Hosting services were previously available only for large enterprises, but now they are a powerful tool
that anyone can easily access. Hosting services are indispensable for managing websites, applications,
and other online services—today, they have a wide range of applications for businesses and individual
users. However, hosting services are not entirely perfect, and no service is without its drawbacks.
As the number of hosting services increases, some of them offer similar features and benefits, making
it difficult to choose. So, how should we choose the right hosting service?
We spent over 160 hours researching resources to learn more about hosting technologies, service types,
limitations, advantages, and disadvantages, and as a result, we identified four key factors to evaluate
hosting services. Based on these factors, we selected the best services and ranked them from most
important to least important.
Security and Privacy
Security and privacy are among the top priorities of hosting services. When using hosting services,
the protection and security of the data stored on the servers is one of the most important factors
that increase the value of the service. Good hosting services are committed to protecting user data to
the minimum level and transparency regarding security is a feature that distinguishes the best
services from the weakest ones.
Hosting services ensure the security of websites and other digital assets. When signing a contract
with a hosting provider, you trust them to protect your site's data and defend against network
attacks. We prefer hosting services with clear privacy and security policies.
After reviewing the policies, we also considered two other elements that show the hosting providers'
transparency on security issues. The first is regular security reports that cover information on
malicious activities and security measures on the servers. These documents show how seriously hosting
providers take security issues.
The second element is independent audits. This is an examination carried out by third-party audit
firms to check the hosting service's security protocols and server infrastructure. These audits help
identify areas that need improvement in hosting services and show how transparent the provider is with
regard to security issues.
Additionally, the jurisdiction in which the hosting provider operates is important. For the
protection of your data, it is critical that the hosting service operates in a country with strong
data protection laws. We prefer hosting services that ensure personal data protection and adhere to
higher security standards.
Security and privacy issues in hosting services are not just about legal matters. Hosting providers
must also implement additional security measures to protect their customers' data. These measures
include multi-step security, encryption, and other technologies that increase server security and help
protect data.
Performance
When choosing hosting services, connection speed and stability to servers play a major role. Data is
transmitted encrypted via hosting servers and reaches users visiting the website. Hosting services aim
to provide faster and more stable connections to databases and applications. Connection speed may vary
depending on the geographical location of the server.
Initially, we thought of determining the best performing hosting service by relying solely on
third-party data. However, such data can sometimes be inaccurate, so we decided to run our own tests
for more accurate results.
We ran speed tests on 15 different hosting providers using 5 different servers located in various
geographical regions, including New York, London, Tokyo, São Paulo, and Sydney. Our main goal in the
tests was to measure how the connection speed decreases as we move further from the servers.
We conducted the tests at various times under the same conditions to get more accurate results. We
also tested on both Windows and macOS operating systems to check for any differences between the two.
All our tests were done using the Google Chrome browser to eliminate any browser-specific changes.
We used Ookla's Speedtest and Google's Measurement Lab (M-Lab) tools for our tests. Since M-Lab gave
inconsistent results in some tests, we excluded those results from the final data. In the end, we
favored hosting providers that offered lower latency and higher speeds, as these directly impact
website performance.
Price
Most hosting services are subscription-based. While some hosting providers offer one-time (lifetime)
payment plans, we recommend avoiding these offers. This is because such packages may result in a
decrease in service quality over time or price hikes. Hosting companies typically use pricing models
based on monthly, yearly, or multi-year subscriptions (two, three, or even five-year contracts). Some
providers also offer quarterly or semi-annual payment plans.
Another consideration for pricing is the additional services offered with the package. Many hosting
providers offer additional services such as security for websites, backup services, or SEO services.
We only evaluated add-ons that are sold independently or are directly related to the main service.
Money-back guarantees, while not significantly affecting our price ratings, were especially
highlighted for hosting services that offer a 30, 45, or longer money-back guarantee after purchase.
This allows users to try the service risk-free.
Features
By "features," we mean all the capabilities provided by hosting providers. One of the first things
users are likely to see is the number of servers used, which is related to the number of unique IP
addresses. The more servers a hosting service has, the less likely users are to experience significant
slowdowns. Therefore, we prefer hosting services with more servers. The number of server locations is
also a big selling point, especially hosting services with a broad server network across various
countries, which allows for easier access to geo-blocked and regional content.
All-in-one security features, malware, ad, and harmful site blockers are common features in popular
hosting services. These features are generally included in the subscription fee, although some hosting
providers may charge extra. Similarly, white lists and tracker cleaners (e.g., cookie cleaners) may
also be offered as an add-on in some hosting services. We did not consider kill switch features, as
this is usually a reactive measure for hosting services. Instead, we preferred hosting providers that
use firewalls to consistently protect against data leaks.
One of the most important hosting features is split tunneling, which allows some of your traffic to
be routed through local servers while others are routed through remote servers. An example of when
this feature may be useful is when optimizing your internet activities by using both an internal
network and external servers simultaneously. Split tunneling is often included in higher-level hosting
subscription services, but each company may implement it differently.
Many hosting providers offer mobile apps as part of their subscription service, but these vary
greatly in quality. Hosting services with mobile apps often trade-off between speed and ease of use.
During our tests, certain providers offered slow mobile apps, but provided one-click access via web
apps for users. We took these differences into account in the "features" section.
Finally, we gave special attention to hosting providers that offer better customer support. We
assessed their response times, the comprehensiveness of their responses, and whether the information
provided solved the issue. Hosting services that responded the fastest and provided the strongest
assistance ranked higher in our evaluations.
