Best eCommerce Hosting UK Services (On-Going Case Study)

Hostinger is an incredibly cheap web host, offering hosting services from £2.69 per month.

However, I would recommend considering their Business hosting plan which is just £3.99 per month, giving you access to 50 websites, 100 email accounts, unlimited bandwidth, WordPress acceleration, free SSL, free domain, and daily backups.

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eCommerce websites will benefit from Hostinger’s extra allocated resources on the Business plan, as well as unlimited FTP accounts, 24/7/365 support, and the incredibly easy experience this host offers.

Pros:

• 99.9% uptime guarantee
• Cheap pricing plans
• Free domain and SSL certificate on Premium plans and above

Cons:

• Ideal for smaller online stores only

SiteGround is hands down an awesome web host in many areas, so you may be wondering what makes it stand out as an eCommerce web host. Well, for starters, hosting plans include a free SSL for making secure payments, free CDN for offering lightning-fast speeds to your customers, and SuperCacher technology for faster loading.

Although all of SiteGround’s shared hosting plans include eCommerce features, I’d personally recommend their GrowBig or GoGeek plans above their StartUp plan. Free auto-installations are a lifesaver when you’re creating an online store, along with 1-click shopping carts, daily backups, and SiteGround’s level 3 SuperCacher.

In my own experience and tests which you can check out in my SiteGround review, they have proven to be an extremely reliable web host with uptime records of 100%, fast server speeds, and top-notch security with their in-house checking and alert systems.

Pros:

• Advanced security features
• Easy 1-click installs for eCommerce tools and shopping carts
• Free SSL certificate on all shared hosting plans
• In-house developed tools like SuperCacher

Cons:

• Expensive hosting plans

A2 Hosting is a great choice for eCommerce websites, especially if you sign up for their Turbo Boost or Turbo Max plans which will give you up to 20x faster server speeds in comparison to regular servers. After all, if you’re offering products and services to your customers, they’re going to want to access your website and online store with no loading issues.

In terms of security, you won’t have to worry with A2 Hosting. All of their plans (even the most basic shared hosting) include perpetual security with free HackScan protection, Patchman Enhanced Security Tool, 2FA, virus scanner, DDoS protection, and brute force defense. On top of all this, you’ll get a free SSL certificate so it’s safe to say there’s going to be no issues for you or your customers.

A2 Hosting offers a wide variety of plans to suit every requirement, and this is the same for eCommerce websites too. Whether you’re looking for shared hosting, VPS hosting, or reseller hosting, A2 Hosting’s Guru support team is on-hand to help in any way they can.

Pros:

• 20x Turbo speeds on Turbo Boost and Turbo Max plans
• Incredible security features
• Affordable pricing

Cons:

• Live chat support isn’t as good as it claims to be

InMotion is a scalable eCommerce-suitable web host, though a little more expensive than other shared hosting providers, they do offer great features which are ideal for eCommerce websites.

All of their shared hosting plans include SSD storage, unlimited bandwidth, 100% uptime website transfers, free SSL, website builder, and daily backups. Even if you’re just running a small online store, to begin with, you can upgrade to a more resource-generous plan when the time is right.

Scheduled automatic backups and malware protection will protect you and your customers from vulnerabilities. Though InMotion’s security features aren’t as extensive or advanced as other hosts, I still recommend them as they cover the basics and will provide decent coverage for an eCommerce website.

Pros:

• Reliable and scalable web host
• Free website builder and free SSL
• Automatic scheduled backups

Cons:

• More expensive than other hosts
• Security features not as robust

Whilst BlueHost doesn’t offer an uptime guarantee, in my BlueHost review you’ll see that I’ve always received near-perfect uptime results from BlueHost. It’s for this reason that I highly recommend them for eCommerce websites. Why? Because a reliable and stable website is essential for your customers.

If you plan to create a WordPress website for your eCommerce efforts, BlueHost is recommended by WordPress and offers a dedicated WooCommerce hosting plan. Their shared hosting plans include a free SSL certificate, SSD storage, unmetered bandwidth, and plenty of scalability for the future.

However, I would personally recommend BlueHost’s eCommerce plans as they offer more tailored features towards online stores. The Starter plan starts from £4.55 per month and gives you 100GB SSD storage, Storefront theme installed, domain privacy + protection, and WooCommerce automatically installed. If you don’t plan to use WordPress for your online store, BlueHost’s shared hosting plans are really only suitable for a very small selection of products.

Pros:

• Cheap web hosting
• Recommended by WordPress
• Reliable and scalable
• WooCommerce plan is ideal for online stores

Cons:

• Renewal prices are high

HostGator’s shared hosting plans come with unlimited FTP which makes it easy for you and your team to manage your website’s files and data. You’ll also get unlimited bandwidth and email accounts which is ideal for eCommerce websites.

Uptime is a major factor when considering the best host for eCommerce purposes, and HostGator do their best to achieve 99.99% uptime with their uptime guarantee. If you need any help or support along the way, which should be a priority for online stores, I highly recommend HostGator’s customer support team. They also offer live chat which is a handy feature.

On top of the free SSL certificate, HostGator offers 24/7 server monitoring and DDoS protection to ensure your eCommerce business isn’t damaged by potential threats or attacks.

Pros:

• 99.99% uptime guarantee
• DDoS protection and server monitoring
• Great customer support

Cons:

• No WooCommerce plans
• Advanced plans are more expensive than competitors

GoDaddy are a reliable web host, but in comparison to other eCommerce hosting providers, they don’t offer that many features. Their shared hosting plan is slightly more expensive than other shared hosting providers, but they do include 100GB storage, unmetered bandwidth, and 10 databases.

Realistically, if you want to host an eCommerce website with GoDaddy, I’d recommend their Ultimate shared plan which is £7.99 per month, or their Business hosting plans. However, these start from £14.99 per month and still don’t offer the features and tools I’ve seen with others hosts for much cheaper.

All of GoDaddy’s hosting plans include a free domain for 1 year when signing up annually. But, if you want to protect your site with an SSL certificate on their shared plans, this isn’t included for free unless you choose the Ultimate plan.

Pros:

• Free domain name on shared hosting plans
• Generous amounts of bandwidth and storage
• 24/7/365 support

Cons:

• Only suitable for smaller businesses
• Average server performance and speeds