Best cloud hosting services of 2024
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Cloud hosting is the number one solution for medium and large websites – perfect for those relying on stable server performance and managing huge traffic influx. However, finding the best cloud hosting provider for Australia may prove quite a challenge.
Together with the Cybernews research team, I tested 56 hosting providers. We looked for the best combination of scalability, speed, and pricing – and selected the top seven cloud hosting options perfect for Australians. I picked my own favorites; let’s see which provider works best for you.
8 best cloud hosting providers in Australia – in short
- Bluehost – the best cloud hosting for Australia in 2024
- Hostinger – cloud hosting provider for beginners
- SiteGround – the most customizable cloud host
- LiquidWeb – strong premium cloud hosting solution
- HostGator – the most affordable cloud hosting starting at $4.95/month
- Microsoft Azure Web Apps – cloud hosting best for complex projects
- Google Cloud Web Hosting – the most resourceful cloud host
- ScalaHosting – the most well-rounded cloud hosting for Australia
Best cloud hosting services – detailed overview
To help you find the best cloud hosting for your goals, we reviewed over 56 providers and compared them against various criteria, including uptime, security, customer support, and price.
1. Bluehost – the best cloud hosting in 2024
| Rating: | |
| Starting price | AU$45.99/month |
| Cloud features: | up to 225GB storage, 150vCPU compute power, 24/7 priority support voice chat, unmetered bandwidth, automated daily backups, free SSL and migration |
| Best deal: | Get up to 81% OFF Bluehost |
Bluehost stands out as my personal favorite among cloud hosting options for Australia. It offers users a balanced solution with rock-solid performance, competitive pricing, high security and stellar support – 24/7 priority voice chat for all plans, which makes all the difference when it comes to scaling your business and website. And while Bluehost doesn’t have servers in Australia for now, its global CDN solves the problem.
Features. Bluehost offers a generous set of features to its users: up to 50 websites, 10 to 225GB storage space and up to 23 million visits a month. All pans also come with 10GB of daily automated backups and 100% uptime guarantee.
Performance. We tested Bluehost for a 2 months-period with a fully built site. While the provider offers a 99.9% uptime guarantee to its users, our testing has shown an impressive 99.9% uptime, with a server response time of 971ms. Here’s a brief summary:
| Uptime: | 99.9% |
| Average response time: | 971ms |
| Fully built site loading time: | 1.2ms |
| On-site traffic: | 50VUs |
More about Bluehost hosting. While swift support is among its biggest highlights, Bluehost is also far more than that. One of the things I enjoyed most about its cloud hosting was the versatility of solutions – including great infrastructure for WordPress websites and a Pro Online Store service tailored for online shops. And thanks to the user-friendly interface, it’s a great solution for both beginners and pros.
Pricing. You can choose from four plans, with the cheapest one starting at AU$45.99/month. All Bluehost cloud hosting plans include a 30-day money-back guarantee. What I really like about Bluehost that it’s the only cloud hosting provider on my list that offers billing in AUD, so you don’t have to worry about converting from USD.
2. Hostinger – affordable cloud hosting for Aussie beginners
| Rating: | |
| Starting price: | US$6.45/month (~AU$10.00/month) |
| Cloud features: | up to 300GB storage, 12GB RAM, unlimited bandwidth, 99.9% uptime guarantee, 24/7 support, free migration, SSL and domain |
| Best deal: | Get up to 87% OFF Hostinger + free months |
Even without servers in Australia, Hostinger still stands among the strongest cloud hosting options in 2024 – speedy, resource-rich, and easy to use. A great value-for-money choice.
Features. Hostinger cloud hosting plans offer up to 300GB storage space, 6 CPU cores, 12GB RAM and 300 websites, which is perfect for big projects that require a lot of resources. All plans come with free domain, daily backups, unlimited SSL, migration, and bandwidth.
Performance. My testing proved Hostinger ensures smooth performance and 100% uptime even during heavy traffic – thanks to its dedicated IP address, isolated instances, and a CDN that speeds up websites by 40%. It also boasts 11 servers worldwide, which allows for managing hundreds of simultaneous requests. We built a resource-intensive site to see how Hostinger will handle it, and the results were impressive:
| Uptime: | 100% |
| Average response time: | 476ms |
| Fully built site loading time: | 0.9s |
| On-site traffic: | 50VUs |
More about Hostinger cloud hosting. I enjoyed Hostinger for the huge resource selection, its super helpful support team, and the easy, intuitive navigation (kudos to the hPanel control panel, which is incredibly feature-rich). It is also optimized for WooCommerce, so if you have an online store – look no further.
