Best Web Hosting for the United Kingdom (UK) – Compare, Review, Choose

1. Hostinger

Website: https://www.hostinger.com/

Price: from $1.39/mo

Hosting Available: Shared, WordPress, VPS, Reseller, Dedicated Servers

Hostinger originates from Lithuania, but the brand has grown significantly over the years. It’s made a solid effort to localize despite being a digital business. This approach to Hosting makes it a solid choice in many countries.

Why Choose Hostinger for UK Web Hosting

Unsurprisingly, Hostinger offers a dedicated UK version of its websites for customers in that space. It isn’t dramatically different from their global website, but the localization touches such as prices showing in GBP are nice.

More importantly, Hostinger offers users access to servers based in a UK data center. If your needs lean towards an audience in other places, other alternatives are spread well across different regions from the US to Asia.

Hostinger’s most significant advantage is the rock bottom starting prices it offers. For less than one pound, you get access to everything you’ll need for a starter website – just add a domain name, and you’re off.

To learn more – check out our Hostinger review.

Hostinger Data Center Locations

• UK
• US
• Netherlands
• Singapore
• Indonesia
• Lithuania

Pros

• Ultra cheap web hosting
• Local servers in the UK
• GIT access even for shared hosting
• Many hosting options are available
• Easy-to-use control panel
• Website migration tool

Cons

• Challenging installation for free SSL
• Lack of automated backups

2. A2 Hosting

Website: https://www.a2hosting.com/

Price: from $2.99/mo

Hosting Available: Shared, WordPress, Cloud/VPS, Reseller, Dedicated Servers. 

A2 Hosting is from the US, but they’ve made the world their home. The brand launched in 2001 and since then has grown unstoppably. From shared hosting to ultra-scalable VPS and dedicated servers, A2 Hosting offers reseller and other plans.

Why Choose A2 Hosting for UK Web Hosting

A2 Hosting is a personal favorite of mine, mainly for its excellent performance. That’s even more impressive when you consider pricing. It certainly isn’t the cheapest in the market, but prices are highly affordable at the lower scale of hosting plans.

One of their most impressive product lines is their Managed VPS plans. These are somewhat pricey but provided with generous amounts of resources. In addition, their expert staff will keep your VPS running, allowing you to remain focused on your business.

Whether you need to cater to a local audience or a global one, A2 Hosting’s strategic spread of data center locations is ideal. It covers three major regions; the US, Europe, and Asia. The A2 team is very professional and will guide you through any issues with few problems.

Read our A2 Hosting to learn more.

A2 Hosting Data Center Locations

• Michigan, USA
• Arizona, USA
• Amsterdam, Netherlands
• Singapore

Pros

• Fast and reliable servers
• WordPress-optimized plans available
• Free website migration 
• Multiple server locations
• Developer tools even with shared hosting
• Full SSD storage

Cons

• Managed VPS is expensive
• Steep renewal price increase

3. AltusHost

Website: https://www.altushost.com/

Price: from $6.60/mo

Hosting Available: VPS, Reseller, Dedicated Servers

AltusHost is an established brand that’s well-known in the Euro region. Its business is primarily focused in this area and has been since 2008. The company is very business-oriented and delivers a range of robust web hosting solutions.

Why Choose AltusHost for UK Web Hosting

If you’re interested in a web hosting plan that comes with all the bells and whistles, that perfectly describes AltusHost. Web hosting here doesn’t come cheap, but even their standard hosting plans are incredibly robust.

The vital thing to note is that AltusHost doesn’t hike prices through the roof when renewals are due, unlike most web hosting companies. You’re entitled to what they call a “5 years price increase protection,” which locks the rate you first pay for that duration.

AltusHost’s euro-centricity means it’s highly suited to targeting an audience in that region. Its data centers span from the Netherlands to Bulgaria. Service here is ultra-reliable, and business websites will thrive.

Read our AltusHost review for more.

