What is the best eCommerce hosting provider? And is there any web host that provides professional services for online stores, including email accounts, SSL, and other options?
Now, even if you choose one of the best eCommerce web hosting services, you shouldn’t waste time with configurations and website setup. There are many companies that provide eCommerce website design in addition to hosting plans. So, if you want to save money and get an all-in-one solution, there are some options for small business sites.
Ecommerce hosting is not the same as regular services for websites; eCommerce websites need extra resources like RAM and CPU, and they also need higher levels of server security. So for those who prefer choosing their online store hosting solutions, we tested the top companies, and we’ll show you the best recommendations.
The main problem with all the popular business web hosts is quality. In fact, many of these providers claim different things. However, in reality, a few of them work well for business websites and online stores. It’s not a matter of pricing but also server RAM, uptime, bandwidth, security, and more, like customer support. So, these are the best hosting providers for online store hosting that we tried and recommended to small business owners.
Top eCommerce web hosting services
Before choosing any web host, we try it and make sure it meets the minimum requirements for a professional website. There is no way to build a secure eCommerce website without hosting it on secure servers and optimizing it for speed and Google crawlers. Now, you don’t have to waste your time testing dozens of web hosting services. We tried them, and here is the list of the best web hosts for online stores.
1. HostGator (all-in-one eCommerce hosting)
HostGator is our first recommended web host for eCommerce websites. It offers all the tools and options that an online store needs in one place. Three are cPanel with its latest version, SSH access, a premium SSL certificate from Comodo, FTP, SFTP, and, of course, one-click installation software for WordPress, Prestashop, and other CMS.
When it comes to system configurations, HostGator is at the top of the list of web hosting solutions that care about CMS requirements and optimize servers to handle more traffic and work faster. In addition, there are extra levels of security, like DDoS protection and malware scanning against online threats.
These are some pros of using HostGator to host an eCommerce website:
- One of the largest web hosting companies in the USA
- Founded in 2002
- Award-winning web hosting and customer support
- It’s known for its great cPanel latest versions
- Pure cloud hosting provider
- A modern website builder tool
- Different web hosting solutions, including shared plans, VPS, cloud hosting, and dedicated servers
- Auto installation software for eCommerce apps
- E-commerce-ready hosting for WordPress, PrestaShop, Magneto, and more
- PayPal shopping cart integration
- Free domain registration for the first year
- Existing website transfer service for free
- 45-day money-back guarantee
- 99.9 uptime
- Unlimited email accounts
- Automatic site backups
- G Suite integration
2. Liquid Web (Fully managed eCommerce hosting)
This is exclusive, powerful, fast premium web hosting. Liquid Web does not offer shared hosting, but it offers the best VPS and dedicated servers in the world.
The company owns a data center in the USA, and they wholly own their infrastructure. So, they manage everything without the need for third-party services.
Liquid Web has super-fast web hosting that you can’t find anywhere else. In reality, big companies use their hosting services to sell products to millions of customers worldwide.
The fast SSD servers boost the website speed, and the monitoring system protects your website and cleans it from any malware. Also, there is a 24/7 support team that manages everything for you.
Here is an overview of the hosting features of this great company:
- PCI Compliance Scanning
- Fully managed dedicated eCommerce servers
- SSL Certificates
- Daily off-site backup
- Dedicated or cloud infrastructure
The company offers good E-commerce hosting with a shopping cart, and you can choose from these options:
- Managed VPS plans optimized for your eCommerce website
- Powerful dedicated servers that are fully managed
- Dedicated hosting for WooCommerce
3. InMotion Hosting
This is a good eCommerce web hosting that we recommend for all the website sizes. The web host offers real server resources that can handle any traffic, especially on VPS and dedicated plans.
However, if you are looking for cheap eCommerce web hosting, then, choose this one. InMotion has cheap eCommerce hosting that costs $3.49 per month.
That’s the smallest hosting plan that comes with unlimited monthly bandwidth and a free domain name.
In addition, the web host offers fast SSD servers, so, you get the power of the new drive server storage system without paying any additional fees.
This recommended hosting offers multiple options for you. So, you can accept payments through PayPal, credit card, and even Google Wallet. Moreover, there is SSL, responsive themes, and a one-click installer tool for popular eCommerce apps, that includes:
- PrestaShop
- OpenCart
- Magento
- WooCommerce
4. BigCommerce (hosted eCommerce platform)
If you don’t want to deal with web hosting issues and get a ready-made site, then, this is the best platform for eCommerce website building and hosting at the same time. This is the kind of fully managed eCommerce web hosting system. It’s not a web host provider only, but a complete e-commerce platform with dozens of tools, exclusive features, and good customer support.