Pricing. You can choose from 3 plans, starting with Cloud Startup, which comes for around AU$10.00/month. For extra, you can also choose from Cloud Professional or Cloud Enterprise. Bonus – 30-day money-back guarantee.
3. SiteGround – cloud hosting with top-notch scalability and safety
| Rating: | |
| Starting price: | US$100.00/month (~AU$147.00/month) |
| Cloud features: | Up to 160GB storage, 20GB RAM, 5TB bandwidth, free SSL, 24/7 support |
| Best deal: | Get up to 83% OFF SiteGround + FREE TRANSFER |
SiteGround is a premium provider that stands out for its speed, customizability, and security, offering scalable hosting for websites of all sizes. It also boasts top-notch safety features, which include an AI anti-bot system, daily backups, real-time monitoring, and Custom Web Application firewall. Moreover, Siteground has servers in Australia, making it a particularly strong option for Australian websites and businesses.
Features. The thing with SiteGround, is that it basically lets you build your own custom hosting plan – deciding on the CPU, memory, and SSD space that suit your needs best. But you can always go for a pre-set plan, which will include up to 160GB storage, 20GB RAM and 16 CPU cores.
Performance. With its 16 CPU cores and Ultrafast PHP setup, SiteGround demonstrates impressive performance and speed. Our tests showed uptime of 99.99%, 1.8s lloading time and server response time of 588ms. Here’s the summary:
| Uptime: | 99.99% |
| Average response time: | 588ms |
| Fully built site loading time: | 1.8s |
| On-site traffic: | 50VUs |
More about SiteGround cloud hosting. SiteGround is probably your best option when prioritizing customizability and security. I find the interface great, too – simple and intuitive, with a custom control panel. Customer support is stellar as well, with 24/7 live chat, phone, and ticket options.
Pricing. Siteground’s only weak spot is pricing, with plenty of more affordable options out there. I also don’t like that it offers monthly plans only. If you’re going for a preset plan, you have four options: Jump Start, Business, Business Plus, and Super Power. The cheapest one starts at around AU$147.00/month.
4. LiquidWeb – reliable and flexible cloud hosting
| Rating: | |
| Starting price: | US$5.00/month (~AU$7.32/month) |
| Cloud features: | customizable, 2-12 vCPU cores, 32GB RAM, 960GB storage, 8TB bandwidth |
| Best deal: | Get up to 85% OFF Liquid Web VPS |
If you’re looking for a wallet-friendly option, Liquid Web offers some great fully-managed cloud VPS plans – with strong performance, wallet-friendly prices and a great pool of features. You can also go for regular cloud hosting. While the prices will be more on the premium side, the quality is worth it, with users being offered high scalability, customizable solutions and top-tier protection.
Features. What’s great with LiquidWeb, is that you can customize your features based on your priorities – selecting a general, memory-optimized or CPU-optimized option. For example, you can get up 12 vCPU cores, 32GB RAM, 960GB storage and 8TB bandwidth with a memory-optimized plan. You also get a comprehensive set of security tools – including automatic daily backups, DDoS protection, SSL certificates, server monitoring, and firewalls.
Performance. Our tests showed an impressive 100% uptime and loading time of 1.2s. The server response of 521ms may seem weaker in comparison, yet the overall performance still stands strong.
| Uptime: | 100% |
| Average response time: | 521ms |
| Fully built site loading time: | 1.2s |
| On-site traffic: | 50VUs |
More about Liquid Web. While Liquid Web may not be as powerful as other options, it’s still a great, flexible pick for cloud VPS hosting. The control panel is user-friendly as well – you get to choose from cPanel, Plesk and InterWorx. I also really enjoyed dealing with their support. You usually get a reply via live chat in under a minute, and when I opened a ticket, the host got back to me in just 59 minutes.
Pricing. With Liquid Web, your price heavily depends on the set of features you need. With cloud VPS hosting, prices for the basic plan can start at around AU$7.32/month.
5. HostGator – cloud hosting as affordable as it gets
| Rating: | |
| Starting price: | US$4.95/month (~AU$7.25/month) |
| Cloud features: | Unmetered storage and bandwidth, free SSL and domain, 24/7 support |
| Best deal: | Get up to 81% OFF HostGator |
While its performance may not be stellar and the feature pool is somewhat limited, HostGator is definitely the cheapest option there is, even providing unmetered storage and bandwidth. It’s perfect for smaller, growing projects in Australia – and one-click WordPress installation makes it a great choice for blogs as well.
