Fastest web hosting providers (2024)
Through independent research and testing, our team of experts offers transparent and thorough reviews of web hosting providers. We use the same testing criteria for all providers to offer a fair and unbiased assessment of each hosting service.
Our in-depth articles include feedback about our hands-on hosting experience and other crucial information for potential customers.
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Miglė Šeikytė
Content Lead
Web hosts significantly impact website speed. Together with the Cybernews research team, I analyzed various web hosts and their speed metrics, such as site loading time and TTFB (Time to First Byte), using the same website. Here is our list of the 7 fastest web hosts.
7 fastest web hosting providers
- Hostinger – fastest overall and best budget-oriented web hosting
- SiteGround – performance-focused web hosting
- InMotion Hosting – cheapest fast web hosting
- IONOS – fast and secure shared web hosting
- Liquid Web – fast and reliable managed VPS hosting
- WP Engine – speedy web hosting
- Cloudways – fastest VPS hosting for businesses
Our in-house research team and expert writers work hand in hand to regularly test hosting services and provide accurate and fact-checked information. Discover the ins and outs of how we test and evaluate website hosting providers.
Compare web hosting speed test results
When evaluating web hosting services, several key metrics provide insights into their performance: uptime, average response time, fully built site loading time, and on-site traffic.
- Uptime measures the percentage of time a hosting service is operational, directly impacting website availability. High uptime is crucial to ensure that visitors can access your site consistently.
- Average response time refers to the time it takes for the server to respond to a user's request, affecting how quickly web pages start to load.
- Fully built site loading time is the duration it takes for all elements of a web page to load completely, influencing user experience and search engine rankings.
- On-site traffic indicates the number of visitors accessing the website, which can affect performance if the server cannot handle high volumes efficiently.
In this section, I present our comprehensive test results comparing these critical metrics across various web hosting services to help you make an informed decision.
| Rating | Pricing | Speed | Uptime | Average response time | Fully built site loading time | On-site traffic | |
| Hostinger | From $2.54/month | 511ms | 100% | 511ms | 0.8s | 50 VUs | |
| SiteGround | From $2.99/month | 217ms | 99.99% | 217ms | 1.8s | 50 VUs | |
| InMotion | From $2.29/month | 759ms | 99.98% | 759ms | 0.8s | 50 VUs | |
| IONOS | From $1.00/month | 758ms | 99.9% | 758ms | 1.2s | 10 VUs | |
| LiquidWeb | From $15.00/month | 521ms | 100% | 521ms | 1.2s | 50 VUs | |
| WP Engine | From $20.00/month | 662ms | 100% | 662ms | 1.1s | 30 VUs | |
| Cloudways | From $10.50/month | 229ms | 99.98% | 229ms | 759ms | 50 VUs |
Typically, a TTFB score under 350-400ms is considered fast, while scores up to 700-800ms are generally regarded as average. Scores exceeding these thresholds may indicate that your hosting provider is negatively impacting your website’s speed.
Fast web hosting providers – our detailed list:
Together with our research team, I tested various web hosting providers to narrow down the list and provide only the fastest ones. Below, I’ll explore their features, speed optimization tools, plans and pricing, and offer our hands-on experience with the service.
1. Hostinger – best affordable and speed-oriented web hosting overall
| Rating: | |
| Features: | LiteSpeed Web Server, unlimited bandwidth |
| TTFB: | 207ms |
| Page speed: | 936ms |
| Best for: | The cheapest speed-oriented provider |
| Current deal: | Get up to 77% OFF Hostinger + 3 months free! |
Hostinger is my top pick for the best and fastest web hosting provider. I’ve found it offers a range of optimizations to speed up your website and provide impressive speeds by using the LiteSpeed servers and custom hosting panel. This combo provides overall better speeds and performance.
Interface. I appreciate how easy Hostinger is to set up and navigate. Its intuitive custom control panel (hPanel) lets you manage everything from billing to all functionalities related to your website.
Features. Hostinger provides several speed-boosting features that I find particularly useful. The LiteSpeed Web Server handles more visitors efficiently, while LiteSpeed Cache improves page load times. The support for multiple PHP versions and integrations with Page Speed and Analytics panels also helps track and optimize site performance.
Performance. In terms of performance, Hostinger makes it very easy to battle latency by offering 8 server locations to decrease loading time (you can choose from Brazil, India, the UK, France, Lithuania, the Netherlands, Singapore, or the US). We used tools like Pingdom, GTMetrix to evaluate and monitor the site’s data. Overall, it takes just 849ms for Largest Contentful Paint (LCP) to load, which is an excellent result.
