Many people don’t realize how vital it is to have the best possible web host in the game. I didn’t at first– until I realized that people are picky and options are plentiful. If your wait time is anything over 3 seconds, people are going to do business with a competitor using more optimal hosting services. Luckily for you, such web hosting services are out there, and plenty of them are inexpensive, too.
GreenGeeks.ca
Eco-Friendly
- Unlimited Domains
- Customer Support
- Limitless Disk Space
editors pick
Rocket
Editors’ Choice
- Global Server Locations
- 24/7 Customer Support
- Fastest Speed
WHC.CA
Runner-Up
- Canadian Owned
- 24/7 Customer Support
- Unlimited Disk Space
If you’re an entrepreneur in Canada, web host options are a dime a dozen. Exceptional hosting providers, however– that’s a different ball game. So, we decided to compile a shortlist of the best web hosting Canada and its hosting provider repertoire has to offer.
How do we evaluate? Easy. Do they provide the essentials? Tons of (or unlimited) disk space, excellent customer service, cheap or free domain name, money-back guarantee, shared hosting, top-of-the-line loading speeds, a range of dedicated server locations, and so on… That’s what we are all looking for in choosing the right site and hosting service to handle our website. If we had to choose what we prioritize more generally, it’s making sure potential consumers are getting a premium user experience (this means everything from live chat customer support possibilities to cloud hosting and maybe even a free website domain). But from your perspective, you also want a hosting company with a wide range of options in terms of hosting plans. With this in mind, let’s take a look.
Top Five Canadian Web Hosting Companies
1. Rocket
Rocket.net is hands down one of the best, fast and reliable Web hosting companies in the market today. Rocket.net guarantees its customers with access to faster servers than any available company in the market.
Offering a global CDN, at no added costs and every WordPress site on their platform comes with a free SSL Certificate. Rocket.net avails the user with next to effortless time with their majority features as well as an additional access to veteran experts who are available round the clock to help and assist customers wherever you are . Rocket.net gives the best 24/7 customer care, live chat/email support available to all time zones.This is able to help manage and fully optimize the content, performance and reachability of sites. With easier migration to different servers(as well as DNS), they avail a multitude of features, making it possible and simple to manage and protect WordPress sites.
Their price might seem expensive, but we believe it is worth the investment. If you choose Rockt.net, you surely will not look elsewhere. With a 30 day purchase guarantee, we are sure you won’t regret choosing Rocket.net.
2. WHC.ca
With servers in both Vancouver and Montreal, WHC.ca offers a range of plans at affordable prices, unlimited disk space, 24/7 customer support, and is generally the best option that appeals to the broadest base of Canadians.
In our experience, WHC stands out, particularly for its customer support. They have incredible customer support around the clock who are not only immensely knowledgable but also easy to deal with and always there to help at a moment’s notice. This is the kind of factor that helps you qualify as one of (if not the very best website hosting Canada has to offer.
Plus, since they operate out of both a west and an east coast location, they are able to provide incredibly fast speeds wherever you are in the country.
Check the web hosting reviews and you’ll see the WHC has a huge base of support from their clients.
The only downside, as far as we can tell, is that WHC doesn’t offer a free website domain name, like several others do. Still, in terms of web hosting, Canada doesn’t offer any substantially better than WHC.
3. GreenGeeks
These days, there’s no avoiding your project’s carbon footprint. Particularly with the keen minds entering and coming to leadership within the online business community, going green is not just ethically important but also attractive to potential clients. If these are your priorities, GreenGeeks aligns with your values.
Their investment in renewable energy is extremely impressive and many people think so, as they currently host over 300,000 sites.
What else is particularly good about GreenGeeks? Well, they offer not only a free domain but also website migration when you sign up with them. Plus, they do nightly automatic backups; this is more important than you may realize (unless you’ve been on the wrong end of NOT having frequent backups in the past).
And yet there are a few ‘less than ideal’ elements to GreenGeeks. First of all, they engage in a slightly dishonest kind of practice regarding their pricing. In one sense, they are the cheapest of the ideal options– in another sense, the details tell a different story. Basically, when the original term is up, the price goes up substantially. And, should you cancel, you end up paying $25 for your domain– this, needless to say, is quite a bit (definitely more than the ‘free’ they initially promise).
4. Hostinger
Hostinger, an internationally recognized name in web hosting certainly boasts some awesome features: excellent load times, impressive uptime, and an exceedingly low cost of $0.99 monthly.
Free domain, free SSL, and a range of plans ranging from extremely effective WordPress Hosting all the way up to far more comprehensive, higher-end, (and more expensive) deals. But it definitely tops out. If you’re looking for something that perfectly suits a smaller project that is not primarily based online, Hostinger might be perfect for you.
5. HostPapa
If it’s not quite the best web hosting company yet, HostPapa is well on its way. The speed is ideal, the pricing is fine, they offer decent customer support… but what really sets them apart is their security. Triple redundant firewalls, extensive filters for spam and malware, even an impressive system of backup generators. This is a site that takes customer satisfaction seriously and walks the walk.
You may have notice, however, we mentioned the customer service is only “decent.” We are supportive of some of their virtual tutorial content, but they don’t really go above and beyond in terms of communication. Further, they also charge a hefty fee for cancellation which is a noticeably worse deal than that given by rival web hosting sites. Still, they make for an excellent choice among Canada’s web hosts: the security is amazing, they have a great collection of tutorial multimedia content, and they are pretty environmentally conscious (no GreenGeeks, sure, but still admirable in their efforts). Nevertheless, the comparatively lacking customer support team as well as the unreasonable cancellation fee both stand out as areas in need of improvement.
Conclusion
We’ve done our best to lay out the virtues and distinctive features of each of these stand-out hosting providers. You put a lot of work into your business, now it’s time you make sure that your online elements are being handled just as well, and are being hosted by the right company.
Let us know if you would like to share any feedback or ask a question about the various hosting providers here in Canada!
FAQs on Canadian Web Hosting
What is the Best Host for a Website?
Ultimately, that’s going to depend on your needs– there are many plans and many services that only apply to certain projects and so on. However, in general, we believe WHC.ca offers the most impressive overall service.
How Much Does it Cost to Host a Site?
Again, different types of sites with altering levels of features and specificity are going to range. A less high-maintenance site, such as a basic website or even a WordPress site, will generally cost under $4 a month though, and often include a free domain.
What is the Best Web Hosting Site for Small Business?
If your business has a very small online component, perhaps Hostinger. Otherwise, if you would like to align with a more eco-friendly value system, GreenGeeks is great, too!
What is the Cheapest Web Hosting?
There are tons of cheap options out there, but many of them are less than ideal. As far as a mix of quality and value, Hostinger represents a great option.
Where Should I Buy My Domain Name?
Most of these sites will include a domain or at least give you a deal, should you choose them as your host! If you are not looking to go through one of these hosts, there are tons of great options out there that can find through a cursory search.
What is Web Hosting?
Basically a web hosting service does all the hard work which provide the technologies and services which allow you to bring an online element to your business or project to the web, allowing clients and potential customers to access your business through your website.
Jacky Chou is an electrical engineer turned marketer. He is the founder of Indexsy, Far & Away, Laurel & Wolf, a couple FBA businesses , and about 40 affiliate sites. He is a proud native of Vancouver, BC, who has been featured on Entrepreneur.com, Forbes, Oberlo and GoDaddy.
