Are you looking for the best web hosting service in South Africa? If you are then we strongly recommend you read this article in full. We have evaluated almost all web hosting providers in the market. On that basis, the most competent and economical web hosting companies which currently provide services in South Africa are included in our article. We have listed the top 5 web hosting service providers with key information like the pros and cons and other factors that make them a favorable choice. Keep reading to learn more.
Currently, if you run any business or provide any service, having a fully-functional website is mandatory. However, finding the right web hosting services has become a challenge. It is possible to encounter slow loading speed and recurring downtime if your service provider lacks the right infrastructure to maintain services. Slow loading brings a bad reputation and steals away your website traffic and SEO rankings. Downtime has the potential to end your business opportunities forever. Moreover, if your hosting provider does not implement the latest security features, there is a good reason for panic regarding your website’s safety.
Having gone through many hosting problems firsthand we find it necessary to guide you on not committing the same mistakes. For that purpose, we did extensive research and have listed certain key features that you should weigh on while opting for a web hosting provider. The features include server upgrade options, pricing package flexibility, security and backup, refund policy, 24/7 customer support, etc. We are pleased to inform you that in our review, we have enlisted 5 of the most reliable hosting companies in SA which score full marks on all these aspects.
The Elite 5: Best Web Hosting In South Africa
As mentioned earlier, some of the major players in the web hosting arena who have a presence worldwide and require no introduction are listed here. In the upcoming sections, we will analyze their major aspects such as features, pros and cons, performance, pricing, etc in an attempt to help you understand what they can offer. Please refer to the list below of the 5 major web hosting service providers.
#1 Hostinger (Best Overall)
Hostinger is a web hosting provider established in 2004 as Hosting Media. The company is headquartered in Lithuania with over 1000 employees. It has been ranked as one of the fastest-growing companies in Europe for four consecutive years by the Financial Times. Today, it has a major presence in the US and Europe and continues to grow in Asia and the rest of the world.
Key Features
Pros & Cons
In the preceding section, we talked about the host of features that Hostinger provides to its clients. Well, in this section we will focus on its major pros and cons. Please refer to the points mentioned below.
PROS
CONS
Performance & Uptime Overview
Hostinger comes with a reputation for consistent performance than many of its competitors. We had a chance to go through the many customer reviews it has earned and found positive comments acknowledging its fast and stable service. Many of its long-term users seemed satisfied as they report instances of downtime were close to none.
Pricing
Hostinger comes at affordable prices and discounts. Please refer to the pricing list given below.
- Premium plan – $2.99/mo, renewal pay – $6.99/mo
- Business plan – $3.99/mo, renewal pay – $8.99/mo
- Cloud Startup – $9.99/mo, renewal pay – $19.99/mo
Hostinger seems to provide the best value-for-money hosting services in our analysis. We found a dedicated approach on the company’s side to deliver high-performing hosting and retain its position as a trustful service provider. The hosting company provides premium features that users certify as the best for WordPress websites.
#2 A2 Hosting (Fast & Reliable)
A2 Hosting began its services in 2003 from Ann Arbor, Michigan in the United States. It is currently one of the largest hosting providers rendering services for thousands of people in around 200 countries. Bryan Muthig is the founder and CEO of A2 Hosting.
Key Features
Pros & Cons
In this section, we will look at the major pros and cons of A2 Hosting. Please refer to the bullet points given below.
PROS
CONS
Performance & Uptime Overview
A2 Hosting has acquired the title of a reliable partner with its stable and dependable service offered to the customers. After going through much of the user feedback we get a sense that the company has performed well in safeguarding its client’s interest. It has lived up to its expectations of delivering hassle-free hosting with zero downtime.
Pricing
A2 Hosting has attractive pricing packages offered at discounts. Please go through the pricing list given below.
- Shared hosting – $2.99/mo
- WordPress hosting – $11.99/mo
- VPS hosting – $39.99/mo
- Dedicated hosting – $155.99/mo
A2 Hosting offers high-quality services at cheaper rates compared to its competitors. It provides up to 20x faster turbo speed for better conversion rates. A2 Hosting seems to be a viable choice if you want to have a high-performance web hosting service.
#3 Afrihost (Best For Small Businesses)
Afrihost is a South African private Internet Service Provider (ISP) established in 2000 by CEO Gian Visser with two other partners. It has its headquarters in Johannesburg, South Africa, and had humble beginnings in the web hosting . Today, it is one of the leading web hosting providers in SA and has received rewards and recognition for its fiber and ADSL services.
Key Features
Pros & Cons
In the previous section, we had a glimpse of the key features of the Afrihost web hosting service provider. Here we will discuss its major pros and cons. Please refer to the content below.
