Best Cheap Web Hosting Australia: (Top 10 Picks + Reviews)

Are you searching for the best affordable web hosting providers in Australia? Look no further! In this article, we have compiled a list of top 10 budget-friendly providers, keeping in mind the specific requirements of Australian website owners.

Moreover, we have found a provider that offers blazing-fast speeds starting from just $2.99 per month. Exciting, isn’t it? 🤑🐨

Defining “Cheap”

The term “cheap” can be subjective and varies depending on individual budgets and preferences. To simplify things, we have only included web hosts that offer plans ranging from $1 to $30 per month in this list. So, regardless of your definition of “cheap,” you will find a suitable web host in this guide.

Furthermore, all prices are mentioned in Australian dollars, so you don’t have to worry about currency conversion!

Criteria for Selecting the Best Affordable Web Hosts in Australia

As website owners in Australia have unique needs and requirements, we have considered several factors while compiling this list. For instance, we have only included providers that charge in AUD to avoid any surprise bills. Additionally, we have also considered the server location, as it plays a crucial role in delivering faster speeds to Aussie-based websites.

For more information on how we ranked web hosts in this guide, please refer to the drop-down section below.

As the focus of this guide is on affordable web hosting in Australia, it is safe to assume that users are looking for the cheapest possible option to host their website online. Price was, therefore, the primary consideration in reviewing and ranking the providers in this article.
However, the cheapest option does not always translate to a good product. Hence, I have carefully scrutinised each provider to ensure that they offer a great product that justifies their low price. While there are cheaper hosting options available, it is essential to note that the quality of their product may not be up to par.

When compiling this guide, I also considered the amount of disk space/storage offered by each web host. This was given high priority, as unfortunately, many affordable web hosts do not provide sufficient storage.

Hosting companies need to pay and maintain servers/hard drives, which can be an expensive exercise. As storage is crucial, I have selected web hosts that provide ample amounts of SSD storage. This should be sufficient for small business websites, blogs, photography websites and the like.

Users can also maintain their files online through the cPanel and migrate files when necessary.

Another crucial factor I considered was bandwidth. Bandwidth is the flow of data over the internet, and it is an important factor when selecting a worthwhile web host. Each time a user loads an article or page from a website, they use up the bandwidth on the web host’s connection.

Fortunately, most web hosts provide more than enough bandwidth for small to medium-scale websites. For instance, I am currently on a shared hosting plan (with BlueHost) that receives thousands of visitors per week across multiple websites. Luckily, I do not have to pay for excess bandwidth usage as it is included in my plan.

As bandwidth is an important consideration, I have only included web hosts that deliver unlimited, unmetered, or at least 100GB of bandwidth for their beginner plans.

Australia is geographically isolated from the rest of the world. This can cause issues for website owners whose servers are located overseas. For example, if you have an Australian-based .com.au website for your small business, but your servers are located in North America, your data will have to travel tens of thousands of kilometres to reach Australia.

Although users can still get fast web hosts located in other countries, it is crucial to consider the proximity of servers, especially if you plan to operate a locally based Australian website. Therefore, I have mainly included web hosts that provide servers/data centres that are geographically close to Australia.

The speed of a website is one of the most significant factors that affect user satisfaction. Studies have shown that for every 1 second of load time, there is an 11% reduction in the likelihood of someone waiting for a website to load. If your website takes 5 seconds to load, there is a 55% chance that visitors will not wait around. The speed of a website has a significant impact on user experience.

Since the speed of a website is such a crucial factor, I have only included web hosting providers that deliver fast speeds to all Australian cities. This means that no matter whether you are in Sydney, Melbourne or Brisbane, the speeds should be consistently good across the board.

I have also taken into account users who plan on making an internationally based website targeting a USA/EU audience. To deliver fast speeds, hosting provider’s server location, efficiency of their server architecture, CDN implementation, caching, and other factors were all taken into consideration.

A website that fails to load or has a slow loading speed can negatively impact your business, resulting in lost leads, customers, phone calls, or income. Therefore, it is crucial to choose a web host with high uptime, meaning the amount of time a website is online. All the web hosts included in our list have an uptime of at least 99.80%, ensuring that your website will be available for your visitors most of the time. Any downtime can severely affect your website’s growth and harm your brand.

