Anonymous web hosting providers 2023: top options to protect your identity
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Miglė Šeikytė
Content Lead
Looking for a hosting provider that will keep your personal information safe from prying eyes? There can be several reasons why you might be searching for anonymous hosting.
Anonymous hosting does not require any personal data while signing up. Some even allow you to pay in cryptocurrencies, for that added anonymity.
So if you want to run an adult website, simply maintain your privacy online, or even avoid persecution in your country, consider anonymous hosting. And best of all, regardless if it's a preference or a matter of need to maintain anonymity online, you’ll find plenty of suitable hosting providers that will give you what you want.
So keep on reading to learn more about the 5 best anonymous web hosting providers and their strengths/weaknesses in terms of keeping your identity online safe.
Best anonymous hosting services in 2023: ranked
- Hostinger – overall the best affordable anonymous hosting provider
- DreamHost – WordPress-focused anonymous provider
- ScalaHosting – fully managed anonymous VPS hosting solution
- HostGator – business-oriented provider
- Namecheap – budget anonymous website hosting option
📢 LIMITED OFFER: Get 78% OFF Hostinger!
Why do you need anonymous website hosting?
100% anonymous hosting guarantees that no data you use is linked back to you. So why would somebody need that?
Well, there are actually a few reasons:
- You might simply want to conceal your identity online. Anonymous hosting allows you to either register with fake or doesn’t require any personal data at all. This means that your personal information will not be publicly available in widely accessible archives like domain registrars.
- You’re trying to lessen risks related to your occupation. Maybe you’re a journalist covering sensitive topics or a refugee sharing your stories online, anonymous hosting is your best bet in concealing your identity and reducing any potential risks to your person.
- Need for offshore hosting. More often than not, it’s hosted offshore. This means that local or even certain international-based authorities won't be able to get to your site – access the data stored on it or track the server back to you.
Best anonymous hosting services in 2023– our detailed list:
So if you’re after a web hosting solution that will help you keep your identity safe online, here are our identified 5 best anonymous web hosting providers:
1. Hostinger – overall the best anonymous hosting provider
| Rating: | |
| Features: | No identity verification and payments in cryptocurrencies |
| Uptime: | 100% |
| Best for: | Highly anonymous web hosting |
| Current deal: | 🔥Get 78% OFF Hostinger!🔥 |
Hostinger is one of the cheapest anonymous hosting providers on the market. Even so, it doesn’t sacrifice performance or your identity's safety online – there are plenty of options for you to keep your identity hidden.
Anonymous hosting features: Hostinger has quite a few anonymous hosting-related features to offer. First, the provider allows you to pay using Bitcoin or other major cryptocurrencies, which means your payment cannot be traced back to you, so your identity will remain unknown. Second, it does not ask to confirm your identity at any point. All you'll need to register is an email address and a password. More so, Hostinger has its own data centers with multiple levels of protection so that your information is safe. Lastly, while not free, it also offers domain privacy for an additional $5/year.
Performance: Hostinger does not compromise in terms of performance. In 2 months of testing, it kept a perfect 100% uptime with an avg. 511ms response time. Plus the site loading time was extra speedy – just 0.9s.
Pricing: The provider offers a very simple pricing structure – you can choose from 2 shared and 1 cloud plan. The prices start at as low as $2.69/mo with a 4-year billing cycle. On top of that, there’s a standard 30-day money-back guarantee to make use of.
Hostinger is the overall best web hosting provider for high anonymity. It can protect your identity by accepting cryptocurrency payments, not asking for identity verification, and offering domain privacy protection. Moreover, the prices are low, and the performance is close to perfect.
Visit our Hostinger review to learn more about its features.
2. DreamHost – WordPress-centered speedy anonymous provider
| Rating: | |
| Features: | No identity verification and free domain privacy |
| Uptime: | >99.99% |
| Best for: | Small-to-medium-sized websites with relatively good anonymity level |
| Current deal: | 🔥 Get DreamHost, now 79% OFF 🔥 |
DreamHost is a titan of the industry, and its focus is WordPress. However, it’s also one of the best anonymous web hosting providers because it offers free domain privacy and doesn’t require advanced identity verification. DreamHost’s prices are very reasonable too.
