The perfect hosting provider for a small business will have a good mix of affordability, useful features, and beginner-friendly services, making it easy for anyone to host a website. GoDaddy is a popular provider as it has all these. However, that doesn’t mean it’s the right provider for you, and it’s by no means your only option. To help expand your choices, we’ve analyzed dozens of web hosts and boiled it down to the five best GoDaddy alternatives.
DreamHost | A2 Hosting | Bluehost | IONOS | GreenGeeks | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Best For | Best overall for service and top-notch support | Best GoDaddy alternative for fastest load speed | Best alternative for those building a new site | Best for those who want a cheaper alternative | Best for the environmentally conscious |
Expert Score | 4.75 out of 5 | 4.5 out of 5 | 4.38 out of 5 | 4.38 out of 5 | 3.75 out of 5 |
Introductory Pricing | $2.59-$8.95 per month | $1.99-$25.99 per month | $3.95-$19.95 per month | $1-$8 per month | $2.49-$8.95 per month |
Renewal Price Range | $7.99-$13.9 per month | $10.99-$25.99 per month | $8.99-$28.99 per month | $6-$16 per month | $10.95-$25.95 per month |
Minimum Contract | Monthly | Monthly | 1-year | Monthly | Monthly |
Storage | Unlimited | 100GB to unlimited | 50GB to unlimited | 10GB to unlimited | 50GB to unlimited |
Bandwidth | Unlimited | Unlimited | Unlimited | Unlimited | Unlimited |
Free Backups | ✔ | Depends on plan | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ |
SSL Certificate | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ |
Average Server Uptime | 99.92% | 99.97% | 99.98% | 99.98% | 99.95% |
Control Panel | Custom | cPanel | cPanel | Custom | cPanel |
How We Evaluated the Alternatives
All these hosting providers have something to offer small businesses. We looked at each provider and the features they offer for the price, any extra services they provide that set them apart from the competition, how good their support is, and how customers reviewed them.
Our top alternative to GoDaddy is DreamHost. Although it doesn’t have the cheapest plans in the market, its flexible pricing scheme, great services, easy control panel, and 24/7 support make it well worth the price.
Here’s how we broke down our evaluation:
35% of Overall Score
Pricing and affordability are persuasive factors when it comes to committing to a web hosting service. Especially for small businesses on a limited budget, we understand that pricing is a major consideration. These five websites were analyzed according to not only their introductory prices, but also their renewal fees, discounts (if any), and tie-in periods.
40% of Overall Score
Features like storage, bandwidth, uptimes, and speed are important to note when it comes to choosing the best web hosting provider for your business. Your chosen hosting provider may be cheap, but their features need to be useful—regardless of what you paid.
5% of Overall Score
Different businesses require different features that aren’t all offered by the five hosts mentioned above. Aside from the general and basic features that we believe should be present in all the hosting providers, it’s always nice to know of any extra services that the provider offers to help your business grow.
10% of Overall Score
Aside from ease of use, having good support is always crucial to customer satisfaction. We looked at each of these providers to see which have 24/7 support, and which channels you can reach them on.
10% of Overall Score
Arguably the most important criteria, we have used our years of experience to determine which of these service providers are worth the price. We base our recommendations on the features that you get for the amount that you pay, how popular the hosts are with customers (since first-hand experiences are always more valuable), and how easy we find these providers are to use.
DreamHost: Best for Overall Service & Support
DreamHost
What We Like
- Unlimited storage and bandwidth
- Free domain for a year (not available on the monthly plan)
- Free SSL certificate
- Month-to-month pricing available
- Affordable plans
- 24/7 support
- 97-day money-back guarantee
What's Missing
- Has a custom control panel (instead of cPanel)
- Only U.S.-based servers
How It Compares to GoDaddy
- Cheaper introductory pricing, but overall slightly more expensive plans
- Fewer server locations (GoDaddy has both U.S. and Asia servers)
- Free SSL certificates, which GoDaddy only offers on their most expensive plan
- Easier and more intuitive control panel
- Better user reviews
DreamHost offers comparable services to GoDaddy: shared hosting servers, a dedicated WordPress hosting feature, domain registration, and VPS hosting. While DreamHost offers a cheaper introductory price of just $2.95 per month (on the one-year plan), GoDaddy’s renewal pricing is cheaper (with the cheapest starting at $3.99 a month). However, users report better support with DreamHost, as well as an easier and more intuitive control panel for beginners.
