5 Best PHP Hosting Providers

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Knowing what type of web hosting your site needs is the first step, but PHP scripts can only be interpreted on a server that supports the language. So, if you want to enjoy the benefits of PHP hosting, you’ll need to choose the right web host.

We’ve pulled together a list of the best PHP hosting providers, analyzing their features, pricing, and more, to bring you high-quality recommendations. Overall, Bluehost is the best PHP hosting provider, offering users customizable versions of PHP and affordable plans, making it a great well-rounded option for all website types.

Take a look at our top five providers below:

The Top 5 PHP Hosting Providers

  1. Bluehost Best overall PHP hosting provider
  2. SiteGround Best for PHP features
  3. Hostinger Best for affordability
  4. WP Engine Best for scalability
  5. HostPapa Best for online guidance

What is PHP Web Hosting?

PHP, which stands for Hypertext Preprocessor, is a popular programming language. When it comes to web hosting, PHP is able to read and execute unique code while storing and managing your scripts on a remote server.

The server processes the source code, which means that front-end users won’t have access to the source code, unlike with strict HTML sites.

The PHP language is an open-source interpreter. This means it’s used to build dynamic websites with pages that are then generated in real time – it’s great for creating sign-in screens and ecommerce shopping carts, in particular.

Websites created with PHP are going to be compatible with almost every device since it’s a universal programming language.

What is the Best PHP Hosting Provider?

We’ve conducted extensive research on the best PHP hosting providers, and have ranked each provider’s performance in a number of key areas, from uptime to customer service. Ready to take a closer look at what makes each provider stand out? Let’s get started! First, a quick comparison with expert ratings (out of five) from our research:

Swipe right to see more
0 out of 0

Bluehost

SiteGround

Hostinger

WP Engine

HostPapa

Overall rating
4.8
Overall rating
4.0
Overall rating
3.7
Overall rating
3.4
Overall rating
3.2
Starting from

$2.95

Starting from

$2.99

Starting from

$2.99

Starting from

$20

Starting from

$4.95

Uptime

99.98%

Uptime

99.99%

Uptime

99.99%

Uptime

99.99%

Uptime

99.97%

Storage space

10GB – 100GB

Storage space

10GB – 30GB

Storage space

50GB – 200GB

Storage space

10GB – 50GB

Storage space

100GB – Unlimited

Visit Bluehost Visit SiteGround Visit Hostinger Visit WPEngine Visit HostPapa

We tested 27 hosting providers to evaluate them in terms of price, performance, features, help and support, and more so we can make the most useful recommendations to our readers.

Our rigorous testing process means these products have been scored and rated in five main categories of investigation and 30 subcategories. In total, we cover 282 areas of investigation – and we go through this process for every type of hosting the provider has to offer!

Our main testing categories for hosting providers are:

  • Price: the cost associated with the hosting services provided by a hosting provider, such as subscription plans, pricing tiers, and any additional fees or charges.
  • Performance: the speed, reliability, and overall performance of a hosting provider’s servers. It encompasses factors such as server uptime and response time.
  • Features: the specific functionalities and capabilities provided by a hosting provider, including storage space, bandwidth allocation, and server location.
  • Help and Support: the assistance and resources available to users when they encounter issues or need guidance, e.g. tutorials and email or chat support.
  • Market Analysis / Customer Score: the assessment of the hosting provider’s position and reputation in the market.

The Website Builder Expert product testing process

Website Builder Expert Product Testing Process diagram

1. Bluehost

Best Overall PHP Hosting Provider

Pricing plans from: $2.95 per month

Editor's Choice

Bluehost

Best overall PHP hosting provider

Outstanding

4.8

out of 5
  • Affordable plans
  • Customizable PHP
  • Free daily backups

Paid Plans: $2.95 - $119.99 / month

Pros

  • 30-day money-back guarantee
  • Free SSL certificates
  • Reliable uptime

Cons

  • Limited starting plan
  • Pay more for best security features
Read Review

Bluehost is our top choice for PHP hosting, scoring 4.8 out of 5 in our research. It supports PHP versions 7.0 through 7.3 on its shared hosting plans. You can customize your version with PHP handlers and configure the environment using php.ini. Bluehost also offers a variety of non-PHP-specific features, too, which we’ll discuss in detail below.

