Find your kind of hosting
Web hosting types and categories
There is no single best host, only the best one for what you are building. Start with the type of hosting that fits, where each guide pairs a plain-English explainer with real plans and prices, then drill into the providers.
The seven types of hosting
Each is an in-depth guide with live pricing. Tap through to read it.
Shared hosting
The low-cost starting point for most websites.
WordPress hosting
Managed, tuned and hardened just for WordPress.
Reseller hosting
Buy in bulk and sell hosting under your own brand.
VPS hosting
Guaranteed CPU and RAM, root access, room to grow.
Cloud hosting
Scales on demand, survives a single-server failure.
Managed hosting
The provider runs the server so you do not have to.
Dedicated servers
A whole physical machine, yours alone.
Specialist hosting
Emerging niches with their own guide.
Hosting types at a glance
The same seven types, side by side on what actually separates them.
| Type | From | Best for | Control | Management | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Shared hosting | $0.06/mo | Blogs, brochure and small business sites | Hands-off | Fully managed | Guide › |
| WordPress hosting | $0.08/mo | WordPress, WooCommerce, content sites | Hands-off | Fully managed | Guide › |
| Reseller hosting | $1.66/mo | Agencies and new hosting brands | Some control | Mostly managed | Guide › |
| VPS hosting | $0.20/mo | Growing sites, apps, developers | Full control | Either | Guide › |
| Cloud hosting | $1.80/mo | Spiky traffic, high-uptime apps | Full control | Either | Guide › |
| Managed hosting | $0.53/mo | Teams without a sysadmin | Some control | Fully managed | Guide › |
| Dedicated servers | $0.47/mo | High traffic, heavy or compliance loads | Total control | Either | Guide › |
Not sure which to pick?
Find yourself in one of these and follow the link.
“I am starting a blog or small site”
Shared hosting is cheap, managed and more than enough to begin.
Shared hosting ›“I am building a WordPress or WooCommerce site”
Managed WordPress hosting is tuned for speed and takes maintenance off your plate.
WordPress hosting ›“My site has outgrown shared hosting”
A VPS gives you guaranteed resources and root access without the cost of a full server.
VPS hosting ›“I need to handle traffic spikes”
Cloud hosting scales on demand and shrugs off a single-server failure.
Cloud hosting ›“I want to start a hosting business”
Reseller hosting lets you sell under your own brand with the host doing the heavy lifting.
Reseller hosting ›“I want the most power and isolation”
A dedicated server is a whole machine, yours alone, for heavy or sensitive workloads.
Dedicated servers ›All provider categories
Every category in the directory, with the number of active providers in each.
Domain Registration
Domain registration providers listed in this directory allow individuals and businesses to secure and manage internet domain names across a wide range of extensions. From traditional options such as .com and .co.uk to newer industry specific and geographic TLDs, registrars act as the intermediary between customers and official domain registries. Core services typically include domain search and registration, DNS management, nameserver configuration, renewal handling, and WHOIS privacy protection. Many providers also offer bundled services such as email hosting, SSL certificates, and website builders. Choosing the right registrar involves more than price alone. Factors such as renewal fees, transfer policies, DNS performance, and support quality all influence long term reliability. For businesses, domain ownership is a critical digital asset and should be managed with care.
Linux Hosting
Linux hosting providers listed in this directory deliver web hosting environments built on Linux based operating systems such as Ubuntu, CentOS, and AlmaLinux. Linux remains the industry standard for web infrastructure due to its stability, security model, and compatibility with widely used technologies including Apache, Nginx, PHP, and MySQL. Most plans support popular applications such as WordPress, Magento, and custom PHP frameworks, with SSH access available on higher tiers. Linux hosting is typically more cost effective than Windows alternatives and benefits from strong open source community support. For businesses and developers seeking flexibility, performance, and broad ecosystem compatibility, Linux hosting remains the default choice across shared, VPS, cloud, and dedicated environments.
SSL Certificates
SSL certificate providers listed in this directory supply the digital certificates required to encrypt data between a website and its visitors. SSL, more accurately TLS, ensures that information such as login credentials, payment details, and personal data is transmitted securely and cannot be intercepted in transit. Providers offer a range of validation levels, including domain validation, organisation validation, and extended validation, depending on the level of identity verification required. Many also support wildcard and multi domain certificates for larger deployments. Beyond security, SSL is essential for browser trust indicators and search visibility. Modern websites should always operate over HTTPS to maintain credibility and compliance.
Email Hosting
Email hosting providers listed in this directory deliver professional mailbox services linked to your own domain name. Unlike free consumer email platforms, hosted email gives businesses full control over branding, user management, storage limits, and security policies. Most providers offer webmail access, IMAP and POP connectivity, spam filtering, virus protection, and mobile synchronisation. Advanced plans may include calendar sharing, collaboration tools, and enhanced compliance features. Reliable email infrastructure is essential for business credibility and communication continuity. When evaluating providers, consider uptime guarantees, data security standards, storage allowances, and long term pricing transparency.
Website Builder
Website builder providers listed in this directory offer all in one platforms that allow users to create and publish websites without managing separate hosting or writing code. These services combine hosting, design templates, and drag and drop editing tools within a single subscription. Most platforms include responsive themes, built in SEO settings, ecommerce functionality, and integrated security. Updates, maintenance, and infrastructure are handled entirely by the provider, removing the need for technical server management. Website builders are well suited to small businesses, freelancers, and startups seeking a fast route to launch. While less flexible than custom hosted solutions, they provide simplicity, predictable costs, and minimal technical overhead.
