Start with the website.
A small information site, a WordPress blog and an online shop have different needs. Check the software, storage and support requirements before choosing a plan.
Check WordPress’s official requirementsCheap hosting.
Clear thinking.
Your plain-English guide to cheap web hosting in the UK. Check what your website needs and estimate the cost before you buy.
What will your hosting cost?
Example prices, not a provider offer.
Offer-period costRenewal costExtras & fees£6.00 / month on average
How this estimate works
If you pay for the whole 12-month offer period upfront, the hosting charge is £24.00 before extras or fees.
The total estimates the cost for your selected period, not the amount due today. Paying for a longer term upfront, or renewing in blocks, can mean a larger payment. It assumes renewal prices and extra costs stay the same. It does not account for future price changes, refunds or adjustments for part of a billing period.
No monthly extras or one-off fees are included.
Know the renewal. Check the extras.
Read the hosting checklistYou need a home
for your website.
Not every extra.
A low headline price is a starting point. The better question is whether the plan includes what your website needs, at a cost you’re comfortable keeping.
Look beyond month one.
Check how long the offer lasts, what it costs afterwards and how often you pay. An advertised monthly price can require a whole year or more to be paid upfront.
Find out what’s included.
Check email, SSL certificates (HTTPS), backups and help moving your site. Ask what is included for the whole term, what renews at an extra charge and what restoring a backup costs.
Ask what “UK” means.
A UK business, UK support and a UK server location are different things. If any of those matter to you, check which the provider actually offers.
Buy for the site
you’re building.
Use this as a starting point for your shortlist. A plan name alone doesn’t tell you its limits or what support you’ll get.
Scroll across to see all three columns.
| Your website | A useful starting point | Check before paying |
|---|---|---|
| A simple information site | Static hosting, or a basic shared plan if your software needs it. | Domain connection, HTTPS, storage and publishing method. |
| A WordPress site | WordPress-compatible shared hosting; managed hosting if you want more help. | Supported software versions, backups, updates and support scope. |
| An online shop | A plan compatible with your chosen shop software. | Resource limits, recovery, checkout compatibility and responsibility for updates. |
“Unlimited” is not a performance promise. Check the acceptable-use policy and resource limits as well as the storage allowance.
Small questions.
Useful answers.
Hosting has its own vocabulary.
Here’s the plain-English version.
What’s the difference between a domain and hosting?
Your domain is the address people use to find you. Hosting stores and serves your website’s files and, where needed, its database. Email is another service: it may come with hosting, or you can buy it separately.
Can cheap web hosting be enough for a small business?
It can be a sensible starting point for a modest website when the plan meets its software, traffic and support needs. Look at the actual limits, backup arrangements and renewal price rather than assuming a more expensive plan is always better.
Is the advertised monthly price what I pay each month?
Not necessarily. Some offers quote a monthly equivalent but charge for a whole term upfront. Check the amount due today, the length of that term and what you’ll pay at renewal. The calculator shows an estimated cost over time, not the checkout payment schedule.
Do I need to move my domain when I change hosting?
Domain registration and web hosting can be with different companies. You can often keep your domain where it is and change its DNS settings (the records that direct your domain to its services) to use the new host. Keep existing email and other service records, and plan the move before changing anything.
What should I ask about backups?
Ask how often backups run, how long they’re kept, where they’re stored and whether you can restore them yourself. Check whether restoration costs extra. A hosting account with backups is useful, but understand what you are still responsible for keeping.
A clear cost.
A more confident choice.
Found an offer? Enter its monthly prices and how long the offer lasts to estimate the cost over time.
Calculate total cost