Customer support. Our Hostinger review showed that Hostinger has a really exceptional support team – there are options for 24/7 live chat, a ticket system, emails, and a knowledge base. We were really satisfied with how professional and speedy the agents were – ready to help solve your hosting issues.
Pricing. The starting Hostinger price is $2.54/month (Premium plan). It includes a free domain, an SSL, weekly backups, at least 1 email account, 100 websites, 100GB SSD storage, and bandwidth for 25k monthly visits.
Cheap, fast, and packed with performance boosters, Hostinger is truly one of the top options for those looking for the fastest web hosting.
2. SiteGround – best in-house performance-optimizing tools
| Rating: | |
| Features: | Native CDN, Ultrafast PHP, SuperCacher |
| TTFB: | 90ms |
| Page speed: | 1.1s |
| Best for: | Performance-centric provider for small business websites |
| Current deal: | Get up to 83% OFF SiteGround + FREE TRANSFER! |
SiteGround is another speedy web hosting service. It’s known for its performance-centric approach to hosting, thanks to its effective speed-boosting features like an Optimizer plugin for small business websites. Our stress tests proved the speeds to be very reliable and consistent even with the increased number of visiting users.
Interface. I found SiteGround’s design very intuitive yet feature-rich and effective. Even if you’re a beginner, setting everything up is simple. It implements the in-house control panel – a modern and functional option even if you’re a first-time user.
Features. There are multiple speed-oriented features that make SiteGround stand out from the crowd. First off, ultrafast PHP decreases the server’s response time (TTFB), SuperCacher helps to increase the number of hits your site can handle, as well as boost your site’s loading speed. Moreover, there’s a SiteGround Optimizer plugin to improve the site’s performance by allowing users to manage their cache settings.
Performance. Our SiteGround review showed that this hosting provider has 7 server locations to battle the latency (US, UK, Australia, Germany, the Netherlands, Spain, and Singapore). Performance-wise, the results are well below Google’s recommended limit – LCP took only 872ms and the fully loaded time was 1.1s. We evaluated this with Pingdom and GTMetrix tools.
Customer support. The provider has nearly all possible customer support options – smart knowledge base, live chat, email, and ticket system. The support I received while testing was professional, speedy, and in a friendly manner.
Pricing. SiteGround’s prices start at $2.99/month (StartUp plan) – it includes 1 website, 10GB SSD storage, and can support 10k monthly visits. Other plans also offer really good value for money.
Overall, with its various speed-boosting features that return remarkable results, it’s no wonder that I consider SiteGround to be among the fastest web hosting providers.
3. InMotion Hosting – the fastest web hosting for small businesses
| Rating: | |
| Features: | Free SSL, emails, security features, UltraStack |
| TTFB: | 140ms |
| Page speed: | 825ms |
| Best for: | Fast and secure website hosting |
| Current deal: | Get InMotion Hosting, now 75% OFF |
A veteran in the industry, InMotion Hosting is a popular choice for fastest web hosting, especially for those with small businesses. While the provider’s pricing is on the premium side, its features like UltraStack guarantee speedy hosting that can smoothly handle the traffic.
Interface. InMotion has the well-regarded cPanel for all hosting management-related tasks. The panel is easy to navigate and get used to. You can also use BoldGrid – a WordPress website builder which allows you to create a professional-looking site in no time.
Features. Our InMotion Hosting review showed that InMotion Hosting’s enhanced performance and speed are highly related to its UlstraStack feature, which includes NGINX proxy caching, PHP FastCGI Process manager, and Brolti Compression. All of this technical-sounding hardware and software speeds your website up by caching the web content into memory to prevent loading source code for every new visitor.
Performance. To prove all of those features really add up to the site’s speed, we put InMotion Hosting to the test using Pingdom and GTMetrix. Its fully loaded time took barely 825ms, and at the same time – its server responsiveness was very good – 140ms. Overall, InMotion handled the traffic smoothly. However, it only has data centers in the US and Amsterdam.
Customer support. InMotion has a very large number of support options – a community forum, knowledge base, blog, 24/7 live chat, email, ticket system, and even a phone line. You can rest assured that you’ll get any technical support needed.
Pricing. InMotion’s plans are very affordable, starting from $2.29/month (Core plan), which includes 2 websites, 100GB SSD storage, and 10 email accounts. Other plans also offer generous resources.
Finally, InMotion has impressed us with its speed and ability to handle some heavy traffic. Fast and reliable, we have no complaints.
