What is web hosting and which one should you choose?
Web hosting is the service that stores your website and serves it to visitors. Here are the main types, what matters (speed, uptime, support) and what it costs.
Web hosting is the service that stores your website files and serves them to visitors when they type your address. Without hosting, your site is not online. This guide explains the main types of hosting, what actually matters when choosing, and what it costs in 2026.
- ✓Hosting is what keeps your site online and determines much of its speed.
- ✓Prioritise speed, uptime, security and support over the lowest price.
- ✓Managed or included hosting saves you the technical hassle.
What is web hosting?
Web hosting is space on a server, a computer that is always on and connected to the internet, where your website lives. When someone visits your site, the host delivers your pages to their browser. The quality of your host directly affects how fast your site loads and how reliably it stays online.
What are the main types of hosting?
The common options, from cheapest to most capable:
- Shared hosting: cheapest, your site shares a server with many others.
- VPS: a dedicated slice of a server, more power and control.
- Dedicated hosting: a whole server for your site, for high traffic.
- Cloud/managed hosting: scalable and hands-off, the host manages it for you.
What matters when choosing a host?
Do not choose on price alone. The factors that matter most are speed (fast servers and a CDN), uptime (how reliably the site stays online, ideally 99.9% or better), security (SSL, backups, protection), and support (fast, competent help when something breaks).
How much does web hosting cost?
Shared hosting starts around $3 to $15 per month, VPS around $20 to $80, and managed or cloud hosting from about $20 upward depending on scale. Some studios include hosting in a single plan so you never manage it yourself.
How BigBrowser helps
With BigBrowser, fast, secure hosting is included in your monthly plan, so your site stays quick and online without you ever choosing or managing a host.
Glossary terms
Want a website that converts?
- ✓Custom design, never a template
- ✓Live in about 10 days
- ✓Hosting and support included
Co-Founder of BigBrowser. I write about web design, cost, and growth.