Anonymous hosting features: Unlike many other hosts, DreamHost includes domain privacy with all its plans, free of charge. Plus, there is no advanced identity verification (you can get away with using fake contact information and a prepaid card). Lastly, DreamHost has its own servers in data centers located in the US, so security is not an issue. However, be mindful that DreamHost doesn’t accept cryptocurrencies as a method of payment (only credit/debit cards or PayPal are accepted). So while you won’t really be able to hide your data from the provider, it won’t be visible to third parties.
Performance: The host comes with a 100% uptime guarantee. And throughout our testing, it made good on its promise by keeping a >99.99% uptime, a speedy avg. response time of 231ms, and fully loading a site in just 1.6s. Just be mindful that its servers are located in the US alone.
Pricing: When it comes to pricing, DreamHost is very straightforward. There are only 2 shared hosting plans to choose from with prices starting at $2.59/mo with a 36-month billing. Moreover, it offers a very generous 97-day money-back guarantee.
In general, DreamHost makes an excellent choice if you’re looking for an anonymous online presence. The domain privacy is free, and you can trick the verification process. The plans are inclusive and not expensive, and DreamHost’s performance is very good.
Visit our DreamHost review to learn more about its features.
3. ScalaHosting – fully-managed anonymous reseller hosting
| Rating: | |
| Features: | No identity verification, white-label control panel, private nameservers, and paid domain privacy |
| Uptime: | 100% |
| Best for: | Anonymous reseller hosting |
| Current deal: | 🔥 Get up to 36% OFF Scalahosting VPS + save an additional 15% with any ScalaHosting plan! 🔥 |
ScalaHosting may not be the most anonymous shared hosting provider out there, but what it offers is an anonymous VPS for resellers. Are you looking to run a hosting reselling business, but you’d like to look more like a hosting provider rather than a reseller? ScalaHosting has you covered.
Anonymous hosting features: All ScalaHosting’s reseller plans allow you to use private nameservers and come with a 100% white-label control panel This means that you can customize the website management control panel to have your logo. As for payment, ScalaHosting allows only 3 methods – credit card, PayPal, and bank transfer. Since all these methods need identity verification, the payment will be linked to you. Lastly, for an additional $4.00/year you can get ID protection, which hides your personal or company information from the publicly available WHOIS database.
Performance: While the provider gives a 99.9% uptime guarantee, our testing proved that the results are much better. In 2 weeks' time, the host kept a perfect 100% uptime and an avg. response time of 443ms. The site loading time was also speedy – 1.8s. Lastly, ScalaHosting has servers in 3 locations - Dallas (US), New York(US), and Bulgaria (EU.)
Pricing: Talking about offers, ScalaHosting has 3 reseller plans priced between $14.95/mo to $39.95/mo, with a yearly subscription. Additionally, there’s also a standard 30-day money-back guarantee to make use of if needed.
In sum, ScalaHosting is a great choice for anyone looking for anonymous reseller hosting. The host allows you to set private nameservers and offer 100% white-label, so you get to look like a web host rather than a reseller.
Visit our ScalaHosting review to learn more about its features.
4. HostGator – beginner-friendly business-oriented provider
| Rating: | |
| Features: | No identity verification and paid domain privacy |
| Uptime: | >99.99% |
| Best for: | Small-to-medium websites with minimum anonymity requirements |
| Current deal: | 🔥 Get up to 76% OFF HostGator! 🔥 |
HostGator is a popular web hosting provider, mainly for its affordable prices and generous server resources. While it isn’t 100% anonymous hosting, HostGator offers a few features you can take advantage of. The main point of selling is the lack of identity verification measures.