You don’t need to install any software or build any complicated pages. Everything is well organized as pages.
This is the best eCommerce platform for small businesses; it’s reliable, fast, affordable, and combines all the functions in one place.
Instead of looking at different options and buying many tools and services, BigCommerce offers everything you need for your eCommerce website.
This company offers a free web hosting trial for your small business store for 15 days; you get the trial to test the options and see how they work. In addition, you can sell anywhere on Amazon, Facebook, Google Shopping, and eBay. Moreover, you get a long list of payment processors that no other e-commerce platform offers.
The service comes with instant checkout features that are optimized for more conversions and sales. Also, the shopping cart software includes advanced features and is optimized for your success.
This service offers these features:
- DDoS protection,
- Level 1 PCI-compliant hosting
- SSL certificate
- Secure hosting
- Storefront design with lots of customizations
- SEO tools included
- Mobile-friendly templates
- Optional WordPress integration (new feature)
- Offer coupons and discounts
- Sell worldwide with multiple payment options
- Bulk pricing model
- Professional customer support
- ECommerce site Quote Management
- B2B payments
- Fast API
- Multi-Language sites
- Sell to 129 countries using their local currencies
- Staging environment
- Advanced reporting and analytics
- High Availability hosting
- Certified and secure platform
- Documentations
- Reduced cost and lower fees than competitors
- Optimized mobile design
- Premium quality themes and tools
5. A2hosting
A2Hosting is not new in the web hosting industry, the company provides fast shared web hosting for an online store, and the cost starts at just $3.92/month. Thus, it’s a good place to host OpenCart sites and get all the benefits of fast sites. The VPS plans cost $5, but it’s not managed, so, it’s better to choose any shared hosting plan for your site and not a VPS.
Shared eCommerce web hosting
This is the cheapest eCommerce web hosting solution; shared web hosting comes with fewer resources, but it costs less, and you can use it for many applications. But keep in mind that shared eCommerce web hosting comes with problems like security, speed, and reliability.
In reality, the shared web server contains hundreds and even thousands of domains. So, these hosted websites share the server resources, and if one domain uses excessive RAM and CPU, the other website will suffer and even stop working completely.
That’s the kind of web hosting to choose for a personal website, but never for a serious eCommerce business.
Best shared eCommerce hosting
HostGator is the best hosting for eCommerce websites that need power and speed at the same time, and unlike other hosting providers, HostGator has reliable services and quality customer support. Thus, the user gets help when he needs it, and of course, managing an online store is not easy. At some point, there will be a need to contact the web hosting support department and add a feature or solve a problem, and this web host does the job like no other company offers.
They have optimized eCommerce hosting that doesn’t need lots of investment to get started, and for a few dollars, you get fast shared hosting that’s reliable, secure, and good.
Pros of shared eCommerce web hosting
- Cost-effective
- It doesn’t need technical skills
- There is a cPanel control panel to manage the site files
- There are lots of tools to use, like FTP, file manager, etc…
- Dedicated Domain name management
- Easy premium SSL certificate installation
- 24/7 customer support department by phone, live chat, or emails
- Faster servers compared to competitors (just enable site optimizer that will compress all content and severe it much faster)
- A trusted company to count on
Cons of shared eCommerce hosting
- It’s not really secure if you do nothing as a configuration
- There are limited resources for each hosting account to prevent abuses
- It’s not very reliable like a dedicated or VPS hosting
- There is a risk of Google blacklisting if there is one bad website hosted on the same server
- There is one shared IP address that hundreds of other domains use (so, get a dedicated IP if you want your store to be faster and better)
Best VPS eCommerce hosting
Unlike shared hosting, VPS eCommerce web hosting comes with dedicated resources and an isolated environment. So, it’s not really a dedicated server and not a shared server. It’s a web hosting solution in the middle of the two options. VPS gives you the power of the dedicated machine, but without paying hundreds of dollars.
We recommend VPS eCommerce hosting for business owners who want to start new stores and websites without spending a lot of money. The reason is that a newly built eCommerce website needs some time to bring traffic and to make a profit. So, you need to have a good web hosting service, that’s affordable and reliable at the same time.
That’s what a Virtual Private Server is about. It gives your online store or website dedicated RAM and resources that no other website can share with it.
Advantage of hosting eCommerce sites on VPS
- Dedicated resources
- It’s faster than shared hosting
- More secure
- Reliable hosting
- Server resources are not shared with any other site. You get all the allocated RAM and CPU
- A dedicated IP address, means faster site loading time, more security, and trust, as there is no risk of getting your site penalized because another spam site uses the same server IP address
Cons of the VPS eCommerce hosting
- It needs technical skills if it’s not managed, so, only choose the fully managed plans.