Most web hosting companies offer cheap signup costs with a steep renewal fee, which can be cost-effective in the short-term. However, it is essential to check the renewal price before committing to a provider for the long term. Some providers have discounted introductory rates, but after the signup period, the price reverts to the original, resulting in unexpected expenses. Therefore, we have selected providers with reasonable renewal pricing, ensuring that you won’t face any nasty surprises.

Our selected web hosts offer the ability to download a CMS like WordPress, Joomla, or Drupal with just one click. This feature allows new users to create a website within a few minutes without any coding experience. Moreover, all the web hosts in our list have a beginner-friendly interface and easy-to-use website builders.

We have included web hosts that offer a free domain name and SSL certificate with their plans, saving you extra expenses. Additionally, we have selected providers that support Australian domain suffixes like .com.au, .net.au, .org.au, etc. SSL certification is a must-have as websites without it receive a non-secure icon in the website address, harming CTR, CRO, and even SEO.

Last but not least, we have considered the inclusion of great customer support with all our selected web hosts. While not every provider is well-known for their customer service, we have ensured that they offer reliable support to assist you in case of any issues.

Best Affordable Web Hosting Providers in Australia for 2022: Top 10 Picks and Reviews

1. Hostinger: From AUD$2.99/mo

Yes, you read that correctly. Hostinger offers a plan starting at only 80 cents a month for a 4-year subscription. This translates to a total cost of $38 for the entire 4 years, which is an incredible bargain.

It’s important to note that this low price is a 90% discounted rate and will increase to the original price of $9.59 after the initial subscription period. Nonetheless, this is a fantastic deal that you can take advantage of for the next 4 years.

Despite the low cost, Hostinger’s plan includes a range of features, such as 10GB storage, 100GB bandwidth, 24/7 support, 1-click WordPress installations, and an uptime of 99.98%.

Moreover, Hostinger has a server location in Singapore that enables fast loading times of around 500ms to all major Australian cities.

However, Hostinger does not provide a free domain name or SSL certificate with this plan. These features are included in the next plan up.

Overall, Hostinger is an extremely affordable, fast, and reliable web host for Australians, and I highly recommend it.

2. HostPapa: Starting at AUD$2.95/mo

Moving on to my next recommendation, HostPapa provides an impressive range of benefits while still offering affordable pricing for its web hosting plans.

HostPapa’s plans include unlimited storage, unlimited bandwidth, a free .com.au or .com domain, free SSL, daily backups, CloudFlare CDN, Gsuite, Office365, Australian toll-free support, and the ability to host an unlimited number of websites.

These features offer fast speeds within Australia, ample room for website expansion, and a free .com.au domain for Australian-based sites.

When it comes to pricing, HostPapa’s business plan starts at $3.95 per month (excluding GST) on a 3-year plan. Overall, HostPapa provides a feature-packed and affordable web hosting solution for Aussies.

3. SiteGround: From AUD$2.99/mo

SiteGround offers some of the fastest speeds for Australian websites, with around 400ms loading times. Additionally, they offer a discounted price of only $4.95 AUD per month, which is a 67% discount.

What sets SiteGround apart is their multiple server locations in the USA, UK, EU, and Singapore. This ensures that no matter where the user is from, they will likely receive fast speeds. In particular, Singapore’s proximity to Australia reduces latency and increases speed and SEO relevancy for Australian websites.

Moreover, SiteGround’s plan includes 10GB SSD storage, 10,000 traffic per month, daily backups, excellent WP support staff (via phone and email), and 1-click WordPress installation. They are also recommended by WordPress.

Unfortunately, users need to bring their own domain name, but a free SSL certificate is included.

Overall, SiteGround is a solid web host with fast speeds and reliable features.

4. HostingCloud: Starting at AUD$3/mo

HostingCloud is another excellent Australian-based hosting company that offers a budget-friendly plan.

Although HostingCloud is relatively new compared to other providers, they offer a value-packed plan for Aussies.

Their base package includes 5GB SSD disk space, unlimited traffic, free SSL, daily backups, and Australian-based servers.

HostingCloud also offers unlimited subdomains, DDoS protection, PHP, cPanel, unlimited email accounts, and more.

5. BlueHost: From AUD$4.37/mo

BlueHost strikes an excellent balance between being feature-packed and affordable. This website, in fact, is hosted on BlueHost.

