Best Cheap Web Hosting Under $5/mo

Who cheap hosting is right for

Low-cost shared hosting is a sensible home for a first website, a personal blog, an online resume, a hobby project, a landing page for a small side business or a site you are still testing an idea with. At this level you are paying for convenience: the provider runs the server, and you get a control panel, a way to install WordPress or another app, and a place for email. You are not paying for high traffic capacity or hands-on help with your code.

What is usually included under $5

• One website, sometimes more on slightly higher tiers.
• A storage allowance that is fine for a small site, often on SSD.
• Free SSL certificates for HTTPS.
• One-click installers for WordPress and other popular software.
• A small number of email accounts.

What gets trimmed to hit the price

Every budget plan saves money somewhere. Knowing where helps you decide whether the cut matters for your project.

• Resource limits: lower CPU and memory allowances and fewer simultaneous processes, which matter when traffic spikes.
• Backups: daily backups may be missing or offered as a paid add-on. Plan your own backup routine if so.
• Website count: the cheapest plan may allow just one domain.
• Free domain: often only on annual or longer terms, and only for the first year.
• Support priority: the same support channels exist, but response times can be slower.

The real cost of a cheap plan

Introductory versus renewal price

The lowest prices usually require prepaying for one to three years and then renew at the regular rate. Compare the monthly price and the renewal price in the table so year two is not a surprise. Sometimes a plan that is slightly more expensive today is cheaper over three years.

Checkout add-ons

Domain privacy, malware scanning, premium SSL and extra backups are often pre-selected. Remove what you do not need; free SSL is sufficient for nearly every small site.

Refund conditions

Check how long the money-back guarantee lasts and what it excludes. Domain registration fees are almost always non-refundable.

Getting the most out of a budget plan

• Use a lightweight theme and a caching plugin to stay within resource limits.
• Compress images before uploading them.
• Put a free CDN in front of the site for global visitors.
• Download a copy of your site and database regularly.

When to upgrade

If your site starts earning money, regularly hits resource limits or needs more than one domain, step up to a better shared plan or a cheap VPS. For a closer look at how budget plans stack up line by line, see our cheap web hosting plans compared list.