Best Web Hosting for Canada: Our Top 5 Comparison – 2021
Web Hosting in Canada has come a long way over the years. Today we’re reviewing the Best Canadian Web Hosting companies that offer the features that you’ll need to host your website in Canada. With so many hosting companies out there we’ve broken it down for you. Here are the Best Web Hosting Providers for Canada (with coupons!):
Web Hosting Canada – Why you should consider a Canadian Web Host
With so many hosting companies to choose from our readers have always asked us to review the best Canadian hosting companies specifically because they want to host their websites in Canada on Canadian hosting servers. If you have a business in Canada then you should definitely host with a Canadian company. You’ll benefit from better search results, faster load times and ultimately save time and money.
The 5 companies in the table above were ranked best by our readers and that’s really what matters when choosing the best host for your website. Real people who use these companies told us why they chose them and their honest feedback after using these web hosts for a minimum of 6 months. We then took this information and researched these hosting companies to provide you with the 5 best Canadian web hosting companies.
So let’s get to it, below we’ve listed our top 5 picks. Whether you’re looking to host a personal website, business site or even a WordPress website these are the most popular web hosts voted by our readers. We’ve sorted them based on their affordability, plan features, performance and support.
HostUpon – Our Top Pick For Canadian Web Hosting
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HostUpon Review
There’s a reason HostUpon has so many happy customers and that’s their support. Their entire team is in-house which means you get to speak with real people who know web hosting.
The price starts at $3.95/month for their Shared Hosting which comes with cPanel, a Free site builder and a One-Click WordPress installer. The best part is that their servers are in Canada! One of the few Canadian companies who have their servers in Canada.
HostUpon Coupon Code: 15off
JustHost – They Bill in Canadian Currency!
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JustHost Review
JustHost is a popular choice for Canadians since they bill is Canadian Dollars! That’s right, no currency conversion required. They’ve got a simple hosting solution geared towards smaller websites so if you’re just starting out then JustHost is a great choice.
The hosting plan includes a free domain name and a full 30 day money back guarantee so you can test them out without any risks.
If you’re looking for a hosting plan without any frills and some free advertising credits for Google and Bing then check them out.
HostHero – Includes a Free Domain Name For Life
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HostHero Review
Speed and Performance is what makes HostHero standout. They have the fastest hosting servers among the top 5 we tested. They use Cloud Hosting technology which loads web pages faster and gives them the edge when it comes to overall performance.
HostHero offers 3 different hosting plans so you can choose the perfect hosting plan for your website. The price point is competitive and starts at $3.95/month.
HostHero Coupon Code: HeroToday
BlueHost – WordPress Specialists
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BlueHost Review
If you’re looking to host a WordPress site then there’s no better choice than BlueHost. These guys know WordPress hosting inside out so much so that WordPress actually lists them on their recommended providers list, since 2005!
They have hosting plans optimized for WordPress and are known to have tech who know the software very well. If you’re looking for WordPress Hosting then BlueHost is hands down our top pick.
HostGator – Offer a 45 Day Money Back Guarantee
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95%
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93%
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HostGator Review
HostGator is on our top 5 list because they are an all-around solid hosting company. They have been around since 2002 and are considered one of the largest web hosting providers. They have 500+ employees and are hosting sites in the millions.
If you’re looking for a reliable web host then you can’t go wrong with HostGator. They host all sorts of websites and they use cPanel which is super user-friendly!
Choosing The Best Web Hosting For Canada – What To Consider
Finding the right web hosting company is important to the success of your web presence. You’ve invested time and money in to building and creating a website. Now it’s time to figure out which company you want to be the new home for it. You’ll want to compare web hosts based on the criteria you need and not just based on the cheapest price. Do you need the ability to create unlimited email addresses? Are you trying to register a domain or transfer a domain and what are the costs? Can you host multiple websites on your hosting account? These are just a few questions you need to ask yourself before making the jump.
When Canadian are looking for web hosting the number one question we get asked is where are their servers located? With our top 5 web hosts only two of then actually have their servers on Canadian soil, HostUpon and HostHero. If your website is targeted to Canadians then you’ll want to make sure your website is actually hosted locally. If your audience is global then it doesn’t really matter where your host has their servers.