BlueHost offers an exclusive discount for Fasterweb readers of $4.31 per month for a 3-year subscription, which is a 70% discount.

This is without a doubt one of the best budget-friendly shared hosting plans available to Australians. BlueHost delivers consistent and excellent speeds to Australian websites, has reliable uptimes, 50GB storage, 1-click WordPress installation, 24/7 support, unlimited bandwidth, and a free domain name/SSL certificate.

These features combine to offer users a fast, reliable, and beginner-friendly web host.

Furthermore, BlueHost is WordPresses’ top recommended web host, which adds to its credibility.

Overall, BlueHost is an excellent budget-friendly web host that I personally use and highly recommend.

6. GreenGeeks – From AUD $4.40/mo

If you’re looking for a web hosting provider that’s committed to sustainability and eco-friendliness, GreenGeeks is a great option. With plans starting at just $4.40 AUD per month, GreenGeeks offers fast and reliable hosting for websites of all sizes.

What sets GreenGeeks apart from other hosting providers is its commitment to renewable energy. They’re the industry’s leading eco-friendly hosting provider, with each of their data centers being powered by wind energy. In addition, they have a proactive approach to reducing their carbon footprint, including a green initiative to plant trees for each hosting account created.

GreenGeeks also offers excellent customer support, with a team of experts available 24/7 to help you with any issues or questions you may have. Plus, they offer a 30-day money-back guarantee, so you can try their service risk-free.

Overall, GreenGeeks is a great choice for anyone looking for fast, reliable, and eco-friendly hosting for their website.

7. HostGeek: Starting at AUD$4.58/mo

The final standout Australian hosting provider on my list is HostGeek.

Similar to HostingCloud, HostGeek offers various hosting packages such as VPS, reseller, dedicated, and shared hosting.

Their beginner shared plan is affordable at $4.58 per month, but the features are limited, with only 400Mb storage and 10GB bandwidth.

Overall, HostGeek provides a solid and affordable Australian-based web hosting solution.

8. Panthur: Starting at AUD$6/mo

The next web host on my list is Panthur, an Australian-based provider that has been offering web hosting solutions since 2009.

Panthur’s servers are located in Sydney, enabling them to deliver lightning-fast speeds throughout the country.

Their beginner shared hosting plan (starting at $5 per month) includes 10GB bandwidth, 2GB storage, a free .com.au or .net.au domain, free SSL, daily backups, and an almost perfect uptime.

Panthur also offers VPS and dedicated cloud hosting for future upgrades.

9. Cloudways – From AUD $16.42/mo

If you’re looking for a web hosting provider that offers cloud hosting, Cloudways is a great option. With plans starting at just $16.42 AUD per month, Cloudways offers fast and scalable hosting for websites of all sizes.

What sets Cloudways apart from other hosting providers is its flexibility and customization options. With Cloudways, you can choose from a variety of cloud providers, including Amazon Web Services, Google Cloud Platform, and DigitalOcean. This allows you to tailor your hosting environment to your specific needs and budget.

In addition, Cloudways offers excellent customer support, with a team of experts available 24/7 to help you with any issues or questions you may have. Plus, they offer a 3-day free trial, so you can try their service before committing to a plan.

Overall, Cloudways is a great choice for anyone looking for fast, scalable, and customizable cloud hosting for their website.

10. WPX – From AUD $37.30/mo

If you’re looking for a reliable and affordable web hosting provider that specializes in managed WordPress hosting, WPX is an excellent option. With plans starting at just $37.30 AUD per month, WPX offers fast and secure hosting for WordPress sites of all sizes.

What sets WPX apart from other hosting providers is its commitment to customer support. Their team of WordPress experts is available 24/7 to help you with any issues or questions you may have. Plus, they offer a 30-day money-back guarantee, so you can try their service risk-free.

Overall, WPX is a great choice for anyone looking for a fast, reliable, and affordable hosting solution for their WordPress site.

Top Picks for the Cheapest Web Hosting in Australia in 2019

Here are my top picks for the cheapest web hosting options available in Australia:

BlueHost: Starting from AUD$4.31 per month
SiteGround: Starting from AUD$4.95 per month
HostPapa: Starting from AUD$3.95 per month
Hostinger: Starting from AUD$0.80 per month
Panthur: Starting from AUD$5 per month
HostingCloud: Starting from AUD$2.50 per month
HostGeek: Starting from AUD$4.58 per month

While compiling this guide, I encountered several queries about who should consider using cheap web hosting and for what types of websites it’s ideal. In a nutshell, affordable web hosting is suitable for almost anyone except those looking to host very large websites.