AltusHost Data Center Locations

• Amsterdam, Netherlands
• Sofia, Bulgaria
• Stockholm, Sweden
• Zurich, Switzerland
• Belgrade, Serbia

Pros

• Robust and powerful hosting servers
• Dedicated Euro-centric service
• Free website migration
• 5-year price lock
• Generous resource allocation

Cons

• Steeper starting prices than typical
• Not well suited for other region’s traffic

4. TMDHosting

Website: https://www.tmdhosting.com/

Price: from $2.95/mo

Hosting Available: Shared, WordPress, VPS, Cloud, Reseller, Dedicated Servers

TMDHosting is another well-established brand that’s been around for ages. In that time, it’s grown quite a bit and today operationally covers most of the world. Their growth timeline has included several service improvements, most notably in the area of performance.

Why Choose TMDHosting for UK Web Hosting

TMDHosting isn’t what many would consider one of the more well-known hosting companies. Yet among its loyal following, there is pretty strong support for what’s they’ve managed to achieve so far.

It’s notable one of the more professional companies in transparency, offering clear terms of service that try to avoid customer confusion. For example, they clearly state resource limitations, and you get notifications when hitting certain usage thresholds.

Their UK data center makes a good launchpad for localized businesses in the region. If the world is your oyster, there are many alternatives from which to choose. Data center locations span the globe from the US to Asia and strategic spots in between.

If you want to learn more about TMDHosting, read our review here.

TMDHosting Data Center Locations

• London, UK
• Chicago, USA
• Phoenix, USA
• Amsterdam, Netherlands
• Tokyo, Japan
• Singapore
• Sydney, Australia

Pros

• Excellent speed and reliability
• Good spread of data center locations
• Clearly defined resource limits
• Wide range of hosting options
• Free domain name and SSL
• Fully GDPR compliant

Cons

• Many upsells
• Monthly plans involve a steep setup fee

5. ScalaHosting

Website: https://www.scalahosting.com/

Price: from $3.95/mo

Hosting Available: Shared, WordPress, Cloud, Reseller, Dedicated Servers

ScalaHosting seems to have dual nationality with a claim of headquarters in both the US and Bulgaria. In reality, the company is deeply entrenched in Europe since it originates from Sofia. Regardless, they’ve been expanding rapidly, especially over the past year.

Why Choose ScalaHosting for UK Web Hosting

Despite the relative strength of the Sterling Pound, nobody’s going to complain about more value-packed web hosting. That’s an area that ScalaHosting excels in for many reasons. It isn’t an ultra-cheap hosting provider but uses tech innovation to lower prices in many areas.

One of the most exciting moves that ScalaHosting made was SPanel, their in-house web hosting control panel. It came at precisely the right time when cPanel was hiking prices, and customers needed a viable alternative that’s highly compatible.

In addition, the company now offers fully managed VPS plans of their own and in partnership with Digital Ocean and AWS. That gives them a formidable breadth of product – considering what you pay for at highly affordable prices.

Check out our ScalaHosting review.

ScalaHosting Data Center Locations

• Texas, USA 
• New York, USA
• Sofia, Bulgaria
• Bangalore, India (via Digital Ocean)
• London, UK (via Digital Ocean)
• Singapore (via Digital Ocean)
• Frankfurt, Germany (via Digital Ocean)
• Amsterdam, Netherlands (via Digital Ocean)
• San Francisco, USA (via Digital Ocean)
• Toronto, Canada (via Digital Ocean)

Pros

• Wide range of affordable managed VPS plans
• SPanel is lightweight and free
• Free SShield cybersecurity
• White label hosting is available
• Free domain name, SSL, website migration

Cons

• SPanel isn’t very comprehensive
• Steep price hike on renewal

The UK and Everywhere Else is Digitizing

Over the past few years, the entire world has been digitizing in many ways. The start of 2020 saw a massive overflow towards that space. Many UK companies have even moved more firmly towards a digital work model, increasing the need for reliable web hosting and tools.

The decoupling of the UK and Europe has made the urgency of a digital shift even more significant as companies seek to overcome traditional trade borders. After all, eCommerce alone for the UK is anticipating a retail volume of over $145 billion by 2025.