- Expensive hosting plans
What is the best VPS eCommerce Hosting?
With so many options and providers, a few VPS web hosts offer what an eCommerce website requires. In the first place, we recommend Liquid Web; it’s that kind of VPS hosting that boosts your site speed and protects it at the same time. It’s powerful, reliable, and super fast.
In the second place, we tried the InMotion Hosting VPS plans, and they worked well. These web hosting solutions provide great quality, and fast servers without spending more money on other options you don’t really need.
Best Dedicated e-commerce hosting
This is the kind of web hosting for those who want to start big and have the fastest eCommerce websites. A dedicated server gives your website completely dedicated resources like RAM, disk space, and CPU. So, you can configure the server the way you need and even build custom applications and optimization features.
This is the kind of web hosting that the biggest eCommerce websites use. In addition, dedicated eCommerce hosting gives your website a speed boost and also a great user experience thanks to faster page loading time.
On the other hand, remember that Google prefers fast websites. So, the Google crawler will access your web pages faster, and understand what you have as products better.
Then, you’ll have more indexed pages because you have a fast server that’s optimized for speed and crawling at once. Furthermore, expect better ranking in the Google search results because you offer faster website loading time and a better user experience.
No one wants to wait a minute for a web page to be fully loaded. The faster the website you have, the better the ranking will be on Google.
Pros of dedicated eCommerce website hosting
- The fastest web to host a website
- Full control over resources, software, and site
- Customizable tools
- Web servers are managed by expert technicians
- More security if you want to add custom tools
- Your site gets all the server resources
- It can host high-traffic websites
- High level of RAM, and multiple CPU cores
Cons of using dedicated servers for online store hosting
- It’s expensive for many
- You may have more resources than what your site needs
- If the server crashes for any reason, your site goes offline, so make sure you plan every maintenance and create a backup before doing that.
Recommend dedicated hosting for eCommerce sites
We recommend Liquid Web; it’s the fastest web host with the most powerful servers in the world. It’s the top level of web hosting services you can find today, and no other company offers what Liquid Web has as hardware, software, and customer support.
WordPress WooCommerce hosting
WordPress has a powerful core system that works with any project you can imagine. So, there is a powerful WordPress eCommerce website plugin called WooCommerce, and it’s a system that lets you sell products and services online.
The tool comes with all the good features like statistics, sales reports, new orders, and so on. So, you can add any products and manage the website even better, like other small business solutions.
Unlike regular WordPress web hosting, WooCommerce hosting needs PHP optimization and extra levels of security. So, the minimum eCommerce store hosting requirements for a well-optimized and fast WooCommerce store is a VPS and a secure payment system. In fact, a VPS for Woocommerce makes it great for users, and it will handle more traffic and requests.
Best WordPress eCommerce hosting
Liquid Web has a dedicated web hosting solution for WooCommerce, this optimized hosting offers what a powerful WooCommerce system needs, and even more, it makes it more secure and better for users. We recommend this web host for high-traffic online stores.
On the other side, WP Engine is also a good WordPress eCommerce hosting. There are 35 premium StudioPress themes to choose from and use completely for free, SSL, daily backups, and more options. That’s the best way to cut the WordPress site cost, as store owners get well-coded themes for their sites.
Choose the best hosting for eCommerce and save money
With fully managed site hosting, you get the best quality, however, you can save money at the same time. If you want to start your eCommerce website, make sure to estimate your daily traffic. That can help you to choose the right hosting plan for your online store.
Keep in mind that organic traffic needs months to come, so, what you need first is promoting your products on social media or using the paid advertising options.
The above-recommended eCommerce hosting companies offer free advertising credit with Google and Facebook. So, you can promote your products and get more sales.
You need to start small, and then, choose a bigger hosting plan when your eCommerce site grows. That’s the best strategy to cut costs. So, if you have just started, make sure to choose the smallest hosting package for your online store or site.
The main goal here is to choose a good eCommerce hosting plan that your website needs. You don’t need disk space and options you’ll never need. For the hosting billing cycles, you can save money when choosing a hosting plan for one year or more. That comes automatically with discounts and special offers. However, if you want to pay for web hosting per month, that’s fine. All these hosting companies offer that option.
These are the top eCommerce hosting companies we tested and recommend. They’re the best providers with outstanding support, super-fast servers, and amazing features. You don’t need to look elsewhere to find a good web host for your online stores. Honestly, you can’t find a reliable, fast, and secure web host like the above solutions.
What’s the best web hosting for eCommerce?
To summarize, these are the best eCommerce hosting providers we recommend. There is no need to browse dozens of guides on how to start a website or build an online store; all you have to do is sign up for a web hosting plan, get your site tools and templates, install a design you like, or contact the web host’s customer support to help you in every step.
