7 Best Ecommerce Hosting Providers (Oct 2023)

The Ultimate Web Hosting Guide for Ecommerce Business Sites

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The best ecommerce hosting platforms are essential to building a successful online store. While many online store builders do offer hosting as a built-in service, there are countless other platforms which require you to seek out your own hosting solution.

Choosing the right option ensures you can provide your customers with the best possible browsing experience, complete with fast-loading pages, and exceptional security. A good hosting platform can also save you from a encountering a lot of issues with your online store. The best tool will provide you with all the storage and bandwidth you need to manage your online presence, accessible support from a knowledgeable team, and even emergency backups.

While there are many hosting solutions out there for site owners, only a handful offer the specialist features and capabilities ecommerce business leaders need.

Today, weโ€™re looking at some of the most highly-rated hosting services, specifically suited to ecommerce entrepreneurs.

In this article:

Who needs ecommerce hosting?

Some will be surprised by this answer, but a specific/separate ecommerce hosting setup isn't always required to build an operational ecommerce store.

If you're going to be building your store with an all-in-one hosted solution like Shopify, Squarespace, or Wix, then the platform will provide you with hosting as part of the main package.

However, if you're going to be building your store on WordPress (WooCommerce), Magento, Prestashop, Open Cart, or any other self-hosted system, then this is when getting quality ecommerce hosting is your individual responsibility.

Literally hundreds of ecommerce hosting providers are available for you to play around with, so keep reading to learn which ones are actually going to be the best for your specific needs.

What are the Top Ecommerce Hosting Services?

  1. SiteGround
  2. Bluehost
  3. Scala Hosting
  4. Kinsta
  5. Cloudways
  6. Nexcess
  7. WP Engine

1. SiteGround

SiteGround - Best Ecommerce Hosting Platforms to Consider in 2023

Best for: Companies building their ecommerce site with WooCommerce.

Easily one of the most popular hosting services around, SiteGround offers business leaders a range of options to choose from, including dedicated WordPress hosting, with integrated WooCommerce support. SiteGround benefits from a variety of advanced features which can make life a lot simpler for ecommerce vendors. The auto-installation system ensures you can quickly get your site up and running without a lot of technical knowledge.

Plus, SiteGroundโ€™s ecommerce plans feature everything from pre-installed shopping carts, to free store transfer and migration options, and an optimized ecommerce server. The platform includes CDNs (Content Delivery Networks) to improve site speed and performance. Plus, you can take advantage of multiple server locations around the world to connect with customers.

In terms of overall reliability, SiteGround is incredibly impressive, with an uptime guarantee of 99.98%, so you should be able to keep your store up and running no matter what. Plus, backups are available to protect your site from unexpected incidents.

Support and Security

If youโ€™re worried about security and customer support from your hosting provider, SiteGround is sure to put your mind at ease. The platform offers customers a comprehensive knowledgebase for self-service, as well as live chat and phone support, delivered 24/7.

SiteGround also provides users with a free SSL certificate, and gives business leaders support from an in-house monitoring system that checks server status every half second to prevent issues. Thereโ€™s also advanced spam protection available as part of standard pricing plans.

Pricing

From a pricing perspective, SiteGround is extremely affordable. WooCommerce hosting packages start at $2.99 per month when you commit to an annual plan. There are also advanced packages available, such as the GrowBig plan ($4.99 per month) and the GoGeek plan ($7.99 per month), which provide access to PCI compliant servers, SuperCacher, and more.

Pros ๐Ÿ‘

  • Excellent automatic installation
  • Automated WordPress and WooCommerce updates
  • Fantastic uptime guarantee
  • Excellent 24/7 customer support
  • Reliable performance monitoring

2. BlueHost

Bluehost - Best Ecommerce Hosting Platforms to Consider in 2023

Best for: Creating a wide range of ecommerce sites

Offering a combination of fantastic reliability and advanced functionality, BlueHost is an excellent option for all-around ecommerce site hosting. If youโ€™re using WordPress and WooCommerce for your business, youโ€™ll be pleased to know BlueHost is one of the top ecommerce web hosting services recommended by WordPress.

This scalable hosting solution is ideal for a variety of different types of businesses too. You can even provide booking and appointment services through your online store, thanks to a range of featured powered by YITH. Plus, BlueHost comes with a fantastic user-friendly dashboard, so you donโ€™t have to worry about having limited tech knowledge.

BlueHost comes with fantastic website analytics, tons of SSD storage, and a free domain, SSL certificate, and Yoast SEO access for a year. In addition, you can also use this hosting service to create stores with Wonder Theme, and build wish lists, and create gift cards using the WooCommerce plugin.