Anonymous hosting features: First and foremost, HostGator allows you to get away with providing fake credentials like a made-up name, address, or even pre-paid card. The provider mentions that all new customers must provide accurate information, but nobody actually checks. However, note that HostGator allows only two methods of payment – credit card and PayPal. Since the two require identity verification, the payment can be traced back to you. Lastly, while not free, HostGator also offers WHOIS Domain Privacy Protection for $14.95/year.
Performance: In terms of performance, HostGator is very reliable and pretty speedy too. In 2 months of testing, the host maintained >99.99% uptime with an avg. response time at 525ms. Plus, the site’s loading time was a very speedy 1.2s. Just be mindful that its servers are located in the US alone.
Pricing: HostGator comes forward with 3 affordable shared hosting plans. And if you opt for a 36-mo billing term the prices start at just $2.52/mo. Plus, there’s a 30-day money-back guarantee if you happen to change your mind.
The bottom line is that HostGator is a decent choice when it comes to anonymous web hosting. You can activate WHOIS Domain Privacy Protection or register under a pseudonym with a prepaid card. The prices and quality ratio is appealing too.
Visit our HostGator review to learn more about its features.
5. Namecheap – affordable anonymous website hosting for small sites
| Rating: | |
| Features: | No identity verification, payments in cryptocurrencies, free domain privacy |
| Uptime: | 99.82% |
| Best for: | A high level of anonymity for a smaller site |
| Current deal: | 🔥 Get Namecheap, now 56% OFF 🔥 |
Namecheap is one of the largest domain registrars on the market, but it also provides hosting. Since it offers free domain privacy and doesn’t require identity verification, Namecheap is ideal for anonymous web hosting. Plus, it accepts cryptocurrencies as means of payment.
Anonymous hosting features: Namecheap offers a number of anonymity features. First, all plans include a free WHOIS Domain Privacy Protection. Your contact information and other sensitive data are secure by default, so you don’t have to worry about prying eyes. Secondly, Namecheap doesn’t perform an identity verification when you register a domain and an account. And lastly, the host keeps your identity safe by allowing cryptocurrencies as a means of payment. So, if you don’t want your payment to be traced back to you, just use Bitcoin or any other cryptocurrency.
Performance: Namecheap is one of the very few shared hosting providers to offer a 100% uptime guarantee. However, our testing showed that in 2 weeks the host kept 99.89% uptime with an avg. response time at 1.05s. Site loading time also took quite a while – 2.7s. Now lastly, Namecheap allows you to host the site on a server located either in the US or the UK.
Pricing: The provider offers 3 shared hosting plans with prices starting at just $1.98/mo with a 24-mo billing cycle. Also, important to note is that if you wish to host your site in the UK, this will increase the monthly rate by $1. Lastly, Namecheap has a 14-day refund policy in place.
Overall, Namecheap offers quite a few anonymity-related features for a low price. The performance, however, is its Achilles tendon.
Visit our Namecheap review to learn more about its features.
Best anonymous hosting compared
When looking for the best anonymous web hosting provider, you have quite a few choices. We, however, have narrowed them down to 5 providers.
| Provider | Hostinger | DreamHost | ScalaHosting | HostGator | Namecheap |
| Brand: |  |  |  |  |  |
| Rating: | |||||
| Cryptocurrency payments: | ✅ | ❌ | ❌ | ❌ | ✅ |
| Domain privacy: | Paid | Free | Paid | Paid | Free |
| Uptime: | 100% | >99.99% | 100% | >99.99% | 99.82% |
| Avg. response time: | 511ms | 231ms | 443ms | 525ms | 1.05s |
| Data center location: | The US, UK, Netherlands, Lithuania, France Singapore, India, and Brazil | The US | The US (Dallas and New York) and EU (Bulgaria) | The US | The US and the UK |
| Control panel: | hPanel | Native user interface | SPanel or cPanel | Native user interface +cPanel | Native user interface +cPanel |
| Free SSL: | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ |
| Free domain: | ✅ | ✅ | ❌ | ✅ | ✅ |
| Price range: | From $2.69/mo | From $2.59/mo | From $14.95/mo | From $2.52/mo | From $1.98/mo |
| Review: | Hostinger review | DreamHost review | ScalaHosting review | HostGator review | Namecheap review |
How to choose anonymous web hosting?