HostGator is the best option; it works for all types of eCommerce websites, including WordPress, Prestashop, and others. There is also VPS, cloud hosting, and dedicated servers for high-traffic sites.
If you need a high level of eCommerce hosting, then, choose Liquid Web and sign up for one of their fully managed VPS plans. A VPS eCommerce hosting works well for stores with lots of products, photos, and users. However, in the same level of traffic, choosing fully managed dedicated servers is the top-notch hosting for big-size eCommerce sites with a lot of traffic.
So, grow your store step by step and choose a VPS plan first, and when you need more resources, move to a dedicated server, and let their engineers do the migration for you. It’s easy and professional at the same time.
Frequently asked questions about eCommerce hosting
What is eCommerce web hosting?
ECommerce web hosting is a little different than regular site hosting, it needs higher levels of security tools and configurations, and of course, there will be payment options to collect payments from store customers. Web hosting companies try to market their service as the best eCommerce hosting plans. However, not all of them offer PCI-compliant servers, which means, weak security for online shops.
E-commerce hosting comes also with a professional email account, a wildcard SSL certificate for the web store pages, more CPU, server RAM, and resources, as there are PHP and MySQL operations for database management and more.
Which eCommerce platform is best for small businesses?
There are many eCommerce platforms for small businesses. However, what works better in terms of SEO, speed, and reliability is BigCommerce and LiquidWeb. Wix, Squarespace, GoDaddy, or others like Shopify or Volusion offer different options, and they also work, but not the same as the above options.
What is the cheapest eCommerce solution?
We don’t think that eCommerce hosting should be very cheap. At some point, pricing should reflect the real quality of the services, and there is no eCommerce hosting without fast servers, a secure environment, and all the options that online stores need.
That being said, we think that HostGator offers the best value eCommerce hosting plans for all types of businesses. The cost of hosting an eCommerce website starts at $2.75 per month, and that’s cost-effective.
Which is the best eCommerce website builder?
BigCommerce is on the top list of the top 10 eCommerce hosting and website builder solutions. It offers a long list of features, tools, and ways to make online stores work better and faster. In the second place, the Gator site builder also works well for small business websites because it combines quality, reliability, and ease of use. Even beginners who know nothing about coding and website management can build their own store using that powerful drag-and-drop eCommerce site builder software.
Is Bluehost good for eCommerce?
The short answer is no; Bluehost is a cheap and good web hosting for a WordPress blog, but not for a professional eCommerce site unless you don’t care about site speed and security. Nevertheless, Bluehost VPS hosting should work for eCommerce sites, but it’s not faster or better than Liquid Web VPS plans.
How do I choose an eCommerce platform?
The best way to choose an eCommerce platform is to understand your website audience, traffic, and the options you really need. For example, if the only payment option you need is PayPal, then, most eCommerce website hosting platforms will work for you, but if you need more options, then, it’s better to choose a hosted eCommerce platform that offers hundreds of payment solutions.
Also, make sure you carefully read the web hosting features and tools in your plan, don’t just sign up for any hosting package; compare the hosting prices, and features and make a conclusion.
The next step we recommend is to contact your web hosting provider. There should be customer support via phone or live chat. Ask them for the feature you need or any questions, then. If you get friendly support, that’s a good sign that tells you it’s a professional web hosting company to count on. If you find no support at all, then, stay away. It will be another low-quality eCommerce site hosting that never works.
How much does it cost to build an eCommerce website?
The cost of building an eCommerce website will be nothing if you choose a hosted platform like BigCommerce. Of course, you’ll need time to use the building tool, but you don’t have to hire a developer or web design company to get your online store work.
When choosing a secure eCommerce hosting, the cost of starting the website will range from $500 to more than $40,000 or even more for very complex site features and functions. It all depends on resources, site usage, the estimated number of customers or visitors per month, and server resources. There is no exact cost for building a website for selling items online.
Is WordPress good for eCommerce?
The short answer is yes, WordPress is good for building an eCommerce website, but wait, there are many things to keep in mind and think about. First, WordPress has a Woocommerce plugin that the company acquired years ago, so, it’s the official WordPress eCommerce system, it comes with great features and options, but it’s not easy to manage the first time.
For performance, WooCommerce makes WordPress work slower as it sends lots of PHP and HTTP requests. For that reason, it will be a waste of time and money to use shared WordPress hosting for eCommerce. Instead, what works better is at least a high RAM and CPU VPS plan.
That’s not enough, the web host should implement server-side WordPress optimization for Woocommerce hosting, and honestly, the only web host that we found very fast for hosting a WordPress eCommerce is Liquid Web. They have fully managed WordPress hosting that’s optimized for WooCommerce and huge traffic.
