I’m sure you’ve all seen the term unlimited web hosting, but what does it really mean? Is unlimited hosting really unlimited? The term unlimited, in the web hosting world, often refers to disk space and bandwidth.
Unlimited Disk Space means that you can host an unlimited number of files on your web server – this is especially useful if you’re hosting a blog or website that includes a large amount of photo or data uploading.
Unlimited Bandwidth can sometimes be referred to as unlimited data-transfer and encompasses the amount of traffic you receive on your website. If your website is very popular, or you’re running a large eCommerce store which engages a lot of users, unlimited bandwidth will mean that your website won’t become overwhelmed with a large number of users visiting it, and it won’t crash or timeout.
Is Unlimited Hosting Really Unlimited?
The issue with unlimited web hosting is that unlimited doesn’t always mean that there are no limits. The technicalities behind it differ from web host to web host, however, unlimited usually means that the limits are so high, that no user will likely reach the limit.
A fabricated example of this would be that an average web hosting customer would use 5GB of disk-space on their server, so an unlimited package would allow you 100GB of disk-space (something which would never be a reality). But remember, every web host has its own limits; it would be wrong to assume that they’re all the same.
If we take a look at BlueHost as an example, Section 15 A (ii & iii) states the following:
So, you’re probably thinking, just choose a web host who provides an unlimited package at an affordable price? This isn’t always the best option. Yes, there are some great web hosts that provide unlimited hosting packages at affordable prices, with other great features, excellent customer service, etc. but unfortunately, it’s not a blanket deal – never assume anything when it comes to web hosting.
In fact, all hosting companies have their own limits, whether this is stated by bandwidth or in some cases they even state the number of visitors that your account is limited to. For example, SiteGround (our # recommended host) does exactly this.
#1: Hostinger (Best Overall Unlimited Hosting)
ICANN accredited web host, Hostinger, has a large customer base, and there’s plenty of reasons why. Hostinger caters to a wide audience, offering hosting plans to suit a wealth of wants and needs.
If you’re willing to invest the price of a coffee each month, you’ll enjoy unlimited features as well as a no-risk 30-day money-back guarantee. As well as offering stable web servers, they provide a slick user experience with helpful support.
Pricing
VISIT HOSTINGER.CO.UK (£0.99/MONTH)
Hostinger currently offers three pricing plans, starting from just 99p per month. Whilst Hostinger offers incredibly affordable hosting, the features that come with each package are great value for money and easily outshine other cheap web hosts.
The Premium and Business web hosting plans include unlimited bandwidth and unlimited MySQL databases. Hostinger confirm:
We don’t set limits on the amount of bandwidth you may use, as long as your usage complies with our Terms of Service. Basically, if you have a regular personal or a small business website, your bandwidth won’t be limited in any way.
On top of unlimited hosting, Hostinger includes a free SSL certificate across all plans and you’ll get a free domain on the Premium and Business plans.
Features
Hostinger is one of the few cheap web hosts that offer incredible features alongside great value for money. All of their shared hosting plans are optimised for WordPress performance with speed boosts are reliable servers.
You’ll get a free domain and SSL certificate on all Premium and Business hosting plans, as well as one of the easiest to use control panels I’ve ever come across.
Hostinger’s web hosting plans are scalable; if your website starts to outgrow your hosting plan you can easily upgrade or switch over to VPS or Cloud hosting which may be more suitable.
Pros & Cons
+ Hosting from just 99p
+ Free SSL and domain name
+ Unlimited bandwidth and MySQL databases
– 3-year commitment required for best prices
VISIT HOSTINGER.CO.UK (£0.99/MONTH)
#2: BlueHost
If you’re craving an awesome WordPress web host, BlueHost is an absolute no brainer. My research has shown me that BlueHost really cares about their customers. If you want a simple process, BlueHost doesn’t try and con you with hidden fees and extras.
Their performance is incomparable, with solid uptimes and quick load times (even on my unoptimised website). They offer top-notch support, affordable prices, and generous features.
Pricing
BlueHost’s shared hosting plans all include unmetered bandwidth. Once you move on from the Basic plan, you’ll also get unlimited websites, unlimited SSD storage, unlimited domains, unlimited parked domains, and unlimited subdomains. That’s a whole lot of unlimited!
The Basic plan is currently £2.28 per month, but if you can spare an extra £2 per month, you can upgrade to the Choice Plus plan which is the same cost as the Plus plan at £4.21 per month.