Different Types Of Web Hosting in Canada
Shared Hosting: Shared hosting is the most common type and is geared toward small websites and offer the cheapest price point. You’re looking at a few dollars per month to host your website and email. Shared hosting is suitable for personal sites, blogs, small business and informational sites.
The price is what draws people to use a shared server and it’s a great option if you don’t get a ton of traffic or have a busy website. Shared hosting means you share the server space with other users. The upside is that it’s cost effective and the downside is that it’s not going to be the fastest solution. For most people shared hosting is perfectly fine. If you’re unsure of what type of hosting you need then a shared hosting plan is probably a good start.
VPS Hosting: VPS stands for Virtual Private Server. Unlike a shared server, a VPS is your own virtual hosting environment with it’s own operating system. VPS hosting is more expensive but you’ll get more speed and performance. You’ll also have the freedom to install whatever you want on a VPS because it’s your own server. If you’re a small business in Canada then a VPS is a good idea. You’ll have your own hosting space without breaking the bank. All of the hosting companies in our Top 5 offer VPS plans alongside the shared hosting plans.
Dedicated Servers: Dedicated server are insanely fast. They give you total freedom and can handle a lot of traffic. They are also the most secure hosting option. A dedicated server is at the top of the hosting price point but if you’re looking for speed, security and reliability then there’s nothing better. If you have the budget for a dedicated server then it’s a no brainer.
Cloud Hosting: Gaining in popularity over the past few years, Cloud Hosting is a scalable and flexible hosting option. It’s beneficial for small or large websites that have peaks in traffic and need to adjust the resources of their server on the fly. Let’s say your website was featured in an article and you are expecting a high volume of visitors. With Cloud Hosting you can increase the resources without having to change hosting plans or upgrade. Once the traffic dies down you can scale your resources back down to save on cost. With Cloud Hosting your site also loads from multiple servers so it’s faster and more secure. From our Top 5 hosts only HostHero offers Cloud Hosting with cheap prices.
Web Hosting Canada – Features to Look For
Disk Space: Most web hosts offer ‘unlimited’ disk space however nothing is truly unlimited. What you need to consider when looking at the disk space allowance is how big your site actually is right now. If you don’t know you can ask your web developer to tell you. Then consider how much content will change on your website and how often. If your website is media heavy meaning you will add videos and photos then you’ll want a plan that offers a lot of disk space. If your website is just informational with infrequent changes then disk space shouldn’t be a problem.
Server Location: This is one question we get asked the most, does the physical location of your server matter? The answer is YES! Since we’re talking about web hosting for Canada, if your audience is Canadian then you’ll want to host locally. A lot of Canadian host actually have their servers based in the U.S so be sure to ask the company before you purchase a plan. I find people tend to overlook how important the physical location really is. We’ve all been to a website that took too long to load a page and just left. Now imagine if people came to your website and did the same thing. That’s time and money wasted and this can be remedied by choosing a web host that has servers where your audience is.
Does server location affect your Google Ranking? Google themselves have stated that the IP address of your website and location does play a part in their search result ranking algorithm. That being said, no one really know to what degree. Our advice, if you’re Canadian then host with a Canadian Web Host with local servers.
Support: Often overlooked, support is vital with any business you choose to work with. Most web hosts offer live chat, ticket and phone support. The best practice is to call or contact your potential provider on live chat to see what the wait times are and if you’re getting a real human. When you’re just starting out it’s helpful to have someone you can contact when you need a hand. We hosting can seem overwhelming but if you choose a company with great support it will make your life easier!
Domain Registration and Transfer: All of the hosting companies on our Top 5 offer a free domain registration and transfer. This means you can choose to register a new domain of your choice or transfer an existing domain name you already own. This covers you for the initial year. After that you’ll renew your domain name at their regular rates. If you’re in Canada we’d recommend choosing a web host that offers .CA domain names.
This information might seem like a lot to digest but just take it step by step. Choose a company and check out their hosting plans. Find out what they offer and if they can host your website. Write down any questions you want to ask. It’s always good to be prepared before diving right it. Remember, web hosting is the backbone to your website and business!