WEB HOSTING / VPS / BARE METAL / PLATFORMS / DOMAINS
Start with what you need. Understand what you’re buying.
You want a business site or portfolio with less technical upkeep. Start with a visual website builder or a supported publishing platform.
Less server maintenance comes with platform rules. Verify that your site can move elsewhere.
SIX WAYS TO GET ONLINE
A ready-to-use hosting account for a small website, often with a control panel, databases and email options.
Explore category ↗02 / CONTENT WITHOUT THE UPKEEPHosting built around WordPress, with platform maintenance and WordPress-specific features handled to the extent the plan promises.
Explore category ↗03 / YOUR OWN SOFTWARE STACKA virtual server where you choose the operating system and configure the services your project needs.
Explore category ↗04 / A WHOLE PHYSICAL SERVERA dedicated physical machine for workloads that need hardware isolation, predictable allocation or a specialized stack.
Explore category ↗05 / PUBLISH, NOT PATCHVisual website builders and developer deployment platforms that package hosting into a more managed workflow.
Explore category ↗06 / START WITH THE ADDRESSRegister a domain and manage the DNS records that direct visitors, email and other services to the right place.
Explore category ↗THE PROVIDER INDEX
Official product links. Clear categories. No made-up star ratings.
Application deployment, static hosting, DNS and domain registration in one ecosystem.
Workers is the recommended starting point for new application projects; Pages remains available. Check runtime, DNS and usage requirements.
Droplet cloud servers for custom stacks, plus managed WordPress and PHP hosting through Cloudways.
Droplets are unmanaged. A WordPress image does not turn a Droplet into a managed hosting service.
Shared hosting, DreamPress WordPress plans, VPS options and managed dedicated servers.
Root-access VPS and Managed VPS are separate products. Compare the level of access and the management scope.
Cloud servers and dedicated hardware, alongside web hosting and a separate managed-server range.
Cloud and root-server offerings are self-managed. Managed servers are a separate line and do not provide root access.
Managed WordPress hosting with site-management tools, backups, caching and migration assistance.
Check site and usage limits, plugin support, backup retention and the migration terms of the selected plan.
Domain registration and shared website hosting with cPanel and WordPress installation tools.
Compare domain registration and renewal prices separately. Check email, backup and resource limits on hosting plans.
Git-connected website and application deployment, previews, a global CDN and serverless functions.
Check framework support, function limits and usage billing. A deployment platform is not a general-purpose root-access server.
Web hosting, VPS and public-cloud instances, plus dedicated physical servers.
Check regional product availability and the support boundary. VPS and bare-metal services normally require your own administration.
Managed deployment for web services, static sites, background workers, scheduled jobs and databases.
Match the workload to the service type. Check region, persistence, usage and database requirements before choosing a plan.
A visual website builder with hosting for websites, blogs and online stores.
Check required business features, plan limitations and what you can export if you decide to change platforms.
This is a selected directory, not the whole market. Categories describe an offering, not every plan from that provider. Check current pricing, renewal terms, availability and features on the linked official page. Links are not affiliate links.
BEYOND THE INTRODUCTORY PRICE
Bring your own quote. See the renewal years, too.
Costs are allocated month by month over the selected period. Your provider may charge the whole term up front. This is not an invoice or a cash-flow schedule.
Set the intro term to 0 for a plan without introductory pricing. Add-ons stay constant; domain renewal and hosting renewal rates do not increase automatically. What to check in a quote ↗
YOUR ADDRESS. YOUR CONTROL.
A practical checklist, from registration to the first visitor.
FIELD GUIDE / DOMAINS
You can buy the pieces together. It still helps to know what each one does.
A registrar manages the registration for a fixed term. Keep the account, registrant details, recovery options and renewal arrangements under your control. Auto-renewal helps only while billing and contact details remain valid. See ICANN’s renewal and expiration FAQ.
Authoritative DNS records direct services for the domain. Website records, email records and ownership-verification records may all be important. Before changing nameservers, save the current records and identify which services rely on them.
Your hosting platform serves the website. Your mail provider handles mailboxes and message delivery. They can be different companies. A domain purchase alone does not mean either service is included. Follow each provider’s current instructions instead of copying records from an unrelated site.
Moving registration to another registrar, moving DNS to another DNS service and moving website files to another host are distinct tasks. You may need only one. Plan each separately, preserve records and test web and email after a change. Cached DNS answers can delay what some visitors see.
Transfer rules, locks and authorization requirements depend on the domain and circumstances. Read the ICANN transfer FAQ and your registrar’s instructions before starting. Keep a separate copy of the website and data; a registration transfer is not a site backup.