Windows Hosting
Windows hosting providers listed in this directory deliver server environments built on Microsoft Windows Server, supporting technologies such as ASP.NET, MSSQL, and the IIS web server. This category is designed for businesses and developers running applications that rely on the Microsoft ecosystem. Typical plans include support for .NET frameworks, Microsoft SQL databases, and integration with other Windows based services. While often slightly more expensive than Linux hosting, Windows environments are essential for specific enterprise applications and legacy systems. Windows hosting is best suited to organisations that require compatibility with Microsoft technologies and need infrastructure aligned with their existing development stack.
Managed WordPress
Managed WordPress hosting providers listed in this directory deliver environments specifically optimised for WordPress performance, security, and reliability. Unlike generic shared hosting, these platforms are configured to support WordPress at scale, with server level caching, PHP tuning, and database optimisation built in. Services typically include automatic core updates, daily backups, malware scanning, staging environments, and expert support from teams familiar with the WordPress ecosystem. Many providers also offer CDN integration and performance monitoring to maintain strong load times and uptime. Managed WordPress hosting is ideal for businesses, publishers, and ecommerce sites running on WordPress who require stability and speed without managing technical server tasks internally.
Managed VPS
Managed VPS providers listed in this directory combine the resource isolation of a virtual private server with professional server administration. Unlike unmanaged VPS plans, where customers handle configuration and maintenance themselves, managed services include ongoing technical oversight from the hosting provider. Customers benefit from dedicated virtualised CPU, RAM, and storage allocations, alongside services such as operating system updates, security patching, monitoring, backups, and performance optimisation. Many providers also assist with control panel setup, migrations, and application level support. Managed VPS hosting is well suited to growing businesses and developers who need greater performance and control than shared hosting offers, but prefer not to manage infrastructure tasks internally.
Colocation
Colocation providers listed in this directory offer data centre space for businesses that own their own physical servers but require enterprise grade facilities to house them. Rather than renting hardware from a hosting company, customers place their equipment within a professionally managed data centre environment. Colocation facilities provide secure rack space, redundant power supplies, climate controlled environments, high capacity network connectivity, and physical security measures including monitored access and surveillance. This allows organisations to maintain full control over their hardware configuration while benefiting from infrastructure that would be costly and complex to replicate on premises. Typical clients include software companies, financial services firms, agencies running private infrastructure, and organisations with compliance requirements that demand dedicated hardware ownership. Providers often offer additional services such as remote hands support, cross connects to network carriers, and bandwidth management. Colocation is best suited to businesses with in house technical expertise and a need for hardware control combined with data centre reliability. It provides a balance between ownership and resilience, delivering enterprise level uptime without the overhead of maintaining a private server room or facility.
WooCommerce
WooCommerce hosting providers listed in this directory deliver infrastructure specifically optimised for ecommerce stores running on WooCommerce. As an extension of WordPress, WooCommerce introduces additional database queries, dynamic content, and transactional processes that require stronger performance tuning than a standard brochure site. Most providers include server level caching configured to handle cart and checkout exclusions correctly, along with PHP optimisation, database scaling, and integrated SSL. Many also offer daily backups, staging environments, and security monitoring tailored to online retail environments. WooCommerce hosting is designed for store owners who require fast load times, secure transactions, and consistent uptime to support revenue generating activity without managing server configuration internally.
CDN Services
CDN service providers listed in this directory specialise in content delivery networks that improve website speed, resilience, and global reach. Rather than hosting your application itself, a CDN distributes cached versions of your static and dynamic assets across a geographically dispersed network of edge servers. When a user visits your website, content is served from the nearest edge location rather than your origin server. This reduces latency, improves load times, and decreases the processing load on your primary infrastructure. Modern CDN platforms also offer advanced capabilities such as DDoS mitigation, web application firewalls, bot management, image optimisation, and intelligent traffic routing. For ecommerce sites, media platforms, SaaS applications, and globally distributed audiences, a CDN is often a critical layer of performance and security rather than an optional enhancement. Many providers integrate directly with cloud platforms and hosting environments, allowing seamless deployment through DNS changes or reverse proxy configuration. CDN services are particularly valuable where uptime, speed, and security directly influence revenue and user experience. Businesses operating in competitive search markets also benefit from improved performance metrics, which can support stronger Core Web Vitals and overall site reliability.
Game Server
Game server hosting providers listed in this directory deliver infrastructure specifically optimised for online multiplayer environments. Unlike standard web hosting, game servers require consistent CPU performance, low latency network routing, and strong DDoS protection to maintain stable real time gameplay. Most providers support a wide range of popular titles and offer instant deployment, mod and plugin management, configurable player slots, and intuitive control panels. Server location is critical, as proximity to players directly affects ping and overall experience. For communities, competitive teams, or private groups, reliable hosting ensures smooth performance, player retention, and uninterrupted sessions.
Questions about hosting types
The common types are shared, WordPress, reseller, VPS, cloud, managed and dedicated hosting. They differ mostly in how resources are shared and how much control and performance you get. Shared is the cheapest and simplest; dedicated is the most powerful and the most hands-on.
Match it to your project. A small site or blog is happy on shared or managed WordPress hosting. A growing app that needs guaranteed resources wants a VPS or cloud plan. Only sites with heavy, consistent traffic or strict isolation needs require a dedicated server. The comparison above lines them up on price, control and what each is best for.
A hosting type, like VPS or shared, describes the underlying server arrangement. A category in our directory groups providers by how they position themselves, which often overlaps with type but can also reflect a focus such as a region, a platform or a niche. The type guides explain the technology; the category pages list the providers.
Yes. Most hosts sell more than one kind of plan, so a single provider can show up under shared, WordPress and VPS at once. That is why we let you browse both by type, for the guide and the plans, and by category, for the provider listings.
Ready to compare real plans?
Line up every plan from 4,189 providers on price and specs, or browse the full directory.