Bluehost PHP Hosting Features

Bluehost is a feature-rich hosting provider, but the cheapest plan, Basic, only includes 10GB SSD storage. Because of this, you’ll need to upgrade to at least the Choice Plus plan for added features, such as 40GB SSD storage, a free domain for the first year, standard security features, and a free CDN.

Bluehost Plans & Pricing

PHP hosting on Bluehost’s shared hosting plans starts at $2.95 per month, billed annually. There are four different plans to choose from: Basic, Choice Plus, Online Store, and Pro. Given its limited storage space, the Basic plan is only appropriate for very simple websites. We’d recommend the Choice Plus plan as the best starting point due to its additional features and power (mentioned in the section above). The Online Store and Pro plans are ideal for growing businesses.

You can take a look at the 12-month subscription fees below:

Plan Monthly Price (Annual) Renewal Price
Basic $2.95 $10.99
Choice Plus $5.45 $19.99
Online Store $9.95 $24.95
Pro $13.95 $28.99

Bluehost Support

Bluehost’s knowledge base has a host of helpful articles on PHP hosting, including topics like PHP configuration and PHP modules. Its general help and support services are also robust – you can contact Bluehost’s team 24/7 via phone and live chat.

Bluehost Security

Bluehost’s hosting plans include extensive security measures, such as free SSL, daily backups, Secure Shell access, and Spam Assassin protection. As previously mentioned, you’ll need to upgrade to at least the Choice Plus plan to unlock these additional privacy and security measures.

Bluehost is our top-rated PHP hosting provider, scoring 4.8 out of 5.

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2. SiteGround

Best for PHP Features

Pricing plans from: $2.99 per month

SiteGround

Best for PHP features

Excellent

4

out of 5
  • Impressive security
  • Green hosting provider
  • Affordable plans

Paid Plans: $2.99 - $400 / month

Pros

  • Daily backups
  • 24/7 phone and live chat
  • Ecommerce-friendly hosting

Cons

  • Limited storage space
  • No email support
Read Review

In second place, we have SiteGround with a score of 4 out of 5. SiteGround’s PHP hosting supports versions 7.0 through 7.4 on its shared hosting plans. It prides itself on offering highly secure PHP executions and automatic PHP updates. And, if finding a sustainable solution is important for you, SiteGround has a 100% renewable energy match on its PHP shared hosting plans.

SiteGround PHP Hosting Features

All of SiteGround’s shared plans, which support PHP hosting, include unmetered data transfer and unlimited sub and parked domains. In addition, the SSD storage breakdown across plans is 10GB on StartUp, 20GB on Grow Big, and 30GB on GoGeek. In comparison to Bluehost which offers between 10GB and 100GB, SiteGround’s storage capacity is very low.

SiteGround Plans & Pricing

SiteGround offers PHP hosting on all of its shared hosting plans, ranging from $2.99 to $6.99 per month, billed annually. The StartUp plan is the most affordable option at $2.99 per month, offering basic features such as 10GB of storage space, daily backups, and unmetered bandwidth. And, unlike Bluehost, you can set up an online store with any of SiteGround’s plans.

Here’s what the 12-month pricing looks like:

Plan Monthly Price (Annual) Renewal Price
StartUp $2.99 $13.99
GrowBig $4.99 $23.99
GoGeek $6.99 $34.99

SiteGround Support

Like Bluehost, SiteGround provides 24/7 phone and live chat support to its users. If you’re looking for a quick solution, you can also try SiteGround’s knowledge base or follow one of its dedicated tutorials to help you take your site to the next level.