PROS
CONS
Performance & Uptime Overview
Afrihost is a localized service provider that has seen sheer growth in the near decades due to its consistent performance in the field. The customers are generally satisfied with their services and largely echo this in their feedback. The user community feels that Afrihost has delivered its promise of rendering a sustainable hosting service with minimal instances of downtime.
Pricing
Afrihost comes at affordable prices and huge discounts. The pricing list given below will serve the purpose of a better understanding.
- Windows shared hosting plans – $4.51/mo
- Linux shared hosting plans – $3.20/mo
- Cloud hosting plans – $20.24/mo
- Enterprise cloud hosting plans – $59.42/mo
- Reseller hosting plans – $33.30/mo
Afrihost is considered the best economical hosting service provider for small business websites in South Africa. It provides all essential features meant to run a website without a glitch and offers 24/7 customer support. Afrihost is the best cheap web hosting service currently available in SA for small enterprises.
#4 Siteground (Best For WordPress Websites)
Siteground started its operations as a web hosting company in early 2004 in Sofia, Bulgaria. It provides shared hosting, enterprise hosting, and domain registration services. Today, Siteground has 11 data centers across eight countries including the US, UK, and Australia. It is an emerging web hosting company with over 600 employees and around 2,800,000 domains worldwide.
Key Features
Pros & Cons
In the previous section, we discussed the many features of Siteground hosting. In this section, we will talk about the general pros and cons it has for a better understanding. Please refer to the content below.
PROS
CONS
Performance & Uptime Overview
Siteground provides superior web hosting services that offer a high uptime guarantee of 99.99% and an enhanced speed of 311 ms. Thanks to its dedicated servers, Siteground offers sustainable performance throughout with zero latency and minimal downtime. The user reviews have positive remarks that give the sense that it enjoys among the client base.
Pricing
Siteground has offered web hosting plans at cheap rates and huge discounts. The pricing details are given below for your easy reference.
- Startup hosting plan – $3.99/mo
- GrowBig hosting plan – $6.69/mo
- GoGeek hosting plan – $10.69/mo
Siteground is a premiere web hosting service provider that provides added flexibility to manage WordPress websites. It offers a highly secure web hosting experience and sustainable uptime along with additional features.
#5 Rocket.net (Best For High Traffic Websites)
Rocket.net is a new web hosting service provider founded in 2020 with the mission to streamline the WordPress platform. It promises to render a unique experience to the customers displaying its cutting-edge technology to help WordPress achieve the most out of it. Rocket.net describes it as a next-generation WordPress hosting service provider that focuses on key areas of data security, customer focus, innovation, and customer satisfaction.
Key Features
Pros & Cons
Rocket.net has specific pros and cons that require mention. In this section, we will portray them for a better understanding. Please refer to the points below.
PROS
CONS
Performance & Uptime Overview
Rocket.net offers sustainable performance with credible uptime for its customers. The users comment that instances of downtime are close to none in their feedback for the hosting service provider. The customers seem satisfied with Rocket.net’s performance and continue to vote for it certifying it as a credible partner.
Pricing
Rocket.net offers its hosting services at affordable prices and with added discounts. For ease of reference, the pricing list is given below. Subsequently, you can check out the company’s website to know the latest pricing.
- Managed hosting plan – $30/mo (Starter)
- Agency hosting plan – $100/mo (Tier 1)
- Enterprise hosting plan – $649/mo (Enterprise 1)
Rocket.net seems to be the fastest and most premium web hosting service you can get currently in South Africa. It can provide unrelenting support for websites that attract high traffic utilizing its superior infrastructure.
Best Web Hosting In South Africa – Conclusion
In the preceding sections, we have provided details of the five major web hosting service providers that operate in South Africa. We have gone through their major features, pros and cons, and pricing and have gained an overview of them. In the field of web hosting, performance, and uptime is crucial. In this review, we have covered that area specifically and understood the individual performance of each of the service providers in the segment.
Web hosting services are a competitive field and companies have to cater to the ever-growing demands of clients to thrive in this industry. There are obvious questions raised about speed and data security and it becomes mandatory for the service provider to provide sustainable and effective support to the clients in this regard. Another key area is customer support, where service providers have to render quality service so that both parties benefit from it. Almost all service providers we have dealt with in our review focus more on this area as they have understood its implications very well.
In the end, we feel it is driving industry and the service providers mentioned have gained the confidence of the user community as a credible partner in their efforts to drive their businesses. Yet, we recommend Hostinger to be the major player that scores in all the key areas of consistent performance, regular maintenance of uptime, and good customer support. It has a user-friendly hosting panel and interface for ease of use and great plans to choose from. However, if you prefer a web hosting service that can handle high traffic we will suggest going for Rocket.net as they excel in this area.