DreamHost Plans & Pricing
Shared Starter | Shared Unlimited | GoDaddy Starter | |
|---|---|---|---|
Introductory Price | $2.59-$4.95 per month | $3.95-$8.95 per month | $3.99 per month |
Renewal Price | $5.99-$7.99 per month | $10.99-$13.99 per month | $3.99 per month |
Websites | 1 | Unlimited | 1 |
Free Domain | 1 year* | 1 year* | N/A |
Contract | Monthly, 1-year, and 3-year | Monthly, 1-year, and 3-year | 1, 12, 24, 36, 60, and 120 months |
Storage | Unlimited | Unlimited | 30GB |
Bandwidth | Unlimited | Unlimited | Unlimited |
Professional email | Additional $1.67 per month | Unlimited | N/A |
Cloudflare CDN | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ |
SSL Certificate | ✔ | ✔ | N/A |
*Not available on the month-to-month payment scheme
Need more information? Learn more about this web hosting platform by reading our comprehensive DreamHost review.
A2 Hosting: Best for Fast Website Loading Times
A2 Hosting
What We Like
- Servers based in the U.S., Europe, and Asia
- Ultrafast speeds (and the option to upgrade to even faster speeds)
- Free website migration
- Month-to-month plans
- Free professional emails
- 24/7 support
What's Missing
- Expensive plans
- Limited storage on its lowest plan
How It Compares to GoDaddy
- Much faster servers and page loading times, especially for WordPress hosting
- Free SSL certificate, which GoDaddy only offers on its most expensive plan
- More expensive plans overall
- Better, more responsive customer support
GoDaddy might be the more established name, but users report that its shared hosting servers are overwhelmed and overloaded. However, over at A2 Hosting, its servers are known for their speed, giving your site visitors a much better user experience, leading to lower bounce rates and improved search engine optimization. This also makes it ideal for content-heavy sites, such as portfolio websites and sites showcasing video content.
A2 Hosting Plans & Pricing
Startup | Drive | GoDaddy Starter | |
|---|---|---|---|
Introductory Price | $1.99-$8.99 per month | $3.99-$9.99 per month | $3.99 per month |
Renewal Price | $10.99 per month | $12.99 per month | $3.99 per month |
Websites | 1 | Unlimited | 1 |
Free Domain | N/A | N/A | N/A |
Contract | Monthly, 1-year, and 3-year | Monthly, 1-year, and 3-year | 1, 12, 24, 36, 60, and 120 months |
Storage | 100GB | Unlimited | 30GB |
Bandwidth | Unlimited | Unlimited | Unlimited |
Turbo Servers | N/A | N/A | N/A |
Cores | 1 | 2 | 1 |
Professional Email | Unlimited | Unlimited | N/A |
Cloudflare CDN | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ |
SSL Certificate | ✔ | ✔ | N/A |
Bluehost: Best for Building a Site From Scratch
Bluehost
What We Like
- Plenty of services outside of shared hosting
- Free domain for 1 year
- Free professional emails
- Easy, beginner-friendly interface
- Free WordPress migration
What's Missing
- No minimum agreed uptime
- Only U.S.-based servers
- Minimum of a 12-month tie-in
- Limited storage on its lowest plan
How It Compares to GoDaddy
- Cheaper overall plans and pricing for similar services
- Free backups, which cost $2.99 for 5GB support on GoDaddy
- Free SSL certificate, which GoDaddy only offers on its most expensive plan
- Easier interface for setting up a website
Bluehost and GoDaddy are arguably two of the most popular hosting providers. Unsurprisingly, they offer similar features, but Bluehost edges out GoDaddy by just a little bit. Bluehost has a slightly easier interface, better support, more affordable prices, and free backups. Additionally, Bluehost’s plans are all-inclusive, so they come with everything you need to build and launch a new website, making it a great choice for those just starting out.
Bluehost Plans & Pricing
Basic | Plus | GoDaddy Starter | |
|---|---|---|---|
Introductory Price | $3.95-$5.95 per month | $5.95-$7.95 per month | $3.99 per month |
Renewal Price | $8.99-$9.99 per month | $11.99-$13.99 per month | $3.99 per month |
Websites | 1 | Unlimited | 1 |
Free Domain | 1 year | 1 year | N/A |
Contract | 1-year, 2-year, and 3-year | 1-year, 2-year, and 3-year | 1, 12, 24, 36, 60, and 120 months |
Storage | 50GB | Unlimited | 30GB |
Bandwidth | Unlimited | Unlimited | Unlimited |
Professional email | 5 | Unlimited | N/A |
Cloudflare CDN | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ |
SSL Certificate | ✔ | ✔ | N/A |
IONOS: Best for Those on a Budget
IONOS
What We Like
- Low-cost plans with introductory prices as low as $1
- Free domain for 1 year
- Free professional emails
- Linux and Windows hosting
What's Missing
- Very limited storage
- Limited support channels
- Not available worldwide
- No cPanel
How It Compares to GoDaddy
- Cheap introductory and renewal prices for a good range of services
- Dated control panel, compared to GoDaddy’s modern and sleek cPanel
- Free SSL certificate, which GoDaddy only offers on their most expensive plan
- Lower storage limits
IONOS’ offerings are by no means groundbreaking, although they don’t fall far from the basic features other providers on this list offer. They do, however, shine in their pricing: IONOS’ plans edge out GoDaddy’s offerings significantly on pricing alone. For example, its mid-tier plan has an introductory price of just $1 per month, which goes up to $10 per month after the first 12 months.
