good companies like rackspace or crucial, but budget shared US hosting is OK if your are just starting a blog or website.
You can also get an .au domain name and still use US Webhosts to host your Australian webpage.
Above in the chart – Under features, I have updated the ones in green as essential things bloggers would like to have in their hosting plan and the ones in bold black font are the highlights /features of that hosting provider
I have also written more detailed reviews before for some of these web-hosts which can be found below
What is shared hosting?
Shared web hosting is what most people mean when they refer to “web-hosting”. It simply means that many customers’ websites reside on a single web server, and that the server’s resources (CPU and RAM) are shared among every customer account on the machine.
Shared Plans is cheap because many people share one server.
Most shared hosting plans listed above offer free quick install scripts like above in the pic and sometimes also offer free design templates for your webpage, Free domain email, FTP, $100 google adwords bonus and Facebook advertising coupons etc.
Company Overview – Shared Hosting Plan Providers for Blogs
Bluehost.com
Bluehost’s fast and reliable website hosting gives you everything you need to get your website online quickly. Bluehost is a web hosting company owned by Endurance International Group
Key people in bluehost – Matt Heaton (Founder, CEO 2003-2011) Dan Handy (CEO 2011-2015) Mike Olson (CEO 2015-present)
They have servers in Provo, Utah, USA. Bluehost’s uptime is just about perfect (99.98%), well over industry standard which is around 99.90%. Prior to last 6 months
Bluehost Deal
Hostgator.com
HostGator recently launched their new, premium hosting called HostGator WordPress Cloud.
Founded in a dorm room at Florida Atlantic University by Brent Oxley, HostGator has grown into a leading provider of Shared, Reseller, VPS, and Dedicated web hosting. HostGator is headquartered in Houston and Austin, Texas, with several international offices throughout the globe.
HostGator has been around since 2002, originally founded by Brent Oxley before being acquired a decade later by Endurance International Group (EIG).
Hostgator Deal
Bob Parsons the founder of godaddy is a serial entrepreneur. He sold his first company to Intuit, Inc. in 1994. Three years later Parsons started Jomax Technologies, renaming the company GoDaddy in 1999. In 2000, GoDaddy became an ICANN-accredited domain name registrar. Designated CEO Now: Scott Wagner (Jan 1, 2018).
They have many different kind of plans. While Deluxe and Unlimited WebHosting Plans support and host unlimited Web Sites, owners of single plans may experience periodic decreases in performance once they more than 400 Web Sites.
Godaddy Deal
Crucial.com
The Sydney-based company has focused on delivering a better experience for customers, with the roll-out of an industry first concept; Managed Google Apps.
Crucial’s roots trace back to a student bedroom in Bondi in 2003 where the company was first formed, and its headcount currently sits at 20 employees before the AVS buy.
Crucial Deal
Hostmonster.com
HostMonster has been providing hosting solutions to thousands of business and personal web sites since 1996. Our internet hosting package helps businesses and individuals get high-powered service at a fraction of the cost.
Features
- Unlimited disk storage
- Unlimited domain Hosting
- Free drag and drop builder
- cPanel Account Control Panel
Hostmonster Deal
Some of the links on this blog are affiliate links an I might earn a commission from it , rest assured the review is honest and written from my own perspective. The Webhosting features and pricing are as current at the time of writing and links when clicked will update to the most current advertised or discount deal.
I hope, I have helped you in choosing a good hosting provider to get started building your website.
After getting your domain and hosting sorted , there is just one more thing left to complete the picture and make it all come together , which is your blog design and look. A good professional looking wordpress theme is essential for people to get attracted to your blog and also trust and like you blog.
Check out my review post on some of the wordpress theme providers I have been using for a long time.
You can use the free google advertising coupons to boost your website in Google search to get more traffic to your website
Digitalgrog.com.au is a affiliate partner to most of the Hosting services and some other blog related promotion services that I have listed here on my blog and I use, which means that in addition to using their service, we also receive a commission for referring new customers. Digitalgrog is a Bluehost/ Hostgator/ Hostmonster/ Godaddy /Dreamhost/Ipage affiliate partner and we also have purchased accounts with these services
To be fair, though, we still use these services even if we weren’t an affiliate. We don’t recommend any particular host just because we’re an affiliate (every company offers a similar affiliate program), we recommend certain services because they are the best or better more reliable option. Plus, because we’re a partner, these providers offers a special price for Digitalgrog.com.au readers. Get your hosting today and get started.
Because we’re a partner, Bluehost offers a special price for digitalgrog.com.au readers: only $3.95 a month which includes a domain name. We already have our godaddy $1 special offer listed above i.e if you are looking for a cheaper deal.
Links provided above in the table will take you to the latest updated promo and discount deals. Feel free to pick which host suits your budget or preference and good luck to your new start 🙂
Some local reviews ( from whirlpool.com.au)
.com.au, .net.au, .org.au Domain Names
NameScout
I found the cheapest provider to the public at only $59.99 per domain (2 years registration included – I think this is pricey ), they had a really nice site, great functionality (they create redirecting email address’ on their servers that randomly generate so you don’t get spam from who is lookups which is awesome).
