There are a lot of web hosting providers that tell you that they’re the most affordable choice. But what a lot of people don’t know is that cheap isn’t always better.
There are providers that may be affordable, but they don’t give you enough storage space for your videos and blogs. Or worse, they don’t have the security features that will keep your donations secure.
So if you’re on the search for an affordable yet secure web hosting service, then this article is for you.
Here, I’m going to review the best web hosting for churches in 2023.
Let’s get to it.
What to Look For in A Web Hosting for Churches
Before we get reviewing, let’s see what you should look for first. This way, you’ll know exactly what web hosting provider will fit your church’s website needs.
Here are 6 things to look into:
- Price
- Security
- Ease of Use
- Customer Support
- Speed
- Reliability
Price
Most churches (if not all) are non-profit organizations, so it would be beneficial if you keep your web hosting costs to a minimum.
Of course, going for the cheapest web hosting is also not a good idea, as I mentioned earlier.
Having said that, there are web hosting providers that offer great value for money. Why spend a lot with a web hosting that offers the same features as a cheap but reliable one?
My point is, you don’t need to splash out money to find a good web hosting provider, either.
Security
Are you planning to receive donations on your website? If you are, then security is a must. No donor wants any information of theirs to be leaked no matter how little they donate.
Ease of Use
As a church, your primary purpose is to spread your faith. The last thing you want to do is waste a lot of precious time figuring out how to set up the hosting service and build your website.
It’s a good thing that there are a lot of providers offering built-in website builders that are very user-friendly. No programming knowledge required!
Customer Support
Customer support is one of the most important features that your web host should have.
Look for a provider that you can reach regardless of the time of the day. It also helps if there is more than one channel that you can use to reach customer service.
Speed
Whether you’re planning to post videos, music, playlists, and lectures, you’re going to need a high-speed web host provider.
Why? You don’t want your site to load so slowly. Sure, your members will still be patient, but what about the people that want to check out your church through your website?
Reliability
Even if you have responsive customer service, it’s not an excuse for your site to be down all the time. That’s just not going to work, especially when you are conducting live streamings of your sermons or sessions.
So, make sure to look for a reliable web hosting provider that will allow your website to go smoothly.
Best Web Hosting Providers for Churches
With that out of the way, let’s look at the 5 best web hosting providers for churches:
Let’s see what each of these providers can offer you.
Bluehost
Quick facts:
- Free SSL Certificate
- Free domain on your first year
- 24/7 customer support
- Affordable subscription rates for 3-year terms
- 50 GB storage (basic plan)
- Customizable WordPress themes
Bluehost is easily one of the most affordable web hosting providers for churches.
With their basic shared hosting plan, you already get 50GB worth of storage, free domain for the first year, a free SSL certificate, and a reliable customer service team.
And if you plan to make a website from scratch, you’ll love the one-click install for WordPress feature. Not only is this very user-friendly, but it also gives you access to so many WordPress themes.
What people love about Bluehost is their complete package at an affordable price. Beginners and web developers alike find this to be one of the providers that have great value for money.
And if you’re not convinced yet, Bluehost has a 30-day money-back guarantee if you’re not impressed with their services.
Yep, if you experience a lot of downtime during your first month, then you can ask for a refund from the team.
In the end, you won’t have a lot of risks hosting your online church through Bluehost.
How to Make a Church Website With BlueHost
Quick facts:
- Free SSL certificate
- Free domain name
- 100 GB storage on the basic shared hosting plan
- Unlimited email accounts
- On-site website builder
- Money-back guarantee anytime
Coming close to the top spot is A2 Hosting.
A2 Hosting is well-known for providing a lot of storage on their basic plan. And yes, they’re very affordable, too.
What sets A2 Hosting apart from its competitors is the perks you get even when you just subscribe to their most basic shared hosting plan.
You get unlimited email accounts, 100 GB storage, a free domain name, and a free SSL certificate.
You also get to choose where your data center is located. So if your audience is in the USA, you can pick a data center that is closer to them. In turn, you get a faster buffering time on your site.
Did I mention that A2 Hosting has an anytime money-back guarantee?
Yep, whatever plan you get, you can ask for a refund whenever - there are no deadlines. If you’re not satisfied, you won’t lose anything.
Quick facts:
- 99.91% (August 2023) uptime
- Free SSL certificate
- Free InterShield Security
- 24/7 customer support
- Unlimited email accounts
- Unlimited storage
InterServer.net offers a free standard web hosting plan for non-profit organizations registered as a 501(c)(3) with the IRS.
You read that right. If your church fits all the requirements, then you can have a free plan on InterServer.net’s standard shared hosting package.
Even if you’re not, you’ll be glad to know that the provider has affordable fees. Maybe not as affordable as BlueHost, but it’s still a good option.
Besides, it has a price-lock guarantee on its packages so you don’t need to worry about higher auto-renewal fees.
The standard package may be the most affordable one, but it has loads of security features that will help protect your member’s donations and information.
InterServer.net has its own ‘InterShield Security’ which has an automatic virus scanner, machine learning firewall, in-house malware database, and additional protection rules and software.
Quick facts:
- 1 email address
- Automatic daily backups
- Managed WordPress and WordPress Acceleration
- Cheapest basic package for shared hosting
- 30-days money-back guarantee
Hostinger has made it to the list because they are the cheapest of all web hosting providers.
Compared to the average of $3 for the first month of a basic plan, Hostinger offers a third of this price for beginners.
If you are just starting to bring your church online, then this affordable plan is a good idea. I mean, it has enough storage for a standard text-based site.
One problem with Hostinger is that their basic plan does not have an SSL certificate. If you want this certificate, you have to change to a higher plan or pay extra.
Unfortunately, doing this will increase your monthly fee to a considerable amount.
Nonetheless, Hostinger is a good beginner web hosting provider. You have the basic features plus a website builder included.
Quick facts:
- Free SSL certificate
- 100 email addresses
- Free domain during the subscription
- 2 websites
- WordPress installer and updates
HostPapa makes it on the list as one of the most user-friendly web hosting providers for churches.
What’s great about this web host is they give free one-on-one training for beginners. The training is pretty comprehensive - from setting up your website to navigating the cPanel control panel.
If no one has ever tried creating a website in your team before, then you’ll love this thoughtful feature of HostPapa.
As for the monthly price, this provider may not be as affordable as the others on this list. However, they do provide a lot of freebies even on their basic plan, such as a free domain.
However, if you cancel your subscription, the domain goes away, too.
Web Hosting for Churches FAQs
You probably have a bunch of questions to ask about web hosting.
Don’t worry, we got you! Here are some FAQs that might help you.
Is VPS Better Than Shared Hosting?
Virtual Private Server (VPS) is often more secure and reliable since it has more protection against server issues experienced by other websites on the same server. They also have larger storage space!
However, they’re more expensive than shared hosting.
Shared hosting is ideal for churches that are not willing to spend a lot on web hosting. It’s also a better choice if you’re not going to be posting a lot of multimedia.
Conclusion
Looking for an excellent web hosting for your church’s website?
Pick any of these web hosting providers, and you’re sure to get the best experience. You won’t regret it!