SiteGround Security

SiteGround’s security measures include free SSL, free daily backups, and 24/7 server monitoring. It also runs an Intrusion Prevention System which identifies users trying to steal your passwords and quickly disables the attacker’s access, keeping your website safe from harm.

SiteGround offers highly secure PHP hosting plans.

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3. Hostinger

Best for Affordability

Pricing plans from: $2.99 per month

Hostinger

Best for affordability

Very Good

3.7

out of 5
  • Cheapest plans
  • GIT integration
  • Unlimited bandwidth

Paid Plans: $2.99 - $109.99 / month

Pros

  • Unlimited SSL certificates
  • 24/7 live chat and email
  • Impressive security features

Cons

  • No phone support
  • Pay more for daily backups
Read Review

Hostinger completes our top three PHP hosting providers, scoring 3.7 out of 5. Hostinger’s PHP plans offer Git integration for deploying applications, version control to let you switch between PHP versions 5.2–7.4, and server-side caching to increase page speed.

Hostinger PHP Hosting Features

Hostinger’s cheapest PHP hosting plan provides users with 50GB SSD storage, GIT access, and unlimited bandwidth so you don’t have to worry about your site’s traffic. This plan is best for total beginners, but for the same introductory deal, you’d be better off with the Premium plan since it provides everything on the Single plan, plus 100GB SSD storage, SSH access, a free domain, and free email accounts.

For enhanced features, such as daily backups and a free CDN, we’d recommend choosing the Business plan to provide your website or online store with additional power.

Hostinger Plans & Pricing

Hostinger offers three PHP hosting plans: Single, Premium, and Business. The cheapest plan starts from $2.99 per month, billed annually. Of course, if you commit to a longer subscription (such as 24 months or 48 months), hosting could cost as little as $1.99 per month, which makes Hostinger the most affordable option on this list.

Check out the introductory and renewal fees for a 12-month subscription below:

Plan Monthly Price (Annual) Renewal Price
Single $2.99 $5.99
Premium $2.99 $9.99
Business $4.99 $11.99

Hostinger Support

Hostinger offers email support, tickets, and 24/7 live chat support to its users. Unfortunately, if you’re looking to talk to Hostinger’s customer service directly, you’re out of luck – Hostinger doesn’t provide phone support. That being said, you can use Hostinger’s knowledge base and library of tutorials so you can learn at your own convenience and pace.

Hostinger Security

To protect your website, Hostinger includes unlimited free SSL certificates across all of its PHP hosting plans. All plans also come with a custom firewall, Cloudflare protected nameservers, a malware scanner, and a secure access manager. And, depending on your chosen plan, you’ll get weekly or daily backups.

Hostinger’s PHP hosting is great value for money, starting at $2.99 per month (billed annually).

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4. WP Engine

Best for Scalability

Pricing plans from: $20 per month

WP Engine

Best for scalability

Good

3.5

out of 5
  • Best for WordPress users
  • Great scalability
  • Expensive plans

Paid Plans: $20 - $193 / month

Pros

  • Good for large-scale websites
  • 24/7 phone, live chat, email support
  • 30-day money-back guarantee

Cons

  • Not suitable for personal sites
  • Basic features
Read Review

WP Engine is unique because it specifically caters to WordPress users and offers the scalability that more commercial sites need. As a result, WP Engine scores 3.5 out of 5 in our research – while it provides specialized hosting for WordPress users, it also limits who can use the provider. Because of its expensive plans, we’d recommend WP Engine for businesses looking to expand, as opposed to personal sites or small businesses.

WP Engine PHP Hosting Features

WP Engine’s supports PHP hosting on its four WordPress hosting plans. These plans offer between 10GB and 50GB of storage space, as well as 50GB to 500GB of bandwidth. Considering WP Engine is the most expensive PHP hosting provider on this list, you’d expect its features to match the price. Instead, its storage and bandwidth allowance falls short of cheaper providers, such as Hostinger.

