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Planning to start your own online business? That is great! The first thing you need for that is a website hosted on a sound and reliable web host. In other words, an online business website is not just about site design and URL registration. You also need to choose a web host to make your website accessible to thousands of online users.
Thanks to its importance, you will find hundreds of website host providers in India who can host your entire website at a wide range of costs. However, selecting the best hosting provider in India can be a daunting and challenging task. This is why we have made your job easier through our own research and experiments and have come up with a list of 10 of the best hosting services in India. But before you get to the list, let us first understand why a good host is so important for your website.
Our Top Picks
Best Overall - Hostinger
High speed, high uptime, Free Domain, Unlimited SSLs, amazing key features available, 24*7 customer support, not heavy on the pocket, all-in-all an amazing deal.
Best Uptime - Hostgator
Claims to have a 99.9999% up-time, add more 999’s to it.
Best Green Web Hosting - Green Geeks
24/7 and 365 days availability over call, live chat, email, and even WhatsApp.
Why is good hosting important?
In simple language, when you buy a web host, you purchase server space to upload and store all your website files. Whenever any online user tries to access your website, they make a request to your website, and in return, your web host delivers the requested files to the user. A good and reliable web host can benefit your online business by providing the following website-related services:
- High website speed and performance can improve your incoming traffic and engagement.
- High website uptime: So that your users can access your website 24/7 and 365 days a year.
- 24/7 customer support: You can respond to any technical and non-technical queries or complaints that you may have.
- Cost-effective pricing: That ensures you do not spend a lot on website hosting and other related services.
Keeping these points in mind, let us now get to 10 of the best hosting providers in India.
We picked the best hosting providers in India based on the following criteria.
- Speed
- Uptime
- Features
- Customer support
- Cost
Here are some of the best web hosts currently providing hosting-related services in India.
1. Hostinger - Click here for price details
Practically suited for any website, Hostinger is another web hosting service provider that is operational in India and across the globe. Some of this provider's bestselling points include fast speeds, cost-effectiveness, and good support.
Here are some of its key points:
- Average speed: 176 ms (globally), 99 ms (India)
- Average page loading time: 0.55 seconds
- Uptime: 99.9%
- Key features: 50 GB of free storage space, free domains, unlimited SSLs, unlimited bandwidth, LiteSpeed caching for fast content delivery, integration with Cloudflare CDN, and GitHub.
- Customer support: Lively customer support, live chat-based support, and interactions in native languages.
- Data Centers: India, Netherlands, Lithuania, UK, Singapore & USA
- Pricing: Monthly shared plans are priced from ₹ 69/- to ₹279/-.
- Discount code: Use code EXPRESS7 and get an additional 7% off.
Pros:
- Free domain.
- Unlimited SSLs
- Consistent speeds across all international areas.
- No-code website builder
- Exceptional customer support.
- User-friendly hPanel.
- 30-days money-back guarantee.
Cons:
- Daily backups only in higher plans.
- Separate cPanel plan.
- Expensive Minecraft hosting.
2. Bluehost -
Founded in 2003, Bluehost is one of the leading names in website hosting across the globe. This web host is also quite popular in India and has become the preferred choice for many business brands. Unlike other platforms, Bluehost’s data centres are based in India.
Here are some of its key points:
- Average speed: 154 ms (globally), 330 ms (India)
- Average page loading time: 0.98 seconds
- Uptime: 99.99%
- Key features: 50 GB SSD space, unlimited data transfer, 1 free domain, free Office 365 mailbox for 30 days, spam protection, and SSL certificates.
- Customer support: Poor and unreliable in India.
- Pricing: On the expensive side, ranging from Rs. 199/- to 366/- per month.
Pros and cons:
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3. GreenGeeks -
Based in California, GreenGeeks is the first and only environment-friendly web hosting company. They have a network of energy-efficient data centres that are based in the US, Canada, and Amsterdam, but none in India. Despite that, they offer excellent website speeds across the globe.
Here are some of its key points:
Average speed: 119 ms (globally), 208 ms (India)
Average page loading time: 0.60 seconds
Uptime: 99.8%
Key features: 300% energy efficiency, SSD storage on all offered plans, optimised LiteSpeed technology, Linux and cPanel support, and PowerCacher caching technology.
Customer support: 24/7 and 365 days support with good knowledge and troubleshooting skills.
Pricing: Multiple plans priced from Rs. 259/- to 888/- per month.
