Hostinger is an impressive, rapidly expanding company. It runs the largest free hosting platform and also offers astonishingly cheap shared hosting plans.
One of its main selling points is that the plans are WordPress-ready. Let’s see how they handle everyone’s favorite CMS.
WordPress Optimization
Hostinger lets you install WordPress in one click.
Like many hosts out there, it claims to have the ideal server environment for WordPress. Unlike many hosts, though, Hostinger might just be right.
I benchmarked the speed of numerous WordPress hosting providers, and Hostinger crushed the competition. The only providers that can compete are SiteGround and the $35+ per month managed hosting juggernauts. Outperforming many hosts with a much higher price tag for WordPress hosting really says a lot.
Other than impressive performance, Hostinger offers a few advanced tools. One is the automatic WP-CLI installation. Git is also integrated with WordPress.
Unfortunately, Hostinger offers few WordPress features beyond that. The server optimization is impressive, but a few more technologies would give it an edge over other inexpensive WordPress hosting providers.
Features
Hostinger runs its in-house control panel, called hPanel. The solution is straightforward and does the job, but it creates a bit of a barrier when transferring to or from cPanel.
Hostinger also offers either a domain name or an SSL certificate with the cheapest plan. The provider runs these as a “limited-time” promotion, but one is pretty much always available.
Hostinger’s smallest plan starts at $1.39/month and gets you 10Gb of storage and 100Gb bandwidth. The plan is rather limited, but you do get a few important features like automated weekly backups.
The catch is that you need to prepay for four years to get the best price, but it is a hell of a deal. Hostinger offers the lowest monthly WordPress hosting price on the market.
And there’s even more to the offer. Cheap hosts tend to outrageously ramp up renewal prices. Hostinger’s starter plan renews at just $9.49/month.
And if you think that’s a great deal, Hostinger adds a few more discounts to the mix. For instance, you can get a 15% student discount. Granted, these aren’t available to everyone, but it’s a nice gesture on Hostinger’s part.
Hostinger is likely the cheapest WordPress host that retains a quality service.
That said, you’ll likely outgrow the smallest plan eventually.
The good news is that Hostinger offers two more affordable plans, starting at $2.59/month and $3.99/month. These come packed with more goodies like daily backups, more RAM, and multisite support.
Hostinger specializes in lucrative deals, and it definitely excels at its job. The prices are jaw-droppingly low, and you can still get awesome value out of the plans. If you’re looking to reduce your WordPress hosting costs to a minimum, it doesn’t get much better than Hostinger.
Support
Hostinger runs a respectable support team. The agents are knowledgeable and can resolve most WordPress-related issues easily.
That said, there is no phone support, and contacting the support through the website feels sort of clunky.
What looks like live chat actually lets you send an email ticket. Live chat is only accessible through some areas and breaks on some browsers.
The agents do a decent job, but the counter-intuitive interface can be annoying.
Verdict
Hostinger is as affordable as WordPress hosting gets. The plans are rather limited, so you can’t exactly set up a robust online store. However, if you’re in the market for something low-end like low-cost blog hosting, Hostinger is for you.