Features. HostGator’s offer for cloud hosting includes up to 6 CPU cores (which is perfectly enough for fast performance), up to 6GB RAM and unlimited amount of websites depending on the plan.
Performance. While on the weaker side compared to the likes of Bluehost or Hostinger, HostGator is still performing strongly. With a 99.96% uptime, loading time of 1.2s, and 576ms response time, it offers a solid balance of price and quality. Here’s what my testing showed:
| Uptime: | 99.95% |
| Average response time: | 576ms |
| Fully built site loading time: | 1.2s |
| On-site traffic: | 50VUs |
More about HostGator hosting. With easy navigation (cPanel ensures familiar experience) and budget-friendly prices, Hostgator can be a great solution. But that depends on your goals – if your project is on a bigger scale and you need more resources, consider, for example, Bluehost.
Pricing. You can choose out of three plans, with the cheapest one starting at around AU$7.25/month.
6. Microsoft Azure Web Apps – customizable cloud hosting solution for complex goals
| Rating: | |
| Starting price: | US$200 in credits (~AU$293) |
| Cloud features: | Customizable storage and CPU, API management, analytics tools |
| Best deal: | Check Microsoft Azure Web Apps pricing |
Coming from one of the world’s biggest tech giants, Azure is a great option for those who are looking to build more complex websites – and need an extended resource pool. It offers various types of storage, diverse analytical tools, 55+ free services, and solid web-related features. Bonus point – it has servers in Australia.
Features. Similar to SiteGround, Azure is super customizable, letting you choose how much storage space you’ll have or the number of websites you’ll host. It also provides access to tools like Azure Data Explorer and Azure Stream Analytics, supports various databases and offers features like API management.
More about Microsoft Azure Web Apps. Azure’s customizability is a great match for users looking for flexibility and working with ambitious projects that take a lot of effort. However, it’s a weaker option for those who want a pre-set plan, fixed prices, and an intuitive interface. Navigating it might be a pain if you’re not a pro. But if you are rather tech-savvy and already have experience with Microsoft products, then go for it.
Pricing. Essentially, your price will depend on the set of features you’ll need. However, you kick off with around AU$293 worth of credits, to be used in 30 days. You also get access to over 55 services for free, until you reach your monthly limit.
7. Google Cloud Web Hosting – an advanced customizable cloud hosting solution
| Rating: | |
| Starting price: | US$300 in credits (~AU$440) |
| Cloud features: | Customizable storage and CPU, advanced management tools |
| Best deal: | Check Google Cloud Web Hosting pricing |
It’s one of the most popular options out there, and for a reason. Just like Azure and SiteGround, Google Cloud offers high customizability, stellar performance, and a whole lot of features, especially useful for big websites in need of more-than-average solutions. You’ll get full control over what your plan looks like, advanced management tools, diverse storage options, you name it. It also has servers in Australia, which is always a plus for Aussies.
Features. All the features Google Cloud offers are highly customizable, depending on your budget and priorities. For example, a plan for around AU$60.00/month would offer you 50GB of storage, from one to multiple vCPU cores, and at least 2GB RAM.
More about Google Cloud Web Hosting. In the end, it all comes down to what you’re looking for. If you have a large-scale project and have advanced tech knowledge, this is going to be a great option. But if you’re looking for affordable prices and easy navigation, Google Cloud might not be for you.
Pricing. Just like with Azure, you start with approximately AU$440 credit, with later prices reflecting the features and resources you’ll use. Luckily, you can always use a Google calculator specifically designed to help you calculate the approximate cost.
8. ScalaHosting – secure and reliable cloud VPS hosting for Australia
| Rating: | |
| Starting price: | US$9.98/month (~AU$22.00/month) |
| Cloud features: | up to 200GB storage, 24GB RAM, up to 12 CPU cores, unmetered bandwidth, 100% uptime |
| Best deal: | Get ScalaHosting up to 78% OFF |
ScalaHosting may not be as speedy as Bluehost or as popular as Azure, but it’s still a great choice if you’re looking for a reliable, secure, and well-rounded provider. It has an easy-to-navigate control panel, lots of resources, as well as free domain, SSL, and email addresses available for all plans.
Features. With ScalaHosting, you can expect up to 200GB SSD storage, 24GB of RAM and up to 12 CPU cores. However, while those are some impressive features, they also come with the provider’s priciest plans.