4. IONOS – fast and affordable shared web hosting
| Rating: | |
| Features: | Georedundant infrastructure, easy control panel |
| TTFB: | 758ms |
| Page speed: | 1.6s |
| Best for: | Small to medium-sized websites |
| Current deal: | Get up to 91% OFF IONOS! |
IONOS, Europe’s largest hosting provider, offers a wide range of hosting solutions suitable for various needs, from personal blogs to high-traffic websites. With over 30 years of experience, IONOS has earned a reputation for affordability, ease of use, and robust security.
Interface. IONOS utilizes a custom control panel for hosting management. Unlike the classic cPanel, the IONOS control panel is designed to be user-friendly and intuitive, especially for beginners. The main dashboard integrates hosting, domain, and security management into a single interface. While it took me some time t adjust for cPanel, the overall organization and functionality make it accessible for users of all experience levels.
Features. IONOS offers a comprehensive set of features designed to meet various hosting needs. Each plan comes with a free domain and an SSL Wildcard certificate, enhancing the security and credibility of your website. Daily automated backups are provided to ensure your data is secure and can be easily restored if necessary. DDoS protection is included by default, safeguarding your site from potential attacks.
Performance. Our IONOS review showed that it maintained a 99.99% uptime over a month, with only 3 outages totaling 3 minutes. The average response time was 758ms, slightly above the market average of 600ms but showing improvement. For my built WordPress site, the Largest Contentful Paint (LCP) was 1s, with a fully loaded time of 1.1s. The server handled up to 10 virtual users, equivalent to around 10,000 monthly visitors, without significant performance degradation.
Customer Support. IONOS offers 24/7 support via phone and live chat. While phone support is prompt and efficient, live chat can be difficult to reach.
Pricing. IONOS offers competitive pricing with a variety of hosting plans. Shared hosting plans start at $1.00/month, making it an affordable option for beginners and small businesses. The Expert plan, priced at $9.00/month, is ideal for high-traffic websites, offering advanced features like SiteScan malware protection and a Content Delivery Network (CDN).
Overall, IONOS is a reliable and affordable hosting provider with a broad range of features suitable for different needs. Its excellent uptime, free domain and SSL, and daily backups make it a solid choice. However, the limited server locations for shared hosting and hard-to-reach live chat support are areas for improvement.
5. Liquid Web – fast and reliable managed VPS hosting
| Rating: | |
| Features: | Managed VPS, Cloudflare CDN, powerful bare servers |
| TTFB: | 186ms |
| Page speed: | 1.2s |
| Best for: | Performance-oriented provider for mission-critical projects |
| Current deal: | Get Liquid Web, now 75% OFF |
Liquid Web is a premium managed VPS provider that’s also very speedy and can handle mission-critical projects. It’s generally known for powerful servers and during our in-house testing, it only experienced a few jumps.
Interface. Even though Liquid Web is more of an advanced solution, the plans come fully managed with multiple control panels (for instance, cPanel). You can take care of the general setting, but Liquid Web will do the rest and take care of the maintenance. In just a couple of minutes, I had my dashboard set up and ready to go.
Features. Our Liquid Web review showed that this provider has powerful servers, which are extra fast and responsive. For a faster loading time, the provider includes a free Cloudflare CDN. The host is also very reliable, as it comes with a 100% uptime guarantee backed by SLA. It means you can expect your site to be live at all times.
Performance. As for our testing, Liquid Web’s LCP took 1.2s – below Google’s recommended limit. The server’s responsiveness was also very good – just 186ms. To battle latency, Liquid Web offers 4 data center options (3 in the US and 1 in Europe). Our research team determined the following results using Pingdom and GTMetric tools.
Customer support. Liquid Web has a few customer support options: live chat, phone, or tickets 24/7. Additionally, you can check out their tutorials and documentation available in the knowledge base. We also liked that it was quick and efficient during our tests.
Pricing. Regardless of the plan, you get a control panel of your choice, SSL certificates, automated backups, and strong security. The prices start from $15.00/month (2GB RAM). Overall, it’s pricier on the spectrum.
As a whole, Liquid Web is speedy and reliable. The provider’s servers are also cluster-free, and even without many speed-optimizing features, it’s well-suited for larger projects or sites.
6. WP Engine – speedy web hosting
| Rating: | |
| Features: | Free SSL, CDN, managed WordPress, Google Cloud, and AWS servers |
| TTFB: | 140ms |
| Page speed: | 1.1s |
| Best for: | Premium and managed WordPress hosting |
| Current deal: | 🔥Get up to 20% OFF WP Engine +4 months free!🔥 |
If you’re looking for blazing-fast managed WordPress hosting, WP Engine should be on your list. With the implementation of Google Cloud and AWS servers, this provider ensures you get the newest hardware for your site. Besides, it’s well-equipped with speed-optimizing features.