WP Engine Plans & Pricing

WP Engine offers four WordPress hosting plans, plus a custom enterprise plan for industry-leading businesses. These premium plans range between $20 per month to $194 per month, billed annually. While the Growth and Scale plans are more expensive, they’re worth considering if you have a large-scale website to host. However, most users and websites should be content with WP Engine’s cheapest plan, Startup.

Check out WP Engine’s 12-month pricing yourself to see which plan best suits your budget:

Plan Monthly Price (Annual)
Startup $20
Professional $40
Growth $77
Scale $194

WP Engine Support

WP Engine’s Resource Center offers educational advice to help you improve your site. We searched the term “PHP hosting” and got 316 results, but not all of them seemed entirely related, so we’d recommend being as specific as possible with your query. WP Engine also offers 24/7 support via phone, email, and live chat, providing more channels of support than other PHP hosting providers on this list.

WP Engine Security

WP Engine’s security measures include a proprietary firewall to automatically direct good, bad, and malicious traffic appropriately. Its PHP hosting plans also provide disk write protection to keep harmful code from embedding itself into your website.

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5. HostPapa

Best for Online Guidance

Pricing plans from: $4.95 per month

HostPapa

Best for online guidance

Above Average

3.2

out of 5
  • PHP-optimized servers
  • Large storage space
  • 24/7 support

Paid Plans: $5.95 - $269.99 / month

Pros

  • 30-day money-back guarantee
  • Affordable hosting plans
  • Reliable uptime

Cons

  • No email support
  • Pay more for top security
Read Review

Our final recommendation for PHP hosting is HostPapa which scores 3.2 out of 5 in our research. HostPapa supports PHP hosting on its shared hosting plans. It offers PHP-optimized servers with broad database support, and its digital knowledge base is home to a wide range of helpful tutorials on PHP hosting in case you need a quick solution to a problem.

HostPaper PHP Hosting Features

HostPapa’s PHP-supporting plans include free domain registration and unmetered bandwidth. On its cheapest plans, you get an impressive 100GB of storage space, which upgrades into unlimited storage once you’re on the Pro plan – HostPapa’s recommended choice. This is pretty impressive considering the majority of other providers, Bluehost included, offer 100GB of storage space on their most expensive plans.

Each HostPapa plan also comes with a suite of core features, including cPanel access to help you manage your website with ease, WordPress installation and upgrades, and 99.9% uptime guarantee.

HostPapa Plans & Pricing

HostPapa’s four shared PHP hosting plans start from $4.95 per month, billed annually. The cheapest plan is best for beginners with personal websites due to its limited features, while the middle-of-the-road Pro plan, which costs $7.95 per month (billed annually), has been optimized for small to medium-sized businesses. Of course, if you need additional power, you can opt for HostPapa’s most expensive plan, Ultra.

Take a look at HostPapa’s introductory 12-month pricing below:

Plan Monthly Price (Annual)
Start $4.95
Plus $7.95
Pro $7.95
Ultra $14.95

HostPapa Support

HostPapa’s searchable knowledge base includes a number of articles on PHP hosting, and there’s also a community forum where customers can help answer each other’s questions using their own experience. But if you need an expert helping hand, HostPapa offers 24/7 live chat and phone support, so you can get your questions answered directly by the support team.

HostPapa Security

In terms of security, all of HostPapa’s plans are equipped with a free SSL certificate. However, additional privacy and security features, such as automated backups and website monitoring are included in the Pro plan and above. The Ultra plan even has a fully managed web application firewall built-in, keeping your website safe from malicious attacks. If you want any of these extras on a cheaper plan, you’ll need to add them to your checkout separately.

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How Much Does It Cost To Host a PHP Website?