Help to Grow Your Business

The UK’s digital strategy roadmap isn’t something entirely new. It’s been in place for nearly a decade now and looks towards the Cloud as the next business landscape. Yet, the landscape sees small and medium businesses making up over 99% of this scene. 

The UK government offers multiple incentives to boost SME digital adoption, including software discount vouchers, free digital advice, and more via the Help to Grow Your Business program.

Online Facilities are Still Limited

Despite the massive potential in online retail volume, only 30% of UK businesses currently support online orders, booking, or payments. That limited support is a lifeline in an era with everything from drones to Indian curries selling online.

Making a swift move towards digital sales doesn’t need to be too challenging. As demonstrated in this list, many excellent web hosting services are available to the UK market. In addition, prices start at highly affordable rates.

Types of Different Hosting Plans

While web hosting companies tend to market web hosting following customer demand, the reality is that there are only a few key types of hosting. Your choice of web hosting plan affects many things, including performance, customer experience, security, scalability, cost, and more. 

Understanding the differences between various web hosting plans will help you fit them more accurately to business needs.

Shared Hosting

Among web hosting plans, shared hosting is the cheapest and easiest to manage. In shared hosting, hundreds of customers occupy a single server, each “sharing” (hence the name) from a  common resource pool.

This resource sharing means your website may not always get the resources it needs on-demand, causing performance to be affected. Shared hosting is generally only suitable for smaller websites with a limited audience.

VPS / Cloud Hosting

Virtual Private Server (VPS) is a step up from shared hosting. Although multiple customers still occupy the same hardware, they get dedicated resources, assuring availability when needed. VPS and Cloud hosting users can quickly increase resources, making these plans excellent for long-term viability.

Cloud hosting is similar to VPS but extends the resources available across multiple servers.  Business or eCommerce websites, in general, should use VPS hosting to ensure better performance and, most importantly, data security.

Dedicated Hosting

Among web hosting plans, dedicated hosting is often considered the most powerful and secure. You’re essentially getting an entire server for yourself. This solo “ownership” means that dedicated servers offer the best security profile among web hosting plans.

The downside, however, is cost. Regardless of the resources consumed by your website, the server configuration isn’t easily scalable. You’ll need to decide – and pay for – the entire server in advance.

WordPress Hosting

Technically, WordPress hosting isn’t an original category of web hosting. Its emergence stems from the popularity of this Content Management System (CMS) among web hosting customers. Hence, it became a widely marketed term.

WordPress hosting plans are primarily sold based on shared or VPS/Cloud hosting. The difference is that opting for a WordPress hosting plan means the CMS usually comes pre-installed. In some cases, hosting companies also offer WordPress-centric advantages like premium themes of customized plugins.

What to Look for in a Great UK Web Host

Server Location

Having a web server located near your target market helps improve the performance of your website. For the UK, that means either hosting locally or somewhere within the region. Thankfully there are many excellent choices in Europe.

Pricing

Many buyers consider pricing as a critical element of their choice in a web host. While technically that’s a prudent decision, make sure you’re not sacrificing needed features to enjoy lower hosting prices. The result may affect the usability of your website in the long term.

Security

Although web hosting service providers will take care of server security, some will go the extra mile. These “extras” may come via partnerships with prominent cybersecurity companies or security applications to users.

Extra Features

Some web hosting providers offer features that give them an added advantage over others. ScalaHosting, for example, has SPanel, helping them provide VPS plans at more affordable prices since they avoid the high licensing fees associated with cPanel.

Conclusions

The UK is fortunate the be in proximity with the massive landmass of Europe. That opens up a world of possibilities that extend beyond the narrow borders of the islands. Hosting in Europe will do just as well as locally, meaning more choice in hosting companies. 

Alternatives: More UK Web Hosting

Don’t fret if you have a compelling reason to hosting your website within the UK. Like many other countries, the UK offers its fair share of local web hosting companies. Here are some of the choices you can consider as viable alternatives.

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