The best anonymous hosting providers are the ones that don't even ask for your personal information. However, more often than not, they do. So what measures should you look for to make sure that your private information remains private? Here are the key factors you must consider before making a choice.
- Domain privacy – ICANN’s WHOIS protocol allows anyone to see your contact information or any other confidential data you use when registering a domain. To prevent that from happening, look for an anonymous hosting solution that comes with domain privacy and protection. That will keep your personal information, such as name, address, email address, and so on, hidden.
- Fast and easy registration – a good anonymous hosting provider ensures anonymity by not asking for too many personal details or any, for that matter. While some hosts do require identity and account verification, others do make this step optional.
- Private servers – one of the things you need to consider when searching for anonymous hosting is whether or not the provider has its own private servers. Hosting providers that run their own data centers have full control over the physical servers and can ensure a high level of security.
- Cryptocurrencies as a payment method – nothing ensures anonymity like an untraceable payment method. So look for a hosting provider that allows you to register your hosting account and domain by using a pseudonym and paying in cryptocurrencies for it.
All in all, there are quite a few factors to look at when choosing the best anonymous web hosting provider. Decide on the level of animosity you’re going for, and based on that weigh your options. Also, do not forget to consider the pricing, resources, and your site’s performance. While not the front runners, they are very important for a functional website.
100% anonymous web hosting
If you’re interested in 100% anonymous hosting, here are a few advanced offshore hosting providers that can guarantee the anonymity of your identity:
- AbeloHost – It legally promises to not share any of your personally identifiable information (PII) with any third parties and allow payments in cryptocurrencies. You can opt for shared, VPS, or dedicated server hosting.
- Virtual System – It allows absolutely anonymous user registration, and you can also pay in cryptocurrencies. All legal aspects comply with Ukrainian law. You can choose either a VPS or dedicated server hosting.
- Flaunt7 – It does not censor your content, does not sell your PII to third parties, and allows payments in cryptocurrencies. You can choose from shared, VPS, managed WordPress, reseller, and private server hosting.
At the end of the day, these providers offer more advanced options to remain hidden. However, it’s entirely up to you to hide your IP and leave as little trace online as possible. So before you make a decision, consider what level of anonymity you need and if you're able to achieve it on your own.
Final thoughts
There are many reasons why you might need anonymous website hosting, maybe you’d simply like to keep your identity online as secure as possible or maybe there’s more to it.
Regardless of the reasoning, your best bet in concealing your personal data related to web hosting services is to choose a host that offers numerous anonymity-related features. A good example of that would be Hostinger. Not only does it not ask you to confirm your identity when registering, but it also allows you to pay in cryptocurrencies and offers many data center locations to choose from.
Best web hosting deals this week:
Anonymous web hosting FAQs
Can you host a website anonymously?
Yes, you can host a website anonymously by opting for an anonymous hosting solution. Such a solution must allow you to pay in cryptocurrencies, offer domain privacy, and not ask for identity confirmation. Having their own data centers is an added bonus too.
What’s the cheapest anonymous web hosting provider?
The cheapest anonymous web hosting provider is Hostinger. Its shared hosting plans start at only $2.69/month. A close second is Namecheap, which costs only 19 cents more per month.
Is anonymous hosting reliable?
Yes, anonymous hosting is reliable. The option of having an anonymous online presence doesn’t affect the provider’s reliability. Anonymity is just a feature that comes with it.
Does an average user need anonymous hosting?
Not every average user needs anonymous hosting. If you have a simple personal website, you might not want to pay the extra $5 or $15 for domain privacy. However, when a provider such as DreamHost or Namecheap includes domain privacy and protection in its plans, it’s definitely something that users usually appreciate.
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