When it comes to deciding on a PHP hosting provider, cost will likely play a role in your decision. Starting prices for our top choices of PHP hosting range between $2.95 and $20 per month, billed annually. If you’re looking for the most affordable provider, we’d recommend Hostinger!

Which PHP Hosting Provider Is Right for Me?

We’ve shared our expert recommendations, but which PHP hosting provider is the right fit for your website? We think that Bluehost is a great well-rounded provider, offering customizable PHP versions for affordable prices. If you’re after a budget-friendly provider, you’d be best off with Hostinger. If scalability is important, especially if you own a WordPress website, check out WP Engine’s plans.

We’ve shared the key features, pricing details, benefits, and downsides of each of the five providers in this review to help you find the perfect fit.

Best PHP Hosting Providers: Final Thoughts

There’s no shortage of options when it comes to strong PHP web hosts, but the decision ultimately comes down to what you value most in a provider. Affordability? PHP versions? Security measures?

We’ve analyzed the best of the best, and it’s clear that Bluehost is the top PHP hosting provider thanks to its feature-rich plans and affordable starting price.

Bluehost is our top-rated PHP hosting provider.

SiteGround sits just behind with its impressive security features and automatic PHP updates, while Hostinger rounds out our top three with its affordable plans. If you’re still undecided, let us know in the comments so we can help you choose!

Hostinger offers affordable PHP hosting: 12-month plans start at $2.99 per month.

FAQs

PHP hosting applies to most dedicated and VPS servers as well. But we’ve decided to put the spotlight on PHP shared plans since they’re the cheapest, and are where most people prefer to start out – you can always upgrade to a VPS or dedicated server later!
PHP is open-source, so none of the providers we’ve recommended charge more for PHP hosting than the price of their usual hosting plans. This price includes all of the support, security, and features that we’ve discussed in the article.
You can host a PHP site on a Windows server, although it’s not as easy to configure as it is on a Linux server. For the sake of convenience, all of the plans we’ve covered in this guide are hosted on Linux servers.
PHP is a server-side scripting language, while HTML is usually a client-side markup language. HTML code is static, meaning it remains the same every time it’s opened. PHP code, on the other hand, provides dynamic content through scripts.
There are some providers that will host a PHP site for free. That said, they often place such tight restrictions on important functions like storage and bandwidth that it’s just not worth the low quality. For example, 000WebHost.com offers free PHP hosting with the catch of two hours offline every month.
Technically, you don’t always need a web server to run PHP, since you can call the PHP binary from the command line and run it that way. But since it’s the web server, and not the web browser, that can interact with a PHP interpreter, you’ll generally need a web server to run PHP successfully.
Written by:
emma ryan author bio
I’m a Senior Writer at Website Builder Expert, which means I’m part of a great team that produces and updates content for the website. I specialize in writing highly-researched and accessible guides, comparisons, and reviews that provide readers with everything they need to know about getting started and growing online. I’ve also written about small businesses for Startups.co.uk, video optimization for Industry Today, and HTML for Digital Information World. While working for Website Builder Expert, I’ve gained expertise in website builders, ecommerce platforms, and hosting providers through hands-on testing and research analysis. I’ve also attended expos to further my industry knowledge – all of this helps me pitch fresh article ideas for the website. Additionally, I manage our website’s comments which allows me to have a good understanding of what you, our readers, care about.
Researched by:
natasha_willett
I love to understand human behavior and the cognitive biases that drive us to do what we do. For over nine years I have worked as a mixed method researcher – research using a mix of numerical data and personal experiences – across a range of sectors, from insurance and policy development to finally arriving at Website Builder Expert five years ago. Fascinated by consumer decision-making, I meticulously built our leading ranking methodology to explore where providers like Wix sit within a competitive industry and what value they truly bring to our audience.
As a member of the Market Research Society, I’m an advocate for high ethical, commercial, and methodological best practices. All of this combines to give you the most ethical recommendations based on real data.

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