Only downside was their customer service, not only they don’t answer emails on weekends, they operate from Barbados, so if you send an email during the day you tend to not get a reply till early the next morning (e.g. 2 am). (Quote: eXtreme)
The cheapest I found was which was $7.95 US (on special) but normal price was $8.95 which is still great, and they offer the same management features as most other registrars. Only downside is they have a fair bit of ads on their site (no pop-ups), but since you barely ever visit your registrar it is no problem. I found registration very easy and they customer service was excellent. (Quote: eXtreme)
Namecheap is good: $8.88 US a year for .com, .net, .org and SSl certificates (https in your domain name)
Just registered 2 domains with them – no problems so far. (Quote: pcpowerplay)
Incoming Searches
- Should I use an US web host in Australia
- Website designing
- Website design
- Web developers
- Domain registrars
- How to start a blog Australia
- Making a website with WordPress
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Just found your website via searching for cheap hostind deals and found teh godaddy $1 deal
Are they reliable for a beginner site .
Cheers
Jackie
i would surely recommend them , if your starting out and on a budget
cheers
Jeff
What about wpengine are they any good for the price..
Yes they are
but if their price is justifiable for the hosting they provide ..i dont know ;/
I constantly spent my half an hour to read this weblog’s articles
or reviews daily along with a mug of coffee.
A great read on this article. Some insightful information here.
We have servers located within Australia for our Australian customers which provides a much more faster, secure and reliable web hosting service.
over all topic is amazing and good get cheap domain name only for $1 from coupon code if you are interested to buy this is only $1 if you buy first time.folow the link for buying your specific name
hey jeff
for starting a blog in australia would you recommend Hostgator or Bluehost . I know they are both not australian, but im trying to decide between features and price
Cheers
Simon from brissy
Cheers dude
Made up my mind today!
Thanks JJ!
I read this article a little a while ago, I ended up hosting with BlueHost initially, but quickly changed to an Australian Based company. Hosting Australia http://www.hosting-australia.com/ is the company I went with. I was an absolute newbie and every time I called them I spoke to an Australian (which was important to me) and their support is always super fast and super helpful. I’m not sure if you want to check them out and add them to your list, but I think they’re definitely worth a mention. I was quite frustrated a US based company. Their prices are very similar to SmartyHost.
Anyway, check them out if you want. I just wanted to share a great experience after experiencing a crappy one with a US company 🙂
Or get wordpress for free from Azure, or for around the same price as above, and host it in AU.
If you are targeting Australians, don’t host in the USA. Also if you host in the USA you are subject to their law (period) for everything you write on it, not AU law.
There are some equally cheap, quality hosts in AU that will make your site lightning fast without the latency of the US, or the drop outs of international links (which happens about once a month ATM)
I do agree if your target audience is solely Australians then it does not hurt to get a aussie host ..but if youa re open for business to all of the internet ,then US hosts are good too and more affordable 🙂
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Hey jeff
thanks for the nice review .. i might end up going with hostgator .. but are there any deals for $1 or under where i can get hosting i am on a budget to start a website .. any reliable hosting int hat price range
cheers
Jerry
Hi jerry
check the banner on side bar for godaddy right now https://www.digitalgrog.com.au/.
there is a deal for $1 month hosting + domain free
have fun
Jeff
Deal really looks very cheap, let me bookmark it, thanks
Hey jeff
Does disk space really matter when purchasing hosting. . Just wondering if i will run out of space and then have to pay more later on for more space?
Thanks for the detailed comparison
Lucky
Any webhosting customer is allotted a specific amount of hard disk space on the server they’re purchasing. if you have a ecommerce site or photography blog you can post lot of high resolution big images an that can eat up your space . The amount of disk space needed depends greatly on the type of website. One with hundreds of large audio and video files, for example, will consume more space than a simple site with five or six pages
saying this however Most sites, will never be large enough to require the “unlimited” packages that many hosting companies offer..which means you are good to use any of the shared hosting packages mentioned here and not worry about space constraints ..if you still want a specific answer.. you can always give the hosting provider a call and speak to them
See How You Can Set Up a WordPress Blog in 15 Minutes
good luck
jeff
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cHEERS DUDE
I WAS TRYING TO READ AND DECIDE
Not a problem ..Glad to help /Jeff
I can see you have focused on price as a key factor when determining hosts, and I agree in a lot of situations it is critical but what I have found over the years is that going with a more expensive host that does ONLY wordpress has proven to be much more beneficial in the long run for speed, reliability and everything else..
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I agree that these all companies are the best one. But can you look at RLR hosting. They have excellent hosting plans. I think no one can compare to them. Not even godaddy. RLR provides hosting service for just $3.25/Month.
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Mate, what we really do need is a comparison of quality of service that Australian hosts provide. It’s easy to compare $ for $ and MByte for MByte etc. But it all boils down to service; I can get a problem resolved with hostgator within 5 minutes with online chat. Trying to get through to crazy domains is impossible – my last attempt took over 30 calls to actually get to their exchange! And then I sat in a queue for almost 20 minutes before the line dropped out. An email that was supposed to be attended to within 24 hours for “premium” service took well over 4 days.
I really hope to see such an article from you soon…
Cheers
hey anton
thanks for feedback will surely do a follow up on post on customer service ,, i have 4 hosting accounts so definitely know which one is beer than the other one
I sent you email to gmail
check it
Cheers
Jeff
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