On average, a cheap shared web hosting provider such as BlueHost, HostGator, Hostinger, or SiteGround can handle around 30,000 visitors per month, charging a modest fee ranging from $1 to $5 per month.

Once you’ve taken into account the traffic factor, you can create any type of website that you desire using a content management system (CMS) such as WordPress. For more information about WordPress, take a look at my recommended hosts for WP here.

Personally, I have created a variety of websites, including eCommerce sites, dropshipping sites, review sites, small business sites, forums, news sites, restaurant and café sites, blogs, single-page sites, student sites, and photography sites, all on a cheap web hosting plan.

While the possibilities are endless, I would recommend affordable web hosting to small business owners and bloggers. This is because keeping expenses down is critical for new small business owners and bloggers, and finding a low-cost provider can help save money.

If you’re interested in creating a cheap eCommerce platform, you can refer to my eCommerce platform guide here.

How Does Affordable Web Hosting Function?

When it comes to the mechanics of affordable web hosting, it employs shared web hosting technology and infrastructure.

If you’re unfamiliar with shared hosting, don’t worry; most people are not.

In essence, shared hosting entails hosting hundreds of individual websites on a single server, all at a fraction of the cost of a virtual private server (VPS) or dedicated server.

Think of it as living in an apartment complex with hundreds of other tenants. In most cases (unless you live in Sydney 😉), it is a cost-effective approach to getting the creature comforts of a house. While there are disadvantages to sharing space with hundreds of others, it is a practical way to enter the market.

The same principle applies to shared web hosting.

This enables users to host their website files online with state-of-the-art servers that are among the best in the world. However, since you are “carpooling” with hundreds of others, you will only have to pay a few dollars per month rather than hundreds for an entire dedicated server.

For further details, please refer to my article on shared web hosting, which outlines its advantages and disadvantages.

Things to Consider with Budget Web Hosting

Having a web host is crucial for any website, but it’s important to be cautious when choosing the right provider. Cheap web hosting can be tempting, but there are several factors to be aware of before making a decision.

Below are some common issues that customers may encounter with budget web hosts, or any web host for that matter.

High Renewal Cost

While web hosting companies may offer heavily discounted prices to attract new customers, it’s important to keep an eye on the renewal price. Renewal fees can be 50% to 90% higher than the introductory rate, resulting in a significant increase in hosting costs.

It’s essential to read the fine print and choose a provider that offers competitive pricing not only for the first year but for the duration of the hosting period. Failure to do so may result in unexpected costs and an overall poor hosting experience.

Limited Bandwidth & Storage

Another potential drawback of budget web hosting is limited storage and bandwidth. Depending on the web host, storage and bandwidth may be severely restricted, which can affect the speed and functionality of your website.

While this may not be an issue for smaller, low-traffic sites, if your website begins to grow rapidly, it’s critical to have sufficient resources to accommodate increased traffic.

For this reason, it’s important to choose a provider that offers sufficient disk space and bandwidth to meet your website’s needs.

Poor Customer Support/Service

Cheap web hosting often means limited customer support. Many budget web hosts provide limited phone support and encourage users to use email, chat, or forum channels instead.

While this may not be an issue for every user, it can be a significant drawback when technical issues arise. Having the ability to speak directly with a customer support representative can make all the difference in resolving issues quickly and effectively.

If customer support is a priority, it may be worth investing a little extra to obtain a more comprehensive support experience.

Is Free Web Hosting Available?

While free web hosting is available, it’s not recommended. Although it may seem like a cost-effective solution, free web hosting often comes with significant downsides such as slow speed, poor uptime, lack of security, and no customer support.

For those seeking more information, it’s recommended to review an Australian free web hosting guide to learn more.

Final Thoughts

In conclusion, when choosing a web host, it’s important to balance affordability with quality. While cheap web hosting may seem attractive, it’s crucial to consider factors such as renewal fees, storage and bandwidth limitations, and customer support.

Taking these factors into consideration will help you choose a provider that not only meets your budget but provides reliable and quality hosting services for your website.