Features
BlueHost’s plans all include resource protection, scalable hosting, free SSL certificate, and unmetered bandwidth. As your website grows you’ll have access to more features like Spam Experts, Microsoft 365 mailbox for 30 days, domain privacy and protection, and site backup.
Whilst BlueHost’s features do reflect their pricing, I think what they have on offer is fair, though I would like to see them include some more enticing extras as they’ve already done with CloudFlare built into each account.
Pros & Cons
+ Low introductory prices
+ Recommended by WordPress
+ Scalable hosting options
– Renewal prices are high
VISIT BLUEHOST.COM (£2.25/MONTH)
#3: HostGator
HostGator’s recognisable branding nabs them the number 3 spot in my list. If you’re looking for a complete web hosting package, HostGator provides it all. You can get web hosting, a domain name, and create your website from scratch, all from just £2 per month (a real bargain to be had here).
HostGator is one of the easiest web hosts to work with, offering great support, free migration, and unlimited space for your website to be built. A brilliant option for beginners!
Pricing
HostGator’s shared hosting plans all include unlimited storage, unlimited bandwidth, a free SSL certificate, free domain name, and free site transfer from WordPress and cPanel websites.
Once your website grows enough to warrant the Baby or Business plans, you’ll also get unlimited domains and a few other features.
HostGator’s shared unlimited hosting starts from $2.75 per month (£2.10), which is a real bargain considering there are no limits.
Features
HostGator is one of those web hosts that offers some pretty fantastic features which makes it very good value for money. They are a recognisable brand, and with their recent rebranding and updated design, have moved into the modern world of hosting with some real power behind it.
All of HostGator’s shared plans include unlimited storage and bandwidth, free domain, one-click installs, a 45-day money-back guarantee, 24/7/365 support, 99% uptime guarantee, and you have the ability to create an online store if this is something you want to try out.
Pros & Cons
+ Good value for money
+ Free domain, SSL, and unlimited storage/bandwidth
+ 24/7/365 support
– Uptime guarantee is a little low
VISIT HOSTGATOR.COM (£2.00/MONTH)
#4: InMotion
InMotion has a plan to suit any budget. Whether you’re creating a small website or blog, or running your own business, there’s a wealth of features to get stuck into. Their SSD storage means you can be reassured your website will run smoothly and respond quickly.
My personal experience with them was hard to complain about. They certainly care for their customers, which can be seen through their high performing servers and on-the-ball support.
Pricing
InMotion’s pricing is a little more expensive than some of the other hosts we’ve looked at so far. However, the features on offer are definitely worth the money.
All of the shared hosting plans include unlimited bandwidth, and if you upgrade to the Pro plan, you’ll get access to unlimited email addresses too. As well as the unlimited resources, InMotion’s plans also include a generous amount of SSD storage, a free domain and SSL certificate, and up to $150 worth of free advertising credits.
Features
InMotion’s shared hosting plans all include professional email accounts so you can create an email @ your website address. You can also host multiple websites on each plan as well as install applications like WordPress with the click of a button.
If you don’t already have a web designer or you don’t fancy your hand at WordPress, you could try InMotion’s drag and drop website builder which is really handy. All plans include unlimited bandwidth and your website will be monitored 24/7 against potential threats or DDoS attacks.
Pros & Cons
+ Great selection of features
+ Fast servers and performance
+ Free SSL and domain on each plan
– Expensive in comparison to other hosts
VISIT INMOTIONHOSTING.COM (£4.50/MONTH)
#5: GreenGeeks
If you’re concerned about the environment, GreenGeeks is a fantastic eco choice. If you think this means they aren’t affordable or generous with their features, think again. GreenGeeks offer free domains, unlimited storage and bandwidth, DDoS protection, and an uptime guarantee of 99.9%.
They’re a solid web host with decent servers, and a heart of gold. They might not have their support completely nailed, but they certainly have plenty of resources with decades of experience.
Pricing
GreenGeeks offer affordable eco-friendly web hosting with unlimited storage, bandwidth, email accounts, and databases. On top of the unlimited resources, you’ll also get a free SSL certificate, domain name, and CDN on each plan.
Whilst GreenGeeks pricing and features seem very generous, which they are, unfortunately, their server speed and performance just aren’t ready to take on the challenge in comparison to other web hosts.
Features
GreenGeeks shared hosting plans include a lot of free extras like a domain name and SSL certificate. Whilst many web hosts offer these kinds of features, GreenGeeks also boasts free email accounts, free website transfer, free drag and drop website builder and shopping cart installation, SSD storage, 30-day money-back guarantee, FTP accounts, MySQL databases, and 24/7 support.
