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We compared 27 providers and 65 plans for PHP web hosting on six criteria, from the real monthly cost (including the renewal price) to support and refund terms. Key factors here: supported PHP versions, OPcache and per-site PHP settings.
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Specs for the moneyCPU cores, RAM, NVMe vs SSD storage and bandwidth
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Price, including renewalIntro price, renewal price and what you get per dollar
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Data center locationsUS regions (East, Central, West), Europe and Asia-Pacific coverage
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Uptime SLA and reliabilityPublished uptime guarantee, backups and DDoS protection
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Support24/7 availability, live chat or tickets, managed vs unmanaged
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Money-back and billingRefund window, hourly or monthly billing, cards, PayPal and crypto
Independent hosting comparisons · prices in USD from providers' official pricing pages · Data checked: May 13 – Sep 17, 2026 · Editorial policy
Why PHP hosting still deserves its own list
PHP powers WordPress, Drupal, Joomla, Magento and countless custom applications built on frameworks such as Laravel and Symfony. Nearly every shared host supports PHP in some form, but the developer experience varies enormously. Some hosts give you one fixed version and a file manager; others offer per-directory version switching, SSH, Composer and Git-based deploys. This list ranks hosts on how well they serve people who write or maintain PHP code.
What we look for in PHP hosting
Version choice and upgrade policy
You should be able to select from currently supported PHP releases and switch versions per site or directory. Just as important is how a host handles end-of-life versions: clear notice before removal and a period to test upgrades protect you from sudden breakage.
Extensions and configuration
Common extensions such as intl, gd or imagick, mbstring, zip, sodium, opcache and database drivers should be available. The ability to adjust settings like memory_limit, upload_max_filesize and max_execution_time through a panel or a per-directory configuration file saves support tickets.
Developer tools
SSH access for running commands, reading logs and managing files efficiently.
Composer available on the command line for dependency management.
Git for version-controlled deployments, ideally with deploy hooks.
Cron jobs for scheduled tasks and framework schedulers.
Error and access logs you can read without contacting support.
Databases
MySQL or MariaDB with a reasonable number of databases, remote access options where needed, and a management tool such as phpMyAdmin. Some hosts also offer PostgreSQL, which certain applications prefer.
Performance
PHP-FPM or LiteSpeed's PHP handler, OPcache enabled by default, NVMe storage and enough process limits keep applications responsive under load.
Framework-specific considerations
Modern frameworks expect the web root to point at a public subdirectory rather than the project root. Check that the host lets you change the document root for a domain. Queue workers and long-running processes are usually not allowed on shared hosting; if your application depends on them, you will need a Linux VPS.
Staging and safe deploys
Look for staging subdomains, the ability to clone a site, and automated backups you can restore before and after deployments. A simple workflow is to push to Git, pull on a staging copy, run migrations and tests, then deploy to production.
Pricing and terms
Developer features are sometimes limited to higher tiers, so check which plan includes SSH and Git. Compare the monthly price and the renewal price, and use the money-back guarantee to deploy a real application and verify extensions and limits.
Related reading
If WordPress is your main PHP application, see our best WordPress hosting list. To understand when shared PHP hosting is the right fit compared with other hosting tiers, read our overview of web hosting options.
How much PHP web hosting costs
PHP web hosting starts at $1/mo. Our catalog lists 131 plans here, from budget to high-end. The final price depends on CPU cores, RAM and storage type, and on whether an intro price renews higher.
Tier
Price, USD/mo
Best for
Plans
Budget
$1 – $2.99
Personal sites, portfolios, landing pages
19
Standard
$3 – $9.99
Business sites, WordPress with several plugins, small stores
Providers in this ranking take payment directly at checkout, with no middleman. Here is how many of them accept each method; the full list is on every provider card.
Payment method
Accepted by
Credit and debit cards (Visa, Mastercard, Amex)
26 of 27providers
PayPal
14 of 27providers
Crypto (Bitcoin, USDT and others)
3 of 27providers
Bank transfer / invoice
4 of 27providers
Frequently asked questions about PHP web hosting
Can I choose my PHP version on shared hosting?
Many hosts let you pick from supported PHP versions per site or directory through the control panel. Check how they handle versions reaching end of life.
Can I run Laravel on shared hosting?
Often yes, if the host provides SSH, Composer, a configurable document root and cron jobs. Queue workers and long-running processes usually need a VPS.
Do I need SSH access for PHP hosting?
Not for simple sites, but SSH makes Composer, Git deployments, log inspection and framework commands far easier.
Which database comes with PHP hosting?
MySQL or MariaDB is standard. Some hosts also offer PostgreSQL, which certain frameworks and applications prefer.
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