Interface. I found WP Engine a bit more advanced than other shared hosting options on this list. Even so, the dashboard is very organized and clean. Most of the tasks are done manually, but the platform provided helpful explainers that guided me through the process.
Features. To speed up the site, WP Engine uses a unique approach – Google Cloud and AWS servers, 20 data center options all around the world to battle latency, and a free CDN to enhance the site’s performance. Since the provider specializes in managed WordPress hosting, it offers various customizations and automatic updates for your WordPress site to guarantee the fastest web hosting possible.
Performance. WP Engine showed us really good test results with Pingdom and GTMetrix tools. The site’s TTFB and fully loaded time came in at 140ms and 1.1s. However, WP Engine’s cheapest plan isn’t powerful enough to tackle 50 VUs. The test itself proved that WP Engine is capable of handling 30 VUs (around 30,000 monthly visits) perfectly fine.
Customer support. Our WP Engine review showed that this provider offers a great range of customer support options – 24/7 live chat, email, and phone line. On top, there’s also an extensive resource center. I reached out to the agents via the live chat a couple of times. Each time, we got a quick and professional answer.
Pricing. Although WP Engine prices are considerably higher than some other options, the cheapest plan starts at $20.00/month (Startup plan). It includes 1 site, comes with 10GB storage, 50GB bandwidth, and supports up to 25k monthly visitors.
Ultimately, WP Engine ticks all the right boxes when it comes to delivering fast web hosting. Fast and capable of handling traffic, this is one of the winners.
7. Cloudways – fastest VPS hosting for businesses
| Rating: | |
| Features: | Free SSL, many server and location choices, built-in cache |
| TTFB: | 155ms |
| Page speed: | 914ms |
| Best for: | Fast VPS hosting for bigger projects |
| Current deal: | Get up to 25% OFF Cloudways! |
Cloudways isn’t a mainstream name, but rather a unique provider, which also made it to our list as one of the speediest web hosting providers. It sets up and manages servers from top VPS hosting providers. Cloudways brings lots of performance-accelerating features to the table, too.
Interface. Cloudways hosting uses its in-house developed panel to manage the servers and apps. I found the panel to be clean and comprehensive. Plus, the setting up of the website and installation of SSL certificates is beyond easy. The only thing that was a bit tricky for me was pointing my domain to the server.
Features. Our Cloudways review showed that there is no slacker when it comes to its features. All servers have dedicated resources, there are also SSD drives and PHP-FPM to reduce page load times. Built-in caches will also help to speed things up. Cloudways has numerous data center locations. You can choose from up to 20 locations, which is also what will help speed up the site.
Performance. Pingdom and GTMetrix tests revealed that these features are working hard and aren’t just there for decoration. For LCP, our test site took 759ms. Not the best on this list but still in the top 3, which is quite a feat considering the caliber of the providers on the list. Cloudways’ final hurdle is a stress test (using K6.io tool) to see how well it handles increased traffic of 50VUs.
Customer support. Cloudways offer several customer support options: 24/7 live chat and online ticketing. The provider also has a community forum and a knowledge base. From my experience during in-house tests, the interactions we had during our in-house tests were efficient and helpful.
Pricing. This web hosting provider has many plans, the cheapest being DigitalOcean – it starts at $10.50/month and provides 1 core processor, 1GB RAM, 25GB SSD, and 8 server locations. Considering the complexity of the provider, it’s a good value for money.
Overall, Cloudways is fast, stable, and has exceptional handling of traffic – we’d give the provider an A+.
How did we test the fastest web hosting providers?
To determine the fastest web hosting providers, we employed a comprehensive testing approach. This methodology is detailed further on our How We Test Web Hosting page. Our process ensures that we accurately evaluate each provider's performance and reliability.
Before testing, we meticulously curated our list of web hosting providers. We reviewed 48 hosting providers, focusing on essential features such as performance, speed optimization tools, and overall reliability. After this initial assessment, we narrowed the list down to 7 for detailed testing. Here’s how we tested these 7 providers further:
- Load time. We conducted extensive load time tests using industry-standard tools. We measured the time it took for websites hosted by each provider to load with GTMetrix, WordPress site with Astra theme and TechSartUp template in different locales, assessing their overall speed and performance fully.
- Server response time. This helped us determine how quickly the hosting providers' servers responded to requests, indicating their efficiency in delivering content to visitors. We used PIngdom tool to conduct the tests.