Performance. During our testing, ScalaHosting stood strong with 100% uptime, a fast response time of 443ms, and a competitive loading time of 1.8s. Here’s a summary:
| Uptime: | 100% |
| Average response time: | 443ms |
| Fully built site loading time: | 1.8s |
| On-site traffic: | 50VUs |
More about ScalaHosting. Overall, ScalaHosting is a great pick for many reasons – solid performance, great security, and intuitive navigation among them. It also boasts impressive customer support (24/7 live chat, phone, email and ticket) and a really extensive knowledge base for customers. And its native SPanel is just as easy to use as cPanel. The only downside I think is the absence of non-VPS hosting options.
Pricing. You’ll be selecting out of four plans, where the cheapest one starts at around AU$22.00/month. Finally, I was very impressed that ScalaHosting offers an anytime unconditional money-back guarantee – something that might tempt potential users.
Compare top cloud hosts
| Brand | Rating | Uptime | Servers in Australia | Storage | Speed | Customer support | RAM | Starting price |
| Bluehost | 99.99% | ❌ No | 10-225 GB | 971ms | 24/7 | Customizable | AU$45.99/month | |
| Hostinger | 100% | ❌ No | 200-300GB | 511ms | 24/7 | 3-12GB | ~AU$10.00/month | |
| SiteGround | 99.99% | ✅ Yes | 40-160 GB | 217ms | 24/7 | 8-20GB | ~AU$147.00/month | |
| LiquidWeb | 100% | ❌ No | 40-200 GB | 521ms | 24/7 | 2-12GB | ~AU$7.32/month | |
| Hostgator | 99.99% | ❌ No | Unmetered | 525ms | 24/7 | 2-6GB | ~AU$7.25/month | |
| Microsoft Azure | N/A | ✅ Yes | Customizable | N/A | 24/7 | Customizable | ~AU$293 credit | |
| Google Cloud | N/A | ✅ Yes | Customizable | N/A | 24/7 | Customizable | ~AU$440 credit | |
| ScalaHosting | 100% | ❌ No | 50-200GB | 443ms | 24/7 | 2-24GB | ~AU$22.00/month |
Best cloud hosting ranking methodology
To determine the best hosting providers for Australia, together with our Cybernews research team ran thorough various hosting tests and market analyses.
First, we researched 56 hosting providers and selected only those which offer cloud hosting services. We then set up basic websites using hosts, installed CMS and essential plugins, simulated real-world traffic to test performance, and monitored metrics such as uptime, response time, and page load speeds. Here’s a more detailed overview of the process:
- Speed and performance (30%). We created a resource-demanding website to test cloud hosting solutions providers offer. We evaluated each host using tools like Pingdom by SolarWinds for uptime and server response, GTmetrix for page load speed, and k6 by Grafana Labs for stress testing.
- Security (30%). We separately assessed the security features, focusing on essentials like free SSL, firewalls, DDoS protection, and regular automatic backups.
- Features (30%). We also researched their features and whether they provide sufficient resources for large-scale projects and businesses. We also considered technical and extra features, examining control panel interfaces, customer support quality, migration services and supplementary tools like AI assistants or analytics instruments.
- Pricing (10%). Last but not least, we evaluated the prices, looking at the hosts’ pricing as compared to their performance, scalability, security and the feature selection.
Final thoughts
When selecting the best cloud hosting provider for Australia, you’ll be looking for scalability, stellar performance, top-notch support, and strong resource selection, for an affordable price. While seemingly a tricky task – it’s far from an impossible one.
For Australian hosting, I recommend Bluehost as the number one pick. It offers strong performance, impressive feature selection, and priority support for all plans. With up to 225GB of storage space and up to 23 million visits a month, it gives you the flexibility you need to grow and support your business. You can check other providers on my list – they’re also great cloud hosting options for different needs.
Best cloud hosting FAQ
What is the most cost-effective cloud hosting in Australia?
While there may be cheaper versions to choose from, Bluehost offers one of the best quality-to-price balances in Australia. Its plans start at AU$45.99/month – offering a strong set of features to make up for a higher-than-average price.
Is Azure better than AWS?
Although both providers offer solid hosting options for Australian users, ultimately this depends on your needs. For example, Azure will be perfect for businesses already using Microsoft products. Meanwhile, AWS offers a broader range of services for now.
Is Google Cloud Hosting free?
No, although it does offer a generous 90-day trial. The price you’ll have to pay after the trial ends will largely depend on the features you need.
Is cloud hosting the best?
Yes, at least for some websites. Consider cloud hosting if your priorities are scalability and flexibility. However, if you are tight on budget or need advanced customization options, it’s better to look elsewhere.