Support and Security

For customer support, BlueHost provides access to email tickets, and 24/7 live chat and phone support. Plus, when you first purchase a package from BlueHost, youโ€™ll receive an onboarding call to get you started.

As far as security goes, youโ€™ll have access to your free SSL certificate, spam protection, secure shell access, and hotlink protection. The security measures available are some of the best on the market, and you can expand them even further with the SiteLock Find add-on.

Pricing

BlueHost offers decent value for money, with various hosting types to choose from. If youโ€™re looking for WordPress Ecommerce, prices start at either $9.95 or $12.95 per month, however, the cheaper plans donโ€™t come with instant backups.

BlueHost customers can access a 30-day money back guarantee as well as various deals throughout the year to help cut costs.

Pros ๐Ÿ‘

  • Excellent WooCommerce and WordPress hosting
  • Theme tools and website building features
  • Yoast SEO and free features included
  • Options for selling unlimited products
  • Wish lists, booking options and more

3. Scala Hosting

Scalahosting - Best Ecommerce Hosting Platforms to Consider in 2023

Best for: Unmetered bandwidth

One of the top-rated hosting providers, Scala hosting delivers a variety of hosting packages to different types of business owners, including Managed Cloud VPS, WordPress, and web hosting. The most popular option for ecommerce hosting services is the managed WooCommerce hosting package, which provides access to everything from multiple CPU cores, to hassle-free migration, delivered by technical experts.

All hosting options for ecommerce store owners come with a free domain name and SSL certificate. Plus, youโ€™ll be able to control the components of your WooCommerce store easily using the dedicated SPanel control panel (Scala Hostingโ€™s alternative to Cpanel). The solution includes effortless VPS management, one-click installations, and automatic backups.

Dynamic caching guarantees rapid performance, and you can also leverage a range of blacklists, monitoring tools, dedicated IP addresses, and spam tools. Plus, Scala Hosting offers unmetered bandwidth on all managed WooCommerce packages.

Support and Security

The support available from Scala Hosting is fantastic, with expert guidance and assistance constantly available from a technical team. You can send support tickets, or connect with technicians via instant chat on a 24/7 basis.

From a security perspective, Scala Hosting offers all the basics, such as SSL certificates and disaster recovery backups. However, thereโ€™s also 24/7 proactive monitoring, real-time malware protection powered by AI and a range of tools for managing spam and other issues.

Pricing

Packages for WooCommerce hosting start at $24.95 per month for the entry-level product with 50GB of SSD storage, 2 CPU cores, and 2GB of RAM, plus unlimited bandwidth. You can increase your plan all the way up to a package of $138.95 per month with 8 CPU cores, 16GB of RAM, and a 150 GB NVMe SSD.

Pros ๐Ÿ‘

  • Fantastic control panel capabilities
  • Unmetered bandwidth on all managed plans
  • Free features like dynamic caching and SSL
  • Real-time malware protection and AI-powered security
  • LiteSpeed web server for increased speed
  • Free domain comes with all plans

4. Kinsta

Kinsta - Best Ecommerce Hosting Platforms to Consider in 2023

Best for: Developers creating web projects

Kinsta is a unique cloud platform, designed to assist companies and development teams manage their products more effectively. You can deploy your ecommerce services on infrastructure built using Google Cloud Platformโ€™s Premium network, as well as C2 machines, built to offer phenomenal uptime and excellent speeds.

Kinsta comes with dedicated database options, so you can eliminate query limits, internal traffic restrictions and more. Plus, if youโ€™re running a WordPress website with WooCommerce, Kinsta offers an amplified managed experience, complete with a staging environment, automatic backups, redirects, SSL certificates, and performance monitoring tools.

Kinsta offers a slightly different service to most hosting solutions, as it combines options for website hosting with application hosting services too. The WooCommerce hosting comes with CDNs, server-level caching, and enterprise grade firewalls.

Support and Security

All packages offered from Kinsta come with 24/7 support from a technical team, offered 365 days per year. The customer service from the company has achieved a fantastic 97% satisfaction rate, and there are no tiered support issues to worry about.

From a security perspective, Kinsta combines standard SSL certificates with isolated technology, firewalls, and Cloudflare-powered DDoS protection.

Pricing

Pricing from Kinsta depends on the service you need. For managed WordPress hosting with WooCommerce, youโ€™ll spend around $70 per month for the basic plan, with 20GB of storage, and 2 WordPress installs, which can be a little expensive.

Cheaper options are available for $35 per month, but you donโ€™t get nearly as much storage or CDN access. Prices can also add up if you want add-ons like visit overage, CDN overage or disk space overage.