IONOS Plans & Pricing
Essential | Business | GoDaddy Starter | |
|---|---|---|---|
Introductory Price | $4 per month | $1 per month | $3.99 per month |
Renewal Price | $6 per month | $10 per month | $3.99 per month |
Websites | 1 | Unlimited | 1 |
Free Domain | 1 year | 1 year | N/A |
Contract | Monthly | Monthly | 1, 12, 24, 36, 60, and 120 months |
Storage | 10GB | Unlimited | 30GB |
Bandwidth | Unlimited | Unlimited | Unlimited |
Professional email | 1 | 1 | N/A |
Cloudflare CDN | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ |
SSL Certificate | ✔ | ✔ | N/A |
GreenGeeks: Best for the Environmentally Conscious
GreenGeeks
What We Like
- Renewable energy initiative
- Free migrations
- 24/7 support
- Free domain for 1 year
- Professional email included
- Month-to-month billing available
What's Missing
- Poor performance for higher traffic
- Extra $15 one-time fee for month-to-month billing
How It Compares to GoDaddy
- Lower introductory prices
- GreenGeeks has a server in Europe, while GoDaddy has a server in Asia; both providers also have U.S. servers
- Free SSL certificate, which GoDaddy only offers on their most expensive plan
- Better features on the most basic plan, like free professional emails and a free domain
GreenGeeks is the leading environmentally friendly hosting provider, which uniquely matches your energy usage by 300%. It puts back three times the amount of power you use into the grid as renewable energy. That aside, it’s a quality hosting provider. With entry-level plans, you get decent storage, unmetered bandwidth, professional email, and a free domain name. While GoDaddy is cheaper, it doesn’t offer as many features as GreenGeeks’ entry-level plan.
GreenGeeks Plans & Pricing
Lite | Pro | GoDaddy Starter | |
|---|---|---|---|
Introductory Price | $2.49 per month | $4.95 per month | $3.99 per month |
Renewal Price | $10 per month | $15.95 per month | $3.99 per month |
Websites | 1 | Unlimited | 11 |
Free Domain | ✔ (with annual plan) | ✔ (with annual plan) | N/A |
Contract | Monthly, 1-year, 2-year, and 3-year | Monthly | 1, 12, 24, 36, 60, and 120 months |
Storage | 50GB | Unlimited | 30GB |
Bandwidth | Unlimited | Unlimited | Unlimited |
Cores | 2 | 3 | 1 |
Professional Email | 50 | Unlimited | N/A |
Cloudflare CDN | ✔ | ✔ | ✓ |
SSL Certificate | ✔ | ✔ | N/A |
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
What else does my small business website need?
Aside from a content management system and a host, you will also need to purchase a domain name from a registrar like GoDaddy. After designing your site and downloading any necessary plugins, you’ll be ready to publish. See how to build a small business website here to ensure that you aren’t missing any steps.
What’s the easiest way to build a website?
Building a website through WordPress and hosting it on one of the many hosting platforms is fairly simple to do. But if you want to build a website in a few hours, the best way to do so is through an all-in-one site builder. Simply create an account, design your website, and publish—the site builder you choose will host the site for you. See our recommended site builders and try them for yourself.
What is a CMS?
A CMS, or a content management system, is a software used for building, editing, and managing sites without coding knowledge. The most popular example of a CMS is WordPress, but Wix and Squarespace are content management systems as well. Learn more about content management systems and how they work with the other tools present in a website.
Bottom Line
The perfect web hosting provider for your small business will have a good mix of features, affordable plans, great uptimes, fast loading speeds, excellent customer support, and an intuitive user interface (UI). While the five GoDaddy alternatives above are a cut above the rest, DreamHost still comes out on top with its robust services (like free domain registration), relatively affordable plans and add-ons, outstanding customer service, and a beginner-friendly UI, making it easy for anyone to host a website.
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