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
[ninja_tables id=”5733″]
| 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
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
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
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
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
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
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- How to start a blog Australia
- Making a website with WordPress