Pros ๐Ÿ‘

  • Fantastic managed hosting experience
  • Lots of security features built-in
  • Caching and CDNs for faster load times
  • Application and website hosting in one
  • Highly rated customer service

5. Cloudways

Cloudways - Best Ecommerce Hosting Platforms to Consider in 2023

Best for: Hosting various ecommerce sites

As you might have guessed from the name, Cloudways specializes in cloud-based hosting services for ecommerce business owners. Unlike most ecommerce hosting options, Cloudways doesnโ€™t focus exclusively on WordPress either. You can use the system with virtually any ecommerce platform, from Magento to Prestashop and Opencart.

Cloudways makes it easy to set up your store and go live in minutes, with a comprehensive back-end environment where youโ€™ll find staging tools, options to whitelist Ips, and the option to launch apps with a single click. The scalable service comes with smooth reliability, and the opportunity to adjust specs like CPU, RAM, and bandwidth whenever you like.

Cloudways includes the latest PHP ready services, Cloudflare integrations, and advanced caching tools. Plus, the cloud hosting stack combines a variety of powerful tools to keep small businesses up and running consistently, with minimal downtime.

Support and Security

The ecommerce hosting solutions from Cloudways come with excellent assistance from a dedicated support team. You can even choose to access dedicated managed hosting for your platform. Alongside rapid support, youโ€™ll also get auto-healing and 24/7 monitoring.

For security, you can rely on regular security patching, free SSL certificates, dedicated firewalls, and more, all designed to keep your store running smoothly with unlimited bandwidth. Plus, thereโ€™s automated protection against DDoS attacks.

Pricing

For ecommerce hosting, Cloudflare offers a range of packages, starting at $14 per month for the premium service, or $11 per month for the standard service. More expensive packages include access to advanced object caching, increased storage, and RAM.

Pros ๐Ÿ‘

  • Support for a range of ecommerce website builders
  • Innovative control panel for online business control
  • One-click installations with reliable uptime
  • Auto healing services and automated DDoS protection
  • Regular security patching

6. Nexcess

Nexcess - Best Ecommerce Hosting Platforms to Consider in 2023

Best for: Fantastic monitoring and support

Another excellent option if youโ€™re looking for a hosting company with powerful ecommerce features, Nexcess is a top-rated cloud hosting provider. Officially recommended by WooCommerce, itโ€™s one of the most popular tools for WordPress site owners, with a variety of great features to explore.

Users can take advantage of free object caching for fast-loading products, as well as amazing page loading speeds with a global CDN and DNS service, and more. Plus, there are some great sales and marketing tools on the ecommerce hosting plans too. For instance, youโ€™ll be able to take advantage of conversion optimization tools, cart abandonment solutions, and smart monitoring alerts.

All plans come with support for premium migration, PHP solutions, and unlimited email hosting. The daily backups offered by Nexcess also prevent you from having to worry about any downtime. Worldwide data centers and CDN solutions are also excellent for boosting site speeds.

Support and Security

When it comes to security and support, the Nexcess hosting company has a lot of great options available. All ecommerce plans come with 24/7/365 support available through chat and email. Plus, the team works with you on smart monitored hosting solutions.

For security, you can take advantage of level 1 PCI compliance, regularly updated firewalls, SSL certificates, and 24/7 server tracking.

Pricing

If you pay on a monthly basis, packages for managed WooCommerce hosting from Nexcess start at $19 per month for 30GB of storage, 3TB of bandwidth, and 20 auto-scaled PHP workers per site. The most advanced enterprise packages start at $449 per month, with up to 10TB of bandwidth and 800GB of storage, as well as support for up to 30 stores.

Pros ๐Ÿ‘

  • Excellent security features for peace of mind
  • Cloud accelerator tools for fantastic speeds
  • Proactive customer support and assistance
  • Developer friendly environments
  • Lots of tools for sales and marketing

7. WP Engine

WP Engine - Best Ecommerce Hosting Platforms to Consider in 2023

Best for: WordPress hosting

Finally, WP Engine is a fantastic tool for companies investing in the WooCommerce and WordPress landscapes. The company specializes in customized packages for hosting, so you can build your own ideal solution from scratch, with access to fast page load speed, payment gateways, and security on every plan. The managed WooCommerce plans also include templates and 1-click store creation.

WP Engine uses EverCache technology to increase load speeds, tools for maximizing performance with SEO, and automated updates. Youโ€™ll be able to use a customizable back-end to control all of the aspects of your site, and leverage an attractive checkout and cart tool.

WP Engine is incredibly easy to use, and flexible enough to scale with any site environment. Plus, it protects credit card payments on all plans, with secure payment gateways.

