5 Best PHP Hosting Providers

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.

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:

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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
See our Bluehost review	See our SiteGround review	See our Hostinger review	See our WPEngine review	See our HostPapa review

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

Visit Bluehost

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:

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 Gallery

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I could simply toggle between Bluehost's 12-month and 36-month pricing to find the best deal.

I browsed Bluehost's Knowledge Base to find PHP hosting resources.

More Information

• Bluehost Review: Read our complete review for more information
• Bluehost Pricing Review: Learn all about Bluehost’s costs

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

See SiteGround

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:

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 Gallery

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I was impressed to see that all of SiteGround's shared hosting plans support ecommerce.

I'd need to upgrade to the GoGeek plan to unlock Git integration.

More Information

• SiteGround Review: Get all of the details about this provider
• SiteGround Pricing Review: See if SiteGround’s plans work for your budget

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

Visit Hostinger

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:

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 Gallery

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I had to proceed to checkout to see the range of subscription lengths.

Hostinger includes Git integration, PHP version control, and an access manager across all plans.

More Information

• Hostinger Review: Everything you need to know about Hostinger’s hosting plans
• Best Cheap Web Hosts: See how Hostinger compares to other cheap hosting options

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

Visit WP Engine

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:

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.

WP Engine Gallery

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WP Engine's WordPress hosting plans start from $20 per month, billed annually.

My search for PHP-related resources resulted in some confusing guides and articles.

More Information

• WP Engine Review: Learn all about this PHP web host
• WP Engine Pricing Review: Everything you need to know about WP Engine’s plans and costs

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

Visit HostPapa

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:

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.

HostPapa Gallery

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I could easily see which features were included in my hosting plan and which I would have to pay for to include.

HostPapa provided lots of useful PHP-related guides and resources.

More Information

• HostPapa Review: Read our full review for more information
• Best Linux Hosting Providers: See how HostPapa ranks for Linux hosting

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!

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.

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.

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!