How Much Does Web Hosting Cost in the UK?

By Graeme Preston, Founder & Owner · Published

Web hosting in the UK can cost anything from nothing at all to hundreds of pounds a month. For most small businesses, clubs and charities, the right answer is a few pounds a month. This guide explains what you're paying for, where the hidden costs usually are, and how to work out what your website needs.

The main types of hosting, and what they typically cost

Shared hosting: a few pounds to around £15 a month

Your website shares a server with other websites, each with its own space and limits. It's the right choice for most small business websites, brochure sites and blogs. Price differences mostly come down to how many websites, how much storage and what's included.

WordPress hosting: similar to shared, sometimes more

This is usually shared hosting set up for WordPress, often with tools for updates, backups and staging. Specialist "managed WordPress" services can cost considerably more, mainly for hands-on support.

Pay-as-you-go hosting: often the cheapest option

A small monthly charge with a modest allowance, and you pay a little more only if you use more. It suits small sites that are likely to stay small. More on this in what is pay-as-you-go hosting?

VPS and managed servers: roughly £30 to £100+ a month

Your own virtual server, with its own guaranteed resources. Unmanaged servers are cheaper but leave security and updates to you. Managed ones include that work. See managed VPS vs shared hosting.

Reseller hosting: priced by the number of client accounts

For web designers and agencies who host their clients' sites under their own brand. See white-label reseller hosting.

Where the real cost hides

The introductory price

Some hosts advertise a very low first-year or first-month price, then renew at two or three times as much. Always check the renewal price, and whether the low price needs you to pay for several years upfront.

Extras that aren't included

Check whether these are in the price or charged separately:

  • SSL certificate (the padlock): this should be free.
  • Backups, and whether restoring one costs extra.
  • Email mailboxes on your domain.
  • Moving your existing website.
  • The domain name, and what it renews at.

Domain renewals

A domain that's "free for the first year" with a hosting plan may renew at a high price. Compare renewal prices, not just the registration price.

Support

Cheap hosting is cheap partly because support is minimal. Ask who answers tickets, and whether they can actually fix things or only send links to articles.

Is free hosting worth it?

Free hosting exists, usually with adverts on your site, a subdomain instead of your own domain, tight limits and little or no support. It can be fine for experiments, but for a business it tends to cost more in time and credibility than it saves.

Working out what you need

  • How many websites? One site needs an entry-level plan; several sites need a plan that allows them.
  • How big is it? Most small business sites use well under 5 GB, including images.
  • Is it WordPress? If so, a WordPress plan saves setup time.
  • Does it sell online or get heavy traffic? If yes, look at higher plans or a VPS.
  • Who will look after it? If nobody technical, choose a host that does more of the work.

What hosting costs at MyWebsiteHost

Current prices:

Every plan includes free SSL and daily backups. Web, WordPress, Reseller and Managed VPS plans also include a free professional email mailbox. Web, WordPress and Reseller hosting come with a 30-day money-back guarantee for new customers. We'll move your existing website for free if you can give us access to your current hosting.