Pros & Cons
+ Eco-friendly web hosting
+ Unlimited resources
+ Free SSL and domain
– Speed, performance, and reliability is below average
VISIT GREENGEEKS.COM (£2.25/MONTH)
How to Choose a Good Unlimited Web Host
There are many unlimited web hosts offering great deals; which one to choose can be a complicated matter, but it doesn’t have to be.
- Choose a web host that has a good reputation, who offer a free trial, or a money-back guarantee. This way, you can experiment with their features, their performance as a web host for your website, their customer service, and at the end, if you don’t like what you see, you can get your money back.
- Remember, if you’re trialling out a web host, cancel your trial before the trial period ends, otherwise, you’ll end up paying more than you most likely won’t get back.
- Check out reputable web host reviews, like us, who cover all of the basic and advanced features of a wide range of web hosts, including performance, statistics, and an honest tried and tested opinion.
Reseller Hosting FAQs
What is Unlimited Shared Hosting?
When it comes to shared web hosting, unlimited hosting is more relevant to the resources you are using on your website, such as:
- CPU usage
- RAM usage
- Server stress
Luckily, there are lots of resources that can be used via your web host, if they provide them, or using outside sources in order to optimise your website. A great example here is Cloudflare CDN; CloudFlare blocks unwanted and ‘bad’ bots from accessing your website, therefore reducing your server usage. If you’re hosting a WordPress website or blog, WordPress offer many great plugins that can help to optimise your website.
Another handy tip for image-heavy users is to use an image compressor, such as, TinyJPG which intelligently compresses your images to ensure there is no loss of quality whilst compressing the size of your images into smaller file sizes, therefore reducing the amount of disk space used on your server, and loading times for your website users.
What does Unlimited Databases Mean?
As well as unlimited disk space and unlimited bandwidth, web hosts offer other unlimited features. Generally, most websites won’t require unlimited databases, purely on the basis that they don’t use them. However, websites like WordPress do use MySQL databases; these users should be especially mindful when looking for web hosts with unlimited databases.
If a web host limits you to 1 or 2 MySQL databases, this may be a problem for your WordPress website, especially if you’re looking to integrate your website with a forum, a shop, etc. as each ‘integration’ will require a database.
So, unlimited databases could be a priority when looking for a web host, depending on the type of website you are hosting, and whether it’s a static or self-hosted website like WordPress.
What is Unlimited Domain Hosting?
Are you looking to host multiple websites on one hosting package? If the answer is yes, you may want to look out for a web host that offers unlimited domain web hosting. Terminology in the web hosting world can be very confusing, and what it says on the tin doesn’t always represent what it actually means – sorry, but it’s the truth.
Unlimited domain hosting means that you can host multiple websites onto one hosting package; it doesn’t mean that you’ll receive unlimited domains. If you plan to host multiple websites, choosing a web host with the unlimited domain hosting option would be advisable, and most certainly a cheaper option than hosting several websites on different servers.
However, bear in mind that if you’re doing this, you’ll also need an unlimited hosting package (inclusive of unlimited domain hosting) to account for the fact you’ll be using more disk space and bandwidth on the same server.
Can you Explain Unlimited FTP Users?
If you’re hosting a website where you’ll want multiple people to have access to your website’s files, e.g. different members of staff, hiring a freelancer, etc. you’ll probably want multiple FTP users so that you’re not handing over your personal credentials to other people.
So, if you want other people to help you with your website, find a web host that will offer you, unlimited FTP users, where you can create custom access to those users.
Conclusion
Unlimited web hosting companies aren’t out to con you by saying they’re unlimited when they’re really not. A
fter all, nothing is truly unlimited.
Always remember to check out a web hosts terms and conditions, user agreement, or fair usage policy. This should give you a clear picture of what unlimited really means to each individual web host.
Generally speaking, if you’re using your web hosting package for what it’s intended for, and aren’t indulging in illegal activities, then you shouldn’t have any issues. If you’re genuinely concerned your needs may reach a web hosts’ limits in their usage policies, be honest and speak to them beforehand in order to ensure that you are choosing a web host that’s right for you.
As long as the other features they offer are worthwhile, unlimited web hosting is always a better option than limited. Remember, most web hosts will offer a free trial or a money-back guarantee, so don’t be afraid to test out a few before you commit.
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