Support and Security

Support from WP Engine varies depending on the package you get. All customers can connect with the service team through email, live chat, or phone. Additionally, if you opt for an advanced package, you can get white glove migration and launch support.

From a security perspective, WP Engine includes auto plugin updates for site safety, proactive threat blocking, and SSL certificates. Some plans also come with advanced DDOS protection.

Pricing

Plans for managed ecommerce hosting for WordPress and WooCommerce start at $50 per month for extensive speed, SEO, and threat protection tools, automatic updates, and 1-click store creation. You can adjust your package based on your site and bandwidth needs. Plus, WP Engine offers a 60-day money back guarantee for peace of mind.

Pros ๐Ÿ‘

  • Fantastic ease-of-use with one-click store creation
  • Excellent caching and speed services
  • Marketing and sales tools
  • Secure payment processing
  • Dedicated shopping cart software

Choosing the Best Web Hosting For Your Ecommerce Store

Thereโ€™s no one-size-fits-all strategy for choosing the best ecommerce hosting providers. The right hosting offers for you will depend on the specific features and support you need. There are plenty of options out there, ranging from shared hosting plans, to VPS hosting, and dedicated managed solutions for WordPress and WooCommerce.

When considering the web hosting providers mentioned above, we recommend thinking not just about your budget, but your needs in terms of security, scalability, and customer service.

Best Ecommerce Hosting: Conclusion

So, how exactly do you go about choosing the best ecommerce hosting platform?

Of course, for a lot of people, there's a lot more to choosing an eCommerce platform for web hosting than pricing alone. There are a lot of companies out there that offer things like free domain names and website builder tools with their web hosting service. You can even find eCommerce platforms built into hosting providers, like Shopify offers with their robust shopping cart, domain name, and credit card processing tools.

Choosing the right eCommerce hosting product means not only choosing the top eCommerce business with the best load speeds and the lowest fees. You'll also need to think about:

  • Integrations with shopping cart software
  • MySQL support and HTML customization
  • Plugins and add-ons, like those offered by Shopify and WordPress
  • SEO for your eCommerce platform and online business
  • Page load times
  • Free domain names
  • PCI compliant performance and lets encrypt security

Integrations with shopping cart tools is a big point to think about, as if you can only use a certain piece of shopping cart software, your chances of high transaction fees go up significantly.

In terms of features and ease of use for your ecommerce hosting, we like solutions with one click installs and support for WooCommerce. Therefore, SiteGround, Bluehost, Kinsta and WP Engine standout.

I would say my overall favorite solution is Flywheel because of the combination of pricing, speed, CDN, and customer support. You really can't ask for more.

However, SiteGround is my personal favorite for budget ecommerce hosting. WP Engine isn't bad as an alternative to Flywheel.

If you have any questions about implementing or choosing an ecommerce hosting provider for your online shop, drop us a line in the comments below.

Karol K

Karol K. (@carlosinho) is a WordPress figure-outer, blogger, and published author of "WordPress Complete". His work has been featured all over the web on sites like: Ahrefs.com, Smashing Magazine, Adobe.com, and others.

Comments 6 Responses

  1. Sumita Singh says:

    Very informative post. this will be very helpful to me. thank you so much for sharing.

    1. Bogdan Rancea says:

      You’re welcome Sumita!

  2. Stambaugh Designs says:

    I dropped Bluehost in 2015 after years of being with them. My shared server got hacked and they said nothing was wrong. I switched to Siteground and have never looked back.

  3. Teresa says:

    HI, great article! I have a small retail business online with 400 products. Just starting out so not a lot of page views…around 50-200. I was told to move my oscommerce shopping cart to woo commerce bc it is newer and more modern, do you agree? if so, would you recommend could hosting (cloudways.com) or shared server (siteground.com) theres also Hostgater and AZ hosting. Im trying to save as much money as possible since it will take awhile i believe to get my page views up, maybe a 2-4 months? so which would you go with for now..shared or cloud since they are about the same price from the websites listed above.

    1. Bogdan Rancea says:

      Hi Teresa,

      Some of the best looking templates around are available for WooCommerce and Shopify. So both services will be great if you are aiming for a sleek and clean aesthetic which makes them perfect for modern, forward-thinking websites. You can read our Shopify vs WooCommerce comparison for more info.

      When it comes to hosting we haven’t got the chance to review Cloudways, but here are a few articles that might help (SiteGround included):

      Best Ecommerce Hosting: Bluehost vs WP Engine vs SiteGround vs Pagely vs FlyWheel

      BlueHost Ecommerce Hosting Review 2016

      WP Engine Review [Hosting Service]

      Best of luck!

  4. flor says:

    tanks for this review! helped me a lot!

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