- Uptime monitoring. We used uptime monitoring service (Pingdom) to track the hosting providers' reliability. We continuously monitored the uptime of websites hosted by each provider to ensure they maintained excellent availability and minimal downtime.
- Speed optimization features. We extensively reviewed the speed optimization tools offered by each hosting provider. We analyzed the presence and effectiveness of features like server caching, content delivery networks (CDNs), HTTP/2 support, and advanced caching plugins.
- Real-world performance. In addition to automated testing, we also conducted hands-on experience by hosting sample websites with the providers under evaluation. This allowed us to assess the actual performance of the hosts in real-world scenarios, including page loading speed, stability, and overall user experience.
After completing our testing, we compiled and ranked the web hosting providers based on their performance across the tested criteria. The final rankings reflect a combination of load time, server response, uptime reliability, and other critical factors. Providers were ranked from the highest to the lowest based on their overall performance and reliability.
What does hosting speed rely on?
The speed of a web host relies on several key features that contribute to its overall performance. These include:
- Server locations. The proximity of the server to website visitors affects response times and latency.
- Content Delivery Network (CDN). CDNs distribute content across multiple servers globally, reducing latency and improving load times.
- Server hardware and configuration. High-performance servers with modern hardware and optimized configurations enhance data processing and retrieval.
- Network connectivity. Fast and reliable network connections with ample bandwidth ensure smooth data transmission.
- Caching. Effective caching, such as server-side and browser caching, reduces the need for repeated resource-intensive processing.
- Optimized software. Well-optimized web servers, scripting languages, and database systems contribute to faster website performance.
By focusing on these features, web hosting providers can optimize their infrastructure, reduce latency, and deliver faster loading times for websites.
Why does web hosting speed matter?
With Google’s latest algorithm updates on, winning on search has become harder than ever before. However, Web hosting speed remains crucial for both user experience (UX) and search engine optimization (SEO). A slow website can negatively impact how users interact with your site, leading to higher bounce rates and lower engagement. Moreover, search engines like Google use page speed as a key ranking factor, influencing how well your site performs in search results.
Recent updates to Google's algorithms underscore this importance. Google integrates page experience signals, including loading speed, into its ranking criteria, emphasizing that faster sites generally receive better search rankings (Google Search Central). Furthermore, the Speed Update confirmed that mobile search rankings also consider page speed.
In addition to SEO, a faster website improves user experience by reducing load times, which keeps visitors engaged and reduces bounce rates. Studies show that even a one-second delay in page load time can significantly impact user satisfaction and conversion rates (Google Webmasters). Therefore, investing in high-speed hosting is essential for maintaining both high search rankings and a positive user experience.
Final word
Having a fast website is imperative for success. Several factors contribute to the speed of web hosting, including server response time, efficient caching mechanisms, and optimized content delivery networks. Among the many tested web hosting providers, only a few made it to our best list and one stood out as the best fast web host – Hostinger.
With its cutting-edge infrastructure, Hostinger offers impressive server response times, robust caching solutions, and an extensive network of content delivery servers. These qualities ensure that websites hosted on Hostinger's platform load swiftly and deliver a seamless user experience.
FAQ
What is the fastest WordPress hosting?
The fastest WordPress hosting is by SiteGround. The provider tests extremely well – its Largest Contentful Paint (LCP), which measures when the largest content of the page is visible, takes just 711ms.
Is my website fast?
Your website is considered fast if it passes certain benchmarks. Its LCP should be below 2.5s and its fully loaded time below 3s. Meanwhile, its TTFB ideally should be less than 200ms. To test your site’s speed, you can use Google PageSpeed Insights or GTMetrix.
How do I know my server speed?
To determine your server speed, use tools like GTmetrix or WebPageTest to measure TTFB (Time to First Byte) and overall site loading times. You can also run ping tests to gauge latency. Additionally, browser developer tools can provide insights into server response times.
How can I speed up my website?
To speed up your website, consider using NGINX as your web server or reverse proxy. NGINX efficiently handles high traffic loads and serves static content quickly, reducing server response times. Additionally, it can distribute traffic across multiple servers and manage caching effectively, further improving your website’s performance.
Is there anything faster than NGINX?
NGINX is one of the fastest web servers available, but alternatives like LiteSpeed and Caddy can also offer excellent performance. LiteSpeed is known for its high-speed handling of dynamic content and advanced caching features, while Caddy provides automatic HTTPS and ease of configuration. The best choice depends on your specific needs and server setup.
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