Pros and cons:
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4. HostGator -
HostGator is a globally recognized web hosting service that was found in a small dorm room of Florida Atlantic University. It has grown into a leading hosting provider and related services like shared, reseller, VPS, and dedicated web hosting.
Here are some key points:
- Average speed: 857 ms (average)
- Average page loading time: 1.03 seconds
- Uptime: 99.93%
- Key features: 1-click WordPress installer, free SSL certificate, easily accessible cPanel dashboard to manage hosting services, unlimited email ids.
- Customer support: 24*7 in-house support
- Pricing: Affordable price range starting from Rs. 399/- to Rs. 749/-.
Pros and cons:
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5. DomainRacer
DomainRacer is another popular web hosting service used around the globe. Among the affordable choices for Linux-based hosting, DomainRacer offers advanced features at a very nominal price.
Here are some of its key points:
- Average speed: 183 ms
- Average page loading time: 3.10 seconds
- Uptime: 99.99%
- Key features: Unlimited SSD space and websites, support for HTTP/3 and QUIC technologies, 21x speed with LiteSpeed caching technology.
- Customer support: 24/7 and 365 days through Live chat, e-mail, customer call, and WhatsApp.
- Pricing: Basic to Advanced plans priced from Rs. 59/- to 249/- per month.
Pros and cons:
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6. MilesWeb
Based in India, MilesWeb is a good and reliable web host for first-time website owners and eCommerce retailers. With a network of data centres located in India, the US, and the United Kingdom, MilesWeb is available on both Windows and Linux platforms. This platform offers various hosting solutions, including dedicated servers, shared hosting, and VPS.
Here are some of its key points:
- Uptime: 99.9%
- Key features: Unlimited bandwidth, free SSL certification, firewall protection for hosted websites, and eCommerce-specific functionalities.
- Customer support: 24/7 customer support.
- Pricing: Multiple plans priced from Rs. 40/- to 170/- per month.
Pros and cons:
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7. DreamHost
DreamHost is a WordPress processed hosting service which is scalable and allows the users to manage their websites on WordPress with automatic updates, caching and daily backups which have a shared server also accessed by other users.
Here are some key points:
- Average speed: 1180 ms (average)
- Average page loading time: 2.35 seconds
- Uptime: 99.62%
- Key features: 30 GB HDD space, unlimited domain names, unlimited bandwidth, unlimited email addresses, 1-click install for apps like WordPress, over 750,000 WordPress installations
- Customer support: 24*7 in-house support
- Pricing: Affordable price range starting from Rs. 190/-.
Pros and cons:
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How do we rate the best Hosting Provider in India?
Budget-Friendly
There are many budget-friendly hosting providers which provide all the required features and do not burn a hole in your pocket at the same time. Looking for options to satisfy your requirements while saving that extra penny.
Up-time
Up-time indicates the performance of the hosting providers. A good up-time over 99% means that your website is up and running constantly which is of utmost importance.
Speed
The website's speed is highly important because this will ensure that there is traffic on your website and people can access it easily. It also keeps constant engagement on the website.
Extra features provided
Many hosting providers provide additional services like email services, website monitoring, caching, unlimited bandwidth, etc. Look out for the features that you require and accordingly choose a hosting provider.
User ratings
User ratings are of utmost importance because claiming to have an uptime over 99% is different from actually having it. So be mindful and go through the reviews before you choose.
Conclusion
To summarise, these are 10 of the best web hosting companies in India that we have evaluated. Which is the best web host platform among them? That is difficult to determine, as each one of them has its specific pros and cons.
Finally, you need to pick a web host that is suited for your website and business needs. For example, if you are looking for fast server response and speed in India, you can consider Hostinger, A2 Hosting, or SiteGround, which offer the best website speeds.
Another criterion for deciding is: whether to opt for a local web host like HostingRaja or BigRock or a global brand like Hostinger or Bluehost. That depends on where you are likely to get most of your incoming traffic from; global brands can offer you better customer reach and consistent speeds across various geographical regions. Similarly, if pricing is the main criteria, local brands like GoDaddy India and BigRock are the best bet, especially if you only want to target local users for your online business.
So, what is your final take on the 10 web hosting companies we evaluated in this article? Which web host are you planning to buy for your online business? Or what has been your experience with any of these brands? Do let us know!
We look forward to hearing from you.
To contact the Express Deals team, please drop an email to - expressdeal@newindianexpress.com
We will reach out to you in the next 48 business hours.